Milwaukee Brewers: Garrett Mitchell
Garrett Mitchell played in his fourth MLB season in 2025, appearing in just 25 games and missing time throughout the season with an oblique strain. This is nothing new to Mitchell, who has only appeared in 141 games throughout his four years in the majors.
This volatility is reflected in Mitchell’s high-intensity play style, characterized by high bat speed, plus defense, and elite baserunning. In 2024, Mitchell showed flashes of the value this could present, generating 1.9 fWAR in just 69 games.
Outside of injury in 2025, Mitchell’s whiff issues persisted, while his patient approach took a hit, bringing his OBP below .300.
Mitchell’s unique skill set makes a solution to his problems difficult. While injuries are the main issue, Mitchell will benefit from remaining patient and continuing to flash the elite traits that make him so promising.
St. Louis Cardinals: Dustin May
Similar to Mitchell, Dustin May appeared in his sixth MLB season in 2026 while never having thrown more than 56.0 innings in a season. In 2025, May tossed 25 starts/23 appearances with mixed results, but remained healthy until September, when May missed the rest of the season with an elbow injury.
May’s elite stuff fell down to earth in 2025, led by his formerly high-90s fastball averaging just 94.8 mph in 2025. Hitters crushed these fastballs while his nasty sweeper carried the load. In the past, May’s high strikeout and ground ball rates showed how nasty he could be as a full-time starter; to get back to plus results, May will need to do at least one of these two things well again.
May signed with the Cardinals in free agency and is looking to earn a spot in their young rotation. In Spring Training, May’s velocity has looked sharper while his formerly elite curveball seems to be an option once again. Look for May to stay healthy while finding a sustainable middle ground in 2026.
Chicago Cubs: Michael Conforto
After a big bounce-back season with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, Michael Conforto took a step back in 2025 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, recording negative fWAR (-0.6) for the first time in his career. Conforto also posted his highest strikeout rate (24.9%) since 2018, while his defense continues to decline.
Conforto signed a minor league deal with the Cubs earlier in Spring Training in an effort to earn a spot on the bench of a competitive team. While his production took a serious hit in 2025, Conforto is still just 33 and was a consistently good hitter with the New York Mets for half a decade.
Conforto also showed some promise despite poor results in 2025, posting his highest walk rate since 2021 and decent batted ball metrics with a career-low .247 BABIP.
So far in Spring Training, Conforto has impressed in a competitive battle for the fourth outfield spot. Barring failure to make the team, look for Conforto to thrive with an exciting Cubs team hoping to reach the playoffs once again in 2026.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Mason Montgomery
Mason Montgomery showed elite upside in a nine-game stint with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024, striking out a laughable 45.9% of batters despite poor control and hard-hit rates. In 2025, Montgomery took a step back, continuing to get hit hard while walking 12.9% of batters.
Montgomery’s elite velocity and plus extension allowed him to continue striking out tons of batters, yet barrels and frequent baserunners were a problem. Regardless, Montgomery’s 3.56 xFIP and 3.55 SIERA suggest some of these struggles were the result of bad luck.
Now with the Pirates, Montgomery could see high leverage out of the gate on a Pirates team looking to compete. Montgomery’s stuff remains elite, so look for Montgomery to break out over a larger sample in 2026.
Cincinnati Reds: Ke’Bryan Hayes
Ke’Bryan Hayes had his second straight season of poor offense in 2025, yet still managed to gather 1.4 fWAR thanks to his elite defense. Following a mid-season trade to the Reds, however, Hayes’s offense took a small step forward in a much more hitter-friendly ballpark.
This hitting environment is one of the few green lights for Hayes, who had an abysmal .282 xWOBA despite making fairly consistent contact. Compared to 2023, Hayes is making similar amounts of contact without the characteristics that drove him to league-average offense.
With the Reds, look for Hayes to continue playing elite defense and hopefully rediscover some hitting traits that made him a top prospect earlier in his career. Hayes’s value exists regardless of offense, but a return to close to league-average offensive output would be big in 2026.
