Three Early Contenders for Marlins First-Round Draft Pick in 2026
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The MLB draft is notoriously hard to predict, especially in December, when the selection weekend is months away.
Yet, two sites — Baseball America (subscription required) and MLB Pipeline have tried. BA has connected the Miami Marlins to UC Santa Barbara pitcher Jackson Flora and MLB Pipeline has connected them to Texas A&M shortstop Chris Hacopian. There is a good chance neither of them will be picked. But both are ranked around No. 14, where the Marlins will be selecting in July.
President of baseball operations Peter Bendix and his new general manager, Gabe Kapler, have several months to figure it out. But, based on the rankings at these two services, here three other players to watch for Miami, aside from Flora and Hacopian.
AJ Gracia
The Virginia outfielder transferred to the Cavaliers after two standout seasons at Duke. Both sites see him as one of the best power hitting outfielders in the draft and his two years with the Blue Devils back that up. He has a .299 batting average but an OPS of more than 1.000. He’s had a highly consistent slugging percentage (.558) and has 29 career home runs, with 112 RBI.
He’s a left-handed hitter that racked up honors in both seasons with the ACC school, including all-ACC second team selection in 2025. During his freshman season he was third-team all-ACC, all-ACC freshman and a freshman all-American per multiple outlets.
Now, he’ll play for the Cavaliers, who reached the College World Series last summer and is looking to take the final step toward a national championship.
Liam Peterson
The Marlins could favor more pitching, especially if they decide to trade Edward Cabrera or another one of their starters. The Florida right-hander has a mid-90s fastball that can get as high as 98 or 99 mph. He’s been an impact player both seasons with the Gators. Last season he started 16 games and went 8-4 with a 4.28 ERA. He struck out 96, walked 32 and pitched 69.1 innings in a coveted weekend spot in the rotation. His K/9 rate of 12.5 was 20th in the country.
As a freshman he crashed the weekend rotation, a rarity for a player with no college experience. He went 3-6 with a 6.43 ERA in 63 innings. He struck out 77 and walked 44 while fanning 11 hitters per nine innings. In the NCAA Tournament, Peterson was the team’s Game 1 starer as the Gators reached the Men’s College World Series. He has a profile that might allow him to reach the Majors quickly.
Ace Reese
The Marlins are having issues at third base and Reese, who plays the hot corner at Mississippi State, is a potential answer, though he’ll need a year or two of development to reach the Majors. The left-handed hitter transferred to MSU from Houston and was named the SEC newcomer of the year in 2025 after he led the team in batting average (.352), hits (80), multi-hit games (25), and multi-RBI games (20). He also earned all-America honors.
His power is something to watch here. With the Bulldogs he hit 21 home runs and drove in 64 runs. That’s a productive clip and if he eclipses that in his junior season, he may not fall enough for Miami to select. But it’s the kind of profile any team would want at third base.
