2026 MLB Draft: MLB Pipeline unveils early rankings of top 100 prospects

Before we know it, college baseball will be back. Opening day is set for Friday, February 13 across the country, which means we’re right around two months away. Before the sport begins to ramp back up, MLB Pipeline has released its initial rankings of the top 100 prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft.

At this point, the class seems to feel shortstop-heavy at the top. Each of the top four players in MLB Pipeline’s rankings play shortstop, with two from the college ranks and two from high school.

Pipeline’s rankings definitely lean towards hitters, with 60 of their top 100 2026 MLB Draft prospects being bats. 33 of those hitters come from the college ranks, with the other 27 from high school. On the pitching side, there are 22 arms ranked from college and 18 from high school.

The 2026 MLB Draft will take place in Philadelphia from July 11-13 as part of MLB All-Star Week. This year, the draft will begin on a Saturday for the first time since it moved to All-Star weekend back in 2021.

1. UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky

At this point, Rock Cholowsky appears to be the consensus top prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft. The UCLA shortstop started his collegiate career in 2024, hitting .308 with eight home runs and 33 RBI. In 2025, he broke out by hitting .353 with 23 home runs, 74 RBI, 1.190 OPS with 45 walks compared to just 30 strikeouts.

Speed is about the only thing missing in Cholowsky’s game, but he makes up for it in almost every area. The former high school quarterback will solidify himself as the top pick if he carries over his success from 2025 into 2026.

2. Fort Worth Christian HS (TX) SS Grady Emerson (Texas commit)

In a class full with quality shortstops at the top, Grady Emerson might be the top prep option. He’s viewed as an extremely smart player at the plate, and brings good bat skills and power in the box.

The strong-armed shortstop is also a strong defender, bolstering his draft profile. He is committed to play at Texas in college, if he doesn’t ultimately go pro.

3. Alabama SS Justin Lebron

At times, Justin Lebron has been seen as the potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft class. While Cholowsky has leaped him for now, Lebron is an incredible prospect himself. He hit .338 with 12 home runs as a freshman at Alabama in 2024.

Last season, LeBron hit .316 but had 18 home runs and 72 RBI with a 1.058 OPS. He did strike out 68 times compared to 35 walks, though, and he stole 17 bases. If he can cut down on his discipline at the plate, he’ll stay in contention to be a top pick.

4. Gulliver Prep HS (FL) SS Jacob Lombard (Miami commit)

The younger brother of Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr., Jacob Lombard is on track to be a first-round pick himself out of Gulliver Prep. He brings a ton of power from the right side at the plate, though he has some swing and miss in his game.

Standing at 6’3, Lombard is an incredible athlete that should stick at shortstop long-term. All in all, he profiles as one of the most intriguing players in the 2026 MLB Draft.

5. Georgia Tech OF Drew Burress

After his freshman season in 2024, Drew Burress was immediately on the MLB radar after hitting .381 with 25 home runs and 67 RBI. In 2025, he was down to .333, but still had 19 home runs and 62 RBI with a 1.162 OPS.

Burress has drawn 111 walks in his college career compared to 79 strikeouts. He also brings a career 1.246 OPS, and is a strong candidate to be the first outfielder taken on draft day.

6. LSU OF Derek Curiel

Derek Curiel is a draft-eligible sophomore, and he likely won’t be waiting long before his name is called. As a freshman at LSU in 2025, he hit .345 with seven homers and 55 RBI.

While Curiel played mostly left field in 2025, he also played some in center and could further bolster his draft profile if he moves there full-time. He’s not a power hitter, but Curiel brings a ton of upside in nearly every facet of his game.

7. Southside Christian HS (SC) LHP Carson Bolemon (Wake Forest commit)

The first prep pitcher in Pipeline’s 2026 MLB Draft rankings, Carson Bolemon certainly looks the part. He didn’t allow an earned run across 42.1 innings as a junior, striking out 101 batters along the way. He went on to toss a 19-strikeout no-hitter to lead Southside Christian to a state 3-A champoinship in South Carolina.

Bolemon is committed to play college ball at Wake Forest. His fastball sits 91-94 and has reached up to 96, with three offspeed pitches in his arsenal, too.

8. Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) LHP Gio Rojas (Miami commit)

Another high school arm, Gio Rojas looks like a top prospect in the 2026 class as well. His fastball can reach up to 98, with a great slider and a changeup in his arsenal as well.

A Miami commit, Rojas has a chance to be the top pitcher taken in the 2026 draft. He is very likely to be a first-round pick, and with another season of development, could end up here in the top ten.

9. Coastal Carolina RHP Cameron Flukey

As a freshman in 2024, Cameron Flukey’s numbers didn’t blow you away at Coastal Carolina. He pitched to a 5.73 ERA across 55 innings with a 1.40 WHIP, and impressed with 83 strikeouts to 27 walks.

He showed that the potential was there, and in 2025, he blossomed into one of college baseball’s most dominant pitchers. As part of Coastal Carolina’s run to the College World Series, finishing as runner-up to LSU. Flukey shined on the big stage, tossing 101.2 innings on the year with a 3.19 ERA, 1.003 WHIP, and 118 strikeouts to 24 walks.

10. TCU OF Sawyer Strosnider

Another draft-eligible sophomore, TCU’s Sawyer Strosnider shined as a freshman in 2025. He hit .350 with 11 homers and 51 RBI and a 1.07o OPS.

Strosnider split time between the outfield and designated hitter last season, mostly standing in right field when he was out there. As a freshman, he became the sixth Division I player in 25 years to hit double digits in home runs, triples, doubles and steals in the same season.

