5 High-School Stars to Know at the Top of the 2026 MLB Draft

[Jamie Cameron]

Image courtesy of © Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It's still about eight months away, but it's time to highlight some prep names at the top of the draft board for 2026. While the obvious caveats all apply here—we have a whole season between now and the draft, so plenty can change—I like this prep group quite a bit. With the caveat that many of them had uneven summers, this looks like the best high-school class since 2023. I’d argue Grady Emerson is currently the clear number one in this cluster. After him, you can make an argument for several different prospects as the next-best in that young crop.

Because there is so much flux in a typical prep class between winter and draft day, I’m only offering up a few names here. There will likely be players who vault themselves into consideration at the top of the board and some who fall off, so think of this more as an indicator of the caliber of talent than as the definitive top five names on the board. I’ve listed prospects alphabetically by last name. 

For each prospect, you’ll find their name, primary position, school, hitting and throwing hands, and their age on draft day 2026. 

Carson Boleman, LHP, Southdale Christian HS, SC, R/L, 19
Boleman is a lefty out of South Carolina who stands out for his size, present stuff and (most of all) polish. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 210 pounds, Boleman has a repeatable operation from a three-quarter slot. His fastball has been up to 97 mph, but typically sits in the low 90s. What’s impressive is his ability to spot it anywhere in the zone. Boleman has similarly impressive command of two breaking pitches—a slower curveball and a sharp slider—with a changeup in the mix, too. A Wake Forest commit, Boleman has a track record of outstanding performance wherever he pitches, including with the 18U USA National Team in 2025.

Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS, TX, L/R, 18
Emerson has been a famous prospect since the age of 15. The University of Texas commit is the clear number two in this class overall, behind Roch Cholowsky of UCLA. It’s a Bobby Witt Jr. Lite kind of package, with less power currently. Emerson is a pure hitter, with a simple, adjustable swing. He doesn’t swing and miss much or expand the zone, so there’s high on-base value. There’s plenty of bat speed to suggest that more power is on the way. He’s a plus athlete and runner who defends well and should have a chance to stick at shortstop at the next level. He’s the best prep prospect in the class.

Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS, FL, R/R, 18
Jacob is the younger brother of George Lombard Jr., who was selected by the Yankees in a loaded 2023 class and is coming off a terrific 2025 season. Lombard the younger is one of the most tooled-up prospects in the 2026 class. He’s an explosive athlete, with plus power and speed. He offers strong defense at shortstop, with smooth actions and plenty of arm strength. Lombard is a more volatile prospect than other prep bats at the top of the class. He exhibited plenty of swing-and-miss on the summer circuit, particularly against breaking stuff. If he can iron out the hit tool inconsistencies, though, he might have the highest ceiling of any prep bat in the class. It’s a high-risk, high-reward play for a drafting organization.

Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle HS, CA, L/R, 18
Spangler is a Stanford commit who checks a lot of the same boxes as Emerson. A tall, wiry prospect (6-foot-3, 195 pounds), Spangler is a hit-over-power profile currently, with traits that point to more power on the way. It’s a direct swing that’s relatively short to the ball, despite his long limbs. Spangler has a knack for finding the barrel, which—combined with a good approach at the plate—gives his offensive profile a high floor. Defensively, the actions are sound. He moves laterally well and has a strong arm. Spangler is an above-average runner who may eventually find a more suitable home at third base, depending on how he develops physically and how his quickness holds up as his body fills out.

Gio Rojas, LHP, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS, FL, R/L, 19
Rojas is likely to be one of the first arms off the board next July. It’s an easy operation with incredible arm speed from a great frame for pitching (6-foot-4, 190 pounds). Rojas’s fastball sits 94-96 mph, but has been up to 98 mph with more in the tank. The best secondary pitch is his slider, a sweeping nightmare of a pitch that generates up to 2,800 RPM of spin. There’s a changeup, too, but the fastball/slider combination is Rojas’s bread and butter. Rojas has a reputation as an excellent strike thrower. He's committed to Miami.

View full article

[Cory Engelhardt]

Awesome as always Jamie! Thank you!

Do you see a scenario where the Twins get the #1 pick and do not take Cholowsky? Or do you see a scenario where they get the #2 pick and Cholowsky is gone and they don't pick Emerson? I guess to me that's the way it is shaping up right now. The pitchers you listed certainly are interesting to me too. I don't love hearing of preps that have swing and miss in their game this high, but exciting to dream on everyone here in different ways.

[Jamie Cameron]

25 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Awesome as always Jamie! Thank you!

Do you see a scenario where the Twins get the #1 pick and do not take Cholowsky? Or do you see a scenario where they get the #2 pick and Cholowsky is gone and they don't pick Emerson? I guess to me that's the way it is shaping up right now. The pitchers you listed certainly are interesting to me too. I don't love hearing of preps that have swing and miss in their game this high, but exciting to dream on everyone here in different ways.

Hard to say as we're so far out and anything can happen, but it's a clear number one and number two overall for me at this stage. Gotta throw some interesting college pitchers in the mix, so one more installment to go then time to focus on the lottery.

[Dman]

I had Cholowsky and Emerson as 1 and 2 as well. The thing is we don't know where the Twins will pick just yet and I have this feeling it won't be at number one or two, but we'll see.  

