It could be some time before any Kansas baseball player dethrones Curtis Shaw — the No. 42 overall selection to the Athletics in 1990 — as the highest-drafted Jayhawk ever.
But former KU pitcher Hunter Cranton tied for second when he went to Seattle at No. 91 two summers ago, and KU has a chance to get another player taken on the first day of this year’s MLB Draft, which begins at noon on Saturday in Philadelphia.
After a record-setting year in which he became KU’s single-season leader in home runs with 25 and earned All-American honors from six different outlets, shortstop Tyson LeBlanc is poised for an early selection. The JUCO product from LSU Eunice hit .341 with a 1.131 OPS and 69 RBIs and helped lead the Jayhawks to Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles and the Lawrence Regional championship.
Now, he’s projected as the No. 113 prospect on MLB.com and No. 134 by ESPN, as well as even higher on The Athletic (No. 94) and Baseball America (No. 103), giving him a very strong chance to hear his name called by the end of Saturday’s four rounds and 135 total picks.
KU coach Dan Fitzgerald recently called LeBlanc the best player he has ever coached and said his ceiling is a lengthy major-league tenure and his floor is as a career as a utility player, citing his ability to play multiple positions in the infield. The Athletic’s Keith Law conveyed a similar sentiment in his profile of LeBlanc, also noting that he gets “consistent power across all pitch types.”
“He’s maybe an average runner and probably moves off shortstop to second base, but the bat may profile there given the power and his strong contact skills, with a whiff rate of just 15 percent on the season,” Law wrote. “At worst, I think he’s a good utility player, but I’m leaning 60/40 that he’s a regular at the keystone.”
Two more Jayhawks attended the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix along with LeBlanc, those being pitcher Dominic Voegele and left fielder/first baseman Brady Ballinger.
Voegele, a former Big 12 freshman of the year, spent two seasons as KU’s ace. In 2026, he accrued a 5.85 ERA with a school-record 120 strikeouts and 35 walks. The Columbia, Illinois, native, a second-team all-league selection, allowed more than four earned runs in just one of his final 11 starts and at one point posted double-digit strikeouts four times in the span of a month.
“Dom’s going to be a great draft and a great pro,” Fitzgerald said on “Hawk Talk” recently. “I thought the second half of this season was absolutely sensational.”
Voegele is a likely second-day selection on Sunday based on his own rankings: No. 196 by Baseball America, No. 205 on MLB.com and No. 228 on ESPN. He’ll be looking to get drafted for the second time after the Arizona Diamondbacks picked him as a high school player in 2023.
“Voegele is athletic and provides consistent strikes, but his delivery lacks extension and deception,” his MLB writeup reads. “He maintains his velocity deep into games but has to improve the action and command with his fastball. He’ll need to make some adjustments to remain a starter rather than becoming a breaking ball-heavy reliever at the next level.”
Ballinger, one of the faces of the Jayhawks’ program since his arrival prior to the 2025 season, had a bit of a down year as a junior. He moved from first base to left field and dropped from .353 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs to .283 with seven homers and 42 RBIs. Still, the Las Vegas native is No. 245 as assessed by Baseball America, albeit outside the top 250 on other sites, and should get a solid professional chance.
Beyond the combine trio, it’s tough to say which KU players will be the best candidates for draft consideration. Among graduating seniors, Josh Dykhoff showed impressive power after moving up from Division II. Dariel Osoria had a similar downturn to Ballinger’s after his breakout 2025 campaign, but could get his own shot.
“Another great baseball player that’s got a bright future ahead of him,” Fitzgerald said. “Dariel can play multiple infield positions. He’s going to owe me an apology someday when he’s catching in pro ball, because I’ve told him at some point they’re going to make you catch. So I told him when they do it in pro ball, all I need is a simple text with ‘You were right.'”
Among the players with remaining eligibility, closer Boede Rahe had the most impressive 2026 campaign. The Kirkwood Community College product was first-team all-conference as a redshirt junior with a 4.27 ERA, 80 strikeouts to 21 walks and 11 saves. Catcher Augusto Mungarrieta also demonstrated strong defensive bona fides while hitting 17 homers and driving in 50 runs.
As always, the Jayhawks will undoubtedly have some mild draft concerns with their incoming high school players and transfers, but it remains to be seen whether any will choose the pros over potential development at KU.
