Players I am Watching in the Upcoming Draft

The 2026 draft class is shaping up to be a fairly strong class, but also a class with some questions. There is a lot of college talent, high school hitters, and an abundance of high school pitching. The top of this class is very good with names like Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, Vahn Lackey, Jacob Lombard, and Jackson Flora. However, this draft class has some good talent throughout it, not just at the top. Here are a few guys I'm watching leading up to the draft.

Some hitters I like for the Rangers in the first round:

Logan Hughes OF-

Logan Hughes might be a bat-heavy profile, however there is a lot to like about what he brings to the batter’s box. His batted-ball data is among some of the best in the class. Hughes ranks in the 99th percentile in Average Exit velo and 95th percentile in barrel%. In addition, he has a high walk rate to go along with good K%, chase%, and whiff%. In 2026, Hughes has increased his OBP by almost .100 off of last year's which was still very good. This season so far he has a .502 OBP to go along with a 1.221 OPS and a .372 batting average. It feels like a pretty solid chance that Logan Hughes is going to hit going forward. As far as the outfield defense goes, it's nothing to be hyped about. Average defense that definitely profiles as a corner outfield.

Jared Grindlinger OF/LHP-

Jared Grindlinger has a lot to like about him. First, he has legitimate upside as both a hitter and pitcher. Two, he's one of the youngest players in the class and will still be 17 years old at the time of the draft. Lastly, he has a good projectable frame at 6'3" and weighs 190 pounds. On the offensive side he has shown to have great feel for the barrel. In addition, he is showing flashes of projectable power in the future. Reportedly Grindlinger "lags the hands deep in his load creating huge torque, delivering a heavy load through the zone a la Matt Olson or Kyle Tucker with a flatter attack angle"(Over-Slot). Even with his longer levers he still does a great job of covering the plate and getting to pitches. He does tend to whiff on velocity up in the zone, but he doesn't normally tend to chase out of the zone. On the pitching side, Grindlinger finds the strike zone frequently with a mid-to-low 90's fastball that can get up to 96-97, and his slider and changeup show plus traits. With the changeup it has a "dynamic shape", and "he kills spin better than most of his peers and has shown the ability to command it to the arm-side with relative consistency." (Over-Slot) His slider sits around the mid-80's with good spin and solid shape. There is definitely a lot of things you like about Jared Grindlinger on paper. This may be a player who takes some time to develop, but the ceiling on him is sky high I believe.

Derek Curiel OF-

Derek Curiel is an outfielder who has the profile of a prototypical leadoff hitter or top-of-the-order bat. He has elite bat-to-ball skills, maybe the best in the entire draft. The LSU outfielder hardly ever swings and misses, he has a 12% whiff rate and has an in-zone whiff rate of 7.3% which could suggest he has an advanced approach. Although Curiel seems to be a hit-over-power player right now, he has put up good exit velo's this season. This offseason he tapped into a little bit more power getting EV's over 110 due to some gained strength. Defensively Curiel is a reliable defender in the outfield with around average speed. He makes the plays he's expected to make and takes good routes to the ball. He is playing centerfield this year for LSU after being a left fielder for most of his time at the university. Curiel could eventually end up back in left field at the pro level due to his fringe arm strength and average speed.

Tyler Bell SS-

Baseball America mentions that Tyler Bell could be an interesting fit at pick 16, which is the Rangers pick. Bell is a switch hitting shortstop that plays solid defense on the dirt, and has a good IQ on the field that can help him possibly stay at the position in the future. He has the tools to be an above average fielder at the next level, and he possesses an above average arm as well. In the box, Bell is a very patient hitter who doesn't chase very much and will walk a good amount. He also has solid batted-ball metrics. On Over-Slot he ranks in the 90th percentile in average exit velo, 82nd percentile in 90th-percentile exit velocity, and 70th percentile in Barrel%. Tyler Bell has solid tools all around. I recently saw an interview where it looks like one of the coaches from Kentucky (where Bell plays) was talking about Tyler Bell's makeup, and he had nothing but good things to say about him among other things. This catches my attention because the Rangers pride themselves drafting and signing players that have good makeup.

Some other guys I would like but I don't think will be available-Ryder Helfrick, AJ Gracia, and Chris Hacopian. Lastly, Eric Becker is another player I wouldn't mind, but I think he'll be available around the Rangers pick. One guy who has seen his stock rise is Bo Lawrance, this is just me thinking outside of the box because the middle of the first round is quite muddy, but it wouldn't shock me if his name is called at pick 16.

Some more hitters and pitchers I like outside of the first round:

Caden Ferraro OF-

The first time I saw Caden play at Blinn College when I attended college there last year, he caught my eye many times when I went to watch the Buccaneers (school mascot) play. This isn’t me being biased because I saw him play in person. Ferraro showed he could really hit at the JUCO level, and he’s carried that success over to Texas Tech. He's hitting the ball very hard, but he's not selling out for power. So far this season in 148 at-bats he has walked 36 times and only struck out 28 times. In addition, he doesn't whiff very often, he has a 17% whiff rate and a 9.7% in-zone whiff rate. When it is in the zone for Ferraro to hit he doesn't miss. I can vouch for this too, the many times I saw him play there were very few at-bats where he didn't have a good one. The kid knows how to hit, he's shown it in two different levels of college ball. The only question marks Ferraro might have are where he's going to play at the next level. For the Red Raiders he is playing in the outfield and he's playing solid defense out there. He is athletic enough to field his position and he has a decent arm out there as well. Maybe he profiles as a RF/DH in pro ball.

