Hudson Brown chose Kentucky over intriguing MLB Draft projection

Hudson Brown was a major factor for Kentucky baseball in 2026. The first baseman could become a big-time college baseball star in 2027. The big-time talent is coming back to Lexington for year four despite having a potential terrific opportunity in the 2026 MLB Draft.

The Mississippi native officially announced his intentions to return to Kentucky for his redshirt junior season on June 6. Less than one week later, this move has gone official. Over-Slot’s Joe Doyle reports that the move by Brown is final and that the Kentucky starter turned down an opportunity to go off the board in the fourth or fifth round.

Paperwork is done. Kentucky first baseman Hudson Brown has officially removed his name from the 2026 Draft.

Brown was expected to go in the fourth or fifth round. https://t.co/tX0BMx68iy

— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) June 12, 2026

How big of a deal is this? Only Evan White (1st Round | 2017), Riley Mahan (3rd Round | 2017), Sean Hjelle (2nd Round | 2018), Tristan Pompey (3rd Round | 2018), Kole Cottam (4th Round | 2018), Zack Thompson (1st Round | 2019), John Rhodes (3rd Round | 2021), Ryan Ritter (4th Round | 2022), Ryan Waldschmidt (1st Round | 2024), and Emilien Pitre (2nd Round | 2024) have been drafted in the fifth round or higher during the Nick Mingione era. White, Hjelle, Thompson, Ritter, and Waldschmidt all reached the big leagues. If a player is projected in this range, they typically enter the draft and have a very good chance to reach Major League Baseball. Brown is turning down this opportunity for one more year at Kentucky to potentially develop into an even higher draft pick.

The Southaven (Miss.) Northpoint Christian product slashed .333/.475/.553 with 12 doubles, seven home runs, 39 RBI, and 44 free passes across 200 plate appearances this season. Those numbers would’ve been much better if not for a 12-game absence due to mono that included three SEC series and two games against Louisville. After his return to the lineup, Brown found the power button. The left-handed bat was 12-44 (.273) with five home runs and 11 RBI over the final 13 games of the season. That slugging could become very valuable for Kentucky baseball in 2027.

The 2026 MLB Draft will take place from July 11-12. One of Kentucky’s highest-ranked prospects will not come off the board after opting in for another season of college baseball.