Tennessee Vols pitcher Tegan Kuhns will live out his dream on Saturday, as the MLB Draft is set to begin. The Vols’ 2026 ace will hear his name called, and it’s just a matter of how soon.

Kuhns could be in position to be tabbed in the first round, with the Seattle Mariners a potential landing spot.

However, while one pundit sees Kuhns in very similar fashion to a certain star in Seattle, he has him going a bit later.

ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel put out his final mock draft on Saturday, and he has Kuhns going just outside the first round — to the Pittsburgh Pirates at pick No. 34. He also notes the ceiling for Kuhns, which is a very high one, drawing a comparison to Seattle’s All-Star starting pitcher George Kirby.

ESPN final MLB mock draft has Tennessee pitcher Tegan Kuhns going to Pirates; draws comparison to Seattle pitcher George Kirby

“Kuhns likely goes in the 30s, and one evaluator said Kuhns reminds him of George Kirby; that’s the ceiling if the development team can optimize Kuhns and get a little lucky,” McDaniel wrote.

To do a little bit of house cleaning here first, pick no. 34 was traded by Pittsburgh to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, so it wouldn’t be the Pirates pulling the trigger there.

But the comparison to Kirby is the real thing to note here. Kirby has proven to be one of the American League’s better starting pitchers in recent years. His best season came in 2023, when he posted a 13-10 record with a 3.35 ERA and 179 strikeouts. His 9.05 strikeouts-to-walks ratio led all of Major League Baseball and earned him an All-Star nod.

Kuhns clearly has the same strikeout stuff and potential dominating control, as he fanned 106 batters last year while allowing only 16 walks while sporting a 3.56 ERA for the Vols.

We’ll find out soon enough where Kuhns lands, as the 2026 MLB Draft gets underway on Saturday at 1 pm ET.