Jack Radel is on his way to the big leagues.
Radel was taken at pick #28 in the first round, and was the 8th pitcher taken overall.
Here’s what MLB.com had to say about the pick and the prospect that landed in Houston:
Scouts rated Radel as South Dakota’s top high school prospect in 2023, though he didn’t draw enough interest to divert him from Notre Dame. He immediately became a weekend starter for the Fighting Irish and has improved steadily throughout his three years in South Bend. He has added a couple of ticks of velocity and picked up a cutter as a junior, allowing him to miss more bats than ever and giving him a chance to become Notre Dame’s first pitching first-rounder since Aaron Heilman in 2001.
Though Radel doesn’t have a true plus offering and his pitch shapes are fairly ordinary, he succeeds because of his pitchability and competitiveness. Combining a high release point with good extension gives batters a different look and he pounds the strike zone. He’s a high-floor starter who could fit into the middle of a rotation.
Radel had a great season at Notre Dame in 2026. Here’s what FightingIrish.com put together about his strong Junior season:
Started in all 15 of his appearances of the 2026 seasonRecorded 87.2 innings pitched with a 3.29 ERATallied 116 strikeouts by the season’s endPosted a single-game high of 12 strikeouts in a 6-2 win over Stanford (May 1)Logged three or more strikeouts in 14 of his 15 appearances of the seasonRegistered five 10+ strikeout performances on the yearAdded five additional outings with at least eight strikeouts in 2026Had nine inning complete game shutout in a 6-0 win over Clemson (Mar. 20)Added a seven inning complete game win in a 12-2 decision against Boston College (Apr. 24)Set single-season career-highs for innings pitched (87.2), appearances and starts (15), ERA (3.29), complete games (2), strikeouts (116) and wins (8)Finished the 2026 season in the top 50 among NCAA Division I pitchers in complete games (15th), WHIP (17th), strikeouts (19th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (25th), strikeouts per nine innings (41st) and victories (48th)
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Radel joins Marcus Phillips, also a Sioux Falls Roosevelt grad, as recent South Dakota natives to be drafted. Phillips was taken at pick #33 last season after a standout career at Tennessee.
Sources: Jack Radel – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website and MLB Draft Tracker | MLB.com
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