The 2026 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List marches on, and folks, we’re getting close! After this next chapter concludes, we’ll be three-quarters of the way to ranking the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization.
Friday’s ballot was very close, but a winner emerged: it’s outfielder Lisbel Diaz, who has been voted as the No. 32 prospect in the system. It’s a drop of 15 spots for Diaz, who debuted at No. 17 in last year’s CPL.
That drop might suggest that Diaz had a bad 2025, but it’s more that he merely held serve while others around him rose (and were added to the system). The right-hander, who signed in 2023 out of Cuba, spent the entirety of the year with Low-A San Jose, where he had spent a good chunk of time in 2024 as well. Diaz, who turned 20 over the summer, did some good things, though the overall offense was middle of the road: he slashed .269/.320/.405 for a .725 OPS and a 96 wRC+ in the Cal League.
In many ways, that was disappointing, after Diaz posted a slightly better line (.767 OPS, 101 wRC+) at the same level the year prior, with nearly identical strikeout and walk rates. But there were some things that he made improvements on: most notably, Diaz looked very comfortable in the outfield in 2025, and was quite solid in center field when he filled in for the injured Dakota Jordan and Carlos Gutierrez. He also boosted his performance on the basepaths, stealing 26 bases in 32 attempts, after just nine thefts in 2024.
While Diaz will need to boost the offense to have a Major League future, there’s a solid framework in there. He has very strong contact skills, and posted just an 18.7% strikeout rate and an 11.6% swinging strike rate in 2025. Presumably he’ll be starting at a corner in High-A Eugene when the Minor League season begins in a few months, and hopefully we’ll get to see some offensive improvements.
Now let’s add to the list! As a reminder, voting now takes place in the comment section using the “rec” feature.
Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.All stats are from the 2025 season.
The Giants have reportedly signed outfielder Harrison Bader to a two-year deal, $20.5 million deal, that includes another $500,000 in incentives. The Royals had been reportedly interested in Bader earlier this offseason, but later reporting by Ken Rosenthal indicated they were being priced out on his market. Bader was coming off a career-best season at age 31, hitting .277/.347/.449 with 17 home runs in 146 games last year.
The signing leaves what was already a thin free-agent outfield market even thinner. Austin Hays is among the best of those available, and the Royals were reportedly keeping an eye on him earlier this offseason. Hays specializes in hitting left-handed pitching, and he hit .266/.315/.453 with 15 home runs in 103 games overall last year.
Miguel Andujar is another option remaining after a strong season with the Athletics. The once top 100 prospect hit 27 home runs his rookie year in 2018, but battled injuries for several years afterward. Last year he resurfaced to hit .318/.352/.470 with 10 home runs in 94 games and he was particularly good against lefties.
Other remaining outfielders include Michael Conforto, Starling Marte, Tommy Pham, Austin Slater, Mike Tauchman, and Alex Verdugo. Max Kepler is also available, but will be out for 80 games, as he serves a suspension for PED use. The Royals could also bring back outfielder MJ Melendez, who was non-tendered last fall, or Randall Grichuk, whose mutual option was declined by the Royals.
The Royals have already added Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas to an outfield mix expected to include Kyle Isbel and Jac Caglianone, with Michael Massey and Kameron Misner potential options for some outfield play. Royals outfielders last year hit .225/.285/.348, worst in baseball.
Miles Mastrobuoni was the 26th man on the roster for most of his time with the Cubs in 2023 and 2024, a substitute fielder, pinch-hitter and pinch-runner.
The Cubs were 14-10 after defeating the Padres April 27, but then went on a long losing skid, losing 10 of 15 entering the final game of a three-game series against the Twins at Target Field.
They had used five pitchers in losing the previous day 11-1, so when Marcus Stroman, Michael Rucker, Keegan Thompson, Julian Merryweather, Brandon Hughes and Michael Fulmer had the team in an 11-3 hole in the bottom of the eighth, Mastrobuoni was summoned to try to finish things off.
This, he did not do. There were two out when Mastrobuoni entered the game and he allowed four straight hits: Single, double, single, home run.
And so, a game where the Cubs trailed 9-3 heading to the last of the eighth wound up as a 16-3 loss. Mastrobuoni’s career Cubs ERA of 108.00 is the highest for any Cubs position player in the divisional play era, though for his career that dropped to 27.00 when he threw a scoreless inning for the Mariners June 26, 2025 — also against the Twins.
