1. Brendan Lawson – 3B
HT/WT: 6’3/215 | Bat/Throw: L/R | School: Florida |
Hometown: Toronto, ON | Projected Age: 21.7
A Canadian-born player has never been selected 1.1 in the
draft’s history, though that could change in 2027. Lawson grew up in Ontario
and made his way south to P27 Academy, though ailments hampered his efforts as
a high school senior. That made him one of the premier bats to reach campus,
and over two years in Gainesville, he’s lived up to expectations.
Lawson has undergone some swing and approach changes to
achieve his success. As a prepster, Lawson employed a high handset that’s
reminiscent of Nolan Schanuel’s and a wider base, electing to lace the ball to
both sides of the field. Now, Lawson has become more upright, with his hands
starting in front of his face before drifting back into a launching position.
This move lets Lawson generate more leverage and torque, leading to ridiculous
bat speed through the zone.
He began pulling the ball much more in 2026, with his
PullAir% jumping from 19.52% to 27.14% and his PullFlyBall% spiking to 15%. He
has double-plus raw power in the tank, registering a 111.2 MPH 90th percentile
exit velocity, an outrageous figure to post in college baseball.
The hit tool itself isn’t too shabby either, with his
bat-to-ball skills shoring up against secondary offerings and his swing
decisions improving drastically. He does show some passivity in the zone, with
a 51% swing rate, which he’ll need to improve. That said, his offensive ceiling
could be special.
Defensively, Lawson was Florida’s everyday shortstop in
2026, where he fared well and made quality plays. However, Lawson sometimes
rushed plays, and he’s expected to add more mass in the coming years. That
leaves a move to the hot corner on the table, where his above-average arm
strength would fit well.
In a draft class without many up-the-middle options,
Lawson’s offensive tools give him the highest upside of any collegiate player
in the class. If the defense at shortstop improves in 2027, it’ll be a cherry
on top.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power:
70 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 55
2. Dax Whitney – RHP
HT/WT: 6’5/218 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Oregon State |
Hometown: Blackfoot, ID | Projected Age: 21.5
In the waning weeks of the 2024 cycle, Whitney had
significant helium, though he turned down multi-million-dollar bonuses to wind
up in Corvallis with the Beavers. He immediately stepped into the weekend
rotation and became one of the top arms in the country, striking out 224
batters across 139.2 innings before suffering an elbow injury in late April.
Unfortunately, this injury will sideline Whitney through
the 2027 season, but even with this wrinkle, he’s the best arm in this class.
We’ve seen injured pitchers taken high before, but Whitney’s track record and
stuff keep him in 1.1 contention.
The delivery is a bit unorthodox, with an extremely tight
arm circle that turns into an over-the-top slot, but he’s a buttery-smooth
mover with repeatable mechanics. Whitney’s stuff is outrageously good, starting
with an upper-90s cut/ride monster of a fastball. He consistently cuts the
fastball and generates plus carry, which led to a 37% whiff rate in 2026.
That’s across a 545-pitch sample size, a truly incredible figure. It’s every
bit of a double-plus heater.
He’s more than just the fastball, though, as each of
Whitney’s secondary pitches has plus upside. He has a mid-to-upper-80s slider
with fantastic snap and sweep. It has gotten upwards of 90 MPH, and he averages
over 2,600 RPM. His low-80s curveball has little to no hump out of the hand,
diving to the dirt with immense depth and some late lateral action. He kills a
lot of spin on an upper-80s change-up that features solid fade and tumble, too.
The fact that Whitney projects to have four
plus-or-better pitches with above-average command is astonishing, and it puts
him in rare territory. It’s easy to see why scouts and analysts praise him as
the best collegiate arm since Paul Skenes, and given the lack of up-the-middle
talent in this class, he will have a chance to be taken 1.1 despite his injury.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70
| Slider: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Change: 60 | Command: 55
3. Gavin Kelly – C,2B
HT/WT: 6’0/175 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: West Virginia |
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA | Projected Age: 21.6
West Virginia has become a legitimate powerhouse in the
Big 12, and Kelly was a major catalyst in the program’s first-ever appearance
in Omaha this season. After impressing as a freshman for the Mountaineers,
Kelly’s game elevated to superstardom in 2026, slashing .382/.477/.725 in 305
plate appearances, racking up 21 doubles and 19 home runs with a 43:45 BB:K
ratio.
