2026 Big Board Final 76 Ranked Plus 9 More

As I write every year.

First, thank you for reading this is a labor of love; I spend hours and make nothing from these write-ups. It is just something I enjoy doing every year, and I hope you enjoy it too.

Ok, so two notes here at the top. The first is that this is all being done without an editor. Being dyslexic, this whole writing without a net has been kind of terrifying for me, and is part of the reason my amount of writing has declined in general, as well as the time podcasting takes. Still, I enjoy talking about the draft and continue to grind just for fun with it. So I will be posting my thoughts here. There will just be one evolving and changing board. I am writing up players as I get a chance to watch, read reports, and chat with people. I will post those down here and move players around as I see more, and write more, so consider this a Big Board in pieces. Thank you to all who read and share; every eye helps. If you would like to run any part of this on your site, contact me as well.

 1 Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA 

It has been a few years since we had a top talent in the draft from July to July, but it looks very likely to happen with Roch Cholowsky. I do understand why some might be tempted to lean into the number two player on my board due to superior athleticism, and also playing against better competition. Roch has good batted ball data, but based on my access, it's not exceptional. This being said, he was the top prep player to make it to college for me back in 2023, and while his overall profile has changed, he has more power and less speed. The overall reasons I was a fan then stand out now. He has a complete profile with a chance to have plus hit tool, plus defense, and above-average power. I am not sure I am willing to label him as a future plus hit and plus power, but I would not be surprised if he were. Shortstops rise on draft day, even if you're a mediocre one, because they can easily move to other positions, whereas if you are a bad first baseman, there is no such flexibility. Roch Cholowsky is a no-doubt shortstop with a chance to be a top-five player at the position. While it has been a bit of a renaissance for the shortstop position, with it ranking middle of the pack for OPS in 2025, one can never have enough players there. Roch Cholowsky is a safe, well-rounded player who should contribute in all facets. He grew up in and around the game, knows what he needs to do to be successful, and does it. He is a safe, fast-moving shortstop with All-Star upside at a premium position. The long track record and baseball bloodlines are just a bonus for the best prospect since Adley Rustchman or Bryce Harper. 

2 Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech  

No player has made more money for themselves than Vahn Lackey. He has always been a well-thought-of catcher with plus athleticism and strong defensive tools at catcher. His lack of impact power, though, had him mocked from the teens to the pick 30 before the spring, and even as spring got started, he was not always a guy who slotted into the top half of the first round. Going from the teens and twenties to a sure top-five pick. He has gone from a 2.5 million to 4.5 million dollar bonus to north of seven million likely now. Catchers are hard to find; many are catchers in name only, that isn’t Lackey. He is a plus athlete in general and doubly so for a catcher. He has a strong arm, quick pop times, and handles a staff well by all accounts. He has always been a phenomenal contact hitter, rarely chasing and making contact in the zone. This year, he has started to hit for power with more home runs as a junior than in his first two years combined. He has added a little bit to his exit velocity, but it's more about swing changes to tap into that power while chasing even less than a year ago. He has some of the best batted ball data in the entire class (when I used percentiles and equally weighted categories, he was third). Lackey has come a long way. When he was draft-eligible out of high school, he was rated the 16th-best catcher, not in the country, but in Georgia. He wasn’t a showcase player; he didn’t get all the high-level coaching and technology until the last few years, so there is a chance there is even more waiting to be unlocked. I think every tool is at least a 50, with his hit and arm being 60 grade. The biggest concern honestly comes from how much higher the catcher bust rate is due to how much harder the position is to master and how much a player has to learn and internalize than any position outside of pitcher. 

3 Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX) Committed to Texas

Grady Emerson will go high in the draft. Shortstops with his safe profile inevitably always go in the top 10. Last year, we saw a prospect at shortstop not as good as Emerson go first overall. He has a clean, easy swing, and his hit tool is his best trait. A close second is overall defensive grade. He has a strong arm and moves well. Watching video, it felt like he always made the right move and played with control. I think there are two questions with Emerson. First is how much do you want to pay for a high school player vs a college hitter in terms of his draft range. Second is how much power do you think he will grow into with his frame and swing? I think the swing will work without much of a change, and he is a kid who can get bigger and stronger without the risk of moving off the position. I don’t think I would put a plus on his future power, but if I had to choose between average and plus, I would choose plus (55 feels like the right grade, but half grades feel like cheating). There will be talk about Bobby Witt as they were both Texas kids who worked with Rusty Greer, but Witt wasn’t the Witt he is now when he was a draft prospect. Several idiots, myself included, didn’t have him as the top prep shortstop in the class (Please note the poor attempt at humor above, and not me calling out anyone else who did this, projecting high school kids is hard, anyone who tries and puts in the effort deserves 0 scorn). Witt becoming one of the five best players in the game, I don’t think, was viewed by many as a ceiling projection at the time. Emerson is a clear top prospect with a safe pathway, if healthy, to being a contributor due to his defense and swing. My bigger concern is that while the data is shifting over the years, it is easier to find a future star from the college ranks in the top three than an average player from the prep ranks. The data is improving, and I am slow to adapt by nature. The reason he is below the grouping of college talent is due to their natural safety and less to do with Emerson and his profile relative to everyone’s positional value ceiling. 

4 Jackson Flora, RHP, US Santa Barbara 

Jackson Flora entered the year with a group of pitchers who could contend to be the first off the board, and has emerged head and shoulders above the group. UC Santa Barbara is a top ten school in terms of producing pitchers with a top three round player every year, and several high picks and top performers. The big, right-hander is also young for the class with a late May birthday, which will pop for some models. His best pitch is a high-velocity fastball that has touched triple digits. He matches it with a good slider and an average change. He will need to add more to his repertoire, and in general, in baseball, we are seeing a rise in large pitch mixes. His slider, being his second-best pitch currently, sets him up to struggle vs lefties as it is best used against right-handed hitters since Flora is a right-handed pitcher. The change will be key for him. Around baseball, the kick change is discussed as the next sweeper pitch that is being added heavily by young pitchers. It’s the new hotness. The upside to the change in particular is that it is platoon agnostic, being effective against hitters on both sides. He has also shown a curve at points, but it is clearly a fourth pitch. It would be an important one to help vs lefties though. He has the starter kit of a front-line pitcher. His size, fastball, and the beginnings of a complete pitch mix should allow him to be a potential number two down the road. There is some relief risk here with his delivery and the needed development of pitches. He has produced at a high level, getting better every year while still showing the command and control that should make him a safer pitching prospect.    

5 Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

Drew Burress is a 5’9” outfielder who is likely smaller than that listing. Due to his size concerns, teams will look for reasons not to draft him in spite of his strong performance throughout college, as well as his batted ball data being some of the best in the class. In addition to his size, the fact that he has had his production has declined over the last three years will cause some concern. Also, his performance with wooden bats in the 2024 Cape was extremely poor over 18 games. So when one sees declining production, bad wood bat data, and a player below the expected height, it just makes it easier to pass on the player. This is how Corbin Carroll ends up falling to 16th and being the fifth prep hitter taken in his class. Burress exploded on the scene as a freshman, putting up data that would be hard for anyone to top. He has stayed a steady producer throughout college. He is patient without being passive. He has some of the best exit velocities in the class, and his chase rate is above average but not quite plus. He has middling contact rates, but that is a profile that can be successful and often is seen with power hitters. Burress has some of the best production in college baseball, playing in the second-best conference. He did this while also having high-end batted ball data. He will slide due to his size; let's be honest, that's going to be why a team passes. There will be a team that benefits and gets a top-five player in this class, outside the top five, due to the fact that he is below the norms for size and production. 

6 Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky

Tyler Bell is currently playing with one healthy shoulder for Kentucky. He will require labrum surgery this offseason, which hurts his value as teams won’t get to have him play for them and start his career. As well as the fact that labrum recovery can be tricky and affect swings and power on return. It is one of the more concerning injuries for a hitter. This is due to the inconsistency of outcomes; while these are concerns, the other side is the fact that he has been exceptional in the SEC this year. He missed most of the non-conference schedule, so his overall production is even more impressive due to it being entirely against the best level of competition and excelling while being under 100 percent. His batted ball data this year is limited, but it was encouraging to see a rise in his 90th percentile exit velocity while being down a shoulder. There is legit 15-20 home run potential with the ability to play all over the diamond. He should be able to handle shortstop, though, and the profile for the position is plus. In a class that lacks players who have top 10 upside, Bell has stood out due to his overall performance and just how much more room there is for overall growth. I am very bullish overall and think he should be a top 10 player in this class. It is always hard to find shortstops, and landing a switch-hitter with some pop, even if he requires labrum surgery, is worth the risk. 

7 Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (MS) Committed to Vanderbilt 

Eric Booth Jr. owes some thanks to Konnor Griffin and Cooper Pratt. After years and years of Mississippi prep players struggling to translate to the pros, the recent waves have had a lot of success. Booth has been one of the higher risers in the prep class. After the summer, he was known as a speed-first centerfielder who was viewed as a potential first-rounder, but often not viewed as the top prep player in his state. Now he is viewed as a likely top 10 prospect and a top three prep prospect overall. He has some of the best speed in the draft, with times down the line that are 70 grade. He comes by the speed naturally through his father, who was a running back and returner for Southern Miss as well as a Blue Jays draft pick. Booth has shown more power this spring, which he generates naturally through his swing. His bat is nearly as fast as his feet, which, combined with loft in his swing, allows him to hit for power. The swing is unusual, and could be something that holds him back to some teams. It is working for him now, but sometimes also leads to weaker contact. Booth won’t turn 18 until July, which will make him one of the younger performers, which, combined with his athleticism, makes him one of the more high-ceiling players in this class. The chance for a centerfield with power to be a middle-of-the-order bat is one of the hardest things to find in baseball. I am curious how teams will view the cost to sign against an unusual swing. Over the years, having a non-traditional swing has pushed players down boards. 

8 Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas 

Ryder Helfrick has been a name who has been known dating back to his high school days. He has always been viewed as a good receiver with a strong arm; the question was more about his offensive potential. He has always tended to chase a bit out of the zone, but this year, he had better zone contact as well as exit velocities. His power has never been in doubt, but he moved up to the elite range this year. He also previously had success in the Cape Cod League, 11 home runs, showing that his power should translate easily to wood bats. The offense is why he has a chance to go in the top ten picks, as the power is enticing even if he doesn’t hit for much of an average. His defense gives him a high floor as he should be a plus defender behind the plate. His offensive profile shows a potential power hitter, with some backup risk due to expanding his swing. The number of plus hitters and defenders at catcher in the majors is a single-digit club that Helfrick has a chance to join. 

9 Derek Curiel, OF, LSU 

It has been quite the ride for Derek Curiel this year. He started out of the gate struggling against lesser competition, but he has stayed true to his profile and performed at a high level throughout SEC play. The draft-eligible sophomore has been well known for years and has had his share of doubters over the years due to a good but not great profile. He has enough exit velocity to be middle of the pack, but his contact and chase rates have been elite in college. He has a chance to play centerfield with his game smarts and his speed. It is a clean profile, with some of the best overall percentile ranks in the class. He has added more exit velocity this year, but still projects to, at best, have average power. The value comes from the ability to play up the middle and get on base consistently with speed. There is a lower ceiling here than for some of the same players in this range. His positional value, performance, floor, and contact skills all point to a safer player who should move quickly and provide value at a hard-to-fill position. There is some risk, as there is with any player who is mostly 50s, where skill-wise he needs to stay who he is as he climbs through the minors, which can be hard to do. 

