There are plenty of top prospects who are in their first MLB camps this spring training. Top prospects will be making their attempts to break onto Opening Day rosters, young pitchers will be proving what they have for open rotation spots, and some will be evaluated on a sink or swim approach to see if they need more time in the Minors for the first parts of the 2026 season. Having just spent the last week in Fort Myers evaluating the players in Twins camp, prospect story lines are fresh on my mind. So here are five dynasty story lines for fantasy managers to follow as MLB spring training gets into its first full week of games.
Dynasty Storylines for Fantasy Managers to Follow
Will Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle, or Jesús Made make their respective Opening Day Rosters?
Arguably, the three best prospects in baseball right now, the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin, the Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle, and Jesús Made of the Brewers, have all been headlining their respective team’s non-roster invitee lists.
Griffin made headlines throughout the Pirates system last season, as he exceeded expectations at each level, hitting at least .325 or higher between Low-A, High-A, and Triple-A, and putting up a collective .333/.415/.527 slash line with 21 home runs, 94 RBI, 65 stolen bases, a 8.9% walk rate, and 21.7% strikeout rate. The strikeout numbers became a bit more exposed for Griffin at the end of the year in Double-A, seeing his strikeout rate jump to 23.5% and his walk rate sat at 7.1% over 563 plate appearances. However, he was a 19-year-old kid with a meteoric rise through the system and was 5.7 years younger than the average age of pitchers in the Eastern League. These hicups are to be expected, but the fact that he was able to put up a 20/60 season during his first year in pro ball will elevate any player’s status from where they were drafted. This hot-hitting performance has already put Griffin in contention for the Opening Day shortstop role for the Pirates. Their depth at the position is light, and it would be a very aggressive push by Pittsburgh, but if he could hold his own to start the first two months of his career, then he’ll prove to be one of the best draft picks the Pirates have had this century.
The Tigers’ McGonigle was another infield prospect with a meteoric rise from Low-A to Double-A in 2025. Though he was limited to just 88 games due to an ankle injury to start out the 2025 season, McGonigle still put up impressive numbers across all levels, posting a .305/.408/.583 slash line with 19 home runs, 80 RBI, 10 stolen bases, a 11.6% strikeout rate, and 14.9% walk rate over 397 plate appearances. McGonigle has strong defensive versatility at every infield position outside of first base. He projects as a third base option long-term, which is where the Tigers currently have the weakest depth on the depth chart going into 2026. McGonigle is likely to start 2026 in the Minors, but if he has a hot start to the season, whereas Colt Keith underperforms again. Then, by Memorial Day weekend, the starting third base role for the Tigers could be completely lined up for McGonigle.
The youngest player in the Brewers camp this spring, Made performed decently for half the year in Low-A Carolina, where he hit .267/.373/.388 with four home runs, 46 RBI, a 14% walk rate, and 20.6% over 378 plate appearances. What earned Made a promotion to High-A Wisconsin Rapids was his speed, as he swiped 40 bags over the 83 games he played in Low-A. Though limited to just 27 games with the Timber Rattlers, Made went on a tear at the plate, putting up a .343/.415/.500 slash line with two home runs, 12 RBI, and just five stolen bases. While the speed declined, his 10.6% walk rate and 17.9% strikeout rate against pitchers 5.1 years older than him on average earned Made another promotion to Double-A before the season was over. If Made plays in the Majors this season, he will be the first teenager in the league since 2019 when RHP Elivs Luciano made his MLB debut in late September. However, with Made turning 19 on May 7, and a wide 33.3% strikeout rate and 4.2% walk rate over 24 plate appearances in Double-A will likely start the season back there.
Between the three, Griffin is the leader in the complexes to be the star prospect that makes their respective Major League team, but McGonigle and Made’s spring will also be interesting to follow, as one or two injuries to a veteran player could open the door for them to make their teams.
When will one of the Twins’ Big Three Hitting Prospects become a Staple in their MLB Lineup?
The Twins have three top-hitting prospects that are knocking on the door of the Majors as the 2026 season gets underway. Their #1 prospect, Walker Jenkins, #2 prospect Kaelen Culpepper, and #4 prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez are all taking part in MLB camp, and Rodriguez has been the early favorite for an early-season call-up if his hot start to spring training carries over to the beginning of the Triple-A Season.
Rodriguez has already had two impressive home runs over his first two games this spring, and the question surrounding him will always be whether he can remain healthy. Rodriguez has never played more than 99 games in a season since he made his pro debut in 2021, but when healthy, he has showcased some of the best strikezone judgement across all of MiLB, having a walk rate of 20.2% each year since 2022. If Rodriguez can remain healthy and reinforce the Twins’ outfield with his hit tools and defense by May, then the Twins are looking much better for the 2026 season. However, he also has a prospect floor where, if he suffers another major injury, then he may never be more than a fourth outfielder on a rebuilding team.
Culpepper and Jenkins are both locks to begin their 2026 seasons in Triple-A with a little more runway time on when they could be arrving to the Majors. Culpepper earned the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year honors last season, despite having a drop off at the plate in August and September. He still accomplished a 20/20 season, with .289/.375/.469 slash line, 9.7% walk rate, and 17.4% strikeout rate over 513 plate appearances.
But Culpepper is hungry to keep his consistency from April through July, a mark for the entire 2026 season, and spending the off-season working out with future MLB teammates Royce Lewis and Taj Bradley was a huge help for him.