Mastrobuoni batted .250/.324/.296 with one home run in 76 games for the Mariners in 2025, better than either of his Cubs seasons. He’ll likely be back as a backup infielder with the Mariners in 2026.
Michael Forret, RHP 22 | 6’3” | 190 A+ (BAL) | 1.51 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 59.2 IP (16 G, 15 GS), 33.5% K, 7.5% BB AA (BAL) | 1.88 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 14.1 IP (3 GS), 15 K, 3 BB
A product of the State College of Florida Manatee – Sarasota (formerly Manatee Junior College), Forret was a well above slot ($450k) 14th round draft choice in 2023 and arrives via the Shane Baz trade. Despite missing some time to a back injury in 2025, his array of fastballs and breaking balls already look major league ready. He seems adept at trying new things, as he picked up a whiff-worthy kick change in 2024, and is already tinkering with a Rays-like sweeper, both through his offseason program at Tread Athletics. He has a low release point (below 6 feet) but a rising fastball, and has — to quote Eric Longenhagen — “sensational feel.” Forret pitches with efficiency and variety, and could climb the ladder quickly in 2026.
Rank
Player
Position
Votes
Total
Percentage
Last Season
1
Carson Williams
SS
14
25
56%
1
2
Brody Hopkins
RHP
19
25
76%
8
3
Jacob Melton
OF
14
28
50%
N/A
4
Theo Gillen
OF
14
26
54%
13
5
Ty Johnson
RHP
12
25
48%
15
6
Daniel Pierce
SS
13
23
57%
NA
7
Jadher Areinamo
INF
15
28
54%
NA
8
TJ Nichols
RHP
13
28
46%
NR
9
Michael Forret
RHP
8
33
24%
NA
A remarkable turnout resulted in four players getting at lest 5 votes for this recent poll: Bodine, Brito, Forret, and Suarez. Forret won by two votes overall. This poll adds teenage catching prospect Nathan Flewelling.
Candidates
Caden Bodine, C 22 | S/R| 5’10” | 200 A (BAL) | .326/.408/.349 (133 wRC+) 49 PA, 0 HR, 0 SB, 5 BB, 8 K
Drafted 30th overall in 2025, Bodine was acquired in the Shane Baz trade. He profiles as a relatively safe prospect thanks to 60 grade bat-to-ball skills, and comfortably-plus blocking and receiving behind the plate. There is some concern that his smaller frame limits him to fringe power, but those concerns are off-set by solid plate discipline from both sides of the plate; his sweeter swing is left handed. All catching prospects will see their value proposition shift with the challenge system, but his defensive actions, leadership, and receiving give him real value, projecting him as a solid major league contributor.
Acquired in the Brandon Lowe trade, Brito has three plus pitches with a fastball that touches 100 with cut-ride, and two breakers in a mid-80s curveball with surprising depth and a mid-80s slider he commands best. He also mixes in a developing low-90s cutter and a scattershot but intriguing mid-80s changeup with strong velocity and movement separation, with some added deception from his smaller frame helping limit hard contact. The concern is control, as he’s posted below-average strike rates in A-ball across 2024–25 and lacks consistent feel outside the slider, leaving him to project as a slightly wild, high-leverage reliever for now. Still, with multiple plus pitches, improved durability, and meaningful command gains, he has mid-rotation starter upside, giving him possibly the widest range of outcomes on this list. Baseball Prospectus describes him as having “Shohei Ohtani’s stuff with Johnny Cueto’s body.”
Slater de Brun, OF 18 | L/L | 5’10” | 187
Drafted 37th overall in 2025, through a draft pick traded by the Rays, de Brun was essentially re-acquired in the Shane Baz trade. Like many Rays outfield prospects he’s not expected to develop much power, but compensates with an ability to hit to all fields, and has the benefit of years to develop. His hit tool rates plus thanks to a quick, compact swing, and his double-plus speed elevates both his baserunning and range in center; he has a solid arm and can stick long term. The key to his development will be improving pitch selection to maximize his power potential. Despite not yet playing in a pro game, he’s a good bet to skip the complex league and debut in Charleston this season.
