The college season is now fully underway, high school seasons are ramping up, and the 2026 MLB Draft board is already starting to evolve.
When the Version 1.0 Big Board dropped, it served as a snapshot of where the class stood at that moment — an early read on the industry and the players who have separated themselves early in the cycle. My initial board featured UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky at No. 1, followed by names like Grady Emerson and Justin Lebron, with a heavy concentration of shortstops and up-the-middle athletes near the top.
But as always with the MLB Draft, things change quickly.
College seasons produce breakouts, high school players take jumps, draft-eligible sophomores clarify their status, and industry buzz starts to shift as scouts gather more looks. This series will serve as a recurring checkpoint throughout the spring and early summer — highlighting risers, fallers, players I’m higher or lower on than consensus, and overall movement on the board.
Think of it less as a full reset and more as a temperature check on where the class stands right now.
© Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesMLB Draft Big Board Check-In
Before we get into the risers, fallers, and recent performances, here’s a look at my initial Top 50:
No.NameAge (Draft Day)PositionSchool / Commit1Roch Cholowsky21.3SSUCLA2Grady Emerson18.4SSFort Worth Christian HS (TX) / Texas3Justin Lebron21.7SSAlabama4Jackson Flora21.1RHPUC Santa Barbara5Cameron Flukey21.2RHPCoastal Carolina6Drew Burress21.6CFGeorgia Tech7Derek Curiel21.1CFLSU8Gio Rojas19.0LHPStoneman Douglas HS (FL) / Miami9AJ Gracia21.7CFVirginia10Kevin Roberts Jr.18.0CFJackson Prep HS (MS) / Florida11Tyler Spangler18.8SSDe La Salle HS (CA) / Stanford12Blake Bowen18.5CFJSerra Catholic HS (CA) / Oregon State13Christopher Hacopian21.9SSTexas A&M14Rocco Maniscalco17.2SSOxford HS (AL) / Miss. State15Jacob Lombard18.8SSGulliver HS (FL) / Miami16Liam Peterson21.1LHPFlorida17Eric Becker21.2SSVirginia18Carson Bolemon19.3LHPSouthside Christ. HS (SC) / Wake Forest19Vahn Lackey21.0CGeorgia Tech20Sawyer Strosnider21.0OFTCU21Will Brick18.1CChristian Brothers HS (TN) / Miss. State22Logan Schmidt18.0LHPGanesha HS (CA) / LSU23Caden Sorrell21.3CFTexas A&M24Ace Reese21.23BMississippi State25Gabe Gaeckle21.8RHPArkansas26Trevor Condon18.5CFEtowah HS (GA) / Tennessee27James Clark18.8SSSt. John Bosco HS (CA) / Duke28Chris Rembert21.02BAuburn29Tyler Bell21.0SSKentucky30Ryder Helfrick21.4CArkansas31Jensen Hirschkorn18.6RHPKingsburgh HS (CA) / LSU32Coleman Borthwick18.2RHPSouth Walton HS (FL) / Auburn33Joseph Contreras18.2RHPBlessed Trinity Cath. HS (GA) / Vandy34Joey Volchko21.1RHPGeorgia35Eric Booth Jr.18.0CFOak Grove HS (MS) / Vandy36Zion Rose21.1CFLouisville37Kaden Waechter18.9RHPJesuit HS (FL) / Florida State38Jake Brown21.5RFLSU39Connor Comeau17.9SSAnderson HS (TX) / Texas A&M40Jared Grindlinger17.2LHP/OFHuntington Beach HS (CA)41Cole Koeninger18.9SS/RHPKeller HS (Texas) / Tennessee42James Jorgensen18.8RHPJesuit HS (TX) / Texas43Tegan Kuhns21.1RHPTennessee44Chase Brunson21.0CFLSU45Keon Johnson18.3SSFirst Pres. HS (GA) / Vandy46Brady Harris18.5CFTrinity Christian HS (FL) / Florida47Matt Ponataski18.4RHP/SSArchbishop Moeller HS (OH) / Kentucky48Landon Thome18.7SSNazareth Academy (IL) / Florida State49Carson Tinney21.3CTexas50Gavin Grahovac21.53BTexas A&MPotential Risers ?
Ace Reese — 3B — Mississippi State
Current Rank: 24
I was pretty high on Ace Reese out of the gates, and all he’s done is make me want to push him higher on my board. The left-handed slugger has four home runs, 8 doubles, 18 RBI, and a 1.233 OPS for Mississippi State through 61 plate appearances.
He’s been even better than I anticipated in the first few weeks of the season, and his underlying metrics are impressive. His walk and strikeouts rates are near career norms, but the batted ball results have been the difference, with sizeable increases in his line drive and fly ball rates. Reese and his 174 wRC+ should be rising on draft boards in the coming weeks.
© Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesCarson Bolemon — LHP — Southside Christian HS (SC)
Current Rank: 18
Sometimes, especially with prep players, the tape just needs to catch up. Carson Bolemon is a perfect example of that. The 6-4 southpaw from South Carolina, Carson Bolemon, is a perfect example in this class.
