Arnold sits in the mid 90s on his fastball from a 4.4’ release height while getting elite extension. It’s a 2-seam shape, but he’s able to get whiffs with it to all quadrants. His slider is potentially more attractive, getting 11.6” of sweep and lift, drawing a 42% whiff rate and landing the pitch for strike. He threw an upper 80s change-up in 2024, which was a contact pitch for him, but he added a splitter at driveline over the off-season thats had up to 8” of depth. He’ll be even better this year than he was last year stuff wise, and may find himself in the 1-1 conversation when it’s all said and done.

A personal favorite of mine, Lodise is going to play a great shortstop for the Noles this spring. He’s got the arm, actions, and athletic ability to play SS at an above-average level for years to come. The bat is power first, with a 110.2 mph max EV and 106 mph 90th EV. He’s got a 26.2% barrel rate with a plus launch angle profile, allowing a .358 xwOBAcon. He’s very aggressive, swinging over half of the time, but has done well limiting whiffs. There’s going to be a Ks, but with the positional value and power production you’ll live with it.

Leiter will not pitch for Florida State in 2025 due to injury, but a healthy Cam Leiter is the best pitcher in the class for my money, with 3 plus or better off-speed offerings He sat 96 mph, touching 99 mph, in 2024. He’s throwing it with an almost directly over-the-top arm path to a 5.8’ release height with plus extension at 6.7’. The extension and velocity combination has allowed the pitch to play beyond his 15”/8.5” shape, drawing a 29.8% swing-miss rate (28% in-zone) with 24.6% chase. The slider here may be the best in the class. It’s 87 mph with 2” of lift and 6” of glove-side. The results are elite, drawing chases at a 51% clip with a 64% whiff rate. His second breaking ball is a downer Curveball thrown at 80.3 mph with -60” of depth and -10” of sweep. The pitch has been viable to both Righties and Lefties for him, drawing a 41% whiff rate, but the chase here is minimal. Like with both his slider and curveball, the change-up draws a near-elite amount of whiffs at 44.5%.

Trey Beard, a 6'2" 185-pound left-hander from Florida State University, is one of the most underrated pitchers in the country and represents the new wave of deceptive arms that pro baseball is prioritizing, with his 6.7-foot release height creating a steep vertical approach angle that destroys the modern hitters trained to hit flat fastballs. Beard operates with a high slot that generates elite extension and deception, featuring a fringy 90-93 mph fastball that he elevates effectively to induce chases and plays far better than its velocity suggests due to his unique delivery. Beard's best pitch is an outlier 75-77 mph changeup that seems to stop halfway to the plate, sold with outstanding arm speed and generating swings and misses while keeping hitters completely off-balance. He complements his primary weapons with a low-80s slider and softer curveball that he deploys strategically, both showing solid spin and depth, though they trail his elite changeup in effectiveness. Beard has made strides in filling the strike zone while posting a 12.35 K/9 and 3.14 ERA across 86.0 innings. Elevating the first pitch strike rate should help him control counts at an even higher clip in 2026. He profiles as a second-round pitchability arm whose unconventional angles and command-first approach could carve out a successful career as a back-end starter or versatile long reliever.

Faurot is a switch-hitting MIF with above-average power. Through the first week of 2025 his career max EV is already up from 108 to 111 mph, which vaults him up my ranking. He's an aggressive hitter, chasing 37.9% and swinging in-zone 80.4%. When considering the swing rates and chase numbers, Faurot's bat-to-ball skills looks really strong, 25.6% whiffs. He'll play 2B for Florida State this year, but should have a shot to give it a run at SS in pro ball.

Williams is one of the bigger power threats in the draft class. He posted a 90th EV at 109.5 mph, with a 114.2 max EV while hitting half of his batted balls >95 mph. The issue for him has been a poor launch profile, though. He’s not hitting the ball in the air, with his average LA standing at 4.9 degrees. His bat-to-ball skills are at the very least average, if not a tick above. Despite a 36.8% chase rate, Williams K’d just 21.1% of the time, which is encouraging all things considered. Williams will play an average corner-OF spot moving forward, so the burden will fall on the bat to carry him to the big leagues.

