Damn it feels good to unleash the Top 500 2026 Fantasy Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings on the Patreon. Actually, Top 570 to be exact, but who’s counting (I am). Analysis, Prime Projections, and 2026 Projections (where applicable) for every player. Top 40 free here on the Brick Wall. No more small talk. Here is the Top 500 MLB Prospects Rankings for 2026 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Leagues:

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-A TOP 200 SNEAK PEEK OF THE 2026 TOP 1,000 DYNASTY BASEBALL RANKINGS (full Top 1,000 coming next week)
-TOP 500 2026 DYNASTY FANTASY BASEBALL PROSEPCTS RANKS
–2026 DEEP POSITIONAL RANKS: Top 80 C–Top 91 1B–Top 97 2B–Top 101 3B–Top 161 SS–Top 288 OF–Top 335 SP
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–2026 FYPD TARGET & STRATEGY GUIDE
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–SPREADSHEETS
-Plus so much more coming like Position by Position Targets, Predicting Future Prospect Lists, Top 10 2027 FYPD Rankings, Spring Training Rundowns …

1) Konnor Griffin – PIT, SS/OF, 19.11 – I felt the Griffin explosion in my gut last off-season. The Baseball Gods were speaking to me, and I listened, predicting he would explode into elite prospect status in my Predicting the Top 50 2026 Dynasty Baseball Prospects Rankings last off-season, ranking him 4th overall and writing, “Griffin will have the explosion that everyone who passed on him in first year player drafts feared he would have. The hit tool concerns will be overblown as he maintains an under 25% K% at Single-A, and the power/speed combo will shine with 16 homers and 48 steals in 102 games. He’ll basically be the 2026 version of the 2025 version of Sebastian Walcott. Off the charts tools and a better than expected hit tool.” … and then he went out and surpassed even those expectations, slashing .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers, 65 steals, and a 21.7/8.9 K%/BB% in 122 games. He finished the season at Double-A where he actually put up his best wRC+ of any level with a 175 wRC+ in 21 games. Remember when everyone was making excuses for the 19 year old Walcott at Double-A all year for his mediocre slash? Well, Griffin came in and just busted that whole thing up, showing a 19 year old can most certainly dominate the level. Not only did I forsee the rise in the off-season, but I got blow back after ranking him 1st overall on the Prospect Rankings in early June before he even got the call to High-A. I then made a final plea in my August Dynasty Rankings before he got the call to Double-A, shooting him up to 29th overall and writing, “This is my final plea to you. DO NOT TRADE GRIFFIN UNDER ANY SCENARIO. I don’t even think Roman Anthony can touch his upside. Just don’t trade him, please.” And then after what he did at Double-A, there is no more room for debate. He’s lightning fast, he crushes the ball with a 91.2 MPH EV and 49% Hard Hit%, and the hit tool was better than expected. This is not only the #1 prospect in baseball, but he’s already a nearly elite dynasty asset for me. – 2026 Projection: 28/9/35/.247/.318/.433/17 Prime Projection: 118/32/111/.279/.351/.523/44

2) Kevin McGonigle – DET, SS/2B, 21.8 – You know I’m not shy to take a victory lap when I hit on a player that everyone else (or almost everyone else) was low on, so I also have to take my lashes when I miss on a player that everyone else but me was super high on. Truth of the matter is, when you rank with a mind of your own, which I pride myself on and preach to others (and preach to you as dynasty owners too), you are going to end up looking like a genius on your unique hits, and a moron on your unique misses, when in reality, you are probably not a genius or a moron. You are just trying to block out the noise and give a raw, unfiltered opinion. My favorite rankings, and the ones I find most valuable, are the ones that aren’t mostly the same as the consensus/general perception, and are also backed up by solid reasoning and analysis, whether you agree or disagree with the ranking. So with that as the backdrop, Kevin McGonigle is who I consider my biggest miss in 2025. I had him ranked 54th overall, which I mean, is a pretty good ranking in general, and I called him a souped up Steven Kwan, which is really still an accurate “comp,” but the vast majority of other spots had him in the Top 25 range at least, or higher. I’m generally lower on hit tool first guys for fantasy (I was also lower on Angel Genoa and Starlyn Caba, both of whom took steps back in 2025), but when a hit tool first guy hits his ceiling, it looks exactly like what McGonigle just did. He slashed .305/.408/.583 with 19 homers, 10 steals, and a 11.6/14.9 K%/BB% in 99 games at High-A and Double-A. He’s not a big guy at 5’10”, but he can lift and pull, and he hits it very hard with legit plus raw power potential. He’s less a souped up Steven Kwan, and more in the mold of Mookie Betts and Jose Ramirez, if you want to dream on his tippy top ceiling. He wasn’t good on the bases this year (10 for 17), and he’s not a true burner, but he was much better last year (22 for 24), so I would would expect a bounce back in 2026 there. You won’t hear me doubting him ever again. Konnor Griffin is my top dog, but McGonigle is my #2 prospect in baseball, and he might have a real shot to break camp with the team. – 2026 Projection: 63/15/54/.268/.337/.434/13 Prime Projection: 111/24/91/.290/.370/.485/20

3) Samuel Basallo – BAL, C/1B, 21.7 – Basallo is going to follow the Junior Caminero track to a T. I can feel it. Caminero came up and was horrific in his first little taste in 2023 (which I told you not even to look at those numbers) and then was mediocre in his more extended taste in 2024 (which I advised, “if there is any buy window based on the small, mediocre MLB sample, I would be all over it.”), before having a monster explosion this season. Basallo is going through that exact same adjustment period, looking mediocre in his pro debut with a .559 OPS in 31 games, but just like Caminero, please completely ignore those numbers. His 75.5 MPH swing is near elite, and while not as elite as Caminero, it’s still damn good. He demolishes the baseball like Caminero with a 94.2 MPH EV, 57.4% Hard Hit%, and 23 homers in 76 games at Triple-A, and also like Caminero, it’s always come with solid strikeout rates while being extremely young for the level. Even with some chase and whiff in their game, these are the type of bats where it really doesn’t matter. And Basallo lifts and pulls more than Caminero. It’s inevitable that Basallo is going to start raking his face off in the majors in the very near future. Whether it comes at catcher or 1B or DH or a combination of all of them, I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter. He’s going to be one of the top young power hitters in the game real soon. – 2026 Projection: 67/25/81/.249/.317/.446/3 Prime Projection: 92/34/111/.266/.339/.522/4

4) Jesus Made – MIL, SS, 18.11 – Made was having a solid season at Single-A, especially when you took into account he was only 18 years old, but he wasn’t really blowing the doors off with a .267/.373/.388 triple-slash. For a moment there, I was like, maybe this isn’t quite the straight rocket ship we were promised … but then he got called up to High-A and he hit the after burners, slashing .343/.415/.500 with 2 homers, 5 steals, and a 17.9/10.6 K%/BB% in 27 games. I talk about this more in the Colt Emerson blurb, but there is no better sign than when a prospect gets called up to a higher level, and not only maintains their production, but actually takes it up a notch. That is the #1 sign of the rocket ship. Milwaukee obviously recognized this too, promoting him again to Double-A at the end of the season, and while he struggled in 5 regular season games (33.3% K% with a 86 wRC+), he made his mark in the playoffs, going the opposite way off the humongous billboard advertisement for Renova Roofing. “Mother Nature ruins everything. Renova Roofing can help.” They really got their money’s worth that night. How much do you think that goes for? Should I just put a huge Brick Wall up on that thing next year or something? hah … When it was all said and done, Made delivered on his unanimous off-season hype. The hit tool, approach, hard hit and speed (47 steals) were all there. He needs to lift and pull more to full tap into his raw power (only 6 homers in 115 games), but his profile can work without a ton of lift and pull, and it wasn’t in the danger zone or anything with a 43.7% GB% and 40.5% Pull%. There is zero doubt this is the elite prospect we were promised. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 101/25/81/.278/.360/.481/28