10 Logan Hughes, OF, Texas Tech

For the second straight year, I don’t understand why it is that a player is significantly different on my board than many others. Last year, it was Devin Taylor who had some of the best batted ball data in the class, wood bat production, and strong performances. I understood the concerns about his conference and his positional future, but the rest of the data and performance stood out. The same could all be said for Logan Hughes. Hughes transferred to Texas Tech after his freshman year at Stenson and never slowed down. He performed well on the Cape last year. He didn’t hit the ball hard, though, so there is some room for concern there. In terms of his batted ball data this year, he rated 4th best by percentile data I had available. Most write-ups say he can chase some, but he actually cut back by five percent this year to a respectable rate. He rarely misses in zone, and consistently barrels the baseball where he taps into good exit velocities. He was just outside the elite grouping of this class. He walked more this year, which, with the decrease in chase rate, showed a player whose eye is strong at the plate. There is a chance for plus power and plus on-base skills. Yet he isn’t top 30 on any board. Much like Devin Taylor, the size is an issue, as both are listed at six feet. Both players have defensive questions, with most limiting them to left field or first base due to athleticism and speed, as well as being pretty physically maxed out. Both also played in lesser conferences than the two big two, but I think the Big 12 was stronger than the Big 10. It's a safe profile with a player who has a chance to impact the game with his bat. He has the exit velocity, eye at the plate, and contact skills to be a major league player. He pulls the ball so well already, also like Taylor, which should help him progress quickly and maximize the batted-ball data. The defense will never be great, and there is some platoon risk, but he feels like a relatively safe bet to hit at the major league level. 

11 Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina  

Cameron Flukey is kind of an ideal pitcher. He has the size, velocity, and deep pitch mix that teams look for when it comes to pitchers. He struggled with a rib injury this year that led to him missing significant time. While that is certainly better than a shoulder or arm injury, it still limited his reps and his ability to settle in. When he was healthy a year ago, he looked like a sure top-five selection in this class due to his combination of mid-90s velocity and a four-pitch mix. The track record for Coastal Carolina players has been a bit sketchy in recent years, with several high picks but Tommy La Stella being the last player from there with a bWAR over 2, though Sam Antonacci might change that soon. Flukey is big but slight, and while he repeats his mechanics, his delivery is not the most aesthetically pleasing to watch. This may be due in part to just how long and thin he is. I will be curious to see what, if any, changes a team might try to make with him to maximize his performance, while also working with him to get bigger and stronger. The best is yet to come, but the foundation is strong enough to feel safe drafting him in the top 15 picks, which would be a new high for Coastal Carolina. 

12 Chris Hacopian, 2B/OF, TAMU

Chris Hacopian is the batted ball king. When one compiles the early publicly available data he is first in terms of percentile ranks when one combines chase, contact, and 90th percentile exit velo. The gap between him and the 2nd player, Derek Curiel, is slightly bigger than the gap between the 2nd-ranked and the 22nd-ranked player in this class based on percentile ranks. There is a caveat with this data, as he missed roughly a month of the year, but that also means most of his at-bats have been against higher-level players on average than anyone else in the database of players. Hacopian raked at Maryland, a sneaky good program for future big league talent, and has played pretty well in his return from injury. There are concerns about his position; he has mostly played second, but there are thoughts that he might be more of a leftfielder or a first baseman. A lot of his production early has come from a high walk rate, which, combined with some of the data available, makes me a bit worried that he is more of a passive hitter. He was also decidedly meh on the Cape a year ago. The combination of mid wood bat data, with questions about position, along with so-so production this year, has caused him to slide for me despite the batted ball data. 

13 Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (FL) Committed to Miami

I have long held a theory that younger brothers, on average, tend to outperform their older brothers. Since the older brother paves the path and is able to pass on knowledge and experience, it is a bit easier for the younger brothers. While I have wanted to research this theory for years, it's more anecdotal than proven. Jacob Lombard is the younger brother of George Lombard Jr., one of the top prospects in baseball. Their father, George Lombard, played 144 games in the big leagues but is better known as a coach with the Dodgers and Tigers. Jacob is one of the most divisive players in this draft class. He has power and speed for days. He is a sure shortstop, and as one would expect, he plays the position like a coach's son. He is a strong defender. The positional value, along with his speed and power combo, makes him one of the top five players in this class to some. The issue is that he has had a lot of swing miss during his high school career. If there is one reason outside of injury that players fail to develop, it is contact concerns. The question becomes how much do you want to gamble, in terms of ceiling, it's as high as any player in the class. He plays like a kid raised in the game and has elite physical tools. Yet specifically, players who expand the zone are the ones most likely to struggle or end up disappointing. I would likely be out, just due to the price tag, as well as the draft position needed, which are potentially too rich for me. Yet if all things are even, he is a clear top 15 talent even with the concerns. There is some room to compare to Justin Lebron, but he is a much stronger defender, so I have him ahead.

14 Jared Grindlinger, OF/LHP, Huntington Beach HS (CA) Committed to Tennessee 

Jared Grindlinger was one of the last additions to this class, reclassifying this February, which should lead to him being drafted and not joining his brother at Tennessee next year. Grindliner is one of the more fascinating players in this class. I can’t recall the last time a player with two-way potential has had this much debate about what he should be in the future. By this point in the process, there is typically a lean definitely towards one position. I have also liked him more as a hitter due to his bat-to-ball skills, eye at the plate, and chance to grow into power as he ages. He only turned 17 in April, so I think it's too soon for anyone to say he can’t hit for power in the future. As a pitcher he sits low 90s, touches mid 90s, and has shown a slider and change, as one would expect in a player this young; they are both works in progress. He is, of course, working on a kick change and a sweeper, the most popular new pitches for players to add. Bottom line, you're drafting a high school junior with great traits and a lot of runway in terms of how far he has to go. While I like the tools, ability, and traits here, one has to also realize that it's going to be a long process with a high amount of risk due to just how long his development will take. While I rarely think a player should continue down the two-way path, I think, due to how young he is, the best approach is to let him continue on both paths until a team is sure what he can do best.

15 Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole Miss

Cade Townsend is a polarizing player in this class. The draft-eligible sophomore is one of the more polarizing prospects in this class. He is an undersized right-hander with big stuff. His secondary offerings stand out with his cutter being the best pitch and a plus offering, which he pairs with a curve, slider, and splitter; it's a deadly mix with all his pitches looking average or better. His fastball has touched the upper 90s with a high amount of induced vertical break, making it a plus offering to potentially plus plus as well. The knock is on his size, and that there are always injury concerns with smaller pitchers who throw hard. He missed one start this year with a shoulder issue, which just deepened those concerns for people. His command and control are more average to below average offerings, which is a reason he isn’t a top 15 player for me.  He has one of the best pitch mixes in the class with a chance for multiple plus offerings. I think, due to his size and concerns for potential injury, Townsend will go later than his talent level should demand. I think he is one of the top pitchers in the class, and I see an easy pathway for him to be a starter, and if he runs into injury issues, he could be an easy reliever. 

16 Bo Lowrance, 3B, Christ Church Episcopal HS (SC) Committed to Virginia

When I see Bo Lowrance play either in the field or hitting a ball, I keep seeing a baby horse. There is the natural power and size, but just something a bit awkward and off. I think he has the potential to grow into a middle-of-the-order hitter with plus power, but there is a lot of risk in his profile due to that same awkwardness. He is a giant kid at 6’5”, but he does move fairly well. At the combine, he would hit moonshots but also have some swings that got long or where he was trying to do too much. It is a venue I expected him to dominate, but he was just kind of solid. His 90th percentile exit velocity was 103, which is a bit low. He had a solid launch angle on his hits and has made good contact as a hitter. He looked fairly well built, but there are always pathways to get stronger once drafted. Lowrance looks the part of a future third baseman with his size. He has played shortstop well in high school, but players this big rarely stay there. The bet comes down to the fact that Lowrance is 6 '5 " and looks the part of a future plus power hitter with a strong enough eye and understanding of the zone to be an average hitter, maybe more. Then again, maybe less as well, just due to his size and the fact that larger hitters often have more holes in their zones, but the nature of their size, unless they are one of the greats in the game. Could Lowrance end up one of the greats? Maybe the potential is there. There is always more risk with a player who looks a bit more raw and with his size, but the risk comes with the payoff that nothing is harder to find than power, and here is a kid where power should come with the potential that he can hit enough to access it. 

17 Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas 

Aiden Robbins transferred to Texas this year from Seton Hall. In the previous two years, he had been a force in the Big East, getting on base with the occasional home run. He spent the summer on the Cape and promptly hit as many home runs during his time there as he had hit during his entire sophomore year of college. He came into the SEC and hasn’t slowed down. He isn’t hitting .422 like a year ago, but he will end up with more home runs than he hit during his freshman and sophomore years combined, with Cape Cod totals by the time the season is done. He is a cold-weather player coming from a smaller program, so there is still some reason to believe there is more growth potential. He has excelled at every step, being one of the best players in the Cape, Big East, and now the SEC. His batted ball data is solid, with exit velocity being the standout. He doesn’t stand out in terms of chase, and his contact rate is just below average. I wish the batted ball data were a bit stronger, or that I thought he had a better chance to play something than a corner outfield spot. The performance is that of a first-rounder, but it's the lack of playing an elite position, having elite tools, or elite batted ball data that makes him more a borderline first-rounder than a player who is a top 10 pick. 

18 AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia 

AJ Garcia followed his coach from Duke to Virginia and has continued to hit. He has filled up the stat sheet over his three years of college baseball. He does a bit of everything, showing a strong eye, with some pop and the ability to consistently get on base. He has been one of the top performers in college baseball over the last two years. He doesn’t chase, and he doesn’t miss in the zone, showing excellent contact skills, but his exit velocities are down this year and put him towards the more fringe power rating. He is still hitting home runs in college, but his 90th percentile exit velocity being below 105 is a concern for me. I see a player with below-average power and potential above-average on-base skills. This is a situation where I wish I had even more data so I could be more confident that he has a strong eye, and it's not a bit of a passive approach. Overall, this is the type of profile that can be boom or bust. I know people tend to use that term with more toolsy types, but when a player is riding the edges of data, they can’t afford regression in any area, or they are unlikely to make it as a regular. The fact that Garcia was often viewed as a power first player in the fall is a concern with the data we have now. He is a player who has changed his swing, and I do wonder if the right team could draft him and help him get back to his previous exit velocity numbers. There is also the fact that he had some injuries this year, and they could have affected his ability to hit the ball hard. Yet they have been more recent and don’t explain the earlier issues unless he was playing hurt. There is work to be done, but the production and previous data show a player who has above-average potential. There could be more to unlock here with some changes to his swing, as long as he keeps his approach.  

19 Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU

Sawyer Strosnider is a big outfielder from TCU. He is a draft-eligible sophomore who has some of the best raw power in the college class. While he is not producing quite as highly as he did a year ago, he has stayed a high-level producer while increasing his contact and exit velocity while decreasing his chase. The big lefty will always have some swing and miss in his game, but this year, he is walking more than he strikes out while showing power. He has a strong arm and should have no problem as a right fielder. He is a very good athlete who was a multisport player in high school. He set a TCU school record as a freshman with 10 triples, showing that athleticism. He won’t be a pillar in right field, and with rule changes over the last few years, I could see him being a potential 20/20 or maybe even 30/30 player in the future. His continued progress is a positive sign, especially since he is working on those skills without his production falling off. In Big 12 play, he saw his production fall off, with him seeming to strike out, walk, or hit an extra-base hit. This is concerning as the level of competition is average in the conference and lower than that of his peers in the SEC and ACC. The contact concerns already existed, so this fall off has likely moved him from a likely top ten pick to the teens or twenties. His combination of speed and power should be the driver for his draft position. The fall off in production in Big 12 play, along with his contact issues, are what are moving him down the board. The last impression is often the strongest, and before his injury, his Big 12 production was disappointing. He has better tools than several players ahead of him, and likely goes higher on draft day due to the potential with his size, speed, and power.

