Just Baseball - 2026 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects -

 

                2026 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects

https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb-draft/mlb-draft-top-college-prospects/#entry-135444

33. Brady Ballinger – 1B

HT/WT: 6’2/220 | Bat/Throw: L/L | School: Kansas | Hometown: Las Vegas, NV | Projected Age: 21.1 

Brady Ballinger’s offensive profile is one of the most underrated in the country. 

After torching the opposition at the College of Southern Nevada, Ballinger made his way to Kansas, where he’d earn All-Big 12 first-team honors after slashing .353/.495/.670, racking up 38 XBHs (21 2Bs, 16 HRs, 1 3B), and walking more than he struck out. Now that scouts are well aware of his bat, Ballinger will have plenty of eyes on him in 2026. 

A bulkier prospect with proportionate strength and physicality, Ballinger employs one of the best approaches in this draft class. Ballinger tends to be selective and rarely expands the zone, plus he stays balanced throughout his operation, sending the baseball to all fields. 

It’s a compact swing with loft that allows Ballinger to do significant damage in the air, especially to his pull-side. His load can get a bit noisy, featuring a moderate leg kick and a slight bat wrap, but Ballinger operates with rhythm and consistently gets the barrel on the baseball. If there’s any big bugaboo in his profile, he can be beaten by higher-end velocity, but his ability to adjust to secondary offerings keeps him afloat. 

He’s generated above-average power to both sides of the field, as well. It’s as well-rounded an offensive profile as you can find. 

Given his size and lackluster speed, Ballinger has been relegated to first base duties to date. He’s enough of an athlete that he could see time in the outfield in some capacity, but many believe his below-average speed limits his range.

 This is a profile that will have pressure on the bat to perform, but it’s a really good one. He’ll have plenty of suitors come next July.

34. Andrew Williamson – OF

HT/WT: 6’0/195 | Bat/Throw: L/L | School: Central Florida | Hometown: St. Petersburg, FL | Projected Age: 20.11 

Andrew Williamson’s swing has been tweaked a bit since getting to campus, but he’s found the recipe for explosiveness with his current iteration. 

Williamson’s hands were quieter in 2024, but he added more noise in his load, which allowed him to get more whip with his hands and more bat speed. This move will enable him to tap into some more power, though it comes at the cost of a long swing/bat path and a noteworthy barrel tip. 

He does a good job of staying balanced through his operation and getting the baseball in the air at a consistent rate, though. Williamson handles velocity well in the middle and lower thirds of the zone, though the length does hamper him on the upper third. He can also swing over spin at a considerable clip, too. 

With that said, he doesn’t chase at a high clip, plus he’s capable of average power production at the next level and can pull the baseball with ease. We’ll see how the swing evolves and tightens up, but it’s an interesting offensive profile, all things considered. 

In the outfield, Williamson is capable of playing all three positions, likely landing in a corner outfield spot as a professional. He has advanced instincts, above-average speed, and great route-running that allows him to be a strong defender wherever he’s put. He is capable of playing center in a pinch, too. 

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Williamson is a top-100 pick, though finding more of a balance at the dish will certainly help his case.

 

35. Alex Hernandez – 2B,OF

HT/WT: 6’2/188 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Georgia Tech | Hometown: Cumming, GA | Projected Age: 20.11 

A highly regarded two-way player as a prep, Hernandez quickly emerged as one of the most potent bats in the entire ACC, winning ACC Freshman of the Year honors while having multiple roles for the Yellow Jackets. 

He was put out at a myriad of positions: second base, both corner outfield spots, first base, and he even jumped on the bump to close out some games. However, he’s just a bat at the next level, and it’s a good one. 

He’s a physical right-handed bat with good athleticism, employing a wide base at the dish with significant leverage and bat speed present in his swing. Hernandez runs promising hard hit and barrel rates, plus his exit velocities were impressive for his first taste of college ball, exceeding 110 MPH multiple times. It’s above-average power to both sides of the park, though scouts would like to see him pull the baseball more with his toolset. 

He lets the ball travel deep into the zone and loves to go up the middle or to the opposite field. He handles heaters well, though he can get beat by higher-end velocity due to a bat wrap in his load, plus it’s a path that tends to swing over better breaking balls. However, he has shown good adjustability to pitches out of the zone and possesses good bat-to-ball skills. It’s a tantalizing offensive profile. 

Defensively, he can end up at second base, third base, or a corner outfield spot. He can rush plays in the dirt, though he’s got the arm strength and range to handle the hot corner. If the infield doesn’t work out, he can be a solid defender in right field with a strong arm. 

On the bump, he primarily threw change-ups to the opposition, which features heavy sink and fade. He mixed in a fastball, slider, and curveball, but he didn’t get enough time on the bump to show off the potential he had as a prep. 

He likely ditches pitching to focus solely on hitting in 2026, which puts him in line to improve upon his impressive 2025.