5) Walker Jenkins – MIN, OF, 21.1 – I always find it interesting when there is a collective cooling on a prospect that seems to happen at the exact same time … and then I’m the only one left standing there, going, hey, where did everyone go? That is what happened with Jenkins in 2025. He sustained a high ankle sprain in the very beginning of the season, essentially missing the first two months, and all at the same time everyone decided he was irredeemably injury prone and dropped him in the rankings. But I held strong, because no way would I ever sell low on a potentially elite dynasty asset because he sprained his ankle. Then he returned as a 20 year old at Double-A and immediately performed well, but because he didn’t immediately have the power breakout we’ve been waiting for, everyone decided the power would never come and dropped him in the rankings. Again, I held strong, because there was no way I was betting against the power coming for the 6’3”, 210 pound sweet swinging lefty. And then the power came, jacking out 7 homers in his final 44 games. The final 23 of those games came at Triple-A where he put up a respectable 89.1 MPH EV and 43.8% Hard Hit%. I gave him the Kyle Tucker comp from the time he was drafted, and Tucker has a career 44.3% Hard Hit%. Jenkins is going to have enough power when you combine it with his excellent plate approach (18.7/14.5 K%/BB% at Double-A), base stealing ability (17 for 21 in 84 games), and ability to lift and pull (15 degree launch with a 16.7% Air Pull% at Triple-A). This is the type of high floor/high ceiling prospect that we love. At worst, he looks like a solid across the board contributor, and at best, he’s Kyle Tucker 2.0. – 2026 Projection: 29/7/31/.249/.322/.418/8 Prime Projection: 96/26/82/.271/.354/.478/20

6) Chase Burns – CIN, RHP, 23.2 – Chase Burns is my #1 pitching prospect in baseball (at least in leagues that use the 50 IP threshold, like most of my leagues do, and not service time, because based on service time I don’t think he’s prospect eligible anymore). I was high on him in First Year Player Drafts last off-season, ranking him 4th overall, because I saw the type of true ace upside that was worth sticking your neck out for, and then he went out and proved it. He sliced through the minor leagues with a 1.77 ERA and 36.8/5.4 K%/BB% in 66 IP, and then he almost did the same in the majors with a 3.47 xERA (4.57 ERA) and a 35.6/8.5 K%/BB% in 43.1 IP. The 98.7 MPH 4-seamer is near elite with a 25.2% whiff% and +4 Run Value and the slider is also near elite with a .229 xwOBA and 43.7% whiff%. He only went to the changeup 5.6% of the time, mostly vs. lefties, but it was a solid pitch with a 33.3% whiff% and 75.7 MPH EV against. The control was really good too. He’s an athletic 6’3”, 210 pounds. I don’t see how it can get anymore obvious than this. This is a true ace waiting to happen, even pitching in Cincinnati. – 2026 Projection: 10/3.42/1.15/190 in 150 IP Prime Projection: 14/3.03/0.98/245 in 190 IP

7) JJ Wetherholt – STL, 2B/SS, 23.7 – Wetherholt was exactly who we thought he was. It’s exactly who he’s been since his freshman year of college. It’s exactly who he’s been since his pro debut in 2024. And now it’s exactly who he’s been through the upper minors, slashing .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers, 23 steals, and a 14.7/14.5 K%/BB% in 109 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. He crushes the ball with a 91.4 MPH EV and 49% Hard Hit%, he’s got speed, and the plate skills are near elite. He’s not a huge lift and pull guy, but he doesn’t have to be for this type of profile. The 12 degree launch and 13.6% Air Pull% aren’t too bad, and he can easily improve on those over time. The 24.3 whiff% at Triple-A wasn’t quite as good as the K%, so he might not truly be an elite contact guy, but the hit tool is clearly plus at least. He was projected to be a .280/20/20 type coming out of the draft, and that is now cemented with his excellent first full year of pro ball. He’s also expected to break camp with the big league club as their starting 2B or 3B. Proximity, safety, upside … he’s got it all. – 2026 Projection: 76/16/68/.262/.331/.425/19 Prime Projection: 103/21/82/.284/.369/.473/24

8) Max Clark – DET, OF, 21.4 – I’m not saying Clark is underrated, but doesn’t it feel like he gets so much less hype than he should? He was the 3rd overall pick in a stacked draft and has done nothing but rake in pro ball, but I don’t know, it just seems he doesn’t get people overly excited I guess. But you should be overly excited, because this year he proved it in the upper minors as a 20 year old, slashing .251/.360/.439 with 7 homers, 7 steals, and a 16.7/14.3 K%/BB% in 43 games. That was good for a 135 wRC+. He’s not Kevin McGonigle level of hit tool good, but that is still in the double plus range. He continues to grow into more raw power, and he started to get to a lot more of it by lifting and pulling a lot more when he got to Double-A. The power is good, not great right now, but the power is only going to get bigger and bigger as he ages. And while I wish he ran wild crazy, he was 19 for 21 on the bases, so he’s an excellent base stealer with at least plus speed. He has a great combination of floor and upside right now, with 15/25 and a solid BA/OBP being the floor, and 25/40 with a great BA being the upside. He’s an elite dynasty prospect. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 96/20/78/.278/.359/.451/30

9) Sebastian Walcott – TEX, SS, 20.1 – Sorry Sebastian, but the also 19-year-old Konnor showed up to the Double-A party late in the season and made your solid but unspectacular season look even more unspectacular. And then the 18-year-old Leodalis rolled up and just straight made it look easy. We were giving Walcott a ton of leeway before those two showed us how it was really done, and while that does put Walcott’s season in better perspective, it shouldn’t come close to completely taking away what he did. He put up a 111 wRC+ with 13 homers, 32 steals and a 19.6/12.7 K%/BB% in 124 games. Considering the hit tool risk was a legitimate concern, seeing that K/BB as a 19 year old at Double-A is insanely encouraging. And being 11% above league average at his age is still impressive. Sure the .255/.355/.386 triple slash doesn’t jump off the screen, and sure Konnor and Leo blew him out of the water, but we are still looking at a potential fantasy stud. We know the talent by now. He’s an elite athlete at 6’4” with a potentially elite power/speed combo. He’s not a finished product, and it would definitely be nice to see him destroy a level, which he’s never done yet, but it’s not stopping me from still calling him a truly elite prospect. Texas has already hinted that while they have promoted him aggressively, they aren’t planning on just handing him an MLB job next year. I can see him spending the entire season, or vast majority of it, in the minors unless he leaves them no choice with complete destruction. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 93/27/84/.268/.345/.478/24

10) Trey Yesavage – TOR, RHP, 22.8 – It’s a 3 man race between Burns, Yesavage, and McLean for the #1 pitching prospect in baseball. None of them should really be considered prospects anymore with all of them throwing over 40 IP (including the playoffs), so it’s an unfair fight, but they all proved their high end skills will transfer to the majors, and that gives them a leg up over everyone else. I thought I was about to be the high guy on Yesavage like I was in the End of Season Dynasty Rankings, but that was before the playoffs, and well, Yesevage absolutely dazzled the baseball world. He put up a 3.58 ERA with a 35.8/10.1 K%/BB% in 27.2 IP (3.21 ERA with a 25.8/11.3 K%/BB% in 14 IP in the regular season). It came with a stupid 40% whiff%, which is genuinely insane. It sat 35.4% in the regular season, and it was 37.7% at Triple-A. These are really nearly unheard of, off the charts numbers. Starters just don’t have whiff rates that high even if you are in the elite tier. Those are closer to all time whiff rates. He generates those whiff rates mainly with the elite splitter (58.4% whiff%), but the slider is really good too with a 39.8% whiff%. So why is he my #2 pitching prospect and not #1 pitching prospect? It’s because of the fastball and below average walk rates. I don’t think the 4-seamer is bad, but it’s not that bulletproof, elite 4-seamer we often see from the very best pitchers in the league. It doesn’t have that elite velocity (94.3 MPH), it got hit really hard with a .367 xwOBA and 94.2 MPH EV against including the playoffs, and it doesn’t miss an elite amount of bats with a decent 19.8% whiff%. The pitch was better at Triple-A and it has 19.5 vert with a unique release profile, so I think it has the potential to be a good pitch, but it’s not like Burns’ 98.7 MPH 4-seamer. Burns also has average to potentially plus walk rates, while Yesavage’s are firmly below average. I wouldn’t blame you for going Yesavage over Burns (Yesavage has the ballpark advantage), and it’s close for me, but I just can’t shake wanting that super elite fastball (and also that elite slider) from Burns. Yesevage is #2. – 2026 Projection: 12/3.48/1.19/202 in 165 IP Prime Projection: 14/3.13/1.10/250 in 185 IP