Cole Stokes is a 6'6", 230-pound right-handed junior out of Florida State who owns one of the most electrically live arms in the 2026 draft class, sitting 97-99 mph and touching triple digits with a sinker that pairs naturally with a low-to-mid 80s sweeper in a classic east-west attack. The 2025 baseline was exciting: 20.1 innings, 3.10 ERA, and a 38.6% K% that suggested a pitcher who could harness the electric stuff with enough consistency to welcome more volume. The raw strikeout ability across both seasons jumps off the page, culminating in a 16.48 K/9 over 25.2 career innings. The 2026 numbers, however, tell a more complicated story: a 26.7% BB% and 15.2% FPStk% through 5.1 innings indicate the command has wavered a bit. The platoon split shows an 11.57 BB/9 against lefties that underscores the structural challenge a two-pitch sinker-sweeper mix faces when hitters don't have to cover the entire plate. The reliever risk here is not a peripheral concern, it is the defining reality of the profile. A sinker paired with a sweeper plays as a dominant late-inning combination in a one-inning role where command variability is more manageable, and that is almost certainly where Stokes ends up. The ceiling as a high-leverage reliever is potentially elite, but the floor is not far below it. The raw arm is too good to ignore, but the two-pitch mix and walk tendencies make the starter pathway a very difficult sell.

Myles Bailey, a 6'4" 257-pound first baseman from Florida State, announced his arrival as one of college baseball's premier power threats by finishing second in the ACC with 19 home runs as a freshman and earning first-team All-American honors. The left-handed slugger possesses some of the most elite raw power in the 2026 draft class with a 112.1 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and impressive 28.8% barrel rate, showcasing the ability to drive the ball out to all fields and muscle mishits over the fence. However, Bailey's swing-and-miss concerns remain significant, as his 31.0% strikeout rate and 23.9% chase rate reflect a somewhat grooved swing that will need refinement for him to consistently access his plus-plus power at the professional level, though his solid 13.1% walk rate demonstrates some plate discipline. A better athlete than he's typically credited for, Bailey is likely destined for first base defensively where he profiles as adequate, with his bat being the carrying tool in his profile. If Bailey can tighten his approach and cut down the strikeouts while maintaining his elite raw power and improving his contact quality, he has the upside to be a middle-of-the-order run producer and one of the most intriguing draft-eligible sophomores in the class.

Wes Mendes has quietly put together one of the most compelling left-handed pitching seasons in college baseball, building on a 2025 campaign that saw him anchor FSU's rotation all the way to back-to-back Super Regional appearances. Through 45.2 innings in 2026 he's 6-1 with a 1.97 ERA, 12.81 K/9, and a 1.60 FIP. He has not allowed a run in four of his seven starts, posted double-digit strikeouts in three of his last four outings, and struck out a career-high 12 in 6.2 shutout innings against Duke to earn ACC Pitcher of the Week honors. What makes the profile so interesting from a pro standpoint is the arsenal architecture. The supinator fastball shape from the left side allows him to generate a natural cut-ride shape that opens up his entire mix for diversity. He leads with a 92-95 mph cut-ride four-seamer, an 86-89 cutter that reads like a tighter version of a s similar shape, a 81-83 gyro slider, a 73-77 curveball, and a 78-81 changeup as the primary offspeed weapon. The result is five pitches across four distinct velocity bands that makes timing extremely difficult for hitters. The cutter and changeup are the primary weapons, with the slider and curveball deployed to add another velo tier and spin contrast. The 58.5% first-pitch strike rate is the one area with room to grow, as getting ahead more consistently would only add to what is already one of the more sophisticated left-handed arsenals in this draft class.

Jelkin's path to the draft is unlike anyone else in this class. A two-time MLB Draft pick, selected by the Dodgers in the 13th round in 2023 and the Mets in the 9th round in 2024, missed all of 2025 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery before getting his shot at Kentucky in 2026. The wait has been worth it. Through 48.2 innings he's 6-0 with a 2.96 ERA, 9.99 K/9, 1.85 BB/9, and a 0.99 WHIP including eight dominant innings against defending national champion LSU to improve to 6-0 on the season. The arsenal is what makes the profile so compelling. He leads with a two-fastball mix, a 94-95 sinker grading out at 111 Stuff+ and 115 Command+, and a 95-96 four-seamer with 15 inches of carry. He throws both for strikes at a 79.1% combined first-pitch strike rate that is borderline unheard of. His curveball (81-82 mph, 113 Stuff+, 106 Command+) is the crown jewel of the arsenal with a 39% whiff rate and a .201 xwOBA, the lowest of any pitch in his arsenal, operating with depth and sweep. The cutter (90-91 mph) bridges the velocity gap between the fastball and curveball with adequate whiff numbers, while the changeup (87-88 mph, 110 Command+) features more run than expected and plays well enough as a left-handed hitter weapon, logging a .261 xwOBA. The main area of optimization is the cutter, at 98 Stuff+ it's the weakest offering by shape grade and carries the highest xwOBA (.467), but the rest of the arsenal is so well-sequenced off the two-fastball foundation that it rarely needs to be a put-away pitch. At 6'5" with this command profile, a fully healthy post-TJ arm, and the maturity of a pitcher who has been around three programs and two draft processes, Jelkin is one of the most polished arms in this class and a legitimate first-day consideration.