Image credit:
Roch Cholowsky (Photo by Eddie Kelly/ ProLook Photos)
Itâ€s far too soon to plant a flag, but it isnâ€t too soon to start the conversation.
Today, we’re dishing out some “way too early” national award predictions. The names we’ve settled on below may well end up mirroring the picks we ultimately land on before the season begins, but theyâ€re more about laying down a baseline before we learn more about the stars who will define 2026.
Still, the exercise has value. Looking at the early field for major awards gave us a chance to test our process, weigh resumes and tools against projection and highlight the players already standing out months before first pitch.
With that in mind, here are our initial predictions for 2026 Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year. We’ve also included one darkhorse selection who could perform well enough to make noise on the national scene.
Player Of The Year
Jacobâ€s Pick: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
It feels risky to make a call this early. Fall practices are only just beginning in some places, and Opening Day is still more than four months away. But if any player looks like a secure choice to carry preseason award momentum into February, itâ€s Cholowsky. Simply put: This is his award to lose.
Cholowsky enters 2026 chasing history. Last year he became just the sixth non-draft-eligible player to win Player of the Year, joining Robin Ventura, John Olerud, Mike Kelly, Mark Teixeira and Anthony Rendon. No one has ever gone back-to-back. Cholowsky has every chance to be the first.
The numbers speak loudly: .353/.480/.710 with 23 home runs, 19 doubles, 45 walks and only 30 strikeouts in 2025. He pairs them with the polish of a defender whose actions at shortstop are as smooth as any in the country. Now, as the centerpiece of what might be the nationâ€s most talented roster, Cholowsky was the simplest of early selections for Player of the Year. Nothing about that feels likely to change.
Peterâ€s Pick: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
One of the most complete college shortstops in quite some time, Cholowsky heads into 2026 looking to build off of an ultra-impressive 2025 campaign in which he set new career highs in every major statistical category. He took home a smattering of postseason awards and was a unanimous first-team All-American.
The reigning national player of the year has impressive tools on both sides of the baseball. Heâ€s a well-rounded hitter whoâ€s armed with an exciting hit-power combination, making for a whole lot of “this is what it looks like†at shortstop. On top of his raw tools, Cholowsky is a natural leader, something that is evident both in the clubhouse and on the field.
With UCLA entering 2026 with sky-high expectations, Cholowsky will look to guide the Bruins to their first national championship since 2013.
Pitcher Of The Year
Jacobâ€s Pick: Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State
Even in a crowded field of college arms, Whitney rises above. His freshman season suggested a trajectory similar to Cholowskyâ€s—talent so undeniable that draft-eligible peers may struggle to keep pace in the awards race.
Whitney struck out 120 hitters in 76.2 innings as a freshman in 2025. That dominance secured him first-team Freshman All-America honors and a spot on Team USAâ€s Collegiate National Team.Â
Whitney’s fastball lives in the mid 90s and climbs to 98 mph with riding life. His secondary offerings are no less punishing: a top-down curveball and sweeping slider that averaged more than 17 inches of horizontal break while producing a 42 percent whiff rate last spring. Even with that kind of power mix, he filled the zone, walking only 37 batters.
Floridaâ€s Liam Peterson, Coastal Carolinaâ€s Cameron Flukey, UC Santa Barbaraâ€s Jackson Flora and TCUâ€s Tommy LaPour, among others, all warranted consideration. But Whitney, with his blend of stuff, polish and poise, was too difficult to overlook.
Peterâ€s Pick: Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Fresh off a College World Series final appearance, Flukey will once again anchor Coastal Carolinaâ€s rotation. After showing plenty of flashes as a freshman, Flukey last season took his game to new heights and pitched to a 3.19 ERA with 118 strikeouts to just 24 walks across 101.2 innings en route to a first-team all-conference selection.
The 6-foot-6 righthander relies primarily on his mid-to-upper-90s fastball that has plus carry through the zone. His mid-70s curveball was also a revelation last spring and generated an impressive 49 percent miss rate. Flukey completes his arsenal with an effective mid-to-upper-80s slider that flashes two-plane tilt and a mid-to-upper-80s changeup that’s an intriguing fourth pitch.
