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The second 80% of the 2026 MLB amateur draft occurred yesterday afternoon. The Blue Jays made 16 additional picks following the three they had yesterday.

The theme today was cutting deals. The Jays will likely need to come up with extra money to pay Cole Carlon and Will Brick, both of whom were generally expected to be taken higher than they were and might be able to command over slot bonuses. Brick in particular has the leverage of honouring his commitment to Mississippi State and potentially going in the first round three years from now.

As a consequence, Toronto spent rounds 5-10 picking up college players, mostly seniors who lack the leverage of going back to school. They’ll sign for less than their slot values, freeing up the money the Jays need. It’s worth noting that while these players are lesser known, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t talented. You only need to look at Danny Thompson jr., who signed as a fifth year super senior for just $5,000 last year and has already forced is way up to AA with excellent results in his first full pro season, to see how some of these guys might pop.

The other theme is contact. They selected several elite contact hitters. Of course, being later in the draft, getting elite contact came with questions about defensive homes and typically little to no power, but the Blue Jays clearly value pure hitting ability very highly and have for years. When shopping the scratch and dent section of the draft, it makes sense that they’d be willing to accept some other limitations to get their favourite tool.

Here are the selections, in order:

• 5th Round: Nolan Higgins, RHP, Michigan State The big (6’4”, 215lbs) right hander struggled through his first three seasons in East Lansing, but a move to the bullpen produced a hump in results this season. His 5.20 ERA isn’t shiny, but he struck out 62 batters in 45 innings against just 13 walks. His fastball is 93-95, occasionally reaching as high as 98. He pairs it with a quality low-80s curve that he can land in the zone for called strikes, and a two-plane slider with plus spin rates. Lack of a change-up and a history of command issues in the rotation suggest he’s a pure reliever, but he has the stuff to work in that role.
• 6th Round: Gable Mitchell, SS, Iowa Mitchell has been a three year starter at Iowa. He’s walked more than he struck out in his college career, and did the same with wood bats during two summers in the Northwoods League. He doesn’t have a ton of over the fence power (just 5 home runs this past season), but he did hit 15 doubles and 5 triples this last season. Gable is an above average runner and solid defender who profiles as an OBP-based utility infielder.
• 7th Round: Dean West, OF, UCLA Baseball America’s #302 prospect in the draft, West is a plus contact switch hitter who struck out just over 10% of the time in college and in the Cape Cod League, the top wood bat college summer league. At 5’9” and 185lbs, he’s not a power hitter, although he did manage seven home runs this past season, but he’s an above average runner who might work in centre field, can steal a base (27 for 32 in college), and could be an OBP-first table setter type.
• 8th Round: Jake Bennett, C, Dallas Baptist Played two years at the powerhouse San Jacinto Junior College before transferring to Dallas Baptist. Hit 31 home runs in 309 PA after transferring, and has the easy plus raw power to back that up. Bennett’s approach is patient, sometimes crossing over into passive, which lead to a 15% walk rate but a high-ish for a lower conference 20% strikeout rate. He’s notionally a catcher but spent more time at DH in college, and probably plays there and at first as a pro.
• 9th Round: Joey Urban, OF, U Southern Mississippi Urban had something of a breakout senior year at Souther Miss this season, cutting his strikeout rate from 20% to under 14% while increasing his walks and launching 15 home runs and 29 total extra base hits. He played all over the diamond as well.
• 10th Round: Bryce Chance, OF, Mississippi State A three year starter at State, Chance almost never misses pitches inside the zone (95% zone contact this past season). That’s very impressive given the quality of SEC pitching. He also has an approach, having walked more than he struck out in college. That approach comes with almost no over the fence power (14 home runs in nearly 900 college PAs), but he produces his share of doubles. Chance plays all three outfield positions and profiles as a contact oriented utility guy.
