Best Pitching Prospects of 2026
2026 was a brutal year to stash pitching prospects. Triple-A pitchers seemed to fail at higher rates than ever before, making the weekly stash list a constant exercise in searching for someone—anyone—who could actually help fantasy teams. When the Triple-A pool dried up, I often had to dip into Double-A to find arms with enough upside to warrant a spotlight.
To search for the “best” pitching prospects with legitimate stash-list appeal more manageably, I broke the pool into a few buckets. In 2026, more than 560 pitchers spent time in the Major Leagues or Minor Leagues. That number includes plenty of players who were simply rehabbing and were never realistic rookies or prospects for the 2026 stash list.
Of those 560+ pitchers, only about 70 were starting pitchers. And of those 70, just four earned positive dollars on the FanGraphs player rater after being promoted to the Major Leagues. Let that sink in: only four starting pitchers from this entire prospect pool produced positive fantasy value once they reached the Majors.
In other words, 2026 was not a profitable year to stash pitching prospects. But there were still arms worth watching, rostering, and believing in. For better or worse, here are the Best Pitching Prospects of 2026.
Dollar Value Gainers
Here are the only four dollar-value gainers in the black from FanGraphs player rater (12-team roto with statistics through September 7).
*stats are for MLB appearances only
Payton Tolle, Boston Red Sox
6’6″, 23 years old, LHP
At the start of the season, the Red Sox appeared to have so many starting-pitching options that neither Connelly Early nor Payton Tolle was guaranteed a spot in the rotation. Early won one of those jobs, leaving Tolle to patiently wait in Worcester. Once he received his opportunity, however, Tolle quickly made a case that he was the better of the two lefties, striking out eleven on 18 whiffs in his 2026 opener.
The results haven’t always been overpowering, but Tolle has established himself as a durable starter with a reliable arsenal built around a top-shelf 96 mph four-seamer. The underlying characteristics are exciting, from the 7.3-foot extension to the large movement profiles of his secondaries. The primary concern emerging late in the season has been a rising home run rate. Most of those home runs have been solo shots against the fastball, so we’ll give Tolle some credit for challenging hitters with his best pitch.
Barring any negative news during the playoffs, Tolle looks like a major value heading into 2027. His durability, strikeout upside, and competitive approach give him the foundation to become a useful fantasy starter, with enough underlying stuff to offer even more if the home-run issue can be contained.
Tolle is by far the best prospect pitcher of 2026 and is in line to charge for a placement among the top ten Major League pitchers in 2027.
Walbert Urena, Los Angeles Angels
6’0″, 22 years old, RHP
With a 97 mph sinker and a wipeout changeup, Walbert Urena emerged as a strong stash candidate late in 2025. He finally got his opportunity to shine in 2026, mirroring Jose Soriano. Urena supports his top two pitches with a flat-attack four-seamer and a harder sweeper. His high groundball rate allows him to overcome some command shortcomings by generating weak contact and plenty of outs in the field.
Urena has benefited from a fairly lucky average on balls in play, so it would be nice to see him produce more high-whiff outings like the one he had against the Yankees in late August. The changeup was the star of that game, featuring 17 inches of horizontal break. Urena also attacked the zone aggressively, landing 76% of his first pitches for strikes.
That aggressive approach comes with a trade-off, however. Urena got away with nine hard-hit balls in the same outing, illustrating the downside of living in the zone without overpowering hitters consistently. The Angels have improved defensively, and that support will need to continue into 2027, as Urena can still give up fairly square contact even when he is striking hitters out.
His most recent start before this article offered an even clearer example of the upside. Urena went eight innings against the Pirates, allowing only one walk and three hits, although he also surrendered ten hard-hit balls. The encouraging part was the velocity, as his sinker reached 101 mph.
Urena is a clear upside arm heading into 2027. He has the arsenal to handle more innings, and if he can make even modest progress with his command, the combination of velocity, groundballs, and a dominant changeup could make him a valuable member of the Angels’ pitching staff.
