Ranking the best fits for Dodgers in Baseball America's latest 2026 mock draft

The pre-draft picture is starting to come into focus, and Baseball America's newest mock draft gives Los Angeles Dodgers fans a real name to chew on. Baseball America's Mock Draft 4.0 (subscription required) predicts Los Angeles to land Virginia shortstop Eric Becker at No. 40 — the Dodgers' first pick after their selection was docked 10 spots for blowing past the top luxury-tax threshold.

In addition to Becker, Baseball America also listed several other names (Aiden Ruiz, Cole Prosek, Bo Lowrance and Caden Sorrell) as potential selections when the Dodgers make their selection at No. 40.

Let's put a scouting lens on each, and rank them by how cleanly they fit what Los Angeles actually needs: premium up-the-middle athletes and the kind of high-upside bats this front office loves to develop.

1. Aiden Ruiz would be the the Dodgers dream fit if he falls

If Aiden Ruiz slides to 40, he's the pick. Ruiz is the slick-fielding New York prep shortstop whose glove is the headliner — exactly the up-the-middle, defense-first profile that ages well and gives a team the most positional flexibility down the line.

The Dodgers have made a habit of betting on premium athletes at premium positions, and a true shortstop with that kind of leather is the cleanest match on the board. The catch is, as Baseball America points out, he likely has to get past Detroit late in the first round to even be available here. If he does, stop the search.

2. Eric Becker would be a solid choice for the Dodgers

Eric Becker is the name attached to the Dodgers in the mock draft, and it's easy to see why. He's a polished, three-year producer at Virginia who's hit everywhere he's been — he led the Cavaliers in average, OPS and extra-base hits during his breakout, and he's a 13th-ranked-type college bat with a long track record of barreling the ball.

The questions are about impact and where he ultimately fits defensively in pro ball; some evaluators think he could slide to second base. But the hit tool and the versatility are real, his younger brother Nick was a second-round pick a year ago, and there's bloodline and feel for the game here. As a true shortstop fit, I'd take him second — a high-floor bat who can actually stay in the dirt.

3. Caden Sorrell has the SEC pedigree the Dodgers would love

Here's where need starts to matter more than pure talent. Caden Sorrell is a legitimately exciting player — a 6-foot-3, 205-pound Texas A&M outfielder who hit .347 with 23 homers and 76 RBI this spring, earned All-SEC First Team and All-SEC Defensive Team honors, and moved to center field, where his plus speed and above-average arm play. The SEC production is proven against the best amateur pitching in the country, and that counts for a lot.

So why third? Because the Dodgers simply don't need outfielders. Andy Pages has emerged into a cornerstone in center, Kyle Tucker is locked in on a four-year, $240 million deal, and Teoscar Hernández is signed through 2027 — and that's before you get to a farm system Andrew Friedman has called the most talented collection of outfield prospects he's ever assembled. Sorrell's talent ranks higher than this; his fit doesn't.

4. Cole Prosek would give the Dodgers a bat-first catcher

Cole Prosek gets the edge because of where he might end up on the diamond. He's a 6-foot-1, 195-pound left-handed hitter out of Magnolia Heights (Miss.), the reigning Mississippi Player of the Year and an Ole Miss commit who absolutely punished high school pitching — .560 with 17 homers as a senior.

The Dodgers love drafting and developing catchers and bat-first athletes, and a potential plus hitter who could catch is squarely in their wheelhouse. Most have him in the 2-3 round range, but a team sold on the bat could pop him in the first 30.

5. Bo Lowrance would be a high-upside pick for the Dodgers

Bo Lowrance might have the loudest raw ceiling of anyone in this tier, and that's the appeal. He's an ultra-projectable 6-foot-5 left-handed third baseman out of Christ Church Episcopal in Greenville, S.C., a Virginia commit who's rocketed up boards this spring — jumping 17 spots in BA's latest update — with some scouts whispering Freddie Freeman comparisons for the smooth lefty stroke and all-fields power.

The dream is obvious, but so is the risk: there are questions about whether he sticks at third long-term (a first-base move isn't off the table), and as a Virginia commit, he's expected to be a tough, expensive sign away from school. He lands fifth here not on talent — the upside might be the best in the group — but on the combination of positional uncertainty and signability that makes him the riskiest bet of the bunch.

The Bottom Line: The Dodgers will be in good shape no matter who the pick is

If the board breaks right and Ruiz falls, he's the dream. If not, Becker is a sensible, BA-endorsed landing spot and the safest true-shortstop bet in that range. Sorrell is the most accomplished name but the worst roster fit, and the Prosek-Lowrance debate comes down to philosophy: the higher-floor catching profile versus the higher-ceiling power swing.

Either way, the Dodgers are doing what they always do — sitting at the back of the first round and still finding a premium athlete to develop. The draft is July 11 in Philadelphia. We'll see which one falls into their lap.

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