With the 28th pick of the 1st Round, the Houston Astros selected right-hander Jack Radel from Notre Dame.
“Radel established himself as a workhorse starter and reliable innings- eater in his first two seasons at Notre Dame. As a junior in 2026, his stuff jumped, and his strikeouts followed. He posted a 3.29 ERA over 15 starts and 87.2 innings, with a career-high 32.5% strikeout rate while maintaining his rock-solid control. Radel rose up draft boards all spring and has a chance to become the highest-drafted
Notre Dame pitcher since Aaron Heilman went 18th overall in 2001. Heilman was also drafted 31st overall as a junior the year before but did not sign. Radel has a power pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds. He gets down the mound with elite extension and added nearly two full ticks to his fastball in 2026. He now sits around 94 mph and can touch 98, with above-average fastball command. He also has impressive feel to spot an increasingly diverse mix of secondary pitches led by his slider. Radel’s slider is a mid-80s breaking pitch with gyro shape that he throws with conviction to both righties and lefties. His third pitch is an upper-80s cutter that has become a much more prominent secondary in his junior season. In 2026, Radel threw his fastball, slider and cutter for strikes at least 70% of the time. His fourth and fifth pieces are an upper-80s changeup that he throws against lefties and a 12-to-6 curveball around 80 mph. Radel is a high-probability starter with command who should be able to eat innings and attack hitters with a deep mix of quality pitches.” – Baseball America
Radel immediately becomes the top pitching prospect in the system.
