Another week of college and high school baseball is in the books, which means another week of stock movement, helium names, and new prospects forcing their way into the conversation as we inch closer to July’s MLB Draft.
The early part of the season is when boards tend to evolve the fastest. Conference play is ramping up, high school circuits are gaining momentum across the country, and every weekend seems to introduce a handful of new names that evaluators and scouts suddenly can’t stop talking about. The top of the class remains relatively stable for now — with UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky continuing to look like the early favorite for the No. 1 overall pick — but the depth of the class is starting to sort itself out behind him.
One of the biggest potential risers on my board this week is Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, who is rapidly establishing himself as the clear-cut top catching prospect in the class. Lackey’s offensive production and improving defensive profile have pushed him firmly into the early-round conversation, and if this spring continues the way it’s started, he could very well hear his name called on Day 1.
Elsewhere, Texas right-hander Ruger Riojas is beginning to make a serious push toward the Top 50 discussion. The stuff has always been intriguing, but the performance is starting to match the arsenal — and that combination tends to get scouts’ attention quickly once conference play gets underway.
And then there’s UCLA, which continues to look like one of the most talent-rich offenses in the country. Cholowsky still headlines the group, but he’s hardly the only Bruin drawing draft buzz. Week after week, more hitters in that lineup are putting together loud performances and building real momentum on draft boards.
That’s the nature of the draft cycle this time of year: new risers, new data points, and a constantly evolving picture of the class. With that in mind, here’s the latest Big Board Check-In as the 2026 MLB Draft landscape continues to take shape.
Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-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 ?
Vahn Lackey — C — Georgia Tech
Current Rank: 19
Vahn Lackey may be a catcher, but his athleticism and versatility were on display on Tuesday when he played all eight fielding positions in the same game for Georgia Tech. Not only did Lackey play, literally, everywhere, but he also finished a single shy of the cycle in a 14-0 win for the Yellow Jackets.
Lackey has been red-hot to open the season, slashing .467/.600/.933 with seven home runs, five doubles, a triple, and a 1.533 OPS. He’s a perfect 7-of-7 in stolen bases and has a 232 wRC+ through 17 games this season.
????!!!!!!! HIS 7TH HOMER OF THE SEASON!He's a single shy of the cycle and has played six different positions in the field!389 ft / 107 EV / 20 degrees? ACCNX#StingEm? x #WreckHavoc pic.twitter.com/5b5lZ48zZ1
— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 10, 2026Joseph Contreras — RHP — Blessed Trinity HS (GA)
Current Rank: 33
Contreras, 17, is a senior at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Georgia, committed to Vanderbilt, and No. 33 on my 2026 MLB Draft Big Board. He’s got a good chance of moving up next month when you consider his start to the high school season and his trip to the World Baseball Classic with Brazil.
Contreras came into the game for Brazil in the second inning and worked around some trouble for a scoreless frame that included inducing a double-play off the bat of Aaron Judge, who had already gone deep for the Americans on Friday night in Houston.
© Troy Taormina-Imagn ImagesContreras allowed one run on two hits in 1.1 innings of work while walking three, but for a 17-year-old whose peers are playing high school baseball back in Georgia right now, it’s an impressive evening regardless.
At last week’s Perfect Game High School Showdown at LakePoint, Contreras was sitting 92-95 and up to 96 on his fastball and up to 86-87 mph on his slider, which is a notable increase from last spring.
‘26 RHP Joseph Contreras (GA) sitting at 92-95 & up to 96. Full repertoire, stopping action & huge depth to fork. Spinning a nasty tight SL at 86-87 too. #AnchorDown commit #PGShowdown @BT_Baseball @PG_Georgia @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/OdyfZo0ru2
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) February 27, 2026Caden Sorrell — OF — Texas A&M
Current Rank: 23
Caden Sorrell has put together a monster start for the Texas A&M Aggies through non-conference play. The 6-3, 210-pound junior is slashing .407/.492/.889 with eight home runs, 28 RBI, and a 1.381 OPS through 14 games. Sorrell entered the spring at No. 23 on my board, but has put together a start that looks like it’ll dwarf his career numbers, already just four home runs and 15 RBI away from his career bests.
Birthday present=HOMER!! ?Caden Sorrell with a homer to make it 12-0 for the Aggies!#NCAABaseball x ? SECN+ / @AggieBaseball pic.twitter.com/Ap7ru2GVFz
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) March 7, 2026New Names to Know
Cooper Harris — RHP — Flower Mound HS (TX)
Cooper Harris is a prep arm that’s climbing boards fast this spring, which makes plenty of sense when you consider his first start of the season for Flower Mound, where he struck out 17 of the 19 hitters he faced en route to a no-hitter.
Harris’ fastball was 90-94 mph and getting by hitters with ease, and his slider (53-85 mph, 2850 rpm) generated whiffs all day. The performance was good enough to be named Prep Baseball’s National Player of the Week honors, and put him in the conversation for the Top 50 as we progress through the spring.
Ruger Riojas — RHP — Texas
Admittedly, Riojas wasn’t a guy on my radar at all until two weeks ago. While in Houston for the Perfect Game Houston 1000, I took in the Texas-Coastal Carolina game at Daikin Park on Friday night. The plan was to see Coastal’s Cameron Flukey (Flukey missed his start due to injury), but I left wanting to know more about Riojas, who pounded the strike zone in the upper 90s relentlessly and dominated the Chanticleers.
In four starts this season, Riojas jas allowed three earned runs and struck out 42 compared to just three walks and a .143 batting average against for the Longhorns in their Friday night starter slot. Riojas is a senior, but looks like someone who can flirt with the second round in July if he continues to trend in the dominant direction he’s opened the season with.
Henry Ford — 3B/OF — Tennessee
The Virginia transfer has looked excellent this season for the Vols, with a loose and athletic swing and presence in the box leading to six home runs, four doubles, and a 1.126 OPS through 17 games. Ford has only struck out four times in 78 plate appearances and is elevating the ball with authority as well as he has in his three collegiate seasons.
© Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesRookie Shepard — SS — Faith Lutheran HS (NV)
For the last few years, the Southisene family (with Tate going in the first round last year and Ty a fourth-round pick in 2024) has been the names to know in the Vegas prep baseball scene, but Faith Lutheran’s Rookie Shepard (Miami, FL commit) is taking that mantle. Shepard is Prep Baseball’s No. 1 prospect in Nevada, No. 29 overall nationally, and No. 9 among shortstops in the nation.
He’s hitting .727 to start his senior season at Faith Lutheran, and he’ll be in the national spotlight next week when some of the best prep players in the country converge upon Las Vegas for the annual Bishop Gorman Invitational.
‘26 IF Rookie Shepard (Faith Lutheran)Nevada’s top overall prospect had a perfect day at the player with a walk, this triple, then followed it up with a double off the wall. Elite level athlete with the tools on full display today #BeSeen@CanesBaseball Signee@RookieShepard… pic.twitter.com/789NFkCmhb
— Prep Baseball Nevada (@PrepBaseballNV) March 10, 2026Hence then, the article about mlb draft big board check in vahn lackey s rise ruger riojas making noise and ucla s lineup keeps producing 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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