The release of MLB Pipeline’s 2026 Top 100 Draft Prospects list has generated significant attention in the baseball community. The upcoming MLB Draft Lottery, scheduled for December 9 at 5:30 p.m. ET during the Winter Meetings in Orlando and broadcast live on MLB Network, will determine the order in which teams select from this group.
Scouts have expressed optimism about the talent available at the top of this year’s draft class compared to previous years. One scouting director commented, “I think people were more excited about the 2025 depth and the top of the Draft in 2026. I think there’s more impact at the top. It’s not (Paul) Skenes level (the 2023 Draft), but it’s more exciting than the ‘25 Draft.
“There’s more of a defined top group this year. You’re probably less likely to see a deal get cut at the very top. That usually happens when you don’t like the options in the top five.”
The new Top 100 features a blend of college and high school players, with six college athletes and four high schoolers making up the top ten spots. This reflects an overall balance on the list, which includes 55 college players and 45 high school prospects.
For many evaluators, UCLA shortstop Cholowsky stands out as a clear favorite after his strong sophomore season, where he posted a .353 batting average with 23 home runs. A scouting director said, “I think most teams, if they had to pick now, they would take Cholowsky. It’s a really good impactful toolset across the board. He plays in the middle of the diamond. His makeup is very, very good. You can take him and sleep well at night. There’s not a lot that can go wrong with a player like that.”
A second scouting director echoed these thoughts but cautioned against assuming anything is certain before draft day: “I think the way the Draft has been covered, the way people are [interested in] it, the players are getting more traction than they used to,” he said. “He’s a really good player. He was a prospect in high school who could have gone in the first round. He’s held serve and gotten better.
“Still, he has to earn it. You don’t know which kids will pop up and challenge him. Other college hitters might get in that race and you have to pay attention to the high school kids, they end up impactful players.”
Shortstops dominate this year’s rankings; nine appear among the top 25 prospects—a trend similar to last year when over half of first-round picks played that position.
There is also noted depth among high school pitchers this year, particularly left-handers such as Carson Bolemon, Gio Rojas, and Logan Schmidt—all ranked within or near the top twenty prospects.
“All these pitchers need to understand what the strike zone means to all of us; it has to be integrated,” said one scouting director regarding their development potential.
College pitching appears less deep compared to other groups this year; some names projected for early selection lack extensive starting experience so far.
“You take Liam Peterson, Cameron Flukey, Jackson Flora,” another scouting director noted about leading college arms on this list. “They’re the typical body type, size, stuff. One of those could take a step forward and make an impact on the Draft and when they’re selected. Who knows what improvement will come in spring.”
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