Carlon is a premier left-handed arm with a rare combination of size, funk, and bat-missing ability. He struck out 86 hitters in 54 innings in 2025. At 6'5", 220 pounds, he owns a malleable starter’s frame and a four-pitch mix from a 6.8 foot release height and still has room to grow. The fastball will touch the upper 90s with enough carry to generate whiffs, while both breaking balls—cutter and curve—grade as legitimate bat-miss weapons and anchor his arsenal. Carlon's steep approach angle on his breaking balls are something to keep an eye on in pro ball. The X-factor for his 2026 value is the changeup; without a reliable arm-side offering to manage right-handed hitters deeper into games, there’s real reliever risk at the next level. He’s already proven he can dominate in short stints, but sharpening the full mix as a starter would significantly elevate his draft profile even more.

Compton was amazing on the Cape this summer, slashing .331/.414/.489 with 6 HRs in 38 games. The contact quality and bat speed were both on full display during that stint as well. At Arizona State in 2024, Compton was more of the same. While the exit velocities don’t stand out, the quality of his contact was high level. He put up a .406 xwOBAcon, with his launch angle profile concentrated near 12 degrees. It’s consistent line-drives right now, with an ability to loft the baseball at times, as shown on the Cape. The hit tool is average, and he will whiff a bit, but that’s more of an approach issue than anything else.

I was a fan of Ben Jacobs out of Huntington Beach 2 years ago, and he’s been solid in college so far. It’s a 3-pitch mix headlined by a carry fastball at 92, touching 96, with 97th percentile vertical break. He throws a bullet slider in the low-80s that he’ll land for strikes, along with a 2-plane CB with -9” of IVB and 10” of sweep. Jacobs throws from a low release with a feel for the arsenal, but may end up in the pen ultimately as the mix struggles to overwhelm hitters at times. The spin traits are strong and he moves well so there may be room for more.

Jackson was a highly regarded prep in 2022, ultimately being selected in the 18th round by the Houston Astros, but chose to attend Arizona State instead. He hasn’t quite lived up to his prospect status over the past two years, but there’s still intrigue here. The hit tool profiles as solid average, with the underlying data painting a respectable picture. The power is there, posting a 110.3 mph max EV in 2024, but he’s yet to tap into it with the bulk of his batted balls coming at suboptimal LAs. There’s still projection left on the body and he’s a good enough defender to have a shot in CF at the next level.