Top 25 – With draft day closing in, the 2026 class of pitchers is taking shape—led by Jackson Flora’s historic college run and shadowed by injury concerns for Cameron Flukey and an unusually wide field of high-ceiling arms.
A month out from draft day. the conversations around the 2026 MLB Draft have started to firm up—especially in the pitching class. Most college teams have finished their seasons. prep prospects have been ready for a while. and while there will be movement right up to the deadline. this is the moment teams and fans lean hardest into evaluation.
At the top. the case for Jackson Flora. a right-hander at UCSB. is built on production and a pitch profile that looks made for pro development. Flora is coming off a historic spring: a 1.06 ERA across 102 innings, with 133 strikeouts and 32 walks. If UCSB is going to make draft history this July, Flora is positioned as the centerpiece. The path started in the 2025 MLB draft. when Tyler Bremner was selected 2nd overall—setting up UCSB’s chance to have two starters picked in the top 3 in back-to-back seasons.
Flora’s arsenal has been taking shape. His fastball can flash up to 100 mph and is described as above average in IVB. while a sweeper he added this offseason is already treated like a legitimate weapon. He’s also worked to add a change-up. which showed flashes of greatness despite still needing refinement; he finished the season with a 50.4% whiff rate on that pitch. The overall takeaway is that he’s not just throwing hard—he’s throwing enough strikes and missing bats in a way that could translate quickly through the right farm system. helped by above-average command.
Flora’s lead comes with a clear contrast: Cameron Flukey. a right-hander at Coastal Carolina. entered the spring seemingly in pole position. He dominated the 2025 season with a 3.19 ERA that carried him to a College World Series final. and he pitched his best ball on the national stage. The expectation. coming into this spring. was that SP1 was Flukey’s to lose—less a matter of someone overtaking him than of who might end up behind him.
Injuries changed the math. Flukey managed only 16.7 innings this spring, giving Flora a way to steal the top spot. The underlying argument stays the same—there aren’t “sure things” beyond him—but the season’s limited innings are part of the worry. The piece points to the difficulty college pitchers can face after throwing 100+ innings and then dealing with the adrenaline of pitching for a national championship.
Even in a smaller sample, there’s a story about the evolution of Flukey’s repertoire. Last year he was fastball dominant at 63%, using his curveball to dominate hitters. This spring, his curveball improved to a 112 stuff+, while his fastball stayed at a 121 stuff+. He struck out 11.9 hitters this spring compared to 10.4 last year. Still. the combination of what’s been described as inconsistent playing time and the innings restriction leaves the impression that he might not have had the same chance to reach the level Flora showed over a fuller run.
The top of the class isn’t just about standout seasons—it’s also about how upside shows up alongside risk. Hunter Dietz. a left-hander at Arkansas. is placed at SP3 with a steep drop in the rankings afterward. framed as a group of high-ceiling prospects with major question marks. Dietz earns the slot largely because his spring performance made the upside real.
Before 2026. Dietz had been more “what could be” than “what is.” The reason: coming into the year. he had only thrown 1.2 innings in his career. yet he was still in conversation for the best pitcher in the class—an indication of how intense his stuff was. That stuff turned into a breakout season. Dietz finished with 78.2 innings—49 times his career high entering 2026—posting a 3.32 ERA with 13.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
The profile comes with a specific concern tied to his slider usage. He threw his slider 50% of the time and generated a 51.3% whiff rate. That’s elite swing-and-miss production. His fastball. used 31.7% of the time. still grades at a 123 stuff+. while his curveball—rarely needed. but effective—scored a 119 stuff+ grade. The lingering theme is that injury questions remain. but the evaluation is blunt: when on the mound. his stuff might be the best in the class.
At SP4. Gio Rojas. a left-hander from Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. is treated as another high-ceiling prospect—also tied to the source’s wider hesitation about prep pitching prospects. described as risky and unpredictable in the way their futures can change. Even so, Rojas fits the scouts’ checklist: a tall, long, projectable left-handed arm. His fastball already sits in the mid 90s, and the evaluation notes that he could add velocity as he develops.
The forward-looking detail centers on how Rojas attacks the zone from a low slot. The pitch is expected to eat at the top of the zone once he learns how to create IVB and command it there. The change-up is the pitch that gets singled out as most exciting: a prep arm with feel for both command and a change-up that adds velocity last. On draft day. he may be old for his class—19 years old—but the ceiling and recent progression are described as a reason his name could be called extremely early.
