Prep standouts Lombard, Rojas highlight South Florida in 2026 MLB Draft
Two of South Florida’s top high school baseball talents won’t have to wait long to hear their names called in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Miami Gulliver Prep shortstop Jacob Lombard and Parkland Stoneman Douglas left-handed pitcher Gio Rojas are both projected to be first-round picks in the two-day, 20-round draft that starts on at 1 p.m. Saturday (Rounds 1-4) and continues Sunday (Rounds 5-20, beginning at 11:30 a.m.). In fact, most mock drafts have both players being selected within the top-10 picks.
Should both go in the first round as predicted, it would mark the first time since 2012 that South Florida had multiple players from the high school ranks selected in the first 30 picks. Miami-Dade and Broward counties produced three first-round picks that year: Hialeah Mater Academy’s Albert Almora Jr. to the Chicago Cubs at No. 6, Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy’s Nick Travieso at No. 14 to the Cincinnati Reds and Coral Springs High’s Lewis Brinson at No. 29 to the Texas Rangers.
(A quick note: The 2022 and 2023 drafts include multiple first-round picks from the South Florida preps scene when factoring in the compensatory and competitive balance rounds that fall between Rounds 1 and 2; Gulliver’s George Lombard Jr. went No. 26 and Doral Academy’s Adrian Santana went No. 31 in 2023, while Plantation American Heritage’s Brandon Barriera went No. 23 and Westminster Christian’s Sal Stewart went No. 32 in 2022.)
Here’s what you need to know about Lombard, Rojas and South Florida’s overall ties in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The latest Lombard
Baseball runs in the Lombard family’s blood.
Jacob’s dad, George Lombard Sr., played six MLB seasons and is now in his sixth season as the Detroit Tigers’ bench coach.
His brother, George Lombard Jr., was the New York Yankees’ first-round pick in 2023. He is currently the No. 20 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and is playing in Triple A, right on the doorstep of his MLB debut.
Jacob is next in line.
He’s viewed as one of the draft’s overall top prospects, with MLB Pipeline and Baseball America both ranking him the No. 5 overall prospect in the draft class. He was the Miami Herald’s Dade 4A-1A Baseball Player of the Year this season after hitting .477 with nine home runs, 25 RBI and 52 runs scored for Gulliver. He was also a soccer standout for the Raiders.
“A 6-foot-3 premium athlete at a premium position, Lombard is a right-handed hitter with plenty of juice in his bat,” reads MLB Pipeline’s scouting report. “He has the acumen to be a plus hitter in the future, though he did have some swing-and-miss on fastballs up in the zone over the summer, with a bat path that wasn’t matching the velocity he was facing. He’s already added strength, and speed, of late, with potential plus power.”
He’s in line to be the third-ever first round pick out of Gulliver Prep, joining his older brother and infielder David Espinosa, who the Cincinnati Reds chose No. 23 overall in the 2000 draft.
Rojas’ rise
Stoneman Douglas has consistently been one of the top high school baseball teams nationally during the past few years. The Eagles have won six consecutive FHSAA state titles and have been named national champions four times in that span.
But the powerhouse prep team is still missing one notable achievement: A first-round MLB draft pick.
That’s set to change when Rojas hears his name called on Saturday.
Rojas is rated as the No. 8 overall prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline, No. 17 by Baseball America and No. 25 by the Athletic.
MLB Pipeline calls him “one of the top lefties, and best arms overall, available in the class, high school or college.” His arsenal includes a fastball that touches 98 mph with “outstanding riding life,” a low-80s sweeping slider “that is a true out pitch” and a changeup that can evolve into an effective third offering over time.
“He has a clean delivery with a whip-fast arm that comes from a low three-quarters slot, and he finishes with solid balance, little effort and in a great fielding position,” Baseball America’s scouting report says.
Rojas dominated as Stoneman Douglas’ ace during the past two seasons. His combined stats in his junior and senior seasons: A 24-1 record, a 0.66 ERA and 243 strikeouts against 33 walks over 137 innings en route to being the Miami Herald’s Broward Class 7A-5A Pitcher of the Year both seasons.
Beyond his time at Stoneman Douglas, Rojas was a standout at several summer showcase events and threw 11 shutout innings for Team USA at the WBSC U-18 World Cup in 2025 during its run to a gold medal.
When he is selected, Rojas will be the 12th Stoneman Douglas alumnus to be drafted since 2016. The school has had seven players reach MLB: Outfielder Roman Anthony, infielders Coby Mayo and Colton Welker, starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, relief pitcher Matt Fox and shortstop Mike Caruso.
Miami Hurricanes to know
Daniel Cuvet leads the Miami Hurricanes’ list of draft hopefuls.
The third baseman will go down as one of the top hitters in UM’s storied history, with a career .347 batting average, 54 home runs, 204 RBI and a 1.143 on-base-plus-slugging mark. His junior season was cut short due to a stress fracture in his lower back, but his power hitting track record gives him a chance to potentially be selected in the first five rounds.
Beyond Cuvet, Alex Sosa is the other main Hurricane with a chance of being drafted. The catcher transferred to UM after two seasons at NC State and became an immediate threat in the heart of Miami’s order. He hit .338 with a team-high 18 home runs, 16 doubles, 71 RBI and 63 runs scored.
Other Miami names to watch include a trio of seniors in outfielder Derek Williams, middle infielder Jake Ogden and left-handed pitcher Rob Evans.
More South Florida players to watch
Justin Lebron, who starred at Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy before going on to be a three-year starter for the Alabama Crimson Tide, is projected to be a first-round pick.
Meanwhile, three prep standouts from Miami-Dade and Broward counties beyond Lombard and Rojas are ranked on MLB Pipeline’s top 250 and/or Baseball America’s top 500 prospects for the draft.
The trio: Plantation American Heritage right-handed pitcher Brady Snow (MLB Pipeline’s No. 169, Baseball America’s No. 266), Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy outfielder Jon Mora (MLB Pipeline’s No. 242, Baseball America’s No. 352) and Hialeah Mater Academy third baseman Yodelkis Quevado (Baseball America’s No. 490).
Snow and Mora, as well as Lombard and Rojas, are Hurricanes commits. Quevado is a Florida State commit.
This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 10:13 AM.
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