Jake Bennett, Boston Red Sox
6’6″, 25 years old, LHP
When I posted a game recap of Jake Bennett in late April, someone asked whether Bennett was a “poor man’s Colton Gordon,” whom Houston subsequently traded to Milwaukee. To me, that comparison was a clear indication that people were sleeping on Bennett. He shares many of the same traits that have made Payton Tolle so successful, even if the two pitchers arrive at those results in slightly different ways.
Both lead with their fastball and sinker, throw from the left side, and generate over 7 feet of extension. The primary difference is velocity, with Bennett sitting 3 ticks below Tolle across his arsenal. Even so, Bennett continues to succeed through excellent east-west movement, particularly with an 80 mph sweeper that has produced a 40% whiff rate.
The sweeper could become more difficult to use next season once hitters have more tape. Bennett throws it frequently in two-strike counts, and its low strike rate may allow batters to simply lay off the pitch more often. That makes the development of his changeup especially important, as it could provide another source of swing-and-miss from his primary horizontally moving pitch.
Bennett has also greatly surpassed his previous season-high in innings while averaging three full times through the order. In doing so, he has far exceeded the trade value return the organization likely expected. For 2027, he will probably compete with any free-agent signing or the return of injured arms such as Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford, assuming they re-sign.
Even with that competition, Bennett profiles as a solid back-of-the-rotation starter who can manage opposing lineups for 6-7 innings. His lower velocity creates a narrower margin for error, but the movement, extension, durability, and ability to work deep into games give him a legitimate chance to remain useful.
Didier Fuentes, Atlanta Braves
6’0″, 20 years old, RHP
Move over, Los Angeles Angels—the Atlanta Braves have become one of baseball’s fastest-moving organizations when it comes to promoting rising prospects. Atlanta has shown a willingness to move quickly when a young arm earns the opportunity, and Didier Fuentes is the latest example.
After only one start in Triple-A and at 19 years old, Fuentes made four starts during the summer of 2025 that were fairly forgettable. He reemerged during spring training as a rotation candidate, with the Braves desperately in need of both starters and strong performances. Fuentes responded by striking out 18 Major Leaguers while allowing only one walk and one earned run during his preseason tuneup.
The spring performance gave us something to dream on, but it soon became clear that Atlanta was comfortable using Fuentes out of the bullpen. Much of his current value is built around short bursts of production, but his future remains bright thanks to a strong 1-2 punch of a 97 mph four-seamer and a hard slider.
Hopefully, the bullpen role has also given Fuentes time to develop a reliable third pitch that could eventually help him return to the rotation. He currently throws a below-average curveball and has been auditioning a splitter against lefties. Given his low arm slot, it is somewhat surprising that he doesn’t have more pitches with significant armside movement, such as a changeup or sinker.
Fuentes does not currently have a glaring weakness against either side of the plate, although left-handed hitters have posted a higher slugging percentage and accounted for five home runs compared with zero for righties. That split is worth monitoring as he continues to develop.
With Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach unavailable next season, Atlanta could use Fuentes to replace one of the other four expiring contracts currently on the roster. A return to the rotation would provide him with a chance to turn his impressive fastball-slider combination into a more complete starter’s arsenal.
K% – BB% Leaders
Here are a few prospect pitchers who rank highly on the leaderboard for their strikeout-to-walk rate.
*stats are for MLB appearances only
Will Dion, Washington Nationals
5’10”, 26 years old, LHP
Sometimes a player can go nearly unnoticed despite our efforts to track results, stuff, and prospect hype. Will Dion has fallen into that category. He hadn’t shown much starter potential since posting a 2.39 ERA, 28 K%, and 7 BB% across 116.2 innings in 2023. Although he finished 2025 as a starter, his role changed to relief from the beginning of this 2026 season.
