Marlins select Miami native and No. 5 overall prospect SS Jacob Lombard with first-round selection, and add two collegiate pitchers along with two position players on Day 1 of 2026 MLB Draft
MIAMI – The Miami Marlins today selected shortstop Jacob Lombard from Gulliver Preparatory School (Miami, Fla.) with the 14th overall pick in the 2026 First-Year Player Draft, left-handed pitcher Ethan Kleinschmit with the 52nd overall pick, right-handed pitcher Ryan Peterson with the 71st overall pick, shortstop Cam Kozeal with the 87th overall pick, and outfielder Wessley Roberson with the 115th overall pick.
Lombard, 18, is ranked as the No. 5 Draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, as well as the second-highest ranked high school player in this year’s draft class per both publications. The right-handed hitter slashed .477/.607/.864 (42×88) with four doubles, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, and 14 stolen bases in his senior season at Gulliver Prep this Spring, drawing 24 walks against 15 strikeouts. The 6-foot-3 shortstop and University of Miami commit joins his father, George Lombard Sr., and brother, George Lombard Jr., as the third member of the family to be selected in the first two rounds of the MLB Draft. The Miami, Fla., native also becomes the third South Florida first-round selection in Marlins history, joining C Charles Johnson (1993, University of Miami) and RHP Chris Volstad (2005, Palm Beach Gardens High School).
Kleinschmit, 21, is ranked as the No. 69 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 78 prospect by Baseball America. The left-handed pitcher totaled 97 strikeouts in 77.0 innings pitched in his junior season at Oregon State in 2026, posting a 9-2 record and 3.74 ERA (32 ER/77.0 IP) in 15 starts. Over two seasons with the Beavers (2025-26), he went 17-7 with a 3.64 ERA (68 ER/168.0 IP), 63 walks, and 210 strikeouts in 32 starts. The 6-foot-3, Mount Angel, Ore., native began his collegiate career in 2024 at Linn-Benton Community College (Albany, Ore.) where he posted a 13.79 K/9 rate (120 K/78.1 IP) in 13 starts.
Peterson, 21, is ranked as the No. 86 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 84 prospect by Baseball America. The 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher struck out 105 batters in 88.0 innings during his junior season at Sam Houston State in 2026, combining for a 6-5 record and 3.38 ERA (33 ER/88.0 IP) in 15 starts. He also walked just 23 batters for a 2.4 BB/9 rate in his third season with the Bearkats, and his second season as a full-time starter, en route to being named as a semifinalist for the National Pitcher of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation. In his first start at Sam Houston State in 2024, the Shiner, Texas, native tossed an immaculate inning.
Kozeal, 21, is ranked as the No. 115 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 109 prospect by Baseball America. The left-handed hitting shortstop slashed .318/.410/.653 (78×245) with a team-leading 20 home runs and 71 RBI in 62 games during his junior season at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.). The Omaha, Neb., native also led the team in hits, multi-hit games (24), and doubles (18) while defensively turning a team-leading 28 double plays in 45 games at shortstop and 16 games at second base. Kozeal played his freshman season at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tenn.) in 2024 before transferring to Arkansas for his sophomore year.
Roberson, 18, is ranked as the No. 218 prospect by Baseball America, and the publication’s 85th-best prospect from the high school ranks. In 19 games during his senior season at Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Ga., the switch-hitting outfielder posted a .451 AVG and .606 OBP with six doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 14 stolen bases. The Louisiana State University commit also drew 19 walks compared to seven strikeouts this Spring.
The Miami Marlins will continue the 2026 Draft on Sunday, July 12, at 11:30 a.m., with rounds five through 20 where they own the 12th selection in each round.
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