The 2026 MLB Draft in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 will feature the next wave of MLB Draft League prospects and alumni moving into the professional ranks of affiliate baseball. In 2025, the league featured 36 draft picks who had played that same season and an overall count of 48 selections who have appeared since 2021, the second-most all-time.
Throughout the season, the Draft League has offered a glimpse into several prospects from a purely analytical approach via Data Darlings and scouting in the Prospect Report. Now, with the amateur portion of the 2026 season over and the Draft days away, we combine the two aspects into one preview of some of the leagueโs top performers.
Prospect Reports: Week 1: Pitchers | Week 2: Hitters | Week 3: Pitchers | Week 4: Hitters
Hitters
Owen Clyne, Aberdeen (George Mason): The offensive production Clyne presents was no secret after being recognized as a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the top collegiate shortstop in the nation. Hitting .260, the Wichita, Kan., native has excelled at reaching base with an on-base percentage of .452 with the help of walking a league-leading 26 times. Heโs also compiled hit streaks of four and five games with two three-hit nights. On the bases, Clyne has effectively used speed with 10 stolen bases, three occasions stealing twice in one night. He limits swing-and-miss with a 21% whiff rate and his high walk count and 25% clip have come to the benefit of a 16.1% chase rate.
Augie Lopez, Trenton (University of Southern California): A late join due to competing through the Super Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, Lopez has made the most of his time with Trenton as one of the leagueโs leading bats and home run king. In his second week of action, the left-handed hitter was named as Player of the Week, following a series of six games that included two home runs, three doubles and a walk-off single. The power production backs up the traditional stat production as Lopez has averaged an even 91 mph off the bat (104.4-mph max) to go with a hard-hit rate of 58.6% and barrel rate of 20.7%. He also consistently puts the ball in the air with a 72.4% LD+FB% and found success with drawing walks at a 20% clip. Highlighted by a .547 wOBA, the left-handed hitter who has seen time at catcher, first and left field has slugged five home runs, slashed .325/.500/.825 with an OPS of 1.325 through 14 games.
Dominic Pellegrin, State College (Holy Cross HS, La., Tulane commit): The No. 9 prospect in the Class of 2026 by Prep Baseball Louisiana, Pellegrin entered the summer after hitting .489 over the spring with 37 walks to eight strikeouts. In State College before heading to the MLB Draft Combine, the 19-year-old was one of the most productive bats in the league with a slash line of .375/.569/.525 with an OPS of 1.094 through 12 games. Pellegrin had a disciplined approach at the plate, swinging 30.7% of the time and carried a walk rate of 22.2%. Making an adjustment from high school pitching to college experience, the middle infielder line balls 40.7% of the time with a BABIP of .536. Splitting equal time between shortstop and second base, heโs only made two errors on 51 chances.
Jarren Purify, Mahoning Valley (Clemson): A shortened spring season with Clemson was merely a preview of the type of impact player Purify is at the plate. In 13 of the 18 games the middle infielder played in he recorded a hit with four multi-hit nights and a hit streak as long as eight games. Slugging .579 with a 1.038 OPS, Purify tied for second in the league with four home runs, two which came during his Player of the Week performance where he hit an even .500 with seven RBI. Boasting a hard-hit rate of 45.7%, the right-handed batโs best hits (EV90) came with an average exit velocity of 104.4 mph, maxing at 105.9 mph. Hitting at the top of the order, his ability to reach base was just as impressive as his ability to hit with a 20.3% walk rate and .459 on-base percentage.