In Triple-A Columbus, Dion commanded his five-pitch arsenal exceptionally well, allowing only five walks across 36 innings. The mix features three fastballs, all below 91 mph, complemented by an average curveball and a dynamic changeup. Not much has changed in the Major Leagues, but the changeup is still cooking. His left-handedness and extremely high arm angle add some deception, helping the arsenal play up despite the modest velocity.
After being traded to Washington, Dion has received some opportunities as a starter or bulk follower. The Nationals have plenty of top arms in the minor leagues, but their upper-minors teams are currently short on talent. That could create an opening for Dion, especially if he continues to produce positive results.
Some of his ratio stats may be inflated by the ability to maximize his stuff in shorter outings. Still, the recent success and early minor-league performance provide reason for optimism. Dion may not have been on anyone’s radar entering the season, yet a strong finish could put him in the mix for a rotation spot in 2027.
Mick Abel, Minnesota Twins
6’5″, 25 years old, RHP
The future looks bright for Minnesota Twins starters even as Mick Abel spent the majority of 2026 on the injured list after elbow surgery in late June. Before the injury, Abel was showing off a deep arsenal with upper 90s velocity and elite extension. In his brief season, he posted decent strikeout rates, but still had a walk rate that was a touch too high for comfort. He has easily graduated from Triple-A, so Minnesota should feature him right out of the gate once healthy.
Connor Prielipp, Minnesota Twins
6’2″, 25 years old, LHP
Big spin is a quick way to describe Connor Prielipp’s game. His hard slider is his most-used pitch, but the curveball is the true spin monster, generating over 3200 rpm and producing big whiff and strikeout totals. The pitch has decent drop and more than 13 inches of horizontal break, a combination that has somehow allowed it to generate plenty of swing-and-miss even when it enters the zone.
Prielipp’s next step toward consistency may be improving his 96 mph four-seamer. The heater features fairly average induced vertical break, which has translated into a low zone rate, poor whiff rate, high fly ball rate, and plenty of balls in play. With a repertoire that relies so heavily on spin, it makes sense that Prielipp’s control can come and go. He endured a stretch of four games with multiple walks, a home run allowed, and at least three earned runs, but he has also sandwiched in stretches that helped keep his walk rate below 9% and his strikeout rate around 25%.
The high point was a ten-strikeout game against the Rockies, showing what the arsenal can produce when everything is working. Prielipp has the necessary ingredients, including a 96 mph fastball and two breaking balls capable of generating whiffs. He has also shown enough success in shorter stretches to suggest that more consistency could be within reach.
Games Started Leaders
Here are a few prospect pitchers who graduated to the Major Leagues and reached the top of the leaderboard in games started at that level.
*stats are for MLB appearances only
Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies
6’7″, 23 years old, RHP
It took three-plus seasons, but Andrew Painter finally arrived on the scene. Back in March 2023, there were reports that he had a small chance to make the rotation as a 19-year-old out of spring training. He threw two innings in the Grapefruit League, then disappeared with an injury for two years.
Now, in September 2026, Painter is pumping 97 mph heaters for Philadelphia. He is also throwing more changeups as he looks to neutralize left-handed hitters and take some pressure off his “bad” fastball. The heater was the source of many of his issues in 2025, and it has improved only marginally after a midseason Triple-A tune-up.
Painter’s value is much higher* as we head into the fantasy baseball playoffs, especially when he generates quality start after quality start* (hahaha…see note). The larger question is whether this version of Painter can carry that momentum into a full season. With back-to-back healthy seasons and a better understanding of his pitching identity, 2027 should be a much stronger year out of the gate for Painter.
*Originally, I wrote “sky high” and then saw that he was missing the target on Tuesday, serving up a perfect low inside sinker to Christian Walker for a three-run home run. Alas, he did not earn a quality start against the Astros.