Nathan Flewelling, C 19 | L/R | 6’2” | 200 A | .229/.393/.336 (126 wRC+) 439 PA, 6 HR, 9 SB, 20.3% BB, 27.6% K A+ | 22 PA, 4 H, 5 BB, 6 K
The 94th overall pick from 2024, Flewelling made his debut at 18 years young and caught a full season (75 C, 26 DH), plus a five game cup of coffee (3 C, 2 DH). Taking the longview, he could grow into 50-60 grade power with 50 grade defense, which makes him one to follow. His plus zone awareness at the plate offsets his lagging contact, and most importantly for the position his ability to call games and frame pitches are already plus. A strong season with the bat at High-A could vault him into Top-100 consideration.
Harrison entered the season as Baseball America’s top pitcher in the system thanks to a cleaned up delivery and high heat. He ran into some bumps in the road by running up his pitch count against batters, but he still made it over 100 innings in 22 starts. A power pitcher through and through, his hard slider flirts with cutter classification and could evolve into two distinct pitches down the road. It will be interesting to see how his change up plays as he’s challenged at higher levels, but for now he has premium stuff and the upside of a rotation anchor. (video)
Isaac had his season cut short large-in-part due to the discovery of a brain tumor, disrupting an otherwise great start to the season that duplicated his cup of coffee in Double-A as a 20-year old, despite some minor arm injuries along the way. He has the best power projection in the system, and if he can hold his own for a full season in 2026 — particularly against southpaws, which is somewhat of a concern — the former first round pick (29th overall, 2021) could see his status restored near the top of the Rays prospect rankings.
Morgan continued to hit without power in 2025, a great discouragement for some evaluators, but his present 50-grade hit tool and feel for the zone allow a major league projection. He continued his improved, quieter two-strike approach in 2025 that built on his success retooling his swing in the AFL last year. The Rays gave Morgan 14 starts in Left Field last season, and Baseball America called the defense “playable,” but his value is tied to his plus-plus defense at First.
Santiago Suarez, RHP 21 | 6’2” | ? A+ | 2.88 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 40.2 IP (10 GS), 26.9% K, 3.6% BB AAA | 5 ER (9 H, 2 BB, 3 HR) 11.0 IP (2 GS), 9 K
Suarez climbed the ladder to Triple-A to finish a short season, as some triceps/shoulder issues hampered his 2025, but when called upon this Venezuelan strike-thrower has earned the trust of his managers to go out there and pitch. He has two plus fastballs, with easy heat but average ride on the 4-seam, and a hard cutter with tight bite. His only complimentary pitch thus far is a 12-6 curve, which makes it a fairly vertical arsenal. He gets good extension, although I’d be remiss to not mention the double pump in his plant leg that on first glance looks like noise, but has led to evident repeatability. What Suarez boasts in control he might lack in command. Right now it’s a supinator’s profile with an average arm slot. To progress he either needs to add some east-west depth to his arsenal (à la Chris Bassitt), or find ways to unlock the spin rates a touch more (Shane Baz). I’d expect him to slot into Montgomery’s rotation as one of the younger starters for his level.
Brendan Summerhill, OF 22 | L/R | 6’3” | 200 A | .333/.429/.444 (160 wRC+) 42 PA, 0 HR, 5 SB, 6 BB, 5 K
Following an All-Star performance at the Cape Cod summer league, Summerhill exhibited some of the best bat-to-ball skills in NCAA as a junior at Arizona. His draft stock took a minor hit due to injury (broken hand from from punching a cooler) and was drafted 42nd overall, but Summerhill rebounded well with a dominant stop at Charleston to finish the year. Summerhill has plus barrel control, allowing for a high-contact approach for his long swing. He has plus speed as well, which provides a chance to stick in center. Evaluators would like to see more power to complete a five-tool profile. Even if the power doesn’t materialize, it’s an above average contributor’s projection.
Jose Urbina, RHP 20 | 6’3” | 180 A | 2.05 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 92.1 IP (19 GS), 26.4% K, 8.2% BB A+ | 2 ER (2 HR), 4.0 IP (1 GS), 5 K, 0 BB
Good pitchers grow and adjust, and Urbina has done that consistently at an age young for his level. Physically he has grown in strength, sitting at 96 with the fastball after flashing high octane in 2024, and technically he has grown, refining his dialed up slider and his two-plane curveball into complementary pitches — which lack plus command but are thrown with feel. He shouldered a starter’s workload at 19, and was awarded one additional start at High-A, where he allowed two solo shots and struck out fiv
The JJ Wetherholt hype train continues to pick up steam as the St. Louis Cardinals get closer to Spring Training as Keith Law has just ranked him as the #7 prospect in baseball plus he makes a bold prediction about his future.