Tyree Reed, State College (Jackson State): All-SWAC First Team after hitting .401 in the spring, Reed has been one of the best outfielders at the plate across the league. Highlighted in the first Data Darlings article of the season, the left-handed outfielder recorded his first two hits in loud fashion with a home run to left center field with a 103.1-mph exit velocity, followed by what is now the 15th longest home run since 2022 at 422 feet with a 104.4-mph exit velocity. The 23-year-old would finish his first three weeks hitting .293 with a .880 OPS before leaving participating in the MLB Draft Combine. After his return to the Spikesโ lineup, Reed opened July with the fourth longest home run of the summer at 428 feet to center field as the go-ahead blast in the seventh inning. He would tie for second with four home runs with some Fourth of July fireworks via a 397-foot opposite field home run with a 99.9-mph exit velocity. Overall, Reed has averaged 89.3 mph off the bat with a hard-hit rate of 41.4% and generating quality contact consistently via a 24.1% barrel rate.
CJ Richmond, State College (Purdue): Slugging .460 in his fifth-year season with the Boilermakers, Richmond has been one of the leagueโs most consistent power hitters. Boasting an average exit velocity of 92.1 mph and hitting balls at least 95 mph 41.8% of the time. The 6-foot-3 first baseman has seen his ability to punish the baseball with an 18.2% barrel rate yield positive results with 13 extra-base hits and an .898 OPS. One of his booming hits included a 110.7-mph double that, at the time, was the hardest-hit ball of the season across the league.
Carsten Sabathia II, Trenton (University of Houston): Coming off his best collegiate season at Houston, Sabathiaโs slug numbers have taken a spike in college and in the MLB Draft League. The right-handed hitting first baseman had four doubles over 11 games and an equal amount of strikeouts to walks with nine apiece. Getting all his action in before the MLB Draft Combine, the 22-year-old showcased some pop with a EV90 of 106.4 mph, and a maximum exit velocity of 110.5 mph which, for a brief moment, was the hardest hit of the summer.
Carlos Sanchez, Mahoning Valley (LSU-Shreveport): The utilityman had one of, if not the best start to the 2026 season that was topped off with the first Player of the Week honors for the summer. In those first five games, Sanchez had five extra-base hits (.947 SLG), seven RBI, scored eight times and carried an OPS of 1.512. The hot start extended well into the next week, featuring a 10-game hit streak, going 18-for-32. Sanchez ended the half tied for first with 15 extra-base hits that included the second-most home runs (4), third-most doubles (9) which accounted for his second-most 28 hits. As a result of his extra-base production, the right-handed hitter finished second with a .582 slugging percentage with the second-most total bases (53). He also finished second with 23 RBI and fourth with 18 stolen bases.
Kyle Schupmann, WIlliamsport (University of Illinois): Hitting .282 over the past spring, the Illinois graduate has been the leading hitter in the league this summer with a .400 batting average, a .518 on-base percentage, a .567 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.085. Consistently hitting at the top of the lineup for Williamsport, Schupmann has collected more than one hit in 11 of his 26 games with three hits on three occasions and a four-hit game. His collection of multi-hit games and lack of hitless nights has him tied for the league lead of 36 hits. His contact quality and plate discipline helps round him out as a hitter, delivering line drives at a 32.9% rate and walking 18.3% of the time. Seeing action at third and second base, the 22-year-old has been one of the premiere defenders with just one error in 55 chances along with plenty of Gold Glove-caliber plays at the hot corner.
Ben Tryon, Williamsport (Dallas Baptist): During his junior season with Dallas Baptist, Tryon was one of the Patriotsโ leading hitters and he carried that over to Williamsport. The left-handed bat hit a fourth-best .371, tied for the league lead with Schupmann in hits (36). Ten of those hits were doubles which tied for the top with Richmond, his share of the lead with 15 extra-base hits resulted in the top slugging percentage of .598 and 58 total bases. His hits also carried weight and results with a league-leading 31 RBI, the most driven in during the first half in MLB Draft League history. The 21-year-old also ranked top 10 across the league in OPS (1.066), triples (3) and runs (28). The production has been no mistake either for Tryon, outperforming all of his expected lines of a .339 xBA, .494 xSLG and .427 xwOBA with a .480. The ball has jumped off the bat with an average exit velocity of 90.4 mph (max 102.7) with a hard-hit rate of 35.9%. When he faces pitches that find the zone, he connects 90.2% of the time, never missing curveballs and connecting at a 97.9% rate against fastballs.
