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Ventura, Calif. - The Uncommitted Spotlight Series continues as we forge ahead in the 2024-2025 school year and the looming JR. High School baseball season for our '26 class. With than in mind Prep Baseball California is highlighting some of the top uncommitted class of '26 athletes. The player featured today is one of the top players in the state of California and figures prominently in our Class of 2026 Rankings. All players featured within our Uncommitted Spotlight series are ones that college coaches and fans should be keeping their eyes on over the coming months.

We invite you to get to know them through the eyes of our Prep Baseball California staff of scouts both through our in person looks at players and/or the data-backed numbers collected at our events with our partnered companies. TrackMan, Blast Motion, and Swift Performance provide comparable data to project and evaluate players. All of these systems come together to give a clear picture at what colleges will get when a players steps onto their campus.

Today, we put the spotlight on the number 71 ranked player in the 2026 class in SoCal '26 RHP Kai Bratton from Mater Dei High School. Bratton catches your attention with an athletic prototype pitchers frame at 6'3 190 lbs. with wiry present strength that projects to fill out as he matures. He put together a stellar spring season for the Mater Dei program which he carried into a summer in which the righthander made plenty of noise that is flowing into the start of his fall season. 

Bratton has an emerging arsenal that shows present power and quality with room to continue adding to as he matures. With an athletic operation to his delivery that moves down the mound with intent and quickness to his arm speed which borders on being fast and shows the ability to block on his front side that helps to maintain direction through the delivery. Attending the Future Gamesat LakePoint Sports Complex in Georgia to throw for Team Select Bratton put together a very strong performance. During his outing he worked off a FB that sat at 85-89 that has touched 91 in other outings. As good as the quality of Bratton's FB can he is armed with an impressive SLD that works at 74-77 up to 79 MPH with borderline elite spin rates above 2800-2900 RPMs on average he has started to throw the pitch above the 3000 RPMs mark this fall. Bratton adds a mid 70's CHG he is still developing, but flashes potential. He backed up his showing at Future Games with a pair of really good live looks for Central Coast Evaluator Steven Hardesty on the scout ball scene. He threw stellar inning for the Padres Scout Team where he touched 90 several times and flashed his power SLD and then again with the Brewers Scout Team he again ran his FB up to 90 MPH with his SLD generating swing/miss. There is still some polish needed to his control of the strike zone and command of his pitches, but his floor looks to be a high leverage reliever, but if he continues to trend up his pitchability while adding more feel for his CHG there is a high ceiling for him as starter in the future.

As he prepares for his JR. campaign at an emerging Trinity League power Mater Dei program which looks to be in the mix for a strong 2025 season on the Southern California high school baseball scene. The arrow signs for Bratton are trending way up as he contineus to develop on his strong overall present package of tools and in game performance with an ultra interesting pitching profiles amongst the SoCal '26 class. 

College coaches and fans be sure to click on Bratton's profile to see full video and information.