JUST BASEBALL TOP 50 DRAFT PROSPECTS - #11-15

 

2026 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects

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

11. Liam Peterson – RHP

HT/WT: 6’5/220 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Florida | Hometown: Palm Harbor, FL | Projected Age: 21.1

Once a highly-touted arm out of high school, Peterson has blossomed into a powerful arm at the University of Florida, where he projects to be the Friday guy once again in 2026

Peterson’s delivery has had its warts, but he toned down the effort and wildness in 2025, reining in his limbs and finding a more compact nature to his operation. His size, athleticism, and arm speed stand out on film, as he pitches downhill with power and has whip to his arm from an over-the-top slot.

Peterson likes to work north-south with his arsenal, which is led by a big mid-90s fastball with excellent extension. It’s a cut/ride behemoth upstairs with upwards of twenty inches of carry at times, while flashing some running life down in the zone. He’s already been up to 99 MPH this past spring, and it’s not impossible to see triple digits in short order.

His primary secondary is a mid-80s slider with teeth, showcasing the ability to manipulate the pitch shape. Sometimes he’ll throw it with more tilt, but more often than not, you’ll see Peterson keep it short to the plate with depth.

His mid-80s change-up tunnels off the heater well and dives to the dirt in a hurry. He’ll tinker with a bigger bender in the upper-70s that he used a lot in 2024, though Peterson has kept the pitch in his back pocket in 2025 and uses it to steal strikes.

He’s grown into more command this spring, though scouts want to see a bit more show up in 2026. There’s considerable upside here with a deep arsenal, size, and more strikes on the way.

 

12. Sawyer Strosnider – OF

HT/WT: 6’2/200 | Bat/Throw: L/L | School: Texas Christian | Hometown: Brock, TX | Projected Age: 21

After enduring a sluggish start to his collegiate career, Strosnider became one of, if not the best, freshmen in the entire country, cruising to thirty-four extra-base hits with an OPS of 1.070 in fifty-six games.

Strosnider has added ~20 pounds of muscle to his frame since making it to Texas Christian, but he has not lost an ounce of athleticism on the field. He’s a dynamic athlete with noteworthy twitch and loud tools across his card.

It’s a loud left-handed swing with tons of bat speed, leverage, and barrel feel that leads to potential plus power in the future. He’s already surpassed the 110 MPH barrier with ease, reaching a maximum of 112.3 MPH this past spring, and his athletic testing suggests more is in the tank. His best contact quality comes to the pull-side, though he’s shown the ability to pummel the baseball to the opposite field.

The hit tool itself is not too shabby, either. His approach needs tweaking, as it’s aggressive and he’ll chase pitches often, but he can obliterate offerings in the zone like few others can. If he can find ways to limit chases and stay within the zone more often, the sky is the limit offensively.

In the field, he’s got the athleticism and speed to handle center, but with Chase Brunson in the fray, he’ll be handling right field for the Horned Frogs. He makes great reads in the outfield and has solid closing speed, and someone should give him a shot in center as a professional. If he adds more muscle to his frame and loses athleticism, he’ll be a great fit in right field.

Strosnider’s exciting profile will generate a ton of attention this spring, and he may end up being the highest Texas Christian player drafted in the 2026 class.

 

13. Eric Becker – SS,2B

HT/WT: 6’3/190 | Bat/Throw: L/R | School: Virginia | Hometown: Thiells, NY | Projected Age: 21.2

The older brother of 2025 Mariners second-rounder Nicky, there’s a non-zero chance that Eric could be drafted earlier in 2026.

After spending some time in the transfer portal, he will return to Charlottesville in 2026, where he has been a centerpiece for the Cavaliers over the past two years. He’s a big-bodied left-handed hitter with significant bat speed and thump.