11) Nolan McLean – NYM, RHP, 24.8 – I talked about it in the Yesavage blurb, but it’s a 3 man race for the top “fake” pitching prospect in baseball between Burns, Yesavage and McLean. I say “fake,” because these guys have already demonstrated dominance in the majors, which means, there is nothing prospective about them. They are known entities. But using the under 50 IP threshold that most dynasty leagues use (based on my experience), they are still considered prospects. And the reason I have McLean 3rd in that group can honestly be boiled down to mostly one thing, which is that he doesn’t miss as many bats as Burns and Yesavage. I am a sucker for whiffs, and McLean’s whiff% was 28% at Triple-A and 28.4% in the majors, while Burns went 33.7% at Triple-A and 31.9% in the majors, and Yesavage went 37.7% at Triple-A and 35.4% in the majors (even higher at 40% in the playoffs). I also didn’t love that the famed sweeper, his best and most used pitch in the minors, got utterly shelled in the majors with a .448 xwOBA and 20.3% whiff%. That isn’t just bad, that is crazy horrific. I’m obviously nitpicking here, but I find it more interesting to give my reasons for why he’s 3rd overall and not 1st overall. I clearly still love him as he dominated the majors overall with a 2.06 ERA, 3.56 xERA and 30.3/8.5 K%/BB% in 48 IP. Sure the sweeper wasn’t good, but his 5 other pitches were awesome, putting up plus Run Values ranging from 1 to 4. The sinker was the best pitch with a negative 12 degree launch, which is nuts. The curve put up a 50% whiff%. The 4-seamer missed bats and the change and cutter were solid against lefties. If you wanted to put him 1st overall, I wouldn’t argue with you (I actually probably would argue with you a little as I love Burns so much), but you get the point. McLean is awesome. – 2026 Projection: 13/3.45/1.17/183 in 170 IP Prime Projection: 15/3.22/1.10/212 in 190 IP

12) Thomas White – MIA, LHP, 21.6 – Thomas White is my #1 non debuted pitching prospect in baseball. It’s not a no brainer, and it’s close, but I just don’t think anybody can match his upside. He doesn’t have the safest floor as the control/command is well below average (13.6% BB%), and he definitely does still have a visible rawness when you watch him, but keep in mind this was a 20 year old kid in the upper minors for most of the year. Having some rawness and control/command issues are completely normal for this stage of his development, and just look at what he did when he’s not even close to a fully finished product yet. He put up a 2.31 ERA with a 38.6% K% in 89.2 IP at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. He’s a 6’5” lefty with a 3-quarters arm slot delivery, which you know I’m a sucker for, and he has 3 plus to double plus whiff machine pitches in his 95+ MPH fastball, sweeper and changeup. He also throws a good slider. He dominated both righties (.541 OPS against) and lefties (.467 OPS against). I don’t see any reason why more refinement wouldn’t be coming down the line, and likely much more refinement, and even as is he’s going to be a strikeout machine vs. any level of hitter. He might not be the safest guy or the most fully formed, but he’s the guy who I think has the best chance of sitting in that true elite of the elite tier when it’s all said and done. He’s my top non debuted dog. – 2026 Projection: 6/3.78/1.30/110 in 100 IP Prime Projection: 15/3.18/1.11/230 in 180 IP

13) Colt Emerson – SEA, SS, 20.8 – When a prospect gets promoted to the upper minors and not only maintains their high level of production, but actually improves on their weaknesses, it is just about the best sign they could give us. That is the sign of the rocket ship, and we are all looking for that rocket ship that just can’t stop raking no matter the level. That is exactly what Emerson did in 2025. He started to tap into that big raw power with 11 homers in 90 games at High-A, and while the 49.8% GB% was still high at the level, it came all the way down to 39.6% after he got promoted to Double-A (he was improving it towards the end of his stay at High-A too). He closed out the season slashing .293/.372/.470 with 5 homers, 8 steals, and a 19.7/9.0 K%/BB% in 40 games in the upper minors. The last 6 of those games were at Triple-A where he ripped 2 homers with a 174 wRC+ and 93.6 MPH EV. He’s still not a huge lift and pull guy, but it’s a big improvement from where he was earlier in his career, and he hits the ball hard enough to hit it out to all fields. The game power uptick combines with his already excellent plate skills and athleticism to make him at the very least a near elite dynasty prospect, and maybe we should take out the “near” part. Especially hitting in Seattle, I still wouldn’t expect monster power/speed numbers, but the high BA and high Runs/RBI should make up for it. – 2026 Projection: 39/8/31/.261/.320/.418/9 Prime Projection: 98/24/79/.284/.366/.471/18

14) Leodalis De Vries – SAC, SS, 19.6 – San Diego made a colossal error trading this kid away for a relief pitcher, no matter how good that relief pitcher is. They better put Mason Miller back in the rotation just on the principle of not completely embarrassing themselves more than they already have. At least then it’s semi defensible that you thought you could turn Miller into an ace, and not just a guy who throws 65 innings in an already stacked bullpen. It was mind boggling at the time, and it got even worse when De Vries exploded at Double-A as an 18 year old after the deal, slashing .281/.359/.551 with 5 homers, 2 steals, and a 19.4/7.9 K%/BB% in 21 games. I’ve talked about it a bunch in these writeups, but when a prospect gets to a higher level and not only maintains their production, but takes it up a notch, that is the sign of a truly special talent. It’s absurd that he’s only 18 years old, because when you watch him, he looks like a seasoned vet at the dish already. The kid is just a great all around baseball player with strong plate skills, contact, hard hit, athleticism, and maybe his best skill, the ability to lift and pull like crazy with a 31.7% GB% and 46.9% Pull%. The lefty swing is fast, athletic, and dangerous. He’s definitely an elite dynasty prospect, but the reason I have him here and not Top 5, is that no tool or skill necessarily jumps off the screen. He hits it hard, but he doesn’t crush it (at least not yet). He’s not a good base stealer (11 for 19), and he’s not as good with the righty swing (.664 OPS vs. lefties). It’s just nitpicking when we are talking about the very best prospects in the game, but I like to give my reasoning for why I have him where I do. Expect this dude to be a complete hitter who makes in an impact in all categories. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 94/28/96/.274/.357/.496/14

15) Carter Jensen – KCR, C, 22.9 – The small sample MLB debut at the end of the season always makes the analysis of a prospect so interesting in the off-season. Because often the value of that player gets pretty set in stone by that point of the season with a large minor league sample under their belt, but once that MLB data starts flowing in, even in a small sample, it changes the entire complexion of the analysis, both in a positive and negative direction. It leaves risk of overreacting, there is no doubt about that, but just like I’m super aggressive when I see what recently drafted players do in pro ball that first year in a small sample, I also lean towards being aggressive when I see what a prospect can do in their first taste of the majors. We know that plenty of big time prospects show immediately that they can’t hit MLB pitching, and vice versa, we’ve seen non hyped to death prospects come in and just keep on raking their faces off. Randy Arozarena comes to mind as a prominent example in the recent past. I’m forgiving of the adjustment period when a prospect struggles in many cases, but when they come out on fire, I tend to buy it, at least partially, and I’m buying Jensen. He stepped into the majors and immediately showed everything will transfer with a 20.8% Barrel%, 95.4 MPH EV, .463 xwOBA, a .941 OPS and a 17.4/13.0 K%/BB% in 20 games. The only real aberration from what he was doing at Triple-A was the contact rates, but it’s still a great sign the K% didn’t jump right up to like 40%. We see that all the time. So while I’m not buying those contact rates, I am buying that the hit tool will be good enough to let the nearly elite power shine. He lifts and pulls a ton, and with KC moving in the fences, even better. He’s not great vs. lefties, giving him real platoon risk, and he’s going to have to split the C/DH job with Perez now, and likely Mitchell later, so along with continued hit tool risk, he’s not a flawless prospect. But I see a 30+ homer bat with catcher eligibility. That has mega fantasy value. He was also only 21/22 last year. This dude is a major target. – 2026 Projection: 66/24/73/.240/.319/.468/3 Prime Projection: 77/30/83/.263/.345/.510/6