2026 MLB Draft: Pipeline’s 11-100

11. De La Salle HS (CA) SS Tyler Spangler (Stanford commit)
12. Georgia Tech C Vahn Lackey
13. Florida RHP Liam Peterson
14. UC Santa Barbara RHP Jackson Flora
15. Virginia OF A.J. Gracia
16. Texas A&M SS Chris Hacopian
17. Ganesha HS (CA) LHP Logan Schmidt (LSU commit)
18. Mississippi State 3B Ace Reese
19. Oxford HS (AL) SS Rocco Maniscalco (Mississippi State commit)
20. Texas A&M OF Caden Sorrell
21. Virginia SS Eric Becker
22. Kentucky SS Tyler Bell
23. South Walton HS (FL) RHP Coleman Borthwick (Auburn commit)
24. Arkansas RHP Gabe Gaeckle
25. Auburn 2B Chris Rembert
26. Texas A&M 3B Gavin Grahovac
27. Louisville OF Zion Rose
28. Oak Grove HS (MS) OF Eric Booth Jr. (Vanderbilt commit)
29. Arkansas C Ryder Helfrick
30. Kingsburg HS (CA) RHP Jensen Hirschkorn (LSU commit)
31. Christian Brothers HS (TN) C Will Brick (Mississippi State commit)
32. Etowah HS (GA) OF Trevor Condon (Tennessee commit)
33. JSerra HS (CA) OF Blake Bowen (Oregon State commit)
34. Trinity Christian HS (FL) OF Brady Harris (Florida commit)
35. Georgia Tech 2B Jarren Advincula
36. The Stony Brook HS (NY) SS Aiden Ruiz (Vanderbilt commit)
37. Jesuit HS (FL) RHP Kaden Waechter (Florida State commit)
38. Arkansas LHP Hunter Dietz
39. Arizona State LHP Cole Carlon
40. Missouri State OF Caden Bogenpohl
41. Mill Valley HS (KS) 3B Beau Peterson (Texas commit)
42. Nazareth Academy HS (IL) 2B/3B Landon Thome (Florida State commit)
43. Tennessee RHP Tegan Kuhns
44. TCU OF Chase Brunson
45. Texas A&M LHP Shane Sdao
46. Houston OF Tre Broussard
47. Blessed Trinity HS (GA) RHP Joseph Contreras (Vanderbilt commit)
48. Grapevine HS (TX) OF Jorvorskie Lane Jr. (Arkansas commit)
49. Oregon SS Maddox Molony
50. South Walton HS (FL) RHP Denton Lord (Mississippi State)
51. Prestonwood Christian HS (TX) RHP Savion Sims (Oklahoma commit)
52. St. John Bosco HS (CA) SS James Clark (Princeton commit)
53. St. Ignatius HS (CA) SS Archer Horn (Stanford commit)
54. Cathedral Prep HS (PA) C Andrew Costello (Wake Forest commit)
55. LSU OF Jake Brown
56. Texas Tech OF Logan Hughes
57. Glenbrook North HS (IL) SS Ethan Bass (Wake Forest commit)
58. Keller HS (TX) SS/RHP Cole Koeninger (Tennessee commit)
59. Tennessee OF Henry Ford
60. Kansas 1B Brady Ballinger
61. North Carolina RHP Ryan Lynch
62. TCU RHP Tommy LaPour
63. South Carolina LHP Jake McCoy
64. Anderson HS (TX) SS/3B Connor Comeau (Texas A&M commit)
65. Citizens Christian HS (GA) RHP Blake Bryant (Clemson commit)
66. Florida State LHP Trey Beard
67. Oregon State LHP Ethan Kleinschmit
68. Georgia RHP Joey Volchko
69. Miami 3B Daniel Cuvet
70. St. Anne’s-Belfield HS (VA) SS Will Yow (Virginia commit)
71. First Presbyterian HS (GA) SS Keon Johnson (Vanderbilt commit)
72. East Carolina LHP Ethan Norby
73. Clemson RHP Aidan Knaak
74. Seattle Academy HS (WA) RHP Eli Herst (Vanderbilt commit)
75. Orange Lutheran HS (CA) RHP Cooper Sides (LSU commit)
76. Wake Forest 1B Kade Lewis
77. Terry Fox HS (BC) LHP Sean Duncan (Vanderbilt commit)
78. Ole Miss RHP Cade Townsend
79. The Colony HS (TX) RHP Trey Rangel (Texas commit)
80. Orange Lutheran HS (CA) RHP Gary Morse (Tennessee commit)
81. Arizona RHP Owen Kramkowski
82. Greenwich Country Day HS (CT) RHP Bryce Hill (Stanford commit)
83. La Cueva HS (NM) RHP Dylan Blomker (LSU commit)
84. Louisville OF Lucas Moore
85. Parkview HS (GA) OF Malachi Washington (LSU commit)
86. Jackson Prep HS (MS) OF Kevin Roberts Jr. (Florida commit)
87. Arkansas RHP Carson Wiggins
88. Wake Forest RHP Blake Morningstar
89. North Carolina RHP Jason DeCaro
90. USC LHP Mason Edwards
91. UCF OF Andrew Williamson
92. Faith Lutheran HS (NV) SS Rookie Shepard (Miami commit)
93. Corona HS (CA) OF Anthony Murphy (LSU commit)
94. North Carolina 3B Gavin Gallaher
95. UCLA 1B Mulivai Levu
96. Florida State 1B Myles Bailey
97. Magnolia Heights HS (MS) 3B Cole Prosek (Ole Miss commit)
98. Aledo HS (TX) LHP Lucas Nawrocki (LSU commit)
99. St. Joseph HS (WI) 1B Dominic Santarelli (LSU commit)
100. UC Irvine LHP Ricky Ojeda