If you haven’t already subscribed to Keith Law’s work, I highly recommend it. The fact that the St. Louis Cardinals JJ Wetherholt was ranked in Keith’s top 10 wasn’t a surprise, but there’s one prediction that he made about JJ which is bold to say the least. Keith Law said “He’s the National League prospect about whom I’d feel most confident saying that he’ll win a batting average title some day.“ He praised JJ’s hard hit and barrel rates plus his use of all fields for his frequent contact. He did mention that Wetherholt’s 2-strike decision making could use some work, but his power numbers might actually go up in the big show eventually.
I’m frankly surprised that JJ didn’t rank higher in Keith’s list. MLB Pipeline had Wetherholt ranked at #5 just a few days ago, but there’s little doubt that the expectations for JJ being a huge part of the St. Louis Cardinals roster in 2026 remain sky-high. What JJ had to say during the Winter Warmup a week ago was interesting including his mention that there were some in the development pipeline that were encouraging him to focus on acquiring more pull power which he rebuked since he is an all-fields hitter. He mentions this just after the 7-minute mark in the video.
JJ Wetherholt – “I’m a swing decision guy. Make good swing decisions, control the zone, drive the ball to all fields…power is usually a tool that comes later…being myself and continuing to drive the ball to all fields and make good decisions”.
Prospect list season continued on Monday with the release of Keith Law’s top 100 list at The Athletic. His list joins recently-published ones by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. Five Orioles minor leaguers made the cut for Law’s list this year, headlined by Samuel Basallo at #8. Basallo has been a top ten prospect in the game on all of this year’s list that have been released by now.
The other Orioles prospects ranked on Law’s list: shortstop Wehiwa Aloy at #73, outfielder Nate George at #78, catcher/outfielder/? Ike Irish at #85, and outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. at #97. Dylan Beavers ranked pretty highly on the BA list at #21 but is absent from Law’s list entirely.
By the same token, Law has rated a few of these players who weren’t on either of the other two top 100s so far: Aloy, Irish, and Bradfield are, so far, only top 100 guys for Law. He liked the Orioles use of their high draft pick capital in the 2025 draft. The Orioles traded two more high picks from that draft to the Rays for Shane Baz. At this juncture, Caden Bodine and Slater de Brun have not cracked any top 100s.
There’s a good amount to be exciting about this group of players, with Basallo at the top:
(Basallo is) easily the best catching prospect in the minors right now, who hits and has significant power, and reached the majors just four days after his 21st birthday … Heʼs got power to all fields, peaking at 116 mph and hitting a third of his Triple-A homers the other way, and his Barrel rate was 21 percent. Only two MLB hitters last year topped that, and each won his respective leagueʼs MVP award.
When I copied that last sentence into this article, I made a “Whoa!” sound. That’s just incredible company for such a young player. The profile also includes praise for Basallo’s arm strength, though Law does note that Basallo is going to need to do some work on improving his swing decisions particularly once he falls behind in the count, and that he has more development to do to be able to handle a full-time catching workload. The Orioles are in a position where they don’t need Basallo to shoulder that load as long as Adley Rutschman is around.
It’s a ways down the list before Aloy comes up at #73. I was excited when the Orioles were able to draft him because he’s a player with some high upside even if he also comes with strikeout risk. Law on Aloy:
Aloy is a true shortstop with power, showing plus defense as an amateur with good lateral range and plenty of arm for the left side of the infield … He has 20-plus homer upside in a shortstop who should be at least a 55 defender — or a 60-plus if he ends up at third base — with his ultimate value coming down to whether he can pick up spin and cut down on the chase.
If this was the first player the Orioles chose in the draft, it would have felt like another possible Vance Honeycutt kind of “too many strikeouts” risk. They took Irish before going back around to Aloy, though, so all the eggs are not in this basket. Speaking of Irish, here’s what Law writes:
(Irish’s) upside is all about the bat: He makes very hard contact, works the count well and uses the entire field, with the potential for 20-25 homers if he trades some contact to try to pull the ball more. … Heʼs about a 40 defender in right, but if that even gets a 45 he should hit enough to be an above-average regular.
