Notre Dame Pitcher Jack Radel Goes in First Round of MLB Draft

Notre Dame pitcher Jack Radel was pretty much a lock to hear his name called on day one of the MLB Draft. After all, Radel was a consensus top 50 draft prospect, but few experts had the All-American going in the first round.

But the Houston Astros thought otherwise, and took the junior flamethrower with the 28th overall pick on Saturday.

Houston, you've got a new arm 🚀#GoIrish☘️ | #ChaseTheFight | @radel_jack pic.twitter.com/zv0Ukgm4Vs
— Notre Dame Baseball (@NDBaseball) July 11, 2026

Radel is Notre Dame's highest drafted player since 2013 and ND's highest drafted pitcher since 2001. Radel led the Fighting Irish in nearly every pitching category -- wins (eight), ERA (3.29), starts (15), complete games (two), shutouts (two), innings pitched (87.2), strikeouts (116), WHIP (1.03), and batting average (,206) -- and was unequivocally Notre Dame's best player.

Can't spell ‘Real Deal’ without ‘Radel’‼️

Jack Radel becomes the highest drafted player since 2013 and highest drafted pitcher since 2001 ⚾️#GoIrish☘️ | #ChaseTheFight pic.twitter.com/hRY1edIDC5
— Notre Dame Baseball (@NDBaseball) July 11, 2026

My Thoughts

Radel was a clear-cut first-round talent who had a couple of bad starts during the season, but when he had it going, he was one of the best pitchers in college baseball.

He didn't necessarily have the numbers some other top pitchers in college had, but there's no denying his talent and potential, which is why I'm not that surprised he went in the first round.

I'm a little surprised he went as high as 28th overall, but by no means did Houston reach with this pick.

Jack Radel… fastball up to 98, above average slider, cuter and control. #Astros pic.twitter.com/7yvsRC2CEQ
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) July 11, 2026

And to take things one step further, if ND had had a better season and made it past the ACC Tournament, there's a chance Radel could have been a top-20 pick. But the Irish really struggled in Conference play, which slightly hurt Radel's stock.

But what probably hurt Radel's draft stock most was that he didn't pitch in any of the top Summer Collegiate Leagues, like the Cape Cod or Northwoods Leagues.

Most top college players play in those two leagues to get further noticed, and Radel didn't do that, which, at the end of the day, hurt him a tad.

Still, though, Houston liked what they saw in the hard-throwing right-hander and took him in the first round. I don't think Radel is complaining and should be excited about where he went in the draft.

What to expect from Radel moving forward

Radel will likely report to Houston's spring training facility in Florida and work out there for a couple of weeks before the Astros decide where to send him.

He may start his minor league career in the Gulf Coast League, but I expect Radel to go straight to Lo-A, and maybe reach Hi-A before the minor league season ends in September.

Radel could begin his minor league career coming out of the bullpen or on an innings limit/pitch count if they let him start. Radel threw 80+ innings this season, so Houston will probably be conservative with Radel's development for the time being.

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