Chase Williams, Aberdeen (Florida State): A contact-first switch-hitter, Williams has found some power and utilizing blazing speed to stretch singles into doubles and even muscling one over for a home run. The outfielder led the IronBirds with 26 hits for a .329 batting average, scoring 20 teams and stealing 21 bases which ranked second in the league. Facing right-handed pitching significantly more than left (70 ABs vs 9), Williams was one hit off from the right side to being a .300+ hitter on both sides of the plate (.343 vs. RHP, 2-for-9 vs. LHP). Heโs succeeded against breaking balls when put into play with a BABIP against sliders and curveballs each at .500 with an overall clip of .424. The glimpses of power he has shown have both come from the left-side of the plate with his lone home run to the opposite field 95.5 mph off the bat (330 feet) and a single on the final day of the first half at his max exit velocity of 104.9 mph.
Honorable Mentions
Nick Barone, OF, WIL: 14 G, .341/.518/.390 (.908 OPS), 40% HH%, 103.3 mph Max EV, 100% Z-Contact% vs CB & CH, 23.2% BB%
Cade Climie, INF, TRN: 25 G, 4 3B, 3 2B, .389 OBP, 40% HH%, 107.4 mph Max EV, 23.6% LD%, 17.1% Chase%
Jose Fernandez, C/1B, WV: 23 G, 3 HR, 3 2B, 114.1 mph Max EV, 102.4 mph EV90, 9.3% Barrel%, 44.4% Middle%. Hardest hit ball with positive launch angle in MLBDL history.
Grayson Fitzwater, 1B, WV: 3 G, 3 HR, 2B, 3 BB, 2.143 OPS, 66.7% HH%, 33.3% Barrel%, 108.6 mph Max EV, 95.1 mph Avg EV, 416 feet Max Distance
Owen Henne, INF, WV: 16 G, HR, 3 3B, 3 2B, .486 OBP, 1.014 OPS, 46.5% HH%, 16.3% Barrel%, 105.8 mph Max EV, 16.7% Whiff%, 11.8% Put Away%
Dominic Longo II, INF, TRN: 14 G, 1.000 OPS, .500 OBP, HR, 4 2B, 10 SB, 107-mph Max EV, 42.4% LD%
Hollis Porter, 1B, ABD: 17 G, 3 HR, 3 2B, 109.2-mph Max EV, 106.5 mph EV90, 40.5% HH%, 27% Barrel%, 449 feet Max Distance
Collin Priest, 1B, ABD: 24 G, 3 HR, 9 2B, .390 OBP, 112.1-mph Max EV, 108.6-mph EV90, 34% HH%, 30% Barrel%, 422 feet Max Distance. Hardest hit home run in MLBDL history.
Eli Putnam, INF/OF, MV: 10 G, .415 OBP, 92.8-mph Avg EV, 103.2 mph, Max EV50% HH%, 30/8% LD%, 17.1% BB%
Anthony Quigley, 3B, ABD: 25 G, 2 HR, 6 2B, 8 SB, 110.4-mph Max EV, 105.3 mph EV90, 36.8% HH%, 29.8% Barrel%, 461 feet Max Distance. Second farthest home run in MLBDL history.