16) Sal Stewart – CIN, 1B/3B, 22.4 – As much love as Stewart is getting right now, it’s not nearly enough. I honestly don’t see how he’s not being valued like an elite or near elite dynasty prospect. He’s always displayed near elite plate skills with a plus hit tool his entire professional career from the time he was drafted at 18 years old as the 32nd overall pick. And then in his age 21 year old season he had that monster power breakout to combine with the plate skills. He hit 20 homers with a 93.1 MPH EV, 51.3% Hard Hit%, 14.2 degree launch, and a 15.6/9.3 K%/BB% in 118 games at Triple-A. That is a special hit/power combo, and then he closed the year out by dominating the majors with 5 homers, a 95.4 MPH EV, 17.9 degree launch, 52.5% Hard Hit%, and a 23.9% whiff% in 18 games. It was good for a .399 xwOBA. That is absurd for a 21 year old in his first taste of the majors. It’s fully backed up by what he did in the minors. Him going 217th overall in NFBC is way too low, and that is just for redraft. The two biggest knocks on his game are that he’s slow with a 25.8 ft/sec sprint, but he was a solid base stealer in the minors with 17 steals in 20 attempts this year, and we’ve seen slow guys steal a ton of bags (Soto, Naylor), so I think he should at least chip in with a handful, and maybe much more than that. He’s also not great on defense, and while the Eugenio Suarez signing squeezes everyone, I think it squeezes Bleday the most (and maybe Ke’Bryan Hayes the 2nd most). There is talk of him getting in better shape this off-season, so who knows, maybe both his defense and speed will tick up (it better not impact his power ha). This dude is a beast, especially in Great American Ballpark. – 2026 Projection: 76/25/82/.260/.328/.457/7 Prime Projection: 91/30/94/.277/.351/.502/9

17) Bryce Eldridge – SFG, 1B, 21.5 – If someone is going to Nick Kurtz the majors in 2026, it’s going to be Eldridge. I would say Basallo too, but Basallo is going to Junior Caminero the majors. I think people forget that Kurtz had a .558 OPS with a 36.5% K% in his first 85 PA in the majors. People were getting nervous. But that is all obviously a distant memory now, just as Eldridge’s rough MLB debut (.476 OPS with a 35.1% K%) will soon be a distant memory. And Eldridge’s only came in 37 PA as a 20 year old. Completely throw out that debut. Actually, don’t throw it out, because the underlying data is screaming the debut was a monster success. The .363 xwOBA is all star level, and the hard hit levels were off the charts. He put up a 25% Barrel%, 95.6 MPH EV and 68.8% Hard Hit%. That was no fluke because the numbers were just as beastly at Triple-A with a 95.7 MPH EV and 63.5% Hard Hit%. It’s easy to just go “he has big power,” but I think those type of elite of the elite numbers need to be reiterated. Those are insanely special power numbers from the 6’7” lefty beast. There is clearly hit tool risk, but the whiff rates weren’t even that bad. A 33.7% whiff% at AAA and 35.4% whiff% in the majors is not like insane danger zone considering how young he was and how hard he hits it. The dude smoked 25 homers in 102 games in the upper minors despite those miss rates. and like I showed above, the xwOBA in the majors was awesome despite the whiff rates. Even a small amount of improvement would be monstrous, and he might even be fine with no improvement. The only other quibbles to the profile are that he’s not a lift and pull machine, but he doesn’t have to be with that level of power, and he’s going to the 3rd worst park for lefty homers, but his power is ballpark proof. Eldridge is setting up to be one of the best power hitters in the game for a long time. – 2026 Projection: 68/25/81/.238/.311/.447/1 Prime Projection: 91/37/113/.264/.348/.533/1

18) Edward Florentino – PIT, OF/1B, 19.5 – I don’t see Florentino getting ranked in the near elite prospect range on the mainstream Top 100’s right now. He was towards the back of those rankings at the end of the season, and even with a rise on the off-season rankings, I still see value to be had here. Florentino has a real chance of being the #1 fantasy prospect in baseball by this time next year. He’s a 6’4”, 200 pound beast with an athletic, powerful, and smooth lefty swing that is made to hit dingers. He jacked out 10 homers in 54 games at Single-A and 16 homers in 83 games overall. The underlying numbers back it up too with a 89 MPH EV, 26 degree launch, and 38.7% Hard Hit%. He did that as just an 18 year old, so those hard hit numbers are only going up, and the best part is that he looked like a seasoned vet with excellent plate skills, putting up a 16.3% whiff% and 22.5% Chase%. This has the makings of a truly special power bat. And wildest part of all is that he’s a really good baserunner, going 35 for 41 on the bases. He’s not a burner with poor to mediocre speed grades, so maybe the steals slow down as he climbs the ladder, but Pitt also played him in CF mostly, which tells me there is very real athleticism in here. I doubt he ends up in CF, but you don’t just throw a guy into CF for funsies. It means something that they had him out there. I’m all in. Treat him like the elite prospect he is. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 96/33/107/.268/.354/.509/16

19) Bubba Chandler – PIT, RHP, 23.6 – Triple-A is hard. Like really hard. The Majors is easier. That was a running joke I had in the Dynasty Rundowns all season, but it wasn’t really a joke at all. So many pitchers struggled hard at Triple-A, and then looked much better in the majors. Maybe it was the ABS Challenge system (which is coming to the Majors in 2026), maybe it was the ballparks, maybe they were pissed they weren’t in the majors already, maybe they were working on stuff, or maybe it was a combination of many things, but too many pitchers looked so much better once they got to the majors to write it off, especially their walk rates. And Chandler most certainly got the Majors is easier bump once he got there, putting up a 4.02 ERA with a 25.0/3.2 K%/BB% in 31.1 IP. He had a 5.96 ERA with a 21.2/13.1 K%/BB% in his last 51.1 IP at Triple-A before getting the call. The turnaround is just wild. The 98.9 MPH fastball got hit hard with a 93.9 MPH EV, but it was a whiff machine with a 30.8% whiff%, and that is more important to see right now. The famed changeup also dominated with a .155 xwOBA and 39.6% whiff%. And his worst pitch of the three, the slider, actually had the best Run Value of them all (+5), on the back of weak contact (85.6 MPH EV against), although it didn’t miss many bats with a 22.5% whiff%. It was a very positive MLB debut, and the bloom that was coming off the rose at Triple-A was fully put back on in the majors. He’s an elite pitching prospect, and he still has an argument to be the top pitching prospect in the game, but I just can’t fully shake the mediocre Triple-A numbers fully. – 2026 Projection: 10/3.56/1.27/178 in 170 IP Prime Projection: 15/3.29/1.10/225 in 195 IP

20) Carson Benge – NYM, OF, 23.2 – Benge has really good numbers, both surface and underlying, but what really gets me so excited for him is watching him on offense. His swing is athletic, bouncy, powerful, smooth, vicious … it’s just a thing of beauty to watch. Watch him crush this homer out at Triple-A and tell me you don’t love it. Or how about this literal moonshot to center. Or how about this shoulder pain inducing shot off Andrew Painter. Dude looks like he unhinges his shoulder on some of these, and the last guy I said that about was Kristian Campbell … oof. I don’t want to bring this blurb down, but I mean, can’t deny it’s pinging something in me. Now that I mention it, he does seem like the lefty version of 2024 Campbell. Like Campbell, he didn’t lift and pull a ton with a 9 degree launch and 13.9% Air Pull% at Triple-A. Like Campbell, he’s more of a good athlete and solid base stealer than a true burner on the bases. And like Campbell, the hit tool is good, but a 18.4% K% and 20.1% whiff% isn’t off the charts or anything. On the more positive side, he crushed the ball with a 92.1 MPH EV and 53.5% Hard Hit%, which was actually much better than Campbell, and if 2024 Campbell showed up in 2025, this wouldn’t feel like such a negative comp. Campbell couldn’t keep up the breakout while Benge has a much stronger and legit track record to fall back on. And maybe the biggest differentiator, is that Benge is a plus on defense with the ability to play centerfield. It’s that ability that may just have him winning a starting OF job out of camp. I’m expecting a more above average across the board type than a true future elite dynasty asset, but that still makes for an excellent fantasy prospect, especially when you tack on proximity. – 2026 Projection: 72/15/66/.249/.313/.420/17 Prime Projection: 93/23/81/.273/.344/.462/21

