Inbox: Sleeper Draft prospects to watch in NCAA Regionals

MLB Pipeline released its expanded and updated Draft Top 200 last night, but we're already collecting intel for our next first-round projection and starting work on the Draft Top 250. We'll take a break, however, to answer your Draft questions.

I love this question because I'll be watching the NCAA regionals all weekend. I picked two teams of top prospects to monitor in my Pipeline Newsletter earlier this week, so let's give you a sleeper for each of the 16 sites:

Athens, Ga.: Matt Scott, RHP, Georgia
Piggybacks with fellow Stanford transfer Joey Volchko, mixes 92-96 mph fastballs with mid-80s cutter/sliders.

Atlanta: Tate McKee, RHP, Georgia Tech
Sharper than ever in last two outings, misses lot of bats with mid-80s slider and harder changeup.

Auburn, Ala.: Brandon McCraine, SS, Auburn
Redshirt freshman with solid speed and defensive versatility, leads Tigers in hitting (.347).

Austin, Texas: Thomas Burns, RHP, Texas
Power reliever runs fastball up to 100 mph and cutter up to 92, also battles the strike zone.

Chapel Hill, N.C.: Macon Winslow, C, North Carolina
Offensive-minded catcher has power and strong arm, also making some strides behind the plate.

College Station, Texas: Grant Govel, RHP, Southern California
Fifth in NCAA Division I with 7.9 K/BB ratio; low-90s fastball plays up, sets up nifty low-80s changeup.

Eugene, Ore.: Eric Segura, RHP, Oregon State
Cut his ERA from 4.63 as a sophomore to 2.31 as junior, gets lots of grounders with 93-95 mph fastball.

Gainesville, Fla.: Ethan Surowiec, 3B, Florida
Sophomore-eligible won Northwoods League MVP honors last summer, stands out most with his pop.

Hattiesburg, Miss.: Beau Bryans, LHP, Jacksonville State
Quality senior sign with fastball that reaches 98 mph, slider that gets to 91; fine delivery metrics as well.

Lawrence, Kan.: Dominic Voegele, RHP, Kansas
His 6.01 ERA belies his ability to maintain 93-98 mph fastball deep into games, spin two power breaking pitches.

Lincoln, Neb.: Ty Horn, RHP, Nebraska
Pitching better after slow start, mixes five pitches highlighted by mid-80s changeup.

Los Angeles: Cal Randall, RHP, UCLA
Owns 44 percent strikeout rate while throwing 88 percent fastballs (average 97 mph, max 100) out of tough delivery.

Morgantown, W.Va.: Maxx Yehl, LHP, West Virginia
Back from Tommy John surgery, won Big 12 Conference pitcher of the year accolades; best pitch is mid-80s slider.

Starkville, Miss.: Nathan Taylor, RHP, Cincinnati
Set Bearcats record with 112 strikeouts, thanks to mid-80s slider he uses more than 92-97 mph fastball.

Tallahassee, Fla.: Hunter Carns, C, Florida State
Another athletic catcher in Draft loaded with them, posted impressive 1.033 OPS with wood bats in Cape Cod League.

Tuscaloosa, Ala.: Tyler Fay, RHP, Alabama
Redshirt junior no-hit Florida in March, gets whiffs with low-80s sliders and grounders with low-90s sinker.

Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron (Draft No. 9) hasn't silenced questions about his bat, but if he maximizes his potential, he's a 30-30 guy with plus defense at shortstop. That's still enough to give him the highest ceiling in the Draft in my mind, ahead of the first four players on our new Draft Top 200: shortstops Roch Cholowsky (UCLA), Grady Emerson (Fort Worth Christian HS in Texas) and Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep, Miami) and catcher Vahn Lackey (Georgia Tech).

Highest floor is an easier call with Cholowsky, the No. 1 prospect. He's an advanced defender at shortstop with plenty of hitting ability and power. The worst-case scenario would be that he's a .250 hitter with 12-15 homers in the big leagues while providing plenty of value with his glove.

Lombard (Draft No. 4) entered 2026 with concerns about his bat following an uneven performance at showcase events last summer. In 123 plate appearances logged by Synergy, he hit just .266/.439/.415 with a 29 percent strikeout rate, and he particularly struggled against sliders. Clubs still viewed him as a top-10 pick because he has the power and speed for 30-30 upside and the tools to play a quality shortstop.

Lombard has eased worries about his hitting ability by looking better during a strong senior season, though Miami-area high schools don't provide competition as formidable as the showcase circuit. There still are clubs that are leery about his bat, but he has plenty of believers. He's a candidate to go No. 1 overall to the White Sox and likely won't get past the Giants at No. 4.

Thanks, Ed! Since we expanded our Draft list to 200, Arkansas now leads all schools with six ranked prospects, followed by Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Oklahoma and UCLA with five each. Not coincidentally, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Georgia and North Carolina are four of the top five seeds in the NCAA tournament.

The answer to the original question is Georgia Tech, and it would still be the Yellow Jackets if we consider all six of these teams. Tech has a top five pick in Lackey (Draft No. 3) and a top 10 choice in outfielder Drew Burress (Draft No. 7). Second baseman Jarren Advincula (Draft No. 42) might sneak into the first round, shortstop Carson Kerce (Draft No. 131) could be a third-rounder and outfielder/first baseman Alex Hernandez (Draft No. 143) could go before the first day ends after four rounds.

Beyond the ranked players, the Jackets also have several more potential selections, including right-hander Tate McKee and third baseman Ryan Zuckerman. Signability will play a factor, but they could have 10-12 players drafted and figures to top all teams in that regard.

UCLA is a very close second behind Georgia Tech, starting with the front-runner to go No. 1 in Cholowsky and another possible first-rounder in right-hander Logan Reddemann (Draft No. 28). First baseman Mulivai Levu (Draft No. 79) and outfielder Will Gasparino (Draft No. 85) will fit in the second or third round, with third baseman Roman Martin (Draft No. 124) close behind. The Bruins should have 8-10 draftees, with right-hander Cal Randall and catcher Cashel Dugger the best of the unranked bunch.