Also in this scouting capsule, Law included a note acknowledging that Irish has fallen below some other players from the 2025 draft who Law had ranked lower in his pre-draft rankings. There were some teams before the draft and some pro scouts after the draft whose opinions on Irish were lower than others, and that information has been incorporated into Law’s analysis now that Irish is in the pro ranks.
Last year’s out-of-nowhere surprise Nate George also cracks this ranking along with the other two that have been released. Law took note of George in a scouting report last summer with George getting the memorable description “plays like his hair is on fire,” which reappeared in this writeup. On George’s potential:
George plays like his hairʼs on fire, and while that phrase gets thrown around a lot, in his case it seems to make him a better player in every aspect of the game. Heʼs a twitchy athlete with quick hands at the plate and he shoots line drives to both gaps, with fringy power right now. Then he runs like a madman out of the box and doesnʼt stop until he reaches third base. Heʼs the kind of runner whoʼll throw his helmet off because itʼs slowing him down.
Sounds awesome. Law goes on to say about George that this is a player with “All-Star upside,” though he notes that mostly would involve George being able to develop above-average home run power that he doesn’t have yet.
Lowest on this list but still included in the top 100 is Bradfield, a player who has not gotten as much attention from other outlets because many evaluators aren’t convinced he’ll hit enough to make the most of his other tools. Those concerns remain somewhat even for Law, but he really likes what Bradfield can do:
Bradfield is still an 80 runner and a 70 or 80 defender in center field … with enough command of the strike zone to see a high floor for him as a second-division regular who generates 2 WAR in many seasons just on defense, speed and contact. … Heʼs going to save a ton of runs with his glove, as he combines good instincts with elite speed to cover a huge amount of ground.
A player who could do all that and didn’t have any hit questions would be consensus on every top prospect list and much higher-ranked than this. Law’s writeup includes the note that Bradfield’s “swing is still a work in progress,” not really the best phrase to hear about a first round pick from 2.5 years ago.
Other big rankings still to come include Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, and ESPN. It seems like a safe guess that Basallo will remain highly-ranked on all lists. I’m curious to see where the consensus starts to come together on some other Orioles prospects, and particularly whether any list other than Baseball America is putting top 100 rankings on any O’s pitching prospects.
While most of the players the Nationals received in the MacKenzie Gore trade are years away from the big leagues, Abimelec Ortiz is an exception. He may not possess the upside or athleticism of other players in the deal, but Ortiz has proven he can mash. At some point in 2026, we are likely to see Ortiz’s bat in the Nats lineup.
When talking about the trade, Toboni echoed that sentiment. He said that we could see Ortiz at either first base or DH in the big leagues this year. Ortiz did play some outfield last season, but Toboni seems to view him as a 1B or DH type. Given his squatty 5’10 230 pound frame, it makes sense why Toboni sees him that way.
Paul Toboni: “You could see Ortiz at 1B/DH this year”
Scouts actually thought he looked surprisingly decent in the outfield in the Arizona Fall League, but the range is always going to be a limiting factor. He is a decent defender at first base, but is not elite by any means. The idea of a 5’10 first baseman is a little bit scary to me. He just is not able to get the high throws a prototypical 6’4 first baseman could get.
All of this means that Ortiz will have to absolutely mash to be an impactful big leaguer. He has done just that at the minor league level. In 2023, Ortiz hit 33 home runs across both A ball levels, putting his name on the map. Ortiz’s 2024 was an up and down year in a more pitcher friendly Double-A environment.
However, Ortiz returned to form in 2025, especially after a mid-season promotion to Triple-A. The big slugger hit 16 homers and posted a .787 OPS in 89 Double-A games before he got promoted to Triple-A. In a more hitter friendly environment, Ortiz exploded, with 9 homers and a .953 OPS in 41 games. For the season, Ortiz hammered 25 home runs.
His batted ball data was also excellent at the AAA level. Ortiz absolutely crushed baseballs, with a hard hit rate near 55%. He also had a knack for pulling the ball in the air, which allowed him to do damage. Ortiz’s batted ball profile is exactly what you want from a slugger.
