2026 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects
https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb-draft/mlb-draft-top-college-prospects/#entry-135444
6. Cameron Flukey – RHP
HT/WT: 6’6/210 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Coastal Carolina |
Hometown: Egg Harbor Township, NJ | Projected Age: 21.2
Under the tutelage of Matt Williams, Flukey became an
integral piece to Coastal Carolina’s Omaha run, serving as one of their top
arms. As a result, the transformation that he made before 2025 has put him into
SP1 territory for the 2026 draft.
Flukey is throwing harder than ever before, as he’s moving
down the mound with much more intent. It’s an athletic delivery with a longer
arm action, displaying significant scap loading, that leads to a high
three-quarters slot with loud arm speed.
The fastball has a steeper plane due to his high release,
and he tends to locate it lower in the zone, which has neutralized its success
to an extent. He’s been able to command the offering very well and expand the
zone with solid chase rates, though he’ll need to squeeze more value out of the
offering. For now, it’s a mid-90s rocket with significant carry and backspin,
reaching 98-99 MPH at his peak.
His best secondary is a mid-70s curveball with noteworthy
depth, possessing over ten inches of depth on average. It’s a bit soft at
times, though he’ll drop it in for strikes and bury it in the dirt for whiffs.
It missed bats at a clip just shy of 50% in 2025.
He’ll round out his arsenal with a firmer mid-80s slider
with some tilt and depth, plus there’s feel for a mid-80s cambio with some
tumble, albeit inconsistent.
Given the projection, command, and overall arsenal, Flukey
has put himself on top of the college pitching demographic and should blossom
into more upside in 2026.
7. Chris Hacopian – 3B
HT/WT: 6’1/205 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Texas A&M |
Hometown: Potomac, MD | Projected Age: 21.10
After spending his first two years at the University of
Maryland, Hacopian will be the prized prospect in a loaded Texas A&M lineup
for his draft-eligible season. The Aggies will be hoping that he continues to
mash the baseball like he did during his time in College Park.
There’s no mincing words here, Hacopian is about as complete
a hitter as you’ll find in the amateur landscape.
There’s a big leg kick and a noisy load to his swing, but he
finds a way to stay on time and adjusts his swing plane to the pitches thrown
his way. It’s loud bat speed with elite bat-to-ball skills and an excellent
approach.
Pitchers can’t sneak a fastball by Hacopian, as he posted a
95% contact rate against heaters across the entirety of the 2025 season. That’s
not a typo. He can get tricked by change-ups, but his overall whiff rates are
promising. He’s consistently on the barrel, he’ll find ways to muscle the ball
with his B-Swings, and he flashes plus raw power to every part of the field.
There’s not much to nitpick at the plate. It’s full of
upside.
While he’s been a reliable shortstop option for the
Terrapins to date, he’s not the rangiest athlete in the dirt, and the physical
nature of his body fits best at the hot corner. He seldom rushes himself in the
dirt, possessing a great internal clock and average defensive chops.
This is a bat that could rush through the minor leagues in
little time after he’s drafted, and he looks every bit of a future first-round
pick.
8. Justin Lebron – SS
HT/WT: 6’2/180 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Alabama |
Hometown: Miramar, FL | Projected Age: 21.8
A lean and green athlete at a keystone position, Lebron is
one of the most tantalizing prospects in the entire class. It’s immense
projection to a profile that has added plenty of impact over the past calendar
year.
For starters, Lebron’s power uptick was a welcome sight in
2025. It’s loud bat and hand speed from the right side of the dish, and his
exit velocities surpassed the 110 MPH barrier in 2025. After flashing primarily
pull side juice in 2024, Lebron found himself thumping the baseball to both
sides of the park with more ease.
That’s a stark uptick in power from his freshman campaign,
and there’s still more growth to come.
