With the College World Series starting this Friday, it is a great opportunity to check in on the top hitters in the draft. While players like Vahn Lackey, Roch Cholowsky, Chris Hacopian, amongst others won’t be playing on college baseball’s biggest stage, it is a good time to update who the top hitters in this class are.
MLB Draft’s Top 25 Hitters
1. Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
How do you evaluate a “hot” season? Baseball is a sport where a hitter can genuinely just get hot. They are seeing beach balls, and barreling everything. That hot stretch can inflate not only counting stats, but most importantly inflate data. Is Lackey’s 2026 season a hot stretch or a sign of a major step forward? I believe it is the latter.
There is a such thing as evaluation fatigue. The industry has had Cholowsky penciled in at number 1 in the 2026 draft since he withdrew his name out of the 2023 draft as a Senior in high school. Everything he has done since that day has been analyzed, and potentially over analyzes. I have started to hypothesize it is easier to be drafted 1st overall starting the season outside the preseason top 15, than it is to be pole to pole as the top prospect. Cholowsky’s loss has been Lackey’s gain, but not for a lack of production.
Lackey has taken a huge step forward in the power department, and that alone has vaulted him to the top of the draft. He always had an elite combination of athleticism and bat to ball skills, but it was a little more of a line drive contact first approach before. This season he increased his power output in a big way. He finished the year with a .772 slugging percentage, 16 doubles, and 20 home runs, while walking 50 times and only striking out 38. That combination of power, contact, and plate discipline at a premium position has him as the top player in the class. Whether this was just a hot 283 PA sample size or true development, we won’t know for the next few years, but Lackey has vaulted himself to the top of the class in my mind.
2. Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
What would you rather have, 3 year of consistent performance or one flash in a pan type season? The top of this draft is simply a selection based on preference.
Cholowsky has been the best player in this class for the longest time. He is an elite defender, who has shown the ability to hit for both average and power across multiple college seasons. In a down year this season, he still hit .320/.452/.636 with 21 home runs and 36 walks to 36 strikeouts. Very rarely does a player have so much talent that viewers think there was something left to be desired, but said player still ends up a Golden Spikes finalist. Cholowsky is just that special of a talent.
The combination of bat to ball skills, natural feel for pullside power, and plate discipline give him a very high floor as a prospect, especially considering his elite defensive abilities. He could be a fast mover, making an impact in Major League Baseball as soon as 2028.
3. Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)
While I have only consistently written about Lackey and Cholowsky potentially going number 1 overall, many in the industry believe Emerson has given the White Sox a lot to think about. I am typically low on high school prospects just simply because of the lack of reliable data, and it is impossible to evaluate unicorn talents against prep competition, but Emerson is one of the more advanced hitters from the high school ranks in recent years.
Standing at 6 foot 2 180 lbs, Emerson is the ideal combination of a young hitter with present bat to ball skills, with a frame that is easy to dream on adding power. If the industry has pivoted in any way in recent years, it is the believe that you want a hitting prospect with a good foundation of contact abilities first, then the ability to add power can come later in their career. The most well rounded hitters in the sport typically follow that trajectory.
Emerson has a natural feel for doubles to go with his bat to ball skills, and that usually bodes well for young hitters with room to grow. Natural feel for doubles typically turns to a natural feel for home runs as a hitter matures. Emerson has the ideal hitting prospect foundation, and even in a prep heavy 1st round in 2025 would have most likely been the first player taken in that draft. He won’t have to wait a long time to hear his name called this year.
4. Chris Hacopian, 3B/OF, Texas A&M
This is a little more based on my internal model than industry consensus, even though Hacopian is widely regarded as a top 10 prospect. I have been extremely high on Hacopian’s skillset since the beginning of the season, and he has gradually risen up boards throughout the spring. The interesting part is his rise wasn’t on the back of an unbelievable spring at Texas A&M, as he “only” hit .319/.405/.578 with 11 home runs. The rise was because of the data he has showed consistently across his career that solidifies him as the most MLB ready hitter in the class.
The 3 metrics I have built my model around is a combination of contact rates, chase rates, and average exit velocity. There are metrics outside of that, but on the surface the evaluation starts there. Hacopian shows elite contact rates with an 86.4% rate, and unbelievable plate discipline at 17.8% chase. In 2026 he averaged only 90.9 mph exit velocity, which concerns me, but that number is down from 93.2 mph in 2025 where he showed identical contact and chase rates. His 107.4 90th Percentile EV shows that the bat speed and power are still there, just didn’t get to it as consistently as in previous seasons, which could just be the injuries that limited his playing time.
