{"id":642470,"date":"2026-03-25T12:11:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/642470\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T12:11:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T12:11:27","slug":"risers-fallers-new-additions-to-the-march-2026-mlb-draft-rankings-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/642470\/","title":{"rendered":"Risers, Fallers & New Additions To The March 2026 MLB Draft Rankings Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, Baseball America released our first in-season update to our 2026 MLB Draft rankings<\/a>, which expands the list to the top 300 players in the class.<\/p>\n

Below, BA subscribers can read notes on the notable risers, fallers and new additions to the draft board. Also be sure to join draft expert Carlos Collazo for a special draft chat at 5 p.m. ET<\/a> on Wednesday to talk about all the movement on the new board.<\/p>\n

New Additions Inside The Top 100<\/p>\n

California two-way player Jared Grindlinger<\/a> became the most recent 2027 reclassification<\/a> to join the 2026 draft, making him one of the youngest players available. He ranked as the No. 3 high school player in the 2027 class and now slots in just behind the elite pitching tier of high school arms as a top 50 prospect. Further down the board, Texas high school righty Cooper Harris<\/a> has pitched well in front of big crowds<\/a>, while Tennessee prep lefty Bo Holloway<\/a> has made positive tweaks to his delivery<\/a> and is throwing mid-90s fastballs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Massachusetts prep lefty Brody Bumila<\/a> just won a state championship in basketball and is now healthy and throwing after missing the 2025 circuit with elbow surgery. He\u2019s been up to 99 mph, and with performance in games as the season progresses, he could make another leap.<\/p>\n

Southern California lefthander Mason Edwards<\/a> has been one of the most dominant pitchers in college baseball<\/a> early this season. He jumps into the top 40 range on the board and will continue to move up if he keeps performing. Ole Miss righty Cade Townsend<\/a> is currently day-to-day with a shoulder injury, but an MRI came back clean, and he\u2019s working his way back. Before that health scare, he was dominant in his first four starts with 32 strikeouts and four walks in 18.2 innings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UCLA righty Logan Reddemann<\/a>, Texas righty Ruger Riojas<\/a> and Florida Gulf Coast two-way player Evan Dempsey have all come out with notably better stuff than a year ago. Oklahoma righty LJ Mercurius<\/a>, NC State righty Jacob Dudan<\/a>, Notre Dame righty Jack Radel<\/a>, Wake Forest righty Duncan Marsten<\/a> and Florida State lefty Wes Mendes<\/a> have all shown loud pure stuff, great performance or both. Arkansas lefthander Hunter Dietz<\/a> is finally healthy and showing excellent stuff from a huge frame.\u00a0<\/p>\n

LSU outfielder Jake Brown<\/a> homered 11 times in his first 25 games, and there are scouts who believe he\u2019s the best hitting prospect on the team. UCLA outfielder Will Gasparino<\/a> has used a transformative junior season<\/a> to re-establish his draft stock and offer some of the most exciting physical tools and upside in the class. NC State outfielder Ty Head<\/a>, Oklahoma C\/OF Brendan Brock<\/a> and Oklahoma third baseman Camden Johnson are other up-arrow college bats.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a rundown of new top 100 additions in our updated rankings:<\/p>\n

Jared Grindlinger, LHP\/OF, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS (NR to No. 35)<\/p>\n

Mason Edwards, LHP, Southern California (+78 spots from No. 116 to No. 38)<\/p>\n

Jake Brown, OF, LSU (+92 spots from No. 136 to No. 44)<\/p>\n

Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA (+60 spots from No. 107 to No. 47)<\/p>\n

Ruger Riojas, RHP, Texas (NR to No. 52)<\/p>\n

Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole Miss (NR to No. 56)<\/p>\n

LJ Mercurius, RHP, Oklahoma (+73 spots from No. 132 to No. 59)<\/p>\n

Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA (NR\u00a0 to No. 61)<\/p>\n

Ty Head, OF, NC State (+44 spots from No. 108 to No. 64)<\/p>\n

Brody Bumila, LHP, Bishop Feehan HS, Attleboro, Mass. (+65 spots from No. 134 to No. 69)<\/p>\n

Jacob Dudan, RHP, NC State (+52 spots from No. 123 to No. 71)<\/p>\n

Camden Johnson, 3B, Oklahoma (NR to No. 72)<\/p>\n

Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas (NR to No. 76)<\/p>\n

Duncan Marsten, RHP, Wake Forest (NR to No. 78)<\/p>\n

Cooper Harris, RHP, Flower Mound (Texas) HS (NR\u00a0 to No. 79)<\/p>\n

Ethan Wachsmann, RHP, Grandview HS, Aurora, Colo. (+68 spots from No. 149 to No. 81)<\/p>\n

