2026 MLB Draft Report: Ball go far, prospect(s) go far

This past weekend was a fun one for college baseball. With many crucial conference series in the spotlight, several schools enhanced their chances of making Regionals, while a few mainstays (Vanderbilt, LSU, and Louisville) are likely to miss out -- unless they win their conference tournaments, which start next week.

As featured in last week’s 2026 MLB Draft Report, it’s feeling like MLB teams are taking postseason play into greater consideration when it comes to sorting their draft boards. With many college players taking a step back in production or dealing with injuries, it’s worth keeping an eye on the prospects who finish strong. 

Roch Report: A lower-half adjustment helps Cholowsky hit 3 home runs vs. Oregon

In his first 25 conference games, Roch Cholowsky only hit three home runs, a total far below the 14 he hit against Big Ten opponents in 2025. 

In his last two conference games, Cholowsky doubled his home run total against Big Ten pitching. The kind of weekend we’ve been waiting for from Cholowsky to erase remaining doubt arrived, but a lower half adjustment from Cholowsky is what’s keeping my attention. 

On Friday, Cholowsky went 1-for-3 with an infield single and a walk. Nothing all that impressive, but UCLA pulled a stunner by pulling off a 10-run rule win over No. 15 Oregon. It was a very convincing victory that featured UCLA first baseman (and one of my draft crushes) Mulivai Levu hitting two home runs. 

But Saturday we finally saw Cholowsky flex some power. In his last 10 Big Ten games, Cholowsky only had one extra-base hit (a double versus Minnesota on April 19) and his last conference home run was against USC on April 5. Against the Ducks on Saturday, Cholowsky smashed a 3-1 hanging slider for a solo home run in the first inning that almost hit the security person. 

Later, when the game was tied at 5, Cholowsky drove a low fastball off the batter’s eye in center field for another solo home run. It was that swing in which I noticed that Cholowsky didn’t feature his very Eloy Jimenez-style leg kick. He was more upright and the leg kick was more subtle. To me, I like this swing more because it requires fewer moving parts and Cholowsky looks more in rhythm with his swing. 

Sure enough on Sunday, Cholowsky sparked the rally for UCLA by hitting another solo home run where his swing looks more similar to his second home run on Saturday. 

It’s been bothering me in trying to figure out the ailment for Cholowsky against Big Ten pitching this year, and perhaps it was a timing issue. That drastic front leg lift lift wasn't going to cut it professionally, because it’s too much when 97 mph is coming at you. But with a significant increase in pop-up rate this season (8 percent in 2025, 12.2 percent in 2026), being late on 92 mph would also be a reason why the Chicago White Sox are spending more time watching Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard. A Big Ten shortstop that’s hitting a bunch of singles and no power is not a prospect worth taking first overall. 

But when Cholowsky is on time and drives pitches like he did against Oregon, that’s the prospect everyone gets excited about watching. Hopefully he sticks with this quieter lower half for the remainder of this season and helps spark a hot streak that continues through the Big Ten Tournament next week. 

One concern from Sunday’s game is that Cholowsky struck out three times, twice looking. His hot zone is middle to the outside corner. Oregon pitchers tried their best to bust Cholowsky inside and up in the zone. They got him looking in the first inning on an inside fastball, and in his second at-bat Cholowsky was beat upstairs. These two areas of the strike zone are where I see room for improvement, and why I’m not sold on the idea that Cholowsky could jump from NCAA baseball straight to the majors. 

Thanks to Mike Lox on Twitter, Cholowsky’s revamped swing and approach does remind me of former major leaguer Ryan Braun, who was excellent driving pitches low in the zone much like Cholowsky. In Braun’s first six MLB seasons, he won Rookie of the Year, MVP, and made five All-Star appearances hitting 202 home runs. I’m pretty sure every White Sox fan would sign up for that type of outcome. 

Louisville’s Tague Davis going for the BBCOR home run record

The Louisville Cardinals are in hot water and at severe risk of missing Regionals after losing seven of their last eight games. But while they are struggling overall, their left-handed power-hitting first baseman Tague Davis is chasing history. After hitting three home runs against Miami, Davis now leads the country with 33 and is four shy of Charlie Condon’s BBCOR record of 37 in a season.

Davis is the son of former Chicago White Sox catcher Ben Davis, who was the second-overall pick in the 1995 MLB draft and played his last season in the majors in 2004. After that season with the White Sox, the elder Davis bounced around the minor leagues and independent ball until 2010. His son, Tague, earned Freshman All-American honors with Louisville last year, hitting .283/.390/.571 with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs.

