Guardians can only hope this college standout falls to them in 2026 MLB Draft 

Last year, the Cleveland Guardians were ecstatic when Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette fell to them at the No. 27 pick in the MLB Draft. 

While there were some valid reasons why LaViolette was available at that pick, the Guardians didn’t care since it meant they got to grab a player who was once viewed as a potential No. 1 pick. 

That same theme could carry over to this year’s draft in the form of Auburn second baseman Chris Rembert, who stands out as an obvious draft target for the Guardians. 

Chris Rembert should be a clear draft target for the Guardians

Earlier this week The Athletic’s Keith Law added some fuel to that fire in his latest mock draft where he had the Guardians selecting Rembrant with the No. 19 pick. 

Rembert just finished up a sophomore year at Auburn where he posted a .858 OPS with four home runs and 46 RBI in 58 games with the Tigers. Great stats, sure, but a bit of a dip from his freshman year where he had a 1.022 OPS with 10 home runs and also 46 RBI. 

One of the reasons for that dip in production could be due to an ankle injury that limited him this spring, which is also similar to LaViolette, who sustained a hand injury last year right before the draft. 

According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on Rembert, there’s some clear questions about if his long-term future is at second base or a corner outfield spot. 

Sound familiar? 

While Travis Bazzana is the 100th percentile outcome for that profile, the Guardians have proven they can have MLB success with a player who has that skillset. 

The Guardians love a chance to nab a player at a draft discount, and Rembert would be an obvious example of that so long as he’s available. 

He’d be an obvious fit in a Guardians’ system that has an abundance of MLB-ready position player prospects like Ralphy Velazquez, Cooper Ingle and others but also has a new wave of prospects a couple years away that’s led by LaViolette. 

Now, it’s worth noting that most of those prospects are position players, which is why there was also some buzz they could take a college arm with this pick so they could fast-track them through the minors. 

Law added a bit of insight into that in his mock draft when he wrote that he hadn’t heard that they were connected to any high school players, so that same logic could be applied to Rembert.

While he may not make it to the minnows as quick as Travis Bazzana (who had a bit of a slow ascent through the minors given today’s standards). 

The draft is always an incredibly important event to the Guardians considering they’re never going to spend money in free agency, but this year’s draft is arguably even more important given when the Guardians’ roster is at. 

While there’s always a chance the Guardians could have another highly-rated prospect fall into their lap, it’s hard to believe they’d pass on Rembert if he’s available when they’re on the clock. 

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