Joek Rivera, MIF, TRN: 23 G, .324 AVG, .404 OBP, 2 HR, 6 XBH, 14 SB, 101.5 mph Max EV, 12.7% Barrel%, 14.6% K%
Camden Ross, C, SC: 19 G, .343 AVG, .477 OBP, .970 OPS, HR, 7 2B, 105.4 mph Max EV, 101.3-mph EV90, 34% HH%, 8% Barrel%, 25.5% LD%, 17.7% Put Away%
Josh Skowronski, ABD: 13 G, 51.9% HH%, 25.9% Barrel%, 29.6% LD%, 16.4% BB%
Chris Stanfield, OF, WIL: 18 G, 15 SB, 6 XBH, 1.019 OPS, .377 AVG, 103.1-mph Max EV, 92.1% Z-Contact, 25.5% LD%
Darrick Tarpley Jr., OF, WV: 16 G, .306 AVG, .453 OBP, .943 OPS, 2 HR, 3 2B, 104.9-mph Max EV, 100.1 mph EV90, 41.2% HH%, 11.8% Barrel%, 29.4% LD%, 15.8% Chase%
Isaac Wachsmann, OF, WV: 20 G, 4 HR, 2 2B, 108.6 mph Max EV, 101.7-mph EV90, 35.1% HH%, 10.5% Barrel%, 24.6% LD%, 40.4% Middle%, 420 feet Max Distance
Pitchers
Brett Antolick, Williamsport (East Carolina University): Antolick has displayed one of the most devastating, spin-killing splitters in the MLB Draft League to go along with a fastball up to 97 mph and a swing/miss slider. In four starts, the right-hander has seen 11 batters record a hit against him and walked only two through 14 2/3 innings, striking out 17. Antolick generated an overall whiff rate of 36.5%, led by his slider at 61.5%. He features a slew of pitches that generate chase with five offerings generated over a 23% chase rate; changeup at 34.5%, slider at 34.3%, cutter at 33.3%, sinker at 23.3% and fastball at 26.7%.
Andrew Berg, Trenton (United States Military Academy): Berg has been the workhorse of the league, appearing in the most games (15) and the most innings amongst relievers (24) while pitching on back-to-back days three times. It's no mistake either that the West Point grad has been utilized so much as eight of the 14 outings the right-hander has made yielded no hits, 12 have been scoreless and at least one batter has struck out in every game. 10 of those games consisted of multiple strikeouts with as many as five. The strikeouts were manufactured by a chase rate of 37%, good for fourth in the league, and a whiff rate of 43.7%, good for ninth in the league. The Thunder reliever possesses a devastating sweeper that generated 55.9% chase%, 64.4% whiff% and 28.6% z-whiff%.
Chris Billingsley Jr., Mahoning Valley (Mississippi State, Coastal Carolina transfer): In his second summer with the MLB Draft League, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has always found to collect more than two strikeouts. Doubling his innings total of 12 1/3 innings with 25 strikeouts, Billingsley has worked in bulk out of the bullpen with two three-inning and two two-plus inning appearances. Utilizing four pitches, heโs seen his fastball reach 97 mph with a hard, tight slider, changeup and curveball that have been used exceptionally to cause swings and misses with an overall whiff rate of 46.7% and in-zone rate of 34.3%. Turning 21 years old next month, Billingsley was one of the youngest draft-eligible four-year players in the country this spring.
Tazwell Butler, West Virginia (Kansas State): During his senior season at Kansas State, Butler split time as reliever and starter after transferring in from Walters State Community College where he did the same. With West Virginia, the 23-year-old has solely worked as a starter and one of the top ones in the league this summer. The second consecutive game where he struck out nine batters resulted in Pitcher of the Week honors (June 16-21). It was his third straight start of five innings and second start of no earned runs, limiting baserunners to two. Overall, heโs struck out 28 of the 67 batters heโs faced, good for second in the league with an eighth best ERA of 1.53. The right-hander mixes a low-90โs fastball with a 2,500+ rpm slider, a cutter and curveball. Supported by his strikeouts, lack of baserunners and runs, Butler has seen batters whiff 52.2% of the time overall and in the zone miss at a 33.9% rate. Mixing the different pitch shapes he offers effectively, Butler has caused batters to chase pitches at a 36.8% rate and has kept the ball on the ground two-thirds of the time when put in play.
