Initial rankings from The Athletic.  First top 4

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7078205/2026/03/03/2026-mlb-draft-ranking-roch-cholowsky/?source=athletic_thewindup_newsletter&campaign=17086219&userId=6062851

BA has a nice piece today on Roch/Lebron, as well as super-hot Will Gasparino. There's also a bunch of solid info on other hot college hitters. Only sharing the Roch/Lebron/Gasparino stuff.
 

Quote

Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Season stats: .375/.481/1.000, 7 HR, 4 2B, 9.6 K%, 9.6 BB%

The top prospect in the class has done nothing to loosen his grip on 1-1 status three weeks into the season. This past weekend, Cholowsky went 3-for-11 (.273) with a double and a clutch home run that helped UCLA beat Mississippi State, 8-7, in 10 innings.

While it’s early, Cholowsky has shown some improvements with his contact ability. After missing at a 19% rate in 2025, Cholowsky’s miss rate stands at 13% through his first 11 games. And that doesn’t come against weak early-season competition, either. UCLA has faced a tough schedule already (they are 6-0 against Top 25 teams) and Cholowsky has seen lots of real pure stuff. The average fastball velocity Cholowsky has seen so far this season is 92.1 mph, compared to a 90.1 mph average in 2025 over the course of the full season. 

One of Cholowsky’s offensive strengths is getting the ball in the air to the pull side with impressive frequency. All 23 of his home runs in 2025 went to either straight center field or the pull side. So far this spring, Cholowsky is showing more opposite field game power. Four of his home runs have gone to the pull side, one to straight center and two have gone to the right-center gap to his opposite side. 

All of those non-pull home runs have come in two-strike counts, where Cholowsky makes a clear adjustment with his setup. In two-strike counts Cholowsky gets more crouched, much deeper into his lower half and much wider in his stance. He hit well in two-strike counts in 2025 (.330/.455/.637) and is doing more of the same so far in 2026 (.278/.375/.778). 

While the offensive package is impressive—and Cholowsky has gotten a hit in each game he’s played in 2026—he’s also a lights out defender at shortstop. He looks like a big league shortstop now, with smooth actions, excellent hands and tremendous confidence at the position. 

Cholowsky makes high-effort plays look routine and has the tools to make all the plays required at the position. His arm is plus, and he amplifies that tool with an excellent internal clock and a quick exchange when necessary. On one tricky play deep in the hole to his arm side, Cholowsky planted his back foot and got rid of the ball quickly, putting it low and on a skip to beat a 4.33-second runner to first. 

Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
Season stats: .326/.491/.860, 7 HR, 2 2B, 12.3 K%, 17.5 BB%

Thirty minutes north of Globe Life Field, scouts could get a look at the No. 2 shortstop in the college class, Lebron, who was playing in the Frisco College Baseball Classic. He went 6-for-13 (.462) at the tournament with two home runs and two doubles.

The most striking aspect of Lebron’s game is the ease with which he plays. Everything he does looks smooth and effortless on the field. He’s a butter smooth mover defensively who looks like an elite athlete even when he’s not moving at 100% speed in pre-game warmups. The same is true of his actions in the box, where he generates shockingly easy power and bat speed with a quick, low-effort swing. 

Arguably the biggest difference between Lebron and Cholowsky is their physicality and footspeed. Cholowsky has a thicker frame at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, while Lebron is a bit more lean and wiry at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. And where speed is Cholowsky’s lightest tool, Lebron is a plus runner who accelerates rapidly with smooth, loping strides. He should be a consistent base-stealing threat in a way that Cholowsky is unlikely to be. Across parts of three seasons he’s gone 34-for-35 on the bases.

Lebron’s athleticism translates to exciting defensive upside at shortstop, as well, and he has the capacity to make impressive highlight-reel plays. He attacks slow rollers with confidence and has impressive body control and balance when throwing without his feet set. On Sunday, he had multiple impressive throws like this, including one double play where he ranged to his forehand to the left of the second base bag, then had to track back to the bag and make a quick throw to first base while moving across the second base bag towards third.

I do have slightly less confidence in his hands compared to Cholowsky, as Lebron botched one forehand groundball while ranging up the middle and has been marginally more error-prone throughout his career. Still, there’s no reason to think Lebron can’t become a plus defender.

Lebron’s tools, athleticism and upside potential could easily warrant him being the second pick in the draft, right after Cholowsky. For him, the key will be conference competition. A year ago, he torched non-conference pitching and was one of the best offensive players in the country before fading against SEC play. He’s been excellent offensively once again in 2026. He just needs to maintain that. 

Quote

Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA
Season stats: .378/.521/1.270, 10 HR, 1 2B, 16.7 K%, 16.7 BB%

Gasparino is currently making the entire industry nervous. 

He’s been one of the hottest hitters in college baseball, and after 11 games, he leads the nation with 10 home runs. He’s made clear swing changes that seem to be paying off in a big way, and scouts are now wondering whether they are simply light on their hit tool projections or whether this is just a flash in the pan from one of the most fascinating players in the draft. 

Gasparino has been a notable name for years. He’s the son of Dodgers Vice President Billy Gasparino and ranked as the No. 92 player in the 2023 class out of Harvard-Westlake High in Studio City, Calif. He has an outstanding combination of size and physical tools that gives him huge upside potential, but he struggled with contact ability and swing decisions with the Longhorns. 

While it’s early, Gasparino looks different in 2026. He’s tinkered with his swing and setup for a few years now, but in 2026 Gasparino looks a lot more comfortable and relaxed in the box, with more rhythm in his hands and less stiffness overall than his 2025 version. He’s a bit more upright and he seems to have simplified the leg kick he uses to start his swing. Additionally, Gasparino’s barrel is now held in a more neutral position—compared to a steep tilt behind his head a year ago—and he seems to be having a far easier time getting the barrel into good hitting positions.

