Apr 20, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of gloves and hats in the Colorado Rockies dugout during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Rockies Select High School Pitcher in Early Look at 2026 MLB Draft

Originally posted on Colorado Rockies on SI
By Sean O'Leary | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 9:00 PM ET

It's the offseason, so the Colorado Rockies can put the disastrous 2025 season behind them and not linger on it. The focus moving forward is to make the roster for 2026 better and continue building the farm system to ensure a better roster for the forseeable future.

The Rockies have done pretty well in recent drafts. With back-to-back top four picks, they took Ethan Holliday at No. 4 this year and Charlie Condon at No. 3 the year before that. In 2023, they took pitcher Chase Dollander in the Top 10.

The next draft isn't until July of 2026, but Colorado's roster is depleted and they're not in win now mode. The future of this team is in the minors, so to get an idea of what's coming in the next draft will keep that anticipation level going.

MLB Pipeline’s Rockies Pick

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Now, Colorado is in a bit of a predicament when it comes to the 2026 draft. They finished with the worst record in baseball at 43-119. Despite that, they cannot have a pick higher No. 10 overall. That is due to the new 'anti-tanking' rules that were in the last collective bargaining agreement.

Under this rule, a team cannot have a top six, or lottery pick, in back-to-back years. So, even though they were by far the worst team in baseball, they won't be picking first overall. The lottery won't happen until the Winter Meetings, so placing the Rockies anywhere in the draft is just guess work.

With that said, MLB Pipeline released a "Way too early" mock draft on Tuesday and it included Colorado at No. 10 overall.

In this hypothetical, the Rockies selected Logan Schmidt, a left-handed pitcher out of Ganesha High School in Pomona, Calif.

According to Pipeline, Schmidt is ranked as the sixth best high school prospect this season. He sits mid-90s from the left side and can hit 97. He also throws a "really good breaking ball," though it's not specified what kind, as well as a changeup.

"It's kind of a combination of stuff, feel for pitching and upside," MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo wrote.

Schmidt will be 17-years-old at the time of the draft, which will make him one of, if not the youngest player in the draft. Players that young usually get a boost as we saw with Eli Willits in the 2025 draft being selected first overall.

May believes that the lefty "has a big up arrow next to his name."

Of course, this selection can only be taken with a grain of salt. The draft will come more into picture around May of next season, but players that are considered this highly this early usually stick around toward the top of the draft.

Moving forward, it's all about building around Holliday and Condon as the Colorado Rockies continue their rebuild.

This article first appeared on Colorado Rockies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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