20 Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida 

In the grand tradition of University of Florida pitchers, Peterson came into the year with talk of being the top and best pitcher in this class. Instead, he struggled and fell down boards, joining such luminaries as AJ Puk, Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Alex Faedo, Hurston Waldren, and many others. Peterson is a big kid at 6’5” with big-time velocity, having touched 100 in the past. He was a big name who made it to campus for Florida and became a starter from his freshman season on. While he improved his walk rate and always missed bats, he somehow never had an ERA or a FIP under four. It is unusual for a pitcher with his stuff to not have dominated at some point or just been able to sling it past guys enough to not have a sub-four ERA or FIP if they didn’t have bigger command issues. He has always been prone to the home run, and his control has been below average, but barely so. He throws a change, slider, and curve as well as his fastball. The history of Florida has been an over-reliance on fastballs, even if it's not a player's best pitch, which can allow the other team to sit and wait for the heater. The development history of Florida arms is tricky. Everyone knows the program has not done well, so it is targeted as a place one can find traits, but they need to develop the pitchers more. The other side is that they haven’t had a lot of success stories with this approach, in spite of several arms a year getting taken. Peterson looks the part of a dominating right-handed pitcher; the traits are there, it comes down to how much you trust your team to develop them. 

21 Tegan Kuhs, RHP, Tennessee

Tegan Kuhns is a draft-eligible sophomore from Tennessee. He really took a step forward this year to be one of the better pitchers in the SEC. Kuhns was one of the top-rated prep players who made it to school and has consistently shown why he was rated so highly. He pitched very well in the Cape, in three starts, and it has continued during his draft year. He has touched the upper 90s with his fastball that sits low to mid-90s. He also has a slider, change, cutter, and curve. The curve stands out as a pitch with a high spin rate, and it projects as his second-best offering. His pathway to being a starter is based on the development of this slider and change. He needs both to be at least average for him to be successful as a starter full-time. The cutter could help elevate his game as well in place of the change, but the slider is such a natural complement to the curve. His command and control look above-average to plus potential offerings. There is mid-rotation potential here with some reliever floor. He is solidly in the third tier of college arms for me and slightly ahead of the lefties due to the strong health record, even with some time missed this year.   

22 Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS (GA) Committed to Tennessee 

Even though Trevor Condon is a Georgia kid, he is not related to Charlie Condon, which makes sense as they are very different players and builds. Condon has been rising up boards this spring. He has stood out before due to contact skills, speed, and athletic traits. Then this spring, he started hitting the ball harder with exit velocities, making one wonder if there was more potential in his bat than previously expected and moving him solidly into the top five prep bats in this class. He went from sub-100 exit velocity to 106 as reported by Baseball America. This elevates the profile from a potential plus-hitter with plus defense and speed who might play center to a player who might also have above-average power. When you look at that profile, that's a top-five player at what is currently the hardest position to fill in baseball. His swing is unusual, which is why I have him a bit lower than the other prep hitters in the top five. Unusual can be good, but it can also be something that holds a player back. He loads up a bit then passes, before the bat seems to explode forward. He is a very physical kid, likely maxed out, which is why the jump in exit velocity is a really positive development. Of course, that would be the case with any hitter, but being physically filled out doesn’t give him the same pathways to add more velocity than others. He is a player with multiple above-average and plus tools that give him multiple pathways to be successful as a major leaguer. The high-end outcomes make him a potential All-Star, but the ability to be a contributor on multiple levels is one of the reasons he is a top 20 player in this class. Quick Note after the combine, which is the easiest place to hit the fact that his 90th percentile exit velocities were under 102, raised some concerns and dropped him into the 20s for me. He is so physically maxed, I am not sure how much he can add if the EVs are that low, which moves him from a player with multiple pathways to one. It is a different environment, so one can maybe wonder if that bothered him, but it's an environment that any showcase kid has seen something like it before. 

23 Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas 

Hunter Dietz was part of a very impressive high school grouping with Liam Peterson and Landen Maroudis. All three pitchers will get seven-figure paydays before it's all said and done. While that Calvary Christian team was loaded with talent, it has taken a while for Dietz to shine. Last summer, he struggled on the Cape in 11.2 innings. Before this, though, he had thrown just 1.2 innings in college due to a fractured elbow and then an injury setback costing him his first two years of school. It was reasonable for him to have some rust. This past season at Arkansas, he pitched 85.2 innings and was one of the better pitchers in the country. He missed bats, striking out 36% of the batters he faced while walking only 9%. His strikeout to walk percentage was 14th best in the county and 6th best in the SEC. It was his first time being healthy as well as his first chance in the SEC, and the stage did not seem too big for him. While the best is yet to come, the present was pretty darn good. The lack of reps and the injury history are obviously concerns here. If he had a healthy profile, he would be solidly the number two pitcher in this class due to pitch mix and level of success in the SEC.  

24 Archer Horn, SS, St. Ignatius Prep HS (CA) Committed to Stanford 

Archer Horn is a player who has steadily risen throughout this process. He started completely overshadowed, not just as a shortstop but also as a Stanford commit by Tyler  Spangler. As the season went on, Horn kept rising to the point he looks like a likely first-round pick in this year's draft. Horn is one of the better two-way players in this year's class, but no one thinks he will end up pitching that I talked with. He showed that strong arm at the combine with several throws over 90 mph across the diamond, which is in the elite range. There were three shortstops last year with an average throw of 90 from that position in the majors. If you were worried he is all glove and no stick, he also had a 90th percentile exit velocity of 105.7, and his average velocity was over 100, showing a degree of swing consistency. Horn is a strong athlete who might move to third if he gets bigger and thicker as he ages. It has been interesting seeing him in mocks much higher than his listed board position. Then again, I think he might have done as much as anyone to help himself at the combine. I think teams knew the power potential was there, more than I had expected. Here is a kid who is a good athlete who can focus on being a hitter and use his physical tools to be an above-average defender. He doesn’t chase and has a clean swing with some pop to it. He has pathways to get stronger and add power as well. There is a chance for an above-average regular here, and if he sticks at shortstop, the bat would have a chance to make him a plus player even if he were only an average defender. 

25 Taylor Rabe, RHP, Ole Miss 

For most of the year, Taylor Rabe was a bit of an afterthought due to his teammate Cade Townsend. Then a funny thing started happening where everyone I talked to who took in Ole Miss wanted to talk about Rabe more than Townsend. This could have been due to the feeling of discovery; everyone likes to feel like they discovered an uncut gem. But it was also clear that Rabe was a potential top 50 selection, even if he started the year having barely played during his first two years of college after recovering from Tommy John. He ended up with the ninth-best strikeout minus walk percentage in the country, a stat that we know teams look at as a way to do a quick look at control. He was walking under two per nine while striking out more than 12 and doing it all in the SEC. He was one of the top pitchers in the SEC, and seeing him step into the conference and be dominant was for me an eye opener. He is a big, well-built kid at 6’5” and 200 pounds. His fastball has touched 100 and sits mid-90s, and was his primary offering in college. He wasn’t just a fastball-only pitcher showing a slider, change, and cutter, with the cutter being the best of the secondaries. There is some rawness for a kid who has barely thrown 90 total innings in college. The pitch mix looks like it's pro-ready; some work to be done, but the feel for the pitches is there. He has the control that I did not expect for a kid in his first full season pitching after Tommy John, and he seemed to just get better as the year went on. I am still slightly higher on his teammate, but it is not by much. Early, high-level dominance of the best conference with control and pitch mix makes him a player I expect to see go higher than expected on draft day.

26 Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame

Jack Radel might slide under the radar more than any other pitching prospect in this draft. He is a unit at 6’5” and 250 pounds. South Dakota might not be known as a hotbed for prep prospects, but it is worth noting Radel was a high school teammate of Marcus Phillips, who Boston took with the 33rd pick a year ago. The question now is, can Radel go higher? He has been a workhorse at Notre Dame with over 30 starts and 200 innings thrown throughout his college career. He got better every year, and this past year really broke out. He has a deep five-pitch mix, which starts with his mid-90s fastball that touches 98. When you add in his extension, it feels like it is coming at you at 100 mph or more. He then mixes in a curve, slider, cutter, and change, giving him a deep mix of pitches. The biggest knock is that none stand out as a potential plus offering; there is some work to be done to try to maximize and tighten up these pitches. The fact that he can throw and spot them, though, is huge. I keep talking about the fact that baseball has drastically changed in the nearly two decades I have covered the draft. When I started, three pitches were good enough; now, if you don’t have three to show lefties and three for righties, then you are out of luck. The fact that Radel comes from a non-traditional baseball state, and a college that hasn't had a first-rounder in 13 years, Eric Jagielo to the Yankees in 2013, both point to more growth potential. He hasn’t come from a pitching factory. He has the size and extension teams love, and a clean medical record, which is even better. He is built to be a pitcher. His command and control both look like average or better offerings. So if a team feels like they can help Radel add some more to those secondary offerings or maximize his velocity even more. Radel could end up being one of the steals of the draft. 

27 Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State 

Cole Carlon was a reliever for his first two years at Arizona State. He moved into the rotation this year and raked up the strikeouts, striking out 38 percent of all hitters faced while only walking 9%. He maintained his strikeout percentages while decreasing his walk percentages while shifting from the pen to the rotation. He has a starter's mix with a fastball, slider, change, and curveball. The fastball and slider are the money pitches, and if he ends up in the pen again, I would expect those to be his main offerings. There is some reliever risk with him, but as no team can have enough lefty relievers, is that really a negative? He is a big guy and looks the part of a starter, but I have had a lot of mixed takes talking to people if they think that he is going to stay a starter or not. He has been one of the elite strikeout pitchers in college baseball this year, and that ability to consistently miss bats is what will likely make him a first-round pick on draft day and in contention to be one of the first handful of college starters off the board. 

28 Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle HS (CA) Committed to Stanford

When I did my Way Too Early Mock when the season ended, I had Spangler as a top ten player in the draft class. He is a big shortstop with hit and power potential, with a good chance of sticking at shortstop. The problem is that since that mock, he hasn't played at all. A back injury wiped out his senior year, and he saw him tumble on boards, and people aren't sure what to make of him. The Stanford commit isn't a scary thing anymore, and I think a team like the Giants could try and poach him late, figuring he could see some time in complex baseball after being drafted, and that they are getting a top ten talent late in the draft. The same profile that saw him as the number three prep player in the country is why he feels like a player who someone should buy if the medicals check out as clean. It is not the deepest draft, which is why I would be more tempted to take the gamble late on a player who could be a solid shortstop with above-average hit and power. 

29 Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA

If not for a late injury that limited his chances to pitch, as well as increased concerns of a larger injury, I believe Logan Reddeman would have been the second starter off the board and a potential top ten pick. He dominated the Big 10, not that hard to do, and was one of the bigger breakout stories of College Baseball this year. He transferred in from the University of San Diego, where he had been a light two-way guy. He stepped in for UCLA and was one of the most consistent starters in the country. He didn't walk anyone, he didn't give up hard hits, and he consistently missed bats. He is not the biggest guy,  nor does he throw the hardest, but he just knows how to pitch. He has a five-pitch mix with his fastball as the standout. He mixes in change, cutter, curve, and slider. While he has thrown a lot of innings this year, he has only had 59.2 due to injury. The injury is what is really clouding things. There was talk that if UCLA advanced far enough, he might pitch in the college World Series. If that had happened, then Reddemann would likely have seen his stock surge. He has the mix and stuff to be a solid mid-rotation arm. His lack of size, combined with health uncertainty, will likely see him go a little lower than he should when it's all said and done. 