Brandon Sproat, Milwaukee Brewers
6’3″, 25 years old, RHP
Brandon Sproat was the last member of the Mets’ big three pitching prospects to make his debut in 2025, despite entering the season as the highest-ranked of the group. While Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong surged past him, Sproat struggled to maintain both his command and fastball velocity during the first half.
A move to a new organization in 2026 has brought a smoother version of Sproat to the mound. The righty generates easy velocity with a low-slot whip, and his arm angle creates natural cut on his pitches. That helps produce the horizontal movement on his quality sinker, sweeper, and changeup. Add those offerings to his 96 mph heaters, and there is enough raw material to expect better results.
Milwaukee gave Sproat plenty of opportunities to figure things out, but the organization had too many quality arms to let him continue struggling at the expense of its playoff chances. Sproat is now grinding in Nashville, where he has reduced his sinker and cutter usage while throwing more curveballs. Neither the cutter nor sinker was missing many bats, and both produced poor batted-ball results.
Sproat also appears to have changed his starting point on the mound, an adjustment that could help him create better angles against hitters and reduce the midsummer spike in home runs. As he finishes the season up with the Brewers (promoted September 7), the focus will be on whether he can find success in shorter stints as a bulk reliever and build some value heading into next season.
Gage Jump, Athletics
6’0″, 23 years old, LHP
There have been plenty of growing pains, but Gage Jump can consider 2026 a success, as he should surpass twenty Major League starts by the end of September. The 6-foot lefty was a mysterious prospect just a few years ago after missing time while recovering from Tommy John surgery. When he finally emerged, the hitch in his delivery looked so severe that I thought another arm injury was inevitable. Not only has he beaten that negative forecast, but he is now throwing a harder fastball with the same short-arm delivery.
There was a midsummer lull, however, as Jump’s command suffered and his lack of quality out pitches against right-handed hitters became more apparent. Even so, prospect hounds should be excited that the Athletics gave him so much time in the rotation rather than waiting until he was fully baked. The experience should help him make the adjustments necessary to take the next step.
Jump will need to apply those lessons to reduce the fly balls, especially given his current and future home ballpark. The changeup and curveball also need to take on a larger role, both because of the poor results against righties and because they can relieve some of the pressure created by his heavy fastball usage. The offseason should provide an opportunity to clean up the mechanics as well, particularly with the wide variation in arm angles and release points across his pitches.
It would be great to see Jump put together a full, healthy season with the Athletics. The foundation is there, and another year of experience could help turn the exciting stuff into more consistent results.
Shane Drohan, Milwaukee Brewers
6’3″, 27 years old, LHP
Shane Drohan did appear on the stash-list radar early in April, but the Brewers promoted him so quickly that he never officially made the list. Drohan finished 2025 strongly after missing time with an injury. Those starts were abbreviated, but they were enough to produce a 34 K% and 9 BB%.
During his brief Triple-A stint in 2026, Drohan leaned on his three fastballs. After his promotion, he was initially placed in the bullpen before finally getting an opportunity to start in June. His fastball velocity is up, and the pitch’s combination with his slider has led to a high number of whiffs. The slider is driving most of his success, while the four-seamer has been less effective with its current flatter attack angle. Reducing its usage could be beneficial. His sinker has a similar movement profile to the four-seamer and has also been hit hard.
Regardless, some offseason tinkering with the pitch mix will be vital to Drohan’s prospects as a starter. He has posted a 17% swinging strike rate this season, suggesting there may be a higher ceiling in his profile than the surface results indicate.
Stash List Appearances Leaders
Here are a few notable prospect pitchers who frequently appeared on the Stash List.
*stats are for MLB appearances only
Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners
6’2″, 22 years old, LHP
It was another season in which a highly anticipated prospect remained on the stash list for so long that his eventual Major League results could not live up to the expectations. Kade Anderson joins Andrew Painter and Bubba Chandler as season-long holds who probably should not have been treated that way. Anderson has made a few lackluster starts in which the fastball velocity—or lack thereof—overshadowed everything else he did on the mound.
