College baseball’s Mr. Reliable since he burst on the scene in 2024. Burress absolutely punishes mistakes, showing off effortless juice to all fields despite only being 5’9” 190 lbs. He also plays a solid corner outfield with the athleticism to play all three outfield spots. Ridiculously good at finding barrels (24.4%) while making some notable swing changes over the years. Burress projects as a malleable pro prospect with the ability to find his way to the big leagues soon after he is drafted if he keeps hitting.

Vahn Lackey has emerged as the consensus best catcher in the 2026 class. He’s a proven offensive catcher, showing patience, contact quality to all-fields, and the raw strength to project 15-plus home run power as his swing continues to lift. Lackey lit up radars thanks to a massive year-to-year jump in production and his role as the U.S. collegiate team’s starting catcher. He also has high-end athleticism, a strong and accurate arm, and the versatility to handle other infield spots if needed. Lackey offers rare two-way value at a premium position and profiles as a true first-round, franchise backstop.

Jarren Advincula is a 5'11" 200-pound second baseman from Georgia Tech that brings elite contact skills and a proven track record of hitting for average after winning the 2024 Cape Cod League batting title (.392) and earning the league's top prospect honors. The left-handed hitter possesses exceptional bat-to-ball ability with an impressive 10.9% strikeout rate and .342 batting average in 2025, using a crouched stance and compact swing to pepper the ball through holes in the defense. His 31.5% chase rate shows he can be overly aggressive on pitches outside the zone at times. While Advincula has enough bat speed and strength to generate occasional pop, his ground-ball approach and reluctance to lift the ball limits his in-game power to the occasional double-digit homer total rather than a major offensive weapon. Defensively, he's a sure-handed, instinctive defender at second base with plus athleticism and speed, though his average arm strength makes him best suited for second base rather than shortstop. Advincula projects as a high-floor, contact-oriented leadoff type who could climb through a farm system quickly based on his ability to hit for average and play solid defense up the middle, though his limited power and modest walk rate cap his offensive ceiling.

Lodise played the 2024 season at Augusta, a D2 school in the Peach Belt Conference while slashing .369/.498/.693 with 14 HRs. He spent time on the Cape this summer and was just alright, but flashed average tools across the board. The draw here is long-term shortstop defense with potential for average power and hit to show up in full this spring.

Tate McKee is a 6'3", 200-pound right-hander out of Georgia Tech who brings one of the more fascinating and polished pitch-mix profiles in the 2026 class. He operates with a legitimate five-pitch arsenal that grants him legit platoon neutrality and a high floor as a future starting pitcher. The foundation is a heavy 92-94 mph sinker thrown from a 5.5 foot release height that generates consistent ground-ball contact. His changeup mirrors the sinker shape with occasional added depth, making it a near-perfect disguise pitch that hitters can't reliably separate from the fastball out of the hand. The three-pitch secondary suite of cutter, sweeper, and curveball is where McKee separates himself from most college arms at this level. His arsenal gives him an answer for every count and handedness matchup. He leans on the cutter more against left-handed hitters specifically to avoid over-relying on the sinker running into the barrel, a level of in-game tactical awareness that you love to see. The 13.5% BB% and 53% First pitch strike rate are the few areas of legitimate concern and will need to tighten as he faces more advanced hitters, but the underlying profile is too interesting to dismiss. The only obvious developmental checkbox remaining is the addition of a true four-seamer to give him a pure ride option up in the zone that would be a natural complement to his existing shape library.

Alex Hernandez is one of the most unique profiles in the 2026 draft class. A former two-way recruit who has established himself as one of the ACC's best bats while maintaining real arm-side intrigue on the side. As a true freshman in 2025, he was the only underclassman in Division I with 50-plus RBI and multiple saves, slashing .335/.415/.609 with 16 home runs and a team-high 69 RBI from the cleanup spot. The 2026 follow-up has been more of the same. Through 138 PA he's slashing .389/.514/.593 with 6 home runs and a 17.3% chase rate that reflects an advanced approach for a sophomore-eligible hitter. What stands out on film is a balanced stance and true hitterish vibes. His greatest strength is the ability to hit all pitch types, consistently producing hard contact across every quadrant, with a long, leveraged swing that generates natural loft and pull-side power while showing the ability to use the whole field. Defensively, he has logged starts at second base, right field, first base, left field, DH, and the mound across his two seasons which is the byproduct of plus athleticism and arm strength from his pitching background.The bat is the carrying tool, but everything around it makes the overall package easy to dream on.

Ryan Zuckerman is one of the more underrated names in the 2026 draft class. He is a Pitt transfer who stepped into one of the best lineups in college baseball and has thrived in every conceivable way. The year-over-year improvement cannot be ignored at this point. His .295/.382/.555 sophomore line at Pitt was already solid, but the 2026 numbers (.339/.463/.729, 12 HR, 35.2% barrel rate, 112.8 90th percentile exit velocity through 147 PA) represent a serious offensive leap, not just a change-of-scenery bump. The exit velocity jump in particular is elite by any standard and puts him in a tier of contact quality that very few college hitters can match. The 19.6% chase rate and 24.0% in-zone whiff rate reflect a hitter who has tightened his zone management while maintaining the aggressive approach that generates his best power, and the 16.3% walk rate shows some real plate discipline rather than getting overly aggressive. He has also improved as a defender at the hot corner, significantly cutting down the errors this year so far. At 6'4" with above-average arm strength, he profiles as at least an average third baseman with a plus throwing tool. Planted in a Georgia Tech lineup that leads Division I in batting average and ranks top-five nationally in OPS and slugging, Zuckerman has quietly put together one of the most complete individual offensive profiles in this draft class.