Below are my working evaluations on the college position players. The summaries reflect the general industry consensus, while the Role, Risk, and Personal Evaluation are my own. The players are organized by projected role.
BOOTH: 8 College Arms
Vahn Lackey, C – Georgia Tech
Summary: Along with Roch Cholowsky, Lackey has emerged as one of the two premier college position players in the draft. His combination of offensive production, defensive ability, leadership, and consistency has moved him into legitimate consideration as the top college player available.
Role: 7
Risk: Minimal
Evaluation: He’s the best player in the college class for me. Anytime you can acquire a true middle-of-the-diamond defender behind the plate with this kind of offensive profile, you do it. I see a 55-60 hit tool, 55-60 power, a 60 arm, and a 70 defender. That combination gives him perennial All-Star potential and makes him the complete package.
Roch Cholowsky, SS – UCLA
Summary: Widely viewed as one of the premier position players in the class, Cholowsky combines an advanced hit tool with the defensive ==ability to remain at shortstop. His consistency, instincts, and offensive production have made him one of the safest college bats available.
Role: 6
Risk: Minimal
Evaluation: I don’t have him as the best player in the class, but I do think he’s one of the safest. There’s a chance you end up with a Troy Tulowitzki-type player if everything clicks. If not, I still think you’re getting an everyday shortstop similar to Cooper Pratt with a little more power. I believe he stays at shortstop, and I believe he’ll hit. The remaining question is how much power ultimately develops. For whatever reason, something about him has turned some evaluators off. I don’t know him well enough personally to know why, but the performance continues to speak for itself.
Aiden Robbins, OF – Texas
Summary: Robbins is viewed as an athletic outfielder whose offensive approach and overall baseball skills provide everyday potential.
Role: 6
Risk: Developing enough power for a corner profile
Evaluation: He’s a hit-first player who eventually settles into a corner outfield spot. The question becomes whether enough power develops to support that profile. The overall game is solid, and I think he becomes an above-average everyday player.
Ace Reese, 3B – Mississippi State
Summary: Reese is widely considered one of the premier power hitters in the draft with significant offensive upside.
Role: 6
Risk: Contact consistency
Evaluation: He’s the best power bat in the class for me, and I don’t think it’s particularly close. Coming out of high school, I thought he looked like Ben Zobrist. He’s become much more physical since then and now projects as an everyday third baseman capable of impacting the baseball for a long time. Physically, he reminds me a little of Tyler Soderstrom, only stronger.
Drew Burress, OF – Georgia Tech
Summary: Burress is widely projected as a top-10 selection thanks to his offensive production, physicality, athleticism, and elite makeup.
Role: 5
Risk: Wood-bat performance.
Evaluation: The concern isn’t the aluminum bat. The concern is what he’s shown with wood. He hasn’t consistently impacted the baseball during summer competition, and that’s something clubs will continue to evaluate. The physicality, work ethic, approach, and makeup all receive outstanding reviews — among the best I’ve heard in the last 15 years. If the wood-bat production catches up to everything else, he’ll justify going in the first 10 picks.
Daniel Jackson, C – Georgia
Summary: Jackson brings middle-of-the-order offensive potential from behind the plate while continuing to improve defensively.
Role: 5
Risk: The biggest question is whether he remains behind the plate.
Evaluation: Unless his body breaks down, I believe he’ll catch. We’ve seen players like Toby Hall and Kelly Shoppach build long careers without being elite athletes behind the plate. If Jackson stays there, he’s comfortably a first-round talent for me.
Justin Lebron, SS – Alabama
Summary: Lebron’s offensive upside and ability to remain on the left side of the infield drive his profile, despite some concerns about offensive consistency.
Role: 5
Risk: Regression in the hit tool and swing-and-miss
Evaluation: The concerns with the hit tool this year are real, but I still believe he stays at shortstop. He profiles as more of a hit-over-power player with some swing and miss. At his best, there’s a little Ketel Marte from the right side, although remaining at shortstop is a significant part of his value.
Chris Rembert, IF – Auburn
Summary: Rembert is viewed as one of the better pure hitters among college infielders with defensive versatility.
Role: 5
Risk: Limited overall ceiling
Evaluation: The bat is the carrying tool. He’s simply a baseball player who performs. There isn’t one overwhelming tool, but there also aren’t many weaknesses. He reminds me of players who move quickly through the minor leagues because they consistently perform instead of spending years trying to make adjustments.
Carson Tinney, C – Texas
Summary: Tinney combines left-handed offensive upside with improving defensive skills behind the plate.
Role: 5
Risk: Defensive limitations
Evaluation: Greg Zaun comes to mind. I think he’ll hit enough to carve out a long career. Defensively, he may never be elite, but he has enough ability to catch. At worst, I see an offensive-minded backup catcher in the mold of Jorge Fabregas or Paul Bako.
Tre Phelps, 3B – Georgia
Summary: Phelps offers significant raw power with the versatility to contribute at multiple positions.
Role: 5
Risk: Hit tool
Evaluation: Edwin Encarnación is the comparison for me. It’s a 50 hit tool with 60 power, and the power has always been there. He can handle third base, first base, and even left field if needed. If he remains on the dirt, I see Encarnación. If he ends up in the outfield, there’s some Reggie Sanders in the overall profile.
Eric Guevara, IF – Auburn
Summary: Guevara’s versatility, contact skills, and baseball instincts have made him one of the more dependable college infielders.
Role: 5
Risk: Health
Evaluation: Martin Prado is the comparison. I think it’s a 65 hit tool with below-average power, but enough offensive ability to play anywhere on the dirt. One of the better makeup players in the class, he’s a grinder, a gamer, and someone whose risk is minimal as long as he stays healthy.
Alex Hernandez, OF – Georgia Tech
Summary: Hernandez combines athleticism, bat speed, and power potential with two years of productive college performance.
Role: 5
Risk: Offensive identity
Evaluation: He reminds me of Brett Rooker. He may hit .250 with 25 home runs or .280 with 12. We still have to determine exactly what type of hitter he wants to become. I originally thought he’d become a pitcher because of his arm strength and breaking ball, but he’s proven he can hit at Georgia Tech.
Carson Kerce, IF – Georgia Tech
Summary: Kerce is a fundamentally sound infielder who provides offensive consistency and defensive versatility.
Role: 45 (second division regular)
Risk: Limited ceiling
Evaluation: He’s the type of player every organization wants. He can play shortstop, third base, or second base, and give you four or five starts a week without losing anything. He’s made for organizations that value versatility and winning baseball. Think Jeff Reboulet. He hustles, competes, and finds ways to help clubs win. It shouldn’t be overlooked that he’s Georgia Tech’s all-time doubles leader.
- BOOTH: MLB Draft Continues to Evolve - July 12, 2026
- BOOTH: Final Mock Draft - July 10, 2026
- BOOTH: Rumors, Draft Rooms, and the Chaos Before the No. 1 Pick - July 9, 2026
