Get to know No. 6 Draft prospect Eric Booth Jr.
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Eric Booth Jr. is MLB Pipeline’s No. 6-ranked prospect for the 2026 Draft. Here is everything you need to know about Booth.
FAST FACTS
MLB Pipeline ranking: No. 6
Position: OF
Height/weight: 6-foot-0, 207 lbs.
Bats/throws: L/L
Age: 17 (Born July 4, 2008)
School: Oak Grove HS (MS)
MLB PIPELINE SCOUTING GRADES (20-to-80 scale)
Hit: 55
Power: 50
Run: 70
Arm: 50
Field: 55
1. He’s an elite athlete
Standing 6 feet tall and weighing 207 pounds, Booth is considered one of the best athletes in the 2026 Draft class. He’s one of the fastest runners in the class: He can go from home to first in a little over four seconds, and he ran the fastest 60-yard dash at last year’s East Coast Pro showcase (6.33 seconds). An above-average fielder, the Vanderbilt commit has worked hard to get his arm strength up to average while improving his reads and routes in center field.
Despite an unconventional setup at the plate, Booth has impressive bat speed and natural strength, resulting in good exit velocities. His stats during his senior year at Oak Grove High School in Mississippi were eye popping: Booth hit .481 (37-for-77) with five home runs, a .669 on-base percentage and a .922 slugging percentage in the state’s top public-school classification.
2. He has more power than you might think
Booth isn’t a hulking slugger in the mold of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton or Yordan Alvarez, but he has more pop than one might expect from a speedster of his stature. Despite what MLB Pipeline termed a “choppy-looking” stroke from the left side, Booth is able to barrel the ball all over the yard and drive it over the fence. He showed off that power last July when he won the home run derby at the Perfect Game All-American Classic, and he could be a 20-to-25-homer hitter at the Major League level if he can continue to impact the baseball.
3. He’s got good genes
Booth’s father, Eric Sr., has ties to baseball: He was picked by the Blue Jays in the 34th round of the 1993 Draft out of high school. The elder Booth chose to play football at Southern Miss instead, and it appears to have been a wise decision.
Booth totaled over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns as a running back in four seasons for the Golden Eagles, but it was in the return game where he really made his mark. As a senior in 1997, Booth was one of the best kick returners in Division I football. He averaged 34.8 yards per return (second in D-I) and returned kicks for touchdowns against Tennessee and Houston, tying for the most kick-return scores in the nation.
Booth Sr.’s success on the gridiron shows where his son got his speed, but a similar career wasn’t to be. The younger Booth gave up football in sixth grade to focus on baseball.
4. He’s still young
Celebrating his 18th birthday on July 4, Booth is one of the youngest players in the Draft class. Of MLB Pipeline’s top 200 Draft prospects, only 10 are younger than Booth, including left-handed pitcher/outfielder Jared Grindlinger (No. 18) and shortstop Logan Schmidt (No. 43).
Baseball has been in the cards for Booth since he was small: Instead of classic toys, he always preferred to have a ball handy. As a kid, Booth routinely spent hours hitting rocks across a pond with sticks -- a practice that likely honed his hand-eye coordination and helped make him a fearsome hitter.
5. He ‘can really sing’
In addition to his athletic gifts (Booth can dunk with ease on the basketball court, too), Booth has a little-known talent: singing.
“He can sing, but he doesn’t sing around people,” Booth’s older sister Erica said.
That dates back to Booth’s days singing as part of a choir when he was small. Now, the outfielder says he’d have to “get my voice warmed up” in order to perform, but the skill might still be somewhere in reserve.