“Just learning those guys, their routines are pretty crazy, pretty structured,” Culpepper said. “You kind of expect a lot from them, especially them being like the face of MLB and guys like that, high-level players and stuff like that. It helped out a lot. I think I salvaged my routine, and they helped me do that, and I thank those guys, but those are incredible people.”
Jenkins ended the 2026 season as the youngest player in the International League, and had some ups and downs, but is coming into camp with a swing that emulates Hall of Famer and Twins Legend Joe Mauer. Everyone in camp can see the similarities in his swing’s follow-through to Mauer’s, and with a little more power, showcasing early in BP sessions. There’s a lot to be excited about what Jenkins could do for the Twins in 2026.
“Feel great, I feel like I’m in a really good spot,” Jenkins said on his swing. “I sure hope so, if I get that kind of praise I’ll definitely take it.”
Will the Mets Let Nolan McLean Off the Leash in April?
Nolan McLean is entering the 2026 season as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, and he’s earned his title following a solid eight-start stretch with the Mets to end the year. McLean posted a 2.06 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 30.3% strikeout rate, 8.5%. and 2.97 FIP over 48 innings of work.
The Mets’ front end of the rotation appears to be locked in with Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, and David Peterson, but there are still a couple of spots that are up for grabs between McLean, Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, and Jonah Tong. McLean’s impressive debut in 2025 makes him an early favorite for one of these two spots up for grabs.
Manaea is coming off a down year in 2025, where he was limited to just 12 starts and 15 outings, as he battled through an elbow and oblique strain. When he was healthy, his results on the mound weren’t as strong as in 2024, as he had a 5.64 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 28.5% striekout rate, and 4.6% walk rate over 6.2 innings. Senga bounced back well in 2025 after missing nearly all of 2024 due to a calf injury. He still saw some time on the IL due to a hamstring injury, but had a 3.02 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 22.6% strikeout rate, and 11.4% walk rate over 113.1 innings pitched across 22 starts. While Senga bounced back well, he was still included in trade talks the Mets had this offseason. Despite that, Senga is in camp to prove he is locked in for one of the two open spots in the Mets’ rotation.
While Tong invoked some memories of Tim Lincecum over his five starts with the Mets in 2025, his performance on the mound was the opposite of that of his fellow rookie, McLean. Tong had a 7.71 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 25.3% strikeout rate, and 10.3% walk rate over 18.2 innings of work. Even if Tong rebounds with an impressive spring training, he is likely to start the season in Triple-A Syracuse and have a bit more of a runway to work out his strengths and adjust to hitters as necessary before the Mets call upon him again.
As long as McLean remains healthy, he looks like a lock for the Mets Opening Day rotation, especially if they opt to move Manaea into a long relief role as he was in at the end of 2025. Aside from his sweeper, all of McLean’s pitches worked well against opposing hitters in the Majors, and if that holds, then he will be the sophomore starter all dynasty owners will want to have in their rotations.
Will Carter Jensen Take Over the Catching Reigns from Salvador Perez?
Salvador Perez has held down catcher for the Royals for 15 seasons, but the future may finally be arriving in Kansas City behind the dish as born and raised Kansas City native, Carter Jensen, made headway over his small sample size in the Majors to finish out 2025. The 22-year-old had an impressive 20-game stretch to begin his MLB career, putting up a .300/.391/.550 slash line, with three home runs, 13 RBI, a 13.0% walk rate, and 17.4% strikeout rate over 69 plate appearances.
With Perez as the starting catcher for Team Venezuela for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, Jensen will get plenty of in-game reps behind the plate in camp. Perez still caught the most games behind the dish for the Royals last season with 92, but still had 38 games at first base and 30 penciled in at DH, the Royals may continue to gradually move Perez away from more starts at catcher this season, but their first base/DH platoon will have plenty of strong depth in it with Vinnie Pasquatino, and Jac Cagalionone getting reps at both positions.
If Jensen can keep up his performance from the end of 2025, then there’s no question he will begin to fulfill the starting catching duties for his hometown team for the 2026 season.
Will any 2025 Draftees Accelerate Their Promotion Timeline?
The trend to accelerate prospects to the Majors at a quicker pace has been a common sight in the 2020s, especially for collegiate draft picks. Nick Kurtz, Chase Burnes, Jac Cagalionone, and Trey Yesavage were just several of the many 2024 Draft Class picks who made their MLB debuts within a year of their draft class.
The 2025 Draft Class may not be moving as quickly to the Majors as some of the 2024 first-round picks did this past season, though. The Cardinals’ first-round pick LHP Liam Doyle, and the Athletics ‘ fifth-round pick, RHP Zane Taylor, out of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, were the only two members of their draft class to debut at Double-A or Triple-A to make their pro debuts.
That’s not to say more players from the previous draft class will not follow behind them and reach the upper levels of the Minors or the Majors before the Fourth of July. The Brewers could very much have their first-round pick, Andrew Fisher, on the fast track to help bolster their corner infield depth after trading away Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox earlier this month.
Dynasty owners should anticipate a slower climb to the Majors for this previous draft class, but they shouldn’t expect zero first-year players in their leagues not to make it in 2025. Doyle, Taylor, and Fisher are a few early favorites as spring training games begin, but none will be reaching the Majors anytime before spring turns into summer.