• 11th Round: Brayden Martin, 3B, Maryland The most extreme in a draft full of contact profiles. Martin almost never swings (30% this past season) and never misses when he does (a nearly unheard of 96% overall contact rate, 98% inside the zone). On the plus side, that means that with both metal and wood bats he strikes out less than 10% of the time and walks nearly twice that often. On the minus, he’s got just 5 home runs and 30 total extra base hits in 806 college PA and has never hit a homer with a wood bat in almost 400 PA. He’s a 70-grade runner who’s an effective base stealer, but a weak arm might push him to left field as a pro.
• 12th Round: Santi Garcia, LHP, LSU Garcia began in community college before transferring up to Oregon, and then across to LSU as a junior. In his NCAA seasons, he struck out nearly a third of the batters he faced but also walked almost 20%.
• 13th Round: Mathis Nayral, RHP, Kansas Nayral hails from Toulouse, France, and spent a couple of seasons at Cochise College in Douglas, AZ, before transferring to Kansas this season. He struck out 71 against 28 walks in 18 appearances (17 starts) and 69.0 innings.
• 14th Round: Connor Kelley, RHP, UT San Antonio Split his time between the rotation and bullpen this season, striking out 73 against 22 walks in 66.1 innings.
• 15th Round: Oliver de la Torre, RHP, Cal Berkeley Transitioned from a swing man role to the rotation this season, posting a 3.76 ERA while striking out 72 against 23 walks in 81.1 innings.
• 16th Round: Carson Cormier, RHP Illinois State Played at TCU last season but failed to get much playing time, so he transferred down to Illinois State. Worked mostly in the rotation, striking out 74 against just 12 walks in 69.0 innings.
• 17th Round: Landon Waters, RHP, Ole Miss working as a one inning reliever, struck out 25 against 12 walks over 24.0 innings in 2026. Also had a strong showing in the 2026 Northwoods League, with 25 punch outs on just 70 batters faced and only six walks.
• 18th Round: Jake McCoy, LHP, South Carolina McCoy struggled to the tune of a 7.11 ERA during two seasons at USC, but had a huge breakout in the Cape Cod League last summer. He struck out 25 of 54 batters faced, allowing just three walks and 13 hits over 12.1 innings. Scouts viewed him as the best pitcher in the league that summer. McCoy is a little undersized at 6’1” and 185lbs. His fastball sits 93-94 and touches 98, with plus ride up in the zone that’s complemented by a low release point He pairs the fastball with a plus sweeper and a rarely used but potentially average change up. He blew out his elbow before the 2026 season, but at least per Baseball America was viewed as a potential top 5 round pick anyway. That he’s still on the board in the 18th round suggests he’ll be expensive to sign, and he likely represents an insurance plan in case the Jays are able to sign a higher pick for significantly less than expected due to medical or other issues.
• 19th Round: Cole Travers, SS, St. Jon Neumann HS, Florida Perfect Game’s number 32 high school third base prospect, committed to Stetson University. Per PG’s grading system, a potential top 10 round draft pick. As with McCoy, unlikely to sign unless the Jays wind up with an unexpected amount of extra bonus money.
• 20th Round: Eddie Rosado, OF, Holy Ghost Prep School, Pennsylvania Perfect Game’s number 75 high school outfield prospect, committed to St. Joseph’s University. Per PG’s grading system, was regarded as a high end college prospect with some potential to be drafted. Again, I would guess unlikely to sign.

The Mets were three outs away on Sunday from salvaging the finale of their three-game series with the Boston Red Sox and entering the All-Star break on a rare high note.

A win wouldn’t have done much in the standings as New York is well out of contention in what has been a lost season, but the feeling in the clubhouse would’ve been positive after Zach Thornton pitched brilliantly in just his third major league start and in line for his first career win.

But even small wins are hard to come by for the Mets this season as Francisco Lindor and Devin Williams were unable to finish the job in the ninth. 

