Marlins introduce 2026 MLB Draft Class

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins recently invited their entire 2026 MLB Draft class to LoanDepot Park, showcasing the future of the present rebuild.

The draft class is highlighted by a local high school phenom who is the younger brother of the New York Yankees’ No. 1 ranked prospect, and a Japanese sensation who played his college career at Stanford.

Jacob Lombard, the Marlins’ first-round pick, is a 6-foot-3 premium athlete at shortstop. Their second round pick, Ethan Kleinschmidt, struck out 11.2 K/9 and held hitters to a .194 batting average at Oregon State last year.

Ryan Peterson was considered to have one of college baseball’s best curveballs during his time at Sam Houston State, throwing it with a high-spin 79-82 mph hammer to carve up Conference-USA hitters.

For a shortstop, Marlins third-round pick Cam Kozeal is sturdily built at 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, and has a power bat good for 20 home runs on average.

The draft class also had a bevy of college arms, including one pitcher who played for two teams in the Sunshine State. Trey Beard was selected by the Marlins in the fifth round after punching out 97 batters in 68 innings for a Florida State squad that finished the season 40-19.

Beard sports a fastball in the low 90s, topping out at 94 mph. His best pitch is his 75-77 mph changeup, which Beard said has been his “go-to really since high school,” but a third pitch is what made him a professional.

“I think a good development on my slider this past year was a really big help for me,” Beard said. “I feel like I use the slider a lot more this year than I have in past years, and I think that really helped me step up my game.”

He was one of seven Seminoles to get drafted this summer.

“I feel like we got a lot of competitive guys over there,” Beard said. “They really wanted to win and that just made us all better.”

Before his lone season at Florida State, Beard played two seasons at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. His sophomore season was the best in his college career, posting a 3.45 ERA with 118 strikeouts in 86 innings over 16 appearances (15 starts) for an Owls team that finished 37-21 and in second place in the American Athletic Conference standings. 

Beard said the difference between his time at both programs was the level of fan engagement during the games. 

“I feel like the fans were a big part of the game at the ACC level,” Beard said. “Those fans made it even more competitive for the teams, and that makes you want to win even more.”

The Marlins also took a chance on a high school pitcher in Jacksonville who immediately became one of the tallest arms in their farm system.

Bane Barker went from being 6 feet tall in middle school to 6-8 upon graduation. He said he started taking baseball seriously as an upperclassman, and hitting the weight room led to his development into a draft prospect.

Barker also said his height is the reason why he chose to stick with pitching rather than keep hitting, given that his frame helps him “create a strong angle.”

“That’s why I picked pitching over the hitting aspect of the game,” Barker said. 

The draft class will head to Jupiter for draft camp. Some of the hitters will likely start their career at Single-A Jupiter or higher while the pitchers spend the rest of the summer off the mound and in the gym.