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Draft | Story | 1/1/2026

2026 MLB Draft Preview & Superlatives

Tyler Kotila

Photo: Grady Emerson (Perfect Game)

As we look ahead to the 2026 calendar year, we take a step closer to the 2026 MLB Draft. While we recently dropped our Top 300 College Prospects for the 2026 group, there is still a lot to sort out throughout this year. High school ball is right around the corner and the college season is on the horizon. Many players are going to see their stock improve as games start to get played and players pitch/hit their way up or down the board. We’ll see some breakout candidates, collegiate performers, and high school arms that pop throughout the 2026 spring and summer. In this article, we are going to talk through some of the narratives/storylines shaping up for this 2026 draft class. We’ll also talk through a couple of players who fit the build of some pre-season superlatives.

Battle for 1:1

It’s still really early in the race for things, but with the Draft Lottery done with, the Chicago White Sox possess the first overall pick. With that said, they are likely to pick up Roch Cholowsky, the highly-touted shortstop from UCLA. However, there’s still a lot of baseball to be played, a lot of evaluations to be done, but this feels like a safe bet as the calendar flips to 1:1. If things were to change, it would likely be Grady Emerson, the standout prep shortstop from Fort Worth Christian HS in Texas. These are the two names that have been in the mix since Day 1, and will continue to be in the conversation until draft day. There’s a couple other names that are in the mix, and could be sneaky names heading into the year to watch. It feels like its Cholowsky or Emerson, but things can always change. Gio Rojas, a southpaw from Stoneman Douglas in Florida could very well put himself in the conversation with a loud prep campaign. On the collegiate side, its Drew Burress and AJ Gracia who could put themselves in the conversation with loud seasons at the college level.

Bats Outweigh Arms Early On

It’s early right now and there’s a lot of things to sort out still, but the early theme with this class at the top is that the bats are leading the way. There’s more bats that are clear cut first-rounders or in that bucket as things stand. In our PG Top 300, looking at the Top 30 players on the board, there are just eight pitchers. Gio Rojas finds himself as the top arm overall, with college arms Liam Peterson and Cameron Flukey battle it out near the top of the board. Some prep and college arms are surely going to find themselves moving up the board before draft day, but they’ll carve out their draft stock even more as the spring progresses.

Collegiate Arms to sort themselves out

Doubling down on the arms mentioned above, there’s a group of three arms who seemingly are going to battle it out to be first-rounders and battle to be first off the board. It’s Flukey who’s currently ranked 11th on our board, with Peterson at 15th overall, and UCSB standout Jackson Flora at 16th on the latest update. These are the three who are likely to compete to be Top 10-15ish picks as things currently stand. However, there another group of 3-4 names that could find themselves in the back half of the first-round or compensation round with big spring performances. It’s Owen Kramkowski out of Arizona, Georgia transfer Joey Volchko, and Gabe Gaeckle at Arkansas. These are the next three arms who are in the mix to be Top 40ish picks. It will be interesting to see how things play out for both these groups of arms.

PG All-Americans listed all over the Draft Board

Looking at the 2025 PG All-American Classic’s rosters, there’s a lot of talent all across the board, and those players find themselves scattered all over the PG MLB Draft Top 300 board that was recently released. While it’s no surprise that All-Americans like Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard are in the mix pretty high up on this board, there’s also some of the players in the Top 100 and beyond that have been highly touted prospects on the circuit. The big time arms like Jensen Hirschkorn, Logan Schmidt, and Kaden Waechter all find themselves inside the Top 50 of the board. There’s also bats like Cole Prosek, Keon Johnson, and Cole Koeninger sprinkled into the Top 100. It will be great to see these PG All-Americans continue to carve out their spots on the draft board as the prep seasons get underway across the country.

Pre-Season Superlatives

Most Likely To Jump Into The Top 30

- Brady Harris, OF, Trinity Christian Academy (Fla.)

Harris has long been one of the big names in this prep class for years, and he remains the 7th ranked player in the class, and currently sits 31st on our PG Draft Board. Harris has tons of traits to like, with a high-blend of athleticism and twitch, with traits to like in the batter’s box. He has some of the best bat speed in the class and can do damage and produce on the circuit as he has shown over the years. A big spring for Trinity this year could see him shoot back up into the Top 30.

- Rocco Maniscalco, SS, Oxford HS (Ala.)

Maniscalco currently sits at 34th on the PG Draft Board and has been a name that has gottne buzz already. He’s been a name that has gotten a ton of buzz, similar to that of Kellon Lindsey or fellow Alabama-native Steele Hall in the past few years. Maniscalco has a highly-touted hit-tool, with a ton of athleticism, and good traits throughout the profile. A loud fall mixed with the buzz he already has could move him inside the Top 30 before the MLB Draft.

