Twelve teams made the 2026 MLB postseason. Five are still standing. The Dodgers and Brewers open the NLCS on Oct. 11, and the Rays await the winner of the Guardians-White Sox Game 5 on Oct. 10. Whether your team is still playing or already home for the winter, college baseball opens its 2027 season in February. It’s the best place to scout the next wave of big leaguers.
One catch: baseball doesn’t work like hockey. An NHL team can draft a college player and let him stay in school. When an MLB team drafts a college player and signs him, he goes straight to the minors. So there are almost no “Yankees prospects” playing college ball right now.
Instead, I picked each team’s college program to watch using two factors. First, which school has sent the most players to your club’s current roster and top prospect list. Second, which current player at that school is worth knowing before the 2027 draft. If you already have a favorite college team, stick around anyway. You might learn a name your club could be calling next July.
Jump to your team: Atlanta Braves · Boston Red Sox · Chicago Cubs · Chicago White Sox · Cleveland Guardians · Houston Astros · Los Angeles Dodgers · Milwaukee Brewers · New York Yankees · Philadelphia Phillies · San Diego Padres · Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves
Team to watch: Clemson (runner-up: Missouri State)
The Braves’ ace pipeline runs through Clemson. Spencer Strider is a Tiger, and Atlanta went back to the well in July, taking Clemson catcher Jacob Jarrell in the eighth round. Missouri State earns a mention too, thanks to 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin.
The player to know is right-hander Aidan Knaak. He’s a two-time first-team All-ACC pick with 306 career strikeouts, sixth in program history. Here’s the twist: the Brewers drafted him in the fifth round in 2026, and he turned them down to come back for his senior year. Braves fans, consider him a free scouting look.
Boston Red Sox
Team to watch: North Carolina (runner-up: Tennessee)
The Red Sox’s season ended in the Bronx, so you’ve got all winter to get to know the Tar Heels. Boston spent its 2026 first-round pick on UNC shortstop Jake Schaffner (No. 20 overall) and its next pick on outfielder Owen Hull (No. 67). Per MiLB.com, it was the first time one organization drafted two UNC teammates in the same draft. Both played on UNC’s 2026 national runner-up team.
The player to know is shortstop Jamie Laskofski, who replaces Schaffner. The William & Mary transfer hit .355 with 13 homers and 36 steals as CAA Player of the Year, and D1Baseball named him the top transfer hitter in the country.
If Chapel Hill isn’t for you, Tennessee has Garrett Crochet and 2025 second-rounder Marcus Phillips.
Chicago Cubs
Team to watch: North Carolina (runner-up: Ole Miss)
Yes, North Carolina again. First baseman Michael Busch played 160 games for the Cubs this year, and 2025 second-rounder Kane Kepley, who finished his college career at UNC, broke out in 2026 with 120 walks and a minor-league-leading 70 steals. Chicago also took UNC pitcher Jake Knapp in 2025.
That makes Laskofski, the transfer shortstop from the Red Sox section, the Cubs’ guy to watch too. If you’d rather not share a team with Boston fans, Ole Miss is a solid alternative. Reliever Ryan Rolison went 9-2 with a 3.14 ERA, and the Cubs took Rebels right-hander Cade Townsend 23rd overall in July.
Chicago White Sox
Team to watch: UCLA (runner-up: Arkansas)
The White Sox own the biggest Bruin in pro ball right now. They made UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky the No. 1 overall pick in July and signed him for a record $10.35 million bonus. He was Baseball America’s 2025 College Player of the Year.
With Cholowsky gone, the Bruins’ new headliner is right-hander Wylan Moss. As a sophomore he went 5-1 with a 2.49 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 65 innings, earned second-team All-America honors and made Team USA’s collegiate squad.
Arkansas is a fine backup: 2024 No. 5 pick Hagen Smith made his big-league debut on Aug. 9 and has a 1.29 ERA in four postseason outings.
Cleveland Guardians
Teams to watch: Oregon State and Florida
Oregon State is Cleveland’s college home. Steven Kwan won a national title in Corvallis, and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana made his MLB debut on April 28. The Beavers’ best player is right-hander Dax Whitney, a top-two 2027 prospect, but he had Tommy John surgery and will miss all of next season.
So for a team you can actually watch this spring, try Florida. Cleveland took Gators right-hander Liam Peterson in the first round in July. His old teammate Brendan Lawson sits No. 1 on JustBaseball’s 2027 college list after hitting .312 with 19 homers and an SEC-leading .511 on-base percentage.