Tegan Kuhns, a right-hander at Tennessee, lands at SP5 on an argument built around “MLB ready” velocity and IVB. Kuhns has a traditional modern low-release, high-IVB fastball that can attack hitters at the top of the zone. In the season described here, it produced a 28.9% whiff rate and graded as a 116 stuff+ pitch.
The rest of his pitch mix still needs progress. He flashed a Gyro slider used 25% of the time that graded at a 113 stuff+ even though it didn’t generate as much whiff as expected. The article emphasizes a tight. hard-bullet slider alongside his high-IVB fastball. pointing to repeatable mechanics and a feel for the strike zone reflected in 1.8 BB/9. The concern isn’t missing the fastball—it’s what happens if rounding out the arsenal stops working. Even with that, the evaluation claims he has the best fastball potential in the class.
The list then moves through the remaining spots with quick evaluations that still preserve the numbers and the risks—right down to the question marks that often decide how a pitcher fits a front office.
Jared Grindlinger is positioned as a two-way athlete. and the evaluation frames him as one of the class’s best athletes. That athleticism supports impressive strike throwing ability paired with “elite present stuff. ” and with Grindlinger set to be 17 on draft day. the projection is that some organizations could view him as the top arm in the class.
Carson Boleman is described differently. At 6 foot 4 and 225 pounds and 19 years old on draft day. the piece says there’s less “dream” available because of what’s considered a tougher profile to project. Still. it cites first-round level stuff: a fastball in the low 90s with sink. plus a power curveball and strike throwing ability.
Liam Peterson is flagged for inconsistency over three seasons despite 21 inches of IVB. With the high-IVB fastball. he was “burned by the long ball. ” and the evaluation nods to a framework it calls the “Chase Dollander protocol. ” built on buying stock in pitchers who give up a lot of home runs in college baseball. The upside that remains is a 54% whiff slider. which the piece says is enough for an MLB organization to get excited. with added development needed around pitch usage and grips.
Mason Edwards is called the most underrated pitcher in the class, even as a top 10 arm. He posted a 1.49 ERA on the spring with 16.4 K/9. The walk rate was described as a little high at 4.0 per 9, but the evaluation says he limited damage with a 48.6% groundball rate.
Cade Townsend is framed as a sophomore who offers a rare completeness for a draft-eligible player. He is described as having five pitches grading above 105 stuff+, including four offspeed pitches that generated above a 40% whiff. His fastball is listed with a 120 stuff+ grade. and he walked only 2.6 per 9 this spring—an argument for a “steal” based on swing-and-miss and strike throwing.
By the time the list reaches Cole Carlon at SP11. the story turns toward how swing-and-miss traits can be hard to translate. Carlon put up a season where he possessed above a 40% whiff rate in back-to-back seasons and then transitioned into the Arizona State rotation without losing what the evaluation calls “above a 40% whiff rate.” The trade-off. it notes. is usage: he relied on a 50.6% slider usage paired with a 37.8% fastball usage. The slider generated a 57.1% whiff on the year—described as truly elite—but that usage mix is presented as a challenge for pro translation. The piece still allows that the stuff is MLB ready, while calling out reliever risk.
Logan Reddemann at SP12 is treated as the inverse: a four-pitch mix with elite command. The season described here includes 12.7 strikeouts per 9 and only 1.7 walks. His fastball grades as a 113 stuff+ pitch, and his change-up delivered a 42.3% whiff rate on the spring. That combination, in the evaluation, makes him a “safe bet” to stick in the rotation.
Bobby Bumila at SP13 is positioned as a high-helium prep prospect who could still have room to develop. At 6 foot 9, described as a basketball star, Bumila is evaluated through athleticism and his ability to repeat mechanics. The piece says he reaches up to 100 and features a low slot release with 18 inches of vertical break. It notes that his command and the rest of his arsenal will need improvement. but it still frames the two-sport angle as a positive.
Logan Schmidt at SP14 is noted as a 2027 reclassification—young for the class—with a fastball up to 97 and a feel for multiple offspeed pitches.
Jack Radel at SP15 is coming off a steep uptick that the evaluation treats as day-one potential. After a 6.6 K/9 in 2024 and 7.7 K/9 in 2025, it ballooned to 11.9 in 2026. Whiff rate rose from 23.5% in 2025 to 30.2% in 2026. The pitch mix described includes a 120 stuff+ 4-seam fastball grading at a 111 stuff+ overall, plus a 42.1% whiff gyro slider.
