One aspect of the MLB Draft League that sets itself apart from other collegiate summer leagues is its implementation of technology and data. With the help of each team’s data coordinators, prospects of the league have information and analytics available in real-time to help evaluate, scout, develop their tools and game while it's distributed to the 30 Major League teams. We’re now through two weeks and players have settled into form. Here are our picks for this week’s “Data Darlings”.

OF JuJu Stevens, Trenton

Stevens took a big leap this previous season at Georgia Southern, batting .357 in his 12 games, including three starts in the Sun Belt tournament. As he started his Draft League season he looked to continue his success, and continue he did. Tearing the cover off of the ball right now, Stevens leads the league in barrels with 10. He has a 50% HHB rate, a 29% Barrel rate, and has the highest average exit velocity among players with 20+ plate appearances at 92. The righty slugger is currently slashing .370/.485/.556 and shows no sign of slowing down, as his xwOBA is .454. He absolutely mashes fastballs, as he has a 0% In zone whiff% and batting .600 against all fastballs. His pop and good swing decisions give him the makeup of a quality top-of-the-order bat.

RHP Jonny Lowe, Williamsport

Having only thrown one inning at Texas Tech in 2025, Lowe came into the draft league looking for some more experience and to prove himself before the draft rolled around. In his first outing against the West Virginia Black Bears, Lowe showcased his five- pitch mix which included three different fastballs (4-seam, sinker, cutter), a changeup and a curveball. Of the three fastballs, he throws the 4-seam the most, it sits 93-94, topping out at 96.1 mph, it gets solid ride with 18” of IVB and gets some arm-side run with 13.3” of HB,. He spots it well up in the zone, allowing him to generate plenty of chases and whiffs. He’ll utilize his cutter as well at 92 mph with 9.3 IVB and 4.6 HB. The changeup is a nice compliment to his fastball getting 16” of run at 85 mph. He rounds out the arsenal with a curveball that has a slurvy shape to it with -6.8” of IVB and -9.9” of HB at 81 and a Sinker at 93.

RHP Dayne Pengelly, State College

This is Pengelly’s second season in the Draft League and he has thoroughly impressed so far. He pitched four innings in relief last week striking out five and walking only one on 57 pitches. Pengelly has a funky delivery that can be deceptive to batters, the delivery allows him to get to an ultra-low 4.7 foot release height, where he fires 95-mph sinkers with 9” of IVB and 17.6” of run that top out at 97.3 mph. The pitch generated exceptional results in that outing returning a Whiff% of 37.5 and an In-Zone Whiff% of 42.1%. He has an intriguing splitter at 88 mph that gets below 1300 rpms and a slider at 84 that varies in glove-side movement.

C Lance Trippel, Frederick

The start to Trippel’s time in Frederick has been really exciting. He took home the first Hitter of the Week honors, as well as having a .412/.565/.647 slash. These incredible counting statistics are backed up by underlying metrics, such as his 20% barrel rate and 25% BB%. He is tied for third in barrels, fifth in HHB and is top 20 in average EV. His .519 wOBA is good for fourth best in the league while having the most PA for the top nine. Trippel also has excellent plate discipline, with only a 17% chase% and a 12.5% K%. These are both indicative of a smart batter, paired with his ability to put bat to ball makes Trippel one of the best hitters in the league.

RHP Bobby Olsen, State College

Olsen is yet another pitcher that comes from the stacked State College pitching staff, He carries four pitches in his arsenal, a cutter at 87 mph which returned some insane results in an outing last week, generating 44.8 CSW%, 50 Whiff%, 36.4 In-Zone Whiff% and a 31.2 Chase%. He has a fastball at 92.9 mph, topping out at 94.2 mph, a big curveball at 82 mph with -14.3” of IVB and -10.9” of HB with spin rates routinely over 2600 rpms. He rounds out the arsenal with an 87-mph changeup, which he has used sparingly so far.

OF Taeg Gollert, Williamsport

This Missouri State outfielder has been a solid contributor to Williamsport so far this season, but his talent goes much deeper than the box score. Gollert’s natural bat-to-ball skill has led him to having a .372 xBA while consistently hitting the ball to the tune of a top five average exit velo at 93.9. His power numbers don’t stop there, as he has a 20% barrel rate and an elite 80% HHB%. Crushing pitches at the plate, his power profile has been matched with strong plate discipline for a 22% BB% and an eye-catching .561 xOBP, making him a constant on-base threat when he is up to bat. When he falls into two-strike counts, Gollert has managed to find hard contact with a HHB% of 100% when he has two strikes. This makes the righty outfielder an extremely hard out, which no doubt frustrates opposing pitchers.

RHP Elijah Underhill, West Virginia

Coming off a year where he saw action in 16 games with 11 starts for Eastern Kentucky, Underhill looked to be a key starter for West Virginia in the Draft League. Underhill’s arsenal consists of a fastball, changeup and slider, all of which have good metrics. His fastball is a hard 4-seamer, usually with about 14” of IVB and over six and a half feet of extension that gets up to 97 mph. His other two pitches are what defines his arsenal, with a hard, sharp slider and a depthy low-spin changeup. His slider has some riding action, averaging about 4” of IVB, but it can get up to -11” of HB while throwing it at 85 mph (T87). His changeup is his best pitch, having a difference of 11” of IVB from his fastball and topping out at nearly 90 mph. His arsenal has been great at limiting damage this year, with only one earned run and no barrels allowed. He is also able to fool batters with nearly a 64% called strike% and a 31% chase rate. This, paired with a 38% whiff rate gives Underhill an opportunity to carve out a nice role for himself in West Virginia.

TWP Brandon Cain, Frederick

After only making one pitching appearance at Oklahoma this last year, Brandon Cain has made only pitching appearances thus far in the Draft League. His four pitch mix features an upper 90s fastball, a changeup with depth, a sharp cutter and a big sweeping curveball. His fastball has more of a two seam movement profile, with 14” of HB, but what is really eye-catching about his fastball is his extension. For Draft League pitchers with a 6’1” release height, he throws his fastball for 5% better extension than average. His changeup is a great pair with his fastball, getting 6” IVB difference on average from his fastball. His best pitch is arguably his sweeping curveball, which averages -16” of HB while having -8” of IVB. It comes across the entire plate to LHH and generates a 100% in-zone whiff% to all batters.

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