2 The Bigs

By Matt Castagna: August 10th, 2026

Welcome to the second installment of College 2 Chrome written series. If you are new here, College 2 Chrome is a new segment on our bi-weekly show, The Farm Report (drops on YouTube and Spotify on Wednesdays at 8PM EST). Within that segment I highlight one recent collegiate drafted player and talk about how they have adjusted in their professional career and why you should start looking into said player.

We started the segment because I spotlighted Jared Jones (LSU -> PIT) and Caden Powell (National JUCO POY -> HOU), and both became instant favorites of the 2TB Insiders.

C2C: Trade Deadline BUY-HOLD-SELL

For this special edition of College 2 Chrome: we’re going to play everyone’s favorite segment with the top college players that were moved during the deadline. This edition considers: the cost of their bowman (of course), where the prospect landed, the organization’s development success and their current performance.

1. Anthony Eyanson (BAL) [SP]

The centerpiece of the biggest deadline day trade. Eyanson was included in the package back to the Orioles, which sent Adley Rutschman to Boston. There’s not a pitching prospect that has ascended up the rankings faster than Eyanson in 2026…for good reasons. All credit to the Red Sox front office for turning a former 3rd round pick from LSU into their new franchise catcher. Eyanson has been nothing short of dominant this MiLB campaign, where he has put up 94 K/26 BB with a 1.32 ERA and a .89 WHIP. We also had the chance to see him live at the MiLB futures game. He came in for one batter, struck him out, and was awarded the Win.

Decision: SELL

So you may be asking, why sell?

Two reasons. First, Eyanson’s value could not be higher given his current performance and the press around the deadline deal. Second, and more importantly, the jury is out on Baltimore’s pitching development. And unfortunately, it’s not good. We have yet to see the Orioles truly develop an ace-caliber pitcher. Even in recent years, the Orioles’ top pitching prospects have flamed-out (Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall, Dylan Bundy and Cade Povich). For now, I’m selling Eyanson during what would be perceived as a premium market and will monitor his development as a future buy-back opportunity if his market/development make sense.

2. Brayden Taylor (TB) [3B]

It was quite refreshing to see the Tampa Bay Rays be a team that pushed the chips at the deadline. They were able to acquire some good major league assets, without giving up quality prospects in their already deep farm system. Brayden Taylor was one of the bigger pieces moved in the trade with Miami for Liam Hicks. And it seemed like the Rays were ready to move on from the former 2023 1st-round pick from TCU.

Brayden cemented himself on 2023 draft boards due to his strong junior-year collegiate performance. He hit a career high 23 HR with a .308 AVG, 70 RBI, 56 BB/60 K. In total across three seasons at TCU, Brayden was able to maintain a .315 AVG and once drafted, fit the Rays development model well. Now enter Brayden’s professional career. The power upside stuck with him, as he hit 20 HR in 2024 and has tallied 17 this year (so far). Where I see some red flags is that he may be selling out for that power, as he has 31.7% K rate across his four minor league seasons. In those 4 seasons and over 1200 plate appearances, he only reached AA up until this trade where the Marlins sent him straight to AAA.

Decision: SELL

If you have yourself a Brayden 1st Bowman, this would be your chance to capitalize on the free press of a former 1st round pick traded at the deadline. The one silver lining is that the Marlins also moved Connor Norby, so the path to the major league 3B spot is open if Brayden can hit the ground running in his new org.

3. Kaeden Kent (SF) [SS]

Kaeden is a player Sal highlighted a month ago as a sleeper-buy as he was quietly putting together an impressive season. So far in 2026, he is hitting .302 with 6 HR, 43 RBI, 20 SB and only a 17% K rate. Kent coming out of Texas A&M and was highly-touted due to his consistent & smooth, left-handed line-drive swing. Similar to other C2C players I’ve highlighted, you can see consistent growth in all stat categories year-over-year at Texas A&M. The most notable jumps from his draft year were his BB (+37), his K’s (-35) and his HR (+9).

Decision: BUY

He is my must buy college player coming out of this deadline. Why? The Giants just traded their starting 2B (Luis Arraez) and I expect the infield (and total roster) turnover to continue throughout the offseason. This leads to a very clear path for Kent to slot into that infield the near future. I also think the Giants are more equipped to develop hitters in their system than the Yankees. Lastly, the last time a New York team traded a Kent to San Francisco…he became a hall of famer. And that turns out to be Kaeden’s father.

4. Emilien Pitre (NYM) [SS]

The Mets had quite the farm system overhaul during this year’s deadline. Even in a down 2026, the Mets were still able to ship-off Freddy Peralta to the Rays for a modest return. Many evaluators see Aidan Smith as the biggest name in this trade…but I see things differently. I believe Pitre will be the player to remember from this move. The Rays thought highly enough of Emilien Pitre to use a 2nd round pick in the 2024 draft to select the University of Kentucky prospect. The Rays had conviction in Pitre because he was already playing in the most competitive conference (SEC), hit .307 with 11 HR 109 RBI 46 SB and q 15.6% K-rate during his tenure. Both his plate discipline and hit tool translated to the pro-level, where he has already climbed to AA and slashed .310 with 5 HR 28 XBH 46 RBI and a 13% K-rate this season.

Decision: BUY

Pitre was already a 2TB sleeper pick shared last month, and fits the profile that we love. The elite bat-to-ball skills with plus speed is something the Mets have recently put an emphasis on (AJ Ewing, Carson Benge, Mitch Voit). Pitre fits the profile perfectly. Similar to Kent, I am buying Emilien as he’s already in AA. And the Mets, outside of Mitch Voit, are lacking infield prospects that are knocking on the door of the bigs, so I expect Pitre can move quickly through the organization.