Phillies Select Former Cougar Jaxon Jellkin in 2026 MLB Draft

The Philadelphia Phillies selected right-handed pitcher Jaxon Jelkin, a member of the 2023 South Mountain Community College baseball team, in the fourth round with pick No. 135 of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft. Jelkin has spent the past two seasons at the University of Kentucky and went 8-3 with a save, a 4.08 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and 106 strikeouts in 97 innings of work in 2026.

 

Jelkin recorded complete games against Tennessee and Florida for the Wildcats this past spring, helping UK clinch an NCAA Tournament berth at the Morgantown Regional hosted by West Virginia University. At the four-team regional, Jelkin started the opener against Wake Forest, totaling five strikeouts in six innings as the Wildcats posted a 6-5 victory over the Demon Deacons. He also pitched against the host Mountaineers on June 1, tossing 2.2 frames with three punchouts. He missed all of 2025 recovering from an injury.

 

Jelkin spent the 2024 season at the University of Houston. He made seven starts for the Cougars but did not record a decision in 34.1 innings of work. He recorded 46 strikeouts and held opponents to a .217 batting average with a 3.41 ERA before an injury cut his campaign short. The New York Mets selected Jelkin in the ninth round with pick No. 263 in the 2024 MLB Draft, but he opted to transfer to Kentucky.

 

In 2023, Jelkin finished 7-2 with a 3.81 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 75.2 innings of work for SMCC. He posted wins over Salt Lake CC, Lamar CC, Yavapai College, Cochise College, Paradise Valley CC, Chandler-Gilbert CC, and Eastern Arizona in 2023. He tossed complete-game wins over Eastern Arizona and Yavapai College and fanned a season-high 12 batters in a win over Lamar CC. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Jelkin in the 14th round (pick No. 430) in the 2023 MLB Draft, but Jelkin elected to attend the University of Houston in 2024.

 

Jelkin is the seventh player associated with the SMCC baseball program that the Phillies have selected in the MLB Draft, and the first since Gustavo Sosa went in the ninth round in 2022.

 

The Cougars have now had a player or former player selected in the MLB Draft for six straight years: Cade Povich and Ronan Kopp (2021), Gustavo Sosa (2022), Jaxon Jelkin (2023, 2024, 2026), Core Jackson (2025), and Raul Garayzar (2025).