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The first iteration of Baseball America’s ranking of the top 100 college prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft was released almost exactly a month ago. A lot has changed since then, and a handful of players have played themselves into a great position to crack the next update.Today, we’re highlighting a list—not a ranking—of 10 2026-eligible players who figure to eventually find themselves on the college top 100 board.
Brady Ballinger, 1B, KansasBallinger arrived at Kansas by way of College of Southern Nevada, where last season he hit .431/.545/.
686 with 30 doubles, six home runs, 62 RBIs and a ridiculous walk-to-strikeout ratio of 46-to-22. He hasn’t missed a beat this spring, so far hitting .400/.
569/.746 with nine doubles, nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 38 walks to just 18 strikeouts.Ballinger stands out for his enticing hit-power blend.
He has a strong, physical look in the box and stands fairly tall with a slightly-open front side. He has an ear-high handset with both a noticeable bat wrap and leg lift in his load, but it’s an operation that works for him. Ballinger has above-average bat-to-ball skills, is consistently on the barrel and can drive the baseball from gap to gap.
In addition to his hit ability, Ballinger has advanced pitch recognition skills to go along with mature swing decisions. He’s chasing at just an 18% overall clip, and very few of his swings have come more than a ball outside of the shadow zone. One could easily argue a plus grade for his hit tool, as well as average game power.
Defensively, Ballinger projects to stick at first base but could play left field in a pinch.Max Bayles, RHP, Santa ClaraBayles enjoyed immediate success last spring, posting a 3.40 ERA with 50 strikeouts to 16 walks across 42.
1 innings. His first three appearances this spring came in relief, but he has since been named the team’s Saturday starter. Bayles had a fantastic first half of the season in which he compiled a 2.
55 ERA with a whopping 59 strikeouts to just 15 walks in 35.1 innings. Bayles’ bread-and-butter offering is his low-to-mid-80s slider.
It’s the most-used pitch in his arsenal, and he’s comfortable throwing it in any count to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. He has an advanced feel for the slider and has shown the ability to manipulate its shape. Oftentimes, it takes on a sharp gyro look, but he can back-foot it to lefties and also have it take on more of a two-plane look with a bit of lateral tilt against righties.
Up to this point, it’s garnered an eye-popping 56% miss rate and has held opposing hitters to a minuscule .113 average.While Bayles’ slider is impressive, his fastball is more of a work-in-progress.
It sits in the low 90s, but it’s not a bat-misser and doesn’t generate empty swings. And while it flashes some armside life and sink, refining and optimizing its shape will be key.At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Bayles has a high-waisted, athletic frame with room to fill out.
He features a compact delivery with present arm speed, but it comes with some effort. While he’ll need to add a viable third pitch and workshop his fastball, Bayles has above-average control, and his slider provides an intriguing foundation.Lee Ellis, SS, Ohio StateAfter logging just 22 at-bats last spring at South Carolina, Ellis opted to enter the transfer portal and eventually committed to Ohio State.
He’s been the Buckeyes’ primary shortstop this year and is hitting .283/.409/.
544 with 11 extra-base hits, including six home runs, and 24 RBIs.“Tools” is the name of the game here with Ellis, who this season has flashed his tantalizing skillset on a regular basis. He moves well in the box and has easy bat speed.
He does a nice job extending through the baseball and has a knack for creating leverage and backspin to the pull side, where he has borderline above-average power. The hit tool could use a coat of polish, particularly his pitch recognition skills, but Ellis’ offensive profile is intriguing. On the dirt, Ellis is a high-level athlete who has quick feet and is comfortable both attacking the baseball and throwing from multiple arm slots.
Ellis’ game continues to come together and, on top of what there is to like now, he has upside remaining. Alex Hernandez, INF, Georgia TechHernandez was an intriguing draft name last spring, but he never wavered from his commitment to Georgia Tech. He’s been an everyday starter for the Yellow Jackets, and through 29 games, he’s hitting .
324/.420/.649 with five doubles, nine home runs and 39 RBIs.
Standing 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds, Hernandez has an athletic, muscular frame with present strength. In the box, he features a slightly-crouched stance and starts with his bat rested across his back shoulder. Hernandez’s first move allows him to get into his lower half—particularly his back side—and he has a noticeable barrel tip with plenty of bat speed.
Hernandez has shown the ability to drive the baseball with authority to all fields and does a nice job of creating leverage at impact. He’s also demonstrated advanced swing decisions and a sound approach to the tune of an overall chase rate of 20%. Though Hernandez will expand the zone down or away against breaking balls, the vast majority of his swings have come within the “shadow zone.
” He’s played both on the dirt and grass this spring and has even made a handful of appearances on the mound, though Hernandez profiles best somewhere in the infield.Mulivai Levu, 1B, UCLALevu was one of UCLA’s most productive hitters as a freshman last spring and proceeded to have an outstanding summer in the Northwoods League, hitting .333/.
402/.529 with nine doubles and five home runs. He’s certainly carried that momentum into this season, as he’s slashing .
362/.418/.664 with five doubles, 10 home runs and 45 RBIs.
Levu has a somewhat unique setup in the box: an ultra-high handset and bat wrap in his load. He can drive the baseball to all parts of the yard, but his highest quality of contact comes to the pull side, where he has comfortably above-average power. Levu shows average bat-to-ball skills, though he has the tendency to expand the zone up or away against fastballs and away against secondaries.
It’s a power-over-hit profile, but it hasn’t hindered his production to this point.Isaiah Magdaleno, RHP, HawaiiMagdaleno notched 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings last season, and after a standout summer in the West Coast League (4-0, 1.
10 ERA) he’s emerged this spring as the cornerstone of Hawaii’s pitching staff. He’s already made 11 appearances (30.1 innings), compiling a 1.