30 Ace Reese, 3B, Miss St.

It’s been an up-and-down year for Ace Reese. He started the year as a potential top 10 pick, struggled in the middle of his schedule, finished well, and should see his name in the first 25 or so picks. After those mentioned early struggles, he went on a tear in the second half of the SEC schedule and ended up with 14 home runs in conference, but also struck out 25% of the time in conference. Reese’s best tool is his power, and with his exit velocities being among the best in the class, as well as his overall production. The question is, can he stick at third base, or will he end up at first? I lean towards him likely being a first baseman long term, which hurts his value. His swing and miss is also a concern; while he has shown improvement, any strikeout percentage north of 20% is a concern. He has improved his chase rate over the year. When I enter the data and then set it for percentiles, green is good and red is bad. Reese moved from red to light red, and while that isn’t a dramatic move, it's enough to solidly put him in the first round. His power production and overall production in the SEC make me a believer in his ability to maintain a plus offensive profile even if he has to move to first base. He also has had previous success with wood bats; even if it wasn't at the highest levels, it shows that the transition won’t be hard for him. 

31 Landon Thome, 2B, Nazareth Academy (IL) Committed to FSU

When your last name is Thome, a lot is expected of you on the diamond. Landon will certainly go a lot higher than his dad did, who was taken in the 13th round, 333 overall. Landon has a good chance to go in the top 33 peaks as a polished and consistent performer. He doesn’t have his dad’s build or power, so he is more of a hit-first than power-first type of prospect. He has been raised in the game and comes from a program that had a second-rounder a year ago in Jaden Fasuke. Thome has some power, though, and the hope is that he might add more as he continues to fill out. Much like his father, he has a strong eye for the zone, and there is a chance for above-average to plus hit with closer to average to above-average power. Long term, due to his lack of arm strength, I think second base could be a natural home for him. There are not a lot of second basemen with the chance at 55 power and hit tool that gives him a chance to be a top 10 player at this position. 

32 Daniel Jackson, C/OF, Georgia

Daniel Jackson became the first catcher in NCAA history to steal 25 bases and hit 25 home runs. It was an impressive feat for any player, but it was a big step up after his struggles the year before. He came to Georgia after a strong freshman year at Wofford. Once he settled in as a junior, he took off and was one of the best hitters in college baseball. He cut down on his strikeout percentage and increased his power and contact. He still has contact issues with a lower contact rate, though his chase rate was solid, so it's more than he would miss in the zone. He can chase some, but was slightly above average in that area. He is a good athlete who runs well, but I would not say it's a plus skill, more average. I also think he ends up moving to the outfield long term, as his arm is not the strongest, and more and more, that is what really matters behind the plate. He also has experience with wooden bats in the Cape Cod league, where he struck out at a very high rate but also walked and hit for some power. He had a season that rivaled Charlie Condon’s for the best in Georgia history. Jackson has raised himself from afterthought to top 30 pick, more than likely, with his right-handed power being the carrying tool that gets him drafted, but his overall performance being what saw him tap into the power more regularly. I am not sure if he has any tools outside of power that are plus, so there is also a lot of risk in that profile. 

33 Cole Prosek, 3B/OF, Magnolia Heights HS (MS) Committed to Mississippi 

In a lot of write-ups, Cole Prosek is listed as a catcher or third baseman. I don’t think there is a chance for him to catch, so I would look at third, first, or outfield. His swing is one that a lot of people love. He does well with pitches in the zone, making consistent hard contact. The issue is that he can expand and chase. While this has not been a big issue yet, it is one of the more consistent ways a player can end up not living up to their draft position. He has excelled when he has faced the best of the best in the showcase circuit, so that is an additional reason to be less concerned about some of the lacking traits.  Prosek is not a great athlete, so it mostly comes down to his bat. He has good strength and has a chance at above-average to plus power. While many other people mention a plus hit tool, I can’t see that for a player who is known to expand. The best hitters in baseball might miss in the zone, but they don’t chase pitches outside. He has a pretty, clean swing and one that should generate power. The fact that he might end up at first base as well as chasing a bit has him lower for me than he is on other boards. He comes from a baseball family and is a smart, well-coached kid. Over the years, when we miss on a hit tool, it's because of a focus on aesthetics over all the parts that make up hit tool, which includes an eye for the zone. He isn’t a hacker by any means, but when the carrying tool is the bat, I tend to avoid those who have a history of expanding and chasing. 

34 Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama 

Justin Lebron came into the year with a chance to make things difficult for Roch Cholowsky. He had better speed and was playing in the bigger conference. If he showed up and showed out, then he could have made it tough on the White Sox. He did his part in the non-conference schedule, but just like a year ago, when he got to the SEC, he stumbled. He was not just not hitting as well as before, but he was a below-average hitter in the SEC. Then you combine it with defensive miscues in the field and general concerns with his hit tool, and one has a player who likely has lost millions compared to being viewed as a sure top three pick to a back of the top 10 or later player. Lebron has shown a power and speed combination that is rare for a shortstop and would play anywhere on the diamond. The big question is, why have things gone so poorly? It appears like a player pressing when you watch him and look at the numbers. If you believe that, then is it a concern that a player this gifted in pressing in college, when natural traits often carry players? The bad contact data, along with poor performance, has dropped him significantly on my board. The traits and tools are there, and one can hope to get more out of Lebron, as Alabama has not been strong in hitter development over the years. Alex Avila and Frank Menechino are their most successful MLB hitters of the 2000s, to give an idea. The program has had three top 30 selections in the draft, and if Lebron can right his performance, he has a chance to beat Joe Vitiello, 7th overall in 1991, as the highest drafted player in Alabama history.

35 Wes Mendes, LHP, FSU

Wes Mendes began his career at Ole Miss, but along with Liam Doyle transferred out after the 2014 season, a big loss for Ole Miss that was to the benefit of their rivals. Mendes moved from the pen to the rotation and struggled in his first year at Florida State. They stuck with the talented lefty, and it paid off for them this year as he was an ace all year. He kept his strikeout rate high but cut down on his walks and hard-hit balls. While I am not sure if any pitch of his outside of maybe his changeup projects as plus, I am a big fan of Mendes. One, he is a strong athlete for the position, and the second part is that he has a deep and well-developed repertoire. Mendes won’t be as exciting as the prep arms and many of his college peers. He sits in the low 90s and touches mid 90s, but he fills up the zone and uses his pitches to get hitters out. As mentioned before, his changeup has a chance to be a plus pitch and is one of the better ones in the college class. He also throws a curve, slider, change, and cutter. There is some work to be done; this is true for pretty much every pitch every drafted pitcher has, but the fact that he has the feel and used these pitches in games means it's more about refinement than reteaching. Mendes might not have the upside of his peers. Yet his clean health history, athleticism, and pitch mix give him one of the safer floors to be a solid starter. The last time I wrote that about an FSU starter, it was Parker Messick, and that might be shading my views, but even if Mendes ends up more of a fifth starter, that is going to be an excellent value compared to where he is likely taken. 

36 Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) Committed to Miami 

Gio Rojas is a fun lefty from a great baseball high school that has produced several very good MLB players. He fits the mold as a big kid, with strong velocity, good delivery, and easy athleticism. He is a skinny kid, so it's easy to dream of more velocity as he fills in and gets stronger, which says something, as he is already touching 98. He mixed in a slider and change to go with the fastball, which is currently his best pitch. Both of his secondaries have plus potential and are high-spin offerings. It is easy to look at the current mix and imagine him adding a cutter or another offering, while firming up and developing what he has, and turning into a potential front-line starter. Athleticism is an underrated trait for pitchers; it helps them to avoid injury and also allows for growth in terms of velocity and the ability to play with pitches and grips. The risk of prep arms has caused me to push them down boards in general. If one looks at the top 27 pitchers in terms of fWAR, there was a tie for 25; 18 of the pitchers are college players, with just 6 prep players in the mix. So not just a big risk, but the top arms often end up coming from the college ranks.

37 Logan Schmidt, LHP, Ganesha HS (CA) Committed to LSU

Yet another player who reclassified into this year's draft class, when I first wrote up Schmidt in the fall, he had yet to commit to a college. While he reclassified, Schmidt will turn 18 in July, meaning he is an older junior, hey I was the same in school myself, but it also takes a little wind out of him being a reclassified talent. He is young relative to the draft class, but he wasn’t young relative to his class. Schmidt is a strong athlete who has gained inches and velocity over the course of the year. When I last looked in, he was not as big or bringing the heat he ended up with this year. Now, in fairness, due to the nature of reclassified players, I was slow to check in, and my data on him was behind a lot of the other players. He was touching the upper 90s and sits mid throughout the spring. He has a slider and a change. They complement each other, but he needs another pitch or two since right now the slider is vs lefties and the change vs righties. Maybe he can firm up the change and make it work against either side and add a fourth pitch. It is a good beginner's mix and set up with every pitch looking at least average if not potentially above average or plus down the road. He commands his pitches well and hits his spots. There is a lot of growth potential, but you are also getting a more raw pitcher due to his age and the fact that he did lose a year of high school by reclassifying. One can never have enough lefties with velocity and the ability to command their pitches. There is always so much risk with prep arms, but I am a sucker for good athletes with clean health profiles, and that fits Schmidt, even if there might be more work here than with some of the other prep arms. 

38 Mason Edwards, LHP, USC

Mason Edwards steadily climbed boards all year as he dominated the Big Ten. He was a swing arm in his first two years, pitching fewer innings combined than he did this year. He ended up the strikeout king of the NCAA with 32 more than Ethan Lund, who was second. He also had the best strikeout per nine in the country as well, so it wasn’t just due to health and opportunities. He will be a pitcher who gets labeled a model darling due to the sheer number of strikeouts, along with the fact that he won’t turn 21 until after the draft. I don’t think he will be a model darling, because all year, he seemed to struggle when he faced better competition and dominated weak squads. His fastball sits in the low 90s and touches mid 90s, but his change and curveball are better offerings. He walked nearly 4.5 batters this year per nine, which is a higher percentage than I typically like to see with a dominant college arm. He was still 4th in the country in strikeout percentage minus his walk percentage, so it’s not a killer data point, but just reflective of a concern. He has probably average to slightly below average control to go with average command. It is a package that looks like a backend starter, for me the concerns that he might have below-average command and a bit of an incomplete repertoire for a lefty are why he is lower on my board than others in spite of his ability to miss bats this year. 

39 Rocco Maniscalco, SS, Oxford HS (AL) Committed to Miss State

It has been a rollercoaster when it comes to draft stock and placement for Maniscalco. He has gone from potential to a second or third rounder and then right back into the first round talk. He is one of the youngest players in the class, turning 17 at the start of May. He would have been young in next year's class if he had not reclassified. The switch-hitting shortstop had a mixed bag this spring, but then he showed up and showed out at the combine. He showed a big arm and hit the ball with authority. He was one of the early stories of the combine.  He hit the ball repeatedly over 100 mph, showing more power than expected, as well as an extremely strong arm at short. He’s a big kid listed at 6’3”, and one can imagine him growing into power and moving to third base long term. At his age, with his base tools, it's all about projection. He has had some knocks for swing and miss in the past, which is a concern, and he isn’t a plus athlete, so third might end up his home. But again, he is barely 17 and showing batted ball traits that are pretty elite for 17. 