The current projection labels him as a power-over-hit guy, though Becker’s hit tool has evolved since getting to campus. Becker began to employ more of a gap-to-gap approach in 2025 with heavy emphasis to the opposite field. Becker’s in-zone rates are promising, but there has been an inability to adjust to pitches out of the zone, especially off-speed, due to stiffness in his lower half. He’ll need to loosen up moving forward, as well as pull the baseball in the air more consistently.

With that said, there’s leverage present in his swing that has generated solid power numbers thus far, and his barrel feel and hard hit rates are promising. There should be more power on the way, as well. Above-average power potential is likely, as well as boasting an average hit tool.

He’s a good athlete in the dirt and has manned shortstop to date, though his footwork can get clunky and he’ll rush himself at times. He does have good enough arm strength and can transition over to third base in the future.

Overall, Becker is projected to be one of the more impactful bats in the ACC in 2026.

 

14. Lucas Moore – OF

HT/WT: 6’0/180 | Bat/Throw: L/R | School: Louisville | Hometown: Cincinnati, OH | Projected Age: 21.2

Moore broke out in a huge way for Louisville in 2025, becoming a valuable table-setter for a team that ultimately made its way to Omaha for the first time since 2019.

That table-setting prowess will translate to the professional level, but he’s more than just that: he’s a chaos-starter. He’s every bit of a pest.

It all starts with the hit tool, and it’s an excellent one, indeed. Moore posted a contact rate of 88% and an in-zone rate of 93%, including a 7% whiff on fastballs altogether. He doesn’t whiff, he doesn’t chase, and he uses the whole field to his advantage.

It’s a compact left-handed stroke with a slappy nature to it, and while power will never be a part of his game, he’ll turn on the jets and burn down the line with double-plus speed. He’s an aggressive baserunner who knows how and when to utilize his speed, stealing fifty-three bases on fifty-four chances in 2025. You don’t find too many guys like this often.

Moore’s extra-base numbers will be led primarily by his legs, but he’s shown the ability to drive the ball pull-side.

Defensively, he’s a near-lock to stay in center long-term. His speed allows him to cover plenty of ground, plus he gets great jumps and runs routes well. It’s high-level instincts with a glove that has the chance to be above-average or plus in the future.

There’s a lot of Sal Frelick in this profile, and he could move quickly through an organization like Frelick did.

 

15. Gabe Gaeckle – RHP

HT/WT: 6’0/190 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Arkansas | Hometown: Aptos, CA | Projected Age: 21.9

Gaeckle burst onto the scene at the 2022 PG National showcase with a loud one-two punch, but elected to enroll at Arkansas after being picked in the twentieth round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2023.

He was an excellent reliever in 2024 and 2025, but endured some hardships in a starting capacity early in 2025. With that said, Gaeckle’s pure stuff is amongst the best in the country. Gaeckle powers his way down the mound with explosivity, utilizing his lower half very well with his drop-and-drive mechanics and flashing loud arm speed.

The fastball has already tickled triple-digits, getting up to 99 MPH at his peak and routinely sitting in the mid-90s, though he’ll lose some velocity across lengthier outings. The pitch explodes out of his hand, and he’ll create flat approach angles on offerings on the top rail or above it, but he’ll find himself leaving too much over the plate. 

At its best, it’s a cut/ride monster with huge spin rates that guys struggle to touch. If he can consistently find more value in 2026, the heater will find another gear.

 His best offering is an upper-80s slider with two-plane tilt and nasty bite, commanding it away from righties with some depth and sweep. It’s his best chase pitch, and guys flail at it routinely. His low-80s curveball can jump out of his hand slightly, but there’s significant depth at its best, displaying true hammer qualities. 

His upper-80s power change has found life in college, featuring a big tumble and fade, although it has been reserved for left-handed hitters to date. 

Given his size, physicality, and past medicals, Gaeckle does have some obstacles ahead of him. However, the upside is too loud to ignore, and gaining more sta rting experience and success will be key in 2026. If it doesn’t work out as a starter, he’ll be a dynamic late-inning reliever, but he’s an arm that you let start until he proves he can’t.