Lindor, who was responsible for driving in both New York runs with a first inning double and a solo shot in the sixth, couldn’t field a ground ball hit directly at him that could’ve easily been turned for a game-ending double play which allowed the inning to continue.

“The ball ate me up,” Lindor said after the game. “I went after it, it just took a hard hop and hit me on the palm of my hand – the palm and wrist area. I just didn’t make the play. It’s unacceptable.”

Williams went on to walk the next batter to load the bases and then walked another to bring home a run. Jarren Duran singled on a shallow fly ball that tied the game before a lineout double play bailed the Mets out. As it turned out, though, it only delayed what was coming.

New York couldn’t score in the bottom half of the inning which sent the game to extra innings where Boston scored in the 10th to take the lead. When it was their turn to bat, the Mets couldn’t even advance the free runner at second base and were swept in gut-punching fashion which culminated a first half that saw them go 40-57.

“Yeah that’s tough. Everybody in that clubhouse will tell you that right now,” said interim manager Andy Green. “Everybody’s out there wanting to win a baseball game putting everything out there.“

The blown save, while not completely his fault, was Williams’ third of the season and with one of the two runs he allowed being earned, he now has a 4.83 ERA. And after a magnificent month of June where he pitched to a 0.96 ERA across nine appearances, the right-hander has struggled again lately, owning a 10.80 ERA in four games in July.

Despite this, Green has no plans “at this point in time” of removing Williams from the closer role once the Mets resume play in the second half and pointed to the right-hander’s experience as to why.

“Devin’s done it for so long and he’s done it really, really well,” Green said. “We can look at this game scenario and say we got a double play ball, we didn’t defend behind him on that particular play. Got a blooper that fell in.

“This game is usually in our side of the ledger and it’s not and like I said it’s painful and frustrating for everybody in that clubhouse, but he did some positive things on the mound to get a double play ground ball in that situation.”

Even with the vote of confidence from his manager, Williams looked dejected after the game in what has been his second rough season in New York (the first one coming for the Yankees) after flourishing for years in Milwaukee.

“It hasn’t been fun. Not a lot of celebrating going on in this clubhouse right now, but we get to take a couple days off and show up and try to do it again,” he said.

As for Lindor, what could’ve been a great game for him and reason to believe he can turn his injury-riddled season around in the second half was completely erased following his error.

Not only is the shortstop slashing just .216/.298/.373 in 40 games this year, his defense and concentration has been suspect this season even before his injury – certainly odd for a two-time Gold Glove winner still in the prime of his career.

“Comes down to I gotta be better, I gotta execute,” Lindor said. “Pitchers are executing and I just gotta finish the play for them. I gotta be better, that’s what it comes down to.”

He continued: “I wasn’t able to capitalize on the good pitch that Devin made to finish the game. Ultimately that’s what it comes down to and I didn’t finish the play and it’s unacceptable. [I’m] not playing to the standard that I have, not playing to the organization’s standards. It’s just, I gotta get better.”

The Mets now have the difficult task of trying to flip the script of what was a terrible first half in the season’s final 65 games when they return to action on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Had they won Sunday’s game that task would’ve been slightly less daunting, but now it’s going to take an entire team effort and even that might not be enough.

“It encourages us to fight, at the end of the day that’s the only thing we can do and we’re gonna try to be better,” Lindor said. “We’re gonna play as hard as we can in the second half and hopefully we put ourselves in a much better position because right now it’s not where we want to be.”

On Saturday, Virginia Tech pitcher Brett Renfrow heard his name called in the 2026 MLB Draft, selected No. 74 overall by the Minnesota Twins.

Major League Baseball wrapped up the draft on Sunday, and three more Hokies heard their names called. Here are those Hokies:

• P Luke Craytor: Selected 255th overall (9th round) by the Chicago White Sox
• P Griffin Stieg: Selected 378th overall (13th) round by the Pittsburgh Pirates
• P Madden Clement: Selected 449th overall (15th round) by the Kansas City Royals

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Craytor is a native of Charlottesville (Western Albemarle), and he spent his first two collegiate seasons at Lafayette. He played the last two seasons for the Hokies. In 2026, Craytor appeared in 21 games, going 4-0 with a 3.16 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 25.2 innings pitched. He allowed 22 hits and 13 walks.

