The summer high school showcase circuit can be a slog, for players and scouts alike. There’s really no time to rest following the 2025 Draft, with evaluators hitting the road for a series of events and games featuring the top prep players for next year’s class.
This year's schedule actually started before the Draft in July:
July 7-11: Perfect Game National, Phoenix
July 18-22: USA Baseball 18U National Training Camp Phase 1, Cary, N.C.
Aug. 1-4: East Coast Professional Showcase, Hoover, Ala.
Aug. 6-11: Area Code Games, Long Beach, Calif.
Aug. 12: MLB High School All-American Game, Los Angeles
Aug. 17: Perfect Game All-American Classic, San Diego
Aug. 24-27: USA Baseball 18U National Training Camp Phase 2, Cary, N.C.
Sept. 4-14: USA Baseball 18U WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, Tokyo
Sept. 13: Under Armour Next All-America Game, Baltimore
Sept. 20: Prep Baseball All-American Game, Miami
2026 Draft:
Not every 2026 prospect went to every event, but many attended several -- which gave teams a solid follow list of prepsters before fall ball and well in advance of next spring. As Jim Callis noted in his story about the Top 20 college players, scouts are more bullish on the Class of ‘26 than they were this year. And like the college group, the Top 20 high schoolers below are bat-heavy, with only six pitchers making the list. Four of them are lefties, which teams that tend to shy away from the risky prep right-hander market might be more likely to consider in the first round.
1. Grady Emerson, SS, Argyle (Texas) HS
The Texas recruit has a hit-over-power profile, but surprised many by finishing as the runner-up in MLB’s High School Home Run Derby in July. He slid over to third base for Team USA while his left-handed bat was a true catalyst for a gold medal run, hitting .346 with a .949 OPS out of the leadoff spot.
2. Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (Miami, Fla.)
The brother of Yankees prospect George Jr. (and son of former big leaguer George Sr.), Lombard is a premium athlete who has excelled in other sports, namely soccer. He played second base for Team USA without as much statistical success as Emerson, but his right-handed swing should enable him to hit for average and power in the future with the skills to stick at shortstop.
3. Gio Rojas, LHP, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS (Parkland, Fla.)
Rojas looked like he might be the best overall arm, high school or college, in the 2026 Draft class, and his performance over the summer did little to dampen enthusiasm. The left-handed Miami recruit won two games for Team USA while showcasing a fastball that averaged close to 95 mph, an 80-mph slider that missed a ton of bats and feel for a low-80s changeup.
4. Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.)
A 6-foot-3, left-handed-hitting shortstop committed to Stanford, Spangler can stick at short with good actions, a strong arm and excellent instincts. He knows how to find the barrel and should develop more power as he matures after showing off his tools at events like MLB’s All-American Game and the Area Code Games.
5. Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian HS (Simpsonville, S.C.)
There’s power and feel to pitch from this big lefty committed to Wake Forest. The fastball usually sits around 93-94 mph but can touch 96 and misses bats thanks to good carry. His breaking stuff elicited a miss rate of better than 50 percent over the summer and there’s good feel for a changeup, filling up the zone with all of his offerings.
6. Logan Schmidt, LHP, Ganesha HS (Pomona, Calif.)
Taking the mound at events like the Area Code Games and MLB’s All-American Game, Schmidt showed that he belongs in the conversation with the top prep lefties in the class. He can run his fastball up to 97 mph, sitting around 93-94, with a 78-80 mph breaker that can miss bats and feel for a mid-80s changeup. He also will still be 17 at Draft time, which will help the LSU recruit in some team models.
7. Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
Committed to Vanderbilt, Booth showed off premium athleticism and a knack for making contact all summer. He has excellent speed, which should help him on the basepaths and give him the chance to stick in center field, though he needs to refine both. It’s a flat swing through the zone geared for bat-to-ball skills, and he might just be scratching the surface ceiling-wise.
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8. Coleman Borthwick, RHP/3B, South Walton HS (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.)
Most of Borthwick’s summer was taken up by USA Baseball and he hit .300 during the team’s gold-medal run in Japan. As a hitter, the 6-foot-6 Auburn recruit likely would move to first eventually with plenty of strength. But a lot of teams like him better on the mound and he threw 10 shutout innings with 12 K’s for Team USA with a fastball that touched 98 mph over the summer and an 84-85 mph slider that can be nasty at times.
9. Jensen Hirschkorn, RHP, Kingsburg (Calif.) HS
Hirschkorn is currently uncommitted for college, but don’t expect that to last too long for the 6-foot-7 right-hander. He filled up the strike zone with three pitches over the summer at events like Perfect Game National and the Area Code Games, most notably with a fastball he ran up to 96 mph and a low-80s slider, both of which missed a ton of bats.
10. Brady Harris, OF, Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
The Florida recruit was seemingly everywhere on the showcase circuit, showing off a right-handed swing he can keep in the zone a long time. He runs well and has outstanding instincts that point to a long future in center field.
