2026 High School Draft Top 200

Emerson is what they look like. Offensively, it's pretty loud tools. Setup from a wide base, Emerson displays strong balance and rhythm in a simple swing with solid bat speed on the back end. Emerson's swing can get steep at times, but his attack angle allows him to cover and ambush pitches at the bottom of the zone better than most of his peers. The composure and mature nature in the box stands out. Emerson isn't jumpy or anxious. He sees the ball and reacts. It's power to the pull-side and a hit tool that stands out against upper-level competition. Emerson doesn't strike out, though he hardly chases walks either. The total product offensively has considerable upside with impact ceiling at the next level.

Emerson's contact quality can be streaky in tournament and showcase settings. There are times he'll look like a barrel magnet who simply cannot get out. Other times he'll roll over on breaking balls at a higher clip than you'd like with a general lack of slug on the baseball card. Emerson is still growing and maturing into what his eventual swing will look like. His bat-to-ball skills and bat speed stand out. He's as good a bet as anyone in the class to blossom into a complete hitter.

Emerson is an above average runner with long strides and an athletic gait who should hold his speed as he ages. It's already a reasonably physical frame for his age, so he may ultimately settle in a solid average runner. In any case, he certainly won't be any sort of liability on the base paths and will likely add value in that department in some capacity as well. Emerson has an above average throwing arm with whippy action and carry across the dirt. It'll serve him well as he figures to stay on the left side of the infield. The glove projects above average at shortstop and potentially plus at third base. He's also been up to 90 mph on the mound. Emerson checks just about every box scouts look for in a player at this stage assuming the slug will come. There may not be an exceptionally loud tool on the report, but Emerson has the potential for five legitimate tools. Perhaps it's something of a Chase Headley outcome. He will be 18.5 years old on draft day.

When Jacob Lombard's older brother George was drafted in the first round by the New York Yankees in 2023, the bar was set. Three years later, Jacob has a chance to one-up his older brother. And likely will.

The tools here have a chance to be era-defining.

Lombard deploys an athletic, rhythmic setup at the plate with quick hands and a compact, short path through the zone. He has present power with big exit velocities to all fields and has been known to inside-out the ball into the right-center field gap with authority. This is a player who could grow into 70-grade raw power all whilst manning a premium infield position.

Lombard's hit tool has continuously improved year over year. It's become one of the most advanced and polished swings in the class. He hardly ever expands the zone. It's big and loud and often in the air to the pull-side. The components are there for Lombard to become one of the more impressive slugging prospects any draft has seen over the last handful of years. There's physicality and projection in the offensive profile. Superstar traits.

Lombard has become more physical over the past calendar year but it's hardly cost him a step on the dirt. He's a 70-grade runner with fluid and quick-twitch actions necessary to play shortstop as a pro. The arm strength is probably the tool lacking the most impact, but it's still squarely average and is on pace to fit the shortstop position as he matures. If it never comes, Lombard could still develop into an extremely potent centerfielder or third base profile. His instincts, actions, internal clock and hands are all befitting of a future '6' in the big leagues.

Lombard with his pedigree and bloodlines are on a short list of players with franchise-altering ceiling. He brings back shades of Manny Machado.

Kevin Roberts Jr. is a physical two-way specimen with some of the most powerful upside of anybody in the 2026 class. It's an ultra-long 6-foot-6-inch frame featuring a high waist and lean, lanky strength spread throughout. Roberts has broad shoulders and a strong lower half that point toward further strength on the way. Scouts are split on where his highest ceiling lays. On the mound he's been up to 96 mph with loose, whippy arm strength and good balance for a pitcher his age. He'll flip in a budding breaking ball with solid depth as well. There's a fringier changeup that has been a point of emphasis in his development for the last year.

All that being said, the offensive tools may be simply too loud to take the bat out of his hands.

Unlike many of the tall, physical towering high school bats before him, Roberts can really, really hit. He's feel for the strike zone and his ability to put the fat part of the bat on the ball, despite his levers, is exemplary. Roberts ran a 15 percent chase rate throughout the summer of 2024. That was complimented by an 11 percent whiff rate and a 9 percent whiff rate on swings inside the zone. The kid can really hit. Roberts sinks and drifts into his back hip, leveraging the ground well to create power. And it's already arrived. His .636 slug and.272 ISO as a high school sophomore across showcase and top-tier tournaments are evidence of the impact Roberts brings to the dish. So long as these tools and traits continue to translate as the level of competition continues to improve, there's no reason to think he can't eventually be labeled the top high school bat in the country.

In the field, it's plus arm strength with solid average, likely destined for right field where he projects at least a solid average defender. There's something of a Jorge Soler profile here. A two-sport star, Roberts excels on the basketball court as well. He'll turn 18 years old right around the day of the draft. Models should push his profile up the board provided he continues on the positive linear ascent scouts have seen to this point.

Spangler certainly looks the part. A 6-foot-4-inch infielder with long limbs and a high waist, Spanger presents a ton of physical projection, present maturity and strength, especially compared to his peers at this stage. He's got a sweet left-handed swing featuring plenty of bat speed and pull-side loft. There's a whole lot more in the tank on the way. Despite his longer levers and still-maturing frame, Spanger's ability to keep the hands tight and make compact turns on pitches all over the zone stands out. He's a controlled hitter who doesn't try to out-swing his frame. It's an even, wide base with a quiet load and simple swing that projects to hit going forward. This is a kid who could hit for both average and power.

The numbers support the narrative. Spangler saw some of the best pitching anyone in this class over the last two years. He saw bigger velocity on a consistent basis than just about anyone. He still raked. A sub-15 percent chase rate combined with a 14 percent whiff rate and 7 percent whiff rate on swings inside the strike zone point to a distinguished hitter. While the slug is yet to materialize in his in-game production, few question he'll eventually get there. It may not be his carrying tool, but Spangler should have no issue getting to 20-homer output at some point. Spangler is going to hit and he's likely going to slug. He'll just need to develop the ability to get the ball in the air more frequently.

Defensively, Spangler works low to the ground and rounds through the ball well. He possesses average arm strength and should be able to handle third base if he outgrows the shortstop position. It's quiet, confident actions with soft hands on balls hit right at him. His internal clock and tempo on the dirt stand out. Just a lot of polish here with physical impact upside on the way. Spangler is committed to Stanford, a school notoriously difficult to pay players away from. He will be 18.9 years old on draft day.

Rojas is a lanky, long, left-handed pitcher with projection ahead of his frame both in terms of mass and strength. He has wider shoulders and a leaner midsection, two traits scouts like to see in younger pitching prospects. Rojas is a tough look for hitters with a wider approach angle and a lower slot. It's loose with very low effort and three pitches, free and easy.

Rojas blossomed over the last calendar year adding several ticks to his arsenal including a fastball that has brushed 98. He's mostly 92-95 but there's life and deception on his heater that allow it to play up. Rojas launches from a lower slot and absolutely blows hitters up at the top of the zone with the pitch. It's a high-spin offering with considerable arm-side run and he'll occasionally stay behind it to hold vertical action.

Rojas' changeup is probably his best pitch as he really sells it and tumbles it off the fastball tunnel late with some parachute. There's also a upper-70s breaking ball that could ultimately end up his best weapon with top-tier spin rates and feel for shape. It's been a continuous up arrow next to his name. He's absolutely mauled the opposition this spring. He will be 19 years old on draft day.