Predicting the Top Pitching Prospect Contributors of 2027
It’s time to look ahead to the potential 2027 stash-list candidates and identify the prospects whose dynasty value could soar this offseason once forecasts and annual recaps put their 2026 performances under the microscope.
You can find game film on every pitcher on the list on my Twitter account @YGMfantasy, where I post over 20 game clips weekly.
The Regulars
These players were regularly featured on the 2026 stash list.
River Ryan is on a new team, but not performing anything like the hyped up prospect we were dreaming on at the start of the season. Two stints on the injured list for hamstring injuries have wiped away some of the goodwill people felt toward the “veteran prospect”. However, the stuff looks great on paper. He is flexing a six-pitch arsenal led by a 97 mph four-seamer with great vertical break, followed by a high-spin curveball and a wide-breaking changeup.
Ryan hasn’t amassed enough innings to assess whether or not he is doing anything different with Detroit. Yet the velocity, release point, and mix are virtually identical over four total innings. It is not a guarantee that Ryan gets a long look as a starter with the Major League club in 2027, as he has not thrown more than 41 innings since he had Tommy John surgery in 2024. His pathway now looks like the 2025 usage of Troy Melton, bouncing between follower and starter as a way to limit his pitch count and total innings.
Verdict: Watch in Redraft, Dynasty Buy.
JR Ritchie is flashing elite stuff here at the end of the 2026 season. The velocity was up two ticks in his latest start to 97 mph, with his devastating curveball working well. With multiple high strikeout games in September, Ritchie is making his case that he has graduated from the Minor Leagues. Unfortunately, the Braves likely place more weight on his below-average 6% K%-BB% and poor home run rate while up with the parent squad. Outside his Major League debut, when he had seven strikeouts, Ritchie has not been the same kind of bat-misser. It’s possible with a stronger fastball and classic over-the-head windup, the opposition will be mesmerized often enough that he can drop in a curveball or sneak in a changeup.
Verdict: Watch.
Jurrangelo Cijntje isn’t a switch pitcher anymore, no matter how badly websites want to keep labeling him one. It’s been many weeks since he even attempted a throw from the left side, and only 19 of his 849 (2.2%) Triple-A pitches (before this week) have come as a lefty. And honestly, that’s something to be excited about: Cijntje is simply a much better pitcher from the right side.
The right-handed version brings a fairly strong slider and four-seamer, giving him enough stuff to keep the ball on the ground while working efficiently through opposing lineups. The fastball gets a boost from his low release height. Furthermore, his BABIP and ERA have been much higher than his average against and FIP, suggesting there is room for the results to improve, particularly with the superior infield defense of the Cardinals behind him. Cijntje may never be a massive bat-misser, but he doesn’t need to be if the deep arsenal allows him to consistently navigate six innings and put himself in position for a quality start.
The Cardinals have numerous options for their rotation, but Cijntje should absolutely get a look in spring training. The switch-pitcher novelty is becoming less relevant by the week; the right-handed version is the one that matters. If the Cardinals give him a chance to start, Cijntje has enough weapons and ground-ball ability to make a legitimate push for a rotation spot in 2027.
Verdict: Buy.
Nestor German would slot in well next to Kyle Bradish on the Orioles pitching staff. They both have high, over-the-top arm slots, but German utilizes that height with greater effect. His secondaries appear from the heavens, with a curveball plummeting 60 inches, a slider falling 44 inches, and his splitter dropping 36 inches. The latter of those pitches is his highest-graded offering, with a 49% whiff rate. Hopefully, he recovers from right shoulder discomfort that sent him to the injured list in time to compete for a rotation spot in the spring.
Verdict: Avoid.
Garrett Baumann is another Braves pitcher taking the curious elevator between Triple-A Gwinnett and Double-A Columbus. It’s only about a two-hour drive, although an unexpected delay passing through Atlanta can make that trip considerably longer. Lucas Braun and Drue Hackenberg have taken the same winding route through the system, and both emerged with much better results afterward. Whether that’s intentional development or simply the realities of the Braves’ pitching depth, Baumann has followed the same path.
The bigger concern came recently, when Baumann was removed from a start after a dip in velocity. Before the potential injured-list stint, he wasn’t showing overwhelming stuff, but he was producing average results across a six-pitch arsenal while repeating his mechanics surprisingly well for a 6’8″ pitcher. The splitter was his best-performing pitch and gave him an important weapon against lefties, who had been hitting him particularly hard.
The immediate question is whether the velocity returns. If Baumann can get back to 96 mph, suddenly there’s a much more interesting arm to track heading into spring training. Atlanta could have several rotation spots up for grabs with a number of contracts expiring, and Baumann’s deep arsenal gives him something to work with. The next few months will tell us whether he’s simply a big-bodied depth arm or a pitcher with enough stuff to force his way into the Braves’ 2027 rotation conversation.
Verdict: Watch.
Jonathan Santucci is the latest Mets pitching prospect to tantalize with a combination of stuff and upside. The 6’2″ lefty is generating big whiff rates with his secondary pitches, and he has weapons against both sides of the plate. The slider and curveball can miss bats against both righties and lefties, while the high-velocity changeup gives him a dedicated weapon for neutralizing right-handed hitters.
The standout characteristic, though, is the delivery. Santucci brings a high arm angle from the left side while getting excellent extension, creating a unique look that hitters don’t see often. His release is even higher than Zac Thornton’s, but Santucci brings two ticks more fastball velocity to the equation. That’s a pretty nasty combination of deception and stuff if he can put it all together.
The biggest question is whether Santucci can improve the fastball while maintaining control of all those secondaries. If he can make the heater more effective without sacrificing the command that allows his breaking balls and changeup to play, the arsenal could move quickly. A healed-up Tylor Megill or the return of Robert Stock shouldn’t present a major obstacle for Santucci to overcome in 2027. The Mets have another intriguing arm coming, and Santucci has the stuff to force his way into the conversation.
Verdict: Buy.
The Upsiders
These players have not reached Triple-A, but have momentum and upside entering the offseason.
Ryan Sloan has the velocity and stuff to be a big league pitcher right now. The only problem is that Seattle has been deliberately taking the slow road, cautiously guiding him through the levels while limiting his pitch counts. Even with those restrictions, Sloan has been so efficient—and his walk rate so tiny—that he has still piled up a healthy number of innings, reaching the sixth inning six times despite the workload limitations.
His arsenal is also more robust than Kade Anderson’s. Sloan brings a 96 mph fastball that has touched 99 mph, paired with a nasty slider that breaks late and gives him a legitimate putaway weapon. By the end of the season, Sloan will have surpassed 100 innings, making him something of a grizzled veteran compared to many of the young arms currently populating Seattle’s pitching staff who came through the system.
At this point, the only thing standing between Sloan and the Major Leagues may be whether the organization believes a 21-year-old with a January birthday is ready to face big league hitters. The argument for promotion is becoming difficult to ignore. He has a better fastball than Anderson, just as many weapons, and a lengthy track record of demonstrating excellent control. Seattle may be trying to protect Sloan from the Majors, but eventually, the best way to find out if he’s ready is to let him pitch there.
Verdict: Buy
Anthony Eyanson opened his professional career with an absurd stretch: 18 innings without issuing a walk while striking out 30 batters. Even after finally surrendering his first professional walk, he responded by striking out three batters in the inning. The strikeout ceiling is even higher than Ryan Sloan’s, but Eyanson also leans heavily on a quick-moving 12-6 curveball that he can occasionally leave short of the plate.
The bigger concern is that almost none of Eyanson’s pitches feature meaningful east-west movement. That north-south approach is further emphasized by the downward tilt on his pitches, making him similar to Jonah Tong and Chase Burns. Both pitchers eventually had to find ways to prevent hitters from simply sitting on the vertical plane. Tong developed a cutter, increased his changeup usage, and lowered his arm angle, while Burns generated more movement on his changeup. Eyanson already has dynamite breakers, but he needs to expand the hitter’s eye horizontally; otherwise, that devastating curveball could become much easier to anticipate.
The good news is that Baltimore has a rotation spot waiting for someone to grab it. The Orioles have plenty of prospect arms on the rise, but Eyanson offers something the others may not: the highest strikeout upside. If he can add another dimension to his arsenal without sacrificing the stuff that has already made him so dominant, he could move from intriguing prospect to legitimate rotation candidate in a hurry.
Verdict: Buy
Joseph Dzierwa represents the safer floor when compared to Eyanson’s upside. Given that his organization currently employs Chris Bassitt in the rotation, the Orioles seem to value reliability and consistency. If this strategy holds in 2027, then Dzierwa should move quickly, as he has been uber-consistent all season with a walk rate no higher than 7.5% in any month. On top of that, Dzierwa has been tough to square up, while racking up a good number of strikeouts. He sets up on the extreme third base side of the rubber with an offset torso rotation and a long-arm, low-slot arm motion. Even at 6’8″, his delivery is smooth, and his mechanics are solid. Dzierwa should consider adding a tick on the fastball so that it sits 95. In addition, one would expect a lot of break with that arm motion, so he should develop a better slider or movement on the changeup. Baltimore is unlikely to push him too hard next season, but seeing him surpass the 90+ pitch count and a promotion to Triple-A would be good goals to achieve before the All-Star Break. That could be a sign that his Major League debut is imminent in late 2027.
Verdict: Dynasty Buy
Brandon Clarke is a dominant force if he can continue to improve his command past short bursts. Now in the St. Louis organization, Clarke is still being treated as a starter, but the likelihood of staying in that role is 50-50. Clarke has had consecutive seasons with long stints on the injured list, who hasn’t eclipsed the 74.1 innings he threw in 2024 for the Manatees of the State College of Florida in Sarasota. Clarke returned in July from an offseason surgery to address an aneurysm in his throwing shoulder and is finally in Double-A as a 23-year-old. The Cardinals do not have to rush him with a well-stocked depth chart, which allows them to build around the 102-mph fastball. And he is doing this from the left side, which is almost unheard of. The 6’4″ southpaw leans heavily on the sinker, but also throws two versions of a slider and attacks righties with the changeup. His power sling delivery has pros and cons. The pro is the extreme velocity and movement generated. On the other hand, he can lose the landing of his plant leg just often enough that he can literally bang the backstop with a 102 mph heater. He also has a bit of extra wrist action that adds some spin to his repertoire. The upside is a southpaw version of Jacob Misiorowski, someone whose command crests and troughs until they settle into their profile. Clarke is a clear dynasty buy, with the upside of a potential big-time closer should the starter experiment fail.
Verdict: Dynasty Buy
Gage Wood was the starting pitcher for the National League team in the Future All-Stars game, an honor that was partly ceremonial with the festivities taking place in Philadelphia. Still, there was nothing ceremonial about the 97 mph fastball he unleashed on the competition. Wood is generating a 35% strikeout rate and a 17% swinging-strike rate with the pitch, and he does it from a power delivery out of a low 3/4 slot. That low release helps amplify the minimal vertical break on his fastball, an important trait because Wood isn’t afraid to challenge hitters in the zone. At the aforementioned Futures Game, he earned two whiffs and allowed just one weak hit on the fastball.
The problem is that a fastball living in the zone needs complementary pitches capable of stealing hitters’ eyes. Wood’s slider and changeup have to force hitters to respect something other than the zippy fastball, and the results suggest they still have work to do. His high home run-to-fly ball rate is a red flag. Yes, Minor League baseball is bouncier this season, but that can’t fully explain 16 home runs allowed and a 25% HR/FB%. If Wood isn’t going to add much more velocity, the path forward is clear: improve the arsenal and become more strategic about when and where he challenges hitters.
Fortunately, Wood couldn’t ask for a cleaner organizational runway. The Phillies system is relatively devoid of pitching talent, leaving a clear path for him to move quickly through Triple-A Lehigh Valley and eventually reach Philadelphia. The fastball already gives him a foundation; now the slider, changeup, and sequencing need to catch up.
Verdict: Dynasty Buy.
David Hagaman is a 6’4″ righty with a deep drop and drive delivery. The converted reliever utilizes a mid-90s fastball, sinker, slider, and changeup. With an improved swinging strike rate and walk rate, Hagaman has been locked in after the Double-A promotion.
Verdict: Dynasty Buy.
Jacob Bresnahan is getting a lot of buzz for someone who tops out at 94 mph on the fastball on a good day. He does get a value boost on the pitch by locating it up in the zone often and by throwing it with a deceptive quick arm action from the left side. Bresnahan backs it up with a decent slider and mediocre changeup. With the current three-pitch mix, it makes sense that right-handed batters are teeing off on his stuff. Despite the pessimism, Bresnahan has improved his control with a slightly above-average swinging strike rate.
Verdict: Watch.
Tanner Franklin is pulling even with fellow 2025 draftee and college teammate Liam Doyle on the organizational depth chart. Franklin hits triple digits on the fastball with a diving slider and 93 mph cutter. His power delivery is fun to watch, and the conversion from college reliever to professional starter appears to be working out well. To his credit, Franklin has surpassed 105 innings across 25 starts this season, while averaging 85 pitches per game across his six Double-A games. If he can sustain these pitch shapes and velocity across a starter’s workload early in 2027, then he can put himself in Triple-A by All-Star Break.
Verdict: Buy.
Caden Hunter is a southpaw with a smooth 3/4 delivery. The strikeouts have really jumped up for the 2025 draftee, who was somewhat unheralded out of USC. He utilizes quick arm action that zips in a 96 mph four-seamer, solid changeup, and slider to home plate. He has already totaled 35 innings in Double-A, so another promotion is right around the corner.
Verdict: Dynasty Buy.
The Yeah, Rights
These players have no business being on this list for 2027 redraft leagues, but you can’t leave any stone unturned.
Seth Hernandez is the top pitcher grabbing all of the headlines in the Minor Leagues. Out of high school and onto a professional mound, Hernandez will likely sit triple digits as a Major Leaguer with two secondaries that earned a 70% whiff rate in Single-A. He racked up 114 strikeouts in 74 innings, which could have been a lot more if it weren’t for an oblique issue that has sidelined him since late July.
Dylan Jordan was a standout in the Spring Breakout game and dominated Low-A with his low-arm-whip delivery. He features a 96 mph fastball, sick changeup, and sick slider. Unfortunately, the control has backed up on numerous occasions. Despite the poor control at times, his arsenal is posting an elite 33% CSW.
Kendry Chourio is a command artist who will have to continually overachieve to be taken seriously. Fortunately, the slight righty will only be 19 years old entering his second full season. Folks can appreciate his offspeed and breaking pitches, but his fastball hit 99 mph at the All-Star Futures Game.
Miguel Sime Jr. is a divisive prospect due to the elevated walk rate. It is an unsightly ratio, but there is one thing I like about his profile beyond the ridiculous 40% strikeout rate and nearly 20% swinging strike rate. Hitters do not make contact on his stuff, and he rarely gives up a sharply hit flyball. There is no need to rush a decision on his role in relief or as a starter.
Kelvis Salcedo missed some time due to a meniscus tear, but he is back and terrorizing Single-A hitters with his dynamite splitter. That 84 mph pitch has a 57% whiff rate. The short-striding righty also features an 88 mph cutter that has a 45% whiff rate. He finished out the season healthy, with the last three games totaling 22 strikeouts, two walks, and a 19% swinging strike rate.
Reinold Navarro has one of the best fastballs in the minor leagues, and he is a lefty. It’s probably because Navarro throws it 70% of the time, but it doesn’t hurt that it gets over 20 inches of ride, on average, with 96 mph of velocity.
Johnny Slawinski is the mystery box of the group since he has yet to pitch out of the Arizona Complex League. The high school draftee is sitting mid-90s on the fastball with a tight changeup. I can’t wait to see him in Single-A or High-A at the start of next season.
Verdict: Dynasty Buy for all of the above where possible, except it’s a Watch on Sime.
The Dodger Dogs
The Dodgers truly, deeply, madly dislike their pitching prospects. However, they could start a new promotion process and call up one of the good ones out of the blue.
Christian Zazueta Jr. is a maximizer with a ridiculous 70% strike rate in Double-A, much in the same way as Ryan Sloan; he his posting a high 35% strikeout rate and nearly seven strikeouts per game without the benefit of a high pitch count. Even then, batters are squaring up his stuff more than ever before. The question becomes: how durable is his three-pitch attack once allowed to go three times through the order? He has easy 96 mph velo on the heater and enough ride to make it appear faster than that. The changeup is his best secondary, with a decent slider. Dynasty folks are all over this profile due to the demonstrated control, and the Dodgers appear to be coddling him a little by limiting the innings. Although he may not start in Triple-A Oklahoma next season, he should spend at least half a season at that level and develop another pitch to counteract hitters getting under his pitches so much. He is the highest-valued prospect in the Dodgers system, but still under the radar.
Verdict: Buy
Jackson Ferris is having a strong finish to 2026 after largely disappointing for the first half. Before July, Ferris had a 7.87 ERA with almost as many walks as strikeouts and a concerningly high number of stolen bases allowed for a southpaw. Fast forward to August, after being further away from a hip impingement that landed him on the injured list for a few weeks. During this stretch, the walks are below 9% and the strikeouts above 30%. Even more important, the fastball velocity is back over 95 mph and the extension is up to near 6.9 feet. We have a lefty with renewed velocity, a solid changeup, and a pedigree of a second-round draft pick. Feels like a natural Blake Snell fill-in at the start of the season.
Verdict: Watch
Zachary Root has a foot tap, glove tap, and funky arm action that look like the recipe for much worse control than he has actually shown. The cracks did start to form at times this season, but Root has tightened things up considerably across four Double-A starts. He brings a solid five-pitch mix led by a 96 mph fastball, giving him plenty of weapons to work with. The big question is whether he can consistently land those pitches in the zone—or, just as importantly, in locations that tempt hitters without giving them something too good to hit.
The Double-A home run rate suggests some of those locations have been a little too tasty, with Root allowing three bombs across those four games. His inconsistency has been on full display, sandwiching two games with three walks around two outings in which he struck out 18 batters. That’s the frustrating combination with Root: the stuff can dominate, but the command can quickly turn an outing into a battle.
For now, Root is better viewed from the sidelines. The five-pitch arsenal and 96 mph fastball provide plenty of intrigue, but we need to see either meaningful pitch development or improved mechanics before buying into a larger breakout. Until then, Root remains a high-upside arm whose delivery creates almost as many questions as his stuff answers.
Verdict: Watch.
Adam Serwinowski is another big lefty with a funky delivery. In fact, he can easily compete with Karson Milbrandt for the funkiest delivery in the Minor Leagues. Although he profiles as an innings-eater type with a rubber arm, the walks have trended in the wrong direction this season. And then there are the nine home runs he served up in July. Yikes! The Big Fluffer doesn’t have the best velocity, but should be able to compete with his breakers. However, those many moving parts in his delivery seem too much to tame, making his profile a bit too risky.
Verdict: Avoid.
Patrick Copen brings a batting-practice effort to the mound, yet still touches 99 mph on the radar gun. His rocking-chair delivery generates force through his weight and long levers, while the high release point creates plenty of downward tilt. That helps drive the ball downhill and gives his breaker massive drop, especially when paired with its elite spin.
The obvious concern is control. Copen’s inconsistent command makes a move to the bullpen feel likely, but there is still plenty for his believers to latch onto. He has produced some monster strikeout games and shown the ability to work deep into outings—two traits that suggest the starter dream is not completely dead. Until the command forces the issue, Copen remains an intriguing power arm whose arsenal is too exciting to dismiss.
Verdict: Avoid.
Christian Romero is a solid grinder who has a 95 mph fastball and a gaggle of secondaries. He utilizes a deceptive torso rotation that hides the ball until the moment of release. Although he doesn’t miss many bats, the control is good enough, and the slider keeps hitters off balance most of the time.
Verdict: Avoid.
The In-Betweeners
Success has not been a straight line, but a Triple-A promotion is around the corner for these players.
Liam Doyle was my breakout 2025 draftee for this season. Alas, Kade Anderson beat him to the punch, but Doyle has been ratcheting up the control and strikeouts as this season has worn on. Since July 31, Doyle has posted a 34% strikeout rate, a 9% walk rate, a 16% swinging strike rate, and a 65% strike rate, while earning a 1.70 ERA and five consecutive victories. We love the energetic delivery and high-power fastball that is up to 97 mph at times. It hasn’t been a consistent dominance in game, but we are banking on the secondaries progressing enough to back up the fastball. He should get an early-season promotion to Triple-A, where he is only one injury away from a call-up.
Verdict: Buy.
Jamie Arnold has a pendulum delivery where the arms swing up, in, and then out to give him an extreme outside release. The low release often brings the ball right into the happy zone for right-handed batters. His slider and flat fastball have been lifted out for seven home runs by righties. The fastball velocity pops from time to time at 96 mph, but he is sitting around 93 mph. His arsenal does get a boost from the 7.2 feet of extension, but it would be great to see another tick up of velocity next season. If we continue throwing out suggestions, then he will need to address the advantageous angles that both lefties and righties seem to get on his entire pitch mix. Better sequencing? New pitch? Hopefully, he can recover fully and quickly from being hit with a comebacker in his last start.
Verdict: Watch.
Tyler Bremner is having a strong finish after injury, arm fatigue, and personal issues caused a slow start. The number two pick from the 2025 draft did not receive the quick promotion like Ryan Johnson, but is on a fast track to spend most of 2025 with Triple-A Salt Lake. Bremner has a smooth 3/4 slot that makes his 96 mph fastball look effortless. He breaks off a slider that has late bite and a highly rated changeup. Since being promoted to Double-A, Bremner has picked up his game. He has posted a 36% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate, a 16% swinging strike rate, and a .207 average against. Assuming he adds something to his pitch mix or another layer to what he already has, Bremner could move quickly through the system, now that the Angels’ pitching development will use technology and analytics.
Verdict: Buy.
Eliazar Dishmey is a long-arm power pitcher who comes in the mold of José Soriano and Walbert Ureña. However, the groundball rate has yet to exceed 40% even as he leads with a 94+ mph sinker. Even though there are not as many groundballs as expected, his average against is a lowly .166 with a solid home run rate. Dishmey also blends in a solid slider and changeup. The results are still a bit inconsistent, but the fact that he is limiting contact and keeping the ball in the park is intriguing.
Verdict: Watch.
Daniel Eagen was a steal for St. Louis in the Lars Nootbar trade, as the 6’4″ righty has really turned it on down the stretch since joining Double-A Springfield. Eagen is racking up a 20% swinging strike rate, a 37% strikeout rate, and a low-low 5% walk rate. The curveball has been breaking off a ton of whiffs, which he backs up with two quality breakers. The slider has a sharp downward jolt, while the curveball has a big-time 12-6 drop. Of course, any hanging breakers are being taken deep, which is part of the reason for his inflated home run rate this season (see also: tightly wound MiLB baseball). Nevertheless, this is the second consecutive season that Eagen has posted at least four games with double-digit strikeouts and multiple games with over 20 whiffs. Something is brewing here.
Verdict: Buy.
The Level Up
The ceiling is high for these players, who have already posted quality stat lines.
Jackson Flora has shown out with a handful of solid Minor league appearances at the end of the season. The high leg kick and very fluid delivery are highlights for a dynamic pitcher who could be a quick mover through the system. Flora hit 99 mph in his Double-A debut. The 55% strike rate is hopefully just a small-sample anomaly.
Davis Polo is flashing tremendous upside with subtle movement on all his pitches. He could be a groundball monster with a whiff upside. Polo reached the sixth inning in eight of his final nine starts.
Johnny King is a hard-throwing lefty who still needs to tame the control, but has major strikeout upside. The slinger delivery could use some polish, which should bring down the 13% walk rate to a more digestible level.
Cam Caminiti posted the single-game high in the Minor Leagues this season when he racked up 32 swinging strikes and 14 strikeouts. The Braves immediately promoted him to Double-A following the game, along with his athletic delivery and low 3/4 release.
Yhoiker Fajardo has a short stride and power finish from the right side. St. Louis did a great job nabbing him in the Willson Contreras trade. He sits 95+ mph on his fastballs and features a wicked changeup with big break.
Ramon Marquez is a prospect on the rise after flashing one of the best changeups in the Minor Leagues. This 80 mph pitch is a big mover that falls in line with the release of his sinker, helping him post a 50% groundball rate. Assuming he does not have a major injury (didn’t pitch after August 19), he should continue flying up the rankings.
Braylon Doughty is theater on the mound with his pause hijinks during the delivery. Even without the drama, Doughty totes a deep arsenal that is led by his high-spin curveball. He has shown decent swing-and-miss stuff, but does give up a lot of contact on the ground that has found its way for a hit. Yet, at 20 years old in Double-A, he has plenty of time to make adjustments.
Verdict: All of these guys are a Dynasty Buy, but Flora is looking like a Redraft Buy.
The Coffee Cups
They got a sip of the juice and could be in line for a larger Major League workload in 2027.
David Sandlin experienced a velocity spike at the end of 2026 that saw his fastball hit 99 mph. He also generates whiffs on multiple pitches, with the low-break curveball and firm cutter being the best. Sandlin offers the best combination of experience, results, and repertoire from this group.
Verdict: Buy.
Ty Johnson is a lower-velocity version of Logan Henderson, spamming a fastball and slider to all hitters and counts. He spent minimal time on the developmental list as a way to transition to relief work, but his Triple-A success suggests that he could perform admirably as a starter. His Pitcher List PLV grades and Major League results are not pretty, so his somewhat deceptive inside-out arm action isn’t really working at the big league level.
Verdict: Watch.
Hagen Smith has the highest ceiling of this group with his big whiff college background and gun slinger delivery. Actually, he looks like he flicks to the target, a type of release that may be difficult to control. He has hit 96 mph on the season, but is sitting 94 with the low release playing up his flat attack fastball. A lot of his value is based on the name and college stats, so he will eventually have to show out. However, he is a useful relief pitcher for those leagues which have a max for games started.
Verdict: Buy.
Khristian Curtis is blocked as a starting pitcher in Pittsburgh, but he has all the tools. Great extension. 96 mph fastball with good vertical break. A changeup with elite horizontal movement. A slider with a high swinging strike rate. However, the depth chart shows that Curtis may have to settle for relief appearances or a new opportunity in another organization.
Verdict: Avoid.
The Bullpen Men
Here are a few pitchers with big-time stuff, but pathways that are now pointing towards the bullpen due to injury or poor performance.
Brody Hopkins is one of those divisive prospects, given the visible talent that greatly contrasts with the troubling box scores. His Major League debut epitomizes the lows and highs. He issued a leadoff walk to a bottom-tier hitter in Nick Allen before serving up a high heater to pull specialist Isaac Paredes. A few batters later, he generated one of his two swinging strikes on a curveball spinning into home plate at nearly 3,000 rpm. Hopkins had been on a roll coming on in relief with Durham. During that span, his four-seamer began sitting at 100 mph, and he started to pick his spots better with the cutter. It’s too soon to give up on Hopkins, and Tampa Bay doesn’t move quickly on their prospects anyway. So what’s another few months of being a starter? The 20% walk rate doesn’t factor into the Major League win-loss record.
Verdict: Avoid
Carlos Lagrange was shut down in early July with a shoulder strain, but he remains one of the more exciting arms to follow. In one of his final appearances, the 6’7″ righty earned his first career save, unleashing a 100 mph heater as a surprise pitch while featuring an 89 mph slider. Triple-digit velocity is always going to grab attention, but Lagrange’s fastball wasn’t performing well enough on its own and required some retooling, particularly through better sequencing.
As exciting as the starter ceiling once was, it is more likely than ever that Lagrange is destined for the bullpen. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He had been durable enough to throw 120 innings in 2025, but the shoulder strain and inconsistent fastball performance have dented his starter value. As a reliever, however, the ceiling remains extremely high. A 100 mph heater from a 6’7″ righty paired with an 89 mph slider gives him the ingredients to become a dominant late-inning weapon.
Lagrange also has a short stride to home, which should help him repeat his mechanics and potentially handle consecutive-day usage. The starter dream may be fading, but the arsenal is still deep, the fastball is still powerful, and the relief path could allow his best stuff to play up. Lagrange has plenty of work to do, but there is a lot to dream on if that 100 mph heater and deep arsenal finally click.
Verdict: Buy
Tanner McDougal had a major injury scare in April before being shut down for forearm tightness for two months. The time off made his transition to the bullpen a necessary move and doesn’t spell the end of his days as a starter, assuming that he finishes the season healthy. McDougal was breaking off high-spin curveballs and sliders in the early stages of the season. Before his injury, batters were either swinging through his pitches or not making much contact. However, these good outcomes were not leading to success as the walks and hit batters were piling up. McDougal is now sitting at 98 mph with that dynamite hard slider, racking up over 50% whiffs in relief. Yet, something is definitely off as batters are making more contact than they had been. He
Verdict: Watch
Jaxon Wiggins has thrown no more than 79 innings in any of the last three seasons, missing time for arm injuries twice. With the low innings reached and inconsistent command, he is dangerously close to being relegated to the bullpen. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing since he has a high-power fastball that certainly shows out in shorter stints, but not the up-and-coming starter that Cubs fans were dreaming about. It’s been at least ten straight single-inning appearances for Wiggins at the end of the season, so his fate might be sealed. On the positive, Wiggins is sitting 96 mph, while breaking off great whiff rates on the changeup and cutter.
Verdict: Watch
The Trampolines
A down year for these players creates a buying opportunity if you believe in a bounce-back 2027 campaign.
Jack Wenninger has a solid starter’s foundation as his arsenal features a power delivery with a wide array of pitches that attack all parts of the zone. Unfortunately, Triple-A has not been kind to Wenninger, and the “60-grade command” has been anything but. In addition, there was a stretch of the season when he allowed a home run in seven straight games. This was a troubling sign for a pitcher who had managed 50% groundball rates in the past. Even so, Wenniger was mentioned as a potential rotation piece for 2027.
Caden Scarborough was a favorite prospect pitcher of mine entering the season, but multiple stints on the injured list have made it difficult to hold on. I was loving the deep drop and drive delivery that elicited elite extension and a low release. He also exhibits extra movement on his pitches with his wrist action. The pitch mix was solid, and he finished 2025 with a lot of momentum. Alas, this season he is finished as he suffered a right elbow strain.
Karson Milbrandt is the king of the funky delivery, and he knows it. Those “deceptive” mechanics helped him dominate Double-A hitters to the tune of a 38% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate. Unfortunately, those ratios didn’t travel with him to Jacksonville, where he has never had less than two walks in a start. All of his secondaries break to his glove side, which can be addressed in the offseason.
Caden Dana is a sturdy 6’4″ righty who already has a few Major League starts under his belt. Unfortunately, those starts went so poorly in 2025 that the Los Angeles Angels never called upon his services to join their middle-of-the-road rotation this season. With the extra seasoning, Dana did mostly raise his velocity, except on the changeup, which he is throwing slower and with more movement. Dana will only enter next season at 23 years old, so his fate isn’t completely sealed. There were some positives (good extension, increased velo) as well as uncontrollable obstacles (home games in one of the Minor League ballparks with the highest elevation). Perhaps 2027 is the season where he will put it together.
Trey Gibson zoomed through three levels in 2025 and has already made his Major League debut as a 24-year-old. He is now leading with the cutter, while blending in two other 95 mph low-spin fastballs using elite extension. The groundball rate is still high, but the strikeouts have trended down. In his favor, Gibson racked up nine strikeouts on ten whiffs in one of his last starts of the year.
Verdict: Avoid for all, except Gibson, who is a Watch.
The 95ers
These guys have touched 95 mph on their fastball, an important trait for a Major League-ready arsenal to possess. Does it matter?
Antwone Kelly has had trouble locating his pitches, but he features a 99 mph four-seamer and two high-velocity wipeout sliders. At only 23 years old, there is plenty of time to see some improvements, but a crowded Pittsburgh system and poor control might relegate him to bullpen work.
Verdict: Avoid.
Levi Wells has spent the majority of the season on the injured list due to hip discomfort and then core muscle surgery. In the preseason, he had an outside chance to beat Trey Gibson to the Major Leagues due to his 95 mph four-seamer with great vertical break. Wells uses a short stride towards home plate that gives him the appearance of snapping his pitches upon release. That finishing action was instrumental to the success of his breaking pitches. Given the lengthy absence, it is unknown what level of health he will be at ahead of the next spring training.
Verdict: Avoid.
Jace Beck is a 6’9″ righty with easy gas on his 97 mph four-seamer. Obviously, he generates great extension if you remove the context of his tall height, but its vertical break is so-so for a pitch he uses over 60% of the time. And as such, he can get fairly hard, even though the slider and changeup mirror quality movement. The high point will likely be a rain-shortened “no-hitter” with five strikeouts in August. Even though he is being built up as a starter to finish this season, the heavy fastball usage and lack of quality results point to a reliever profile.
Verdict: Avoid.
Brandon White is another tall righty, but he features a low slot from his long-arm delivery. Even still, the release height is above six feet. His extension is around 7.4 feet, which is outstanding and definitely boosts the value of his five-pitch arsenal. Those elite metrics came into play during his two eleven-strikeout performances. Overall, his stuff has ticked up this season with a slightly better swinging strike rate, but the results have fallen off as he has surpassed his previous innings high. Miami has been slow-playing their prospect pitcher at times, but White could take one more step forward in terms of limiting contact with his secondaries.
Verdict: Watch.
John Holobetz is a 23-year-old with a delivery that looks like he is pulling a rabbit out of a hat. It’s genuinely impressive that such a short-arm action can generate this much velocity and movement. His 95 mph four-seamer doesn’t have the biggest break, but it does enough to serve as a reliable strike pitch. The sweeper is the star of the show, and Holobetz has been leaning into it heavily down the stretch. With 13 inches of break from a low release height, the pitch plays particularly well off his sharper-breaking cutter, giving hitters two distinctly different looks from a similar release point.
Holobetz isn’t afraid to attack the zone, and when he does miss, he generates a healthy amount of chase. That’s a pretty enticing combination, but there is a limit to how much more raw stuff we should expect. His extension is probably maxed out, and the velocity appears to have reached its ceiling. In other words, there may not be another gear hiding in the delivery.
That puts the focus squarely on pitch mix and sequencing. Boston has done some interesting things with its starting pitchers over the last few years, so perhaps there is still some extra juice to squeeze from Holobetz by adjusting how often—and when—he deploys each pitch. The physical ingredients may already be maxed out, but a smarter arsenal could give Holobetz one more trick to pull out of the hat.
Verdict: Watch.
The Returnees
These players missed significant time in 2026, so 2027 is integral to getting them back on track.
Jarlin Susana is the main pitcher to target out of this group. After undergoing a major right lat surgery in September 2025, Susana finally made it back to the mound in August. All the hard work has paid off, and he is finally heading to Rochester, with additional time slated in the Arizona Fall League. He was hitting 103 mph on the fastball, while also displaying much better control in short outings. The slider has an 80-grade, and we will finally get some public data on the pitch characteristics Friday night when he makes his Triple-A debut. The organization won’t push him this fall, but it is exciting to see the 21 strikeouts to four walks across his four Double-A starts as a signal that he is improving this area of weakness.
Verdict: Buy.
Winston Santos has actually been pitching all season, but never made enough noise to be considered for the weekly stash list. He had a long stint on the injured list in 2025 for a back injury and then suffered a fracture on his non-throwing hand that delayed his 2026 season. The fastball velocity was down to finish the season, but he is showing a 97 mph average on the season. The sharp-breaking slider is showing as his best secondary. With mediocre results and not much popping out in the pitch characteristics, it’s advisable to keep a watch on Santos during Spring Training.
Verdict: Watch.
Jake Bloss has been sidelined due to a major shoulder strain since July. He was sitting 96 mph on the fastball with a solid slider in his Triple-A rehab assignment before he went down. Bloss has been a Top 5 prospect for his respective teams in each of the last two seasons, but he will have to prove it in the Arizona Fall League.
Verdict: Avoid
Robby Snelling made his long-awaited Major League debut on May 8 and was then out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery by the end of that month. Unfortunately, the control was not as sharp to start 2026, with a 14% walk rate weighing down the good from the 34% strikeout rate. The rehab process will likely wipe out at least half of the 2027 season, so Snelling becomes a buy-low opportunity for those dynasty managers who loved how the workhorse was using the fastball-curveball combination to power eight consecutive games of at least six innings at the end of 2025.
Verdict: Dynasty Buy.
Thomas White could be considered one of the best pitching prospects in the game if it weren’t for those dreaded balls. In fact, I was tracking how often he got to ball-three on a batter more than checking for whiffs and strikeouts. It was a frustrating season for White, as he was perfectly in line to replace the injured Snelling before suffering his own season-ending injury, a left shoulder capsular strain.
Verdict: Watch.
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads @kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)