11. Cole Koeninger, SS/RHP, Keller (Texas) HS
The jury is still out whether Koeninger’s future will be at the plate or on the mound. As a hitter, he’s a premium athlete with plus speed who can play everywhere, including shortstop. But there were some swing-and-miss concerns over the summer which could move teams to favor him on the mound. The Tennessee recruit is up to 97-98 mph with his fastball and one of the better high school right-handed curveballs in the class.
12. Kevin Roberts, OF/RHP, Jackson Prep (Jackson, Miss.)
Young for the class and hailing from the Mississippi high school that produced Konnor Griffin, Roberts has tremendous upside on both sides of the ball, though most think he ends up as a position player. He’s an athletic 6-foot-5 committed to Florida with plenty of room to fill out and he already has good raw power from the right side. An arm that fires fastballs up into the mid-90s works very well from the outfield too.
13. Beau Peterson, 3B, Mill Valley HS (Shawnee, Kan.)
Committed to Texas for college, Peterson established some legitimate bat bona fides over the summer, making a ton of hard contact at a number of events and showing off prodigious raw power by winning MLB’s High School Home Run Derby during the All-Star break in Atlanta. There’s less certainty about where he might play defensively, but he’s hit enough to land here.
14. Kaden Waechter, RHP, Jesuit HS (Tampa, Fla.)
Waechter’s two scoreless relief outings for Team USA were indicative of how the 6-foot-3 right-hander threw all summer. The son of former big league hurler Doug Waechter, Kaden had success largely with a fastball that averaged around 93 mph and touched 96 to go along with a mid-80s slider, both of which missed bats. He’s committed to Florida State.
15. James Clark, SS, St. John Bosco HS (Bellflower, Calif.)
Clark raised his profile considerably with terrific performances all summer, including for USA Baseball. He’s a gifted infielder with excellent awareness and anticipation at three spots. He’s also an above-average runner with excellent bat-to-ball skills and some pop to come. He’s committed to head to Princeton with his twin brother, Miles, for college.
16. Blake Bowen, OF, Jserra Catholic HS (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Big, strong, physical and athletic, Bowen has a ton of tools, particularly his plus raw power. While there have been some questions about swing-and-miss in the past, he showed he has plenty of bat speed and can drive the ball -- particularly to his pull side. The Oregon State recruit particularly stood out at this year’s Area Code Games.
17. Sean Duncan, LHP, Port Coquitlam (B.C.) HS
The best Canadian prepster in this class, the 6-foot-3 Duncan might be slightly behind the other lefties in this group right now, but he could catch up in a hurry. He was very impressive at the T12 Tournament in Canada, throwing a tick harder than he had been with a fastball in the 92-95 mph range. The Vanderbilt recruit has excellent pitchability with a full array of secondary offerings too.
18. Keon Johnson, SS, First Presbyterian Day HS (Macon, Ga.)
Johnson earned Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a junior and is committed to Vanderbilt. He makes a ton of contact from the right side of the plate with the ability to drive the ball, and should continue to grow into more pop as he develops. He runs well and can play short, though some wouldn’t be surprised if he has to move to third in the future.
19. Aiden Ruiz, SS, The Stony Brook (N.Y.) HS
Considered by many to be the best defensive shortstop in the class, he makes everything look smooth at the premium position. He’s a switch-hitter with outstanding strike-zone awareness and bat-to-ball skills, though it’s unclear what the future holds for him power-wise. He runs very well and can even throw left-handed from the outfield. He’s committed to Vanderbilt and his age at the Draft (19) will ding him in some models.
20. Malachi Washington, OF, Parkview HS (Lilburn, Ga.)
There might be a spirited debate in the spring over whether Washington or Johnson is the best prep position player in Georgia, with some scouts preferring Washington over the summer. Washington is a dynamic athlete who also has played football with plus speed and the ability to stick in center field. He’s starting to come into his power as well, as the LSU recruit participated in the MLB High School Home Run Derby in Atlanta.
Five more high school hitters to watch: Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS (Woodstock, Ga.); Rocco Maniscalco, SS, Oxford (Ala.) HS; Matt Ponatoski, SS, Archbishop Moeller HS (Cincinnati, Ohio); Landon Thome, SS, Nazareth Academy (Lagrange Park, Ill.); Noah Wilson, OF, McCallie HS (Chattanooga, Tenn.).
Five more high school pitchers to watch: Wilson Anderson, RHP, Jesuit HS (Tampa, Fla.); Joseph Contreras, RHP, Blessed Trinity Catholic HS (Roswell, Ga.); Denton Lord, RHP, South Walton HS (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.); Trey Rangel, RHP, The Colony (Texas) HS; Savion Sims, RHP, Prestonwood Christian Academy (Plano, Texas).