The Miami Marlins executed a clear strategy here to put together a very interesting draft class. First, they surprisingly landed one of the top players in the entire class and a hometown kid in the middle of the first round, then selected back to back safe bet back-end starting pitchers. With their first four picks, they saved an impressive $900K, which they spent on a slew of sleeper prep prospects. Contact/speed bat Wessley Roberson was the most expensive, but they also brought in real deep sleepers in a pair of raw, projectable trees in the 6'6" Nic Tolbert and the 6'8" Bane Barker later on, then finished with two-way threat Joey Lawson. I of course love getting Jacob Lombard below slot, though I am otherwise a bit underwhelmed with a class that featured four of the first 87 picks and all the capital that comes with it. If any of these preps hit, though, it will be a success.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-14: SS Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Prep HS [FL]
Slot value: $5.44 million. Signing bonus: $5 million ($444,900 below slot value).
My rank: #5. MLB Pipeline: #5. ESPN: #6.
Five years ago, the Marlins surprised the baseball world by floating potential top-five pick and star prep Kahlil Watson down to the #16 overall pick. While Watson was eventually traded to Cleveland and hasn't quite put things together yet, the Marlins are following an eerily similar path in 2026. Jacob Lombard too was universally regarded as one of the top preps in the country, with serious interest in the top five picks and most major outlets ranking him in the top six or seven. Not only did he make it down to fourteen, he even signed below slot value. Previously a Miami commit, he'll hop off I-95 a few exits earlier on his way to LoanDepot Park instead. So who is the new hometown star? Jacob Lombard is the younger brother of Yankees rookie star George Lombard Jr. and the son of former big league outfielder George Lombard Sr., and he is now the highest drafted of the trio. Long a famous name in the class, he had eyes on the #1 overall pick until a so-so summer knocked him down just a few pegs behind rising names like Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson. He swung and missed just a bit more than scouts hoped, so he headed back to Miami with something to prove. At Gulliver Prep just two miles from the University of Miami campus and eight miles from LoanDepot, he showed scouts everything they wanted to see with a strong senior season where he stood out as the clear cut best hitter in the state of Florida. Listed at 6'3", 195 pounds, he is as tooled up as they come with strength, athleticism, and projection to dream on. He stands out for plus power from the right side, a product of his strength and great leverage in his right handed swing. He taps that power consistently by getting the ball up in the air and effectively channeling his strength through the baseball, making for an extremely dangerous bat. The hit tool may have more questions and is likely the reason he lasted about a half dozen-plus picks past where he was expected to go. Lombard has a long track record with the bat on the showcase circuit, but it appears teams may be slightly more turned off by the aforementioned swing and miss he showed in the summer of 2025 that caused several them to look elsewhere in the top ten picks. The swing can get grooved at times and pro pitchers will begin to attack any holes they can find in that swing. Lombard is a good hitter with a good plan at the plate, and at just 18 years old, he has plenty of time to iron things out and the Marlins are confident he will. Beyond the bat, the Miami native is an easy plus runner who can wreak havoc on the bases, and even if he slows down with added strength, he should continue to be a big asset in that regard. Lombard is also a very smooth defender at shortstop with excellent body control, smooth actions, and the ability to throw from multiple angles, making him a near-lock to stick at the toughest infield position. The arm is closer to average, but it should be no issue. Lombard projects for 30+ home runs annually with decent on-base percentages and plenty of stolen bases, making for an All Star shortstop ceiling albeit with some risk in the hit tool.
2-52: LHP Ethan Kleinschmit, Oregon State
Slot value: $1.89 million. Signing bonus: $1.89 million.
My rank: #100. MLB Pipeline: #69. ESPN: #72.
