Landon Thiel, a standout pitcher from Jackson High School in Ohio, was not chosen in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, a surprise that left many followers of the sport puzzled.
High School Highlights
During his senior season, Thiel led the team to a championship, posted a 6‑0 record with a 0.95 ERA, and fanned a county‑high 101 batters in 44 innings, allowing opponents to hit just .079.
His fastball velocity jumped from the mid‑80s to the low 90s, topping out near 95 miles per hour, and he earned pitcher of the year honors in the Federal League and Northeast Ohio Division I, as well as First Team All‑Ohio recognition.
Thiel’s four‑year varsity career culminated with a school‑record 295 strikeouts, a 24‑3 win‑loss record and a 1.39 ERA, numbers that had placed him 182nd on MLB.com’s draft board despite the Tommy John surgery he underwent earlier.
Local Draft Picks
Catcher Garrett Wright, a 2023 Jackson graduate, was selected in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Angels, providing a rare hometown success story on draft night.
Thiel now faces a roughly ten‑month recovery before he can take the mound again, and he has committed to playing college baseball at Ohio State, where he hopes to rebuild his velocity and showcase his talent for the next draft cycle.