The 2026 MLB season is shaping up to be an exciting one, with several prospects making waves in the minor leagues. Here's a breakdown of some of the top players who have caught the eye of scouts and analysts, along with my personal commentary and analysis.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Kohl Drake
Kohl Drake, a left-handed pitcher, has been a rising star in the Diamondbacks' system. His fastball, while not overpowering, comes with cut or sink and can dot both corners of the plate. Drake complements this with a snappy breaking ball and a changeup with plenty of fade. This makes him a strong candidate for a back-end starter, despite his low 90s fastball.
Athletics: Breyson Guedez
Breyson Guedez, an outfielder, has shown power potential with a strong pro debut in the Dominican Summer League. He's heading to Low-A Stockton, where his offensive capabilities will be a key factor. Guedez's defensive skills are average, but his power will allow him to contribute in either corner of the outfield.
Atlanta Braves: John Gil
John Gil, a shortstop, showed improvement in 2025, producing more authoritative contact and appearing stronger. While he still needs to work on breaking pitches and has a tendency to swing and miss, his ability to stick up the middle could make him a valuable second-division regular or backup on a playoff-caliber club.
Baltimore Orioles: Aron Estrada
Aron Estrada, a bat-first prospect, has been one of the more interesting under-the-radar prospects in the system. He hits the ball quite hard for his size and makes plenty of contact. However, his defensive skills are limited to second base, and he needs to continue to develop there before he can be considered reliable at the position.
Boston Red Sox: Justin Gonzales
Justin Gonzales, an outfielder, has raw power that stacks up with just about anyone in the minor league or the big leagues. However, his approach needs to become less all-or-nothing, and he might need to take some of the noise out of his mechanics to compete against pitchers with premium stuff.
Chicago Cubs: Jaxon Wiggins
Jaxon Wiggins, a right-handed pitcher, has an overpowering mix of a high-octane fastball, a nasty slider, curveball, and changeup. His excellent spring performance should come as no surprise, as he broke out last summer and is already on the cusp of his big league debut.
Chicago White Sox: Caedmon Parker
Caedmon Parker, a right-handed pitcher, showed the makings of a future back-end rotation piece in spring training. He mixes four-seam, cutting, and sinking fastballs with a pair of breaking balls and a changeup that works against both righties and lefties. Parker's repertoire will likely need to be winnowed as he moves up the ladder.
Cincinnati Reds: Mason Morris
Mason Morris, a right-handed pitcher, showed off a powerful arsenal this spring, including a mid-90s fastball and a breaking ball that rides the line between cutter and slider. His best stuff dipped after the early innings, which is understandable given his usage in college. Morris made a quick cameo at Low-A Daytona in 2025 and will return to the level to begin 2026.
Cleveland Guardians: Rafe Schlesinger
Rafe Schlesinger, a right-handed pitcher, showed off a mid-90s fastball with hard running life through the zone. He backed the fastball with a slider with above-average potential and a changeup that needs to improve a bit before it is ready for prime time. Schlesinger's combination of arm speed and intriguing stuff could help him fit toward the back of a rotation.
Colorado Rockies: Yeremmy Cabeza
Yeremmy Cabeza, a right-handed pitcher, is a true pop-up prospect who showed a fluid delivery that allowed him to deliver mid-90s fastballs and tight sliders that flashed above-average potential. His changeup isn’t quite as far along, but the early returns and remaining projection point to a pitcher worth monitoring over the summer and in the coming years.
Detroit Tigers: Michael Oliveto
Michael Oliveto, a catcher, has a well-balanced skill set and plenty of athleticism and projection. He showed excellent bat speed, a simple swing, and the tools to stick behind the plate. If he clicks, he could provide lefthanded power at a traditionally offense-sapped position while adding defensive value.
Houston Astros: Ramsey David
Ramsey David, a right-handed pitcher, has high-octane velocity that peaked at 99 mph on the backfields this past spring. He pairs the pitch with a hard changeup and a cutter. David is a relief-only prospect who could reach the big leagues this season and get outs in the middle innings.
Kansas City Royals: Bryson Dudley
Bryson Dudley, a right-handed pitcher, showed solid stuff but poor control. He revamped his delivery during his time in the MLB Draft League and now delivers from a much lower slot. His fastball checks in around 94-97 mph and is backed by a slider that shows the potential to be a solid-average pitch.
