2027 Draft - Top 100 College Prospects

When Oregon State learned that Dax Whitney was walking away from first round money in order to play ball in Corvallis, they had to have been overjoyed. He's had some of the best stuff in the country from the moment he stepped foot on campus. Finally draft-eligible once more, some believe he's one of the best pitching prospects the draft has seen in recent memory.

Whitney is a tremendous mover with a high leg kick through his wind up, a clean hand break and ultra-repeatable operation. He's a long, tall righty with projection remaining in his upper-half and an already sturdy, well-built lower half. He's got broad, squared-off shoulders and a high waist, two signs of a guy who figures to continue to add velocity as he matures. He extends well down the bump and lands consistently out in front with above-average extension and lower-half drive. He uses his legs quite well and generates considerable velocity because of it. Whitney is even keel and stoic in his craft. Never too high, never too low. He's not one to celebrate on the bump after a big strikeout and brings a workman-like attitude to his starts.

The only talking point surrounding Whitney will likely be his arm action. It is short, quick, compact and tight -- not prototypically fluid like most other arms. He hides the ball behind his ear throughout his delivery. Whitney's delivery is awfully similar to Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford.

Whitney has special fastball. Not only is it deceptive, his over-the-top delivery produces considerable carry through the zone with Tyler Glasnow-esque cutting action. It's a super-effective pitch at generating whiffs, aided by above average spin rates, up to 100 mph. Whitney's endurance and arm strength are awesome, holding 96-99 mph well into the later innings. It's a menacing weapon on the top rail, and Whitney commands it well. This is a 70-grade fastball enhanced further by plus command.

Whitney throws two breaking balls. His slider is hard and firm, thrown in the mid-to-upper 80s featuring above-average spin. It's touched 91 mph. It's something of an outlier, occassionally featuring lift and heavy lateral tilt resembling a hellish cutter. It's a nightmare for right-handed hitters focused on catching up with his velocity.

A bigger curveball mirrors his fastball brilliantly, thrown in the low-80s with considerable vertical tilt. He's added a bit more horizontal break these past two seasons in an effort to mimic his fastball and cutter/slider out of the hand. It's almost 20 mph lighter than his fastball and generates feeble swings and frozen hitters.

As if that three-pitch combo wasn't enough, there's also a changeup in the upper-80s bucket, with darting, diving life to the glove side. Whitney kills spin brilliantly and repeats his release point and extension unlike any other arm in the class. It lives on a pitch plot all on its own.

There is little question at this early stage that Whitney is the best pitching prospect in the 2027 class and perhaps the best prospect in the class regardless of position. He's a real threat to become the first pitcher selected No. 1 overall in almost a decade (Casey Mize, 2018).

Lawson is one of the more premium Canadian prospects to become available in recent draft classes. A 19th round pick by the Cardinals in 2024, Lawson elected to bet on himself and head to Gainesville. He's an extremely dangerous hitter with a smooth, controlled, violent left-handed swing featuring exceptional torque and ground force. Lawson has posted hard-hit rates that rival anyone in college baseball throughout his time on campus, however he is susceptible to swing and miss against breaking balls. Lawson presents organic loft in his swing and is already showcasing over-the-fence power.

Lawson's approach to hitting is exceptional. He keeps his chase rates in check and generally takes what the pitcher is willing to give him. He'll go the other way when they're pitching him soft low-and-away, but pitches left inside are deleted. Lawson grew up swinging wood bats in Canada and he’s played in the MLB Draft League and on the Cape with wood, too. There won't be any sort of adjustment period when switching to professional baseball. He has plus raw power as it stands now with exit velocities registering north of 114 mph. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he still has some room to grow into more.

He's got a premium, long, athletic bluechip frame that has tested his ability to stay at shortstop, but he's spent time all over the infield in Gainesville. He's continued to play a steady shortstop at Florida despite his size and added muscle, though he'll likely move to third base or centerfield as a professional. Lawson has grown into a plus run tool on campus that compliments above average arm strength. He's got a chance to be a five-tool player if his hit tool continues to blossom.