Stieg, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander from McLean, Virginia (McLean High School), spent four seasons at Virginia Tech, finishing his collegiate career with a 6-7 record and a 6.32 ERA, with 124 strikeouts in 136.2 innings pitched.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Clement is a native of Butler, Pa., and spent three years at Virginia Tech. Clement finishing his career by pitching in 21 games, making 11 starts, finishing with a 2-1 record, a 4.74 ERA, with 41 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched.

Congratulations to all four Hokies who are beginning the next step of their baseball careers.

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Charlotte Knights 12, Nashville Sounds 4
Completely redeeming themselves from Saturday, the Knights (49-44) popped off for 15 hits and blew out the Sounds (53-40), 12-4, splitting the series with three wins each. Two homers and five RBIs in the game from Nolan Jones and a grand slam from Michael Turner in the fourth accounted for nine of the 12 runs, and Edgar Quero blasted three hits and an RBI. Five of the nine Charlotte batters posted multi-hit days, as both Ryan Galanie and Caden Connor went 2-for-5, with the final RBI attributed to Mario Camilletti. The Knights also walked four times, with Rikuu Nishida accounting for three of them, scoring all three times he reached base, stealing one along the way.

After a pair of rehab starts with the Winston-Salem Dash, Shane Smith was officially reinstated to the Knights roster and tossed four solid frames with one run scoring on three hits and a walk, striking out five in the process.

Righthander Tanner McDougal made his third appearance since being activated from a longer IL stint, and he has yet to surrender a hit in his three innings, adding another scoreless frame today with two walks and two strikeouts. Lucas Sims ended up with his second win of the season after a hitless frame, though Sims hasn’t been consistent at all this season, holding an 8.10 ERA in 14 games and 13 1/3 innings.

Columbus Clingstones 7, Birmingham Barons 4
Neither side of the ball was positive for the Barons (32-55), as they struck out 12 times at the plate, went 2-for-9 (.222) with runners in scoring position, and the pitching allowed six in the first 4 2/3 innings to drop five of six to the Clingstones. Lefthander Lucas Gordon has struggled in 2026 with the Barons, reaching a 5.15 ERA in 18 starts (87 1/3 frames), and he wound up with his fifth loss of the season in Sunday’s series finale. The main issue with Gordon is a high (11.5%) walk rate, and he gives up a home run or two nearly every outing. Only five of his 18 starts have gone without a home run allowed, and his 1.73 HR/9 is nearly double last season’s (0.84 HR/9). Until he makes an adjustment to prevent the long ball, he could have a tough time working his way up to the majors.

Only two players were able to drive runs in, and Alec Briley started the scoring for the Barons with an RBI base hit in the top of the third that had cut the lead in half for Birmingham, 2-1, Columbus. The other three belonged to Brenden Dixon, who smashed a three-run shot in the seventh for his third home run of the year, but the offense left four on base and couldn’t close the gap.

Winston-Salem Dash 10, Asheville Tourists 4
Scoring in every inning except for the sixth, the Dash (50-37) outhit the Tourists (20-56), 11-7, to even out the series at three, 10-4. It also helped that Asheville committed an error that provided an unearned run to Winston-Salem, and thanks to five homers for the Dash, it didn’t matter that they went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position with 10 left on base. Jeral Perez was a triple short of the cycle with three hits on the day, and Arxy Hernández led the team with three RBIs on two hits, including a three-run bomb in the fourth. Both he and James Taussig have homered in back-to-back games, with the other two stemming from Ryan Burrowes and George Wolkow.