It’s a well-rounded profile on both sides of the ball. An
athletic prospect with hitterish traits present, Kelly has a quick, compact
swing that pairs with excellent barrel feel and swing decisions. Kelly led the
NCAA in barrels last season and amplifies his power production with a swing
that is built to lift the baseball in the air, playing to both sides of the
field. His higher-end exit velocities suggest an average power hitter, though
his ability to consistently impact the ball the way he does is impressive.
The bat-to-ball skills are just as remarkable, including
his affinity for fastballs. While Kelly does have an exaggerated barrel wrap,
he whiffed on velocity just 11% of the time in 2026. With improvements against
breaking balls in 2027, Kelly could become the best pure hitter in the college
ranks.
Defensively, Kelly has utility that will benefit his
profile. He has split time between catcher and second base in Morgantown, and
he’s also spent time in the grass on the Cape. Kelly’s athleticism and plus
speed shine at those positions, and he has the arm strength to hold his own
behind the plate. It’s reasonable to believe that Kelly can be an above-average
or better defender with multiple places to slot him in on the lineup card.
Repeating his 2026 campaign will keep Kelly firmly in 1.1
discussions.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Field:
55 | Arm: 55
4. Tomas Valincius –
LHP
HT/WT: 6’2/225 | Bat/Throw: L/L | School: Mississippi
State | Hometown: Lockport, IL | Projected Age: 21.9
In a draft class that is filled to the brim with pitching
talent, Valincius is the best southpaw available. After performing admirably as
a freshman at Virginia, he followed head coach Brian O’Connor to Starkville and
led a dynamic Mississippi State pitching staff.
With a thicker build, abundant strength, and remarkable
feel for his arsenal, Valincius is one of the more pro-ready talents in the
class. An easy mover on the mound with repeatable mechanics, Valincius hides
the ball well with a shorter arm circle and has explosive arm speed from a low
three-quarters slot. This gives him premium deception and lets the ball jump on
hitters quickly.
While his fastball isn’t a bat-misser, it’s a monstrous
mid-90s sinker that benefits greatly from the deception, and he can establish a
tunnel to his secondaries. It’s also a strong groundball producer, as hitters
pound the offering into the dirt at a 60% clip. Valincius’ mid-80s slider is a
true plus offering that plays off the fastball tunnel, showcasing tight spin
and sharp lateral bite that befuddles hitters. He can command the offering to
both sides of the plate consistently, and it boasted a 48% whiff and 39% chase
rate in 2026. Valincius rounds out his arsenal with a strong mid-80s change-up
that gives him an above-average weapon against right-handed hitters. He sells
the offering well, and the pitch tumbles below the barrel, inducing a 51% whiff
rate.
It’s a strong three-pitch mix that is tied together with
above-average command. As a result, Valincius has mid-rotation upside at the
next level.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Change: 55 |
Command: 55
5. Landon Hairston –
OF
HT/WT: 5’11/195 | Bat/Throw: L/L | School: Arizona State
| Hometown: Queen Creek, AZ | Projected Age: 21.5
The Hairston family has a long baseball legacy. Four
family members have played in the big leagues, with Scott the most recent to
have a successful career. His son, Landon, is next in line, and he has the
tools to be just as successful as the others.
After forcing himself into the lineup as a freshman,
Hairston was a Golden Spikes Finalist in 2026, slashing a ridiculous
.400/.509/.860 with 50 extra-base hits, including 28 long balls. He has one of
the most complete offensive profiles in the class, boasting excellent contact
skills, burgeoning power, and a polished approach.
Hairston has a rhythmic swing with a compact bat path and
robust bat speed. The barrel stays in the zone for a long time, and he’s
efficient at creating backspin at contact, with above-average exit velocities
in the tank. Adding leverage and pulling the baseball allowed the power
production to take a significant jump in 2026, and it came with an improvement
in bat-to-ball skills. Hairston torches fastballs in and out of the zone, plus
he can adjust his swing plane to cover every quadrant possible. It’s a plus hit
tool at the end of the day.
