The countdown to the 2026 MLB draft is on. The report says the draft begins July 11 in Philadelphia and that this space will provide scouting reports, intel and analysis with regular updates as teams finalize their plans.
Per the report, one clear theme emerging from spring conversations with scouts is a renewed emphasis on raw, high-end tools. Teams are said to be moving players with plus or plus-plus traits up draft boards even when there are significant questions about performance or polish, applying that logic broadly in hopes of gaining additional upside across many picks.
The report cites specific examples. Mississippi prep center fielder Eric Booth Jr. is described as having swing work to do but potentially the highest upside in the class because of bat speed and raw power graded plus to plus-plus and foot speed graded plus-plus, with some scouts even assigning an 80-grade. Florida prep shortstop Jacob Lombard is noted as able to stick at shortstop with 30-plus-homer upside, but the report also says there are huge questions about his contact rates after he posted some of the worst marks in the class among the real prospects last summer. Both players are expected to be top-10 picks, per the report.
The report says scouts concede that older ranking logic or heavy reliance on draft models would have placed those players much lower. It adds that some models have Lombard outside the top 20, drawing a parallel to last year’s polarizing prep hitter Ethan Holliday, who the report says had a below-average contact rate, is unlikely to remain at shortstop long term and received the highest bonus in the 2025 draft.
Another shift the report highlights is the devaluation of accomplished, smaller-stature college performers and pitchers with long track records. Traditionally those players would be comfortably inside the top 100 based on production; the report says chatter this spring indicates those prospects are slipping as teams favor higher-upside profiles.
The report also notes that franchises such as the Rays, Guardians and Brewers historically targeted smaller players with limited power but strong bat-to-ball skills and speed or defense — naming Vidal Brujan, Tyler Freeman, Taylor Walls, Sal Frelick and Tyler Black — but that those clubs appear to be adjusting their approach. The report says readers should check back often for continued updates and analysis as the draft approaches.
