With the college regular season nearing its conclusion and the prep spring slate winding down, our look at the 2026 MLB Draft has come into clearer focus. UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky (Hamilton HS, AZ, 2023) remains atop the board for the White Sox, but plenty has shifted underneath him, with prep shortstops, college bats, and a fresh wave of pitching now jockeying for position inside the first 25 picks.

SPRING HELIUM 🎈

+ Aiden Ruiz (HS): #34 → #12 (+22 spots)
+ Cameron Flukey (college): #21 → #9 (+12)
+ Tyler Bell (college): #31 → #19 (+12)
+ Cole Koeninger (HS): #33 → #22 (+11)
+ Vahn Lackey (college): #12 → #3 (+9)
+ Drew Burress (college): #15 → #6 (+9)
+ Chris Hacopian (college): #25 → #16 (+9)

Aiden Ruiz SS / The Stony Brook School, NY / 2026 "This is my second year in a row getting a look at Ruiz and walked away highly impressed both times. The shortstop displays, in my opinion, the best zone coverage in the country. With immense bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the plate, Ruiz utilizes a slightly squatted setup from a compact frame that nearly eliminates the strike zone. Generates tremendous strength from ground up with accuracy in the barrel to abuse mistakes to all-fields. There feels like an easy plus in the hit tool at peak with sneaky pop that will carry from both sides. In the dirt, the Vanderbilt commit might have some of the best glove skills of any shortstop in the class. Hands are always in-sync with the body backed by present arm strength that is consistently accurate across. Rarely out of control or position and while making difficult look routine. "It was a treat to see 25-plus Northeast scouts travel for an early spring look at Ruiz and I'd expect the Stony Brook product to be highly sought after this summer." – Ian Smith, Georgia Asst. Scouting Director  (2/25/26)

• Cameron Flukey, RHP (Coastal Carolina): Flukey returned to the mound in Week 11 with a four-pitch mix for strikes including his 95-97 mph fastball and a brand-new 89 mph kick change. The improved slider graded as his top offering, with the curve close behind. His first two-inning stint back was impressive with little rust shown, and the arsenal was even enhanced, if anything. With continued good health and and more looks like this first one back out, Flukey should be considered a top-15-type pick once again.
• Tyler Bell, SS (Kentucky): Bell carries a 1.183 OPS this spring with more walks than strikeouts (28:21), seemingly unbothered by an early-season shoulder injury that briefly held him out of the lineup and then back at DH before he reclaimed shortstop in late March. This past weekend against Tennessee, he tallied seven hits in three games and five for extra bases, including home runs in each of the final two. The sophomore-eligible star is heating up at just the right time.
• Cole Koeninger, INF/RHP (Keller HS, TX): One of the most polarizing prospects in the class, Koeninger pairs fast-twitch athleticism with mid-90s heat, a true hammer 12/6 curveball, 82-84 mph, an 88 mph cut-like slider, and a power-fade changeup at 86. Those four offerings each flash above-average grades or better. As a hitter, it's a flat path with high-end bat speed that makes every swing a threat to leave the yard, with realistic game power to all fields. The two-way upside is enormous, though the question is which side a club ultimately commits to. He continues to stack outings on the mound, and most recently in a perfect six innings twirled in the Texas playoffs with 14 Ks on just 75 pitches.
• Vahn Lackey, C (Georgia Tech): Lackey has been one of the stories of the baseball world this spring and he's shot up boards all spring long, and he now sits No. 2 overall on our college rankings. He showcases exceptional hands behind the plate that have helped his staff entrust him with in-the-dirt sliders that have buried hitters without awarding free passes in the process, like one from Tate McKee that our David Seifert witnessed recently against North Carolina, and he tossed out Jake Schaffner in that same game on a 1.79 pop to second base in the fourth frame. He has nine steals this spring too (second on the team) with 12 homers (also second) which underscores his versatility and likability among pro scouts. He's trending to be picked inside the top-five.
• Drew Burress, OF (Georgia Tech): The Georgia Tech centerfielder is a firecracker who gets the absolute most out of an undersized, 5-foot-9, 185-pound build, in a way that leaves little doubt that he can positively impact the big league level – which is rare. The center field defense grants him an easier path to pro ball, but his knack for collecting extra-base hits can set him apart. He's second on Georgia Tech with 18 doubles this season and third with 10 home runs.
• Chris Hacopian, INF (Texas A&M): The Maryland transfer has slotted into the SEC well, slugging nearly .500 with an .889 OPS and just 15 strikeouts in 145 plate appearances. He owns some of the best underlying contact metrics in college, so the low K rate is not some mirage, either. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds with barrel accuracy and a mature approach, the right organization might be tempted to unlock more game power on their development track.

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ANNOUNCING THEMSELVES ✨

These players are making their first appearance on our mock draft this cycle:

+ Brody Bumila, LHP (HS)
+ Taj Marchand, SS (HS)
+ Trevor Condon, OF (HS)
+ Cade Townsend, RHP (college)
+ Logan Reddemann, RHP (college)
+ Cole Prosek, SS (HS)
+ Aiden Robbins, OF (college)
+ Hunter Dietz, LHP (college)
+ Blake Bryant, RHP (HS)