2026 MLB Draft: 5 College Pitchers Who Could Be The First Arm Off The Board Next Year

Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida

Peterson arrived on campus as a heralded recruit and made an immediate impact. Outside of two appearances, he was a stalwart in the Gators’ weekend rotation in 2024, compiling a 6.43 ERA with 77 strikeouts across 63 innings. Following his freshman season in which he showed positive flashes, Peterson has taken a sizable step forward and looks every bit the part of a potential top 10 overall pick. Through four stars this season, he has a 0.86 ERA with 34 strikeouts to just six walks in 21 innings.

A strapping 6-foot-5, 220-pound righthander, Peterson has a prototypical pitcher’s frame with strength throughout. He has a true four-pitch mix that features a mid-to-upper-90s fastball, mid-70s curveball, mid-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup. Peterson’s fastball explodes out of his hand and flashes ample carry through the zone. It plays best in the top half, where it consistently gets over the barrel of opposing hitters and generates plenty of whiffs. Peterson throws his slider exclusively to righthanded hitters, and it’s a pitch that has sharp two-plane tilt with impressive finish.

Peterson’s curveball is a bit behind his slider, but it’s distinct in shape. It pops out of his hand and takes on a bigger shape while flashing downward bite at times. He’s still gaining a feel for it, though, and this season has used it exclusively against lefthanded hitters. Peterson rounds out his arsenal with his changeup, and it is a more than serviceable fourth pitch. It gets solid separation—a little over 10 mph—off his heater and will flash both fade to the arm side as well as late tumble at times. As a cherry on top, Peterson’s pitchability has taken a positive step forward since last spring, and he consistently competes in and around the zone. An enticing combination of size, strikes and stuff, Peterson looks the part of a potential rotation headliner professionally.

Jason DeCaro, RHP, North Carolina

DeCaro was initially slated to graduate in 2024, but he re-classified to 2023 and was just 17 years old when he arrived on campus. Perhaps even more impressive, DeCaro earned a spot in the Tar Heels’ weekend rotation and enjoyed a standout freshman campaign. Though only 17 until April 17, DeCaro pitched his way to a 3.81 ERA with 78 strikeouts to 44 walks in 89.2 innings. He will be 18 years old for most of this spring, and so far he’s off to a strong start to the tune of a 3.22 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 22.1 innings.

For as impressive as DeCaro has been to start his college career, it’s fun to imagine what he might look like in two to three years. He’s listed at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, and while there’s some present strength in his lower half, there’s also room to fill out throughout his frame. DeCaro has an easy and under-control delivery. His fastball sits in the low 90s, but it’s been up to 95 mph with life through the zone. It’s not a huge bat-misser at the moment, especially in-zone, but DeCaro’s calling card is his offspeed offerings. The first is a low-80s, high-spin slider that routinely flashes late lateral tilt and is perhaps the best pitch in his arsenal. DeCaro’s high-70s curveball is a pitch he can spin in the 3,000 rpm range, though his feel for it is not quite as advanced as his slider. It’s distinct in shape, but, at times, it lacks depth, and he’ll get on the side of it. He completes his four-pitch mix with a low-80s changeup that flashes above-average with natural armside fade and late tumble.

DeCaro is an above-average strike-thrower who has a particular feel for his fastball and slider. There is no doubt he will start professionally, and it’s fun to imagine what his stuff will look like when he’s a finished product physically.

Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas

Unlike the first two pitchers discussed, Gaeckle as a freshman pitched exclusively out of the bullpen. That said, he was mighty effective, working a 2.32 ERA with 57 strikeouts to 19 walks across 42.2 innings. Prior to the 2025 season, it was announced that Gaeckle would headline the Razorbacks’ rotation and take the reins of the Friday starter slot. Outside of one rough start against Charlotte, Gaeckle has assimilated fairly well to his new role and has punched 19 tickets in as many innings pitched.