The 22-year-old lefty still has plenty of time to develop into a different pitcher, but command will remain the priority. Better strike throwing should help him produce solid quality starts, even if it means fewer of the double-digit strikeout performances he routinely delivered in Double-A. Given these middling results, Anderson’s 2027 draft value should take a hit, making him more of a complementary upside arm to monitor than a pitcher to build a fantasy staff around.
I also agree with the recent podcast discussion—I believe it was Chris Tower on CBS—that a coaching-staff change could be looming in Seattle after so many down seasons from the organization’s starters. Regardless of who is in charge, Anderson’s assignment is clear: improve the fastball’s movement and velocity so it can better complement his secondaries.
Anything short of a tick more velocity or additional fastball break during spring training could signal that Fall 2026 represents Anderson’s Major League ceiling, rather than the beginning of a longer-term breakout. A useful next step is to track his fastball metrics and strike-throwing closely in spring training before deciding whether he belongs on your 2027 fantasy team.
Brody Hopkins, Tampa Bay Rays
6’4″, 24 years old, RHP
Let’s strip away the ratios and focus on what makes Brody Hopkins such an intriguing arm. The fastball offers decent vertical break, but it can reach 96-100 mph. That heater is supported by a 92 mph cutter, an 85 mph curveball that functions almost like an offspeed pitch, and a 93 mph changeup with 12 inches of break. The batted-ball data is fairly clean, while the whiff rates remain above average. Add in an athletic delivery and encouraging arm health, and it becomes easy to understand why people kept expecting a breakout.
The problem has always been control. The arsenal is good enough to generate excitement, but Hopkins has struggled to consistently put hitters away without giving them free passes. Happily, there is some encouraging news: since moving to strictly bullpen duty in mid-August, his strike rate and walk rate have returned to acceptable levels at 62% and 13.8%, while the strikeout stuff has been excellent, with a 39 K% and 22% swinging-strike rate.
The pitch-mix adjustment is especially notable. Hopkins has greatly reduced his cutter usage, a pitch that was getting hit around, while emphasizing his excellent curveball. As expected, the shorter bursts have allowed his stuff to play up, and the whiff rates have surged. This is the version of Hopkins that made him such an appealing prospect in the first place.
Tampa Bay will likely have to use Hopkins in a bullpen role, but perhaps—just perhaps—the organization will give him one more opportunity to start in 2027. It is difficult to see that path right now, although Hopkins is still relatively new to pitching after functioning as a two-way player in his final season at Winthrop. His .288 batting average and nine home runs were not too shabby, either.
Hopkins remains the kind of dynamic pitcher who could be one, two, or three adjustments away from meeting the expectations we had for him at the start of the season. The recent bullpen success does not erase the command concerns, but it does show that the underlying stuff is still capable of producing impact results.
Jack Wenninger, New York Mets
6’4″, 24 years old, RHP
After Brandon Sproat, Jack Wenninger was next in line to help form an awesome young core of starters for the New York Mets. McLean, Tong, Sproat, and Wenninger, alongside Freddy Peralta, Kodai Senga, and Christian Scott, looked like the foundation of a rotation built to carry a guaranteed playoff team. Unfortunately, both the Mets and Wenninger’s stock plummeted. The walks piled up as he consistently missed the zone, resulting in a 57% strike rate that is well below average. With his four-seamer velocity down and his strike rate sinking, Wenninger was forced to lean more heavily on his lowly graded sinker whenever he fell behind in the count.
That is not a recipe for success. We need to see more changeups and sliders, but that starts with improving his fastball offerings. Wenninger must be able to get ahead in counts and make hitters respect his primary fastball before his best secondary pitches can do their damage. Featuring those better weapons more often should help revive a swinging-strike rate that has fallen off while also generating more ground balls.