21) Aidan Miller – PHI, SS, 21.10 – When it seemed like the entire prospect world decided to cool on Miller at the same time due to the mediocre slash at Double-A, I was staying high and preaching patience, writing in the Mid-Season Dynasty Rankings, “The .234/.346/.367 triple-slash is underwhelming, but when you take into account he’s barely 21 at Double-A with 6 homers, 27 steals, and a 109 wRC+ in 58 games, it’s more impressive. I would stay patient here” … and then the explosion came shortly after that, slashing .357/.489/.601 with 6 homers, 22 steals, and a 17.0/17.6 K%/BB% in his final 38 games, 8 of which came at Triple-A where he put up a 185 wRC+. He has a quick and powerful righty hack that has middle of the order hitter written all over it, and he stole 59 bags on the season, which is insanely exciting for fantasy. Looks the part, pedigree, feel to hit, approach, power, speed, age to level, upper minors production, good glove, path to playing time … that is literally every box. Even this ranking might be too low. – 2026 Projection: Prime Projection: 91/23/82/.261/.343/.452/28

22) Josue De Paula – LAD, OF, 20.10 – 2026 is the season De Paula has to have the legitimate game power breakout. It’s his age 21 year old season, where so many Junior year college bats are able to make that adjustment and put up the big homer totals. If it doesn’t come for De Paula this year, I will start to get worried the odds of it ever coming will be low. I’m actually slightly disappointed it didn’t come this year with 12 homers, a 33% FB% and 40.7% Pull% in 102 games at mostly High-A. He got a 4 game cup of coffee at Double-A to close out the year, and while it’s obviously a super small sample, I’m not in love with the 83.3% GB%. So he just pounded the ball into the ground the first time he tasted advanced competition. Don’t take this blurb as me not liking De Paula, because I think I’m his biggest fan, “discovering” him when he was a legit unknown, not a word of hype DSL breakout and calling him a major buy before people caught on, so take it more as a proud father who is a bit disappointed. And I do still love him. He’s a 6’3” beast who genuinely crushes the ball with strong plate skills and base stealing ability. He put up a 142 wRC+ with a 20.2/19.0 K%/BB% and 32 steals in 98 games at High-A as a 19/20 year old. I’m most certainly in, but the reason he isn’t in the elite of the elite tier is the still lacking game power, poor defense, and the fact he hasn’t proven it against advanced competition yet. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 88/24/84/.266/.348/.460/16

23) Bryce Rainer – DET, SS, 20.9 – Don’t you dare start valuing Rainer any less than you would have if he didn’t end up hurting his shoulder diving back to first base, requiring surgery in June 2024. People were scared off of Zach Neto because of the shoulder surgery last off-season, and look how that turned out. Shit, people were turned off by Shohei effing Ohtani because of his off-season shoulder surgery too. Daulton Varsho straight up looked like he returned from surgery with a bionic shoulder. Corbin Carroll underwent shoulder surgery at a similar point in his career to Rainer, and look how he’s turned out. I can’t say with 100% certainty there won’t be complications, but I can say that shoulder surgeries have worked out more than enough to not even dock him a little bit. He already proved this is a potentially elite bat before the injury, slashing .288/.383/.448 with 5 homers, 9 steals, and a 22.1/13.4 K%/BB% in 35 games at Single-A. The most exciting part was the 92.1 MPH EV and 52.8% Hard Hit%. He most certainly looks the at 6’3” with a powerful lefty swing. The 28.6% whiff% was on the high side, and he didn’t lift and pull a ton, so he’s not a totally finished product, but the foundation has been laid for him to be a truly elite, hyped to death prospect by this time next year. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 91/28/94/.273/.352/.481/18

24) Payton Tolle – BOS, LHP, 23.5 – Tolle could have been in the discussion for the #1 pitching prospect in baseball if he popped as much as Burns/Yesavage/McLean popped in the majors, but his ride wasn’t as smooth with a 6.06 ERA, 4.58 xERA, and 25.7/10.8 K%/BB% in 16.1 IP. While it does take him out of the running for the top spot, that really has more to do with how great those other guys looked, because I’m actually more encouraged than discouraged by his debut. The most important thing for him to show was that his double plus to elite 96.7 MPH fastball would play against MLB hitters, and it did indeed prove that with an excellent 28.3% whiff% and 86.1 MPH EV against. The pitch got extremely unlucky and he threw it 64.1% of the time, which was the biggest culprit for the poor debut. The secondaries have always been the biggest question for him, and while they weren’t great in the debut, I’m encouraged that they all missed bats. The changeup put up a 50% whiff% (also a 50% whiff% at Triple-A), the slider put up a 30% whiff% with a strong .249 xwOBA, the cutter put up a 30% whiff% and the curve didn’t give up a single hit. It all resulted in a 30.1% whiff% overall, which I love to see. And of course he destroyed the minors with a 3.04 ERA and 36.5/6.3 K%/BB% in 91.2 IP spread across 3 levels (A+, AA, AAA). The walk rate spiked in the majors to 10.8%, which I don’t want to completely dismiss, but the larger sample in the minors rules the day for me long term. He might not be in the conversation for #1 overall, but this is still an elite pitching prospect for me. – 2026 Projection: 5/3.74/1.19/95 in 90 IP Prime Projection: 14/3.39/1.11/200 in 180 IP

25) Tatsuya Imai – HOU, RHP, 27.11 – Let’s start with the elephant in the room, which is that Imai didn’t sign as big of a contract as expected (3 years, $54-$63 million with 2 opt outs), but it’s not moving me off him as the #1 pick in FYPD’s. For one, I love the landing spot. Houston puts their pitchers in position to succeed and I trust them with Imai’s transition. I also don’t think the deal is that bad at all. He’s very likely to make over 20 million a year if he doesn’t opt out, and those opts outs have really huge upside on them. If he dominates, he can land an absolutely huge deal. Don’t underrate how valuable those opt outs are. I still think this deal shows that Imai is expected to be a very good pitcher, and everything else in his profile says we should expect him to be a very good pitcher too. He dominated the 2nd best baseball league in the world, he’s smack dab in the middle of his prime, he’s coming over right as he’s peaking, he has the stuff/pitch mix to back it all up, and he has both a high floor and a high ceiling. If this were a better First Year Player Draft Class, or if this was like last year’s class, he probably wouldn’t be 1st overall (I would 100% have Roch Cholowsky ranked over him from the 2026 draft class, for instance), but in this year’s class, I don’t even really think it’s that tough of a call. He put up a 1.92 ERA with a 27.8/7.0 K%/BB% in 163.2 IP in the NPB in 2025. For reference, Yamamoto put up a 1.21 ERA with a 26.6/4.4 K%/BB% in 164 IP the year before he came over, and then his first year in the majors he had a 3.00 ERA and 28.5/6.0 K%/BB% in 90 IP, meaning, there is no guarantee Imai’s strikeout rates are going to go down in the majors. They might go up, as Imai mentioned how contact oriented the hitters in Japan are, and he’s looking forward to the challenge of facing guys who actually swing for the fences. He completely owns the mound when he’s out there with a calm, loose, athletic, and easy righty delivery that he uses to fire a mid 90’s fastball, a plus “reverse” slider, and a plus splitter/changeup (he throws both). His stuff misses bats, induces weak contact, and keeps the ball in the park (48.3% GB%). His control and strikeout rates have been improving over the last 5 years, so like I mentioned, he’s coming over at the perfect time when he’s at his peak. We have seen more than enough aces come over from the NPB and either remain an ace in MLB (Yamamoto, Yu Darvish-who also saw his K rates rise in MLB), or at the least be an impact fantasy starter (Imanaga, Senga), that the transition doesn’t seem super risky. There is risk of course with a new baseball, country, etc … but everyone in First Year Player Drafts have risk, and Imai almost definitely has the least risk of anybody. He’s only 5’11”, but Yamamoto is 5’10”, so I don’t really care too much about that either. I don’t see how you could take Doyle or Anderson over him just evaluating the top pitchers on the board, and while you can argue for a high school bat, Imai’s ceiling as a #2 starter seems plenty high enough to not feel too tempted by the bats. He’s my top dog in FYPD’s and I’m not too torn about it. – 2026 Projection: 12/3.57/1.21/165 in 165 IP