His operation just looks much simpler, freer and easier than it did a year ago. The early returns are great. He’s hitting the ball in the air with greater frequency than he did in either of his first two seasons, which has allowed him to tap into his double-plus raw power more often. He’s already just three homers shy of matching his career-high—13—from the 2025 season, which took him 58 games.

And this isn’t simply a case of Gasparino beating up on bad pitching. As mentioned with Cholowsky, UCLA has played high-quality competition this spring. At the Amegy Tournament this weekend he went 5-for-11 (.455) with four home runs, two walks (plus an intentional walk) and two strikeouts. He’s driving all sorts of pitch types with authority. 

On Friday, he drove an 84 mph slider on the outer rail to the right-center gap. On Saturday, he drove a hanging, 78 mph changeup over the heart of the plate 427 feet into the upper deck in left. And then on Sunday he flicked his hands at the top of the zone to a 94 mph fastball and drove that one out of the park to the pull side. 

Gasparino has not become a flawless hitter overnight. 

He does still chase out of the zone more than you’d like to see. There are still miss questions that he’ll need to address. Specifically scouts wonder if he’ll be susceptible to velocity in on his hands and soft stuff away at the next level.

He’s also a 6-foot-6, 220-pound center fielder who runs well, throws well and has jaw-dropping power upside—which he’s now fully coming into in games. Gasparino could continue to be a polarizing, head-scratching sort of prospect for the entire draft cycle given his tools and track record, but he might have finally figured something out as a junior with UCLA. 

And he’s definitely the most interesting 8-hole hitter in the country. 

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-draft-buzz-roch-cholowsky-vs-justin-lebron-will-gasparinos-hot-start-18-more-prospects-to-know/

Edited March 4Mar 4 by DirtySox

On 3/3/2026 at 12:59 PM, Autumn Dreamin said:

I need the Sox to draft this absolute freak in round 2 please. He's everything their system needs. He's an outfielder, he's an up the middle guy, he has power potential, he's a freak athlete. Need them to float him down to 41

great breakdown 

On 3/5/2026 at 11:19 AM, Boopa1219 said:

I need the Sox to draft this absolute freak in round 2 please. He's everything their system needs. He's an outfielder, he's an up the middle guy, he has power potential, he's a freak athlete. Need them to float him down to 41

Padres draft pick if I've ever seen one.

Roch and Gas both went deep today.

 

Edited March 6Mar 6 by DirtySox

If the White Sox had a middle of the first round draft pick as opposed to 1.1, I'd be super intrigued with taking Gasparino. Still super early, but he's been nutty with the power.

Cholowsky and Gasparino both homered again in an 11-1 shellacking of Ohio State...Roch also had three walks

ucla up 15-6 on ohio state...

make that 17-6

Gasparino 3/4 .390  two singles double walk

Roch 0/5 .344  2 k's  rs

 

Gasparino 4/5  4 r 4 rbis

19-6

Will Gasparino singled through the right side, out at second 3b to ss, 2 RBI (0-2 FK); Payton Brennan advanced to third; Roman Martin scored; Mulivai Levu scored.

Edited March 8Mar 8 by caulfield12

First BA mock of the season, no surprise at 1.1.

Quote

1. White Sox — Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

Cholowsky has lived up to his preseason hype through the first four weeks of the season and is currently hitting .315/.467/.833 with eight home runs while playing an excellent defensive shortstop. He might have four plus tools (everything but the run) and could also be one of the quickest-to-the-majors players in this class. That’s a 1-1 recipe if there ever was one. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Lillian said:

 

He's not left handed...though.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25403572-mlb-2026-mock-draft-30-predictions-every-1st-round-pick

This one has Lebron over Emerson for second pick.

No Gasparino Contreras Thome in Top 40 picks.

Lots of names to track.

Strosnider closer to 20.

ofc to the Guardians

Edited March 10Mar 10 by caulfield12

 

3 hours ago, DirtySox said:

 

But we already have two catchers!!!

In all seriousness, would take a more from Lackey to reach that 1-1 conversation.

 

Not related to John Lackey of the Angels I hope, that guy was a total tool.

https://uclabruins.com/sports/baseball/stats/2026/michigan/boxscore/34535

Cholowsky 5 2 3 2 on FRI 

10-5 win over Michigan

 

https://stats.statbroadcast.com/mobile/?id=635876

Cholowsky and Gasparino both contributing to 2-0 lead so far

 

Gasparino accounts for only two runs scored in the game.

Barnett 4-0 with a nifty ERA

UCLA 15-2 on the year

Edited March 15Mar 15 by caulfield12

On 3/11/2026 at 3:43 AM, caulfield12 said:

Not related to John Lackey of the Angels I hope, that guy was a total tool.

Something tells me that they're not related, I just can't put my finger on it.

https://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=635877

Gasparino .435

Cholowsky .344

Edited March 15Mar 15 by caulfield12

Roch hr 

Cholowsky 389

Gasparino 375

15 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Cholowsky 389

Gasparino 375

Why are you comparing the two?

2 hours ago, Squirmin' for Yermin said:

Why are you comparing the two?

Same team and Gasparino might be the pick at 41... unless he keeps climbing by the week up the charts.

23 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

Same team and Gasparino might be the pick at 41... unless he keeps climbing by the week up the charts.

I’d be totally stunned if pick 41 isn’t a high school player 

2 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I’d be totally stunned if pick 41 isn’t a high school player 

 

2 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I’d be totally stunned if pick 41 isn’t a high school player 

Because of money? It seems like there should be a good college pitcher that makes it thru Round 1.