Guardians draft steal lands among MLB Pipeline experts' biggest picks 2026

While a lot of attention at this year’s draft was put toward the team’s selection of Liam Peterson in the first round, the biggest selection from Cleveland’s draft haul may be the player they selected 194 picks after they selected Peterson with the No. 19 pick. 

That player is prep arm Savion Sims, who the Guardians took out of Prestonwood Christian Academy (TX) in the seventh round. Although he’s by no means a finished product, his fastball already sits at 97 miles per hour, and it seems like there’s a legitimate chance that it could end up reaching triple-digits at some point in the near-future. 

And Cleveland’s selection of Sims got a bit more attention earlier this week when the MLB Pipeline crew put out a new podcast going over the best value pick from each round. And Jim Callis had great things to say about Cleveland’s selection of Sims, which he named the best value pick of the seventh round. 

"Talk about guys you could dream on. He's 6-foot-8, 215 pounds. Hits 100 mph with his fastball, does it with ease. This guy's going to get stronger, and he throws without effort. I mean he's probably going to throw 104 one day. It's an amazing arm,” Callis said. 

Savion Sims could end up becoming one of the best picks in 2026 draft 

Not only is Sims oozing with potential thanks to his age, fastball and frame, but he also ended up with the perfect team thanks to Cleveland’s vaunted pitching factory. 

The Guardians’ selection of Sims looks even better thanks to their pick of Peterson, who is a more MLB-ready prospect while Sims is obviously going to need some time in the lab. 

In fact, the Guardians could even elect to sit Sims the rest of this year (like they did with Jace LaViolette last season) before having him make his debut in the Arizona Complex League at some point in 2027. 

While the Guardians’ draft selections this year flew a bit under the radar compared to 2024 (when they took Travis Bazzana with the No. 1 pick) or 2025 (when LaViolette fell into their lap), they did a good job meeting their short-and-long-term needs with this year’s picks. 

Taking Sims in the seventh round is the perfect kind of lottery pick selection that can end up flipping the way a draft class is viewed. 

Although all the pitchers in the Guardians’ rotation are collegiate arms, Sims presents a fun puzzle for the team’s pitching lab to unlock since so much of his profile is based around potential compared to your prototypical arm. 

The draft always means a bit more to the Guardians since they’re never going to be one of the sport’s top spenders, and their selection of Sims is the exact kind of move that can help them keep up their winning ways.

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