After swinging for the fences with Jacob Lombard, Miami went with a safer profile for their second pick in Ethan Kleinschmit. He began his career at Linn-Benton JC in Oregon, where he dominated West Coast JuCo competition as a freshman and earned the opportunity to transfer fifteen minutes down the road to Oregon State. He has been a staple in the Beavers rotation for the past two seasons, making 32 starts and going 17-7 with a 3.64 ERA and an impressive 210 strikeouts over 168 innings. Kleinschmit won't overpower hitters, sitting in the low 90's and touching 95 at peak, but the fastball has been effective against college hitters. His best pitch is a big diving slider with great depth that he'll throw to both lefties and righties, sending them away from lefties or down at the back foot of lefties. The Oregon native also throws a solid changeup that gives him a very effective third pitch, making for a very strong baseline for an innings eating starting pitcher. Kleinschmit has a very simple delivery and repeats it well, looking like he's just tossing it in there and maintaining his stuff deep into starts. That leads to above average command and helps him execute all three pitches consistently. The 6'3" lefty is plenty durable and projects as a prototypical #4 starter who could be one of the rare modern pitchers to eclipse two hundred innings every year. There is a lot of Patrick Corbin in this profile and Marlins fans may see him in Riverside sooner rather than later.
CBB-71: RHP Ryan Peterson, Sam Houston State
Slot value: $1.19 million. Signing bonus: $897,500 ($295,100 below slot value).
My rank: #104. MLB Pipeline: #86. ESPN: #154.
Heading back to the safe bet starting pitcher wellspring, Miami went a little under slot value to bring in Ryan Peterson. He hit campus in 2024 and turned 20 midway through his freshman season, where he served as an effective swingman, then joined the rotation full time as a sophomore but to middling results. He went undrafted and returned to Huntsville, where he took a big step forward as a junior by cutting his ERA almost in half and bumping his strikeout rate from 21.4% to 28.5%. Like Ethan Kleinschmit, he sits in the low 90's and touching 95 with his fastball albeit with ordinary life. While Kleinschmit makes his money on his slider, Peterson shows off a plus curveball with sharp, deep bite to dive under bats. He also turns over an average slider, though despite his two-breaking ball mix and advanced age, he doesn't have much of a changeup. The 6'3" righty has a sturdy frame and an athletic delivery with nice extension, putting a little extra hop on his pitches, and he fills up the strike zone with above average command. Despite carrying 215 pounds on that big 6'3" frame, he moves like a much smaller pitcher and his athleticism was certainly appealing to the Marlins. He's advanced with a good fastball and a pair of breaking balls, though having turned 22 back in April, he'll need to find a changeup relatively quickly as he moves up through the system. He'll look to join Kleinschmit in the back half of the Miami rotation in short order.
3-87: SS Cam Kozeal, Arkansas
Slot value: $929,700. Signing bonus: $772,500 ($157,200 below slot value).
My rank: #118. MLB Pipeline: #115. ESPN: #124.
Continuing with the savings, Miami targets its first college bat in Cam Kozeal here in the third round. Kozeal has long been a famous name, earning national exposure as a potential top five round pick out of high school in Omaha back in 2023. He made it to campus at Vanderbilt and earned significant playing time as a freshman, but transferred to Arkansas after one season. There, he blossomed as a hitter by slashing .326/.399/.630 with 35 home runs in 122 games and improved from the #170 prospect on my 2023 draft rankings to my #118 prospect in 2026. A bit undersized at 5'10", he has filled out really nicely in Fayetteville and now packs 205 pounds on his strong, stocky frame. As he has gotten stronger, his swing has gotten whippier and his barrel heavier, generating higher exit velocities that helped him jump from fringy to average or even a tick above average power. He has always been a scrappy hitter who works his at bats while attacking hittable pitches, making adjustments and consistently making things happen. However, he did struggle a bit in SEC play in 2026 (.234/.302/.508) and hasn't hit too much over two summers in the Cape Cod League either (.225/.330/.351), potentially creating some pause when projecting his offensive upside. He's likely a 10-15 home run type who can get on base at a reasonable clip, a profile that could potentially play every day near the bottom of the order. Defensively, he's a bit stretched at shortstop and may fit better at second base, where his fringy athleticism and arm strength will be less exposed. The Marlins love his style of play and believe he will swing his way to a regular big league role as an offensive-minded second baseman.
4-115: OF Wessley Roberson, Glynn Academy [GA]
Slot value: $677,500. Signing bonus: $1.2 million ($522,500 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: #175.