26) Jonah Tong – NYM, RHP, 22.9 – Like Tolle, Tong would have been in the discussion for the #1 pitching prospect in baseball if not for the poor MLB debut with a 7.71 ERA, 4.97 xERA and 25.3/10.3 K%/BB% in 18.2 IP, but unlike Tolle, I am actually a little discouraged because of it. The thing we really need to see was that fastball/changeup combo playing against MLB hitters, and it just didn’t play with a negative 4 Run Value and solid but not great 22.3% whiff% on the 95.2 MPH fastball, and an even worse showing for the changeup with a .357 xwOBA and very disappointing 22.3% whiff%. I’ve actually been saying all of 2025 that his curve was getting underrated, and that did actually perform well with a .219 xwOBA and 80.4 MPH EV against, but the 26.3% whiff% wasn’t impressive there either. It’s a small sample, and I’m not saying I don’t like Tong anymore, but I’m saying there are enough red flags from the MLB debut that I’m not flying him up the rankings wild crazy anymore. You would have to be crazy to be completely out on him with his utter destruction of the minors with a 1.43 ERA and 40.5/10.6 K%/BB% in 113.2 IP at mostly Double-A. Keep in mind he was only 21/22 in 2025 while all of the pitchers with better debuts were older than him, which I 100% think matters. Don’t get too scared off by the MLB debut, but kinda get a teeny, tiny bit scared off. – 2026 Projection: 5/3.87/1.28/105 in 100 IP Prime Projection: 13/3.45/1.20/198 in 175 IP

27) Travis Bazzana – CLE, 2B, 23.7 – The consensus #1 pick in First Year Player Drafts, non Roki division, and the #1 pick in the MLB Draft, did not live up to that consensus #1 billing. And neither did Roki for that matter. Keep this in mind when you are making your own picks in your league. I’ve preached this since I started writing, but don’t be afraid to think with a mind of your own and make outlier picks. Even when baseball executives, real life prospect evaluators, and fantasy prospect evaluators are all in alignment, we all might be very wrong. Sure when you make a weird a pick your entire league will talk shit to you and call you a dummy, and if it doesn’t end up working out, you’ll never hear the end of it, but if you do hit, you will be treated like a conquering hero … hah, who am I kidding, no you won’t be. They will act like they don’t even remember giving you shit for it ha. But if you’ve achieved the important life level of not caring what other people think of you (it’s less not caring, you want people to like/respect you, it’s more not letting it impact your life decisions and behavior), then you will man up (person up?) and take Ethan Conrad 1st this year 😉 … or whichever guy is pinging your gut as the guy. But back to Bazzana, while he didn’t deserve to be the top dog, he still had a strong year. He put up a 137 wRC+ with 9 homers, 12 steals, and a 24.3/17.6 K%/BB% in 84 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. The lift/pull ability is there, he hits generally hard with a 89.3 MPH EV, the 24.3% whiff% at Triple-A is solid, the approach is excellent with a 13.2% Chase, and he runs. All of the ingredients we loved last off-season were there, just not to quite as high levels as we hoped to see. And the hit tool was most disappointing with a .245 BA and the high K rate. I’m not gonna lie, his still very high value might be more inflated by his name value and reputation than by the cold hard analysis of the numbers. The cold hard analysis says he’s just a solid to good prospect, and not really a standout one. Hard for me say that, because I do still like him a lot, and I still see a 20/20 guy, but maybe I’m also falling victim to the past hype. – 2026 Projection: 69/15/61/.228/.304/.392/17 Prime Projection: 84/20/72/.252/.331/.434/23

28) Marcelo Mayer – BOS, 3B, 23.4 – I get the sense that people are starting to get lulled to sleep by Mayer. They view him as a nice bat maybe, solid player, but I think people are massively underestimating how special of a bat this is. Dude is 6’3” with one of the sweetest lefty swings out there, and it’s not just sweet, it’s lightning fast with a 74.1 MPH bat speed. It results in him consistently crushing the ball with a 48.5% Hard Hit% at Triple-A and an even better 51.7% Hard Hit% in the majors. That mark was 29th best in baseball (over 500 pitch minimum). This isn’t just a nice, solid bat. This dude is a beast. Some hit tool issues popped up in the MLB debut with a .228 BA and 30.1/5.9 K%/BB%, but a 28.6% whiff% and 29.7% Chase% isn’t bad at all for a 22 year old’s first taste of the bigs. It’s actually more encouraging than discouraging. He’s not a lift and pull machine, but a 12 degree launch with a 17.9% Air Pull% at Triple-A is perfectly fine, especially with how hard he hits the ball. And while he doesn’t run a ton, the 27.5 ft/sec sprint was average, so he should at least chip in a handful. Everything is trending toward Mayer being a complete hitter who will hit in the middle of a strong Red Sox lineup for years to come. His glove was excellent at both 3B and 2B, so it’s highly likely he will have a starting job somewhere right out of the gate (looking locked in at 3B right now). I don’t love the wrist surgery, as wrist injuries are known killers, but I’m not letting it scare me off. If Mayer isn’t being treated like the truly special bat he is in your league, I would jump on that value. – 2026 Projection: 68/20/77/.252/.313/.433/8 Prime Projection: 94/27/94/.271/.344/.482/11

29) Ryan Waldschmidt – ARI, OF, 23.6 – Waldschmidt is the Luke Keaschall do over. If you missed out on Keaschall, Waldschimdt is your chance to rectify that mistake, and just like Keaschall, he’s never going to truly get the respect he deserves on prospect lists. It’s actually remarkable how similar the profile and career arcs are. Keaschall put up a 146 wRC+ in his pro debut in 2023, and then Waldschmidt put up a 142 wRC+ in his pro debut in 2024. Keaschall went full breakout the next year at High-A and Double-A, slashing .303/.420/.483 with 15 homers, 23 steals, and a 17.2/13.4 K%/BB% in 102 games, and of course, Waldchmidt nearly matched him identically in 2025, slashing .289/.419/.473 with 18 homers, 29 steals, and a 17.6/16.0 K%/BB% in 134 games (the last 66 games at Double-A). The lift and pull is also extremely similar, and Waldschmidt might have more raw power potential at 6’2” (Keaschall is 6’0”). They are actually about the same age, so I guess advantage goes to Keaschall for already being in the majors, but you get the point. Waldschmidt has an above average across the board profile, and he still doesn’t quite get the respect he deserves on prospect lists. – 2026 Projection: 24/6/21/.249/.318/.417/8 Prime Projection: 88/22/79/.271/.343/.453/23

30) Joshua Baez – STL, OF, 22.9 – Back in early July, when Baez was still getting lukewarm love, when people were still hesitant to really go all in, I saw the opportunity to strike, naming him one of my top Mid-Season Targets, writing, “This guy just has Lawrence Butler 2.0 written all over him. I know his hype has been rising, but I still think even a super savvy dynasty owner might be looking at him as a perfect sell high opportunity. Popped up “out of nowhere,” there is hit tool risk, they just might be thinking they are the one getting one over on you, but it’s going to be the other way around. Play possum on this one. Dummy up. Because what Baez is doing is exactly what Butler did. He’s an absolute specimen at 6’3”, 220 pounds, he crushes the ball, he has 34 steals in 39 attempts in 69 games total, and he now has a 25.8/16.4 K%/BB% in 31 games at Double-A. He’s proving his hit tool gains are real. And the insane, true elite talent is there. Pretend you’re the fool buying in too hard, and then don’t gloat when in a year or two their former owner realizes the mistake they make. You just got lucky ;)” … and then not only did he continue to keep it up, he took the hit tool up a notch with a 14.1%/10.6% K%/BB% in his final 40 games of the season at Double-A. The dude is a jacked 6’3” version of Kevin McGonigle out there ha, not quite, but you get the point. He finished the season going 20/54 in 117 games. Like we saw with Lawrence Butler in 2025, it’s hard to feel we are ever completely out of the woods with the hit tool risk on these types, but the massive improvement he showed, combined with his monster upside, is worthy of an extremely high ranking on a fantasy list especially. Since I wrote that Target blurb, his hype has already exploded, and if you took my advice back then, you almost surely already feel like you got one over on somebody. But he’s still on the underrated side now too, so it’s not too late. This is a Top 30 dynasty prospect, and that might still be underselling him. – 2026 Projection: 17/6/23/.228/.301/.418/7 Prime Projection: 79/25/84/.248/.327/.471/28

