4 rival AL Central draft picks who could haunt Guardians for years to come

Although the American League Central has been a bit of a laughingstock in recent years compared to some of the other divisions in baseball, there’s no denying that it still has some talent (even if it’s not the same level as others). 

And, because of the mom-and-pop nature that every team in the division operates with, a good portion of the talent in the division has come from the draft, with players like Travis Bazzana, Tarik Skubal and Colson Montgomery all playing for the team that initially drafted them. 

While the Guardians did well to re-stock their coffers through this year’s draft, the same can be said for the other four teams in the division. Here’s a look at one prospect from those classes who could turn into a Guardians villain. 

The American League Central did well in the 2026 MLB Draft 

Chicago White Sox: SS  Roch Cholowsky (Pick No. 1) 

Not overthinking it. 

On Saturday, the White Sox took Cholowsky with the No. 1 pick in the draft in the hopes that he'll be their shortstop for years to come. 

And for that to be the case, he’ll need to do well against the Guardians, who have largely beat up on the White Sox for the better part of the past decade. 

Cholowsky’s coming off a college career where he posted a .329/.448/.624 slashline with 52 home runs and 167 RBI in 178 games across three seasons at UCLA. He ended up signing a record-setting $11 million signing bonus, and could be fast-tracked through Chicago’s farm system. 

The White Sox have jumped to the top of the American League Central thanks to an upstart roster led by young players Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami, but Cholowsky may end up becoming the best of the bunch. 

It wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s facing off against the Guardians at the big league level at some point next season. 

Detroit Tigers: RHP Cameron Flukey (Pick No. 22) 

The Tigers made a shrewd move to nab Flukey, who was projected as a potential top 15 pick but ended up falling to the Tiger with the No. 22 pick. 

The biggest reason he fell is that he finished 2026 with a 4.13 ERA in seven starts due to a stress fracture in his ribs. 

Prior to that, he had a 3.09 ERA in 101 2/3 innings in 2025 on a Coastal Carolina team that made it to the College World Series. 

While the Tigers found gold with Tarik Skubal (a ninth round pick), most of their recent early draft pitcher picks have been misfires outside of Casey Mize (who was a late bloomer). 

The Tigers may need to dip into a rebuild after this season thanks to Skubal’s potential departure, but Flukey could be a part of their next era. 

Kansas City Royals: RHP Taylor Rabe (Pick No. 30) 

While the Royals surprised all of baseball by picking Zion Rose with the No. 6 pick, they made an even more surprising pick when they took Rabe, who was a potential pick for the Guardians. 

Last year was his only season of college ball after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024, and he finished that season with a 3.55 ERA in 76 innings.

He seemed to get better as the season went on, and  had a 7.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which was fourth in Division 1. 

Although there’s always some danger in picking a pitcher who has already suffered an arm injury, Rabe was worth the risk. 

The Royals’ rotation took a huge hit earlier this month when Cole Ragans had UCL surgery, but Rabe could be the next heir apparent atop their rotation. 

Minnesota Twins: C Vahn Lackey (Pick No. 3) 

Another AL Central team, another top-five pick. 

This time it’s Lackey, who played three seasons at Georgia Tech, and is the Twins’ highest draft pick since they took Royce Lewis with the No. 1 pick in 2017. 

Lackey’s been a late bloomer throughout his baseball career, as he didn’t get any Division 1 offers until his senior year, and wasn’t at the top of a ton of draft boards until this season. 

The biggest reason why he flew up those draft boards is because of what he did during a fantastic junior season where he had a 1.291 OPS with 20 home runs and 78 RBI in 61 games.

Although he saw some time at third base in college, it seems like he’s going to stick at catcher, which could make him even more dangerous in the long run given how much they can impact the game. 

He also could be ticketed for the bigs sooner rather than later given the Twins’ lack of catching depth (especially if they trade starter Ryan Jeffers). 

Joe Mauer terrorized the Guardians plenty during his 15 year career with the Twins. While it’s no guarantee that Lackey will play that long, he has all the makings of a Guardians villain. 

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