After going at or below slot with each of their first four picks, the Marlins began to unload those savings on outfielder Wessley Roberson, an exciting athlete out of the same Glynn Academy in South Georgia that produced Adam Wainwright in 2000. He'll sign away from an LSU commitment for $1.2 million, roughly the value of the Marlins' #71 pick, and instead head about six hours south to Miami on I-95. For now, Roberson stands out for his hitting ability. He is a plus hitter who has hit everywhere he has gone, running excellent contact rates and fiercely working at bats to force his way on base. Working from a wide setup, he unloads a quick, effective left handed swing that gets the barrel long through the zone and effectively follows through the baseball. At this point, the power is below average as he waits to grow into his skinny six foot frame, but the swing should help him tap potentially fringe-average power as he fills out a little more and help him reach double digit home run totals. He is an easy plus runner who torments opposing pitchers and plays a mean center field, where he should stick in pro ball and provide value. While he was not highly ranked on most public boards, ESPN being the only place I saw that put him in the top 200, the Marlins are in love with his hitting ability and see him flying through the minors quicker than most high schoolers.
5-147: LHP Trey Beard, Florida State
Slot value: $496,400. Signing bonus: $493,900 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #134. ESPN: #198.
Heading back to the Sunshine State, Miami continued its roll of high-floor starting pitchers with Trey Beard. A native of Dunedin just north of St. Petersburg, he began his college career at FAU where he made thirty starts over two seasons, including an excellent sophomore season in Boca in which he went 7-1 with a 3.14 ERA and a sharp 118/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 86 innings. That caught the attention of the Florida State staff, which brought him back up north to Tallahassee where he again found success with another 97 strikeouts in 68 innings. Like Ethan Kleinschmit and Ryan Peterson, Beard doesn't throw very hard, sitting in the low 90's and touching 94 at peak. The fastball is effective when he locates it, but it gets hit pretty consistently when it catches too much plate. He shows a big 12-6 curveball with nice depth and can also turn it over into a fringy slider, but his best pitch is a plus changeup with parachute action seemingly slowing down as it heads towards the plate. Beard works from a very high slot that puts tough angle on his pitches, accentuating the vertical action on his curveball and changeup especially. In order to remain a starter, he'll need to maintain his above average command to keep his fastball and slider effective multiple times through a lineup. Shifting to the bullpen would hopefully get his fastball closer to the mid 90's and allow him to lean a little more on his changeup, but the Marlins would prefer his breaking balls take a step forward to become real weapons.
8-235: 1B Rintaro Sasaki, Stanford
Slot value: $239,200. Signing bonus: $210,200 ($29,000 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The Marlins are buying low on one of the most legendary bats in Japanese amatuer history. Rintaro Sasaki hit 140 home runs, 140 home runs (one hundred and forty), in four years at Hanamaki Higashi High School in northern Japan, where his father previously coached Shohei Ohtani. Personally, I had to Google it and verify it in several different places before I could even begin to believe the 140 number was real. I still can't quite fathom how a kid could hit 140 home runs in high school, no matter how many times I repeat it in this writeup. The top prospect (obviously) in the 2024 NPB draft in Japan, he instead made shockwaves by withdrawing to attend Stanford. He arrived in Palo Alto with great fanfare as Baseball America's Preseason National Freshman of the Year, but has unfortunately hit to middling results in his two years stateside. He did take a step forward from his freshman (.269/.377/.413, 7 HR, 19.9% K) to his sophomore (.262/.403/.549, 16 HR, 19.4% K) seasons, but ultimately fell short of the towering expectations placed on him. Still, he finds himself here in the eighth round with the chance to recapture his former luster under a pro development program. Listed at a Prince Fielder-esque 6'1", 270 pounds, he stands out for one unsurprising thing: power. Sasaki has Hulk-like strength that produces elite exit velocities, making for plus-plus raw power that produced some of the highest exit velocities at the MLB Draft Combine in June, where he was one of just three hitters to send a baseball over 450 feet. In high school, he could meet a pitch anywhere in the zone and, if he made even decent contact, send it deep into the trees, parking lots, or whatever they put behind high school fields in Japan. At Stanford, more advanced pitching stayed off his barrel more frequently and limited his game power to merely plus, though he seemed much more comfortable in 2026 than he did in 2025. The Marlins believe the difficult transition across continents as a teenager may have slowed his development, and that in their system he can continue trending in the right direction perhaps faster than other college bats. He's just 21 years old still and won't turn 22 until the start of the 2027 season. Sasaki will of course have to hit, as he's a bottom of the scale athlete that will be limited to first base at best. Had he not signed, he could have gone back to Japan to play for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
