Winning a National Championship marks the culmination of sacrifices made as a team to reach the promised land. Being able to form a dog pile after the final out of the College World Series is a memory that will never be forgotten. For Ole Miss pitcher Taylor Rabe, he can not only achieve the pinnacle of team success, but he can also earn himself a heftier payday when July rolls around.
With his recent success, the Rebels’ right-hander has been flying up draft boards, and now he has one grand opportunity to distinguish himself as a first-round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Taylor Rabe’s Rapid Rise
A casual college baseball fan who only tunes in once the postseason starts may be surprised to find out that Rabe did not start the season as a draft arm scouts were clamoring to see. In fact, when the college baseball season started, PerfectGame ranked Rabe as their 239th prospect in the ’26 class. Most of the attention when it came to Ole Miss and their pitching staff landed on Hunter Elliott and Cade Townsend, but since his start against Alabama on May 15th, that narrative has started to change.
Before taking the ball on the road against the Crimson Tide, the 6’6″ right-hander allowed five earned runs against Texas A&M, but in those six innings, he racked up 14 strikeouts. In that game, something seemed to click for Rabe, so when he got to face the Crimson Tide’s lineup, he posted six innings of one-hit ball with 13 more strikeouts.
Due to the Rebels’ quick exit from the SEC Tournament, it would be another 15 days before Rabe was able to take the mound again, but the time off didn’t kill his momentum. Facing off with regional host Nebraska, Rabe allowed one earned run while punching out nine in six innings of work. As if scouts weren’t already paying enough attention to his late-season success, Rabe gave the Rebels seven more strong innings in the Super Regionals against Auburn, in which he let up two earned runs and struck out eight.
With nothing but pure dominance over his last three starts, Baseball America had Rabe getting selected 39th overall in their most recent mock draft. Rabe still has the potential to improve his stock even further, as he’s likely to start one of the Rebels’ first two games in Omaha, if Mike Bianco decides to ride the hot hand.
What’s Behind Taylor Rabe’s Recent Success?
Out of all the pitchers on the Rebels’ pitching staff, Rabe is the most imposing. With a fastball that averages 96 MPH and can touch 100 MPH, MLB Pipeline has his four-seamer as a 70-grade pitch. On top of that, the right-hander has proven he can put the ball wherever he wants, issuing just 1.41 BB/9 this season, earning him 60-grade command, per MLB Pipeline.
What really makes Rabe appealing to scouts, though, is his cutter. Coming in the upper-80s and low-90s with a sharp late break, the pitch is an absolute nightmare to face for both left-handed and right-handed hitters. By tunneling his cutter and slider with his fastball, Rabe has done a great job of keeping hitters off-balance. Early in the season, Rabe did not seem to have the best feel for either pitch, making it easier for hitters to sit on his heater, but it’s clear he’s found something that has helped him sharpen both pitches.
Rabe will also mix in a change-up, which is the last piece of the puzzle, and something that MLB franchises will likely try to improve right away. Entering the College World Series, MLB Pipeline has the change-up as Rabe’s lowest graded pitch, but if he can find a way to sharpen it like he did the rest of his arsenal, he’ll have a pitch that fades away from lefties and into righties.
Whether the change-up develops is a question for the future, because right now, Rabe’s only responsibility is to keep helping the Rebels achieve their season-long goal of winning a title.
Main Photo: Gary Cosby Jr. – Imagn Images
