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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
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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...
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College | Rankings | 1/13/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Sophomores

Vincent Cervino
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Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen As we creep toward opening day here in a month or so, the draft team has put together the Top 100 sophomores on campus this spring.  This list is chalk full of talent, with future draft prospects littered top to bottom. The headliner of this group is Derek Curiel, a draft eligible sophomore that took the SEC by storm last spring. The Perfect Game All-American posted a .990 OPS over the course of a full season and is projected to vault himself further up the board during his ‘26 campaign. An electric arm in Dax Whitney follows up Curiel, with Strosnider, Lawson and Franco rounding out the top five.  Keep tabs on the draft eligible sophomores in this group come the summer. The rest of the pack are eligible for next year’s draft and figure to feature at the top of many draft lists in ‘27.  Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/9/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2030

Jheremy Brown
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Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 | Class of 2029 Today we wrap up our reviews of the 2026 thru 2030 class where we looked back on some of the eye opening metrics we saw from around the country, both in a showcase and tournament setting. To those not inside the youth baseball world, some of the metrics below would seem truly unattainable from current 8th graders, from the pair of 90 mph heaters courtesy of Amani Tuiasosopo and Kingston George, to upper-80s velocity from all over the field and multiple players north of 90 mph on the exit velocity testing (with wood), this 2030 class is one that has a chance to be special as we continue to watch it unfold moving forward.  Top Fastball Velocity  Rk Player FB Event School Hometown 1 Amani Tuiasosopo 90 2025 WWBA 14U World Championship Renton...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/8/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2029

Jheremy Brown
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Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These players below are just entering their freshmen year's of high school, a scary though as you scroll through the 11 categories and see some of the eye opening numbers from the fastballs to the infield and outfield velocities, down to the Diamond Kinetic testing and their three sub-categories.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Brody McCorkle 92 2025 18U PG Mid-Atlantic Fall Elite Championship Uncommitted Ranney Forked River, NJ 1 Caleb Polk 92 2025 14U Perfect Game Select Festival Uncommitted IMG Academy Dallas, TX 1 Knox Myers 92 2025 PG WWBA Freshman World Championship Uncommitted East Bay Riverview, FL 2 Alex Bello 91 2025 16U PG Fall World Series Uncommitted Montverde Academy Orlando, FL 2 Alex Bello 91 2025 14U Perfect Game...
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College | Story | 1/9/2026

LSU Reloads & Returns; Opens No. 1

Vincent Cervino
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“How do you get to success? You have to honor the process that you built to get to that success…The standard is how we operate, train, and get better each day.”” Process-oriented leadership is a popular coaching strategy here in the mid-2020s but no one exemplifies that more than LSU head coach Jay Johnson. He’s won the Tigers two national titles during his time in Baton Rouge and expectations won’t be any lower in 2026 as LSU is the No. 1 team in the country in Perfect Game’s Preseason Top 25.  Johnson is heading into his fifth season at the helm in Baton Rouge and it’s fair to say that he has already experienced enormous success. There have been two national titles in four years (2023, 2025), a Golden Spikes winner (Dylan Crews, 2023), a first overall MLB Draft pick (Paul Skenes, 2023), and five first-round MLB Draft picks during...
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Press Release | Press Release | 1/7/2026

PG Announces Naming Rights in Chesterfield

Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME AND FIRST COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCE CHESTERFIELD ATHLETIC COMPLEX    Landmark Partnership to Center on Community, Inclusion and Youth Sports    Chesterfield, Missouri (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, along with the City of Chesterfield, today announced  an exclusive naming rights partnership with First Community Credit Union (FCCU) for the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex. Effective immediately, the venue will be known as the “Chesterfield First Community Athletic...
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College | Rankings | 1/8/2026

2026 Preseason Top 25

Vincent Cervino
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With an interesting and action-packed fall behind us, a new college season is just around the corner. The college game continues to prove it is alive and well as the Division 1 team count has now ballooned to 308 teams for the 2026 season. With new legislation allowing teams 5-weeks to prepare for opening day, many student athletes have returned to campus and will begin skill related workouts soon. Opening Day, as usual, will fall on Valentine’s Day weekend and it is just six weeks away. After a fall of evaluation and months of research and discussion, we are ready to release our annual Perfect Game pre-season Top 25 poll. After winning 53-games, hosting the NCAA Regional and Super Region, and sweeping their way through the College World, the LSU Tigers will debut the 2026 season as our No.1 ranked team. Head coach, Jay Johnson, has now led the Tigers to two national titles in the...
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College | Story | 1/7/2026

Preseason Collegiate All-Americans

Vincent Cervino
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The transfer portal, JUCO gems, 6th year waivers and impact freshman; following the college game and figuring out rosters is basically a fulltime job nowadays. This is the new norm, and while the baseball purist may not like it, the college game has never been more exciting. It looks like 2026 is shaping up to be an incredible season with the balance of power seemingly spread out evenly from coast to coast. Like we seem to say every year, the depth and quality of talent has never been better, and the 2026 Perfect Game Pre-Season All-American teams will attest to that fact.With the 2026 College Baseball season is just around the corner, the Perfect Game college staff will have you loaded with coverage heading into the new year. On the heels of our Pre-Season Top 25 poll, the All-American list will be headlined by a banner sophomore class on the 1st team. The sweet lefthanded swings of...
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College | Recruiting | 1/6/2026

Recruiting Notebook: January 6

Michael Albee
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Griffin Boesen (‘27, IA) shoots this one backside down the line. Adds his second hit of the day. Picked up a base knock. Physical LH bat w/ an ability to drive the baseball here. @IowaPG @PG_Uncommitted @CanesMidwest #WWBAWorlds https://t.co/pmpIzaAbLz pic.twitter.com/Qz0CHiS3P1 — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 13, 2025 Griffin Boesen, Class of 2027 Commitment: Duke Another top 100 prospect is off the board as the Corey Muscara led Duke Blue Devils picked up a physical two-way prospect in Boesen out of Florida recently. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Boesen looks the part of a middle of the order type slugger and he's just that, showing lots of looseness and bat speed in his left-handed stroke and is coming off a Jupiter where he hit .700 (!!) as an underclassman while driving in 10 runs. The bat-to-ball skills are obvious as he simply hit at all the big stops in 2025,...
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Tournaments | Story | 1/7/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2028

Jheremy Brown
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Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 Well, the fastball department is dominated by two arms in particular with Striker Pence and Dexter McCleon Jr. combining for almost 200 mph of velo between them on their peak heaters in 2025. That's just absolutely insane. The freakiness of the class continues down the boards with a 6.26 60-yard from Colton Fitzgibbon to the 88 mph hand cannon of Grant Arnold behind the plate to Christian Lux's 106 (!!!) mph exit velocity, this class has out of this world chart toppers. Even scarier? They don't graduate for another three years... Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Striker Pence 101 2025 PG WWBA World Championship Uncommitted Santiago Corona, CA 2 Striker Pence 99 2025 PG 17U World Series - National Uncommitted Santiago Corona, CA 2 Striker Pence 99 2025 PG 16U WWBA...
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