Rutgers Baseball Has Two Players Selected in 2026 MLB Draft
2026 MLB Draft, where two Rutgers baseball players fulfill there life time big- time dreams by getting signed to MLB. Two standout baseball players for Rutgers were recently signed to Major League Baseball. Rutgers baseball’s standout outfielder Peyton Bonds was selected in the 3rd round by the San Francisco Giants. Just 14 rounds later, it was senior pitcher Zack Konstantinovsky's time; the Nationals signed the versatile and dynamic junior in the 14th round.
The Giants selected Bonds with the No. 90 overall pick Saturday before the Nationals took Konstantinovsky with the 406th overall selection Sunday. Rutgers has now produced at least two draft picks in five consecutive years under head coach Steve Owens.
Peyton Bonds Joins Familiar Company in Giants Organization
Bonds became the fourth Rutgers baseball player to be selected by the San Francisco Giants franchise when he was picked in the third round of the 2026 MLB draft. 2025 third-round picks include Trevor Cohen and two other players, Bill Malloy and Robert Kenney. Cohen played with Bonds their final years at Rutgers.
Despite missing 20 games because of an injury, Bonds established himself as one of Rutgers’ most productive hitters during his junior season. The junior batted .352 off of 144 at bats with six home runs, eight doubles, 29 RBIs, 31 runs and 13 steals in 36 games for the Stars this past spring.
Bonds returned for Rutgers’ final regular-season series against Northwestern and remained in the lineup during the Big Ten Tournament. The Junior was nearly as dominant in 2025, sending the ball at a .300 clip while knocking home 40 with 10 doubles, 2 triples and 5 home runs. As solid as he was in hit mode, the talented Junior was almost as potent when reaching base safely and scoring 49 times while collecting 16 steals along the way.
The pick continues Rutgers’ recent run of having a player selected near the top of the MLB Draft in recent years. In fact, the Scarlet Knights have had a player selected in the first three rounds for four consecutive years, with Bonds following Cohen, Josh Kuroda-Grauer, and Ryan Lasko.
Rutgers is the only Big Ten program to produce a top-three-round selection in each of the last four drafts.
Bonds Continues Family’s Giants Legacy
Barry Bonds was signed by the San Francisco Giants organization, in large part, to continue a historic family legacy. He is the son of Bobby Bonds Sr., who played 14 years of professional baseball from 1968 through 1974, including a legendary seven-season stint in the Giants’ farm system and Major League roster. The three-time All-Star finished his 14-year major league career with 332 home runs and 461 stolen bases. Barry's brother, Bobby Bonds Jr., also played 11 years of professional ball after being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1992.
His uncle, Barry Bonds, played for the Giants for 15 seasons (1993-2007) and holds the MLB record for career home runs (762) as well as Most Valuable Player awards (7).
Peyton now has an opportunity to become the third generation of the Bonds family to advance through the Giants organization. Being the son of a legendary Giants player is certainly relevant to the team’s organization. Still, Peyton earned his selection as the 90th overall pick as a quality prospect in his own right, putting up impressive numbers at Rutgers. The MLB highlighted the Bonds family’s extensive baseball background in this video from around the time of Bobby Bonds’ son Barry’s draft to the MLB.
Zack Konstantinovsky Lands With Washington
Konstantinovsky became the first Rutgers player drafted by the Nationals since the organization relocated from Montreal. Five Scarlet Knights were previously selected by the franchise when it was known as the Expos, including Jason Bergmann and Tim Sweeney in 2002.
Bergmann later pitched for the Washington Nationals from 2005-2010.
Konstantinovsky emerged as the ace of Rutgers’ rotation in 2026 after missing the entire 2025 season because of an injury.
Starter Konstantinovsky had a down year with a 4-5 record and a 5.48 ERA in 70 2/3 innings. He was very good at keeping the ball in the strike zone, as he fanned 83 and walked 21 for a 4:1 K: BB ratio.
His 83 strikeouts are the 6th-highest single-season total in Rutgers history. Konstantinovsky matched his career high of nine strikeouts three times, beginning with his season debut against Charleston.
One of his better starts of the year came against Western Carolina as he threw 7 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk. He struck out six in the victory.
Prior to his season-ending injury, Konstantinovsky started 8 games as a true freshman in 2024 for the Scarlet Knights. He compiled a 5.29 ERA, 37 SO’s against 8 BB’s and 34.0 IP in his 8 starts.
The selections of Bonds and Konstantinovsky give Rutgers 13 draft picks over the last five seasons and provide another indication of the program’s ability to develop professional talent. Bonds will start out in a familiar organization with Cohen, while Konstantinovsky will start out in the Nationals’ organization after having a successful return from injury.
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Edward Blair II is a journalist, sportscaster, news producer, and multimedia professional with experience spanning sports journalism, broadcast production, coaching, and digital media. He currently serves as a News Producer for KOTA Territory News in Rapid City, South Dakota, while continuing to contribute sports coverage across multiple platforms. Blair has covered professional, collegiate, and pro sports as a writer for Sports Illustrated's On SI network, including coverage of the Seattle Storm, Philadelphia 76ers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and other programs. He also wrote for Last Word on College Football, where he covered Michigan Wolverines football and college football storylines nationwide. He is a contributor to Rutgers On SI.
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