Abimelec Ortiz (acquired by WSH) looked outstanding in his taste of AAA with extremely loud power metrics and solid plate discipline. He wields a quick bat and has a knack for pulling fly balls which has fuelled a productive MiLB career
Ortiz turns 24 in late February, so this is not the case of a mid-20’s bopper abusing Triple-A. However, there is a sizable chance that Ortiz is one of those Quad-A sluggers along the lines of Andres Chaparro.
He will be given the chance to prove himself in the big leagues though. If Ortiz has a strong camp, he could make the MLB roster. There is not a lot of competition for reps at 1B or DH right now. That could change if the Nats sign somebody like Rhys Hoskins, but that has not happened yet.
Abimelec Ortiz | 1B/OF | 23 yo
Ortiz, the only prospect with a chance to debut in 2026, likely will, and may very well play lots of 1B in DC this year.
In my view, Ortiz has a chance to be a strong side platoon player at first base or DH. Since hitting the upper levels, Ortiz has had his struggles against left handed pitching. He has hit below .200 against them each of the last two seasons. However, he has not had problems mashing right handed pitching.
Ortiz has a lot of similarities to fellow rotund first baseman Rowdy Tellez. While Tellez has never been a star, he has been in the league for nearly a decade and managed a 35 home run season back in 2022. For a fourth piece in a trade, that is not too bad.
There is a chance that Ortiz is a little bit better than that as well. For Ortiz to be better than Tellez, he will need to be more selective at the plate. In Triple-A, his chase rate was 29% which is a bit higher than you would like. His walk rate last year was 11.7%, but he could still refine his approach some more.
The round slugger who hits bombs may never compile the most WAR, but they can be a solid piece to your team. These types of players can also be fan favorites. I mean who doesn’t love a big man that can mash. He will never be a .300 hitter, but Ortiz whiffs less than your average big man masher.
Abimelec Ortiz may never be anything more than a Quad-A slugger. The mediocre plate discipline and lack of a true position might end up costing him. However, I would not count him out. The former undrafted free agent has already beaten the odds to get this far. I am really rooting for Ortiz because he could be a very fun player if everything comes together.
The former Yankees and Mets outfielder agreed to a two-year, $20.5 million deal with the Giants, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
The contract contains incentives that could make it worth $21 million.
Bader, 31, had signed one-year deals in free agency the past two offseasons, but a strong finish to the 2025 campaign powered him to a multi-year pact.
Bader posted career-bests in every major offensive category last season, which he split between the Twins and Phillies. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
He helped the Mets’ National League East rivals down the stretch, hitting an outstanding .305/.361/.463 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 50 games.
In 143 total games last year, the Bronxville, New York, native slashed a solid .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers and 54 RBIs (122 wRC+) – all career-highs.
There were some reports that Bader’s former Big Apple clubs could explore reunions this offseason, but the Yankees’ re-signing of Cody Bellinger and the Mets’ trade for Luis Robert Jr. made that unlikely.
Acquired from the Cardinals in exchange for Jordan Montgomery at the 2022 trade deadline, Bader appeared in 98 total games with the Yankees, hitting a below-average .237 with seven home runs and 46 RBIs.
While he enjoyed a powerful postseason in 2022, a series of injuries hampered Bader during his Bronx tenure.
“It just means so much to me to be a New York City kid, playing in the Bronx for the Yankees,” Bader told reporters after being claimed by Cincinnati, leaving the door open for a reunion down the line. “It’s just really special for a lot of reasons. There’s a lot of good moments and I’m just really excited because regardless of the situation, no one can ever take the fact that I put that uniform on, growing up in that city. It means a lot to me.”
After an underwhelming September with the Reds, Bader joined the Mets in free agency for the 2024 season, posting 12 homers and 51 RBIs alongside his trademark standout defense in the team’s run to the NLCS.
As reported last week with the Baseball America news, end of January means updated prospect list and just like that we saw MLB Pipeline drop their updated Top 100.
Last week we saw JR Ritchie come in at No. 84 overall, while Cam Caminiti rose all the way up to No. 53 for Baseball America. Those two were the lone representatives for the Braves once again — this time for MLB Pipeline as JR Ritchie comes in at No. 90 overall, while Cam Caminiti sits at No. 68.
Whether you believe in the rankings or not, it’s clear that Cam and JR Ritchie have set themselves apart from the rest of the Braves minor league system. It’s a system that, while currently ranked quite low amongst all teams, is starting to rebound nicely after a couple of strong drafts and adding talent like Diego Tornes and Raudy Reyes who both made a name for themselves last season. With progression from the positional prospects in the first half of the season, these lists may see an injection of Braves talent throughout.