Parker Detmers, State College (Louisville): After missing his entire junior season recovering from surgery, the 6-foot-4, 21 year-old right-hander began his comeback in the Draft League this summer. Detmers has struck out 15 batters in 10.1 innings powered by a high-spinning, 2,436-rpm, 94.4-mph fastball that over time, ran up to 96.6 mph and a 90-91 mph cutter. The true heater has generated between 11 and 15 inches of arm-side movement with around 17 inches of induced vertical break consistently that allows the cutter to play off it well with a tight two inches of horizontal movement glove-side. The road to full tilt is still in the future, but the process has begun with solid results to date. Such as an overall whiff and chase rate of 36.5% and 31.1% respectively and living on the edges of the zone at a 38% shadow rate.
Alex Kranzler, Trenton (Vanderbilt): Used mostly as a reliever for Vanderbilt this past spring, Kranzler piled up 54 strikeouts in 44 innings of work. To date this summer for Trenton, the 6-foot-3 right-hander has made three appearances, all starts, and struck out 23 in 23 innings. He has accumulated a 2.35 ERA and limited opposing hitters to just a 0.87 WHIP. With some funk and effort to his delivery, Kranzler pounds the zone at a 67% clip with a heavy 93-96 mph sinker. It has averaged nearly 17โ of horizontal life to date this summer. An 82-84 mph short-actioned slider is his putaway pitch. Itโs a swing/miss weapon that has accumulated an elite percentile whiff rate of 66% so far this summer. And if that werenโt enough, Kranzler can pump a 88-90 mph cutter into the zone for swing/miss as well.
Chase Meyer, State College (West Virginia): Meyer was one of the more highly anticipated pitching prospects to take the mound in the first-half and had his swing and miss stuff working, striking out 13 over seven innings. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-hander features a high-spin, three-pitch mix with a fastball above 2,500 rpm, big breaking ball thatโs been up to 2,999 rpm and cutter that averages more than 2,900 rpm. Still just 21-years-old, Meyer gets ahead with the fastball that averages 94 mph and is difficult on hitters in the zone with a z-whiff rate of 35.7%.
Austin Puett, Aberdeen (Reinhardt University): Velocity has been the bread and butter of Puettโs approach on the mound with 18 of the leagueโs fastest pitches this season. Of the 18, six have eclipsed 99 mph with the fastest coming in at 100.1 mph, for the 10th fastest pitch in the MLB Draft Leagueโs five and a half year history. As the fastest pitcher this summer, batters have failed to catch up to him with a sub-75% contact rate with consistent soft contact from an average exit velocity of 83.4 mph. In the slight chance contact is made, batters have failed to elevate the ball with a grounder rate of 58.8%.
Ethan Stade, Mahoning Valley (Bowling Green State): One of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the first-half, Stade didnโt surrender a run over his first 9 2/3 innings and struck out 19 over his final two starts, earning a pair of Pitcher of the Week honors. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Minnesota native allowed just two runs over 14 2/3 innings and struck out 28, tied for third most in the league. Stadeโs strikeouts came from an impressive 50% z-whiff rate on the slider and 46.7% z-whiff rate on the fastball and he also generated ground balls at an elite clip of 64%.
Brendan Sweeney, Williamsport (Mississippi State): The 6-foot-7 right-hander has dominated Draft League competition allowing just one run and four hits in 15 innings of work. He has walked three and struck out 19, pounding the zone (72% strike rate) with a lively fastball up to 96 mph. Heโs also able to kill spin at 1,654 rpm and slow bats with an above average changeup. Its late drop at the plate has produced a 56.5% whiff rate this summer. Sweeney is 22 years old, yet has a fresh arm after logging just 20 innings at Mississippi State this past spring and 25 in 2025 for South Carolina.
