2026 MLB Draft Thread

cajunrevenge said:
Not sure I want a guy throwing 102.
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I would take a guy who can throw 102 for 102 for sure.

The concern I have with college pitchers is they have to avoid the bat so bad, they develop crazy arm stuff. Strider is a great example of this. His fastball is absurd because it was designed to miss bats. But it creates so much torque on his elbow and shoulder.
 
Fangraphs has this on Lombard:

Lombard is an imposing physical presence, built like a young tight end and wielding some of the best power in the 2026 high school class, especially among the prospects who can play a valuable defensive position. But his contact rate on the showcase circuit (61% across 824 pitches in 2024 and 2025) is a ruby red flag because there aren't big leaguers with contact rates that low. One would need to project significant improvement in this area for him to be considered a viable big leaguer in any capacity, let alone the sort of star you'd expect a $4 million player to be. If by some miracle he turns into a decent hitter, the ceiling on Lombard is a 35-homer shortstop or third baseman.
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I like the high ceiling but that doesn't sound like someone i'd want to take 9th overall, much less pay $1.8M overslot
 
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