- Coleman Borthwick, 3B/RHP, South Walton HS (Fla.)

Borthwick is one of the most unique prospects in this draft class. He’s a standout performer on both sides of the ball and a loud spring performance could easily vault him up the board. He’s got mid- to upper-90s heater with a wipeout slider on the mound, and tons of power upside at the plate. He’s physical and strong with a bigger durable build that projects well and the tools are loud in Borthwick’s profile.

Most Likely To Jump Into The Top 100

- Trent Caraway, 3B, LSU

Caraway has spent the last two seasons with Oregon State where he has had some struggles but found his way during the Beavers run in Omaha last year. However, he has since transferred to LSU and the buzz around Caraway is that he is poised for a big year in Baton Rouge. A prep-standout and former PG All-American, he has the skills to handle the hot corner with ease, with traits in the box to like. He has above-average power and while he has some swing-and-miss concerns, there’s belief 2026 could be a big year for Caraway. A solid campaign with the defending National Champs could prove dividends for his draft stock.

- Trey Ebel, SS, Corona HS (Calif.)

While Ebel was a junior last year, he was on the highly-talented Corona HS team that had Seth Hernandez, Billy Carlson, and Trey’s brother Brady Ebel on it. Now, its Ebel’s draft year and he’s already a big name for evaluators. Ebel has the bloodlines and traits that make him an intriguing draft prospect for this class. He’s currently 135th on the PG Draft Board, but a big spring could easily see him move inside the Top 100. Ebel’s swing oozes bat speed, with a rhythmic and sound operation, that has serious power upside. Ebel’s a name to watch in 2026.

- Myles Bailey, 1B, Florida State

Bailey is a draft-eligible sophomore who had a real loud freshman campaign. He’s a massively physical and strong left-handed bat who has real power upside. The juice is loud and is present, blasting 19 home runs in his freshman campaign for the Seminoles. Bailey has a chance to make noise once again in his sophomore campaign and he could very well find himself moving inside the Top 100 on our draft board.

Most Likely to be a Prep Performer

- Landon Thome, SS, Nazareth Academy (Ill.)

Thome is one of the names that is buzzing in the midwest, and could be the big name on the circuit in Illinois in 2026. Every year there’s a name that pops up from the circuit in Illinois, and Thome could very well be one of them. He’s the son of Jim Thome and has a smooth left-handed swing – no surprise there. He’s got easy traits to lift the baseball and show the juice off. He could find himself moving into the Top 50 if he comes out and shows off the power on the midwest spring circuit.

- Savion Sims, RHP, Prestonwood Christian Academy (Tex.)

Sims moved to Texas, where he will pitch at the same school Robert X Mitchell did in 2025 before being drafted by the Los Angeles Angels. Sims will have the brass in to see him this spring, and its easy to see why when you watch Sims throw. A long and lengthy right-hander who has serious whip to the arm. He touched 100 mph at PG National in 2025 and has the arm speed to keep lighting up the radar gun. If the offspeed continues to improve and he can continue to pound the zone, Sims should be able to see his stock improve and move up the draft board even further.

- Robert Omidi, IF, St. Martin HS (Ont.)

Omidi has long been a performer on the prep circuit, but another big season in 2026 could move him up draft boards even further. The Canadian Premier trip to Arizona this spring and a loud showing in the CPBL could easily see Omidi make some noise. He’s a strong and physical left-handed bat, with tons of bat-to-ball skills. He can impact the ball loudly and produce loud results at the plate. Omidi has continuously impressed evaluators over the last year on the circuit and there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll be a top performer again in 2026.

Most Likely to be a College Performer

- Alex Philpott, RHP, South Carolina

Philpott spent the last two seasons on Florida’s pitching staff, but has since transferred to South Carolina where he’s slated to play a big role on the Gamecocks pitching staff in 2026. Philpott works the mid-90s and creeps into the upper-90s on the heater, with a really good curveball to pair. The stuff is phenomenal at its best, and a big fall has him poised to move into the rotation after pitching out of the ‘pen during his time with the Gators. Philpott could be poised for a loud spring.

- Henry Ford, OF/1B, Tennessee

Ford spent two seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers where he was a fixture in the lineup, and one of the key performers. He was draft eligible in 2025 but opted to remain at the collegiate level and transfer to Tennessee to join the Vols’ lineup. Ford has elite power upside with traits to like in the batters’ box. He’ll be in a Vols’ lineup filled with impact bats and could find a lot of success. A big year in the SEC for Ford could see him moving up draft boards this spring.

