When it comes to his profile, Gracia’s tools are off the charts. He’s flashed a well-rounded offensive profile at times during his college career from the left side of the plate, something that’s grabbed the attention of scouts across the country. His bat speed is off the charts, and he’s regularly seen driving balls deep into the gap.
Gracia makes fantastic swing decisions, which, when paired with his elite bat-to-ball skills, make for a dangerous blend. Sometimes, he can be so passive that it puts him in a hole early, but this shouldn’t be too difficult to correct at the next level. If he could attack pitches early in at-bats more often, we could see his power develop even further than it has through his first two college seasons.
If the Pirates take a chance on Gracia, they’ll be betting on the offensive upside. He’s currently ranked as our number two college prospect in the 2026 class, meaning the Pirates will be quite fortunate if he makes it to them at number five overall.
Chris Hacopian, SS/3B, Texas A&M
As I mentioned earlier in this story, the Pirates are in desperate need of a prospect that can move quickly through the minor leagues and make an impact at the next level quickly. In my opinion, Aggies infielder Chris Hacopian has a high chance to be this type of player, as his contact/power blend is one of the best in the college scene.
Similar to Gracia, Hacopian’s last real test in college will be how he handles his SEC pitching after transferring from Maryland to Texas A&M this offseason. If he can hit SEC pitching as well as he handled BIG 10 arms, he’ll be in a fantastic position come draft day.
When watching Hacopian hit, the first thing that stands out is his sizable leg kick, which provides quite the violent hack. Contrary to typical trends in these types of hitters, Hacopain doesn’t sacrifice his batted ball skills along the way. For example, his 95% contact rate against heaters is a video-game-like metric.