If Hacopian played a premium position, he would be the top hitter in the class. Model driven organizations are going to fall in love with the profile, and his skillset will allow him to move extremely fast through MiLB. This is the best pure hitter in the class.
5. Derek Curiel, OF, LSU
We are gonna keep with the unconventional trend here and base this off another model flag. Following the 2025 season, I just didn’t see it with Curiel. Standing in at 6 foot 2 182 lbs, there were times where the uniform felt like it was wearing him, and there is a requisite strength required to be a Major League hitter. A wood bat does hit back against hitters not strong enough to swing it.
Strength will never be a major part of Curiel’s game. While his power stagnated from Freshman to Sophomore year, there are some improvements that show strength gains were made. He upped his hard hit% from 50% to 55%, while raising his Avg. EV from 89.4 to 90.6. Add in raising his EV90 from 104.1 to 105.1 mph, it shows that there was intentional strength improvements. As a draft eligible Sophomore, he isn’t done physically improving, look at the strength gains Lackey made between Sophomore and Junior Season. Curiel could do the same, just on the back fields of Minor League Baseball.
The main reason for my positive analysis of Curiel is the contact and chase rates. He finished 2026 with a 87.4% contact rate, and a 20.8% chase rate. Those rates bode well for his floor in professional baseball. I think he also has an elite feel maximizing his bat speed. Statcast has a Squared-Up% stat, and I would bet Curiel would grade high in that department. The EV90s tell us that he doesn’t have the highest bat speed, but when 55% of you balls in play are 95+, it shows that you get to it frequently. See Brice Turang’s development at the MLB level, as a similar comp. Curiel’s skills are becoming more coveted at the MLB level with every year that passes.
6. Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
7. Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (FL)
8. AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia
9. Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (MS)
10. Carson Kerce, SS, Georgia Tech
This is where this draft solidifies itself as a really good group. Burress has a combination of multiple years of production, with reliable data that should translate to professional baseball. With a 77% contact rate, that is somewhat concerning, but that is combined with above average chase at 18.9% and a 93.2 average exit velocity. That is your modern day power hitter profile, similar to Nick Kurtz at Wake Forest. I am a sucker for bloodlines, and Lombard possesses a brother and a day with years of experiences in professional baseball. As a taller, skinnier prospect it is easier to dream on growing into more power, but that probably comes with a move off SS. Plus athlete with dreamable tools is very intriguing.
Gracia has been a “data darling” for 3 years, but that stats have never aligned. Combining an 83.4% contact rate with a 21% chase is impressive bat to ball/plate discipline, but the 89.5 average exit velocity, which has not progressed in 3 college seasons, is worrisome. A wood bat might be a struggle to tap into real power. Booth shows an impressive speed and strength combination. He has legit 40 steal potential and intriguing bat speed, but it is more “hard on top” use your speed profile right now. If he learns to naturally lift the ball, the strength is present.
Kerce is another model flag that should have him higher on many boards, and could have his profile rise in professional baseball. He was in a star studded Georgia Tech lineup, but finished the season with a 93.8 avg exit velocity, an 82.4% contact rate, and an 18% chase rate. That is above average to elite in all of the big 3. He isn’t as physically gifted as the other SS in the league, but the batted ball profile is real. A 44.3% groundball rate is the only thing limiting his power. If the right org gets a hold of him, the profile has serious helium.
11. Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
12. Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas
13. Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi St.
14. Caden Ferraro, OF, Texas Tech
15. Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
The land of misfit toys. If I was trying to select any of these 5, I would feel like I was between a rock and a hard place. Bell was a 2nd round selection in 2024, and had a big year this season, but only made contact with 74.3% of pitches. Data says you see about a 10% decrease between P4 college baseball and the MLB. 64% contact rates isn’t serviceable. But on the opposite side, a 14.6% chase rate is elite. The contact probably doesn’t pass the “barrier for entry” for Major League Baseball, but the plate discipline is high level. If the power progresses, three true outcomes is the ceiling.
Helfrick is Luke Stevenson light from a data perspective, but produced better statistically. There are contact concerns at 75.6%, but that came with a 20% chase and a 92.1 mph average exit velocity. At a premium position, power, above average plate discipline, and elite defense is always going to be worth it. Reese is similar to Helfrick, but without the plate discipline, and more power. The 95.1 mph exit velocity is legit big league power, but its an aggressive 25.3% chase rate with swing and miss concern. We have seen in recent years a contact/chase combination is a nightmare, even for the best power hitters.