Originally an infielder in high school, Hairston
transitioned to the grass in Tempe, where he’s manned left field for most of
his career. It’s where he fits best at the next level with decent routes and
reads, though with his athleticism steadily improving, there’s a non-zero
chance he can stick in center.
If he proves that he can stay at the “eight,” it will
improve his draft stock in a class that lacks up-the-middle talent. That said,
even if he doesn’t, the bat is good enough to take in the top ten picks without
thinking twice.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Field :
50 | Arm: 50
6. Jimmy Janicki – C
HT/WT: 6’4/223 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Troy |
Hometown: Downers Grove, IL | Projected Age: 21.4
Every draft cycle, there’s at least one or two mid-major
stars with plenty of first-round buzz. This year, there’s a clear-cut leader in
the clubhouse. Jimmy Janicki has it all, and it’s difficult to poke holes in
his game at this point.
His bat-to-ball skills are stellar for a backstop, with a
19% whiff rate in his sophomore season after posting 13% the year prior. Even
more, he recognizes spin exceptionally well and makes contact at a clip well
above average, which was a big factor in his low strikeout rate of 13% last
year. He does try to expand the zone a touch more than you’d like to see, but
he still makes contact at a respectable rate when he does.
More impressively, Janicki’s best feature at the plate
isn’t even his contact ability: it’s his otherworldly feel for the barrel. The
Illinois native has made a career out of loud ABs, utilizing a
pull-side-oriented approach that results in a ground-ball rate below 30%. Oh
yeah, and a 110 mph 90th-percentile EV isn’t half bad either. Our newest
writer, Josh Catlett, got a couple of up-close looks at him in Omaha from right
behind home plate, and he truly might’ve been my favorite watch of the week.
Coming off a season in which he posted a 1.080 OPS with
21 home runs and 26 doubles for one of the final six teams standing, all eyes
will be on the Troy star as he attempts to make a final push up draft boards in
hopes of earning himself $3 million+ in July.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power:
70 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 55
7. Chris Levonas – RHP
HT/WT: 6’1/175 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Wake Forest |
Hometown: Holmdel, NJ | Projected Age: 21.4
After adding significant velocity in his senior spring,
the Milwaukee Brewers selected Levonas in the second round. However, Levonas
turned down millions to enroll at Wake Forest, and after enduring his lumps as
a freshman, he put together a fantastic sophomore campaign. Across 15 starts,
Levonas struck out 116 batters and posted a 2.82 ERA with an improved arsenal,
lining himself up for a first-round selection in 2027.
An elastic, flexible mover on the mound, he creates
outlandish extension for a pitcher his size, averaging just under seven feet.
That said, there’s a good amount of effort present, which is something to watch
moving forward.
Levonas’ fastball velocity ticked up into the upper-90s
this spring, peaking at 101 MPH with cut/ride shape through the zone. Despite
the velocity and shape combination, Levonas has yet to miss bats at a high clip
because of lackluster fastball command, which he’ll need to focus on.
That said, his feel to spin and shape his breaking balls
is fantastic. Levonas’ low-80s curveball is a hammer, averaging north of 2,700
RPM with fantastic bite and depth present. It’s a true plus pitch that Levonas
likes to lean upon often. His mid-80s slider has significant sweep with spin
rates similar to the curveball, and an upper-80s cutter is a great pitch that
gives him a firmer option to throw in the zone. He can land all three breaking
balls for strikes. A firm low-90s change-up finalizes the arsenal, acting like
a two-seam fastball at times with spin-killing traits.
Levonas will need to evolve as a pitcher by tightening
his command, but his frame and traits are incredibly enticing for a player
development program.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70
| Slider: 55 | Cutter: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Change: 45 | Command: 45
8. Trent Grindlinger –
C,1B
HT/WT: 6’3/211 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Tennessee |
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA | Projected Age: 20.11
Grindlinger was a highly touted prepster at Huntington
Beach, ranking just outside the Top 200 in our 2025 rankings, but he landed at
Tennessee after not hearing his name called. Despite a logjam behind the plate,
he cracked the lineup full time in April and never looked back, racking up 14
extra-base hits from April 3rd onward. Now a draft-eligible sophomore, he’s
ready to take on a full-time role for the Volunteers.
