Jared Grindlinger is the newest addition to the 2026 MLB Draft class
In what is already one of the deepest MLB draft classes in recent memory, the 2026 class just added another stud that is a near-lock to be a day one selection. Huntington Beach High School (CA) two-way standout Jared Grindlinger announced he is re-classifying to the 2026 draft earlier this week. Grindlinger was one of the top prospects in the 2027 class, ranking third overall on Baseball America’s 2027 draft rankings. He joins the Baseball Focus 2026 draft board ranked at 17th overall.
Grindlinger was already going to be on the younger side of the 2027 prep class so now he joins the 2026 class as the second youngest player in the class. Only Rocco Maniscalco (#22) comes in about two weeks younger than Grindlinger. The draft has favored very young prospects which only gives Grindlinger a greater outlook. Eli Willits was the youngest player in the 2025 class and was selected as the first overall pick by the Nationals. He isn’t going to be the first overall pick in this particularly deep class compared to last year’s which was considered rather weak, but there is certainly age-related upside that will land him pretty high up the board.
Although Grindlinger is a legitimate two-way prospect, his future looks to be trending towards the mound - although there is a lot of time for that to change and there’s a good chance a team gives him a shot at doing both. At 6’3” and 185 pounds, the lefty is super projectable and athletic, giving his profile as a pitcher a fairly high floor for a prep pitching prospect. It’s an easy operation on the mound from the left side without much effort, allowing Grindlinger to fill up the strike zone. His fastball has been up into the mid-90s and is sitting in the lower-90s at the moment, but does have some good metrics featuring some ride and run.
Grindlinger compliments his fastball with a slider and a changeup. The slider sits in the low to mid-80s with more of a sweeper shape and a lot of spin while the changeup has a lot of depth and tunnels well off of the fastball, also working in the low to mid-80s.
At the plate, it’s an above-average hit tool from the left side of the plate as he makes a lot of contact and also displays a disciplined approach. There is some bat speed and loft in the swing, perhaps projecting future above-average game power as he continues to mature physically. It’s an all-fields approach with great feel for the barrel. Defensively, Grindlinger moves well and obviously has a strong arm, so there’s belief he could stick around as at least an average defender in the outfield if hitting is the long-term play for him.
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