Draft Day '26: Your First-Time Prospects Are Here to Blow Your Minds!
In the second update from The Sporting Tribune, our draft team takes a continued look at UCLA Baseball, UC-Irvine standouts, a Cal State Fullerton senior making waves, mid-major arm injuries and a teenager who made noise at the World Baseball Classic.
Roch Cholowsky #1 rounds the bases after a homerun during the game against Michigan Wolverines at Jackie Robinson Stadium on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. While most Division-1 programs are simmering around the 1/3 mark of their regular season, California high schools are a month-and-a-half out of playoffs themselves with large decision-making tournaments currently being played or within a week or two away. Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, Nevada) is hosting a weeklong tournament with prep programs from Idaho, Alberta, Florida and other regions outside of the prototypical coverage regions for The Sporting Tribune, adding to our expansive draft coverage.
The Boras Classic will be played the first week of April between ballparks at JSerra Catholic (Mission Viejo) and Mater Dei (Santa Ana), with full coverage from our team at both. Over the past two weeks, TST's draft team has been to each local Divison-1 program to take notes on local prospects and those on visiting clubs, with notes on both listed below. Injuries to mid-major arms: A trio of mid-major arms who were projected as top 150 picks have seen their season conclude due to injuries.
UT-San Antonio head coach Pat Hallmark announced in early March that right-handed pitcher Robert Orloski would miss the remainder of the season after having shoulder surgery after suffering a scary injury on his 23rd pitch of the year that sailed awkwardly to the backstop with Orloski showing immediate pain after the throw and dropping his throwing arm and shoulder. Orloski entered the year as a projected 3-5 round selection. Robert Orloski is one of the better mid-major arms eligible for this year's draft, bummer of a situation for a really good kid and really good UTSA team https://t.
co/6LonT8tFMU — Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) March 2, 2026 Cal Poly right-handed pitcher Laif Palmer fell awkwardly while trying to field a ground ball and was transported off the field via ambulance following a 30-minute delay on March 7. The following day, Isaac Streeter of the Portland Tribune reported that Palmer had broken his ankle in two places and will miss the remainder of the season. Prayers out to Cal Poly RHP Laif Palmer.
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