9-265: 3B Nic Tolbert, Oktaha HS [OK]
Slot value: $210,200. Signing bonus: $597,500 ($387,300 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
With more savings to unload, Miami went for a sleeper signing in Nic Tolbert, a small town power bat from just outside of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Previously committed to Wichita State, he signed for late fourth round money (pick #128 value) here in the ninth round and will get to work pushing towards his lofty ceiling. Listed at 6'6", 210 pounds, he looks the part of a future big league slugger once he adds 20-30 pounds of good weight to that lanky frame. Unlike many tall sluggers, he has a direct left handed swing that helps him naturally tap his power rather than selling out and swinging through hittable pitches, providing a clear development path for the Marlins. He is untested against higher level arms and may take some time to work slowly up the minor league rungs, carrying plenty of risk as he makes the jump from Eastern Oklahoma to the pros. Defensively, Tolbert has seen time all over the field and comes to the Marlins as a third baseman, but could realistically land at any corner spot, infield or outfield. There is a wide array of outcomes here and a wide gap between his ceiling and his floor but if the Marlins think he'll hit, it's a worthwhile gamble for fourth round money. He is a little bit old for the class, turning 19 a few weeks after the draft.
12-355: RHP Bane Barker, Sandalwood HS [FL]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $497,500 ($347,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
With unspent bonus pool money remaining heading into the back half of the draft, Miami came back to the Sunshine State to bring in Bane Barker, an uncommitted high school arm who signed for fifth round money here in the twelfth round. A Jacksonville native who attended powerhouse Sandalwood High School on the east side of the city, he is a late bloomer and a major project whom the Marlins believe is only scratching the surface of his potential. The fastball only sat in the mid 80's a year ago, only scraping the upper 80's over the summer, but he started throwing harder in the fall and eventually started touching 92-93 at peak, though the average velocity remains closer to 90. He adds a nice downer curveball that can disappear when he spins it right in addition to a solid slider and a developing changeup. The 6'8" righty is extraordinarily projectable, with the Marlins likely to do significant work cleaning up his delivery as he grows into his extra large frame and develops physically. For now, the command is fringy but Miami will be patient as he acclimates to pro ball. Much like Nic Tolbert, there is a massive gap between his floor and his ceiling and both are equally unproven, so this is really a lottery ticket purchased with the extra bonus pool money.
20-595: C Joey Lawson, Bishop Verot HS [FL]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $196,500 ($46,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Miami finished things off with a surprising signing, grabbing one last Sunshine Stater in Joey Lawson. A product of Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, he seemed a long shot to sign away from a UNC commitment but Miami got it done as one of their final signings of the class and they didn't break the bank either. Lawson was a decorated two-way player who actually had significantly more interest as a pitching prospect, where his fastball reached 94 and his curveball looked like a hammer strikeout pitch. To me, he looked more natural on the mound as well, but Miami believes in the bat and will take the time to develop him that way. He's physically developed at 6'2", 215 pounds, showing natural power from the right side and creating plenty of leverage with his swing path. He's a heady ballplayer who looks to be reasonably advanced as a hitter, giving him a good shot to develop into an all-around threat at the plate. Lawson mostly played first base at Bishop Verot when he wasn't pitching, but Miami looks like they're going to try him out behind the plate. His short arm action on the mound looks conducive to the position and his sturdy frame appears a fit as well, making for an interesting experiment. Sticking behind the plate would of course buy more slack for the bat to develop and it's a nice bargain for just under $200,000. Lawson is a bit old for the class, having turned 19 a few weeks before the draft. If hitting doesn't work out, he can always fall back on pitching.
