Bayles has been on scouts' radars for several years. Baseball America labeled him one of college baseball's "most underrated draft prospects" entering the 2026 season after he steadily climbed from freshman reliever to Friday night ace at Santa Clara.

Bayles immediately contributed as a reliever at Santa Clara, collecting five saves and earning West Coast Conference All-Freshman honors before transitioning into the rotation. After earning Second Team All-WCC recognition in 2025, he became one of the conference's best starters this spring, posting a 2.54 ERA while holding opponents to a .185 batting average.

His calling card is a devastating high-spin slider. The low-80s breaking ball generated an incredible 50% whiff rate and is thrown even more frequently than his fastball. Sitting around 91 mph and touching 94, his fastball plays up because it tunnels effectively with the slider, although inconsistent command limits its effectiveness. If the Twins can clean up his delivery and improve his strike throwing, his plus slider gives him a chance to move quickly through the system.