A big, burly hitter, Grindlinger pairs brute strength and
solid bat-to-ball skills. He hasn’t changed his swing mechanics a ton since
high school, maintaining a slightly crouched stance with a high handset
pre-swing. It’s a short, compact swing with explosive bat speed, and his
ability to live on the barrel stood out down the stretch.
Grindlinger has yet to sell out for pull-side power,
rather lacing line drives up the middle and to the opposite field with
ferocity. He has posted plus exit velocities, but he will need to add more loft
to his swing. He pairs the power with very good contact skills in the zone, but
he can get jumpy on spin and expand the zone at a high clip. We’ll see how the
offense progresses across a full season, but the upside is high.
His athleticism has improved, and most scouts believe he
can withstand the demands of catching. He has solid catch-and-throw skills and
arm strength, though he needs to refine his blocking, receiving, and agility.
He will get ample opportunities behind the dish in 2027, and if the defense
improves, that will help his case.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Field:
50 | Arm: 50
9. Chase Fralick –
C,1B
HT/WT: 6’2/227 | Bat/Throw: L/R | School: Auburn |
Hometown: Peachtree City, GA | Projected Age: 21.10
Once committed to Virginia on a tennis scholarship, the
Peachtree City product has been one of the premier hitters in the SEC since
arriving at Auburn.
A career .324 hitter, Fralick has always had feel for the
barrel and natural feel for the zone. Arguably the biggest progression from
year one to year two was his power, jumping from 4 home runs to 20 while
cutting his groundball rate and increasing his flyball rate by 10 percentage
points to 33% in 2026.
Standing 6-foot-2, Fralick provides a physical frame
behind the dish that has taken big strides defensively, specifically with pitch
framing. He displays really intriguing arm strength to bases, throwing out
nearly 40% of runners who attempted to steal in 2026. Against southpaws,
Fralick does his best damage middle-in, while he succeeds more often
middle-away against right-handers. He consistently puts together professional
at-bats, knowing when to let an A-swing rip and when to shorten up and move
baserunners.
Whether Fralick catches at the next level is up for
debate, as he’ll likely play a corner infield spot then. That said, you know
what you’re getting offensively: a high-floor bat with an instinctive approach,
contact skills, and a track record of production.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 30 | Field:
45 | Arm: 55
10. Ryan McPherson –
RHP
HT/WT: 6’3/215 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Mississippi
State | Hometown: Hollywood, FL | Projected Age: 21.6
One of Mississippi State’s most reliable relievers as a
freshman, McPherson made the jump into the rotation and shined before an
unfortunate injury derailed his campaign. That said, he came back down the
stretch and pitched well at USA Collegiate National Team training camp in June
and July.
McPherson’s game is built around power. He has a
workhorse frame with abundant strength, and he brings solid athleticism on the
mound with uptempo mechanics. McPherson’s fastball is strong, sitting in the
mid-90s with considerable life through the zone. He’ll add and subtract
horizontal action, but one thing stays constant: he has impressive carry and
ride due to backspin created at release. McPherson has no issue commanding the
baseball on the top rail, and he’ll bully the opposition in that manner.
To pair with the heater, McPherson has a plus kick-change
that he sells extremely well. Sitting in the upper-80s, it’s an extremely
low-spin offering with tunneling traits, confidence, and shape manipulation.
It’s a true out pitch, boasting a 49% whiff and 40% chase rate in 2026.
McPherson wraps up his arsenal with two power breaking balls: a potent
upper-80s cutter/slider hybrid and a mid-80s downer curveball. Both offerings
have above-average upside, landing them for strikes and getting whiffs below the
zone.
A strike-thrower through and through, McPherson projects
as a starter at the next level, and a darn good one at that.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Curveball:
55 | Change: 60 | Command: 50
FOR THE REST OF JUST BASEBALL’S TOP 50 LIST - https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb-draft/mlb-draft-top-college-prospects/