Appearing in his sixth rehab appearance with the Dash, lefthander Tommy Vail made his first start since returning from the IL, tossing for 2 1/3 with two runs allowed (just one earned) on three hits and three strikeouts, but he struggled with free base runners with four walks on the day. In his 7 2/3 frames with Winston-Salem, Vail holds an 11.74 ERA with a frightening 2.87 WHIP, on top of walking three more batters (10) than he’s struck out (seven). Working as Sunday’s bulk reliever, righthander Jake Curtis took over for four scoreless, earning his third win of the season.

Delmarva Shorebirds 6, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 5
The pitching couldn’t hold the Cannon Ballers (44-43) lead, as Marco Barrios blew the save in the sixth that allowed the Shorebirds (31-56) to take the lead and win the game, 6-5. The Ballers still won the series, but they ultimately lost a four-run lead, and Truman Pauley did not set Kanny up for success with four runs allowed in his 3 2/3-inning start. Barrios was the only rough part of the bullpen, however, as Ryan Schiefer, Jesus Mendez and Jordan Morales all finished with a scoreless outing.

All five runs came from two innings, though the Cannon Ballers couldn’t buy a run after the fourth. A squeeze bunt from Efren Teran and a two-run double from Jaden Fauske scored three for Kannapolis early in the top of the second, while Matthew Boughton recorded the other two RBIs with a two-run single just a couple innings later. Adrian Gil also walked twice, scoring both times, but none of the Ballers put up multi-hit days.

LSU Baseball’s emotional leader since 2023, Gavin Guidry, was taken at #480 over by the New York Mets in the 16th round.

Guidry’s LSU career was full of success, but there were also some speedbumps along the way that tested his resolve.

After getting to Baton Rouge as one of the top-ranked shortstops in 2023, the Barbe product played sparingly behind Jordan Thompson in the infield. Halfway through the season, the Tigers pitching staff suffered two season-ending injuries to Chase Shores and Garrett Edwards, putting them in a tough spot. Guidry transitioned to the mound and hit the ground running. He became one of the most important pieces of that bullpen, even recording the final out of the 2023 National Championship.

He followed that up with a solid sophomore campaign in 2024, but the troubles began in 2025. After being scratched from an early season midweek start, he was said to be week-to-week with a back injury. He attempted to work his way back, but he continued to hit roadblocks and was eventually shut down for the year. The veteran then became an extra coach, often seen mentoring younger players on the team. Even from the dugout, Guidry was instrumental in Jay Johnson’s team winning their second title in three years.

His return on Opening Day of the 2026 was electric. He jogged out from the bullpen to a massive ovation from the Alex Box crowd and picked up right where he left off, striking out hitter after hitter with his “hammer” of a breaking ball. As the season went on, Guidry seemed to wear down and his performance slipped. He still has eligibility, but he said following the season that he was hoping to begin his professional career. He considered 2026 a “bonus year”, as he had hoped to move on after 2025 before he got hurt.

Guidry will go down as one of the most important players of the Jay Johnson era. At least the beginning of it. He stepped up time-and-time again and will almost surely head to the MLB with a lot to be proud of.

In three seasons for the Tigers, Guidry finished with a 10-3 record. He pitched 96.2 innings and had a 4.66 ERA. That number is only inflated by his late season struggles this past year. In his first two seasons, his ERAs were 3.77 and 2.59, respectively. He struck out 137 hitters in three years.

The New York Mets are getting a bulldog, who’s as competitive as they come.

After a season that left much to be desired for Kentucky Baseball, and primarily the pitching staff, all eyes were focused on the 2026 MLB Draft to see what would happen with Grayson Willoughby.

The star recruit has now decided to withdraw from the MLB Draft and head to Lexington for his collegiate career, UK has announced.

Now that the news of the coveted right-handed pitcher heading to Kentucky for his college baseball career is official, he will have to spend two seasons in school before being eligible for the 2028 MLB Draft.

