Mississippi does it again as another high school baseball star hears his name called inside the top 10
Mississippi has done it again.
Another young baseball player from the Magnolia State has gone from competing under the Friday-night lights at the high school level to hearing his name called on one of baseball’s biggest stages.
The Baltimore Orioles selected Oak Grove outfielder Eric Booth Jr. with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
That is not just a big deal for Booth and his family.
That is a big deal for Oak Grove, Mississippi high school baseball and every young player around the state who dreams of one day reaching that same stage.
Booth entered the draft as MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 overall prospect and its highest-ranked outfielder. At 6 feet and 207 pounds, the left-handed hitter was considered one of the best pure athletes available in the entire draft.
Baltimore did not draft Booth seventh overall because of what he might become as an athlete.
They drafted him because he has already started putting all those athletic tools together and becoming a complete baseball player.
The Speed Jumps Off the Page
You cannot talk about Eric Booth Jr. without starting with his speed.
Booth recorded a 6.27-second 60-yard dash during a Perfect Game event. He later ran a 6.33 at the East Coast Pro showcase, which MLB reported was the fastest time recorded at that event.
Either way you look at it, the young man can move.
MLB Pipeline gave Booth a 70 running grade on the traditional 20-to-80 scouting scale. That is elite speed, and it shows up everywhere.
It allows him to put pressure on defenses when he reaches base. It gives him the range to cover plenty of ground in center field. It can turn an ordinary ground ball into a close play and a ball in the gap into extra bases.
That kind of speed can change a baseball game before a pitcher or defense even has time to settle in.
But Booth is not just some fast athlete trying to learn how to play baseball.
He can hit too.
Booth Put Together a Big Senior Season
Booth hit .481 during his senior season at Oak Grove with a .669 on-base percentage and a .922 slugging percentage.
He collected 11 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 23 stolen bases while helping lead the Warriors.
Those are not video game numbers, although they certainly look like them.
Over his four seasons at Oak Grove, Booth finished with a .441 batting average, a .612 on-base percentage and a .803 slugging percentage.
That type of production, combined with his speed and defensive potential, is why Booth kept climbing draft boards until he became a legitimate top-10 selection.
There were questions earlier in Booth’s development about how much his bat would progress.
He answered many of them.
Scouts saw a player who was making more consistent contact, controlling the strike zone and beginning to tap into the strength already packed into his frame.
MLB Pipeline gave Booth a 55 hit grade and a 50 power grade. Evaluators believe he could eventually develop into a hitter capable of producing 20 to 25 home runs in a Major League season if he continues improving his ability to lift the baseball.
That is what makes Booth so intriguing.
The speed is already elite.
The defense has the potential to be above average.
And the bat is still getting better.
He Showed the Power on a National Stage
Booth gave people a look at his power during the Perfect Game All-American Classic festivities last summer.
He won the event’s Home Run Derby after hitting 15 home runs.
Think about that for a second.
One of the fastest high school players in the country stepped into a national event featuring some of the best talent in his class and won the Home Run Derby.
That is the type of combination that gets Major League teams excited.
Speed is one thing.
Power is another.
Having both gives Booth a chance to become a special player if everything continues developing.
Baseball and Athletic Ability Run in the Family
Booth also comes from an athletic family.
His father, Eric Booth Sr., was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 34th round of the 1993 MLB Draft. He chose football instead and became a record-setting kick returner at Southern Miss.
The younger Booth found his own path through baseball.
He has talked about falling in love with the sport while playing in his grandfather’s yard and hitting rocks with sticks as a child.
Long before the scouts, national rankings and draft-night attention, it started with a young boy in Mississippi simply enjoying the game.
Now, that same young boy has become the seventh overall selection in the MLB Draft.
That is the part of this story young athletes should pay attention to.
Everybody sees draft night.
Everybody sees the Orioles hat and the celebration.
They do not always see the years of work, development, sacrifice and pressure that came before it.
Booth earned this moment.
Mississippi’s Top-10 Streak Continues
Booth’s selection also continues an incredible run for Mississippi high school baseball.
In 2024, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Jackson Prep star Konnor Griffin with the ninth overall pick.
In 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Purvis shortstop JoJo Parker eighth overall.
Now, in 2026, the Baltimore Orioles have selected Booth seventh.
No. 9.
No. 8.
No. 7.
Three consecutive drafts. Three Mississippi high school baseball players. Three top-10 picks.
That is a serious run.
Mississippi will probably always be called a football state first. We know how much football means here.
But the baseball talent coming out of this state can no longer be overlooked.
Griffin gave Mississippi another nationally recognized star in 2024.
Parker followed in 2025.
Now Booth has kept the streak alive.
That does not happen by accident.
It speaks to the talent of the players, but it also says something about the coaching, programs, travel organizations, families and communities helping develop baseball players across Mississippi.
The country is paying attention.
Major League Baseball is definitely paying attention.
What Happens Next?
Booth had committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt, one of the premier programs in the country.
After being selected seventh overall, his next step will be deciding whether to sign with Baltimore and begin his professional career or honor his college commitment.
Players selected that high usually sign, but nothing should be considered official until Booth and the Orioles announce an agreement.
Once he signs, the real work begins.
High school baseball and professional baseball are two completely different worlds. Booth will face better pitching, longer seasons, constant adjustments and the everyday pressure that comes with being a first-round pick.
There will be growing pains.
There will be difficult nights.
There will also be a whole lot of people back home in Mississippi cheering for him.
A Special Moment for Oak Grove and Mississippi
This moment belongs to Booth, but it also belongs to everyone who helped him reach it.
His family.
His coaches.
His teammates.
Oak Grove High School.
And the Mississippi baseball community.
Young players around the state can now look at Griffin, Parker and Booth and see that the road from Mississippi high school baseball to the top of the MLB Draft is real.
It is not easy.
It is not promised.
But it is possible.
Eric Booth Jr. went from playing baseball in his grandfather’s yard to starring at Oak Grove and becoming the seventh overall pick in the MLB Draft.
Baltimore may be where the next chapter of his story is written.
But make no mistake about it.
This story started right here in Mississippi.