40 Carson Bolemon, LHP, SouthSide Christian HS (SC) Committed to Wake Forest

There is a lot to like with Carson Bolemon, who is one of the nearly 10 prep arms with potential first-round grades. His makeup and work ethic are off the charts, which, combined with his physical traits, give him an opportunity to go far. He is an older pitcher in the class, turning 19 back in April, and doesn't necessarily have the extreme velocity of his peers. But he still touches mid-90s and sits low 90s and shows a curve, change, and slider that all project as above average or plus pitches. He has the mix you need to see with a starter anymore, and the fact that he has such a great feel for his secondaries also makes him stand out even more among his peers. He had a stronger junior season than senior season, which caused him to tumble a bit on boards. This, combined with the fact that he had an internal brace procedure in eighth grade, as well as being an older prep player, is the only thing pulling him down. I like him more than some of the other prep arms due to the fact that he is a strong athlete, repeats his delivery, and has an advanced feel for secondary pitches. He might not be the top prep arm in the class, but he is not far off. If he makes it to Wake Forest, he becomes a top-five pick favorite for the 2028 class. I don’t see it because of the mostly clean profile, and potential for more growth, he is still only 19 after all. 

41 Zion Rose, OF, Louisville 

Zion Rose has had a lot of fans dating back to his high school days. He has elite athletic traits and tools that have always made people drool about his potential. He started in Louisville as a catcher, and I wonder if a drafting team could try him there again. Rose, in spite of his physical tools, has not hit for much power in college. His launch angle has been below 10%, which is part of the reason why. He has a solid hard hit percentage, but due to the launch angle, almost everything is going on the ground. He has the combination of high chase along with high contact, which can lead to worse overall contact. He has rarely struck out in college, but the chase rate means that those rates could rise as he faces better competition. There is a lot of projection left in Rose. There is also a lot of work as well. Right now, he projects as kind of average at multiple traits, but with his baseline skills as well as developing, one is hoping for more down the line. 

42 Chase Brunson, OF, TCU

Chase Brunson has been a borderline first-rounder for over a year now. He has been a steady producer at TCU, but with his tools, one expected him to break out this year. At the midway point, he had some of the better batted ball data in the class. He didn’t chase, showed good contact rates, and upper-tier exit velocity. His production was consistently strong for TCU, but despite his contact and exit velocities, he was never among the elite performers in the Big 12. He played mostly center and has a shot to play there, but with his strong arm, right field seems like a more likely future home. There is some passivity in the profile, which sometimes we see with prospects who have the tools but not the production. When looking at percentile data, he was 5th ranked at the midpoint. I just expected more high-level production. He is a guy who does everything well but nothing great. While that is often viewed as a safer profile. I disagree, it means that there is less margin for error as there is not a carrying skill. He might end up a platoon player or a utility type, but there is a chance for a starter, especially if he can stick in center. 

43 Jack Natili, C, Cincinnati 

Jack Natili started his career at Rutgers and transferred to Cincinnati before his sophomore year. He had a solid season that year, but broke out as a junior, elevating himself to a 2nd round selection. Cincinnati is part of the Big 12, so he faced better competition than he would have in the Big 10 at Rutgers. Plus, Cincinnati has had an effective history of developing players with power and some top performers in general. This past year, Natili hit 19 home runs, which was more than the last two years combined. His chase rate and contact rate were about average this year with plus exit velocities. He showed that power at the combine with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 110.4. He showed a strong arm behind the plate at the combine. It should also be pointed out that he performed well last year on the Cape, showing no concern when he switches to wood bats. I think he has a legitimate chance to stay behind the plate. He has improved significantly back there throughout college. The big knock is he has some swing and miss, which is a little unusual for a player who has solid chase and contact rates, which to me points to a player whose swing might get long, or he tries to do too much. There was some doubt about him sticking at catcher, but that faded as the year went on. I think he and Carson Tinney are very close. Tinney has more raw power but also misses more in the zone. Natili has a better chance to catch. I can understand a performance for either, but think they should be closer ranked than where they are in most places.  

44 Carson Tinney, C, Texas

Carson Tinney has some of the best exit velocities in the entire college class. I could see a team that misses out on Ryder Helfrick trying to get Tinney in round two. Tinney transferred into Texas this year from Notre Dame and didn’t miss a beat. It was an especially hard transition as not only did he have to face the best of the best, but the level of pitchers he caught was also more difficult. Tinney doesn’t chase too much, but he can miss in the zone, which is a common theme among some of the better hitters in the league. My bigger concern was that he was terrible in the Cape, facing the best of the best using wooden bats. He struggled to make contact, striking out 40 percent of the time, with a slash line of .165/.267/.364. He did hit four home runs as a positive, but that's about it from the Cape. The other question is, can Tinney stay behind the plate? He is almost too big to be a catcher. He would be one of the biggest in baseball. He isn’t a great athlete, so if he can’t catch, then he would be limited to first base. He needs some work behind the plate in general, but has the arm for the position. His power is what will get him drafted, as well as the faint hope that he can be a below-average but usable defender at catcher. He might be a three-outcome type of player who splits time at multiple positions but plays every day due to his power. 

45 Connor Comeau, 3B, Anderson HS (TX) Committed to TAMU

Connor Comeau is another talented 17-year-old in this year's draft class. He won’t turn 18 until the 11th of August. He has a strong approach at the plate, doesn’t chase, and has strong contact skills. He is a big kid at 6’4”, but he needs to add some muscle to tap into some power as he ages. He is a clean player, but lacks some of the loud exit velocities or big arms of his fellow high school talents. Comeau isn’t a great athlete, so while he is a shortstop now. The hope is he will move to third. I worry that he might be a first baseman. While the approach is great, one is also gambling on adding power. He is a hit over power player, though players with his size are often the reverse. This is why he is valued so highly, even without the elite tools or batted ball data. He knows how to swing a bat and has a body that should allow for power to come. He makes solid swing decisions and could end up plus hit and power down the road. He is a second-round talent because it is all projection, but when you are talking about a 17-year-old kid, everything is projection.  

46 Jake Schaffner, SS, UNC 

Jake Schaffner had a down season this year compared to his previous two, but with an excellent reason. He moved on from North Dakota State and became the leadoff man for UNC. It is kind of amazing he didn’t have more of a drop off. Schaffner is a heck of an athlete with plus speed. He was a three-sport star in high school, playing hockey and football. One has to point out that the history of former quarterbacks has been riddled with struggles and failures. This might just be due to a smaller sample size. Schnaffer has very little power, if any. It is not something I expect him to add or grow into. What he does have is on-base skills mixed with plus speed, which could make him an ideal top-of-the-order hitter. I do worry that he is a bit below the 90th percentile in exit velocity, which can sometimes indicate a player is not transitioning well after being drafted and gaining exposure at the upper levels. He was also solid in the Cape last year, overall another positive sign.  Schaffner just didn’t miss in terms of contact with pitches in the zone this year. He was among the best of the best with general contact and in-zone contact. He was in the top 30, in terms of my limited percentiles, for chase as well. So while he didn’t chase much, it might still be the best way to pitch to him. I think he can stay at shortstop, steal bases, and be a general pain in the butt at the top of a lineup. There is starter potential here if he has enough juice to make it. The only knock is a complete lack of power. Could he be a Chandler Simpson player at SS with two grades lower speed? I think so, and I think that is also a starter in baseball at SS if not at the top of the lineup, maybe the bottom. 

47 Eric Becker, SS, Virginia 

Eric Becker is one of several Virginia hitters who struggled in their draft year. He has been a consistent producer throughout his college career. He just performed a little worse every season and had less power this year. This was interesting as his exit velocity was identical to a year ago, though there was an increase in his chase rate, which could have led to an overall worse quality of contact. His exit velocity was solid in general, which is needed with him likely moving to third or second in the pros. His batted ball data was middling in general, so I think a team might be best trying him at second. He is another hitter who had some top ten talk early on, so there is some thought that it is just a bad year, and that it appears that it happened to several guys at Virginia, so maybe a team could be buying low. I am less sure, as a year ago, his batted ball data was mediocre as well, so while the production was better, I am not sure that last year is the true example of what he can do. It's a middling profile overall, the type where a player needs to have no regression or any tools being less than they are perceived, or there is a good chance he will be no better than a backup. I need something that can carry a guy, with being 40s or 50s in most things, just makes it too big a risk without a high ceiling reward. I think he still goes higher than his brother a year ago, but for me, I let someone else take him. 

48 Taj Marchand, SS/3B, James Island HS (SC) Committed to Ole Miss

Taj Marchand has been floating around the first round this spring. He is a young, for the class prep infielder with great physical tools, but some questions about where he plays and how elite his tools are. Marchand put on a show at the combine with a 90th EV of 109.2 that would be among the best of the combine and matches up with several elite college power hitters. Again, though, Marchand is doing this while 17 and with the potential to get even stronger. There is plus power potential in his right-handed bat, but he sometimes presses a bit and can expand and try to hit everything that hard. He has a lot of moving parts in the swing, many of which are things that can scare off teams, but the metrics on the swing make it hard to ignore. It also leads to hard questions about how much a team wants to mess with or risk changing a swing that generates elite exit velocities, and where he made exit contact, even if he was very prone to chasing. I think he likely moves to third base, and there is legit 25/30 home run power. I am just one of the people who don’t love the swing, and while it works now. I am curious how it will work when he just isn’t head and shoulders the best athlete and talent every time he steps into the box. I also know how hard swing changes are to make, and his tendency to expand because he can hit everything right now is a tough habit to break long-term. I understand the gamble for a team if everything breaks right; he is a shortstop with plus power. I just think the odds are too low for that. The failure rate in profiles like this is high, and yes, the high-end payoff is worth it for many, just not me. 

49  Kaden Waechter, RHP, Tampa Jesuit HS (FL), Committed to Florida State 

Kaedan Waechter has been on the radar solidly all year. He made every list I put together, starting with my first ones last fall. He really jumped, though, after a strong performance at the NHSI, where he struck out ten and started to get some high buzz. His dad, Doug, was a major league pitcher, and there is some yeoman to his game, much like his father. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he has a deep mix of pitches: fastball, curve, change, and cutter that he can use to varying degrees of success. The fastball and slider stand out, but the overall mix gives him a chance to start. He has good control, as one often expects from a kid whose dad played in the big leagues. He is just very clean for a prep arm. He repeats well, he doesn’t have a deep injury history, his mix is diverse for his age, and control is not a concern. He also lacked the big pop that might cause another pitcher to go higher. The other concern could be age, as he turns 19 in August, so he would be a draft-eligible sophomore in two years if he doesn’t sign. Teams often want elite traits, velocity, size, and spin, so the question comes down to how much they value safety in a prep arm and how much that will affect his value. 

50 Myles Bailey, 1B, FSU

Myles Bailey has some elite traits and also some really ugly data points. The first issue is that he is a first baseman. While he has played other positions and is not a bad athlete, he is clearly heading to the least valuable spot on the diamond. The second is a lack of reps; he is a draft-eligible sophomore who missed the majority of his sophomore year due to a horrific ankle injury. The last negative is that he had some of the worst contact rates in the entire class. While it is important to make contact, there are a lot of very good hitters who can thrive with power and not chase. Hitters can miss in the zone if they have the power to make up for it and don’t expand. This is Myles Bailey to a T. He has some of the best chase rate data and the best raw power in this college class. As a matter of fact, he just has some of the best power we have seen in college in general over the last half a decade. When you look at max and average exit velocity, he is basically in a class of his own. He was cutting down on his strikeout percentage before his injury as well. Bailey swings hard, does damage, and misses sometimes. If he doesn’t expand, he has a clear pathway to success as a hitter. There is always risk when it comes to a player who has swing and miss in their game. I think we are seeing that not all swing and miss are created equal. Bailey has the right type of swing and miss, and that could lead to a team finding a power hitter with elite traits outside of the first round. It could also lead to a player who never makes it to the big leagues. But after the top 40 or so players, it makes sense to gamble on a player with this kind of power, as buying power on the open market is the most expensive thing for a team to add via trades or free agency. 