Cole Prosek, SS, Magnolia Heights HS, Senatobia, Miss. (+14 spots from No. 102 to No. 88)<\/p>\n

Jake Carbaugh, RHP, Plant City (Fla.) HS (+87 spots from No. 178 to No. 91)<\/p>\n

Evan Dempsey, OF\/RHP, Florida Gulf Coast (NR\u00a0 to No. 92)<\/p>\n

Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame (+86 spots from No. 180 to No. 94)<\/p>\n

Wes Mendes, LHP, Florida State (+15 spots from No. 112 to No. 97)<\/p>\n

Bo Holloway, LHP, Nolensville (Tenn.) HS (+31 spots from No. 129 to No. 98)<\/p>\n

Brendan Brock, C\/OF, Oklahoma (NR\u00a0 to No. 99)<\/p>\n

Biggest Top 100 Risers<\/p>\n

Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey<\/a> has added more power to his profile<\/a> this spring and now looks like the runaway favorite to be the first catcher selected and is a potential a top five-overall pick. Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick<\/a> has some more miss tendencies, but he\u2019s also been quite good early in the season with fewer strikeouts and more walks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A number of premium, up-the-middle high school hitters and athletes are getting lots of positive feedback from the industry. California shortstop James Clark<\/a> has a case as one of the best pure hitters in the class and a chance to stick at shortstop. He\u2019s being talked about as a middle-of-the-first-round name. Illinois shortstop Landon Thome<\/a> has a similar hit-first profile and a highly coveted bat despite some defensive questions that could linger.<\/p>\n

California shortstop and righthander Archer Horn<\/a> is getting athletic comps to Yankees prospect Dax Kilby<\/a>. Tennessee outfielder Noah Wilson<\/a> might have the loudest pure toolset of the group, and the industry continues to like the well-rounded profile of fellow Tennessee product and catcher Will Brick<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins<\/a> is increasingly looking like a first-round lock with his athleticism, tools and performance, while Central Florida outfielder Andrew Williamson<\/a> feels like a solid second-round talent currently.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arizona State lefthander Cole Carlon<\/a> has a case as the best college lefthander in the class with premium stuff and solid performance through six starts. Liberty righthander Ben Blair<\/a> has been excellent in his first six starts with a 1.53 ERA, 37.9% strikeout rate and 3.0% walk rate.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a rundown of the biggest risers in our updated rankings:<\/p>\n

Archer Horn, SS\/RHP, St. Ignatius College Prep, San Francisco (+36 spots from No. 91 to No. 55)<\/p>\n

Andrew Williamson, OF, Central Florida (+36 spots from No. 96 to No. 60)<\/p>\n

Landon Thome, SS, Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park, Ill. (+30 spots from No. 64 to No. 34)<\/p>\n

James Clark, SS, St. John Bosco HS, Bellflower, Calif. (+28 spots from No. 51 to No. 23)<\/p>\n

Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State (+26 spots from No. 83 to No. 57)<\/p>\n

Ben Blair, RHP, Liberty (+25 spots from No. 70 to No. 45)<\/p>\n

Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech (+20 spots from No. 25 to No. 5)<\/p>\n

Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas (+13 spots from No. 35 to No. 22)<\/p>\n

Will Brick, C, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis (+12 spots from No. 54 to No. 42)<\/p>\n

Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas (+11 spots from No. 26 to No. 15)<\/p>\n

Noah Wilson, OF, McCallie HS, Chattanooga, Tenn. (+10 spots from No. 46 to No. 36)<\/p>\n

Biggest Top 100 Fallers<\/p>\n

The addition of more than 20 players to the top 100 and 31 players to the top 200 logistically means many players will have to fall. However, there are some notable players with distinct down-arrow moves to note and contextualize.<\/p>\n

Clemson righthander Aidan Knaak<\/a> missed his Week 5 start\u2014Erik Bakich said it was a planned rest week with no injury concerns\u2014and his fastball is a bit lighter this year compared to 2025. Scouts have also had milder feedback on his secondaries than we expected to hear, which creates a more challenging profile for the fastball\/changeup-oriented righty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arizona righty Owen Kramkowski<\/a> has solid peripherals with a 25.5% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate, but his stuff hasn\u2019t been as electric as we thought it might be. He\u2019s also been hit around and struggled against quality teams like Oregon and Texas Tech.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Texas A&M\u2019s Gavin Grahovac<\/a> has been playing first base this spring, which puts more pressure on his offensive profile. While he has cut his strikeout rate significantly, he\u2019s also not hitting for as much over-the-fence power as expected and generally seems to be hitting the ball on the ground more than scouts would like to see.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve gotten split feedback on the quality of Wake Forest righty Blake Morningstar\u2019s<\/a> stuff so far this year, and he\u2019s currently looking at an 8.00 ERA with nine home runs allowed in six starts. Virginia Tech righty Brett Renfrow<\/a> has made a similar down-board move and after being hit around a bit this spring.<\/p>\n

