The days of “draft and hold your breath” are long gone. With a 20-round Major League Baseball Draft, the term “signability” has been very much a focal point as pro teams maximize their money and picks.

Of the first 10 rounds in 2025, 309 of 311 draft picks signed, according to Baseball America. And the site notes that 576 of 615 draft picks (93.7 percent) in the 20 rounds last summer signed.

How this applies to Florida State and the plans for 2027: Years of recruiting and months of roster planning hang in the balance with this weekend’s 20-round MLB amateur draft.

There are plenty of veteran Seminoles who will be drafted, including Wes Mendes, Trey Beard and Brayden Dowd. There’s also the uncertainty of how much Myles Bailey’s injury impacts his draft stock. And if FSU’s top prep commitments (shortstop Landon Thome and right-hander Kaden Waechter are among the top options) value beginning a college career or turning professional. And college coaches also could use revenue sharing and NIL deals to incentivize as part of player development even if MLB teams can offer six- and seven-figure signing bonuses.

The questions will soon have answers. ESPN draft analyst Kiley McDaniel views Thome, Waechter, Mendes and Bailey as among his top 90 draft prospects. Dowd (128th) and Beard (198th) are viewed lower in McDaniel’s rankings, but both without a doubt improved their draft stock by playing at FSU in 2026.

Mendes was the ACC pitcher of the year, going 9-3 with a 2.81 ERA and an impressive 1.02 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched). Mendes had a 5-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio (125 to 25) in 93 innings. His ERA dropped from 6.82 as a freshman at Ole Miss to 5.54 as a sophomore at FSU before his breakout season.

Beard was FAU’s ace in 2025 and delivered as FSU’s No. 2 pitcher this spring. He went 6-1 with a 4.50 ERA, recording 97 strikeouts (against 24 walks) in 68 innings. He had a 1.25 WHIP.

Dowd was FSU’s most consistent hitter, leading the team with 51 walks and giving him an impressive .456 on-base percentage. The outfielder also hit 10 home runs, had 13 doubles and was 10 for 10 on stolen-base attempts.

Bailey hit .363 with 13 home runs, 33 RBI and 36 runs in 26 games before a season-ending ankle injury. He’s often viewed as having the most power among the draft-eligible college players, but how teams view him through the lens of his recovery — now more than three months in his rear-view mirror from the March 28 injury — is an intriguing draft storyline.

A Tallahassee native, Bailey could also stay home to play at FSU as a junior in 2027 and still have leverage in negotiations with teams in next summer’s draft.

Others to watch off FSU’s 2026 roster include veteran right-handers John Abraham and Chris Knier as well as junior third baseman Cal Fisher and redshirt sophomore outfielder Brody DeLamielleure.

Thome is the son of Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome. Landon is a shortstop from Illinois, while Waechter is a right-hander (and shortstop) who won a state title at Tampa Jesuit.

Among the recent transfers that have committed to FSU who are also draft-eligible are junior-college catcher Coy Clements and right-hander Alex Philpott.

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