With the Men’s College World Series complete and the MLB draft 12 days away, a comparison of the top prospects from the past three drafts highlights how the classes overlap and differ. The top overall prospects for 2026 are led by Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson and Vahn Lackey. The 2024 top group featured Charlie Condon and Travis Bazzana, while the 2025 high end included Kade Anderson, Eli Willits and Ethan Holliday.
Bazzana and Condon separated themselves down the stretch of a strong 2024 class, and that industry thinking was reflected in draft results: Bazzana went first to the Cleveland Guardians and Condon third to the Colorado Rockies. In 2025, Willits went first overall to the Washington Nationals, Anderson went third to the Seattle Mariners and Holliday fourth to the Rockies.
All of the named top prospects are viewed in or near the 60 Future Value (FV) tier or the higher part of the 55 FV tier. At draft time, evaluators flagged concerns that included Bazzana’s size and position, Condon’s position and contact, Willits’ size and power upside, Holliday’s contact profile and Anderson’s lack of standout stuff plus a prior Tommy John surgery. Each of those 2024–25 players has shown upward movement in pro ball since being drafted.
Among high school position players, 2026’s Grady Emerson ranks atop the list, with Willits and Holliday noted from 2025 and Bryce Rainer and Konnor Griffin representing 2024. The 2024 conversation was split between Rainer and Griffin; Rainer slipped to No. 11 and was selected by the Detroit Tigers and has had a mixed start to his pro career, while Griffin was taken ninth by the Pittsburgh Pirates despite other teams’ scouts expressing interest in him.
The comparison gives the 2026 crop the edge at the top for its premium collegiate position players, while the 2024 class receives a slight nod over 2025 because of higher floors across its top names. The balance among the top 2026 prospects is close enough that multiple teams are reported to have each player in contention for the No. 1 pick.
