The 2026 Major League Baseball Draft is July 11-12 and three El Paso natives could see their names called in the 20-round draft.
Here is a look at the three players, as well as some of El Paso’s top draft picks through the years.
Drew Gonzalez, infielder, Americas High School
The 6-foot-1, 197-pound Gonzalez was the 2026 El Paso Times’ All-City MVP after hitting 13 home runs and driving in 54 runs. He helped the Trailblazers to the Class 5A, Division 1 regional finals. If he doesn’t go play on the professional level, he has signed to play for Texas Tech University.
Gonzalez can play shortstop or third base and even pitched some for Americas. Gonzalez throws right and bats left-handed.
He is a proven winner, who also helped Americas to regional semifinals as a junior, along with a District 2-5A title.
Gonzalez worked out privately for several teams, including the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
“The hope is to be drafted on day one,” Gonzalez said. “The workouts for the team were a learning experience. Teams asked a lot of questions and the workout times varied. I learned so much and I’m excited. It’s my goal to play at the highest level.”
Former Americas shortstop Darell Hernaiz was the last Americas HS player drafted in 2019 by the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round. Hernaiz is currently in the Oakland athletics organization.
Armani Raygoza, infielder, Americas HS graduate
The former star first baseman at Americas High School has been a solid college baseball player at UT-Rio Grande Valley, where he has starred in the Southland Conference.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Raygoza is the all-time leader in RBI for UTRGV with 138, and he has hit 17 homers in back-to-back seasons. Southland Conference Player of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons.
Raygoza’s success at UTRGV earned him a spot in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, one of the premier collegiate summer leagues.
The Cape Cod Baseball League in Massachusetts is considered the premier collegiate baseball summer league in the country. More than 1,750 CCBL alumni have gone on to play in Major League Baseball since the league began in 1965, including about 400 annually.
Diego Cardenas, infielder, Riverside HS graduate
Cardenas was a star player in college for El Paso Community College and Abilene Christian University, where he earned All-American honors. Before that, he was a star player for Riverside High School and helped lead the Rangers to the Sweet 16 in Class 4A.
In two seasons at Abilene Christian, the 6-foot, 237-pound Cardenas hit 44 home runs. As a sophomore at EPCC, he hit 21 home runs and drove in 69 runs.
“I feel like I put myself in a position to get an opportunity to play at the next level and people around me say the same,” Cardenas said. “I’ve been working hard ahead of the draft. Being a senior, I may get drafted late or sigh a free agent contract. It’s just a waiting game now, I hope for that opportunity to keep playing and get a chance to prove myself.
When is 2026 MLB Draft?
This year’s Major League Draft is July 11-12 and will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rounds 1-4 will on Saturday, July 11 and rounds 5-20 will be on Sunday, July 12.
Coverage will be available on MLB Network and MLB.com.
Notable El Pasoans who have been drafted by MLB
Alan Zinter
Selected in the first round, 24th overall selection by the New York Mets in the 1989 draft. Played 19 seasons of professional baseball (1989-2007) with the New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros and in Japan. He attended Hanks High School.
Armando Almanza
The Bel Air graduate was selected in the 1993 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He earned a World Series ring in 2033 with the Florida Marlins. Played in the major leagues for seven years with the Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves.
Bruce Ruffin
The Hanks graduate was taken in the second round (34th overall) of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. During his MLB career, he won 60 games, earned 63 saves, pitched in 469 games and had 24 saves in 1996 for the Colorado Rockies. Pitched for the University of Texas and was a teammate of Roger Clemens.
Butch Henry
The Eastwood graduate was taken in the 15th round of the 1987 draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Won 33 games in the major leagues and 54 games in the minor leagues. Was an All-State performer for Eastwood in 1987.
Frank Castillo
At the age of 22, he made his Major League debut on June 27, 1991, pitching eight shutout innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Drafted and signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1987, when he was selected in the sixth round.
Castillo, who attended Eastwood High School, spent seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs. He also pitched for the Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays and ended his career with the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox. His 13-year Major League career saw him appear in 297 games.
Rocky Coppinger
The Coronado graduate, who helped the Thunderbirds to the state tournament, was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 19th round of the 1993 draft.
Made his Major League debut in 1996, three years after finishing high school. Pitched for the Orioles and compiled a 10-6 record, finishing third in the “Rookie of the Year” balloting. Played with the Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland A’s before injuries ended his playing career.
Omar Quintanilla
The Socorro High School graduate was a star in college at the University of Texas. Quintanilla played second base, third base, and shortstop, and appeared in two national championship games, winning one.
In 2003, he was selected in the first round by the Oakland Athletics. He later played in the major leagues for the Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers and New York Mets.
Darell Hernaiz
The Americas graduate was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles and has been a key contributor in the organization’s minor league system. He is currently with High-A Aberdeen.
Fernando Rodriguez
Rodriguez, who attended Franklin High School, was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 11th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft and signed with the club on June 25, 2003. He won 11 major games and struck out 242 batters. Late in his career, he returned home to pitch for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.
Mark Grudzielanek
The Hanks graduate was actually drafted twice. Grudzielanek was originally drafted by the New York Mets in the 17th round of the 1989 MLB Draft but did not sign. He was then drafted in the 11th round of the 1991 MLB draft by the Montreal Expos and signed on June 11, 1991.
He went on to hit .289 with 2,040 hits and 90 home runs. He played for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians.
Justin Maese
The Ysleta graduate was selected in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and is currently on the roster for the Double-A Mississippi Braves in the Atlanta Braves organization.
Ivan Melendez
The Coronado High School graduate and former University of Texas star was drafted in the second round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022. He reached as high as Triple-A Reno before being released earlier this season.
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 3 El Paso baseball players could be taken in 2026 MLB draft