This is, by far, the worst control Wenninger has shown in his career, so he deserves one free pass to prove he can regain his command in 2027. That is especially fair considering his 60-grade command and sub-10% walk rates over the last two full seasons. Wenninger still has the ceiling of a durable workhorse with moderate strikeout upside, but the margin for error has narrowed considerably. If he can rediscover the 97 mph challenge fastball he flashed in late 2025, his outlook could change quickly. For now, though, his path back to a Major League promotion begins with throwing more strikes and giving his best pitches a chance to matter.
River Ryan, Los Angeles Dodgers / Detroit Tigers
6’2″, 27 years old, RHP
The most disappointing prospect stash of 2026 is easily River Ryan. The 6’2″ righty appeared on the stash list 14 times, peaking at number one in mid-June, before a second hamstring injury sent his season into the gutter and sidelined him until this past week. The biggest saving grace for his dynasty value is that he has finally been freed from the wretched grasp of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher development system. Ryan was part of the Tarik Skubal trade, as the Dodgers were likely to block his path by acquiring a big-name free agent pitcher in the offseason, anyways. Now, the open question is whether River Ryan or fellow 27-year-old Jackson Wolf will make it to Detroit first.
That query sounds preposterous, but Ryan’s stock has fallen that far because of his poor health record. On the other hand, you can’t give up too quickly on someone who has never received consistent run and possesses an arsenal this nasty. Ryan leads with a 97 mph four-seamer and a hard-breaking 91 mph slider. That breaker is up a few ticks with Triple-A Toledo and still looks like his best pitch. It’s kind of ridiculous that he also throws a cutter at 94 mph! Similar to Brody Hopkins, Ryan also mixes in a high-spin, high-velo curveball that gives him another effective whiff pitch.
And, just like Hopkins, we desperately want to see how Ryan’s stuff and skills hold up against the highest level of competition. The problem is that Ryan first has to build up a body capable of handling the more rigorous demands of a major-league starter. He hasn’t surpassed 104 innings since 2023, and he’ll be lucky to eclipse 50 innings this season. That makes him an unexpected candidate to see more work in the Arizona Fall League or in winter games of a similar level.
For now, the dynasty value is hanging on by a thread, but the talent remains obvious. The arsenal is there. The fastball-slider combination is there. The secondary weapons are there. Ryan just needs to stay healthy long enough to show what all those tools can do in the Major Leagues.
Prospect Pitcher Potpourri
Here is a sprinkle of prospect pitchers with notable success or failure in 2026.
*stats are for MLB appearances only
Andrew Alvarez, Washington Nationals
6’3″, 27 years old, LHP
Andrew Alvarez is another one of the low-velo lefties who are having substantial success in the Major Leagues. And by “success”, I mean that he is giving his team length in a game and keeping runs off the board. The strikeouts aren’t really there, but he induces weak contact on the ground with big-spin breakers (curveball and slider). Any small improvement with the fastball and he could be a solid 6-7 starter on your deep fantasy team.
Quinn Mathews, St. Louis Cardinals
6’5″, 25 years old, LHP
It finally came together for the 2024 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Quinn Mathews dealt with arm troubles in 2025 that prevented him from blossoming into the prospect his hype suggested he could become. His control fell off a cliff, with his walk rate doubling year-over-year to 17%. But 2026 has brought a much-needed return to normalcy. While his fastball velocity still hovers in the low 90s, Mathews is once again regularly throwing 90+ pitches per game—a strong signal that his arm is healthy and his workload is back on track.
The 6’5″ lefty is also working from a slightly lower arm angle, which could be the result of a change to his torso, rotation, or another mechanical tweak. That is notable because lowering the arm slot is sometimes used to reduce injury risk. But he uses a madman style to the delivery: Mathews’ arm slots vary considerably by pitch type, and that inconsistency could help explain why the walk rate remains elevated.