Honorable Mentions
Parker Burgess, SC: 4 G, 9.2 IP, 1.86 ERA, 13 K, .069 BAA, 34.3% Whiff%, 27.7% Z-Whiff%, 27.7% Put Away%, 5.9% Line Drive%
Carson Estridge, WV: 3 G, 4.1 IP, 6 K, 92.8 mph FB, 44.4% Whiff%, 37% Z-Whiff%, 0% HH%
Elijah Foster, TRN: 9/3 G/S, 20 IP, 24 K, .154 BAA, 91 mph FB, 2494 rpm FB, 36.8% Whiff% FB
Lyndon Glidewell, ABD: 4 G, 7.2 IP, 11 K, 1 ER, 2803 rpm CB, -17.8โ HB CB, 37.1% Chase%, 32.8% Whiff%, 34.15 Z-Whiff%, 36.7/6.7% K/BB%
Tommy Gross, SC: 7 G, 13.1 IP, 17 K, .176 BAA, 6.2-7 POTW, 2700+ CB, 37.4% Whiff%, 33.6% Chase%
David Horn Jr., WIL: 4 GS, 14.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 20 K, 0.82 WHIP, .160 BAA, 33.6% Whiff%, 30.4% Chase%, 64.5% GB%
Jake Kramer, WV: 13 G, 12.1 IP, 3 SV, 13 K, 1295 rpm CH, 18.1โ IVB FB
Trenton Lape, WV: 6/1 G/S, 1/1 SV, 14.2 IP, 0.61 ERA, 21 K, 1.09 WHIP, .122 BAA, 42% Whiff%, 25.4% Z-Whiff%, 34.5% Shadow%, 35.6% Put Away%, 25% Chase%
Luke Lyman, WV: 9 G, 9 IP, 10 K, 47.8%, Whiff%, 40.5% Z-Whiff%, 93.6 mph FB, 2408 rpm FB, 19.4โ IVB FB
Collin McKinney, WV: 3 GS, 9 IP, 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, .167 BAA, 35.8% Whiff%, 28% Z-Whiff%, 27% Chase%, 34.1% Put Away%, 40.1% Shadow%, 6.3% Hard Hit%
Frank Menendez, ABD: 4 G, 4 IP, 0.00 ERA, 9 K, 0.75 WHIP, .077 BAA, 67.6% Strike%, 48.1% Whiff%, 35.3% Z-Whiff%, 40.9% Put Away%, 97.7 mph Max FB Velo
Luke Meyers, WIL: 5/4 G/S, 13 K/3 BB, 31.7% Chase%, 27.3% Whiff%
Trevor Moore, MV: 5 G, 6.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 10 K/4 BB, 34.3% Chase%, 30.2% Whiff%
Dallis Moran, WIL: 11 G, 13.1 IP, 4/5 SV, 2.03 ERA, 18 K, 0.90 WHIP, .156 BAA, 64% Strike%, 27.5% Whiff%, 27.2% Chase%, 36% Put Away%, 8% Line Drive%
Jackson Nash, WIL: 4 G, 14 IP, 17 K, 0.86 WHIP, .184 BAA, 66.7% Strike%, 38.2% Shadow%, 34% Whiff%, 34.1% Chase%, 33.3% Put Away%
Keegan OโHearn, SC: 10 G, 11.1 IP, 18 K, .154 BAA, 35.6% Whiff%, 31.3% Z-Whiff%, 29% Put Away%, 98.6 mph Max FB Velo, 78.4 mph Avg EV,
Pierce Quinn, ABD: 2 GS, 7 IP, 10 K/4 BB, 2500+ FB Spin, 3000+ CB Spin, 38.8% Whiff%, 27.9% Z-Whiff%, 30.4% Chase%
Luc Rising, TRN: 6/1 G/S, 1/1 SV, 2.31 ERA, 19 K, 0.69 WHIP, .125 BAA, 40.4% Whiff%, 39.1% Z-Whiff%, 29.2% Put Away%, 63.5% Strike%, 37.5% Shadow%
Draft History
The MLB Draft League has found success in the MLB Draft through its first five seasons with 233 players drafted and another 200-plus signing as free agents for a total of 400 players placed in affiliated baseball. A complete list of MLB Draft League graduates who have moved on to the next level can be found here.
For more information about the MLB Draft League, visit mlbdraftleague.com or follow @mlbdraftleague and @draftleaguedata on X, and @mlbdraftleague on Instagram.