51 Colemon Borthwick, RHP, South Walton HS (FL) Committed to Auburn

Every single write-up on Borthwick likely begins by mentioning his ideal size and build. He is a 6’6” 260 pound well built starting pitcher who touches 100 but sits low to mid-90s. He has a slider and a change, which is basically a show-me pitch at this point. He is a two-pitch guy with a good feel for the zone and the ability to hit his spots, but he is still a two-pitch guy. He is an accomplished hitter as well, so one can hope to work with him exclusively as a pitcher and get him to add some offerings and just generally level up what he has. He has pitched well against top competition, even with a limited mix. The clay is there to mold with his size, feel, and velo, but there is a lot of work to be done due to the importance of a deep pitch mix. The old three-pitch mix isn’t enough anymore. Guys need 4 or 5 offerings often, so a lot of work needs to be done. I would rather bet on a pitcher, though, with good athletic traits and feel for the zone than guys who just throw hard. He looks the part of a coach's son and has relatively clean and repeated mechanics. He just needs more time to cook. 

52 Caden Bogenphol, OF, Missouri State 

Caden Bogenphol is huge. The 6’6” outfielder is also a very good athlete who runs well for his size. He has a chance to be a plus defender in right field with his speed and arm. As one would expect of a player of his size, the calling card is power, and he has some of the best in this class. Bogenphol has some of the best exit velocity in this class, and does it while not expanding or chasing. He can miss in the zone, and his contact is below average, but that is a profile we see having more and more success in baseball. He has worked to cut back on his strikeout rate, but it has cost him power production this year. For a player with his size and physical tools, for him not to dominate the lesser conference that he plays in is a concern. Missouri State moved from the MVC to Conference USA, which, while still a lesser conference, has slowed down Bogenphol this year. He has been adequate in the Cape, so the data there doesn’t help his case that he can excel when facing better competition. The physical tools are jaw-dropping, but the performance has not been there so far. How much do you trust your development to work with a player with his power and speed combo is the question you have to ask. He is a tools over performance talent. 

53 Gavin Grahovac, 1B, TAMU

Gavin Grahovac comes from a baseball family; his dad was a fourth-rounder by the Giants in 1989 out of Chapman University. His cousin is Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell. While his cousin is more athletic, they both share big-time exit velocities and power. There is a lot of swing and miss in his profile, but his strikeout percentage has improved throughout college. He can be prone to chasing, and he can also miss in the zone as well. The power is the calling card here, and Grahovac has shown it throughout college. He missed most of his sophomore year after a labrum injury. The things holding him back are the concerns with swing and miss, chasing, and positional value. He was a third baseman as a freshman, but even then, the thought was that he was likely to have to move off the position, even though he has a strong arm. He has high-level production against top-level competition. He projects as a late first or early 2nd rounder as a potential right-handed power bat. 

54 Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn 

Chris Rembert is another draft-eligible sophomore and one of the more frustrating players in this class. He walked less this year, struck out more, and saw his home run rate plummet. Yet the batted ball data was strong. For a player who did not produce many home runs, he hit the ball very hard with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 107.3, which puts him in the top 25% of the class. He can chase a bit, and I wonder if the overall quality of contact was down for him. He might have been pressing or trying too hard in his draft year. His contact rate was much higher this year, which could have led to the lower production. His swing is flat as well, and without major changes, I struggle to see him hitting for much power even with his exit velos. The swing feels tailored to take advantage of his plus bat speed, allowing him to get the ball quickly. He is a really strong, maxed-out kid, and I worry that trying to change his approach might limit his chance at being a major leaguer. At the same time, if he could add some loft there and clean up the swing, there is a chance for more growth, even with him being maxed out. He turns 21 this month, which makes him one of the younger draft-eligible sophomores in the class. 

55 Andrew Williamson, OF, UCF

When you look up Williamson’s profile on UCF, one might be a bit surprised to see his favorite baseball player is Sean Rdoriquez. Most players list stars, not utility players, but that's because Rodriquez is his uncle. His uncle played in over 1100 games in the majors and played every position outside of catcher, but by the time he was done, he even pitched an inning. He has a bit more power than his uncle, with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 108.4. This past year, he hit the ball much harder and barrelled it significantly more vs right-handed pitching and left-handed pitching. As a sophomore, he was a bit more even, and that could be why his overall performance was a bit better a year ago. He played well when he faced the big programs, so that takes some of the concerns off for a player coming from a small school. He also played very well in a limited sample on the Cape, another positive mark for a small school player. He is also young for the class and will not turn 21 until the end of July. His chase rate is also a concern, especially when you consider the overall level of player he faced this year. Williamson will likely stick in right field, though his arm is solid, not plus. He might profile best in left long term. There is some pop here, and some more development to do. He might just be a platoon bat, but all the data points to a guy who kills righties. The chase rate is the big concern for me, especially for a player at his conference level. For others, though, the combination of exit velocity, age relative to grade, bloodlines, and chance for additional growth could make him an interesting pick in the 2nd round.  

56 Sean Duncan, LHP, Terry Fox HS (CN) Committed to Vanderbilt 

Sean Duncan was a player very much on the rise in this class until he suffered an arm injury that required Tommy John surgery back in May. Duncan fits all the things one looks for when one wants to look at reasons for upside. He was young for the class, just turning 18 in May, a cold-weather arm, a lefty, a plus athlete, and someone who hadn’t had a big jump yet in velocity. He repeats his delivery and throws strikes. He looked like a pitcher, not a thrower. He was steadily getting better and better every year. I would not have been shocked if he stayed healthy if he were the second prep arm off the board. Then the injury hit, and it means that you lose much of this year and next for a player who needs that extra time for development. I am not the biggest fan of prep arms, but the three things I want to see are athleticism, a sturdy trunk, and control of one's pitches. A lot of other facets will be contingent on these. Duncan might not have had quite the trunk, but he had all the other features that should make him long-term a safer bet for development than many other prep arms. His fastball, slider, and change all look like potential above-average offerings, which, with his command, give him a legit chance to be a mid-rotation starter down the line. It might take some time, but Duncan could be a nice low guy candidate due to an injury that just about every pitcher in the class will have at some point. Not everyone comes back the same from it, but it is something that can’t be avoided. 

57 Brody Bumila, LHP, Bishop Feehan HS (MA) Committed to Texas

Brody Bumila is what some might see as the ideal pitcher. He is a 6’9”, left-handed pitcher with huge velocity touching 100. When you combine that velocity with his size and extension, it's a legit 80-grade potential pitch. It's going to feel like it's coming at you at 105 or maybe even more. Then, when you mix in the break on his fastball, it has the potential to be one of the best in the game. The promise of his size, athleticism, and developmental potential a decade ago would have guaranteed him a top 15 pick. For others, he is a HUGE gamble. There are not a lot of pitchers north of 6’6,” and larger pitchers have had issues with mechanics and health. Bumila is mostly a one-pitch pitcher at this point, while he has a slider and a change, neither of which are pitches he uses much. He hasn’t needed to use them, and they are a bit undercooked. There is no player who has a great gap between floor and ceiling in this class. It will take a lot of coaching, time, and luck, but Bumila could end up being truly special. The issue is that the likelihood of his positive outcomes are lower than his inconsequential ones. So the gamble is on the huge payout vs the minefield of negative outcomes for a pitcher who throws this hard and already has an internal brace, with his size, with rawness, and just being a prep arm in general. While I am risk-averse, I also can’t blame the team that takes the gamble on a truly unique player. 

58 Ty Head, OF, NC State

Ty Head has been a consistent performer since he stepped onto the field for NC State over the last two years. He is a great athlete who had a nice jump in home runs this year, but his exit velocities did not match up with a player who projects to have anything more than below-average power. This is weird, as he is a strong kid, who one would think with his size and build should easily have average power. He makes a ton of contact, but he might not hit the ball hard enough to make an impact. There is some hope that he will continue to fill out, and with that, more power can come. The problem with that is it might take away from his speed, which is his best trait. His speed is one of the reasons he is also projected as a solid to plus centerfielder. If you think he can get stronger without losing his speed, then Head might be a borderline first-rounder due to his solid contact rates and the fact that he doesn’t chase much. It gives him a profile that makes him a solid regular. If you are not a believer, then he looks more like a platoon bat or a utility hitter. Since he just turned 21 at the end of May, I am splitting the difference and putting him with a lateish second-round grade.   

59 Caden Sorrell, OF, TAMU

Caden Sorrell is a player who feels like he has been on the radar forever. He was a top performer in high school and comes from a family of baseball players. His dad was drafted out of high school by the Red Sox. What is more interesting is that both of his grandfathers played in the big leagues: Billy Sorrell and Tom Griffin. Sorrell is a good athlete with speed and power, and some big issues with contact. His chase and contact rates were both poor, which is a deadly combination for future success. He does have strong exit velocities, as one would expect for a player with 23 home runs this past season and double-digit totals in his first two years. It is harder to find power than anything else in this league, especially when there is a chance to add that power in center field. The issue is whether he will make enough contact to see the majors. His strikeout percentage is below the 25% barrier, which makes him a player you at least consider drafting. The other concern is the nearly two-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is another sign of contact issues. At the same time, it will take a lot of work with low chances of success to get him to approach average contact skills and traits. He is the type of player I would let another organization chasing ceiling because of the very low odds of success against the likely high cost to sign. 

60 Jarren Advincula, 2B, Georgia Tech

This is the hardest write-up on this whole board for me. Two years ago, watching him destroy the Cape, I thought he was a potential first-rounder. He didn’t hit for any power, but after his freshman year, the fact that he played the best of the best and was an on-base machine who never struck out, well, that seemed promising. I thought this kid would be a top 10 pick. He had a strong sophomore year at Cal, then was great again in the Cape, and then was even better as a force in the ACC after transferring to Georgia Tech. He was a table setter who had nearly as many home runs as a junior as he had in the previous two years combined, while facing a higher level of competition. He hit .434/.504/.629 with a strikeout percentage under five. The problem is he doesn’t walk either, and his chase rate is among the worst of any player who has top 50 consideration. He makes contact with those pitches, but it leads to poor contact. His contact rate was one of the best. Yet swing decisions are maybe the hardest thing to change, and guys who chase and expand often get exposed unless they can consistently hit the tar out of the ball. Advincula also had some of the worst 90th percentile exit velocities in the sample of players with first or second-round grades by consensus. It's a profile that typically doesn’t work. The best case is Luiz Arraez with better speed and defense, and while that is valuable, Arraez is also a unicorn. Advincula has had incredible production throughout school, but the approach and lack of exit velocity have me worried that it won’t translate.   

61 James Clark, SS, St. John Bosco HS (CA) Committed to Duke

If James Clark or his family members follow the draft news cycle, they must have felt like they were riding a yo-yo this year. He had a strong summer, then other players passed him a bit in the fall. Then he showed up well at the NHSI and seemed to climb back up the boards. Before a meh spring caused him to slide down to compensation rounds, or maybe round two. Clark is a smart and athletic outfielder. Both James and his twin, Miles, were committed to Princeton before changing to Duke in the winter. He is a good athlete with plus wheels on the bases and a legit chance to stay at shortstop. He has a good amount of loft in his swing, but he needs to get stronger. At the combine, his 90th percentile exit velocity was 101.9, which is a bit low. His swing is unlikely to ever generate power, though, as it's more slapish and quick to the ball, looking to generate contact and hit the gaps. He has faced a ton of great competition in school, but he still needs reps and experience to get better at shortstop and tap into his natural tools. I know all high school kids need this, but with Clark right now, he is a bit undefined. He has a strong approach, but has had variance with his swing. He lacks current power. On top of this, some doubt if he can stick at short. One is betting that his talent, speed, and brain will allow him to end up being an above-average up-the-middle talent, maybe in the Xavier Edwards vein.  