Houston Astros
Team to watch: Florida State (runner-up: Nebraska)
After a quick Wild Card exit, Astros fans can head to Tallahassee. Cam Smith played 157 games with 21 homers this season and homered in the Wild Card Series, and Houston grabbed another Seminole in July: ACC Pitcher of the Year Wes Mendes in the second round.
The player to know is right-hander John Abraham. He was a 2026 All-American closer with a 1.91 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 47 innings, then went undrafted and came back. Florida State is moving him into the rotation, which could raise his draft stock.
Nebraska also has Astros ties through Brice Matthews and Jake Meyers.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Team to watch: Louisville (runner-up: Arkansas)
This one’s easy. The Dodgers’ catching corps is pure Cardinal: Will Smith and Dalton Rushing both went to Louisville, and so did right-hander Bobby Miller.
The player to know is first baseman Tague Davis, who had a monster 2026. He hit .355 and led Division I with 34 homers and 98 RBIs, set the Louisville and ACC single-season home run records, and was ACC Player of the Year. He confirmed he’s back for 2027.
Arkansas is worth a look too: LA used back-to-back picks in 2025 on Razorbacks Zach Root and Charles Davalan.
Milwaukee Brewers
Team to watch: Tennessee
Milwaukee has quietly built a Rocky Top pipeline. First baseman Blake Burke, second in Tennessee history with 50 homers, hit 30 at Double-A this year before a promotion to Triple-A. 2025 first-rounder Andrew Fischer is a former Vol, and right-hander Garrett Stallings made his MLB debut on June 30.
The player to know is catcher Trent Grindlinger. As a freshman he hit .345/.414/.572 with eight homers and made the SEC All-Freshman team, and early mock drafts project him as a top-15 pick in 2027.
New York Yankees
Team to watch: Vanderbilt
The Yankees’ college ties are spread thin. Aaron Judge (Fresno State), Gerrit Cole (UCLA), Ben Rice (Dartmouth) and Cam Schlittler (Northeastern) all came from different schools. Rice (.421, four homers) and Schlittler (1.69 ERA over two starts) were New York’s October stars before Tampa Bay swept the Yankees in the ALDS. Vanderbilt is the one program with a current big leaguer and a top prospect: outfielder Spencer Jones debuted May 8, and 2024 second-rounder Bryce Cunningham is one of the system’s top arms.
The player to know is switch-hitting shortstop Ryker Waite. He hit .305 with seven homers and 44 RBIs in 2026 and returns as Vandy’s starter. JustBaseball ranks him No. 22 among 2027 college prospects.
Philadelphia Phillies
Team to watch: LSU (runners-up: Arkansas, Missouri State)
Aaron Nola is the Phillies’ best-known college product. Philly’s season ended with a Wild Card Game 3 loss to Atlanta, so his alma mater is a good place to spend the offseason. Nola was the 2014 National Pitcher of the Year at LSU, and Philly took another Tiger arm, Deven Sheerin, in the fourth round in July.
The player to know is right-hander Casan Evans. He led LSU with 89 strikeouts in 60.2 innings in 2026, including 15 in one start against Oklahoma, and ranks No. 14 on JustBaseball’s 2027 college list. His 5.93 ERA says he’s still raw, which makes him fun to follow.
Arkansas fans get a reason to care too: the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect, Gage Wood, threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter for the Razorbacks at the 2025 College World Series.
San Diego Padres
Team to watch: Arizona State
The Padres love drafting high schoolers: their top pick in each of the last three drafts came straight out of high school. That leaves Arizona State as the best connection. The Padres added Sun Devil Gage Workman at the deadline, and their 2026 sixth-rounder, second baseman Nu’u Contrades, led Division I second basemen with 21 homers.
The player to know is outfielder Landon Hairston, maybe the best hitter in college baseball. Baseball America’s 2026 College Player of the Year hit .400/.509/.860 with a school-record 28 homers, and he chose to return to Tempe to chase a trip to Omaha. He’ll likely be a top-five pick next July.
Tampa Bay Rays
Team to watch: Oregon State (runner-up: Florida State)
The Rays mostly draft high schoolers, including No. 2 overall pick Grady Emerson in July. Their college ties run through Corvallis: right-hander Drew Rasmussen went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA this season, then threw eight one-hit, scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts in the ALDS sweep of the Yankees, and outfielder Jacob Melton is at Triple-A Durham.
Like Cleveland fans, Rays fans should follow Dax Whitney’s recovery. He went 6-1 with a 2.00 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 63 innings before Tommy John surgery, which will keep him out for 2027. Florida State, home of infielder Taylor Walls, is the better live watch in the meantime. Its closer-turned-starter John Abraham is profiled in the Astros section.
