No player wants to be branded as a “nepo pick” — taken as a favor to a relative. But even those can turn out to be brilliant.
By Steve Henson, Los Angeles TimesUCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky goes No. 1 overall to the Chicago White Sox during the 2026 MLB Draft shown on the scoreboard before a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Athletics Saturday, July 11, 2026, in Chicago.
LOS ANGELES — The Major League Baseball draft is filled with unfamiliar names. Even the most knowledgeable fans have difficulty knowing much about the mostly anonymous high school and college players taken by the 30 teams through 20 rounds. Every year, however, a handful of names ring a bell. The 2026 draft, held the last two days in Philadelphia ahead of Tuesday’s All-Star Game, was no exception.
The accomplishments of the fathers or uncles of those draftees loom large. Other high picks hope to eclipse the accomplishments of relatives who had brief MLB or long minor league careers: No. 1 overall pick Roch Cholowsky out of UCLA is a prime example. And draft picks whose relatives have ties to the Dodgers or Angels draw interest: Salmon, Ebel, Gasparino, Willits and Bard qualify.
No player wants to be branded as a “nepo pick” — taken as a favor to a relative. But even those can turn out to be brilliant. The Dodgers took Mike Piazza in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft largely because his father, Vince Piazza, was a childhood friend of manager Tommy Lasorda. Piazza, of course, became a Hall of Fame catcher with the Dodgers and New York Mets.
— Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA. First overall pick by the White Sox. His father, Dan Cholowsky, was the 39th overall pick in 1991 by the Cardinals and played eight minor league seasons. He’s now a scout for the Reds.
To focus on baseball, Roch gave up a scholarship offer to play quarterback at Notre Dame. He is the Bruins’ first No. 1 overall pick since Gerrit Cole in 2011. His father, George Lombard, played parts of six seasons with four MLB teams from 1998-2006 and is currently the Tigers’ bench coach. Jacob’s brother, George Lombard Jr., was the 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Jacob is one of 11 shortstops taken in the first 40 picks this year. Milwaukee made his brother, Brady, the No. 32 overall pick a year ago. Their father, Dino Ebel, has been the Dodgers’ third-base coach since 2019 and spent the previous 13 years as a coach for the Angels. Strength and conditioning training with MW Athletix’s Keith Coury helped lift Trey into the first round.
Chicago White Sox's Landon Thome, right, the 34th pick in the 2026 MLB draft, and his father, left, Hall of Famer Jim Thome, pose for a photo before a baseball game between the Athletics and the White Sox in Chicago, Sunday, July 12, 2026. His father, Jim Thome, ranks eighth on the career home run list with 612 and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018.
Like his dad, Landon is a left-handed hitter with a sweet swing. He also has something his dad lacked: speed. Landon stole 54 bases this spring. His cousin Garrett Mitchell was the No. 20 overall pick out of UCLA in 2020 and is in his fifth MLB season with the Brewers.
His father, Mike Grahovac, was a fourth-round pick in 1989 but topped out in Class-A. Scouts project Gavin has having the potential to hit 30 homers a yearRutgers outfielder Peyton Bonds concentrates on the Purdue pitcher as he leads off first base during an NCAA baseball game on April 11, 2025, in West Lafayette, Ind. His uncle, Barry Bonds, is a seven-time MVP who holds the MLB record with 762 career home runs.
His grandfather Bobby Bonds hit 332 homers during a 14-year career that ended in 1981. And his father, Bobby Bonds Jr., played 11 seasons in the minor leagues. Peyton is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound center fielder with speed and improving power. His grandfather is Rennie Stennett, a versatile player whose nine seasons with the Pirates were bracketed by World Series titles in his 1971 rookie season and 1979 finale.
Lujo converted from the infield to center field at Georgia and has plus speed. His brother Eli was the first overall pick in last year’s draft, going to the Nationals. Their father, Reggie, played parts of six seasons with the Angels and is now a coach at Oklahoma. Jaxon, 21, is older than Eli, who was the youngest player to go No. 1 overall at 17 years, 216 days old.
Both are switch-hitters. His father, Billy Gasparino, has been a Dodgers executive for 11 years. He is the vice president of baseball operations after being promoted in 2024 from vice president of amateur scouting. Will, a 6-6 right-handed power hitter, transferred from Texas to UCLA before the 2026 season.
His father, Andy Pettitte, won five World Series pitching for the Yankees. While Andy remains on the Hall of Fame ballot the next two years, his son will be working through the minor leagues, perhaps as a two-way player. Luke had Tommy John surgery after two years pitching for Dallas Baptist, then batted .337 with 16 home runs as a designated hitter last spring.
His uncle Tim Salmon is an Angels legend, a key component of their 2002 World Series championship team who played his entire 14-year career in Anaheim. His father, Mike, had a short stint in the NFL with the 49ers and played football at USC. His father, Josh Bard, spent 10 seasons in the major leagues with five teams and is now the Dodgers’ bullpen coach. Luke batted .345 last season at Houston Christian.
His father, CC Sabathia, was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2025 who finished his 19-year MLB career with 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts. He spent one memorable half-season with the Brewers, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA to help them to the playoffs in 2008. Carsten played two years at Georgia Tech before transferring to Houston. He was the third-to-last pick in the draft.
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