By way of Trinity High School (Louisville, Ky), the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Willoughby has been committed to Kentucky since August of 2024. Since then, Willoughby has had quite a high school career: Back-to-back state championships with his Trinity Shamrocks, being named Mr. Baseball, and being named the 2026 MaxPreps National Player of the Year.

His advanced mid-80s changeup is considered his best secondary pitch, while his slider continues to develop into another quality offering.

What separates Willoughby is his command. He repeats a clean three-quarters delivery, consistently throws strikes, and already shows the ability to locate all three pitches. Scouts also believe there is additional velocity to come as he continues to add strength.

Although Willoughby starred as a two-way player at Trinity, his future is on the mound. He capped his senior season by throwing a one-hit shutout in the Kentucky state championship game, helping Trinity secure another state title.

Willoughby is also ranked No. 31 in his class in Perfect Game rankings. On their site, they described him as “Polished starter package with three quality pitches including a 92-96 mph fastball, slider and changeup, dominated at PG national.”

This is a massive pickup for the Bat Cats, especially since they were in dire need of more pitching.

The back half of the MLB Draft is where we leave the bonus pool minimums behind. Some players might sign for pretty decent amounts, but it’s the wild west and most will not demand much compensation to fill the Rays org needs.

Out of their 21 selections overall, the Rays took 17 pitchers, and that includes every pick in rounds 11-20. Here’s how it shook out.

RHP Logan Georges (HS, CA) – 11/323

The star of the show for picks 11-20, he’ll be in line to demand whatever is left of the Rays bonus pool. He’s 6-foot-5.

While Georges has long had size and arm strength, his path to being a high-level Draft prospect was anything but certain. As a sophomore at Clovis High School outside of Fresno, California, Georges blew out his elbow and required Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound in time for league play as a junior in 2025, then put the injury further in his rearview by throwing at a myriad of summer showcase events, including Major League Baseball’s All-American Game, Perfect Game National and the Area Code Games. While Georges’ senior year has had some ups and downs, he still brings an ideal 6-foot-5 pitching frame to the mound with the chance to have a quality three-pitch mix with excellent metrics under the surface. He’ll throw his fastball in the 92-96 mph range; it can have carry and ride, and he also has a two-seamer with good sink. He’ll flash a plus low-80s slider that can miss bats, giving him an effective sinker-sweeper combination at times. He’s shown glimpses of a very solid 84-85 mph changeup with sink and fade he’ll throw to hitters on both sides of the plate. Georges hasn’t always thrown quality strikes this spring, and at times, things can snowball for him on the mound. He’ll also be 19 come Draft time, which might ding him in some teams’ models. Even so, his stuff and the data behind it could be enough to get teams interested in signing him away from his commitment to Texas Christian.

[MLB Pipeline – 126]

[…] high-spin pitch mix and a chance for multiple plus offerings. His fastball is regularly in the low 90s and has been up to 94-95 mph […] low-80s slider, which has impressive late biting action and easy plus potential. […] solid mid-80s changeup. […] a well-rounded starter profile.

[Baseball America – 288]

RHP Cole Stokes (4YR JR, Florida State) – 12/353

Surprisingly, Stokes is only the third Seminole drafted by the Rays in franchise history.

Stokes is a stuff monster with a pair of pitches that could be plus or better, but his command and pitchability hold him back. Stokes is a California native who spent two seasons with Oregon, then transferred to Florida State for the 2026 season. […] gnarly 22.7% walk rate. Listed at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, Stokes has a big league frame and a quick, whippy arm that he delivers from a low slot. He throws a turbo sinker that’s consistently in the upper 90s and has touched 97. He pairs the fastball with a mid-80s sweeper with tons of gloveside break. Both pitches are swing-and-miss offerings, but he also has a career walk rate hovering around 20%, which would be unplayable in pro ball. If he can figure out a way to throw the ball over the plate more frequently, he could be a useful weapon in a major league pen.