Texas prep righty Trey Rangel<\/a> has been scattered this spring with velocity that\u2019s a bit down from his best, and he seems to have been passed over by other Texas arms. Mississippi outfielder Kevin Roberts Jr.<\/a> and Florida outfielder Brady Harris<\/a> are two other prominent underclass names who are trending down thanks to lighter offensive performances than expected this spring and continued swing-and-miss questions.<\/p>\n

Kansas first baseman Brady Ballinger<\/a> will have to mash to profile. He entered the season with big offensive expectations that he\u2019s not quite meeting with just three home runs in 23 games. North Carolina third baseman Gavin Gallaher<\/a> has been a bit slow out of the gates offensively and is hitting for less average and power than he typically does.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a rundown of the biggest fallers in our updated rankings:<\/p>\n

Aidan Knaak, RHP, Clemson (-128 spots from No. 88 to No. 216)<\/p>\n

Owen Kramkowski, RHP, Arizona (-113 spots from No. 63 to No. 176)<\/p>\n

Gavin Grahovac, 1B, Texas A&M (-88 spots from No. 28 to No. 116)<\/p>\n

Blake Morningstar, RHP, Wake Forest (-81 spots from No. 89 to No. 170)<\/p>\n

Brett Renfrow, RHP, Virginia Tech (-72 spots from No. 97 to No. 169)<\/p>\n

Trey Rangel, RHP, The Colony (Texas) HS (-66 spots from No. 44 to No. 110)<\/p>\n

Ricky Ojeda, LHP, UC Irvine (-66 spots from No. 87 to No. 153)<\/p>\n

Keon Johnson, SS, First Presbyterian Day HS, Macon, Ga. (-61 spots from No. 57 to No. 118)<\/p>\n

Steven Milam, SS, LSU (-60 spots from No. 84 to No. 144)<\/p>\n

Nathaneal Davis, OF, Bishop Moore Catholic HS, Orlando, Fla. (-44 spots from No. 99 to No. 143)<\/p>\n

Gavin Gallaher, 3B, North Carolina (-40 spots from No. 55 to No. 95)<\/p>\n

Jake McCoy, LHP, South Carolina (-40 spots from No. 95 to No. 135)<\/p>\n

Anthony Murphy, OF, Corona (Calif.) HS (-40 spots from No. 98 to No. 138)<\/p>\n

Kevin Roberts Jr., SS\/OF, Jackson Prep, Flowood, Miss. (-39 spots from No. 27 to No. 66)<\/p>\n

Ethan Norby, LHP, East Carolina (-39 spots from No. 90 to No. 129)<\/p>\n

Ethan Bass, SS, Glenbrook North HS, Northbrook, Ill. (-38 spots from No. 81 to No. 119)<\/p>\n

Kade Lewis, 3B\/1B, Wake Forest (-37 spots from No. 80 to No. 117)<\/p>\n

Joe Tiroly, 2B, Virginia (-37 spots from No. 93 to No. 130)<\/p>\n

Shane Sdao, LHP, Texas A&M (-37 spots from No. 94 to No. 131)<\/p>\n

Gary Morse, RHP, Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS (-34 spots from No. 79 to No. 113)<\/p>\n

Malachi Washington, OF, Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga. (-32 spots from No. 61 to No. 93)<\/p>\n

Brady Ballinger, 1B\/OF, Kansas (-31 spots from No. 59 to No. 90)<\/p>\n

Martin Shelar, OF, Marist HS, Atlanta, Ga. (-31 spots from No. 92 to No. 123)<\/p>\n

Brady Harris, OF, Trinity Christian Academy, Jacksonville, Fla. (-29 spots from No. 38 to No. 67)<\/p>\n

Lucas Moore, OF, Louisville (-28 spots from No. 40 to No. 68)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Wednesday, Baseball America released our first in-season update to our 2026 MLB Draft rankings, which expands the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2276],"tags":[5,2291,4,1586],"class_list":{"0":"post-642470","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb-draft","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-major-league-baseball-draft","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-mlb-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116289751804119587","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}