31) Justin Crawford – PHI, OF, 22.3 – Let’s not beat around the bush, we all know the issue, and it’s that Crawford has an extreme 59.4% GB%. So before we start getting into him hopefully lowering that significantly, the question is can a player succeed with such a high groundball rate? And the answer to that question is a clear yes. And I’m not even talking about Justin’s father, Carl, who is the so obvious comp here, but I’m talking about a possibly even better comp, and that is none other than Christian Yelich. Yelich put up a 63.2% GB% in his 2013 MLB debut and put up a 118 wRC+. He put up a 61% in 2014 (118 wRC+) and a 62.5% in 2015 (120 wRC+). The power uptick came when he dropped the GB% into the mid 50% range. So he was really good even before the drop, and after the drop, he was MVP great. Just this past season, Yelich had a lower launch than Crawford (2 degrees vs. 3 degrees) and Yelich still hit 29 homers. Obviously Yelich is a special talent, but that is the point, so is Crawford. They are both lefties of similar size with good contact rates and the ability to hit the ball very hard. Crawford had a 18.4% whiff% with a 45.3% Hard Hit% at Triple-A. He’s still a very projectable 6’2”, so it’s very possible that Hard Hit is sitting in the upper 40’s at peak, just like Yelich (career 48.4% Hard Hit%). Yelich had better chase so it’s not a perfect comp, but you get the point, a special talent like Crawford absolutely can make a super high groundball rate work. And if he can drop it another 5 to 10 percentage points, watch the hell out. On steals and contact alone Crawford will make a fantasy impact even if he’s not a great real life hitter, but he can most certainly be a great real life hitter too. I’m not getting scared off by the ground ball rates. I’m buying Crawford, and right now, he looks like he can break camp as Philadelphia’s starting CF. – 2026 Projection: 71/9/41/.257/.316/.387/28 Prime Projection: 93/17/72/.281/.344/.436/41

32) Jordan Lawlar – ARI, 3B, 23.9 – I can’t believe we are still ranking Lawlar as a prospect, but he really doesn’t have anyone to blame but himself. The reason he is still a “prospect” is because he’s been very injury prone, and when he does get his shot in the majors, he does absolutely nothing. Less than nothing actually, he’s a negative with a negative 0.7 WAR in 108 PA. He once again only played sporadically in 2025, which is not a recipe for success, but he’s only playing sporadically because he hit .182 with a 35.1% K% in 74 PA this year. I get being completely fatigued with him, and you can definitely question if he truly does have star upside. He destroyed Triple-A in a hitter’s haven, but the 88.8 MPH EV and 43.6% Hard Hit% don’t really jump off the screen. That is a good power for sure, and it should only rise, but it’s not beastly power yet. And it came with a 27.3% whiff%. The 71.7 MPH swing in the majors is only average, and he was bad at 3B. The thing that might be scaring me the most right now is how awful he was in the Dominican Winter League. He put up a .432 OPS  with a 18/0 K/BB in 46 PA. It’s only 46 PA, but man, it almost shouldn’t even be possible for a 23 year old stud to be that horrific. There are enough cracks in this profile to clearly move him out of the elite or even near elite prospect range, but I still think his fantasy upside needs to be respected. The fantasy friendly profile is fully there with lift and pull, good raw power, and elite speed/base stealing (29.7 ft/sec sprint). He was also finally starting to find his groove in the majors in September, slashing .333/.390/.528 with a 24.4/7.3 K%/BB% and 88 MPH EV in his last 41 PA. If Arizona just takes the leash off and let’s him go, I still see a seriously impactful fantasy contributor, but Arizona just doesn’t seem to believe in him after trading for Arenado with a contract that runs through 2027. OF and DH now seem to be his best path and he’s going to have to kick the door down. – 2026 Projection: 37/11/44/.236/.303/.419/17 Prime Projection: 82/20/74/.251/.332/.441/30

33) Emil Morales – LAD, SS, 19.6 – I love it when I’m evaluating the incoming international class and a prospect absolutely explodes off the screen. It happened with Lazaro Montes. It happened with Sebastian Walcott. And then it happened with Emil Morales. True athletic beasts that look undeniable even in a few swings on a Youtube video. All 3 immediately became the biggest targets for me in their international class, and all 3 exploded in pro ball. It’s just so fun hitting on one of these guys with such little information, and I can’t help it for them to become personal favorites. Montes and Walcott are obviously long past getting any value on them, but there is still value to be had on Morales, surprisingly. I went all in even more after he destroyed the DSL in 2024, ranking him 39th overall on the 2025 Top 500 Prospect Ranks last off-season when he wasn’t even getting Top 100 love, and he proved my love for him correct once again, closing out the season at Single-A as an 18 year old, slashing .339/.420/.548 with 5 homers, 5 steals, and a 23.1/11.9 K%/BB% in 30 games. That was good for a 160 wRC+. The hit tool was getting better and better as the year went on, he’s a true beast at 6’3” with lift/pull and hard hit, and he’s a legitimately good athlete. This is not just a lumbering slugger. This is a very special talent, who to my disbelief, still might not get a ton of Top 100 love. I don’t get it, but it’s better for you, because there is still time to get in before his value utterly explodes in 2026. I see a star every time I watch this kid, hit tool risk be damned. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 91/33/102/.261/.343/.515/12

34) Luis Pena – MIL, SS/2B, 19.4 – I’ve hammered home the point that there is no better sign for a prospect than when they get promoted to a higher level and not only maintain their production, but take it up notch. It’s the sign of the rocket ship. And Pena started off as that rocket ship at Single-A, blasting off beautifully into the atmosphere, but when he got to higher levels and tried to detach the Flux Capacitors or whatever, it was like watching one of those disasters of the Apollo blowing up right before our eyes. He crumbled at High-A with a 43 wRC+ and 24.8/5.5 K%/BB% in 25 games. While it’s not what we optimally want to see, struggling at higher levels before adjusting is the process most prospects have to go through. Just because you aren’t the rare straight rocket ship that we dream on, doesn’t mean it’s time to panic at all. Pena already established his near elite prospect credentials as an 18 year old at Single-A, slashing .308/.375/.469 with 6 homers, 41 steals, and a 13.3/9.1 K%/BB% in 71 games. He was a named Target last off-season, writing, “he has an explosive righty swing that can hit the ball hard, there is plenty of room to tack on mass, and he doesn’t have any major lift and pull problems, so there is definitely potential for him to develop some level of real power down the line.” … and then that power came with 9 homers in 96 games overall. Made overshadows him, and we are seeing more and more 18 years old at higher levels these days, but let’s remember how special it is for an 18 year old to perform the way he did in full season ball. He has a precocious feel to hit with speed and developing power. Don’t let the High-A struggles scare you off too much – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 91/20/72/.276/.337/.454/31

