2026 Top Draft Prospects

Image credit: Roch Cholowsky (Photo by Eddie Kelly/ ProLook Photos)

The latest update to Baseball America’s ranking of the top 100 prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft is here. Our October update is an important one, as it folds in performances from the summer and early portions of the fall evaluation period.

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky continues to hold the No. 1 spot as one of the best college shortstop prospects we’ve seen in years. Likewise, Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson continues to rank second in the class and appears to be the clear leader in the prep ranks thanks to a polished hit tool and a solid toolset beyond it.

While the 2026 class continues to be lauded for its impressive depth, current industry feedback seems less glowing than it was before the summer.

Many of the most athletic and toolsy players in the class come with real hit tool questions, and a number of the biggest upside high school bats didn’t answer those questions with only middling or disappointing summers. The exception in that demographic is California prep outfielder Blake Bowen, who has skyrocketed to the middle of the first round in our rankings and now boasts one of the more enticing hit/power combos in the class.

College hitters make up the bulk of the high-end first-round talent in the class. Standouts include up-the-middle players like LSU outfielder Derek Curiel, Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider and Virginia shortstop Eric Becker.

Pitching-wise, the crop of 2026 arms is strong on both fronts.

The college trio of Liam Peterson (Florida), Cameron Flukey (Coastal Carolina) and Jackson Flora (UC Santa Barbara) front a deep class of power arms and will each have a chance to push for college SP1 next spring.

While teams have become increasingly wary of taking high school pitchers in the first round, the 2026 class is rich on prep pitching talent. Lefthanders Gio Rojas and Carson Bolemon lead a deep group that includes five prep arms ranked inside the top 30.

Below, you’ll find the complete list of draft prospects featuring updated scouting reports for each player and college commitments for prep players. You can find all of our rankings here.

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