Pirates MLB Draft Preview with Jim Callis: Booth, Flora Or Lombard At No. 5?

MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis joins North Shore Nine for our 2026 MLB Draft preview as the Pittsburgh Pirates get set to pick No. 5 overall.

Callis has correctly projected the Pirates’ first round pick three years in a row, but this year feels much less certain. We break down the likely top of the board, why Grady Emerson, Roch Cholowsky and Vahn Lackey may be gone, and what that means for the Pirates with names like Jackson Flora, Jacob Lombard, Eric Booth Jr. and Drew Burress still in play.

The guys also talk about the value of the No. 34 pick, whether the Pirates could use it to add immediate bullpen help, potential second round targets, Luke Williams as a local WPIAL name to watch, and what Justin Horowitz leaving for Washington could mean for this year’s draft process.

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