Hayes Holton

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #71 prospect in 2026 draft
  School: Loranger (La.) HS Age At Draft: 18.4
  
  Committed: Mississippi State
  
  Holton is an athletic righthander with big raw stuff that he’s still learning to harness. His lively fastball has touched 96 mph with excellent carry to fly above barrels up in the zone. Given his outstanding arm speed and space to add weight onto his projectable 6-foot-2 frame, he looks like he should eventually reach the upper 90s and possibly triple digits. Over the past year, Holton has developed a promising 83-85 mph changeup with good action that flashes swing-and-miss properties, and he will use it to both lefties and righties. He throws a low-80s slider with tight rotation and curveball that can both spin above 2,700 rpm at times, but he sometimes leans more on his changeup because he has trouble keeping his breaking ball out of the dirt. Control is the biggest developmental need for Holton, who has an aggressive, up-tempo delivery and has trouble repeating his release point, leading to scattershot control of his fastball and breaking stuff and too many walks. If he can throw more strikes, he has the stuff to jump up draft boards.