2026 Draft - Top 300 Prospects

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 and it's elevated almost every part of his game.

A blue-collar worker who leads by example, Cholowsky gets high marks from coaches, his teammates and those who operate in his proximity. The leadership qualities are top of the scale. After taking his talent and god-given abilities for granted a bit in high school, Cholowsky's mentality changed at UCLA. He began placing a greater emphasis on nutrition and the weight room. He's put on 20 pounds of muscle since arriving to campus, skyrocketing his physical and athletic traits in every area of his game.

Cholowsky is an 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 is no stranger to the highlight reel play, converting outs in ways other are not capable. Cholowsky has all the traits of a future plus defender at the shortstop position. His frame is just about at peak physical state and likely shouldn't carry much more strength if he's to hang onto his premium athleticism.

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. That said, there are a few things to clean up to reach his eventual ceiling. At times, Cholowsky will feature a more pronounced barrel tip to compliment what can be a bigger leg kick. It can result in Cholowsky struggling to get the barrel to premium elevated velocity, especially on the inner-third. Velocity above the zone is just about the only area Cholowsky has shown a willingness to chase outside of the zone. Scouts would prefer to see his swing and quiet a bit as July approaches to ease any hit tool concerns at the next level. 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.

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.

Lackey is one of the most well-rounded prospects in the 2026 class. A catcher by trade, he's got the flexibility, athleticism and arm strength to play the position as a professional. Lackey is a fairly average with regards to pitch framing; better stealing the north and south strikes than he is pulling the ball back into the zone when a pitcher misses arm-side or glove-side. Certainly a trait he can develop with further reps behind the dish. He's exceptional at blocking the ball in the dirt and is above-average throwing would-be base stealers out at second base. Lackey gets up and out of the crouch with impressive burst and flashes pop times that point toward an above average defender long-term.

It's hard to poke many holes in Lackey's offensive game too. He's well-above average from a bat-to-ball perspective and his peak batted-ball events have resulted in exit velocities north of 112 mph. There are components and traits here that suggest a plus hitter at the next level with the ability to perhaps run into 20 homers per year. He'll need to pull the ball with more frequency, and get the ball in the air more often if he's to realize his impact potential with the stick, but he's shown the raw strength and feel to get there when he chooses. Better still, Lackey has the athletic frame scouts like to see from a catcher who still has some strength gains on the horizon.

As if the defensive ability and hit tool upside weren't enough, Lackey is also a rare-breed catcher who has plus speed on the bases. He'll steal bases in buckets when the legs are fresh.

Lackey has all the same traits that a player like Harry Ford showcased in the 2021 Draft that made him a top 15 selection. However, Lackey is doing it in the ACC against far more superior competition. This is top-ten pick upside.

Lebron has a few legs up on the other college shortstops in this class. He's got an elite frame with more projection left in a hyper-athletic package. He's a whippy, lanky, lean middle infielder with a ton of filling out to do in his future, and present tools in every part of his game. He's an electric defender and as technically savvy as they come. Lebron fields the ball out in front of his body, showcasing plus arm strength across the diamond. He's proven capable of making every throw from every angle. Jump throws around the second base bag, submarine flips to first on balls he has to charge, back-hand pivot to side-arm tosses back to second base -- he's got every trick in the bag. Lebron has exceptionally quick hands and uses his momentum well when fielding his position. Better still, Lebron is a plus runner who flashes exceptional lateral mobility too. This is the easiest 'plus' grade on a glove in the class, and when all is said and done Lebron may end up one of the best defensive shortstops in Major League Baseball. Ironically, it's the routine play and/or Lebron chasing flair that can cause the few errors he's posted to this point in his career. Surely, most scouts will feel that can be cleaned up with reps.

The aforementioned speed also plays in a big way on the bases. Lebron will be a threat to steal bases at the next level and could flirt with some 25/25 seasons if the hit tool continues to grow.

Lebron has quick hands at the plate and he's shown marked improvement in terms of exit velocities over the past twelve months. What was once well-below average power is now looking more like the potential for plus raw power projection. Lebron peaked north of 110 mph and continues to add strength to his wiry frame. His build and feel for the barrel suggest he could grow into a bit more juice as he continues to physically mature.

The hit tool has taken strides over the course of his Tuscaloosa career as well. Lebron sets up with a wide base and rocks and drifts back into a stacked back side. He folds his front knee and counter-rotates his front shoulder in his load, creating a move foward that, when on time and connected, is quite powerful. That front knee/front shoulder sequencing can at times result in Lebron opening up early with the front side, allowing him to get beat on spin off the plate. When he's right, Lebron hits behind a firm front side, rotating hard around his front hip pocket, creating awesome separation as he uncoils. Lebron absolutely hammers anything elevated in the zone and is particularly dangerous when he can get his hands extended on elevated velocity. Breaking balls and changeups at the bottom of the zone can still be a bugaboo for Lebron, however he showed more of a willingness to stay on those pitches as a freshman before regressing a bit in that area in 2025. Finding a happy medium between ambush hitting at the top of the zone and a more defensive approach in two-strike counts should help his offensive game blossom into a more complete package. For the time being, there's a bit too much chase and too many in-zone whiffs. Given his speed and feel for the barrel, it's unlikely he'll develop into less than an average hit tool guy at the next level, but there's work to do.

If a team is looking for pure upside and ceiling, Lebron may carry more than any other name in the country. This is a potential 70-grade defender with at least a plus run tool and the arm strength to become a Gold Glove winner at the 6. There are very few developmental checkpoints left for Lebron to check off on the defensive end. It's impressive. Lebron has a path toward four 60-grades on his scouting report, however the hit tool will need to catch up if he hopes to become the No. 1 pick in July.

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.