Five Right-Handed Prep Pitchers You Need To Know Before the 2026 Draft

The prep pitcher demographic, especially right-handed preps, has been considered the “riskiest” draft demographic for a while now. College players, both hitters and pitchers, simply come with more safety than prep players due to their closer proximity to the big leagues and track record of experience.

Prep position players bring some risk with them, but also typically have much higher ceilings and floors than pitchers because of the multi-faceted skill sets they typically bring to the table. Prep pitchers come with a number of risks, whether it be injury, strike-throwing ability, or the need for an expanded arsenal, as they can usually get by with just one or two good pitches against prep hitters.

While the demographic comes with risk, it’s also a crop of players that has produced a number of productive pitchers in today’s game. Notable right-handed starters such as Logan Webb, Hunter Greene, Dylan Cease, and Zack Wheeler, among others, came from the prep ranks.

On the prospect side of things, three of the top five right-handers on Just Baseball’s newly released Top 100 Prospect list – Bubba Chandler, Andrew Painter, and Ryan Sloan – were drafted as preps.

In a very strong 2026 draft class featuring a number of exciting position player prospects from both the college and prep sides, the prep right-handed pitchers are also a strong suit of this class due to the amount of depth within the demographic.

There are probably about 10 different names that could land within the first round, and seven or so that could make a case to be the first prep right-hander off the board. With that being said, here are five prep right-handers that you need to know as the 2026 draft cycle continues to heat up.

Coleman Borthwick

• Age on draft day: 18.2
• HT: 6’6″
• WT: 255
• School: South Walton HS (FL)
• College commitment: Auburn

Currently a two-way player at South Walton High School in the panhandle of Florida, Borthwick has legitimate tools as a hitter, but is undoubtedly a pitcher at the next level. With a strong, physical frame while also being on the younger side of the draft class, Borthwick already looks the part physically of a big league starting pitcher.

Ranking 22nd on the Just Baseball Top 50 Prep Prospect rankings, Borthwick has arguably the most well-rounded profile among the prep right-handers in this class.

It’s a four-pitch mix for Borthwick – a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup. The fastball is more sink/arm-side run over ride, getting in on the hands of right-handers and tailing away from left-handers, making it hard to barrel up and is likely to create a lot of soft contact at the next level. It sits in the low to mid-90s but has more routinely been living in the mid-90s this spring, topping out at 96 mph.

The slider is a sweeper shape, essentially moving in the complete opposite direction of the fastball, certainly creating a unique look for hitters. It sits in the low-80s, and he commands it well, consistently locating it low and away to right-handed hitters.

The curveball and changeup haven’t shown as much polish as the previous pitches, but both flash as above-average offerings. The curveball is a high-spin pitch with downer break in the upper-70s, creating a third velocity band to work with, while he has shown an ability to kill spin on his low-80s changeup.

On top of the physicality and present feel for his arsenal, Borthwick also creates deception in his delivery. It’s short, quick arm action from a lower launch, helping each of his offerings play up. He doesn’t get as much extension as his 6-foot-5 body should allow, but it’s somewhat of a cross-fire look that makes it difficult for hitters to pick the ball up out of the hand on top of the funky arm action.

Strike-throwing shouldn’t be much of an issue for Borthwick either, as he’s not heavily dependent on velocity to be effective, but his physicality should allow him to hold on to his velocity deep into outings.   

Joseph Contreras

• Age on draft day: 18.1
• HT: 6’4″
• WT: 195
• School: Blessed Trinity Catholic HS (GA)
• College commitment: Vanderbilt

If you’ve followed any World Baseball Classic news, this is a name that might sound familiar. The son of former MLB pitcher Jose Contreras, Joseph is representing his mother Isabel’s home nation of Brazil in the WBC.

Not turning 18 until May, he is facing pro hitters before he even becomes a legal adult and is the youngest player featured on a WBC roster. Contreras earned the spot on Brazil’s roster for good reason. He ranks 38th on the Just Baseball Top 50 Prep rankings and has been an early riser on draft boards out of the state of Georgia. 

Contreras features a unique four-pitch mix: a fastball, slider, changeup, and a forkball.

The fastball sits in the mid-90s in multi-inning appearances but has been as high as 100 mph, while typically topping out at 97-98 mph in-game. It lacks consistent shape but can get whiffs when he’s locating it at the top of the zone.

When it comes to secondaries, it’s hard to find another arm in this draft class with as good a mix as Contreras. You can take your pick at what his best secondary is, but the slider might be the most consistent and effective pitch in his arsenal. He can rip it in the upper-80s and even into the low-90s with a tight cutter-ish shape, causing problems for both right-handed and left-handed hitters.

He shows good feel for both of his offspeed offerings, which you would be hard-pressed to find a prep arm with good feel for even one offspeed pitch. The changeup sits in the mid-80s with good arm-side run, and he locates it well at the bottom of the zone.

The forkball, or sometimes referred to as a splitter or a split-change, is a bit harder to locate just because of the amount of depth on the pitch. From Contreras’s higher arm-slot, it’s a pitch that falls out of the sky and is very difficult to get on plane with for hitters, considering its velocity and vertical separation off his fastball. 

Contreras doesn’t have any outlier release traits as he works from a high, but not over the top, arm-slot without much extension despite his longer levers. However, he does move in a pretty easy manner on the mound without much effort, so he could get to above-average command with more power in the tank.