- Hayden Johnson, LHP, Coastal Carolina

While Johnson may not be inside the Top 200 right now, he’s on the shortlist to move up the board with a loud performance in the spring. He had a monster finish to the 2025 season, with some star-studded performances for Coastal Carolina in their Omaha run. Johnson returns and is poised to be a big part of the staff once again. The heater misses bats from a tough slot, and he has hammer breaker to pair. He’s been a buzzy name already before the season starts, and could move way up the board with another loud performance in 2026.

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Draft | Rankings | 1/12/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen

Vincent Cervino

As we creep toward opening day here in a month or so, the draft team has put together the Top 100 freshmen on campus this spring. Three high-end arms lead the way, starting with Jack Bauer. The Mississippi State left-hander reached triple digits as a prep and is sure to make an immediate impact this spring. UCLA right-hander Angel Cervantes was selected in the 2nd round of last year’s draft but held firm on his commitment and should be an impact arm for the Bruins. Following the arms, a collection of bats rounds out the Top 10. There is loads of upside to the group with the potential and they should draw considerable playing time as freshman. As the list gets deeper, there are plenty of players that should pop up and make significant contributions both this year and years down the line. The class has both depth and talent, making for a very intriguing group of...

Press Release | Press Release | 1/27/2026

Believe In Baseball Event Adds Stars

Perfect Game Staff

667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JAY LENO, NIKKI GLASER, TIFFANY HADDISH, DUSTIN YBARRA AND GARY CANNON ADDED TO PERFECT GAME BELIEVE IN BASEBALL CHARITY EVENT Laugh Factory hosts an all-star comedy lineup for Perfect Game’s charity gala Los Angeles, California (Tuesday, January 27, 2026) - The Perfect Game Believe in Baseball Foundation today announced an all-star comedy lineup for its first-ever “In the Spirit of the Game” charity awards dinner and auction, taking place this Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the world-famous Laugh Factory in Hollywood to benefit youth...

College | Story | 1/27/2026

Conf. Preview: Conference USA

Geoff Billock

2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order* Team W L W L DBU 41 18 21 6 Delaware 28 25 12 15 FIU 31 27 13 13 Jax State 37 25 15 12 Kennesaw State 31 27 17 9 LA Tech 32 25 14 12 Liberty 30 27 10 17 Missouri State 30 25 17 8 MTSU 23 32 8 19 NM State 23 33 11 15 Sam Houston 12 43 6 21 WKU 46 14 18 9 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Grayson Ashe Jax State .318/.435/.574; CUSA All-Conference Second Team honors last year. Highly productive offensive catcher who led team in average and home...

High School | General | 1/27/2026

High School Top 50: 40-31

Cam McElwaney

High School Preview Index Top 50 Breakdown: 50-41 40. Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Tx.) 2025 Record: 25-5 Head Coach: James Vilade Notable Prospect(s): RHP Savion Sims (Oklahoma), RHP Trent Vilade (Texas A&M), OF Austin Smith, C Cruz Banuelas, RHP Harrison Hilliard, OF Lash Henderson (Texas A&M), SS Max Bachmann, SS Frantz Guignard, 3B Aiden Moffitt, C Chance Kidd Prestonwood Christian is coming off a successful season a year ago that saw them rattle off 25 wins, but they come up just short of a state title, losing 2-0 in the championship game. They lose a pair of senior power arms but also bring back one of the top right-handers in the state in Trent Vilade as well as adding one of the top flamethrowers in the nation in Savion Sims. Junior outfielder Lash Henderson, a Texas A&M commit and a top-25 talent in the class, headlines the group of position players along with...

High School | Blog | 1/26/2026

High School Content Index

Tyler Russo

With the High School season about to pick up and kick off in the warmer states in the not-so-distant future, make sure to bookmark this index with all the dates of upcoming content so you can be in the know, beginning with a breakdown of every team in our Top 50 countdown. Date Content Monday, January 26 HS Team Breakdowns: 50-41 Tuesday, January 27 HS Team Breakdowns: 40-31 Wednesday, January 28 HS Team Breakdowns: 30-21 Thursday, January 29 HS Team Breakdowns: 20-11 Friday, January 30 HS Team Breakdowns: 10-1 Friday, January 30 National High School Top 50 Monday, February 2 HS Top 50 All Prospect Team Monday, February 2 Top Team in Each State Tuesday, February 3 Florida Region Top Teams/Prospects Tuesday, February 3 Florida Region Preview Wednesday, February 4 Georgia Region Top Teams/Prospects Wednesday, February 4 Georgia Region Preview Thursday, February 5 Pacific Region Top...

