MLB mock draft predicts early-season injury could net Reds an absolute steal

The Cincinnati Reds are no strangers to taking a college pitcher in Round 1 of the MLB Draft. So it's not a shock to see Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline predicted the Reds to select Cameron Flukey of Coastal Carolina University in the first-round of the 2026 MLB Draft.

What will be surprising, however, is if Flukey is still on the board when Cincinnati makes their first-round pick at No. 18. MLB Pipeline considers the right-hander to be one of the top college arms in this year's draft, but a rib stress fracture had kept him out of action for a large chunk of the college season.

Could Cameron Flukey fall to the Reds in the 2026 MLB Draft?

The top talent in this year's draft is UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky who is likely to go No. 1 overall to the Chicago White Sox. But as far as college pitchers are concerned, Flukey comes in behind only Jackson Flora (UC Santa Barbara) on MLB Pipeline's big board.

Flukey has made just six starts in 2026 and owns a 4.35 ERA. Obviously nothing stands out about those numbers, but Flukey went 8-2 last season with a 3.19 ERA and 118 punch outs over 101⅔ innings pitched. This season, he has 28 strikeouts in just over 20 innings of work after missing time due to injury.

Flukey is known for his plus-fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, though he can rare back and get it up to 98-plus on occasion. The righty also possesses a pair of breaking balls (slider and curve ball) and will pepper in a changeup from time to time as well.

Much like former Reds first-round pick Nick Lodolo, Flukey stands 6-foot-6, which is quite an imposing sight to the opposing hitter. While larger pitchers can sometimes struggle to repeat their delivery, it would seem that few, if any, scouts see that as a concern of the lanky righty.

Since 2019, the Reds have added three college pitchers to their stable of arms with their first pick, and if Mayo's prediction comes to fruition, they will have added a fourth. Lodolo was taken in 2019, Rhett Lowder was Cincinnati's first-round selection in 2023, and Chase Burns went No. 2 overall to the Reds in 2024.

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