Trey Beard LHP-

Trey Beard is a left-handed starter that sits in the mid-to-low 90's and possesses a changeup, slider, and curveball. The fastball gets elite carry through the zone. On his good nights he averages 22 inches of vertical break and has gotten up 26 inches at times. Beard doesn't have great extension, but the carry it gets and the unique launch height generates lots of chase at the top of the strike zone. Let's talk about the slider first. The pitch gets whiff rate and chase rates north of 40% which is insane, and reports suggest his feel for shapes stands out. I would say the change-up is also a plus pitch for Trey Beard. The pitch sits in the upper-70's and he gets whiffs on it because of his unique release height and he has great arm speed on the pitch. Beard also has an average curveball that he mixes in as well. Definitely a north-south repertoire. The ceiling may not be super high on Beard, but maybe a team with good pitching development (like the Rangers) maybe could get a little more out of him than expected. I could see Trey Beard being selected anywhere in the 3-5th round.

Jake McCoy LHP-

If Jake McCoy didn't sustain an elbow injury that required surgery, he likely gets selected within the first 25 picks of this draft. However, the injury will most likely hurt his stock and he will probably sometime within the first 3 rounds. McCoy is a left-handed pitcher with a three-quarters slot release. His fastball can be up to 98 at times and sits around the low-to-mid 90's with cut. McCoy doesn't have big extension, but his fastball is still very effective at the top of the strike zone because of its unique traits. His low launch height and natural cutting action helps the fastball play way up to hitters. McCoy also boasts a filthy two plane slider. It sweeps away from left-handed hitters, but he can also "rush" it to the plate and sacrifice some break and have a more bullet action to it. McCoy also has a changeup that is a work in progress. The pitch has been thrown less than 10% of the time. The pitch has good shape, but he struggles with location. It is a three pitch mix for Jake McCoy. At the very least he has the stuff to be a high-leverage reliever, but if a team can possibly develop a fourth pitch and improve the command of his pitches, maybe he turns into a front-to-middle of the rotation starter. It definitely wouldn't shock me if the Rangers select the left-hander if he falls to them around the 3rd round. The Rangers have a history of taking injured arms in the draft. Feels like Jake McCoy could be a fun project for the pitching development team.

Clayton Freshcorn RHP-

Clayton Freshcorn started 10 games at McLennan and also worked in relief. He then transferred to Texas A&M where he was exclusively used out of the bullpen in 2025. There he notched 33 strikeouts in 27 innings and held opponents to a .235 batting average. Freshcorn went unelected in the 2024 draft due to signability concerns. The pitch mix consists of a fastball, cutter, and a sweeper. The fastball for Freshcorn can get up to 96 and has carry. The cutter will sit around 90 MPH with high spin and the sweeper potentially could be a wipeout offering for him. He could use a fourth pitch which likely could be a changeup. Looking at the pitch movement chart for Freshcorn it seems like he is a supinator, so teams are likely able to mess with his arsenal.

Dee Kennedy SS-

Dee Kennedy is a player who has some athleticism, and has played every infield spot except 1B at the college level. This year he is playing shortstop for Kansas State, and he's having success. Along with the athleticism, Kennedy has a fun offensive profile. He only has a 16% chase rate, walks 15% of the time, and he hits the ball with authority. Reportedly he is a prototypical gap hitter who could hit 12-18 homers in pro ball, but maybe if a team can make some adjustments he can tap into a few more homers. It wouldn't shock me at all if Kennedy was a 1st round selection, but if I had to guess, he gets selected in the 2nd round because one issue he has. Maybe the only concern you have with Dee Kennedy is his whiff numbers. His in-zone and out-of-zone whiff percentages are high, but he doesn't chase and does a good job of working walks. If a team can fix the whiff with Kennedy, he can definitely be a very fun prospect.

Carter Beck OF-

Carter Beck is a fun player on both sides of the ball. He is an athletic centerfielder with a quick first step and is willing to put his body on the line to make a catch. Beck is also an exciting player in the batters box. He puts up high exit velos and he consistently gets the barrel to the ball which is a good thing because he possesses above-average raw power. Not only does Beck hit the ball hard, he has pretty steady bat-to-ball skills. He does tend to expand the zone a little bit, but his out-of-zone whiff% is very solid. When it comes to pitches inside the strike zone Beck hardly misses them. His in-zone whiff% is 7.1 which is very good, and it can suggest he could eventually have a plus hit tool when fully developed. The one thing that gives him trouble is velocity at the top of the strike zone. Other than that Carter Beck doesn't have a ton of holes in the batters box. Over-Slot.com suggests that he has a profile similar to Dalton Varsho.

Josh Gunther RHP-

Josh Gunther in his career has been a reliever, but in 2026 for South Carolina he made 7 starts. The stats for him right now don't look amazing, the ERA is currently sitting above 7. However, I think if you get him into the right pitching development system there could be another gear to find in his game. Gunther has big stuff. The fastball sits in the mid 90's and generates above average whiff rates on it, and he gets 6-and-a-half feet of extension down the mound to make it play better. Gunther also has a mid-80's cutter with impressive depth and some late lateral tilt. He also boasts a changeup that gets enormous whiff rates against left-handed hitters. The main issue with Gunther is his fringe command at times. Other than that, there are a lot of things to like about the talent. In addition, he seems to have a low effort delivery when looking at film. I think Gunther has the pieces to develop into a starter.

My three hitting prospects I'd like the Rangers to take any of are Tyler Bell, Jared Grindlinger (TWP), and Logan Hughes.

If they decide to take a pitcher in the first round three pitchers I like are Cameron Flukey, Cade Townsend (may not be available), and Brody Bumila. Liam Peterson from Florida may be another name to watch as well.

(Used scouting reports from Over-Slot.com and MLB Pipeline, and metrics from Over-Slot)