Ferraro for my money’s worth is the best hitter in this group, and his industry consensus is outside the top 150. He finished the season with a 94.8 average exit velocity, an 84.5% contact rate, and a 19.8% chase rate. For all the flaws of the other players in this group, Ferraro is the most complete hitter. With only 8 home runs on the 2026 season, the production didn’t match the 109.5 EV90 and the 31.1% barrel rate. That profile is one adjustment or two away from being elite.
I wrote about Lebron, and there is an infatuation with the athlete. Elite defender, 41 stolen bases, and just a smooth mover is enticing to the eye. The 2026 season was his worst production year, but he improved his contact and chase rates in 2026 compared to 2025. A 73.7% contact rate and 23.8% chase is still a red flag, but if he develops the athleticism and tools screams 30/30.
16. Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia
17. Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS(GA)
18. Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU
19. Caden Sorrell, OF, Texas A&M
20. Carson Tinney, C, Texas
Daniel Jackson was the best player in the country this season with a .396/.492/.837 slash line with 31 home runs and 26 steals for good measure. But he is the reason we can’t simply use the slash line to say who is truly the best. A 73.4% contact rate does not translate to a .396 average. The chase at 17.3% is legit as is the 92.3 mph exit velocity. Similar to Helfrick, that profile at the catcher position is serviceable with good defense, but Jackson isn’t the defender Helfrick, Stevenson, or Lackey is. Condon is an impressive athlete with plus speed who will stick up the middle. He is more bat to ball focused with plus speed, so not a high ceiling, but a safe floor.
Strosnider and Sorrel are eerily similar prospects. Both play up the middle, and should stick in CF at the next level. Both have tools that you can dream on, but both also have data concerns. Strosnider combines a 74.4% contact rate with a 27% chase rate. The 92 mph exit velocity shows the raw strength, but it’s an aggressive approach with limited contact rates. Sorrell makes less contact, and chases even more. He combines a 69% contact rate with a 28.6% chase. He crushes the ball in the zone with a 93.4 mph exit velocity, but that approach will have to be toned down in professional baseball.
Adding to the trend of Catchers who swing and miss, but have above average power, Tinney is the strongest of them all. He averaged 94.3 mph on the season with an ELITE 112.3 EV90. The bat speed is arguably the best in the class, and he combines that power with above average 19.4% chase rates. If the 73.9% contact rate can improve, he’s an everyday backstop at the MLB level.
21. Steven Milam, SS, LSU
22. Andrew Williamson, OF, Central Florida
23. Jarren Advincular, 2B, Georgia Tech
24. Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas
25. Nu’u Contrades, 2B, Arizona St.
Another LSU player who grew on me through the evaluation process, Milam is a really impressive data darling. While he is most likely a 2B at the next level, he showcased an elite 89.6% contact rate with an 18.7% chase rate. The power is worrisome with a 103 mph EV90, but he got to his bat speed more frequently with a 91.1 average exit velocity. I worry about the wood bat, but a bat to ball first 2nd baseman with great plate discipline can grow into natural pullside power. Williamson is an intriguing athlete with a 93 mph exit velocity and a 108.9 EV90. The contact and chase could use some improvements at 76.5% contact rate, and a 23.9% chase.
Advincular might have the best bat to ball skills in the class. He hit .434 and has the ability to manipulate the ball around the ballpark. A 88.3% contact rate with a 28.6% chase and a 48.2% groundball rate shows the process is very intentional. In pro ball, the line drive rate will need to outperform the groundball rate, but the floor is there as a bat to ball first high average hitter. Robbins is the anti-Advincular. He put up big numbers in one season at Texas with a .342/.435/.720 slash line with 24 home runs, but that came with some concerning data. A 69% contact rate will need to clean up, especially because it is combined with a 22.7% chase rate. The power is above average with a 92.1 mph exit velocity and a 106.7 EV90, but the swing and miss is a problem against higher level pitching.
Contrades is an extremely fun prospect who seemingly has developed late after 4 seasons of college baseball. The power is legit with a 93.9 mph exit velocity, and a 109 EV90. He combines that power with a 78.9% contact rate. The approach is a little too aggressive with a 27.6% chase rate, but if that cleans up, the contact/power combination is really impressive and he could be a player who continues to progress at the next level.
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads
@kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)