62 Ben Blair, RHP, Liberty

Ben Blair has been a consistent force for Liberty over the last three years. He has a delivery that stands out with a crossbody delivery, leg kick, and some moving parts. It won’t be for everyone, and for me, the crossbody part is why he is much lower on the list for me. The history of crossbody throwing pitchers is rather poor in terms of starters. I know Chris Sale exists, but he is more crossfire than crossbody, and even then, he is the exception to the rule. Blair has a starter's mix with a four-seam,  sinker, slider, change, and cutter. The sinker might be the best of the offerings, but the four-seam can touch the upper 90s. He has good command and feel for his pitches. He rarely walked anyone this year, but the level of competition he faced makes his stats a little superfluous in terms of adding to his profile. He has the pitch mix, combined with control, to be a starter, but the delivery screams reliever to me. He could be a very good reliever, but I can’t take a reliever in the first two rounds. So he sits lower on my board. 

63 Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS (CA) Committed to Oregon State 

There was a period in the fall when it looked like Bowen could be a top 30 pick. I had him there in my way too early mock. He looked the part of a high upside, high physical traits hitter. He had shown steady improvement in high school, and coming off the showcase circuit, he was one of the hotter names. Some thought he had a chance to go in the top 10. It's easy to see why the hype got to this point. Bowen plays for one of the powerhouse schools in the country. He was giving up football to focus on baseball. He is a 6’3” outfielder with plus speed. He hadn’t really been a kid who had to chase to tap into his power. He let the game come to him and was excelling with one of the better power-to-speed combos in the prep class. Then he started to press and expand. It might have been the nerves of the draft season, but he did not have the best spring, and it caused him to fall on boards. Is that a red flag or just a kid being a kid? He will likely still take a big bonus to get him signed away from Oregon State. He still has one of the best speed and power combos in the prep class. I wonder if it ends up helping or hurting that he struggled this year at a powerhouse program? I think late second is a good place to gamble on the talent if he is willing to sign. 

64 Dee Kennedy, 2B/CF, Kansas State

Dee Kenneday began his career at Texas, transferred to Kansas State, and got better every year. He was one of the top infielders in the country this past year for Kansas State. This past year, he rarely chased and put up solid exit velocities. This all stood out for a player with his athletic traits and size. He is a sub-six-foot, right-handed current shortstop who profiles best at second base. He is a plus runner who knows how to work counts and get on base. He did not have the best combine, but still showed solid exit velocities with wood bats. This is not a surprise, as he also played well in the Cape last year. He projects as a solid regular who can handle a position of value. One might want to try him out in center due to the strength of his arm over second. He might not be big, but he uses pull-side power, bat speed, and launch angle to hit home runs. He had 20 this year, and I think one could project him out for average pop. If he ends up with 50 hit and power while playing second or centerfield, then this rating is way too low. He might not have a single plus trait, but as a player who does so many things well, plays hard, and has smarts for the game, I am betting he ends up one of the bigger overachievers in the draft class. 

65 Jensen Hirschkorn, RHP, Kingsburg HS (CA), Committed to LSU

Every year, there is one big bodied hard throwing right who slides down boards from the fall into the spring. I had Hischkorn as a likely first-rounder in the fall, even if he wasn’t ranked that highly for me. He is a good athlete. Normally, guys his size have problems repeating mechanics or tend to be throwers more than pitchers. He moves well and repeats his delivery. He is also a blank slate in some regards as a multi-sport athlete whose focus has never been purely on baseball. He has a chance to really evolve and grow as a pitcher with focused coaching and some time in the weight room. He is a very skinny kid right now. The reason he fell a little bit in the spring is due to the fact that his velocity is not up there with his peers yet. He was touching 96 at last report. It's a lottery ticket based on size, athleticism, and a pitcher with a good feel for his command, showing strong control for a high school kid. The problems for me, though, well, there are many. When a player adds a lot of velocity, they often need to learn how to handle it. It changes the whole feel for their pitches. Next, the snap in his release bothers me. I know most deliveries are violent, but it feels like a lot of pressure is being put on his elbow. Lastly, I am a sizist. The history of bigger arms guys over 6’6” has been very ugly over the last 20 years. Yet if you want a kid to beat those odds, go for the athlete with a repeatable delivery and command. Hirschkorn is a young athlete with a fastball, change, and slider. There is a lot of development left for Hirschkorn if one trusts your staff and isn't afraid of injury; he has a chance to be a solid pitcher in four to five years.  

66 Trey Ebel, SS, Corona HS (CA) Committed to TAMU

 A year ago, Brady Ebel went higher than expected after making several teams fans with his advanced approach, elite work ethic, and smarts of the game. Their father, Dino Ebel, is the third base coach for the Dodgers, and every one of his boys seems to be born with major league talent. They play their positions well, hit everything, use the whole field, and never stop working on their games. He should be a future shortstop, but he has enough arm to move to third if he gets bigger. He hits well now, and that is his carrying tool. At the combine, his 90th percentile exit velocity was ok, and his power right now projects as below average. If he stays at shortstop, this is less of an issue. When one looks around baseball, it is less of an issue at third, anymore, or at second. The advanced approach, with a strong eye, gives him a pathway to being a starter. He is also one of the young seniors in the class, not turning 18 until the end of September. He is more of an advanced approach than a tooled-up kid. He should move quickly due to having a strong base. It is more betting on brains, skill, and work ethic.

67 Jacob Dudan, RHP, NC State

Jacob Dudan looked like a pitcher on the upswing this year until he ended up needing Tommy John surgery after an early April start. He looked like he was in the process of a major change to his control and walk numbers, which had been the biggest negative for him over his first two years at NC State. He had worked nearly exclusively out of the pen with just one start over his first two years. So the fact that he came out so strong and then got hurt really took the wind out of his sails. He was touching the upper 90s with his fastball when he got hurt and has an elite slider to pair it with. His changeup is in its nascent phases since he didn’t need it often as a reliever. The fastball and slider, along with his improved control, give him a high floor as a reliever. If he had not gotten hurt and continued to pitch the way he had, I think it is safe to say he would be one of the top 40 players in this class. The shorter track record and injury push him down to closer to the early third round range. He needs to show that the control improvement is sustainable and that he can add another pitch or two to work as a starter. If not, he has everything he needs to be a strong pen arm not long after he is healthy. 

68 Carter Beck, OF, Indiana State

Carter Beck is one of the bigger enigmas in this year's class. The Canadian outfielder is a plus athlete with easy-to-see skills, but a lot of refinement is needed. He was a star in several sports all the way up in Saskatchewan. It is not the place teams often go looking for talent, so it explains why he ended up going the D2 route before ending up at Indiana State. On top of the athletic traits, there are a lot of reasons to think the arrow for development is pointing up. He just turned 21 at the end of June. During the combine, he had a 108.4 90th percentile exit velocity, but had one of the lowest average exit velocities of any player in his grouping. He did dominate the small school level he played at, but it's hard to judge him against his peers because of the level. Now, Indiana State has a good history, but it still limits what one can take from his performance and data. Beck has a chance for plus power and speed, with a legitimate chance for him to stick in centerfield. He does expand the zone and has gotten away with it at his level due to his contact skills, general athleticism, and traits. He is a big roll of the dice with a healthy mix of reasons to think he has more room for growth and at the same time reasons to think he might be too big of a risk. Centerfield is turning into the hardest position to fill on the diamond, even more so than catcher. A player with Beck’s potential and profile will get pushed up the board. I also can't fault a team for doing it, due to how hard it is to find a potential centerfielder with an average bat who is competent in the field. I noted four hitters who qualified as of writing with positive offense and defensive metrics this year via Fangraphs.    

69 Will Brick, C, Christian Brothers  HS (TN) Committed to Miss State

The biggest risk in any draft isn’t high school pitching, it is high school catching. Will Brick looks the part of a defense-first catcher who has the offensive skills to be a potential starter but with a relatively safe floor as a backup. Brick is another player who reclassified into this class. He just turned 18 at the start of June, and I shudder to think how bad this class would be if not for all the players who reclassified. He has a strong arm and sub two-second pop times. He has had no issues catching the top prep arms on the showcase circuit. The question really is how much offense he can grow into, and how long it will take. Catchers take longer to cook, and that is especially the case with prep players. Often, the top prep catchers are offense-first types, and that leads to failure. Either they don’t hit enough or can't play catcher well enough to stick there. For Brick, the defense is what you count on, and the offense is what you are nervous about. The optimal outcome would end up with average hit and power. He has a good approach, so the risk is a bit lower than that of the typical prep catcher. The risk comes more in betting on development and gaining more strength to grow into some power. 

70 Aiden Ruiz, SS, The Stony Brook School (NY), Committed to Vanderbilt

When a player is the consensus top defensive prep shortstop in the class, that guarantees that if they want to sign, they will go in the first two rounds. Most teams think that if the defense is set, we trust our development to get the bat up to average or better, and we have a star. I have been doing this long enough to also know that doesn’t happen like ever. Ruiz is an elite defender. I have seen future 70 grades for him. I also know he's undersized and, at the combine, had too much loft for his exit velocities and, in general, did not hit the ball hard. He has to be a complete hitter, with a strong eye at the plate, to have a pathway forward to be a regular. His power is below average, maybe 35 grade even. Then you add in that he is one of the older seniors in the class, having turned 19 in March, and that means for teams with models based on age, they will be out. In addition, at the combine, his arm seemed closer to average than plus from what I was able to see. I just don’t see the upside; the profile looks like a backup. Maybe I was too damaged by Yordys Valdez, but for me, this is a profile I would let someone else gamble on because the payoff is marginal. 

71 Ethan Wachsmann, RHP, Grandview HS (CO) Committed to Wake Forest

Wachsmann has had some fans this year due to physical traits, which, combined with being young for the class, make him a model's guy. He is the dude you don’t want to see the Rays or Brewers drafting. At the combine, he had the highest average velo on his fastball, 98.8, fourth best IVB, 19.1, and fifth best spin rate, 2510. His curveball had the third-best spin rate, 2812. His sinker had the highest velocity, 99, 8th best spin, 2462, 4th best IVB, 17.1. His slider had the second-best spin at 2917 and fourth-best IVB at a negative 4.5. Negative is good because it means it drops off. His cutter had the fourth-best IVB. He also showed a change, but it is a work in progress. That term perfectly describes Wachsmann in general. His pitches have a ton of movement, which can be hard for a pitcher to handle, and his command and control are both below average. He needs to work on his delivery, but he did repeat it very well at the combine. In games this year, he didn’t look as good. There are a lot of reasons to draft Wachsmann if you have a plan and can properly develop him. Teams are always hunting for IVB, and when you combine it with his spin data, there is a chance for multiple plus offerings. He isn’t higher because of how much work needs to be done to get him there. His youth and raw stuff will likely get him drafted higher than where he ranks on a lot of boards. As long as it's the right team, I understand why they do it, even if it's higher than even I think he should go. 

72 Tyson LeBlanc, 2B, Kansas

The story for Tyson LeBlanc’s baseball life seems to be that people tell him he isn’t good enough, then he makes them eat those words. This will be his fourth year in a row being draft eligible, but it looks like he will get his chance this year. He played at Louisiana State-Eunice, winning a division two title during his two years there. He spent last summer dominating the Northwoods league, then he arrived at Kansas and set a team record with 25 home runs; the previous record was 21. He wasn’t on a lot of midseason lists, and doesn’t break the top 100 draft prospects in most places. Yet he hits, and hits with power. He has a strong approach at the plate and pulls the ball to maximize his power output. He has tools, but is clearly s smarts over traits type of player. There is enough juice to expect him to have average power, and he has the ability to potentially stick at 2B with an arm for third. When you look around the league, a player with average hit, average power, and a solid eye at the plate is potentially a top 10 player. I, for one, am not going to be the one to continue to doubt LeBlanc doing exactly that. 