Armed with a deep arsenal and an impressive combination of strike-throwing and stuff, Flukey is well on his way to putting together another dominant season and looks the part of a future first-round pick.
Freshman Of The Year
Jacobâ€s Pick: Brock Ketelsen, OF/LHP, Stanford
Of the three awards, this one is the hardest to pin down in September. Freshman impact is notoriously difficult to project before fall roles are sorted out. Still, the mere fact that Ketelsen made it to campus gives him a chance to shape a Stanford team eager for a step forward.
Ketelsen placed himself firmly among the breakout players of the summer when he slashed .328/.467/.458 with two home runs, five doubles, three triples and 34 stolen bases and pitched to a 1.04 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 8.2 relief innings with the Corvallis Knights in the West Coast League. His most immediate influence at Stanford should come with the bat, but his versatility on the mound only adds to the intrigue.
Only 18 years old as of late July, Ketelsen already plays with the polish of an older contributor. That maturity, paired with his across-the-board tools, makes him a strong early pick for Freshman of the Year.
Peterâ€s Pick: Carson Brumbaugh, INF, Arkansas
As Jacob noted, this award is the hardest to predict at the moment. Freshmen across the country are vying for roles on their respective teams, and thatâ€s something that doesnâ€t get sorted out until the days leading up to Opening Day.
One freshman whoâ€s making plenty of noise, however, is Brumbaugh. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound infielder ranked No. 156 on the final iteration of the BA 500 and boasts a litany of exciting tools. He has thunderous bat speed and intriguing power potential to go along with a plus arm on the dirt. Heâ€s been hammering the ball all fall and could earn a spot in Arkansas†opening day starting nine.
On top of his offensive tools, Brumbaugh has serious arm speed on the mound. He features a fastball thatâ€s been up to 96 mph, as well as a solid low-80s slider. While heâ€s undoubtedly a hitter long term, thereâ€s a chance he could log a handful of innings in relief this spring.
Brumbaughâ€s toolset allows him to impact the game in a number of ways, and heâ€s on track to do exactly that in his freshman season.
Darkhorse National Performer
Jacobâ€s Pick:Daniel Lopez, RHP, Kansas
Kansas coaches celebrated in July when the Orioles signed outfielder Slater de Brun for $4 million—$1.37 million over slot—as it was money that ultimately kept them from also landing Lopez, a 12th-round pick out of Odessa (Texas) College. For the Jayhawks, the bonus fallout became a recruiting coup. Recruiting coordinator Jon Coyne even bought a de Brun jersey to mark the occasion.
So far, the enthusiasm looks justified. Lopez has sat 94-96 mph this fall and touched 97 with carry through the zone. He backs up the fastball with a low-80s 12-to-6 curveball, a changeup with late dive and a newly-added mid-80s downer slider. In short, Kansas may have stolen an impressive middle-round selection from Baltimore. The kicker? He isnâ€t draft eligible again until 2027.
All that being said, Lopez has yet to throw a Division I pitch, which keeps him in darkhorse territory. But if early signs hold, he has the stuff to anchor a weekend rotation and help Kansas push for back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history.
Peterâ€s Pick: Lance Davis, RHP, TCU
After not logging a single inning this spring at Arkansas, Davis opened eyes on the Cape by pitching to a 4.08 ERA with 24 strikeouts to just four walks across 17.2 innings en route to an all-star selection. He pitched his way into being a coveted portal target and eventually announced his commitment to TCU, where he figures to log meaningful innings.
The 6-foot-4 righthander relies heavily on his fastball-slider combination. Davis†fastball sits in the 92-95 mph range but has been up to 97 with run and sink, while his low-to-mid-80s slider flashes two-plane tilt. Davis rounds out his arsenal with a mid-to-upper-80s changeup that is a solid third option against lefthanded hitters.
TCU enters 2026 with a loaded roster, and Davis is in line to have a key role. The Horned Frogs have “Omaha or bust†expectations and coach Kirk Saarloos will look to guide his team back to the College World Series for the first time since 2023.Â
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