The program’s professional footprint is defined less by raw tools than by repeatable skills: strike-throwing, defensive reliability, and adaptability to changing roles. Those traits are clear in this group, which leans heavily toward pitching but still includes a middle infielder with a modern, efficiency-driven profile.
Latest Update (March 23, 2026): Samuel Strickland, Atlanta Braves. Entered in relief with 2 outs in the 5th inning and pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowing 1 hit, 0 runs, and 0 walks. Strickland threw 6 pitches, 4 for strikes, in the Braves’ 5–2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park.
Latest Update (March 21, 2026): Jacob Cravey, Baltimore Orioles. Entered in relief in the 8th inning and pitched 1.0 innings, with 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout. Cravey threw 24 pitches, 12 for strikes, in the Orioles’ 10–8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium.
Latest Update (March 14, 2026): Samuel Strickland, Atlanta Braves. Entered in relief with 2 outs in the 7th inning and pitched 1-1/3 innings, allowing 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 1 strikeout. Strickland threw 16 pitches, 10 for strikes, in the Braves’ 10–1 win over the Boston Red Sox at CoolToday Park.
Latest Update (March 8, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief with 2 outs and the bases loaded during the 5th inning and pitched one inning, allowing 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 1 error, and 1 strikeout. Hobbs threw 20 pitches, 13 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 11–7 loss to the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium. Hobbs yielded a grand slam to Leo De Vries in the 5th inning with 3 on and 2 out.
Latest Update (March 5, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief for the 8th inning and pitched one frame, allowing 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Hobbs threw 14 pitches, 10 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 14–13 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark.
Latest Update (March 5, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Hobbs has been selected for the Dodgers’ Spring Breakout roster. MLB’s Spring Breakout will be a four-day, 16-exhibition game event showcasing each MLB organization’s top prospects. Spring Breakout will be held from March 19-22 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training.
Latest Update (March 2, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief for the 6th inning and pitched one frame, allowing 2 hits and 2 earned runs. Hobbs struck out two and gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros with one out. Hobbs threw 15 pitches, 12 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 7–5 win over the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Latest Update (Feb. 26, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief for the 3rd inning and pitched one frame, allowing 4 hits and 3 earned runs. Hobbs struck out one and gave up a home run to Tanner Murray with one on and no outs. Hobbs threw 24 pitches, 16 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 7–6 win over the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch.
Latest Update (Feb. 23, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief for the 6th inning and pitched one scoreless frame, allowing one hit and no runs on 13 pitches, 9 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 3–0 win over the Seattle Mariners at Camelback Ranch.
Jacob Cravey, RHP — Baltimore Orioles
Latest Update (March 21, 2026): Jacob Cravey, Baltimore Orioles. Entered in relief in the 8th inning and pitched 1.0 innings, with 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout. Cravey threw 24 pitches, 12 for strikes, in the Orioles’ 10–8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Ed Smith Stadium.
Jacob Cravey looks exactly like what he is: a projection pick. At 6-foot-6, he offers the Orioles durability, downhill plane, and the kind of frame organizations trust to absorb innings.
Selected in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, Cravey worked as a starter and bulk arm early before settling into more defined usage. His 2025 season was split between Single-A and High-A, and the jump actually sharpened his results. In High-A, he appeared in 10 games, logged 23.1 innings, posted a 0.77 ERA, and struck out 25 hitters. Just as telling, the walk rate held steady.
That command profile tracks with his college résumé. At Samford in 2023, Cravey went 9-2 with a 3.10 ERA, earned Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year honors, and helped deliver both the SoCon regular-season and tournament titles. He finished with 126 strikeouts, the second-most in a single season in program history.
2026 outlook: Cravey is likely to open the year back in High-A in a bullpen role. If the walk suppression from 2025 holds, he profiles as a legitimate mover within the Orioles’ system.
Carson Hobbs, RHP — Los Angeles Dodgers
Latest Update (March 8, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief with 2 outs and the bases loaded during the 5th inning and pitched one inning, allowing 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 1 error, and 1 strikeout. Hobbs threw 20 pitches, 13 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 11–7 loss to the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium. Hobbs yielded a grand slam to Leo De Vries in the 5th inning with 3 on and 2 out.
Latest Update (March 5, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief for the 8th inning and pitched one frame, allowing 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Hobbs threw 14 pitches, 10 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 14–13 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark.
Latest Update (March 5, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Hobbs has been selected for the Dodgers’ Spring Breakout roster. MLB’s Spring Breakout will be a four-day, 16-exhibition game event showcasing each MLB organization’s top prospects. Spring Breakout will be held from March 19-22 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training.
Latest Update (March 2, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief for the 6th inning and pitched one frame, allowing 2 hits and 2 earned runs. Hobbs struck out two and gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Mickey Moniak and Kyle Karros with one out. Hobbs threw 15 pitches, 12 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 7–5 win over the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Latest Update (Feb. 26, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief for the 3rd inning and pitched one frame, allowing 4 hits and 3 earned runs. Hobbs struck out one and gave up a home run to Tanner Murray with one on and no outs. Hobbs threw 24 pitches, 16 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 7–6 win over the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch.
