2026 College Draft

In a very deep prep shortstop class in 2023, Cholowsky stood out as having some of the highest projectability in the class with supremely impressive talent on the defensive end. His continued physical development hasn't cost him a step. Cholowsky is an above average runner with fantastic first-step quickness on the dirt. His lateral range is among the best in the class and he's got the ability to make every throw from every angle with plus arm strength and athleticism to burn. Cholowsky has all the traits of a future plus defender at the shortstop position.

Cholowsky's physical transformation at UCLA has helped kick his offensive tools into an entirely new gear. What was once hitterish in the box is now far more impactful with more on the way. Cholowsky's exit velocities have peaked north of 112 mph and his barrel rate towers over most of his middle-infield peers. Cholowsky's plus raw power projection has the chance to output 25-homer campaigns as a professional. There are very few holes in this swing. He's had a hard time getting the barrel to premium elevated velocity, primarily in on his hands. Velocity above the zone is just about the only area Cholowsky has shown a willingness to chase outside of the zone. As his game continues to evolve and his understanding of how pitchers are trying to attack him continues to mature, Cholowsky has a chance to age into a complete hitter.

Cholowsky grew up in a baseball family. His dad has been a scout for most of his life and it's made assimilating to the game and it's demands comfortable for Cholowsky. There's a case to be made that Cholowsky is the most complete draft-eligible college shortstop prospect since Dansby Swanson in 2015.

Following two award-winning banner campaigns at Duke, Gracia followed his head coach, Chris Pollard, from Durham to Charlottesville for his 2026 draft-eligible campaign.

Gracia is a slugging corner outfielder with very present over-the-fence power and a highly-advanced understanding for how to backspin a baseball. He's a flyball specialist. It's well-above average bat--to-ball skills both inside the zone and outside of it, a particularly rare trait for players with his longer frame and levers.

From a raw power perspective, Gracia actually took a small step backwards as a sophomore after flashing plus bat speed during his freshman year. All of his exit velocity metrics backtracked in 2025, flashing just average raw power. He lost two mph on his peak exit velocity and also saw his barrel rate drop slightly. It's still a frame built for big damage and most scouts expect he'll tap back into the juice he showed as a freshman going forward.

Perhaps the best way for Gracia to improve his damage output and impact at the plate going forward would be to get more aggressive at the plate. He has consistently run lower than average swing rates and has a tendency to let the pitcher dictate the pace of an at-bat. That's gotten Gracia into pitchers' counts too often, forcing him to put borderline pitches in play late in counts instead of ambushing the cookie he may have received two pitches prior. Given his bat-to-ball metrics, ambushing pitches early in counts shouldn't hurt his ability to create more production. Gracia owns extremely low whiff rates regardless of the pitch location. In-zone, out-of-zone, spin, velocity, it doesn't really matter, Gracia's barrel can cover just about everything with the exception of velocity up and in on his hands, but that's to be expected from a player of his size with his levers. Taking a more aggressive approach to the plate and getting off more early-count A-Swings could help his offensive game jump back into Golden Spikes territory.

Gracia checks a lot of the conventional boxes scouts want to see. It's a long, athletic body and longer levers that should add muscle and strength as he continues to mature. He's a solid average runner with a fringe-average arm strength in a corner. Gracia has a chance to develop into a 30-homer left fielder and a guy who routinely runs high on-base rates at the next level.

Bell was a second round pick by the Rays in the 2024 Draft, but went unsigned and ended up in the SEC where his bat has flashed the upside folks have long felt it possessed. He's a masher. Bell peaked as a freshman with an exit velocity of 111 mph. He averaged 90 mph and lifted the ball in the air to his pullside 35 percent of the time. It was a 15 percent in-zone whiff rate and a chase rate near 23 percent. He could be had with advanced breaking balls at or just below the bottom of the zone, but that's hardly a surprise for a player being exposed to college pitching for the first time. Above average bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the plate compliment his innate feel for providing impact and punch in the box.

Bell has changed physically and mechanically on campus. He's demonstrating looseness in his hands from the left side with loft built into his swing. He’s eliminated the barrel tip that would cause swing and miss, as well as timing issues in high school. He's also widened his stance and is leveraging his back-hip with far more authority, turning harder on the baseball.

The physicality has really ticked up over the last calendar year with added strength and mass, particularly in his lower half. His profile is buoyed by strong defensive actions, above average arm strength and a mature IQ on the field that should help stay at the shortstop position at the next level. Bell has the ability to throw from multiple angles. He's got quick, precise footwork with strong fundamentals. Bell can be a frenetic defender at times with a still-developing internal clock. Still, the components are present and he's got a good chance at developing into at least an above average defender.

Bell's impressive resume landed him an opportunity with Team USA's Collegiate National Team after just one year in college baseball, a rare honor. He will be a draft-eligible sophomore.

Big time favorite of Georgia area guys due to an advanced feel for hitting, as well as finding the barrel, Burress is one of the more beloved recruits in Georgia Tech history. Explosive hips and big bat speed help Burress generate power well beyond what you might expect from a smaller frame. His exit velocities have approached 111 mph with at least above average raw power projection on the horizon. Burress has some drift in his swing and inconsistencies in terms of direction depending on where the pitch is. It's an operation that has allowed him to absolutely hammer anything at the top of the zone, however softer stuff at the bottom of the zone or below the zone can nullify some of his impact at the plate. He'll step in the bucket at times to sell out to his pull-side. It's an oddity, but Burress has been the most impactful player in the 2026 class across two seasons and it isn't terribly close. The raw power is legit and so are the tools. Until the quirks in his swing prove to be an issue, there's little reason to question his operation.

Burress is athletic and runs well and has plenty of arm for center field. It's possible he's forced to left field if there's a more dynamic defender holding down the '8' in his organization as a pro. His solid-average speed also plays on the bases, however he's not inherently a base-stealer. He's still focusing on developing the little things necessary to become a stolen base artist.

Burress' size will undoubtedly be a talking point as the draft approaches. That said, all he's done is perform. There have been very few hiccups along the way. At some point, the baseball card and under-the-hood metrics should supercede a player's physical stature.

Flukey is a lean, high-waisted, long-levered righty with significant athleticism and arm-speed for a guy his size. Already touching 98 and sitting 94-96 deep into starts, Flukey should consistently throw really, really hard as he continues to develop.

The heater already projects a plus pitch going forward thanks to enormous carry through the zone. Flukey tends to throw his fastball to the glove-side rather than elevating it. As he grows more comfortable with commanding that pitch to the top of the zone, it's effectiveness should jump. Thus far, it's been effective getting hitters to expand outside of the zone, but not especially effective missing bats. For a guy with as much extension, velocity and induced vertical break as Flukey, the fastball should eventually be a much bigger weapon.

He'll mix in an above above curveball with a bit of hump, though it features absolutely massive depth, generally thrown 76-78 mph. Flukey throws the bender nearly 20 percent of the time. He'll happily steal strikes with it or bury it in the dirt to get whiffs. And he's gotten a ton of whiffs with it thus far. His command for that pitch stands out.

Flukey also throws a harder bullet slider in the mid-80s, though his command for that pitch is more average. It's got a high ceiling thanks to its depth and overall shape, however getting more value out of the fastball will unlock more upside for both breaking balls.

He'll mix in a changeup as well, though he doesn't have great feel for the pitch right now. The shapes he's able to produce with it however point toward plus upside with the cambio.

As Flukey adds weight and polish, his stuff should continue to pop. It's a remarkably athletic starting pitcher profile with limitless projection. The ceiling on an arm like Flukey is someone like Logan Gilbert.