[Baseball America – 385]

RHP Steven Gonzalez (HS, FL) – 13/383

A prep arm with extension that jumped his fastball into the low 90’s with consistency this season. He’s a Mater Academy HS (Hialeah Gardens in Miami, FL) graduate committed to FSU.

Ben’s take: 3/4 slot, easy mechanics with a fastball in the low 90s and feel for a couple breaking balls. 6’3 frame, projectable.

RHP Mason Bixby (4YR JR, Oklahoma) – 14/413

6′ 7″ 239lbs and 100 mph fastball. What more do you want?

RHP Ashton “Amp” Phillips (4YR JR, South Carolina) – 15/443

Ashton Michael Phillips, a.k.a. Amp, is a 6-foot-1 fireballer with a kick change.

[…] high-energy pitcher whose competitiveness is evident every time he takes the mound. He started his career at Spartanburg Methodist, but missed most of the 2024 season with a back injury, then transferred to South Carolina Upstate in 2025 and South Carolina in 2026, where he added plenty of volume as a starter […] reliable strike-thrower, but is a bit undersized with a compact, slight frame. Phillips averages 92-93 mph and touches 95-96 with his fastball. He has solid command of his fringe-average, slurvy slider in the upper 70s and low 80s, and will mix in a shorter, mid-80s cutter. Phillips has thrown a mid-80s changeup more often in 2026. While he pitched as a starter for two seasons, his size and fringy strikes could allow him to profile better as a reliever in pro ball.

[Baseball America – 342]

RHP Alex Philpott (4YR JR, South Carolina) – 16/473

An intra-SEC transfer from Florida to USC, going from bullpen to starter for his new school, he’s 6′ 6″.

He missed time early in the season with elbow discomfort, but returned to the mound in mid March and posted a 6.51 ERA over 16 appearances and 27.2 innings. […] up to 98 mph in the past with his fastball, though he mostly threw it in the 93-95 mph range in 2026. He has an assortment of solid secondaries, including an upper-80s changeup and cutter, a low-80s slider and a slower curveball in the upper 70s. He’s a below-average strike-thrower, and probably a reliever because of that, but there’s a lot in the tank to work with if a team can help him execute a bit more consistently.

[Baseball America – 463]

RHP McCarty English (4YR JR, Southern Mississippi) – 17/503

English put himself out there this morning hoping for a summer transfer away from USM, but found himself as draft selection instead. His video won’t embed for now, so here’s the link: https://twitter.com/MccartyEnglish/status/2062571192356139365

LHP Nate Smithburg (4YR SR, Oklahoma) – 18/533

A submarine southpaw, standing 6′ 2″ 257lbs, and profiled by Baseball America in “5 Deep Cape Cod League Sleepers With 2026 MLB Draft Upside”:

Fresh off helping Oklahoma win a national championship […] release height of roughly four feet. He generates above-average extension for a pitcher with his delivery and separates himself from most of his demographic with unusual velocity. His fastball sat 90-91 mph and touched 94 with massive armside run, high spin efficiency and movement that creates difficult looks for hitters on both sides of the plate. The pitch dives away from righthanders and runs in on the hands of lefties, generating five whiffs Thursday.

Smithburg complements his fastball with a low-80s cutter […], a mid-80s changeup with negative vertical break and armside run, and an upper-70s-to-low-80s sweeping slider that glides across the plate because of his extreme release point.

Though his high-major track record is limited, Smithburg is unusual even among submarine relievers because of his velocity, extension and assortment of distinct movement profiles. It is a clear bullpen projection, but one with enough deception and bat-missing ability to warrant consideration late in the draft.

[Baseball America]

RHP David Horn Jr. (4YR SR, Middle Tennessee State) – 19/563

6′ 5″ 235lbs, with velo that played up in the Draft League.

RHP Ivan Sabater (HS, FL) – 20/593

This West Broward HS graduate has already reached 95 mh and top spin rates, and stands to add more as a professional.