Tennessee signee Tyler Putnam drafted in fifth round of 2026 MLB Draft by Rockies
Tennessee baseball signee Tyler Putnam was taken with the No. 136 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies on July 12.
The No. 136 overall pick has a slot value of $553,100.
Putnam is a right-handed pitcher from Columbia, Missouri, and entered the draft as MLB Pipeline’s No. 139 prospect and ESPN’s No. 112 prospect. Prep Baseball Report ranked the 6-foot-6, 205-pound Putnam as the best prospect in his class from Missouri.
Putnam committed to Tennessee in Oct. 2024 after also taking visits to Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi State.
Four Tennessee signees have now been selected in this year’s draft. Two-way prospect Jared Grindlinger, the brother of current Tennessee player Trent Grindlinger, was taken No. 12 overall, outfielder Trevor Condon was picked No. 13 overall and pitcher Kaiden McCarthy went No. 48 overall.
Putnam was the 2026 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Battle High School, where he had a 1.38 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 40.2 innings. At the plate, he hit .486 with 12 home runs while also playing first base.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee signee Tyler Putnam drafted in fifth round of 2026 MLB Draft by Rockies