78 ERA with a sparkling strikeout-to-walk ratio of 34-to-2.Magdaleno has plus command and control and is one of the best strike-throwers in the country. He has strike rates of 80% and 82% on his fastball and changeup, respectively, though he relies primarily on his fastball.
Magdaleno’s heater sits in the low 90s and flashes some life in the top of the zone, but it doesn’t generate many whiffs. However, his outstanding command allows him to stay off the barrel of opposing hitters and generate soft contact. Even with a lackluster miss rate of 12%, Magdaleno’s fastball has held opposing hitters to a measly .
121 average.His best pitch is undoubtedly his high-70s-to-low-80s split-change. It averages a tick over 10 mph off his fastball and is a pitch he’s comfortable using against both righthanded and lefthanded hitters.
Like with his fastball, Magdaleno has a highly advanced feel for the offering. He does an excellent job of killing spin on it, and it’s a no-doubt plus pitch that routinely flashes ample—and ultra-late—tumble. It takes on that trademark “falling off the table” look.
So far, it has a 52% whiff rate. Magdaleno rounds out his arsenal with a seldom-used low-to-mid-70s curveball that takes on a bigger shape. He works exclusively out of the stretch, has a low-effort operation and maintains good direction towards the plate.
Crew McChesney, OF, Brigham YoungWhile it was across a limited 53 at-bat sample, McChesney last spring slashed .340/.478/.
547 with seven extra-base hits. He’s cemented himself this spring as the Cougars’ everyday center fielder, and is hitting .318/.
430/.477 with 10 extra-base hits, 21 RBIs and six stolen bases through 23 games. McChesney has an athletic frame with budding impact.
He stands fairly tall in the box with a medium-high handset and present hand speed. In general, it’s an athletic look, and he moves well in the box. McChesney’s inability to pick up spin and shapes out of the hand has led to swing-and-miss against secondary offerings, so improving his pitch recognition skills will be key in order for him to maximize his offensive upside.
McChesney’s loudest tool is his speed. He’s a double-plus runner and an elite athlete, two traits that translate well to the outfield and give him a chance to stick in center long term. Cody New, LHP, California BaptistNew had some draft buzz as a prepster in 2023, but he wound up making it to campus.
He showed flashes last season as a freshman before breaking out in the Alaska League where he posted a 1.87 ERA with 43 strikeouts to 22 walks across 33.2 innings.
That success has carried over to this spring, and across seven starts (37.1 innings), New has a 2.41 ERA with 40 strikeouts against 14 walks.
New’s heater sits in the low 90s and has been up to 94 mph. It’s at its best when located on the glove side of the plate and/or in the top-third of the zone due to its run-and-ride. His best pitch, however, is a high-spin upper-70s-to-low-80s breaking ball that consistently flashes sharp, two-plane bite with impressive finish.
New rounds out his arsenal with a low-80s changeup that has shown both fade to the arm side and late tumble at times, and it projects as an average third pitch. He has present strength and physicality in his lower half, and he features a short, quick arm stroke in which he coils his wrist. New’s control has taken a step forward since last spring and is much more competitive in and around the strike zone.
Ethan Norby, LHP, East CarolinaThe younger brother of current Marlins infielder and former East Carolina superstar Connor Norby, Ethan is in the midst of his own standout career in Greenville. The younger Norby had a mighty productive 2024 season to the tune of a 3.79 ERA with 63 strikeouts across 59.
1 innings. He’s enjoyed immense success this spring as ECU’s Friday starter, logging a 2.49 ERA with 60 strikeouts to just nine walks in seven starts spanning 43.
1 innings.Norby is an undersized southpaw who has an up-tempo operation and attacks from a low-three quarter slot. His fastball has been up to 93 mph with carry in the top half of the zone, which is also where it generates the majority of its whiffs.
He possesses above-average command and control, and he consistently locates his heater in the quadrants of the zone where it’s most effective. He pairs it with an upper-70s-to-low-80s slider that flashes long, sweeping action and is a particularly tough look for lefthanded hitters. Norby completes his arsenal with a seldom-used mid-80s changeup.
It’s a fine third pitch that he throws exclusively to righties.Ricky Ojeda, LHP, UC IrvineOjeda assumed a prominent role last spring as a freshman and was one of UC Irvine’s most relied-upon bullpen arms. Across 25 appearances that spanned 52 innings, the undersized lefthander pitched his way to a 3.
46 ERA with 74 strikeouts to 25 walks. Ojeda has enjoyed similar success this spring to the tune of a 2.13 ERA with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 37-to-11 in 25.
1 innings.Primarily a two-pitch guy, Ojeda relies heavily on a low-90s fastball he throws 76% of the time. It’s not overwhelming from a velocity standpoint, topping out at 93 mph, but it plays well in the top half of the zone thanks to its running and riding life.
Ojeda’s above-average control enables him to consistently locate the offering and maximize its traits. In addition to its 34% overall miss rate, it has an in-zone miss rate of 31%. Both are impressive marks, in general, but even more so considering its 76% usage.
He pairs his heater with a loopy upper-60s-to-low-70s curveball that routinely flashes big-time depth.Ojeda rounds out his arsenal with a shorter, upper-70s-to-low-80s slider that he throws almost exclusively to lefthanded hitters and an upper-70s changeup that flashes tumbling life. He features a simple, repeatable delivery in which he has a deep and somewhat stabby arm stroke.
Ojeda is an above-average strike-thrower who’s been used almost exclusively in relief up to this point, though he figures to make the jump into the weekend rotation come next spring.The post 10 MLB Draft Prospects Who Could Crack The Next College Top 100 Ranking For 2026 appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America..