Bolemon hasn’t thrown an inning for Southside Christian this spring, but I’ve gotten to watch enough of him that he’s going to move up my board next month. For a prep pitching prospect, he’s incredibly polished. His arsenal includes three plus offerings (FB, CB, SL) and a developing changeup with plus control. He has a clean delivery and pounds the zone, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he challenged Gio Rojas for the first prep arm taken in July.
Coleman Borthwick — RHP/3B — South Walton HS (FL)
Current Rank: 32
The Auburn commit has been on a two-way tear for South Walton this spring, hitting .552 (16-for-29) with five home runs, six doubles, eight walks, and one strikeout. On the mound (where he’ll likely land), he’s put together 11.1 hitless innings with 23 strikeouts to open the season.
An extended look at ‘26 3B/RHP Coleman Borthwick (FL)… 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 8 K, 0 BB #PGShowdown @SWseahawks @Florida_PG @PG_Draft t.co/IHJFWFbn4T pic.twitter.com/I2izGcEdyA
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) February 28, 2026Tegan Kuhns — RHP — Tennessee
Current Rank: 43
Kuhns has a 2.45 ERA in 18.1 innings across three starts this season, which is even more impressive when you consider he allowed four earned runs last week against UCLA. Despite the four earned last Friday (on three home runs), Kuhns’ fastball was up to 98 and sat at 95 while averaging almost 20 inches of induced vertical break. He’s sporting a 30.1 percent strikeout rate and a minuscule 5.5 percent walk rate.
Potential Fallers ?
Cameron Flukey — LHP — Coastal Carolina
Current Rank: 5
Flukey is set to miss two months with a stress reaction in his rib cage. Flukey’s injury came after one start on February 13, where he struck out seven and walked one while allowing two unearned runs on five hits for the Chanticleers. Flukey entered the spring as one of the favorites to come off the board first when it comes to arms, but being sidelined into May, coupled with the performances of guys like Jackson Flora and prep arms like Gio Rojas and Carson Bolemon, will soften his stock.
Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn ImagesDerek Curiel — CF — LSU
Current Rank: 7
Curiel started the season slowly — slashing .276/.361/.310 before the start of last week — but has begun to hit his way out of the early-season slump. Still, Curiel has volatile projections and could get pushed down the board simply because other prospects are forcing their way past him.
Important note: Falling doesn’t necessarily mean “bad player,” just shifting board value; the pool of fallers will increase as the spring season progresses. At this point, there are more risers than fallers, simply because players are pushing their way up the board.
New Names to Know
Jared Grindlinger — LHP/OF — Huntington Beach HS (CA)
Grindlinger made headlines last month when he reclassified into the 2026 class from the 2027 class. The uncommitted, newly minted senior, is 3-for-11 with two doubles at the dish and allowed seven hits with 10 strikeouts and five walks in 10.2 innings of work to open the spring for Huntington Beach.
As a sophomore last season, Grindlinger hit .343 with two home runs, five doubles, 24 hits, and 17 RBIs. On the mound, he went 5-0 with a 0.87 ERA over 32.1 innings, striking out 34 hitters. His track record extends beyond high school — he has represented USA Baseball at the 12U, 15U, and 18U levels, driving in nearly 20 runs across those appearances.
Newly re-classified LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger (‘26) out of Huntington Beach HS toed the slab in front of a heavy scouting presence posting 3.2 innings of work, allowing 3H, 4BB & 1K. FB topped 95 mph, SL 81-83, CH 81-84. Stands on a projectable 6’3/185 frame and is currently… pic.twitter.com/O1dh7YyM6I
— Perfect Game California (@California_PG) March 4, 2026Aiden Ruiz — SS — The Stony Brook HS (NY)
Ruiz impressed during Stony Brook’s trip to Atlanta, displaying a mature approach and advanced swing from both sides of the plate, along with advanced actions at shortstop at LakePoint. If Ruiz can build on his work in Atlanta, he could force his way into the first round conversation this spring, even in a loaded shortstop class.
Aiden Ruiz (‘26 NY)- extended view of 10-pitch AB from the @VandyBoys signee. @PGAllAmerican doubles after going down 0-2 in count. #PGHS @PG_Scouting @PG_Draft t.co/YbEcuktN6V pic.twitter.com/CCPPmTdxCd
— Perfect Game Georgia (@PG_Georgia) February 25, 2026Will Gasparino — OF — UCLA
Roch Cholowsky is the first name that comes to mind when you’re talking Bruins baseball (for good reason), but folks following UCLA for Cholowsky highlights have been treated to an absolutely electric power surge by outfielder Will Gasparino.
A 6-6, 220-pound outfielder, Gasparino has mashed 10 home runs in his first 12 games for the Bruins this season, while racking up two doubles, a triple, 22 RBI (at the bottom of the Bruins lineup), and a 1.220 SLG. Yes, slug, not OPS (which sits at 1.748). Gasparino is trending up as hard as anyone in the class right now. If you haven’t caught a UCLA game yet, here’s one more reason to do so.
No one improved his draft stock more this past weekend at @GlobeLifeFIeld than @UCLABaseball slugger Will Gasparino (@WillGasparino) ?"… the Bruins’ center fielder has certainly elevated his stock back into top 40 overall pick discussions."? t.co/Lqos09UTmb pic.twitter.com/hIxbjnKUPO
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) March 4, 2026Hence then, the article about mlb draft big board check in will gasparino enters the chat early risers names to know was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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