Auburn's Chris Rembert Selected by Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026 MLB Draft

Auburn University develops and delivers when it comes to professional baseball. Especially under head coach Butch Thompson.

On Saturday, second baseman Chris Rembert was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2026 MLB  Draft. He was picked 51st overall in the 2nd round over the weekend, the 3rd player taken by the NL Central squad. Rembert was the first Tigers player taken off the board this year and now is the sixth-highest MLB Draft pick during the tenure of Butch Thompson on The Plains. 

Auburn continues one of the most impressive streaks in college baseball as they now have had at least one player selected in the MLB Draft for 52 consecutive years. This streak, which dates back to 1975, is tied for the longest active streak in the SEC. Rembert is another player taken in the first five rounds of an MLB Draft, another streak held by this program under Thompson, happening in all 11 seasons he has been the head coach, which is the longest streak in program history.

Rembert leaves Auburn after two outstanding seasons on the Plains.

The Pensacola, Florida, native hit .344 during his Auburn career, collecting 152 hits, 27 doubles, 14 home runs and 92 RBI across 115 games. He quickly became one of the most consistent hitters in the Tigers' lineup and earned Freshman All-America honors in 2025 before taking another step forward this past season. Some scouts and evaluators were looking to see more consistent power from Rembert this past season, which did not happen. However, he was still selected early enough to possibly make an impact early inside the minor leagues.

As a sophomore, Rembert earned First Team All-SEC honors after leading Auburn with a .343 batting average and 80 hits. He added 46 RBI, 13 doubles, 12 stolen bases and finished the season on a 19-game hitting streak, the longest by an Auburn player since 2016.

His production wasn't limited to the batter's box.

Defensively, Rembert posted a .974 fielding percentage while recording 145 putouts and 191 assists, committing just nine errors during his Auburn career.

According to MLB.com, the slot value for the No. 51 overall selection is approximately $1.94 million.

While Rembert is officially headed to the Pirates organization, Auburn's draft weekend is far from over. Third baseman Eric Guevara, shortstop Brandon McCraine, and pitchers Alex Petrovic and Ryan Hetzler remain among the Tigers to watch as the 2026 MLB Draft continues through Sunday.