2026 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects
https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb-draft/mlb-draft-top-college-prospects/#entry-135444
36. Ethan Kleinschmit –
LHP
HT/WT: 6’3/200 | Bat/Throw: L/L | School: Oregon State |
Hometown: Mount Angel, OR | Projected Age: 21.2
Starting at Linn-Benton CC, Kleinschmit crossed the
Willamette River and enrolled at Oregon State, becoming a key piece to their
rotation and helping the Beavers return to Omaha in 2025.
He has the makings of a legitimate backend starter with
improving command and great pitch shapes, even if he doesn’t throw particularly
hard yet. It’s a strong frame with proportionate strength to his body, though
he’s rather projectable with length to his limbs, and it’s an easy delivery
down the mound with whippy arm speed.
Kleinschmit routinely sits in the low-90s, reaching back
for 94-95 MPH in shorter bursts, but the pitch plays up thanks to the riding
life it possesses. He averages close to twenty inches of carry on his fastball
with over ten inches of run mixed in. It’s a pitch that has played well on the
top rail, and any added velocity will help its value.
His upper-70s/low-80s sweeper has the chance to be a
diabolical offering with more power. Kleinschmit averages over seventeen inches
of sweeping life on the offering, adding/subtracting depth at times to play
with shape. He can keep it down in the zone consistently and get hitters to
swing over the top. His change-up was not utilized a ton last season, and he
struggled to zone it at times, but there’s considerable vertical separation
compared to the fastball, plus there’s significant tumbling action late in its
life.
Adding a bit more polish to the profile should work magic
for Kleinschmit, who looks to be something of a Michael McGreevy-type of arm.
He’ll have plenty of suitors, and he should have a big role for the Beavers in
2026.
37. Mulivai Levu – 1B
HT/WT: 6’1/205 | Bat/Throw: L/R | School: UCLA |
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA | Projected Age: 21.11
A big part of UCLA’s young core, Levu has been a
consistent force for the Bruins across his two years on campus. He’s hit at
every stop in college, which includes trips to Omaha, the Northwoods, and USA
Collegiate Trials.
He’s a bulky prospect with good size and strength, though
it’s his below-average speed and arm strength that limit him to first base.
With that said, the bat is a solid one.
Levu stays compact in his operation, maintaining an even
stance and a high handset, utilizing the entire field to his advantage. It’s an
adjustable swing with excellent bat-to-ball skills and tight turns to the
baseball, especially on the inner half, though he does hit the ball on the
ground more than you’d like. He can be beaten by upper-end velocity, as well.
Levu’s approach is very aggressive, swinging nearly 50% of the time and having
a chase rate near 30%, but it hasn’t hampered him much.
His power is squarely average overall, though his contact
quality is best to his pull-side. He’ll let the ball travel and lace it to the
opposite field, but it plays best to right field when he can turn and burn on
pitches. He’ll need to lift the ball more and show more patience, but it’s hard
to find a more consistent bat on the West Coast.
While he is landlocked at first base, Levu does show good
lateral movement and can move around the bag well. He’ll be a serviceable
defender at the position. Expect Levu to play a significant role once again for
the Bruins in 2026.
38. Jack Natili – C
HT/WT: 6’3/198 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Cincinnati |
Hometown: Venetia, PA | Projected Age: 21.4
Natili spent his first year in college baseball at
Rutgers, where he put together a solid freshman campaign for the Scarlet
Knights. However, he hopped into the portal and ventured to Cincinnati, where
he broke out and played a big role for the Bearcats in 2025, leading them back
to a tournament appearance.
He’s a tall, physical athlete behind the plate with a
power-oriented game on the field. Natili stands slightly crouched from the
right side of the dish, utilizing an open front leg and a subtle leg kick to
trigger the operation.