High School | General | 1/26/2026

High School Top 50: 50-41

Cam McElwaney

50. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) 2025 Record: 19-12 Head Coach: Gary Remiker Notable Prospect(s): SS Alex Harrington (Stanford), OF Hunter Harrington (Stanford), RHP Kaden Kuhn (Cornell), OF Xavier Nady (NYU), RHP Shoei Darvishsefat, SS Trey Kotsay (Princeton), OF Nick Ruder (University of Chicago), SS Jonas Nalu (Colorado School of Mines), OF Joshua Priest (Arizona State), LHP Jose Partida (Arizona State), 1B Maxwell Stewart, OF Dj Sweeney Cathedral Catholic has been one of the top programs in the San Diego area over the past handful of years and brings back not only one of the best rosters in their area, but one of the top rosters in the country. Headlining the group is twin brothers Alex and Hunter Harrington, both Stanford commits and bring dynamic athleticism mixed with a good bit of experience. The Dons also return seniors Xavier Nady, Trey Kotsay, Nick Ruder and Jonas...

College | Story | 1/26/2026

Conference Preview: Big South

Blaine Peterson

2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order* Team W L W L Charleston Southern 31 22 14 10 Gardner-Webb 17 36 6 18 High Point 39 19 18 6 Longwood 14 38 8 16 Presbyterian 17 35 9 15 Radford 28 28 13 11 UNC-Asheville 15 35 8 16 USC-Upstate 36 25 19 5 Winthrop 31 29 13 11 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Preston Lucas USC Upstate 1st Team All-Big South performer in 2025. Hit .337 with 25 XBH and the 5th most RBI (63) in the conference. 1B Landen Johnson High Point 2nd Team All-Big South...

College | Story | 1/27/2026

Conference Preview: SoCon

Craig Cozart

2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order* Team W L W L Citadel 31 26 12 9 ETSU 41 17 14 7 Mercer 35 25 12 9 UNCG 21 33 9 12 Samford 30 27 13 8 VMI 27 26 6 15 Western Carolina 30 28 10 11 Wofford 33 27 8 13 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Cade Carr Samford .332/.531/.422, 16 2B, 8 HR, 61 RBI; athletic backstop with complete toolset, advanced offensive approach, cornerstone 1B Grayson Fitzwater VMI .315/.640/.425, 13 2B, 17 HR, 65 RBI; ++ power, professional approach, more BB than Ks,...

College | Story | 1/23/2026

Conference Preview: American

Craig Cozart

2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order* Team W L W L UBA 24 30 8 19 Charlotte 36 22 18 9 East Carolina 35 27 13 14 Florida Atlantic 37 21 15 12 Memphis 22 33 8 19 Rice 17 40 10 17 South Florida 31 25 16 11 UTSA 47 15 23 4 Tulane 33 25 13 14 Wichita State 19 35 11 16 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Andrew Stucky UTSA .324/.514/.467 with 6 HRs, 40 RBI; durable 6-0/192 backstop with elite defensive skills and a wealth of experience, returning 1st team all-conference member 1B Cody...

College | Story | 1/22/2026

Conference Preview: Big 10

Troy Sutherland

2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order* Team W L W L Illinois 30 24 14 16 Indiana 32 24 16 14 Iowa 33 22 21 9 Maryland 27 29 12 18 Michigan 33 23 16 14 Michigan State 28 27 13 17 Minnesota 24 28 10 20 Nebraska 33 29 15 15 Northwestern 25 27 13 17 Ohio State 13 37 5 25 Oregon 42 16 22 8 Penn State 33 23 15 15 Purdue 31 23 11 19 Rutgers 29 28 15 15 UCLA 48 18 22 8 USC 37 23 18 12 Washington 29 28 17 13 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Mason Eckelman Ohio State Taken steps forward--...

General | Blog | 1/21/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 61

Ron Wolforth

Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls- Part 1 You know what I love about the holidays? Good food, time with family, and the unspoken rule that nobody brings up religion or politics at the dinner table. Why? Because they're powder kegs. Topics that bring out deep-seated beliefs and strong emotions. Well, I accidentally lit one of those powder kegs recently, except it wasn't at the dinner table. It was on social media. Our team posted a short clip of me at Boot Camp making what I thought was a pretty straightforward point: simply avoiding the curveball is far from a guarantee of arm health. I wasn't trying to be provocative. I was just stating what I believed to be obvious after 30 years of doing this work. But boy, did a few people have problems with it. It became one of the most discussed posts in Ranch history....

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