He has added some substantial size to his 6-foot-4 frame between his junior and senior seasons, but still has plenty of room to continue growing. Turning 18 shortly before the draft, Contreras will be on the younger side of the prep class, which is a plus for a number of organizations.

Jensen Hirschkorn

• Age on draft day: 18.5
• HT: 6’7″
• WT: 205
• School: Kingsburg HS (CA)
• College commitment: LSU

Coming in at #10, Jensen Hirschkorn is the highest-ranked prep right-handed pitcher on the Just Baseball Top 50 Prep Prospect rankings.

He made some substantial leaps in improvement this past summer on the circuit, vaulting him up plenty of draft boards before he even stepped on the mound this spring, as he made a late start due to HIS helping his high school basketball team make a deep playoff run in Northern California.

Standing at 6-foot-7, Hirschkorn is one of the many projectable prep arms in this class, but also has present tools and athleticism in his bag that will certainly play at the pro level. 

He works primarily with a three-pitch mix, throwing a fastball, slider, and changeup. The fastball sits in the mid-90s, topping out at 97 mph with run and ride through the top of the zone.

The slider is a two-plane, high spin pitch sitting in the low-80s, and he can tighten up the shape with it at times, showing potential for an additional breaking ball.

His changeup is one of the better offspeed pitches among the prep pitchers in this class, working in the mid-80s with considerable fade and depth off of the fastball, with the ability to locate it at the bottom of the zone with consistency. 

The strike-throwing stands out for Hirschkorn and separates him from a number of prep arms in this class. Although long-limbed, Hirschkorn’s arm action is short and quick, creating a deceptive look for hitters, and he repeats the delivery well, as it’s pretty low-effort too. With plenty of frame to fill out, there’s a lot to dream on here as the LSU commit continues to physically mature.  

Kaden Waechter

• Age on draft day: 18.9
• HT: 6’3″
• WT: 185
• School: Jesuit HS (FL)
• College commitment: Florida State

When it comes to projection, pitchability, and polish, it’s tough to find another pitcher that has Kaden Waechter beat in all three categories.

The son of former MLB pitcher Doug Waechter, it’s clear that Kaden has some big league bloodlines when you watch him pitch. Ranked 14th on the Just Baseball Top 50 Prep Prospect ranking, the Jesuit High School product might have the highest floor among any prep pitcher in this class. 

Waechter works with three offerings, a fastball, slider, and changeup, all of which he throws with command and conviction.

The fastball sits in the mid-90s, topping out at 97 mph, and he can get two different shapes out of it. One is a traditional four-seam shape with solid ride and some cut at times, while the other is a two-seam/sinker look that he can run inside to right-handers.

The slider is arguably his best pitch, primarily throwing it in the mid-80s with two-plane action, but he can tighten it up and throw it a little harder to flash a cutter look at times.

Both his fastball and slider have flashed spin rates north of 2500 RPM as well. He shows solid feel for his changeup too, throwing it in the mid-80s with some fade and depth, but it is more effective because of his ability to command it well.

He doesn’t have any unique release traits, but Waechter is an elite athlete on the bump, moving down the mound well with a very fluid and repeatable delivery without much effort. His command should only get better, and he should be able to last long into outings, given the control of his delivery and body.

It’s certainly not the high-end stuff that top prep pitcher Seth Hernandez brought to the table in last year’s draft, but it’s a similar foundation to work with if you’re into player comps.

Savion Sims

• Age on draft day: 19.1
• HT: 6’8″
• WT: 210
• School: Prestonwood Christian HS (TX)
• College commitment: Oklahoma

Coming out of the DFW area in Texas, Savion Sims is worth mentioning simply due to the physical upside.

Coming in at #48 on the Just Baseball Top 50 Prep Prospect rankings, Sims is a lean and lanky 6-foot-8, an imposing figure on the mound with a ton of physical projection. Naturally getting to elite extension because of his size, Sims already creates a tough plate appearance for opposing hitters before even getting into the quality of the pitch mix.

It’s primarily a fastball-slider look with a changeup mixed in at times as well. The fastball is the bread and butter, reaching triple digits on multiple occasions in-game while he routinely sits in the upper-90s with the pitch.

Although he throws from a higher arm slot, creating a steeper approach angle on his fastball, it’s still a deceiving pitch due to just how well Sims can get down the mound and the ride he gets on it because of the amount of backspin he creates.

Between the fastball and the slider, Sims has excellent feel for spin as he’s been up over 2500 RPM on his slider dating back to his sophomore year. It sits in the mid-80s with some lift and late, tight glove-side break, creating a cutter look.

He uses his changeup sparsely simply because he doesn’t need it to be effective at the high school level, but it has flashed as an above-average pitch, working in the mid-80s with plenty of fade.

The sticking point for Sims and the risk that comes with his profile is his lack of command. The long delivery with whippy arm speed can be hard to repeat, causing him to spray his pitches. It might simply be a matter of finding the strike zone more, rather than finding certain spots, as his stuff can play in the strike zone as is.

With the physical projection and present stuff, there aren’t many ceilings higher than Sims’ in this class, so the development of the control and command could be the difference in him being the best prep arm to come from this year’s draft.

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