This is David’s first piece as a FanGraphs prospect contributor. He is from Northwest Indiana and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Statistics at Indiana University. He previously wrote for Down on the Farm, and has given talks at the SABR Analytics Conference and Saberseminar.
Earlier today, Eric Longenhagen launched his 2025 Draft Board, highlighting the top draft prospects in this year’s class. In this piece, I want to look a bit further into the future and focus on some of the college underclassmen you’ll want to keep an eye on this year. I selected a pitcher and a hitter from each of the Power 4 conferences, along with two non-Power 4 underclassmen and one unique true freshman. Of course, there’s a lot more talent in these conferences than just the guys I have listed here, but this should give you some idea of the players to watch over the next couple of seasons.
ACC
Drew Burress, CF, Georgia Tech
Burress hit .381/.512/.821 with 25 home runs in 58 games as a freshman at Georgia Tech last year. At a stocky 5-foot-9, he doesn’t necessarily look the part, but if you look past his size, there aren’t many holes in his game. He doesn’t whiff much, he doesn’t chase much, and he has plus power that he gets to in games due to a swing path that lets him lift the ball. Burress is loose in the box and has an interesting stance, with his bat pointed towards the ground and his lead elbow pointed high in the air. There’s length to the swing at times, but he’s shown the ability to get the bat on the ball wherever it’s pitched. Defensively, Burress spent all 58 games in center field last season. His feel for the position is still developing, but there’s a solid underlying foundation here because of his above-average speed. Overall, he’s the front runner to be the no. 1 overall pick in 2026 as someone who plays a premium position with a well-rounded offensive profile.
Joey Volchko, RHP, Stanford
Ranked no. 59 on our 2023 Draft Board, Volchko had a strong commitment to Stanford and went undrafted as a result. As a freshman, he threw 42.2 innings with a 5.70 ERA and showed explosive but wild stuff (53 strikeouts, 38 walks). A strong presence on the mound, Volchko averages 96 mph with his fastball and pairs it with an upper-80s slider that tops out at 92. His fastball is an above-average pitch with decent carry that comes in from a steeper angle, but his slider is the best pitch in his arsenal. It has a downer shape with hard, late bite, and he recorded a 52% whiff rate with it. The arsenal is lacking in something softer; Volchko has shown flashes of a curveball and a changeup, but his feel for those pitches is still developing. Given the aggressive nature of the delivery and his below-average present command, there is considerable relief risk here. Still, this is some of the loudest stuff in the class, and even with the relief risk, Volchko looks like a first round arm.
Big Ten
Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Cholowsky is one of the more well-rounded players in college baseball right now. His shortstop defense was his calling card as a high schooler, and while he spent his freshman year at UCLA playing third base, Cholowsky will be the Bruins’ starting shortstop this year. Transitioning back to short won’t be an issue; Cholowsky showed a plus arm and excellent feel for the position in the Cape Cod League last summer. His offensive profile is also impressive, with no glaring flaws. His whiff rate was around 20% last season, while his chase rate was a slightly higher 26%, and he recorded above-average exit velocities. But Cholowsky also hit a lot of balls in the dirt, with a GB/FB rate near 2.00, so he’ll need to figure out how to lift the ball a bit more. Visually, it’s a very top hand dominant swing and Cholowsky appears to struggle against pitches up and in; indeed, his whiff rate was highest against those pitches (about 30%). But his whiff rate against pitches 93 mph and higher held constant at 20%, indicating that he can catch up to big league velocity. Cholowsky checks all of the boxes and is likely to be a top 15 pick in 2026.
Justin Lee, RHP, UCLA
It was a rocky freshman year for Lee at UCLA, as he recorded a 7.55 ERA in 39.1 innings of relief. Still, he showed improvement as the season went on, and he lowered his ERA to 4.74 on the Cape this past summer. Lee has a tall, lean frame, standing 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, and he gets interesting movement on both of his pitches. His fastball averages 92 mph with above-average carry, and he complements it with a 12-6 curveball that has depth and bite. Lee currently has limited command over his arsenal, particularly his curveball. He is likely to work out of the bullpen this year, but he has starter potential and is someone to follow this spring.
Big 12
Dominic Voegele, RHP, Kansas
Voegele was drafted in the 20th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, but opted to go to Kansas instead. He earned a spot in the weekend rotation as a freshman, starting 15 games and recording a 3.89 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 29 walks in 81 innings. Voegele is a classic pitchability arm. His stuff isn’t overpowering, but he has excellent feel for his fastball/sweeper arsenal and is in control of the game when he is on the mound. His command and current two-pitch mix provide a strong foundation, and it will be interesting to see if he can further develop his curveball and changeup to give him a deeper arsenal to work with. Voegele is the Friday night starter for Kansas this year and should be in the running for Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.
