The 2026 MLB Draft is officially a month in the rearview, which means players are starting to make their MiLB debuts. We have seen several players hit their first home run or make highlight-reel plays. The discussion around the 2026 draft is going to gradually change as they pop up on top prospect rankings, and we start to imagine them wearing big league uniforms.
Best Tools in the 2026 MLB Draft
Best Hitter: Grady Emerson, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Leading up to draft day, the Chicago White Sox were 50/50 split between Cholowsky and Emerson, and in all honesty it was a win-win no matter which direction they went. There is a ton of value in reliable college data and performance against top competition, but if there was anybody who deserved to be taken 1st overall outside of Cholowsky, it was Emerson. It would not be a shock to anyone if Emerson is the best player in the class.
The reason Emerson is so highly regarded is his hit tool. It is close to impossible to truly evaluate and project a hitter based on their success against prep competition, but what Emerson displays is impressive. It is a bat-to-ball-first approach with elite feel for the barrel and the ability to use the whole field. As of right now, it is more line-drive focused, but there is present bat speed that should translate to above-average to plus power in the future. As Emerson matures, he will be able to step on the gas in advantage counts, or club down and take his base knock the other way. That is what elite hitters are able to do.
The comps for Emerson’s profile are Corey Seager and Gunner Henderson, both high school prospects who had elite bat-to-ball skills on draft day and grew into more power. Those types of prospects are the ones who compete for MVPs on an annual basis.
Best Power: Myles Bailey, 1B, Chicago Cubs
For my money’s worth, this might be the only “it’s not even close” decision I made. While there are some good power hitters in the 2026 class, none of them compare to the raw power of Bailey.
As a draft-eligible sophomore, Bailey put together an impressive resume in his short time in college baseball. Across 2 seasons, he combined to hit .339/.488/.746 with 32 home runs in just 82 games. When he got hurt midway through his sophomore campaign, his name was being thrown around as a 1st-round talent. He was hitting .363/.582/.913 with 13 home runs in 26 games, and showed impressive development with 35 walks, exceeding his full 56-game season total of 32 in 2025. That massive potential falling to the 3rd round could easily make Bailey the steal of the draft.
Outside of the production, Bailey also showed all the traits of an elite modern-day power hitter. While the 64.1% contact rate is a major red flag, that came with a 14.5% chase rate. In baseball today, you can swing and miss as long as you don’t chase and take your walks. He also showed unbelievable power output, averaging 99.1 mph exit velocity on the season with a 112.9 90th percentile exit velocity. My inferred bat speed had him at 76.4, which would immediately put him in the 90th percentile at the MLB level. Combine that with a 22% pull air percentage, and there is a combination of freakish strength and the ability to pull the ball in the air. If Bailey doesn’t succeed in pro ball, the contact rates will be his undying flaw, but there is only a handful of prospects that match both his power potential and in game production.
Best Defender: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arizona Diamondbacks
The value of an elite defensive catcher is massive at the MLB level. They make the largest impact on every single pitch, and with receiving metrics becoming easier to evaluate, it solidifies their impact level. As a Junior at Arkansas, Helfrick was the most valuable defender in the country by a long shot.
He led the nation in DRS with +51.25 over a 56-game season. That is in large part because of his +46.96 DRS from framing alone, and shows how much Helfrick can impact the game with his glove. He isn’t the best thrower of the baseball, with around a 2.01 pop time, but MLB orgs have shown that framing is the number 1 metric for a defensive catcher because it can impact every pitch in the game. An average thrower can offset their value by stealing multiple strikes a game.
For good measure, Helfrick also called pitches in college. Arkansas has prided themselves on allowing their catchers to prepare and execute a game-plan in collaboration with the coaching staff and the pitcher. No matter how much Helfrick hits in professional baseball, he is going to be a fast mover through the Diamondbacks system solely due to his defensive abilities.
Fastest Runner: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Baltimore Orioles
As the 6th overall pick in the draft, Booth Jr. has the potential to be one of the most dynamic players in the country. While, as it currently stands, it is more speed over hit, there is real 5-tool potential with an elite defender up the middle and raw strength. The best tool Booth has is elite speed, and he showcased it consistently on the showcase circuit. He registered a 6.33 60-yard dash, which is absolutely flying. Booth has legit 50-steal, and combining that with elite defense, he has the potential to be an everyday impact starter.
Best Fastball: Tegan Kuhns, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
The correct answer here is most like the Mets 1st round pick, Carson Wiggins, but since he hasn’t thrown a competitive pitch since 2025, Kuhns was the selection. While the fastball doesn’t light up the radar gun at just 94.2 avg velocity, it generated a 29.4% whiff rate, which is squarely in the 95th percentile for FB whiff. That is largely from a 112.3 stuff+ from his 19.3 IVB. It is a traditional modern-day elite fastball that has the potential to dominate hitters at the top of the zone. If there is an uptick in velocity, it could be a dominant big league fastball.
Best Breaking Ball: Cole Carlon, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays/Mason Edwards, LHP, Athletics
It is near impossibel to pick just one breaking ball in this class, and in a good way. Both Carlon and Edwards showcased borderline elite breaking balls throughout the spring this year. Carlon features a gyro slider that he used 40.9% of the time, and it still generated a 59.4% whiff rate on the season. It grades out as a 112.4 stuff+ and features both in-zone whiff and chase with a 40.3% chase rate. It blends extremely well with his 4-seam fastball and makes for a challenging at-bat for hitters. Carlon has reliever risk, but primarily due to his elite slider and its immediate effectiveness.
Edwards’ breaking ball mix is impressive. As a starting pitcher, he was one of the top pitchers in the nation with a 42.1% whiff rate, while only averaging 91.9 on his fastball. His curveball and slider were a big part of that success. The curveball was the main option that he used 31.4% of the time, and it generated a 58% whiff rate. It doesn’t grade out elite from a stuff+ metric, but the hitters tell the whole story. Edwards is never gonna wow in the velocity department, but his stuff showcased as elite through the spring.
Best Change-Up: Wes Mendes, LHP, Houston Astros
A strike-throwing left-hander with an elite change-up? That is a scout’s dream. Similar to Edwards, Mendes shows consistently elite swing-and-miss stuff without lighting up the radar gun. The fastball averaged 92.5 mph on the season, and its main function is to set up his elite offspeed offerings. The best of those is his change-up.
Change-ups are very hard to grade on stuff+ because there is so much that goes into an elite one, but Mendes still has a 111.6 stuff+ change. That is large in part to an unreal -18.3 HB that creates fading action to the arm side. The pitch generated 53.1% whiff rate on the season and only featured a 6.1% hard-hit rate. The true test of an elite pitch is a combination of swing-and-miss and soft contact. Mendes’s changeup could get big-league outs tomorrow.
Best Control: Taylor Rabe, RHP, Kansas City Royals
Rabe very well might go down as one of the steals of the draft. While college player development is advanced, sometimes pitchers don’t finish the best version of themselves until professional baseball. As a draft-eligible sophomore, Rabe could be a guy who ends up a better pro than college pitcher.
That isn’t to say he was a bad college pitcher with a 3.55 ERA this spring, but when you combine elite stuff with elite command, it excites me to imagine a pitcher continuing to get better. Over 76 IP this spring, Rage only walked 1.8 per 9 with a 4.9% walk rate. That puts him in the 97th percentile in college baseball. Combine that with a 111.1 overall stuff+, and I can’t help but think a George Kirby level rise through MiLB could be in store for Rabe with an impressive combination of stuff and control.
