New Mexico
New Mexico State’s Jack Turner taken in 10th round of 2026 MLB Draft
Turner was selected by the Detroit Tigers
New Mexico State pitcher Jack Turner has been taken in the 10th round of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.
Turner becomes the 14th Aggie player selected in the MLB Draft since 2015 and the eighth selected in the first 10 rounds. The most recent NM State players selected in the MLB Draft prior to Turner were outfielders Keith Jones II, a 10th-round pick by the Texas Rangers, and Titus Dumitru, a 16th-round pick by the Atlanta Braves, both in 2024.
Turner spent the 2025 and 2026 seasons with the Aggies after arriving from Suffolk County Community College (New York), where he was a 2024 NJCAA Division III First Team All-American. He made 24 pitching appearances, 17 being starts, and recorded a 6.15 ERA over those two years. Turner struck out 100 batters in 112.2 innings pitched across 2025 and 2026 and made one save in 2026.
He ended his NM State run on a high note by not allowing a run in the Aggies’ penultimate game of 2026 against Florida International on May 15. Turner struck out five batters that day and allowed only three hits in six innings to help NM State win 6-5.
Turner played for the Trenton Thunder and the State College Spikes, collegiate summer league baseball teams playing in the MLB Draft League, after leaving the Aggies. He recorded a 4.09 ERA with the Thunder and a 5.14 ERA with the Spikes.
Turner made eight pitching appearances for Trenton and struck out 17 batters, allowed only five earned runs and walked eight batters in 11 innings pitched. He started two games for State College, striking out five batters, allowing four earned runs and registering a 1.114 WHIP in seven innings pitched.
Turner received recognition after his first start for the Spikes on June 3 after pitching a sinker and a sweeping curve that each had over a foot of horizontal movement.
Turner becomes the seventh NM State player to be selected by Detroit in the MLB Draft, the first being former NM State AD Mario Moccia in the 44th round of the 1989 draft. The most recent was pitcher Ryan Beck in the 30th round of the 2013 draft.