Los Angeles Angels: Chase Shores
Chase Shores, a right-handed pitcher, uses a quick arm and a funky angle to deliver mid-90s fastballs that peaked around 98 mph during the spring. He backs the fastball with a mid-80s slider and a high-80s changeup. He'll likely need another pitch to round out his mix and could stand to improve his feel for spin as well.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Marlon Nieves
Marlon Nieves, a right-handed pitcher, has added strength to his frame and continued to deliver his heater in the mid-90s while tightening the break and spin on his slider. He'll still have to work to maintain his delivery, but Nieves’ arrow is pointing up as he heads back to Low-A Ontario.
Miami Marlins: Eiver Mosquera
Eiver Mosquera, a right-handed pitcher, mixes stuff with control and showed a fastball up to 97 mph with a pair of sliders with a good feel to manipulate both pitches. He'll need to control his body a little better as he moves up the ladder, but the foundation is there for an interesting prospect.
Milwaukee Brewers: Jaron DeBerry
Jaron DeBerry, a right-handed pitcher, was identified as an up-arrow pitcher to watch in Milwaukee’s system. The Brewers have done a fantastic job finding diamonds in the rough, and DeBerry moved from Low-A to Double-A in his pro debut. Scouts saw a pitcher whose stuff was even crisper than last summer.
Minnesota Twins: Marco Raya
Marco Raya, a right-handed pitcher, has long teased at his potential but has needed to improve his control to get the most out of his raw abilities. He complements a high-octane fastball with a sweeper, cutter, and curveball that showed high rates of spin and late bite away from bats and barrels.
New York Mets: Jonathan Santucci
Jonathan Santucci, a left-handed pitcher, showed a combination of stuff, deception, and the aptitude to know how to put hitters away. He ran his fastball up to 96 mph and complemented it with a pair of breaking balls that gave him options against both righties and lefties.
New York Yankees: Franyer Herrera
Franyer Herrera, a left-handed pitcher, inched onto the prospect radar last season and opened more eyes this spring. The 20-year-old lefty showed a low-90s heater that digs in on hitters, especially lefthanders. He backed the pitch with a changeup that flashed plus and a slider designed to tie up righthanders.
Philadelphia Phillies: Alex McFarlane
Alex McFarlane, a right-handed pitcher, mixes four- and two-seam fastballs in the mid-90s and up to 100 mph, with the latter version showing powerful sinking action. He backs his heat with a filthy slider that’s sure to draw empty swings by the bushel over the course of the summer.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Levi Sterling
Levi Sterling, a right-handed pitcher, appears bigger and stronger, with the arm speed and physicality to attack hitters. His fastball sat in the mid-90s, and he backed it with a mid-80s slider, low-80s curveball, and a low-90s changeup.
St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Mitchell
Ryan Mitchell, a shortstop, was the Cardinals’ second-round pick out of high school in Tennessee in 2025. He showed a twitchy athlete who could fit either at shortstop or in the outfield if the team chooses to deploy him at both spots.
San Diego Padres: Kannon Kemp
Kannon Kemp’s year was interrupted by injuries last year, but he recovered in time to put up a solid performance in the Arizona Fall League. His fastball lives in the upper 90s, and he’s backed the pitch with a solid mix of sliders and changeups.
San Francisco Giants: Gavin Kilen
Gavin Kilen, a second baseman, is one of a host of middle infielders stocked throughout San Francisco’s lower levels. His physicality and clean swing impressed evaluators, who see the potential for him to develop into an offensive-minded second baseman.
Seattle Mariners: Michael Arroyo
Michael Arroyo, a second baseman, is one of the purest hitters in a Seattle system that also includes Colt Emerson. He finds the barrel early and often, producing hard contact that generally helps a player find staying power in the big leagues.
Tampa Bay Rays: Caden Bodine
Caden Bodine, a catcher, was part of the package Baltimore used to acquire righthander Shane Baz. He's a polished hitter who is content to let the ball travel before shooting line drives to all sectors. He’s an agile defender and an adept blocker.
Texas Rangers: Enyel Lopez
Enyel Lopez, a left-handed pitcher, was part of the Rangers’ 2025 international signing class and skipped the Dominican Summer League in favor of the Arizona Complex League for his pro debut. He struck out 32 in a year that finished in Low-A but also issued 26 walks in as many innings.
Washington Nationals: Miguel Sime Jr.
Miguel Sime Jr., a right-handed pitcher, has a long way to go before he reaches his ceiling, but his calling-card velocity will earn him plenty of chances. When it clicks, Sime’s slider shows hard, snappy break, but it was not consistent over the spring. Scouts also pointed toward a need to refine the shape of his fastball.