In 2026, Davis took a major step forward in his production and tapped into his tremendous power. In 52 games, Davis is hitting .360/.448/.877 with 33 home runs and 91 RBIs. It’s award nomination season for college baseball, and as someone who votes for the Dick Howser Award, Davis is in serious consideration for player of the year honors. As a 2027 MLB draft-eligible player, expect to hear plenty about Davis next year.

Louisville has four games remaining, with a non-conference tilt against Bellarmine on Tuesday and its last ACC conference series against Virginia. With a 27-25 overall record and 11-16 in the ACC, it’s looking like the Cardinals will need to win the conference tournament to earn their way into Regionals. That means Davis will have to continue his tear and hit at least four home runs in as many games to tie Charlie Condon’s record.

Chris Hacopian vs. Cade Townsend

A name I’ve been keeping an eye on is Ole Miss righty Cade Townsend. With a shallow pool of premium college starting pitchers available, Townsend has seen his stock continue to rise as a potential first rounder. He’s a draft-eligible sophomore with a good fastball that sits mid-90’s MPH, a cutter that he likes to use early in the count, and a variation of breaking pitches featuring a slider and a sweeper variation. The Athletic’s Keith Law saw Townsend in-person against Arkansas recently. 

Watching Townsend against Texas A&M, and things got out of hand in the third inning. After allowing back-to-back home runs, Townsend was still stuck in a jam with runners on first and second facing Chris Hacopian. A potential top-10 pick this year, Hacopian reminds me of Chicago Cubs utility player Matt Shaw. Hacopian played two seasons at Maryland (just like Shaw) before transferring to A&M. Back injuries this season have limited how much playing time Hacopian has played, especially defensively. 

On a first pitch 90 mph cutter from Townsend, Hacopian drove that pitch out to right center field for a back breaking three-run homer. A&M went up 5-0, and Townsend would allow another homer in the fourth inning before departing the game.

On 65 pitches, Townsend went 3.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, with four home runs allowed. Townsend has now allowed at least one home run in three straight starts as his season ERA is now up to 3.25. 

Townsend is on the smaller side hovering around 6 feet and weighing around 185 pounds. There might be an opportunity to fill out his body frame a bit more and get stronger, but I think he’s always going to be undersized for what MLB teams look for in front-line starters. I’m not sure if I would use a top-25 pick on Townsend, but for teams that have additional picks in the top 40, I think he’s a good bet to find a good college player for slot value in addition to going overslot on a prep target. I prefer USC’s left-handed pitcher Mason Edwards over Townsend, but I could see how MLB teams differ, opting for more velocity. 

Hacopian’s draft story is fascinating to me. Do not be shocked when the season is over that during MLB Combine you start seeing stories about how some teams like Hacopian’s advanced metrics more than Roch Cholowsky. I don’t doubt Hacopian’s ability to hit as he does have a better track record in wood bat leagues than Cholowsky, but I worry what his defensive future is and the status of his back injury. 

More MLB Draft Notes

• Oklahoma State and Arizona State played a very entertaining series this weekend. Outfielder Kollin Ritchie had a good series, going 5-for-12 with a home run and four RBI. He drew four walks but also struck out three times. I’m not crazy about the swing-and-miss tendencies of his game, but Ritchie is a good name to track during postseason play for White Sox fans seeking outfielders.
• Arizona State lost the Friday game as they allowed six runs in the ninth inning, but Friday night starter Cole Carlon had a strong outing: 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, and 11 K. With the ability to throw 98 MPH with his two-seamer, Carlon has a big left arm that I think MLB teams will want to try as a starter, but this profile does come with a reliever risk. I’m assuming Carlon is off the board by pick 41, but if not, it's a possibility for the White Sox in the second round.
• Against Nevada last Thursday, USC lefty Mason Edwards continued his streak of 10-plus strikeouts to five games. On 94 pitches, Edwards pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, while punching out 10. His season ERA is now 1.61 and should merit strong consideration as a Golden Spikes finalist.
• It’s good news to see Coastal Carolina righty Cameron Flukey back, but he’s still breaking off the rust. In his last outing against Old Dominion on Sunday, Flukey threw 57 pitches but only lasted 2⅔ innings. He could get one more start on Saturday against Louisiana before the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Despite the rib stress fracture, several MLB teams are comfortable taking Flukey in the first 20 picks.
• According to D1Baseball’s Eric Sorenson, UCLA righty Logan Reddemann will not pitch against Washington this upcoming weekend. UCLA coach John Savage is giving his Friday night ace one more weekend of rest and aiming for a return during the Big Ten conference tournament. 

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