Latest Update (Feb. 23, 2026): Carson Hobbs, Los Angeles Dodgers. Entered in relief for the 6th inning and pitched one scoreless frame, allowing one hit and no runs on 13 pitches, 9 for strikes, in the Dodgers’ 3–0 win over the Seattle Mariners at Camelback Ranch.
Carson Hobbs is a case study in upside and patience. When the Dodgers selected him in the 11th round in 2023, he had thrown fewer than 50 innings at the collegiate level after Tommy John surgery shut down his junior season at Samford.
What the Dodgers bet on was elite arm strength and pitch shape. Hobbs’ fastball pushes toward triple digits, his slider has developed into a true weapon, and his curveball misses bats at a high rate. That package translated quickly. In 2025, Hobbs split time between High-A Great Lakes and AA Tulsa. His AA line stood out: a 4-2 record, 1.99 ERA, and 27 strikeouts in 22.2 innings.
Walks remain the developmental checkpoint, but his ability to mix pitches and command off-speed offerings gives him margin.
2026 outlook: Hobbs enters 2026 with a real chance to challenge for bullpen innings at the major-league level, or at minimum, position himself as upper-level depth with impact potential.
Garrett Howe, SS — Cleveland Guardians
Garrett Howe brings a different look to the conversation around Samford Bulldogs in pro baseball. He is not a loud tools prospect, but his skill set fits modern roster construction.
Defensively, Howe offers soft hands, quick transfers, and enough arm and range to handle shortstop or slide into a utility role. Offensively, he prioritizes contact and zone control, with speed as a separator. In 2025, split between Single-A and High-A, he hit .215 overall but stole 34 bases, continuing to pressure defenses even while the bat adjusted.
His college production was far more consistent. Over four seasons at Samford, Howe hit .304 with 245 career hits, tied for sixth in program history. His senior season in 2024 was his best, finishing at .369 with 83 hits, while helping lead multiple conference championship teams.
2026 outlook: Howe projects as a utility infielder with a high baseball IQ. Added strength could accelerate his climb, but even as-is, he should spend 2026 in High-A with AA within reach.
Cameron Keshock, RHP — Pittsburgh Pirates
Cameron Keshock might be the most physically imposing arm in the Samford professional ranks. At 6-foot-7, he creates steep angles and deception, aided by a low, near-sidearm release.
Drafted in the 12th round in 2025, Keshock features a two-seam fastball that sits 90–94 mph and touches 96, paired with a mid-80s gyro slider and a changeup. His sinker generates groundballs, while his secondaries produce more swing-and-miss, a combination the Pirates believe can be refined through role definition.
Command has been the variable. His size creates timing challenges, which is why many evaluators see his future in relief. In a brief 2025 pro debut with Bradenton, he logged 9.2 innings across seven outings, striking out 11.
2026 outlook: Keshock is likely to return to Bradenton to begin the season, with a realistic path to High-A Greensboro if his command trends forward in a bullpen role.
Michael Ross, RHP — Minnesota Twins
Michael Ross represents the high-floor end of the spectrum. He is not built on velocity spikes but on efficiency and strike throwing.
In 2025, Ross made 16 starts, finishing 4-6 with a 3.18 ERA over 82 innings, striking out 76 while issuing 29 walks. His Samford career was defined by consistency. In 2024, he went 13-0 with a 3.27 ERA, set a program record for wins, and earned Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year honors. He finished his collegiate career 20-1 with a sub-4.00 ERA and a career walk rate under six percent.
2026 outlook: Ross is viewed as a dependable starter with limited volatility. A move to High-A or AA Wichita is well within reach.
Samuel Strickland, RHP — Atlanta Braves
Latest Update (March 23, 2026): Samuel Strickland, Atlanta Braves. Entered in relief with 2 outs in the 5th inning and pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowing 1 hit, 0 runs, and 0 walks. Strickland threw 6 pitches, 4 for strikes, in the Braves’ 5–2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park.
Latest Update (March 14, 2026): Samuel Strickland, Atlanta Braves. Entered in relief with 2 outs in the 7th inning and pitched 1-1/3 innings, allowing 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 1 strikeout. Strickland threw 16 pitches, 10 for strikes, in the Braves’ 10–1 win over the Boston Red Sox at CoolToday Park.
Samuel Strickland has quietly become one of the more reliable arms in the Braves’ system. Drafted in the 19th round in 2021, he was once labeled Atlanta’s most underrated selection, a tag he has steadily justified.
Strickland completed his second straight season in High-A Rome in 2025, posting a 2.87 ERA over 37.2 innings with 41 strikeouts against just four walks. That efficiency mirrors his Samford résumé, in which he compiled a 23-9 career record and played a central role on multiple SoCon championship teams.
2026 outlook: Strickland is viewed as dependable organizational depth, with a chance to reach AAA Gwinnett as a backend starter or long-relief option.
