Former Lincoln High School standout and Florida State first baseman Myles Bailey took the next step toward a professional baseball career on Saturday, July 11, when the Chicago Cubs selected him with the 75th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft. Bailey became one of the top Seminoles selected in this year’s draft after emerging as one of college baseball’s premier power hitters during his two seasons at Florida State, where he earned multiple Freshman All-America honors and was on pace for an All-America sophomore campaign before a season-ending injury.
College
In two seasons at Florida State, the first baseman quickly developed into one of the nation’s top players. As a freshman in 2025, he earned Freshman First Team All-America honors from Baseball America, D1Baseball and Perfect Game while also being named to the ACC All-Freshman Team, ACC All-Tournament Team and the Tallahassee Regional All-Regional Team. He started all 56 games at first base, batting .327 with 66 hits, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .663 slugging percentage. His 19 home runs ranked second in the ACC, and he led the Seminoles with eight game-winning hits while helping Florida State reach its second consecutive NCAA Super Regional and an ACC runner-up finish.
He delivered several standout performances during his freshman campaign, including a five-hit, five-RBI game with a home run against No. 3 Clemson to clinch the series, a pair of home runs at Notre Dame and a six-home run stretch over five games late in the season. He also homered in the NCAA Super Regional at Oregon State and earned an invitation to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp following the season.
Entering his sophomore year as a team captain, he was recognized as one of college baseball’s elite players. Before suffering a season-ending injury on March 28, he was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, earned Midseason First Team All-America honors from D1Baseball and Perfect Game, and was selected as the ACC Player of the Week and Baseball America’s National Team of the Week on March 23.
Despite appearing in just 26 games, he produced some of the best numbers in the country, batting .363 with 13 home runs, 33 RBIs, a .913 slugging percentage and a .582 on-base percentage. He totaled 29 hits, 36 runs scored and 35 walks while recording multiple dominant performances, including two-home run games against North Florida and No. 10 NC State, along with another two-homer series against No. 12 Wake Forest. His sophomore season was cut short by injury, but his production over the first half of the year solidified his status as one of the top prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft.
High School
During his four-year career at Lincoln High School, the Tallahassee native established himself as one of the area’s premier baseball players. He finished with a .357 career batting average, collecting 86 hits, 74 RBIs, 23 home runs and 82 runs scored across 94 varsity games. As an upperclassman, he emerged as one of the state’s top power hitters, belting 10 home runs with 30 RBIs as a junior before adding seven home runs and 22 RBIs during his senior season.
His performance earned numerous individual honors throughout his high school career. He was named Lincoln High School’s Most Valuable Player twice, received Big Bend Player of the Year honors, and was recognized nationally as both a Perfect Game All-American and a Baseball Factory All-American.
Be the first to leave a comment on this article.