35) Josue Briceno – DET, C/1B, 21.7 – You already know that I am the world’s foremost expert on Josue’s (I even held up my end of the bargain this season by writing up Josue Brito of the DSL after his first two homers, and then he went on to be tied for the 3rd most homers with 9). I was all over De Paula and Briceno when they were truly complete unknowns, not a whisper of hype, and I continued to be all in on them last off-season, even with Briceno’s lukewarm year at Single-A. Well, that is kind of misleading, because while he wasn’t great at Single-A, he was the MVP of the AFL with 10 homers in 25 games, and then he carried that over into High-A in 2025, slashing .296/.422/.602 with 15 homers and a 16.4/16.8 K%/BB% in 55 games. He wasn’t as good when he got the call to Double-A, but he was only 20, the 112 wRC+ was still good, and he was finding his groove with a .807 OPS in his last 31 games. This is a middle of the order beast at a chiseled 6’4” with a powerful lefty swing that is made to launch bombs. The plate skills have been very strong throughout his career, so there isn’t major hit tool risk either. The biggest quibble with his profile is that he wasn’t great vs. lefties with a .721 OPS, and there is uncertainty around his defensive home. He’s been good enough at catcher to not move him off, and I can foresee a possible Ben Rice like situation here with him getting enough run at catcher to keep eligibility, while playing mostly 1B/DH. He doesn’t have a clear path to playing time with Tork and Carp under team control until 2028, so I can see him taking over the role I laid out in 2029 and beyond assuming there are no trades/injuries which open up a spot sooner. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 84/31/90/.267/.348/.501/1

36) Eduardo Quintero – LAD, OF, 20.7 – Quintero continues to be one off the very best hitters at every single level he plays at. He put up a 177 wRC+ in the DSL in 2023, a 146 wRC+ in stateside rookie in 2024, and then a 158 wRC+ at Single-A in 2025. The cherry on top is that he closed the year out at High-A as a still 19 year old and put up a 135 wRC+ in 32 games. It may sound obvious and simple, but I love a guy who just keeps on raking no matter the competition put in front of him. He finished the season slashing .293/.415/.508 with 19 homers, 47 steals, and a 22.7/16.3 K%/BB% in 113 games. They wanted him to lift/pull more this year, and he did it. Again, making adjustments and not seeing the production drop off at all is another great sign, because baseball is a game of adjustments, and you need to be able to tinker like that your entire career basically. He has a good feel to hit, he has plus power potential, he has speed and he’s a good defensive CF. That is all the boxes except upper minors production, but that is likely coming soon too. As much love as Quintero gets, he’s probably still underhyped. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 91/23/78/.263/.342/.450/31

37) Zyhir Hope – LAD, OF, 21.2 – If an NFL Running Back played baseball, I imagine it would look a lot like Zyhir Hope. He’s got an NFL running back build at 5’10” with thunder thighs of pure steel, and he’s got the power/speed combo of a running back as well, crushing the ball with 13 homers and stealing 27 bags in 127 games at mostly High-A. He put up a 131 wRC+. Unfortunately, he also has the hit tool of a running back, hah, just playing, it’s not that bad, but there is definitely hit tool issues with a 26.3% K%. I’m very encouraged by his cup of coffee at Double-A to close out the season though. He put up a 20% K% in 20 PA, and while it’s too small of a sample to read into too much, it’s still a good sign. And he hit .266 on the season, so it’s not like the guy is completely incapable of hitting for average. The risk is he ends up a strong side of a platoon corner outfielder, but there is way too much upside in here to get overly scared off by the risk. He was just 20 years old last off-season, so there is time for him to refine the hit tool, and if anyone can help him, it’s the Dodgers. The Dodgers need some payoff from that Michael Busch trade (Busch for Hope and Ferris), and Hope is that payoff. The lefty Randy Arozarena is the comp. – ETA: 2027 Prime Projection: 88/24/79/.250/.338/.455/26

38) Alfredo Duno – CIN, C, 20.3 – Duno vs. Rainiel is a really interesting debate to me as the top catcher prospect in the lower minors, and while it seems the vast majority (or maybe everybody but me, I’m not sure) has it as an easy call in Rodriguez’ direction, I can’t lie that I’m leaning Duno by a slightest of hairs. There are several reasons for that, but the two biggest are that Duno has a massive ballpark advantage (Cincy has the 2nd best ballpark for righty homers and St. Louis has the 5th worst) and Duno also has a path to playing time advantage. Essentially, I think this is Duno’s job when he’s ready and I think he is going to inherently get a longer leash with the bat and glove when he does get that chance. St. Louis is stacked at catcher up and down their organization. The other reasons I have it Duno are because he’s bigger (6’2” vs. 5’10”) and he hits it considerably harder (48.6% Hard Hit% vs. 39.2% at Single-A). Duno had a .423 xwOBA vs Rodriguez’ .368 xwOBA at Single-A. Those are vastly different xwOBA’s. You can say Rodriguez has the age to level edge, but Duno was really good at Single-A as an 18 year old too in 2024. The biggest edge to Rodriguez, and the one where this call could make me look dumb, is that he has the better contact rates. Duno had a 31% whiff% vs. Rodriguez’ 23% whiff%. But Rodriguez had a .249 BA at Single-A because he lifts and pulls an extreme amount, which is great in general, but in a terrible ballpark for righty homers, and with good but not great Hard Hit (there is little to no projection left on his frame, he’s already thick), it might not lead to the highest BA’s in the future either. I love both and it’s coin flip for me, but I have to give my raw unfiltered take on what I would do if I had this choice in my league, and my gut is just leaning Duno. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 71/31/87/.251/.340/.491/4

39) Rainiel Rodriguez – STL, C, 19.3 – Because I felt the need to kinda shit on Rodriguez a bit in the Duno blurb, let me start off this blurb with some excitement, because Rodriguez deserves it. He was the top catcher breakout in the DSL in 2024 with a monstrous 10 homers and 190 wRC+ in 41 games, and then he managed to one up even that at stateside rookie in 2025 with 7 homers and 237 wRC+ in 20 games. That kind of dominance at the rookie ball levels is some of the best we’ve really ever seen, so it was no surprise to also see him kill it at Single-A, slashing .249/.373/.498 with 13 homers, 3 steals, and a 17.4/14.0 K%/BB% in 60 games. I completely understand looking at this level of production as an 18 year old and saying this is one of the most special bats in the minors league, period, regardless of position. He’s a lift and pull god with a 20 degree launch and 29.4% Air Pull%, the plate skills are excellent, and he hits it hard, especially for his age, with a 104.3 MPH 90th% EV and 39.2% Hard Hit%. I love his bat. The things to quibble with are just that, minor quibbles. Sure the path to playing time isn’t clear, but a bat like this generally clears the way for itself no matter who is in it’s path. The ballpark isn’t great, and with his current level of lift/pull and hard hit, it could result in low batting averages, but he’s so young that it would be silly to just say this is always who he is going to be. He will likely hit the ball harder at peak and also refine his general approach. Just because I have Duno ranked higher by a hair doesn’t mean I don’t love Rodriguez. I think it says more about how much I love Duno. Both are awesome. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 76/27/83/.268/.354/.477/3

40) Caleb Bonemer – CHW, SS, 20.6 – You know I love it when a prospect gets to a higher level and takes it up a notch, and that is exactly what Bonemer did to close out the season, putting up a 192 wRC+ in 11 games at High-A. I loved him in FYPD’s last off-season, and I shot him up the rankings very quickly when he immediately came out hot in his first taste of pro ball at Single-A, so those last 11 games were the final cherry on top of his near elite prospect status. He finished the year slashing .281/.401/.473 with 12 homers, 29 steals, and a 21.2/15.8 K%/BB% in 107 games. He lifts and pulls a ton with a 34% GB% and 53.6% Pull%, so as the power rises naturally, the homers will most certainly be there. And at a big and physical 6’1”, I have no questions about the power. He’s not a burner, but he’s a good athlete and good base stealer. And finally, the plate skills were good with a good feel to hit and approach. The only thing going against him is that we need to trust Chicago to develop him, and while I’m not a slave to organization, it is a factor we unfortunately have to take into account. More to that point, his swing is not the smoothest thing out there. I can’t find the right word at the moment, but it’s a bit abrupt maybe (again, not the perfect word for it). I do think it’s possible the hit tool isn’t going to look as good against advanced competition, and we have to trust Chicago to make those little adjustments as he climbs the ladder. I’m not letting it scare me off, but it’s something in the back of my mind. He’s also almost certainly going to get moved off SS to 3B or OF. – ETA: 2028 Prime Projection: 82/26/88/.258/.335/.467/18

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By Michael Halpern (@MichaelCHalpern)
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