The fastball is the most valuable pitch in baseball. For years, some of the most prominent flame-throwers in the game have made their way into professional systems by way of the draft. This year's class has some of the most staggering velocity we've seen in a long time. Twelve high school arms have reportedly touched 99 mph alone. College arms have reached back for triple digits at a rate we haven't seen before. With every passing year, the bar continues to be set.
But velocity alone isn't the ticket anymore. Fastball qualities and characteristics have become increasingly important. Leveraging value off the pitch through angles and shapes has become much more of a priority. Fastballs with a flatter approach angle that rides on top of barrels at the top of the zone continue to be popular in today's data-driven world. A prime example of this is Bryan Woo, a low-launch warrior whose fastball run value was the best in the Major Leagues this past year. These characteristics paired with elite velocity can make for a truly devastating offering.
So who has the best fastball in the 2026 MLB Draft class? Well, frankly, it's pretty obvious at this stage. Only one guy in this class checks every box at once, and he's not the name most mock drafts are talking about.
Cal Randall was a highly sought after recruit in the 2023 high school class. He was the 84th ranked player in the class per Perfect Game, and would end up getting recruited to UCLA along the likes of Roch Cholowsky and Roman Martin. Randall measured in at 6 foot 3, roughly 200 lbs out of high school. His fastball peaked at 95 mph and would regularly sit in the low 90s. Flash forward to 2026, and Randall has completely transformed.
Now at 6 foot 4, 230 lbs, Randall has touched 101 mph with his heater and is living in the high 90s on a nightly basis. The velocity is staggering, but the further you look under the hood, the better the offering looks.
Randall is an exceptional mover down the mound who can at times generate extension north of 7 feet. With his plus extension, the pitch sneaks up on hitters due to how close Randall releases it to the plate. Along with the extension, Randall regularly launches from a 5 foot 3 release height. Despite his fastball coming from a lower than average slot, the pitch can at times get north of 20 inches of induced vertical break, considered plus carry. The low launch paired with the shape makes for an extremely flat vertical approach angle, allowing the pitch to generate tons of whiffs at the top of the zone. Randall can also spin the baseball exceptionally well. The pitch grabs spin rates north of 2600 rpms on most nights. There's not much this pitch lacks, and the performance backs it up.
At the time of writing, Randall's fastball owns a staggering 41.3% whiff rate. That's 6th among all D1 arms with over 150 thrown. Inside the zone, hitters are whiffing at it 32.8% of the time. Its characteristics and performance across the board suggest an 80-grade offering.
With how electric Randall's fastball is there are also some overall concerns with the profile. Randall has an extremely efforty way about how he moves. Most watching him pitch for the first time would almost certainly label him as a future reliever, and that's likely what he is at the next level. It's 40 grade command, as Randall's walking just north of 18% of hitters this year and not showing much feel for location. The secondaries also lag behind, he's flashed a cutter/slider and mixed in a changeup, but remains heavily fastball-reliant. That said, given his ability to spin the baseball, pro development systems should be able to shape a viable breaking ball.
Even if Randall's profile does end up in the back of a bullpen, you can't question the success he's shown in the role so far. Opponents are hitting just .143 against him on the year, and striking out at a 46.5% clip. While the rawness of his profile will likely keep him from being selected inside the top 100 picks, it's not every day you get to draft a true 80-grade offering, especially a fastball. If he ends up in the right development system, Randall has a chance to be one of the best relief prospects to come out of this class in its entirety.