73 Caden Ferraro, DH, Texas Tech

There might be no player with a weirder profile than Caden Ferraro. He transferred to Texas Tech after two strong years at Blinn College. He had some of the best in-zone contact rates among college hitters, and also didn't chase. But he is not a fringy slap bat hitter; he has big-time exit velocity as well that he can tap into. His approach at Tech was focused on contact. He went to the combine, opened up his launch angle, and had a 90th percentile of 110.2 with an average of over 102. There is juice in the bat, there is power and bat speed, as well as a strong eye. There is no future defensive position where he won’t hurt a team. He was a pitcher, so he has an arm for the outfield, but does not run well. At first, he might hope to get up to average, but he has looked poor there as well. If one can take what he does well and help refine his swing, there could be a future DH here who will hit for power and get on base. It's a gamble due to the lack of physical traits as well as the lack of position. There is no player I have written up like this before, but it makes him a fun one to follow and check.   

74 Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA

Will Gasparino was one of the higher-rated players to make it to college from the 2023 prep class. The son of the long-time Dodgers scout Bill Gasparino. Will played his high school years at powerhouse Harvard-Westlake but had a strong commitment to Texas. While he got better every year, it is not a surprise that he broke out after leaving the SEC for the Big 10. He also did a lot of damage early this year against the UCLA non-conference schedule. There is a lot of risk, but a lot of ceiling in the profile here. Gasparino is a big 6’6” centerfielder with plus speed and power. He has a legit chance to stick in centerfielder and be above average to plus there as a defender. The issue is that there is a lot of swing and miss in his game. His contact rates were poor, and his chase rate was one of the worst in the class. Gasparino compares heavily to another bloodline player, Caden Sorrell. Both chase and have issues with contact, but both have athletic traits and power for days. Sorrel chases less and had better exit velocities as well as faced better competition. Yet I find it weird how often the two players are separated by 50 spots or more when the general profile is identical. Gasparino is bigger, and the chase rate beginning more than 5% higher definitely means Gasparino is more of a risk. While he had the hoped-for breakout, the under-the-hood data still painted a scary enough picture that he is ranked lower for me in 2026 than he was in 2023. So maybe there is some under-the-radar hope and growth potential to see him get more control and refine the very obvious skills he has. 

75 Gabe Gaeckle RHP, Arkansas  

Gabe Gaeckle is an undersized right-handed pitcher with some of the best pure stuff in the class. He has been tried out as a starter multiple times at Arkansas, but has not been able to maintain the position due to his control being below average. His fastball is a plus offering, a high velocity offering that touches 99. He also throws a curve, slider, and change. The slider is clearly his second-best offering and could be plus if he could command it a bit better. Is he a starter or a reliever? That is a question a team must ask; the second is, can you see clear pathways to improve him? The traits are there for a first-round pick, but the performance has been that of a fourth or fifth rounder. The consistency has not been there. His lack of size was always going to be an issue, but when combined with control issues, and the production there is a chance for a steal in Gaeckle later in the draft.  

76 Tre Broussard, OF,  Houston

Tre Boussard is one of the fast players in the college crop. He has 70-grade speed and plays a solid to plus center field. Those two traits form the majority of his value. His percentile data was rather poor. He chases too much for a player with no power, and his contact rates were below average. His exit velocity was poor. When I plugged in the data, he was 84th of 92 players in terms of contact, chase, and exit velocity. The tools are a lot of fun, and he has been very productive for Houston, but the data beyond the box score paints a picture of a backup type. Speed and defense are not carrying tools; they are support tools. His power and hit tools both project to be below average, which puts him solidly into a platoon ceiling. He is a stellar athlete, and he won’t turn 21 until late September, so there is some growth potential here. He started at San Jacinto before moving to Houston, so there are reasons to think that, with his age, there could be more growth potential to go with his athletic traits.  

Others of Note

Brady Ballinger, 1B, Kansas

A year ago, Ballinger was one of the best hitters in the country, right up there with Roch Cholowsky in terms of being the elite of the elite in terms of hard hit, contact, and chase rates. His numbers were down across the board this year. He did chase less, but his contact and exit velocities had big negative shifts as well, which likely led to his struggles. Then, to top it all off, he broke a hamate bone in his hand late in the year. Ballinger looked like a potential second or late first in the fall, but he will end up much later now. He isn’t the best athlete, and he's limited to first base. So the bat is the carrying tool, and it was disappointing this year. He did just turn 21 at the end of May, so he would be a young senior if he went back to school. The hamate bone injury is known to sap power, so he could end up with even worse production, though. 

Genson Veras, TNXL Academy (FL) Committed to FSU

Genson Veras is as big as his father, former reliever Jose Veras. The 6’6” outfielder showed up at the combine and drew a ton of eyes due to his massive power display. His 90th percentile exit was 113.6; that's insane. It is 70 grade raw power, maybe 80. He is a good athlete who also runs well with a solid arm. The reason he falls on the player to watch is due to his contact issues. He can chase and expand the zone. There is some serious swing and miss. The tools are there to be a middle-of-the-order power hitter who can patrol right field. He is a massive gamble on power with the knowledge that he might never make it to AA. It's a profile that teams fall far due to the high-end outcome if he can cut back on his swing and miss. Yet changing swing decisions is maybe the hardest thing for a hitter to do. He will be a fun selection, but one with a low likelihood to pay off. 

Jack Beck, SS/3B, Columbia Central HS (TN) Committed to Georgia Southern

Jack Beck was the player who really captured my attention. He was a guy who was not mentioned in a lot of places. He didn’t play on the showcase circuit. So there were not a lot of ways to judge his talent against his peers. He is a guy I would be intrigued to go after, though, after his combined performance. He doesn’t have a major commitment and had some of the best, most consistent exit velos at the combine. He is a 6’3” player who will likely end up at third base down the line. Not only did he have one of the best 90th percentile exit velocities at 112, but he also had the second-best average exit velocity, showing he was consistent with his swing and his ability to tap into his power. He also hit the longest ball of the entire combine. There is some legit right-handed power in his bat. It is hard to judge him beyond the combine due to limited viewings and video. For a kid with the power and a lower division commitment, I would be seeing if I could sign him away and develop him for a few hundred thousand, as normally, power like this costs a lot more. 

Cameron Johnson, LHP, Oklahoma

Cameron Johnson was one of the highest-rated players from the 2023 draft class to make it to school. He started at LSU and then moved to Oklahoma. He has a fastball, slider, and change, with the fastball and change being his best offerings. The fastball in particular is up to 99. The problem has been a complete lack of control and command. He misses bats, but he also walks so many hitters, a new career best for him this year, 17% of the time. It was the ninth-highest rate in the NCAA last year and the only one in the top 30 from a major program. His walk rate was lower than Matt Krook's in his final year at Notre Dame if one wants to find a positive comp. If you believe in the traits, and also know Oklahoma hasn’t been the strongest developmental program, then it might encourage a team to take Johnson in the top five rounds. 

Cam Allen, RHP, Wright State

Cam Allen is a fun pitcher who has touched 100 mph this year, but in spite of that, when he entered the transfer portal at the end of the season, none of the major conferences came hunting. He is going to Purdue. He pitched at Ellet in the Akron area of Ohio, which is why I was paying extra attention to him. He has a head whack, which screams future reliever to me. He hasn’t developed as hoped, but the athleticism and raw velocity make him a fun gamble. He should not be the most expensive player to sign. He didn’t make any draft list, I saw. He went to a school that hasn’t developed major league talent, then he went to a strong program at Wright State, but one that has yet to develop a consistent future major league pitcher. There is a lot of work here. His command and control were both below average. He doesn’t have a deep mix of pitches, and his delivery is not clean. The velocity and athleticism could make him a nice, cheap lotto ticket with the hope that he could end up a reliever down the road. He is also the kid who shut down Vanderbilt in the 2025 College World Series, going six no-hit innings, so the quality of stuff is there.  

Dominic Santarelli, 1B, St. Joseph’s HS (WI) Committed to LSU

As a general rule, guys who hit the ball very hard end up with better chances of success. At the scouting combine, the guy who hit the 2nd hardest ball was Dominic Santarelli. He just didn’t hit the ball hard once or twice; he also had the highest average exit velocity on his at-bats. He did this with an ideal launch angle for power and just in general put on a show. He is a well-built kid with the best raw power in the high school class. He isn’t all power and is a surprising athlete for his physique. He has been a three-sport athlete throughout high school. The issue is he doesn’t have a strong arm to play right and not enough foot speed for center, though that's what he plays in high school. He likely ends up long-term at first. He is confident in his approach and will sometimes chase due to believing he can do damage on a pitch. The swing and miss, as well as the ups and downs, tend to make him a bigger risk in the draft. He has massive left-handed power, but it's a profile that often leads to failure. It's the tweener athlete at first base with contact issues. If it clicks, he is a star with his raw power, but he seems likely to have suboptimal on-base skills to back up that power. People like to mention big-name comps, but if he had those, he would be a top 20 player in what is a weaker draft class. 

Lucas Moore, OF, Louisville

Speed and contact are the name of the game with Moore. He has always had poor exit velocities, and they are to the point where one has to wonder if he can hit the ball hard enough to be successful at the major league level. He plays a strong centerfield, works counts, and steals bases. He has 70-grade speed and can legitimately be an above-average to plus centerfielder, so there is a pathway for him to be a part-time player or even a platoon hitter. 

Lucas Nawrocki, LHP/OF, Aledo HS (TX) Committed to LSU

Lucas Nawrocki isn’t a top 100 prospect on any board. He is a sub-six-foot pitcher who is likely a future reliever. He showed up at the combine and wanted to hit, and hit he did with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 108.8 and an average of 103.5. I don’t think that will change the view that Nawrocki should be a pitcher, but it at least started some discussion. Nawrocki is a great athlete, but his slider is one of the best future pitches in this class. It's a spin demon, hitting 3200 plus RPMs. It's a monster of a pitch, along with his mid-90s fastball that also has a high amount of spin, giving him two deadly pitches. The issue is that his change is kind of meh. His control is a work in progress. He has a lot of reliever risk. I am going to just say it, he is a reliever, it's not a risk, he is going to be a reliever with his delivery. I can’t rate a future reliever in the top 100. But I have to talk about a pitcher with his stuff. Look around baseball right now, every team would kill for a lefty with two plus pitches, whose death on lefties and would also be tough on righties. It's a valuable profile with a lot of risk. At the same time, did the bat show enough to make one try him as both? I think we can safely say the idea of a two-way player isn’t a thing. At least in the traditional way, but if a guy could get work as a lefty reliever and also backup or platoon as a hitter, that might be the very way to end up seeing a two-way player in the future. Not someone who is a star at both, but someone whose profile is limited but effective at both. 

Peyton Bonds, OF, Rutgers

It is certainly a trait of the Bonds family to be able to hit the crap out of the ball. All year, Peyton Bonds had some of the best exit velocities in the country. The problem is that he also had some of the worst chase rates in the country. He didn’t strike out a lot; his percentage was a very low 12 percent. When you chase that much, it often leads to a worse quality of contact as you will swing at pitches you can't do anything with. He was finally getting a chance to play and was playing well. Until a hamstring injury, which limited his chances to play. He is a big kid who hits the tar out of the ball. Yet with his chase rate, there is a ton of risk in the profile. There are worse things to gamble on than power after the top 3 rounds, but I don’t think Peyton makes sense before then.