His ability to generate a tight coil in his core and
separate the hips and shoulders is impressive. It’s loud bat speed with quick
hands, punishing the baseball consistently with a heavy barrel and
above-average power. This does come with a good amount of swing-and-miss,
however. His swing can get long, and he’ll struggle to adjust to velocity and
spin alike, but he stays within the zone at a respectable clip and doesn’t
chase a ton.
He’ll need to work on the overall contact skills moving
forward, especially once he reaches the upper levels of the minor leagues with
more advanced stuff.
Behind the plate, Natili has a plus arm, and he likes to
show it off regularly, though he’ll need some more polish in other facets of
his game. His lateral mobility isn’t the greatest, which affects his ability to
block wild pitches, though he can get out of the crouch well. His receiving is
a work in progress, as well. With that said, his arm strength should keep him
behind the dish, especially if the actions improve.
39. Jason DeCaro – RHP
HT/WT: 6’5/230 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: North Carolina
| Hometown: North Port, NY | Projected Age: 20.2
Once a member of the 2024 draft class, DeCaro
reclassified into the 2023 class, but ultimately found himself in Chapel Hill.
Since getting to campus, he’s been a consistent force in their rotation, making
34 starts for the Tar Heels to the tune of a 3.80 ERA.
DeCaro has physicality to his frame at 6-foot-5, 230
pounds, though there’s some projection remaining, and he’s a solid mover down
the mound. There’s a lot to like with his arsenal, though there are some rough
edges to iron out. It’s an arsenal that is deep, but it does lack power.
He has hit 97 MPH with the heater, although he’ll
typically pitch it around 91-94 MPH in most outings, with significant running
life out of his hand. It’s a two-seam shape that does possess a flat approach
angle on the top rail, but his extension is subpar, and he’ll pull the heater
at times. He may wind up needing to separate the heater into two distinct
shapes to help his effectiveness at the next level.
He spins the ball extremely well with his breakers,
consistently getting to 3,000 RPMs, though they both lack sufficient power. His
low-80s slider is more of a pure sweeper, but the mid-70s curveball flashes
more potential with good bite and two-plane tilt. His best secondary is his
low-80s change-up that features significant tumble, throwing it with conviction
and tunneling well off the heater.
His command can waver at times, mainly because of a
bucket step in his delivery that caused him to fall out of line. He’ll need to
clean that up, as well as add more power to his arsenal to fulfill his
potential. If there’s anything that helps his cause, he projects to be 20.2
years old on draft day, which is nearly unheard of.
It’s a high-floor profile presently, but there’s untapped
upside here.
40. Trey Beard – LHP
HT/WT: 6’2/185 | Bat/Throw: L/L | School: Florida State |
Hometown: Dunedin, FL | Projected Age: 21.9
Funky lefties, you just can’t quit on them. That’s a
saying that describes Beard perfectly. It’s funky, it’s weird, and it has
gotten significant results in college, especially in 2025. Beard struck out 118
batters in 86 innings for the Owls before traveling up to Tallahassee to join
Florida State for his draft-eligible season.
Beard employs a very deceptive operation on the bump,
contorting his body to generate the towering release height. His release hovers
just south of seven feet, which is impressive considering his 6-foot-2 stature
on the bump.
Given how high his release is, he generates a ton of
carry on his fastball, averaging north of twenty inches. He doesn’t throw hard,
maintaining 88-92 MPH with the ability to reach 94 MPH, but batters chase it
above the zone routinely. It’s unique, albeit Beard’s short stride and steep
angle can hamper the value.
His mid-70s change-up is truly diabolical, an easy plus
offering with significant velocity separation. Beard is confident in floating
it into the zone consistently, and hitters struggle to pick it up. His low-80s
slider takes advantage of the vertical plane, too. It’s more of a bullet
slider, but the angle allows it to play up. The same happens with his mid-70s
curveball, which has bigger depth.
He can lose his release at times, causing inconsistent
command, which will be something to watch for at Florida State.
It’s truly one of the most unique profiles in the
country, and it’s a high-probability starting profile, too.
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