The good news is that the stuff is finally getting a chance to play. Mathews is now in the Major Leagues with the ascending Cardinals, where his changeup has generated a tremendous 40% whiff rate. After the setbacks of 2025, simply seeing Mathews healthy, handling a full workload, and missing bats again is a massive development. If the command continues to trend in the right direction, Mathews looks ready to become an important piece for St. Louis in 2027 and beyond.
Jackson Kent, Washington Nationals
6’3″, 23 years old, LHP
A cross between Payton Tolle and Parker Messick, Jackson Kent features a mid-90s fastball with a dynamite changeup. Kent has had a tougher transition to Washington with the command, something that should improve with more seasoning given his sub-9% walk rates in past Minor League seasons. He profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter with quality start upside as the expectation.
Jaxon Wiggins, Chicago Cubs
6’6″, 24 years old, RHP
Jaxon Wiggins is another pitcher in the Brody Hopkins mold: a power fastball, a big curveball, and horribly inconsistent command. Unfortunately, Wiggins also has a fastball conundrum similar to the one Andrew Painter faced in 2025. His four-seamer is straight as an arrow, with downward tilt from his high release point that puts it right in line with a hitter’s power swing. To make matters worse, Wiggins doesn’t consistently control the pitch, often leaving it out of the zone for non-competitive offerings.
His sequencing does benefit from the ability to blend an 88 mph cutter and an 88 mph changeup from similar release points. However, he rarely uses the changeup against righties, while the batted-ball data suggests he needs more oomph from either the cutter or curveball. Without a truly reliable fastball or a secondary pitch capable of consistently generating whiffs, Wiggins has struggled to turn his impressive arsenal into a dependable weapon.
Wiggins will be 25 years old entering the 2027 season and is dangerously close to being relegated to the bullpen. Even in eight games as a reliever, the fastball command remains spotty, and, worse yet, the whiffs have disappeared. The positive is that Wiggins has still been an effective run preventer who minimizes contact. But that profile only goes so far if he cannot consistently locate his fastball or miss bats. His next step is clear: sharpen the fastball command and find a secondary pitch that can produce swings and misses before the clock runs out on his opportunity to start.
Robby Snelling & Thomas White, Miami Marlins
6’3″, 22 years old, LHP & 6’5″, 22 years old, LHP
Robby Snelling was an absolute workhorse at the end of 2025, reaching the sixth inning or beyond in seven consecutive starts. The fastball and curveball combination was electric, helping him generate a ridiculous 40% strikeout rate in Triple-A Jacksonville alone. Snelling began 2026 back with the Jumbo Shrimp before making a single start with Miami. A few days later, he was diagnosed with a tear in his left UCL that led to surgery. At only 22 years old, there is plenty of time left to re-establish himself as a durable arm.
Thomas White suffered a similar season-ending fate as Snelling, but fell due to a left shoulder capsular sprain. In 2025, White was positioning himself as the best pitching prospect in baseball, but the control was extremely poor. In 2026, I was tracking the number of times White reached ball-three on a batter because it felt like it was happening so frequently. The horrid command was taking attention away from all the good things: high swinging strike rate, quality sweeper, and 96 mph four-seamer. All the prospect shine was tarnished because he couldn’t reliably throw a strike. And it’s anyone’s guess if things will improve next time, but he has age on his side, being 21 years old with not too many innings on his arm.
Carlos Lagrange, New York Yankees
6’7″, 23 years old, RHP
Last but not least is one of the most intriguing arms in Triple-A. Carlos Lagrange boasts four pitch types over 90 mph, but curiously wasn’t missing many bats with this high-power repertoire. In fact, hitters were barrelling up his 99 mph four-seamer with ease. Many stash articles pleaded for a reduction of the heater in favor of more sliders and changeups. He also has a short stride towards home, which doesn’t allow him to leverage much energy from his 6’7″ frame. If he maintains that level of casual delivery when he returns from the injured list (right shoulder strain), then the closer and bullpen will be his ultimate destiny. The best part about writing that is that he would easily put him on the Mason Miller trajectory in that role.
