Landon Thome and more sons of MLB greats to know at the 2026 MLB Draft

Not only is my Spotify spying on me, but it’s clearly paying close attention to the 2026 MLB Draft. 

Ironically, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” came on via shuffle, and isn’t that fitting ahead of the draft on Saturday? This weekend is both an opportunity to look forward and be reminded of the past, especially with how many former All-Stars have relatives likely to be selected. 

High-school infield prospect Landon Thome, the son of Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome, is a likely first-round pick. You’ll recognize some of the other names on our list, too. 

But before going any further, we wanted to direct our attention to an honorable mention — and no, it’s not Jacob Lombard, the son of Tigers first-base coach George Lombard Sr. 

Honorable mention: Peyton Bonds, OF, Rutgers

Bonds only qualifies as an honorable mention because he’s Barry’s nephew rather than his son. However, the Bonds family is among baseball’s more notable, so it’d feel wrong to omit him entirely. 

Much like his uncle and grandfather, Peyton is an outfielder with contact and speed on his side. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Bonds hit .305 with 43 stolen bases in 47 attempts over three college seasons. 

Carsten Sabathia III, 1B, Houston

We’re getting old. I remember seeing a young Carsten Sabathia III on the field with his father before Yankees games. Now he’s potentially on the verge of being drafted? Between that and Carmelo Anthony’s son playing at Syracuse, I’m lucky I’m not seeing silver in my hair yet.

At 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, Sabathia certainly has his father’s size. He hit .254 with nine home runs and a .789 OPS over four seasons at Georgia Tech and Houston. We’ll see if he hears his name called in the later rounds. 

Joseph Contreras, RHP, Blessed Trinity (Ga.)

Baseball fans got a glimpse of Contreras during the World Baseball Classic, when he suited up for Brazil two months before his 18th birthday. There’s no guarantee that he’ll sign upon being drafted, as he’s also committed to play at Vanderbilt.

His father, José, went 75-67 with a 4.57 ERA for five teams, most notably the Chicago White Sox, from 2003-13. He played a pivotal role for the 2005 championship team, recording a 3.09 ERA over 32 postseason innings.

Landon Thome, 2B/3B, Nazareth Academy (Ill.)

Thome’s senior season statistics are so outrageous that even if you booted up “MVP Baseball” and put all of his father’s ratings up to 99, he’d still never have matched them. Landon hit .535 with seven home runs, eight triples, 29 RBI and a 1.676 OPS this past season. He stole 49 bases in 50 tries and scored 57 runs. What was the point in even pitching to him?

The younger Thome is expected to go within the first two rounds. Check out our most recent mock draft for a more extensive preview of the weekend ahead.

Luke Pettitte, RHP, Dallas Baptist

Unlike his father, Luke is right-handed, and he fared far better as a designated hitter this past season. Pettitte hit .337 with 16 home runs, 48 RBI and a 1.096 OPS in nearly 200 plate appearances. 

On the mound, Pettitte had a 5.55 ERA and allowed seven home runs in 24.1 innings. We’ll see whether a team views him as a two-way option or prefers that he focus on one role. 

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