Just Baseball - 2026 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects - #26-#29

 

2026 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects

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

26. Jarren Advincula – 2B

HT/WT: 5’11/200 | Bat/Throw: L/R | School: Georgia Tech | Hometown: Santa Clara, CA | Projected Age: 21.5 

Over the past two seasons, Advincula has been one of the best pure hitters in the entire country. Now, he’s made the journey to Atlanta, where he’s joining a loaded infield at Georgia Tech and projects to be a table-setting option atop their lineup. 

An athletic player who has seen strength gains since getting to college, Advincula is fairly maxed out in terms of projection. With that said, his tools will translate to the next level. Across two seasons at California, Advincula posted an astounding 90% contact rate, including a ridiculous 94% in-zone rate. It’s truly elite bat-to-ball skills. 

He utilizes the whole field to his advantage, and he’ll use his plus speed to leg out infield singles and turn singles into doubles. If there’s one thing to complain about, it’s his aggression at the plate. Advincula loves to swing the bat, which has led to a bloated chase rate north of 30%, though the bat-to-ball skills give him a runway when compared to some of his peers. 

He does possess budding bat speed with good barrel control and has shown power in his game, extending his arms at offerings in the bottom third and driving them to the gaps and pull-side, but his game is not centered around power. His swing is more slappy than anything else, but he’ll run into a few home runs, and there could be more in the tank if he changes his swing. 

Defensively, he projects to have a good glove at second base. He has a good first step in the dirt with good range and some bounce to his game, gobbling up grounders hit his way. 

At this stage in the cycle, it’s hard to believe Advincula falls out of the first two rounds, especially given past precedent for similar profiles.

27. Brett Renfrow – RHP

HT/WT: 6’3/220 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Virginia Tech | Hometown: Manassas, VA | Projected Age: 21.6 

Virginia Tech has been known for producing quality bats over the past few seasons, but pitching hasn’t been as strong. Ian Seymour and Drue Hackenberg are two of the more noteworthy names to go high in the past five years, and there’s a solid chance that Brett Renfrow joins them in 2026. 

A bulky athlete with a fluid delivery on the bump, Renfrow has seen his stuff improve significantly over the past calendar year. He’s also crafted his pitch usage to introduce his secondaries to hitters more. Between 2024 and 2025, Renfrow decreased his fastball usage by 15%, which led to an increase in slider and change-up usage. It led to an increase in both whiffs and chases. 

His fastball does possess good value, though it was hit around often last spring. At his best, Renfrow will touch 97 MPH and sit closer to 93-95 MPH deep into starts, throwing two different shapes. He’ll utilize a cut/ride shape up in the zone to generate whiffs, while there’s some tailing action down. He’ll get in trouble with leaving the heater over the plate late in outings, which is something he’ll need to clean up in 2026. 

His mid-80s slider is commanded rather well, and he’ll leave it down in the zone consistently, which makes it tough for guys to square up. It’s a two-plane offering at its best, though he’ll add/subtract depth and sweep. His upper-80s change-up took a significant step forward in 2025, gaining trust in the offering and displaying good tumbling action. 

He can lose his command across lengthier outings, especially once he runs into issues repeating a slightly stabby arm action behind the back. However, his size, arsenal, and great athleticism are indicators of a future starting pitcher. He has the mold of a classic workhorse starter who fits in perfectly at the backend of a rotation.

 

28. Hunter Carns – C

HT/WT: 6’0/199 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Florida State | Hometown: Jacksonville, FL | Projected Age: 21.3 

One of the biggest names to reach campus from the 2024 draft, Carns did well in his time for Florida State, but strikeouts piled up and neutralized some of his potential. 

However, he looked like a different prospect on the Cape, posting an OPS of 1.033 and walking more than he struck out. It was a noteworthy stint that has garnered attention for the draft-eligible sophomore. 

He’s a well-rounded backstop that has a rather unique toolset at his disposal. It’s a power-over-hit offensive profile with a big emphasis on pulling the baseball in the air. Carns has had robust power in his bat for quite some time, as he’s able to generate significant leverage and loud bat speed. The power is currently above-average and has the potential to become a plus tool in the future.

 The biggest development has been refinement at the plate. It’s a low-effort, quiet operation at the dish, triggered by a weight shift. Carns lowered his chase rate significantly on the Cape, dropping from over 26% to a measly 18%. He did still suffer from slight issues with secondaries, but the fastball whiff rate dropped to 13% and he began to utilize the opposite field more. 

It’s a promising development. The hope is that this will carry over to the spring, which leads us to believe he’s in for a breakout campaign. 

Behind the dish, he’s athletic and moves excellently for his size. An above-average runner on the bases, there is solid agility, blocking, and footwork. It’s a strong arm with quick transfers, as well. 

We’ll see how he handles a bigger workload in the spring in Tallahassee, but it’s hard to ignore the tools available here. 

 

29. Aiden Robbins – OF

HT/WT: 6’2/185 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Texas | Hometown: Yardley, PA | Projected Age: 21.5

 A two-year starter at Seton Hall, Robbins established himself as one of the best mid-major bats in this class. Now, after taking home the batting title honors on the Cape, Robbins will look to make an immediate impact at Texas, where he’s expected to be a key cog in their machine from the get-go. 

It’s a swing that will remind evaluators of a mix of Zach Neto and Matt McLain. It’s not as loud a leg kick as what Neto had, but the same technique to generate leverage/coil is there. Robbins will sink deeply into his back leg and coil his core well, which allows his hips to open quickly and his hands to fly through the zone. 

Robbins has more power than his slender frame would suggest, with exit velocities north of 110 MPH last spring, and he has shown an emphasis on utilizing the gaps consistently. 

He’s a patient hitter who will rack up walks and feast on heaters (11% FB whiff in 2025), though his lower half can get stiff at times, and he’ll struggle with secondaries, especially those low-and-away. With that said, he’s shown the ability to adjust to pitches out of the zone, and that’s something he’ll need to improve upon further as he faces better competition in the SEC. 

He’s an above-average runner presently and has shown a willingness to steal bases, plus that speed translates to right field. He’s a good route-runner with range and an average arm, which could leave him in left field as a professional, but he has the tools to be in right field until he comes across a better defender. 

Robbins should be an impactful bat for a Texas team that is looking to build upon a solid first year with Jim Schlossnagle.