The 2026 MLB Draft opened festivities on Saturday with a little bit of a change of format opposed to the previous few years. The first 4 rounds were held Saturday afternoon with the remaining rounds of 5 through 20 scheduled for Sunday.
There are several prospects with ties to the Sooner State eligible for the draft once again this year although there weren’t any projected to go in the 1st or 2nd rounds. However, as we’ve seen before, things happen in the MLB Draft that are unexpected.
A total of 3 players with Oklahoma ties went in the first 4 rounds with 2 of them being relative surprises. Let’s take a look.
Carson Wiggins (Roland High School); 1st Round (27th overall): New York Mets
It’s not a surprise that Wiggins was drafted on day 1. What is a surprise is that he was drafted in the 1st round. Long considered the top prospect out of Oklahoma in the 2026 draft, Wiggins came in at the 88th spot in the last MLB Pipeline draft rankings this week.
The Roland ’24 grad has spent the last 2 seasons at the University of Arkansas. In a scenario that eerily matched his older brother, Jaxon, Carson missed his entire sophomore campaign this year due to injury, but has enough elite physical tools to be drafted on the first day (Jaxon is the Cubs’ top pitching prospect and a top 100 overall prospect at the moment).
Wiggins did participate in the recent MLB Draft Combine. His fastball was sitting at 95 and he has touched 100 in the past before tearing his UCL in his freshman year at Arkansas. Analysts said his fastball was the best at the Combine.
Instant analysis on MLB.com after the pick:
This one is super interesting. When healthy, Wiggins arguably has the best fastball in the class, averaging 98.7 mph with late hop and carry. He has a 70-grade slider to go along with it, but he didn’t pitch all year following internal brace surgery. He did come back to throw some bullpens, including at the MLB Draft Combine. His brother, Jaxon, is a top pitching prospect in the Cubs organization.
Brendan Brock (Univ of Oklahoma); 3rd Round (99th overall); New York Yankess
Brock was the first of several Sooners expected to be drafted over the 2 days. He came in near where he was expected as MLB Pipeline had him at 112 in their last rankings.
An athletic catcher by trade, Brock was moved to the outfield permanently midway through the season to allow Deiten Lachance to stay behind the plate. However, he was listed as a catcher when drafted.
One MLB analyst said he can’t remember a catcher with a grade of 70 on speed in a very long time and even said he was more athletic than Vahn Lackey of Georgia Tech who was taken 2nd overall.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Yankees use Brock going forward seeing they could have one of the most athletic catchers is he does make it to the big league club.
Alex Conover (Tuttle High School/Oklahoma State); 4th Round Compensation (134th overall): San Diego Padres
Conover being taken on the first day in the 4th round was the second surprise of the night for the Oklahoma contingent. Conover wasn’t even in the MLB Pipeline rankings until this past week where he was at 204.
Conover was “Mr Everything” for the Pokes in 2026. The Tuttle alum was a 1st Team All Big 12 selection in 2026.
MLB.com pre draft analysis:
Conover was Cowley County (Kan.) CC’s top hitter as a freshman in 2024, slashing .378/.508/.684, but his tendency to chase pitches limited him to part-time play last spring after he transferred to Oklahoma State. He toned down his approach as a junior and boosted his OPS from .843 to 1.101. He doesn’t have a standout tool but also lacks a glaring weakness, and scouts love his makeup.
Conover has a quick left-handed stroke but is content to work the middle of the field and drives more balls to left field with authority than he does to his pull side. He cut his chase rate from 26 percent in 2025 to 19 percent this spring, which made a huge difference because he rarely swings and misses against strikes, especially versus fastballs. The next adjustment will be to curb his tendency to make ground-ball contact, which cuts into what should be at least average power.
Enhancing average speed with good instincts on the bases, Conover will pick his spots to steal and take extra bags. Primarily a left fielder for the Cowboys, he’s an average defender with arm strength to match. He caught in high school and during fall practice, and the idea of moving him behind the plate intrigues some clubs.
The final day of the draft will begin on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. (CDT) and will include the remaining rounds of 5-20. You can follow along on mlb.com, mlb.tv, or MLB+.
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