MLB Draft Big Board Check-In: Big Weeks from Rojas, Contreras Headline Rising Class ...Middle East

Another week of spring baseball is in the books, and with conference play now underway across the college landscape and high school seasons fully ramped up from coast to coast, the 2026 MLB Draft picture is starting to sharpen in real time.

This is where things start to separate. The early-season noise begins to give way to real evaluation windows. College bats are seeing better arms. Pitchers are being forced to navigate deeper lineups. And on the prep side, we’re finally getting extended looks at top arms and athletes as they settle into the rhythm of their seasons. The result? Movement. A lot of it.

This week’s update reflects exactly that. There are names building real momentum, showing tangible tools, impact stuff, and performance against legitimate competition. There are also new names forcing their way into the conversation entirely, turning strong starts into real draft relevance.

I got an up-close look at one of the biggest risers in the class this week in Las Vegas, and the takeaway was simple: the helium is real.

Let’s get into it.

MLB Draft Big Board Check-In

Before we get into the risers, fallers, and recent performances, here’s a look at my initial Top 50:

Potential Risers ?

Gio Rojas | LHP | Stoneman Douglas (FL)

Current Rank: 8

When the season started, Rojas and fellow prep southpaw Carson Bolemon were considered by many neck-and-neck for the top prep arm in the draft, and while Bolemon has just begun his season, Rojas is already 30 innings into his spring campaign, including an electric start for Stoneman Douglas on Wednesday in Las Vegas at the Bishop Gorman Invitational.

I was there in person for Rojas’ start on Wednesday, and he was electric, striking out 14 over six innings. His fastball sat 93-95 mph and was up to 96 mph. The fastball has easy velo with more to come and late life. His slurve was 77-80 mph with spin in the 2700-2800 range and tons of upside paired with an 82-84 mph changeup that has good fade. All three of his pitches generated whiffs all day, and I counted to barrels for opposing hitters.

Rojas has lived up to the preseason hype this spring, striking out 55 to just five walks and two earned runs in 30.2 innings of work this season. I had him at No. 8 on my initial Top 50, and he might be moving up next month.

Gio Rojas lived up to the hype. FB was 93-95 (T96) from the left side with late life. Slurvy breaker and a changeup with nice fade. Missing bats all day. Really impressive. #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/RoU5Ekl8aj

Joseph Contreras | RHP | Blessed Trinity HS (GA)

Current Rank: 33

Contreras was on this list last week after his appearance in the World Baseball Classic for Brazil—where he induced a double play against Aaron Judge on national television at 17—and he’s back again this week. In his first start post-WBC with Blessed Trinity, he fired off five hitless innings while punching out nine opposing hitters and getting his fastball up to 99 mph.

I’m not sure if Contreras’ WBC helium is enough to get him into the first round conversation just yet, but his five-pitch mix, frame, and advanced velo for a 17-year-old is enough to believe it’s certainly possible.

Fresh off a World Baseball Classic appearance at 17 Y/O, 2026 RHP Joseph Contreras came out firing tonight. 5.0 no-hit IP with 9 K in a win for the @VandyBoys commit. FB: 95-98 T99 ?2S: 91-93SL: 87-89; tight, whiffs CH: 82-84; tumble & depth Fork: 77-79; tunnels, weapon… pic.twitter.com/r7FmQWl0Bn

Tyler Bell | SS | Kentucky

Current Rank: 29

Bell is someone I talked about at the start of the spring as a riser, but a shoulder injury—sustained on a diving play—on opening weekend sidelined him. He’s now back in the Kentucky lineup as a DH while working his way back into the fold defensively.

Regardless, the bat is playing the way I thought it would, with Bell slashing .474/.655/.737 through his first 30 plate appearances. He’s homered once and has two doubles, and has only struck out four times while walking six times. Bell feels like a perfect college bat for the Cubs in the No. 23 spot at this point, and even in that spot, Chicago would be getting a player good enough to go higher in the first round.

Chris Hacopian | 2B | Texas A&M

Current Rank: 13

I had Hacopian ranked No. 13 on my initial Top 50, but he’s flirting with cracking the top 10 at this point. The Texas A&M second baseman is slashing .370/.468/.741 this season and already has three home runs in 32 plate appearances. Like Bell, Hacopian dealt with an early-season injury but has announced his return loudly. Hacopian might have one of the better hit tools in the class, and the pop is there, evident by his 450-foot home run against Oklahoma over the weekend that left his bat at 114 mph.

Random fact of the week. Texas A&M infielder Chris Hacopian hit two different baseballs over ~114 mph. Neither of them were this 450-foot homer.That’ll get analysts to lean in…pic.twitter.com/Nno6vRaO64

New Names to Know

Mason Edwards | LHP | USC

UCLA is dominating the SoCal baseball headlines this season, rightfully so, but USC is off to a 20-1 start to the season, surpassing the 1988 team for the best start in school history, reaching 19-0 before losing a snowy affair to Northwestern in Evanston over the weekend. Mason Edwards has played a significant role in the Trojans’ hot start, pushing his way into the top college lefty conversation.

Edwards is 4-0 with a 0.30 ERA through his first five starts of the season, and opposing hitters are hitting just .061 against him. Edwards has struck out 52 and walked just 11 while allowing one earned run this season on six hits. Edwards opened the season with 29 scoreless innings before giving up a home run to Northwestern over the weekend. Edwards’ fastball has been 91-93 this season, with a plus slurvy-curveball and above-average changeup also in the arsenal.

Aiden Robinson | CF | Texas

Last week we discussed Texas’ Ruger Riojas in this space; this week we’re talking about his center fielder, Aiden Robbins, who is climbing big boards across the industry. Robbins is slashing .367/.441/.671 this season with six home runs, four doubles, and a triple through 93 plate appearances. Robbins has a 151 wRC+ and has an above-average combination of hit and power tools, which were on display a few weeks ago when I watched him launch a home run off the train at Daikin Park in Houston against Coastal Carolina.

An absolute moonshot! Looked even better in person. Also, Ruger Rojas was nasty. 11 punchouts in 5 IP. Sitting 97, sequencing was filthy. pic.twitter.com/C0hoTVNQoa

Kyle Jones | CF | Florida

The Gators centerfielder and leadoff man was a round 2-3 guy to open the season, pushing for first-round or minimally Comp. Balance A consideration this season. Jones is slashing .364/.426/.568 through his first 101 plate appearances for the Gators this season and has a 132 wRC+. He’s got 10 doubles, a pair of home runs, and is 8-for-9 in the stolen base department.

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