His ability to pummel the high fastball is remarkable, as
well. He will need to find a bit more of a happy medium, though. His hit tool
has some warts, especially against secondary offerings low in the zone. His
chase rates are rather bloated, as well. It may be nothing more than a
fringe-average hit tool, though his power and defense keep the profile afloat.
Speaking of defense, his actions and instincts are really,
really advanced. It’s a fluid defender at shortstop with significant bounce,
lateral mobility, and impressive arm strength. It’s very impressive to watch on
film, and he’ll generate plenty of value in the dirt.
If Lebron irons out the hit tool, there’s a good chance that
he can challenge Roch Cholowsky for the first overall pick next July.
9. Vahn Lackey – C
HT/WT: 6’2/200 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Georgia Tech |
Hometown: Suwanee, GA | Projected Age: 21
Backstops with the athletic ability that Lackey possesses do
not grow on trees. It’s an incredibly unique profile to dive into.
After spending time splitting catching duties with Matthew
Ellis in 2024, Lackey broke out in a massive way for the Yellow Jackets this
past spring. Lackey has long been renowned for his defensive prowess behind the
dish, which is potentially plus at the next level.
Lackey is very explosive out of the crouch, displays a quick
exchange from mitt to hand, and has a very strong arm with accuracy. His
lateral mobility is exceptional, and so is his ability to block balls in the
dirt. It’s a very advanced defensive package at a key position on the field.
It’s akin to what Kyle Teel showcased in his draft-eligible year, but maybe a
tick better.
Offensively, Lackey is no slouch, as his offensive tools are
beginning to blossom. It’s hit-over-power at the present, though he’s put up
some quality exit velocities. His swing can get steep, which has led to a
heightened groundball rate, but his bat-to-ball skills are immaculate. Lackey
posted a contact rate of 85% in 2025, including an in-zone rate of 90%, and he
rarely let a fastball by him.
He does chase a tad more than you’d like, but he makes up
for it with his pull side impact. Lackey’s power is sneaky good, as his highest
exit velocities eclipsed 110 MPH last season, and he’ll continue to grow into
more power as he physically matures and fills out. The potential for an
above-average to plus hitter with average or better power is in play here.
To add the cherry on top, Lackey has the speed to be an
asset on the basepaths, as he stole eighteen bags in 2025.
There’s significant upside in Lackey’s profile, and he’s in
line for a big junior campaign for a Georgia Tech squad with Omaha ambitions.
10. Jackson Flora – RHP
HT/WT: 6’5/205 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: UC Santa Barbara |
Hometown: Pleasanton, CA | Projected Age: 21.2
Another year, another UCSB arm that jumps onto center stage.
Flora possesses some of the best projection, athleticism,
and pure stuff in the entire country. Flora’s delivery has a lot of moving
parts, as his limbs can fly around at times when he’s out of sync and moving
too quickly, but his flexibility is astounding on the bump.
It’s an uptempo look with a seriously loose and whip arm
action, flashing significant arm speed to a lower release height. It’s
certainly unique, albeit slightly rough around the edges.
Flora has already been into the triple digits with his
heater, primarily sitting in the 95-98 MPH range throughout his starts and
holding his velocity well. The pitch possesses quality carry, a flat approach
angle, and slight tail at the end of its life. He will miss bats on the top
rail of the strike zone and the pitch could easily be double-plus in due time.
There’s two very good breaking balls in his arsenal, both of
which have obscene shapes in terms of sweeping action. There’s a mid-80s
sweeper with fifteen inches of horizontal movement on average, while the
low-80s bender has more tilt, with sweeping life encroaching upon the
twenty-inch barrier. It’s absurdly good, as both pitches have plus potential.
He has tried to incorporate a change-up into his arsenal, as
he’s yet to find a true out pitch to lefties, but he’s toyed with a kick-change
this summer.
His biggest command wart is missing armside when he rushes
his delivery, but other than that, he throws strikes at an excellent clip.
There’s a chance that Flora is the first pitcher off the
board next July.
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