A Draft Night to Remember
The 2026 MLB Draft delivered a double dose of excitement for Florida State baseball as junior left‑hander Wes Mendes and sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey heard their names called in the second round. Mendes was selected 57th overall by the Houston Astros, while Bailey went 75th overall to the Chicago Cubs.
Mendes, a Tampa native, capped a standout junior season with a 1.85 ERA, 150 strikeouts and a sub‑1.00 WHIP, earning ACC Pitcher of the Year, five All‑America honors and the ACC Scholar‑Athlete award. His dominance placed him among the nation’s leaders in strikeouts, complete games and wins.
Bailey, a Tallahassee native, finished the year batting .363 with a team‑leading 13 home runs and 48 RBIs before a season‑ending injury halted his campaign. He earned ACC Player of the Week, was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, and secured first‑team All‑American recognition from D1Baseball and Perfect Game.
The Seminoles concluded the season at 40‑19, marking the third straight year above the 40‑win mark and extending the program’s streak of hosting NCAA Regionals to 38 consecutive years. Florida State’s 62nd NCAA appearance ranks second all‑time, underscoring the program’s sustained excellence.
With the first four rounds of the draft already completed on Saturday, July 11, rounds five through twenty will continue on Sunday, July 12. Both Mendes and Bailey now face the next step of negotiating professional contracts that could reshape the rosters of the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs.