Over the past week, we have ranked the best prospects and farm systems in baseball ahead of the 2026 MLB season. Now we’re going to have some fun with our ESPN experts making their own prospect predictions for the coming season.
Which players will soar to the majors and battle for Rookie of the Year honors? Which breakout candidates will surge to the top of prospect boards by the end of the season?
Here are our predictions for some rising stars who will become the talk of the sport this season and beyond.
More prospect coverage: Top 100 | 101-200 | All 30 farm systems
AL top prospect predictions
Kevin McGonigle (No. 2) will make an immediate impact for the Tigers
Tigers shortstop prospect Kevin McGonigle got a crash course at third base in the Arizona Fall League, and in spring training, he’ll continue to play on the left side of the infield. No matter where he plays, McGonigle will be a fixture in the Tigers’ every-day lineup by midseason and make an immediate impact — and on a lot of days, he’ll remind A.J. Hinch of another player he once managed: Alex Bregman.
The guy is really good at so many things: command of the strike zone, bat speed, baserunning. His triple slash line in the AFL hinted at greatness: .362/.500/.710. — Buster Olney
Leo De Vries(No. 11) will debut in the majors at 19 years old
De Vries was immediately put on the fast track after becoming one of the top international signings in the 2024 class, debuting in A ball. He has since only validated that approach, slashing .281/.359/.551 as an 18-year-old in Double-A after going from the Padres to the A’s in last summer’s Mason Miller trade. De Vries is a legitimate switch-hitter with above average on-base ability and plus raw power potential. There are concerns about whether he will remain at shortstop, but he has the hands and the arm to easily transition to third base if necessary. There’s a pathway there on the A’s, who are building an impressive offensive core as they transition into Las Vegas. De Vries will have a really strong showing in the first five months of 2026 and give himself a chance to make his major league debut at that position in September.
Kade Anderson (No. 16) will be a postseason factor — this October
Though ESPN prospect guru Kiley McDaniel’s MLB comp for Anderson is Yankees star Max Fried, his potential rise through minor league baseball could end up being more comparable to a certain fellow former LSU standout: Paul Skenes.
Anderson is still likely to need more than 12 games in the Mariners’ system — that’s the number of appearances Skenes made before making his MLB debut — but considering Seattle’s window of contention, who knows, maybe Anderson is this year’s Trey Yesavage.
His four-pitch mix isn’t far from being major league ready as evaluators point to only a need for experience at the professional level. He’ll get that in the upper tiers of the minors this season with a less-than-long-shot vibe for an MLB debut the season after getting drafted. It’s becoming more of the norm with former, big-time college stars. — Jesse Rogers
NL top prospect predictions
By season’s end, Sal Stewart (No. 17) will have established himself as the Reds’ best hitter
The defense is questionable, but the bat isn’t. Stewart profiles as a middle-of-the-order staple in a Reds lineup that needs him to rake — and he will. After debuting Sept. 1, he posted an .860 OPS in 63 regular-season/postseason PA, building on a .309/.383/.524 line across AA/AAA. He has no platoon issue (.977 OPS vs LHP, .884 vs RHP), hits the ball hard (51.3% at 95+) and at the right angles (16.5° on 95+). Like we said: He rakes. — Paul Hembekides
No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin will have a Rookie of the Year season for the ages
Griffin is not your typical top prospect. He’s not even your typical No. 1 overall prospect. He’s a special player, the kind you don’t feel guilty placing a «future superstar» label on. Yes, he has just 21 games above Single-A and doesn’t turn 20 until the end of April, but here’s all you need to know: The Pirates didn’t go out and sign a veteran stopgap to hold down shortstop for a season.
Griffin is going to make the Opening Day roster — the Prospect Promotion Incentive rewards an extra first-round pick if a top prospect makes the Opening Day roster and wins Rookie of the Year — and he’s going to play well, posting a 3-WAR season. Those are rare from 20-year-olds: Just 14 position players have done so in the wild-card era (since 1995). — Schoenfield
Aidan Miller (No. 10) will earn the Phillies’ 3B job by Memorial Day and win NL Rookie of the Year
Miller is coming off a successful minor league season in which he showed power, plate discipline and he stole 59 bases. Incumbent third baseman Alec Bohm comes off a disappointing big-league season in which he hit only 11 home runs, posted a below average 5.8% walk rate and he has never been a base stealer.
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While we acknowledge Bohm is an improved defender, Miller is an athletic shortstop and a certain defensive upgrade at third base. Bohm boasts a career .743 OPS, just a bit above average, but it is only .672 in May (551 PA). When Bohm struggles again this May, Miller steps in, hits .280 with 20 home runs and 25 steals the rest of the way, and the Phillies trade Bohm to the White Sox. — Eric Karabell
Actually, Bubba Chandler (No. 12) will win NL Rookie of the Year
Quite frankly, I thought Chandler was in good shape to win this award last year, but the Pirates opted not to promote him to the bigs until late August. He ended up winning four times in seven appearances — one more win than Paul Skenes managed over that same period.
Is he that good? Probably not and there will be growing pains to be sure but throw away his likely nerve-riddled debut start against the Braves (9 ER, 2⅔ IP) and Chandler’s ERA was a very Skenes-ian 1.57.
No, St. Louis Cardinals shortstop JJ Wetherholt (No. 7) will be the NL Rookie of the Year
With Monday’s Brendan Donovan trade opening a route for Wetherholt to get lots of playing time, his skill set (infield fit, standout approach and contact, 20-20 upside) is reliable in terms of minor league performance quickly showing up at the big-league level.
Kiley McDaniel »
The incentives for teams in the current system are to either have their top prospects break camp in the lineup/rotation or just wait until September to call them up for an audition to then make their Rookie of the Year run the following season. I think Konnor Griffin’s lack of upper level experience will make the Pirates lean toward opting for the latter scenario. Nolan McLean and Bubba Chandler need to throw 150-plus innings which is always hard to project these days. Sal Stewart will likely be playing mostly 1B/DH, which will pull his WAR down and Justin Crawford will have limited in-game power so he’ll have to be good at everything else to be competitive for ROY. That leaves a path for Wetherholt. — Kiley McDaniel
Breakout candidates
Edward Florentino (No. 78) will be a top-10 prospect on next year’s list
Konnor Griffin isn’t the only Pirates teenager with star potential. Florentino, who will play all of this season at 19, is a center fielder who excels at pulling the ball in the air, rarely swings and misses at pitches in the zone and has a swing reminiscent of Corey Seager’s.
Once thought to be a first baseman or corner outfielder, he pulled a Julio Rodriguez, got into center-field shape and wound up stealing 35 bases in 83 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A. If Florentino can remain in center, the combination of defensive value and offensive skill makes him one of the best prospects in baseball. — Jeff Passan
Carlos Lagrange (No. 159) will be this year’s Cam Schlittler
Lagrange’s minor league breakthrough in 2025 — not to mention his size at 6-foot-7 and 248 pounds — reminds me of Schlittler’s the year before, as Schlittler tore through Class A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset with excellent numbers to put himself on the fast track to the majors.
Lagrange, meanwhile, put forth a 3.53 ERA and 33.4% strikeout rate across 23 starts and one relief appearance for those same teams, with even greater average fastball velocity than Schlittler as well as a slider, cutter and changeup.
He’ll need to improve his control to succeed in the majors, but Schlittler made those necessary tweaks in 2025. I see Lagrange reaching New York on a similar timetable, and even if it’s not for a rotation need, it might be to bolster the Yankees’ bullpen. — Tristan Cockcroft