Chase Brunson, CF, TCU
Drafted in the 18th round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023, Brunson hit .291/.390/.426 in 177 plate appearances as a freshman. His carrying tool right now is his feel for contact; he had a 15% whiff rate last year, and showed he can hit fastballs and breaking balls equally well. Brunson’s raw power is a tick above average, but he wasn’t able to capitalize on it due to his high groundball rate. His swing is a bit clunky, but there is plenty of time for him to learn how to lift the ball better and smooth things out. Defensively, he shows decent range in center with an average arm. Brunson has an odd gait but still records above-average run times. At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he’s on the larger side for center field and might end up in an outfield corner, but for now, he can hold his own in center. Depending on the exact timing of the 2026 draft, he might end up getting drafted on his birthday (he was born on July 7), which would be fun. Brunson should anchor the Horned Frogs’ lineup this year and next, and will likely be a first round pick.
SEC
Gavin Grahovac, 3B, Texas A&M
Grahovac played in 67 games as a true freshman, slashing .298/.390/.597 with 23 homers. After head coach Jim Schlossnagle left for Texas, Grahovac entered the transfer portal, but ultimately decided to stay at Texas A&M. Power is the third baseman’s calling card. He has comfortably plus exit velocities and lifts the ball with ease, allowing him to utilize all of that thump. There are question marks when it comes to the rest of his profile, however. He doesn’t have the bat-to-ball skills to get away with chasing as much as he does (an issue that showed up in his 29% strikeout rate last year), and his swing gets long, contributing to his whiff problems. Defensively, Grahovac has above-average arm strength, but is below average everywhere else. He’s limited range-wise and his hands are below average. He makes a nice play here and there, but considering his frame and current skills, it feels more likely than not that he will have to shift to either first base or a corner outfield spot. If Grahovac dials in his approach and can cut his whiff rate by just a couple percentage points, he’ll be selected in the top half of the first round in 2026.
Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas
Drafted by the Reds in the 20th round of the 2023 draft, Gaeckle opted to go to Arkansas instead. He was lights out as a reliever last year, recording a 2.32 ERA with seven saves in 42.2 innings of work. He enters this season as the Razorbacks’ Friday night starter, and he could very well end up being the SEC Pitcher of the Year. Gaeckle has a four-pitch mix, primarily using his fastball and slider, though he does throw both his curveball and changeup around 10% of the time. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and generates whiffs up in the zone due to a combination of plus vertical movement and a deep back leg load that allows Gaeckle to get a flat approach angle on the pitch. His offspeed stuff is vertically oriented. His slider sits in the mid-80s with decent bite and downer shape, while his 12-6 curveball has more depth. The shape of both pitches needs refinement, as they can get a bit soft, but he can throw both of them for strikes and they project to be above average. Gaeckle rounds out his arsenal with a changeup that comes in a bit harder (86-88 mph) and has some fade. Overall, Gaeckle has a strong foundation, with a deep pitch mix and above-average command. He projects as a no. 3 starter right now and figures to be a top 15 pick next year.
Mid Majors
Caden Bogenpohl, CF, Missouri State
Bogenpohl had draft interest coming out of high school, but ended up at Missouri State, one of the strongest mid majors in the country. Bogenpohl is a 6-foot-6, 240 pound center fielder who runs well enough that he’s projected to stick there. He complements his speed with 70 grade raw power; he launched 20 home runs last year as a freshman. That said, his profile features a lot of swing-and-miss. He ran a 37% whiff rate last year without chasing more than average, indicating that these issues aren’t due to him chasing so much as they’re a result of his feel for contact being poor. That feel for contact may never develop, but his athleticism and raw power are too strong to overlook, and Bogenpohl could easily be a first rounder next year.
Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Flukey has a prototypical pitcher’s frame, standing a lean 6-foot-6 with long limbs. He has a long arm swing, but he’s graceful on the mound and repeats his delivery well, which you don’t always see with pitchers of this size and age. His fastball was in the 92-95 mph range last year, with life up in the zone. Despite his height, he gets a flatter plane on his fastball than you might expect due to his plus extension. Flukey pairs his fastball with two vertical breaking balls, a gyro slider and a 12-6 curveball. His slider is the more frequently used of the two pitches and has late, tight break; Flukey posted a 48% whiff rate on the pitch. His curveball is pretty loopy at the moment. It has depth, but he doesn’t have much feel for it at present and it’s easy to detect out of the hand. Flukey spent time both in the ‘pen and as a starter last year, totaling 55 innings in 19 appearances (10 starts), but he should be a full-time starter this season. Super projectable, he could very well be the first college pitcher taken in 2026.
Freshman to Watch
Rintaro Sasaki, 1B, Stanford
The players listed above have all played one year in college and will be eligible for the draft as juniors, but I wanted to highlight one true freshman because his unique situation might have broader implications for Japanese baseball. Rintaro Sasaki hit 140 home runs at Hanamaki Higashi High School (the same high school that Shohei Ohtani went to) and seemed set to be the no. 1 pick in the NPB draft. Instead, he opted to forgo playing baseball professionally in Japan in order to play college ball for the Stanford Cardinal. Sasaki is a first base-only prospect, so there is a lot riding on his bat, but he has already shown that he has enormous raw power, hitting seven homers between the MLB Draft League and the Appalachian League last summer. It’s hard to say how his decision will affect other Japanese high schoolers in the future, but regardless, he’s an exciting prospect who should be fun to watch this spring. Sasaki will be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2026.
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