The next group—Coleman Borthwick, Gabe Gaeckle, Ben Blair, Wes Mendes, and Joey Volchko—keeps circling around fastballs, whiff rates, walk rates, and what happens when a pitcher’s strengths need to mature.
Coleman Borthwick is described as imposing in more than one way: a right-hander at South Walton High School in Florida. he stands 6 foot 6 and weighs 257 pounds at just 18 years old. The piece ties his size to a high-octane fastball that dominates prep competition. with elite extension contributing to a low release. It leans into a pro projection of adding velocity to reach the upper 90s paired with a slider he has “great feel to spin.”.
Gabe Gaeckle at SP17 is another fastball-based case. His elite fastball grades as a 116 stuff+ pitch, but inconsistencies are flagged from his college experience. A major cause is described as a home run problem that may fade in pro ball, but major questions remain.
Ben Blair at SP18 is described as having solidified himself in the draft picture after three seasons at Liberty with plenty of chances to leave. His combination of stuff includes a 113 overall stuff+ grade with only 1.3 walks per 9 this spring. The evaluation says he’ll need a serviceable breaking ball. but the argument is that most college prospects can’t start finished products and don’t always require a full arsenal to succeed early.
Wes Mendes at SP19 is characterized as a continuation of momentum after earlier success. The evaluation says he filled the shoes of Jamie Arnold admirably, finishing with a 2.68 ERA while generating a 31.1% whiff rate. Walk rate is listed at 6.7%, and the piece credits elite stuff and command. His best off-speed offering is a change-up graded at 121 stuff+ with a 53.4% whiff rate. backed up by a 115 fastball. a 110 gyro slider. and a cutter graded at 106—an argument for a well-rounded profile not dependent on only two dominant pitches.
Joey Volchko at SP20 is placed as a player who made a transformation in college. Under former MLB Pitching Coach Wes Johnson, the evaluation says he rounded into his best form in his time. After flashing elite stuff for two years at Stanford. he went to Georgia and changed his approach: the article says he lowered his arm slot. ditched his 4-seam fastball for his natural cutter. and added a sweeper. Those changes helped him post what the piece calls his best season in college baseball. It adds that MLB organizations “fascinated” with natural cut—named examples in the source are the Red Sox and Cubs—will see his natural cutter as an attractive add. with room for improvement after his improvements over “10 months” at Georgia.
By the bottom of the top 25, the list leans into college-heavy evaluations and development stories.
Jacob Dudan at SP21 is described as a favorite. The piece says he began at NC State with command concerns over his first two seasons and success as a reliever. but after an injury. he returned with a resounding jump. It cites pre-injury numbers: a 3.60 ERA with 11.2 K/9 and a career-best 2.2 BB/9. The point is clear—improved command paired with elite stuff should bode well for professional development.
Brett Renfrow at SP22 is described as an ACC arm who finally rounded into his best form. Down the stretch of the season, it says he reached his most dominant state, with his best seasons in both K/9 and BB/9.
Evan Dempsey at SP23 is framed as attractive for athletic versatility and the possibility of plus command when pitching becomes the focus. The evaluation says his fastball is his best pitch, with a 31.1% whiff on the season and a 108 stuff+ grade. The slider generated a 42.5% whiff.
Carson Wiggins at SP24 is a standout kind of risk. The piece says he did not throw a pitch this year, but as a freshman he consistently sat in the 99–101 range. The conclusion is that the talent is too enticing for an organization to ignore in the top 100.
Finally, Ruger Riojas at SP25 is described as the opposite of that injury-linked uncertainty: a five-year senior developmental arc. Coming into this spring. he was a solid starting pitcher who threw strikes with a five-pitch mix that kept offenses off balance. This year, the evaluation says he became “a different beast,” punching out 13.8 per 9 and improving his walk rate to 1.9. It credits an improved 4-seam fastball with a 32% whiff and a 117 stuff+ grade. plus four other pitches used at more than 10%—a profile built to keep hitters off balance.
Draft day isn’t here yet. But for the class’s top arms. the facts already point in the same direction: some pitchers are coming in with historic results. others with elite traits interrupted by health or inconsistency. and a wide middle packed with swings-and-miss upside that only the right organization can turn into something lasting.
2026 MLB Draft top pitchers Jackson Flora Cameron Flukey Hunter Dietz Gio Rojas Tegan Kuhns MLB draft prospects