Not sure that I'd be up for a prep arm this high in the draft.  Twins need elite hitters in the worst way and finding an up the middle player would be best as once you move down in the draft it's hard to find those types of players as they are the first to go.  If the Twins fell out of the top 5 I could see them going arm but more likely college arm

We'll see how Lombard looks this year but betting on guys with swing and miss issues this high in the draft is not really appealing to me.  Can't afford to miss if top 5.  It's a deep draft which means getting that first pick right is going to be really important.

[Mike Sixel]

Just say no to HS pitchers early in the draft. The track record over decades is just not good. 

edit to add: Great writeups as always. Thank you.

[rdehring]

Interesting, thanks Jamie.  A lot will depend on where the Twins draft.  When is the lottery?

Of the opinion that the Twins need a ton of help and soon.  So my first thought is that they take a great college player rather than a high school kid.  Also doesn't help that I continue to be reminded of their recent high school picks that haven't set the world on fire.  You know, Cavaco, that high school pitcher from Texas who was a big time quarterback, that tall California lefty, and others.  Remain hopeful that Lewis turns it around this summer before moving on as a free-agent and becoming an all-star for some other team.

Should the Twins take a high school kid who is the next Bobby Witt, he could/should be playing by 2028.  That could be the same time as a college player should there be no or little baseball in 2027.

[farmerguychris]

I'll be honest - I generally get pretty interested and excited when reading about potential draft picks when we know we're likely to get a high pick.  But with all the uncertainty about having a rosy future for our team - is anyone else kind of disengaged or not feeling a real passion for the team in regards to this stuff yet?

[DocBauer]

Thanks Jamie! Between the podcasts and articles like this, it really helps to get to know these players so far ahead of time.

But as you pointed out, we're still a LONG way from the next draft and a lot of things can and will change between now and then. As I recall, Skenes was a later 1st round option before his breakout year at LSU.

Being the greedy fan that I am, of course I'd love Lady Luck being on our side and we win the #1 spot. But based on early expectations of talent available, and knowing how most drafts work, anywhere in the top 3 could provide a tremendous option.

[Pdub]

I don’t follow the MLB draft super closely. Is it unusual for the prep pitchers to both already be 19? I assume both repeated a grade for sports reasons. A should be college freshman has to be dominating HS 16-18yo batters. 

[Jamie Cameron]

5 hours ago, rdehring said:

Interesting, thanks Jamie.  A lot will depend on where the Twins draft.  When is the lottery?

Of the opinion that the Twins need a ton of help and soon.  So my first thought is that they take a great college player rather than a high school kid.  Also doesn't help that I continue to be reminded of their recent high school picks that haven't set the world on fire.  You know, Cavaco, that high school pitcher from Texas who was a big time quarterback, that tall California lefty, and others.  Remain hopeful that Lewis turns it around this summer before moving on as a free-agent and becoming an all-star for some other team.

Should the Twins take a high school kid who is the next Bobby Witt, he could/should be playing by 2028.  That could be the same time as a college player should there be no or little baseball in 2027.

Lottery is coming up, December 9th! Twins keep a T3 pick in ~60% of the simulations I've done so far (500).

[Jamie Cameron]

3 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

I'll be honest - I generally get pretty interested and excited when reading about potential draft picks when we know we're likely to get a high pick.  But with all the uncertainty about having a rosy future for our team - is anyone else kind of disengaged or not feeling a real passion for the team in regards to this stuff yet?

Totally get this feeling. I feel pretty disengaged from the big league team currently. The potential high pick is what's keeping me going, hence the earlier than usual content pre-lottery.

[Jamie Cameron]

12 minutes ago, Pdub said:

I don’t follow the MLB draft super closely. Is it unusual for the prep pitchers to both already be 19? I assume both repeated a grade for sports reasons. A should be college freshman has to be dominating HS 16-18yo batters. 

There's always a cluster of older prep guys. Different teams tend to care more or less about the age factor. Twins tend to value younger guys, but certainly not a disqualifier. I'd be pretty shocked if they took a prep arm with a T3 pick, though.

[DocBauer]

5 minutes ago, Jamie Cameron said:

Lottery is coming up, December 9th! Twins keep a T3 pick in ~60% of the simulations I've done so far (500).

Run another 250 or 500, or whatever, and STOP when we have the #1 or #2 pick?

We need Kharma!!

😃

[tony&rodney]

Thank you. Great write ups and it is always good to read these briefs.

[DocBauer]

19 minutes ago, Jamie Cameron said:

Totally get this feeling. I feel pretty disengaged from the big league team currently. The potential high pick is what's keeping me going, hence the earlier than usual content pre-lottery.

I'm with you. While always a deep follower of the MILB system, I'm almost to the point on putting my focus there for 2026 more than ever.

The problem is, we also probably get to see 5 or maybe even 6 of the Twins best prospects debuting sometime in 2026. Added insult to injury, I've been a fan for over 50yrs as a recently turned 60yo. So I'm kind of screwed when it comes to apathy in regard to the ML team.

[Trov]

I personally am not a fan of HS arms early off the board.  They are too hard to project long term.  Sure there are some success stories but there are a ton of busts with them too. Unless they are facing a ton of top talent at showcases and doing well, they normally just overpower weak comp and make them look better overall. 

[tony&rodney]

On 11/5/2025 at 6:45 PM, DocBauer said:

I've been a fan for over 50yrs as a recently turned 60yo.

Hang in there young fella. Seems you missed the Glory Days of Twins baseball (1961-1970), but hope is always our friend and good times could be a short couple of years away.

A #1-1 pick next summer could be the catalyst to good fortune and an early debut (2027) of that player could align with the successful rise of several other prospects to renew our spirits.