An undersized righthander, Gaeckle stands in at 6-foot, 190 pounds with a strong lower half. He has a drop-and-drive delivery with a degree of explosiveness and big-time arm speed. Gaeckle’s fastball has been up to 98 mph, though it will sit more 92-95 by the fourth inning or so. It jumps out of his hand and flashes run-and-ride through the zone. Unsurprisingly, it is at its best when located in the top half of the zone and to his arm side. Gaeckle’s best pitch is his high-spin, mid-to-upper-80s slider that has a sharp, two-plane look with late bite.

Gaeckle is still gaining a feel for his upper-70s-to-low-80s curveball, but at times it will pop out of his hand and flash depth with some sharp, downward bite. His changeup is not a huge change of pace, but he has turned over a couple of good ones this year that have flashed serious fade to the arm side. However, it’s very much a work-in-progress pitch. With a shorter, more compact frame, Gaeckle has more of a reliever look than the other arms discussed. There’s certainly a chance he ends up back in the bullpen when he transitions into professional baseball, and it will be interesting to monitor how he progresses as he gains more starting experience.

Joey Volchko, RHP, Stanford

From a pure stuff standpoint, Volchko stands alone. A heralded recruit, Volchko last spring earned an immediate role and notched 53 strikeouts in 42.2 innings. He came into his own at the end of the season, capping his freshman campaign with an impressive start against Oregon State in which he struck out nine and allowed just two hits across six shutout innings. After being used primarily in relief last season, Volchko this year assumed the Sunday starter role. His first two starts were rather unimpressive, but he has since allowed just one earned run across his last 10.1 innings.

At 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, Volchko has a high-waisted frame. He has an ultra-high leg kick and a busy, deceptive delivery in which his limbs are essentially flying at the opposing hitter. Volchko’s fastball was up to 100 mph this past summer on the Cape, but this spring, it’s sat in the mid 90s and has been up to 98. His fastball command is scattered, but it routinely flashes run and sink and plays well when he locates it down in the zone. Volchko’s calling card is his high-spin, low-90s power slider. Interestingly enough, Volchko has a much better feel for his slider than his fastball, making it the anchor of his arsenal. He’s thrown it 60% of the time this season, and it is a comfortably plus pitch that flashes hellacious two-plane tilt and routinely generates ugly swings.

Volchko leans heavily on his fastball-slider combination, but he’ll occasionally mix in a mid-to-upper-80s power curveball. He uses a spike grip, and his feel for the pitch is below-average, but he has snapped off—especially this past summer on the Cape—a few that have made me say “woah.” For as tantalizing as his stuff is, Volchko is a below-average strike-thrower whose lack of command has been a hindrance at times. If he’s around the zone, he’s borderline untouchable—but that’s been a big “if” to this point. There’s certainly reliever risk with Volchko, but his upside is immense.

Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Tyler Bremner will deservedly get a lot of love over the next few months, but Flora is “next up” when it comes to prized UC Santa Barbara arms. Last spring, Flora pitched primarily in relief but made a few starts en route to a solid season in which he posted a 3.83 ERA with 40 strikeouts across 47 innings. Flora has seen an uptick across the board since last spring, and so far this season, he has a 4.57 ERA with an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of 26-to-3 in 21.2 innings.

At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Flora has a long, lean frame with room to add strength. There’s some effort in his delivery that’s accompanied by a head whack, but he has a whippy arm stroke and no shortage of arm speed. He relies heavily on his lethal fastball-slider combination, and the two make up for over 90% of the pitches he’s thrown this spring. Flora’s fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, but it’s been up to 100 mph. It explodes out of his hand and flashes ample life through the zone, and it plays especially well in the top-third thanks to its riding life. He has also shown the ability to run it in on the hands of righthanded hitters.

Flora’s sweeper flashes plus with late, lateral bite, and he has enough feel for the pitch that he’s able to manipulate its shape and back-foot it to lefthanded hitters. His changeup is an “under construction” third offering, and he’s currently working on a kick change. Flora has plus feel for both his fastball and slider and has advanced command.