Rodriguez wasn't quite the physical specimen he is today in high school. In fact, Rodriguez tacked on 20 pounds of muscle within six months of enrolling in Austin. That added weight transformed the Flower Mound product into an immediate impact bat for the Longhorns earning him considerable playing time as a true freshman.

The added weight allowed Rodriguez to blossom. He went from below-average to solid-average in the run tool. The raw bat speed jumped from above average to plus. His throwing arm even made a jump to solid average. Rodriguez hasn't been afraid of the opportunity or the big, bright lights since arriving on campus. His work ethic and attitude sticks out to his teammates. Early on, the hit tool has impressed. If there's one criticism in an area Rodriguez will need to clean up, it's the hands on the dirt. There's stiffness and apprehension in how he attacks the baseball. If those components to his game don't improve, there's a chance he ends up at first base or in a corner outfield role.

Time will tell what the final package looks like for Rodriguez after three years of seasoning and potentially even more mass. As is the case with most prospects, money will be made or lost with the bat. At this stage, "A-Rod" looks like a very, very good one.

A 2nd round pick by the Brewers in 2024, Levonas elected to go to Wake Forest and test his mettle in college ball. He walked away from a lot of money. Levonas is one of the more dynamic movers in the 2027 class with super-athletic actions on the bump. Levonas will grab 100 when he's hot, sitting 95-98 over multi-inning spots with some carry through the zone. The spin rates on his heater register far north of average. He's a guy that really understands pitch design too.

There's a low-80s curveball here that stays on the heater tunnel late with sharp downer bite. Levonas keeps hitters off the barrel by mixing in an upper-80s cutter with short life and a two-plane slider that will occassionaly melt into the cutter. There's also a fringy changeup that he hasn't brought out too often. Levonas has a tendency to see his velocity drop a bit after his first couple innings, and there's still a bit of effort at release, but it's an extremely quick arm with real feel for shaping the baseball.

He's also rather lean at this stage with plenty of projection in his frame. Despite the loud stuff, his performances in longer outings have been scattered and inconsistent. There's very little doubt teams will see the frame, the athlete and the pitch mix and dream on what the future could look like. Levonas will need to turn into more of a pitcher and less of a metric-thrower as the 2027 Draft approaches. It still might end up being the best stuff in the class.

Savoie, the 2025 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, enjoyed a huge debut to college baseball blasting 20 homers as a teenager for Loyola Marymount. That level of production landed him in the transfer portal where he elected to transfer to Clemson.

Savoie's 20 homers weren't eye wash. It's double-plus raw power and legitimate big league quality bat speed. While his contact quality can waver, his peaks are majestic. Savoie is an aggressive hitter who can get swing-happy and expand the zone more than you'd like to see. Elevated fastballs above the zone have been his kryptonite at times in his career. Still, when he makes contact, Savoie is one of the more efficient sluggers in the country. He has consistently ranked near the top of college baseball in PullAIR% with the innate feel for catching the ball out in front of the plate and generating backspin. He profiles as a high-slug, low average/on-base middle-of-the-lineup run producer. Savoie will need to close a couple of the holes in his swing and approach as the Draft approaches, but he can do things to a baseball you simply cannot teach.

Savoie can catch a little bit with a strong arm behind the plate. He's got the willingness to smother balls in the dirt and generally keep the game in front of him. His framing has taken strides in recent years, however some believe he's destined for right field at the next level where his tools fit a bit better. Savoie is a below average runner with a lumbering style.

Savoie has had an adventurous amateur career that has culimated in much bigger, brighter lights in college. Injuries kept him from playing baseball for much of his sophomore year in high school and parts of his junior year too. Once he was finally able to get back on the field toward the tail-end of his junior year many schools had already filled their scholarship and rosters for the 2024 season. Loyola Marymount took a shot on him and helped transform him into the intimidating slugger he is today.