After a long wait in MLB free agency, Bader explained to the New York Post’s “The Show” podcast why joining the Giants made perfect sense.
“Well, first and foremost, the opportunity. There’s no doubt about it,” Bader told Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman in the episode posted Monday. “All you can do in this game is just work to set yourself up for the best opportunity possible. I’ve always wanted to play as many games, have as many at-bats as possible, be on a winning team. The Giants could not be a more perfect fit for me. So, I’m just I’m just very excited.”
Bader expressed how eager he is to join a “talented” Giants roster, specifically naming third baseman Matt Chapman, whom he came up with in the Texas League and minor leagues; shortstop Willy Adames, a familiar face from their time playing each other in the NL Central; and slugger Rafael Devers.
“I love playing with superstars. [The Giants] got a lot of really, really talented players,” Bader said. “… It’s a fresh front office, it’s obviously a fresh coaching staff. Have some SEC ties in Tony Vitello, some familiarity with, [Giants bench coach Jayce Tingler] when I was with the [Minnesota] Twins last year. So, it’s always good to be in a new place, but have familiar faces. So, opportunity, the personnel, the players, it just was a perfect fit, and I’m just really, really happy it worked out because it’s very rare in this game when things work out pretty perfectly.”
The Giants are Bader’s seventh MLB team since he made his big league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017. This offseason wasn’t his first foray into free agency, and that helped him stay the course this winter as he waited to find a landing spot.
He couldn’t be happier to have ended up in San Francisco, he said, which is a city he always looked forward to visiting as an opposing player.
“It’s a process,” Bader said of free agency. “I think you have to put your faith in your team behind the scenes … Everybody did a great job of kind of distracting me and keeping me on a really positive path throughout this entire process. Because listen, teams have trades to go through, they have other signings, they have a certain amount of money that they need to allocate. So, as they’re building a roster, it’s really important for us as players to just remain calm, trust your representation, trust your support system and hopefully know that with the work and the season you put up that things are ultimately going to work out.
“Keeping that faith, I think, allowed me to kind of just get through it. And I ended up in a great place, a great city, like I mentioned, a great coaching staff, a great locker room.”
The San Francisco Giants once again entered an offseason saying they intended to get better defensively. And, with Spring Training right around the corner, they’ve finally made good on that promise. According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, on Monday morning the Giants agreed to a two-year deal with free agent outfielder Harrison Bader. According to multiple reports, the deal will pay Bader $20.5 million.
Bader, a 31-year old who bats and throws right-handed, is widely considered one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball, and won a Gold Glove in 2021 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Last year, which he spent on the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies, Bader finished 18th among all outfielders with seven Outs Above Average, and 22nd in Fielding Run Value.
That defense is desperately needed for a team that plans on playing Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee in the grass every day. Bader instantly makes the outfield defense significantly better.
The offense is more of a question mark, and it’s been a roller-coaster recently. Bader was comfortably below average in the batter’s box from 2022 through 2024, posting wRC+ marks of 84, 69, and 85, respectively. But he caught fire in 2025, ending the year with a slash line of .277/.347/.449 with a career-high 17 home runs, good for a .796 OPS and a 122 wRC+. If the Giants get the Bader of last year, they’re getting an All-Star; if they get the Bader of the previous years, they’re getting an excellent fourth outfielder.
Bader has, historically, been a bit of a platoon hitter. For his career, he’s hit left-handed pitching comfortably better than average (106 wRC+) and right-handed pitching comfortably below average (92 wRC+). That, too, was flipped on its head in 2025, when he demolished same-handed pitching (136 wRC+) but struggled when he had the advantage against southpaws (92 wRC+).
Anything he provides on offense is gravy, though — the Giants are bringing him in for the defense. We’ll have to wait and see what Buster Posey and Tony Vitello have to say, but for now, the expectation is that Bader will become the starting center fielder, and Lee will slide over to right field.
Arnaldo Lantigua rocketed to spot #10 after adding his name to the list of existing top prospects. Maybe that’ll be the case again with spot #11 in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings!
Per usual, here’s a link to the Google Form where you can vote, though it should be embedded at the end of the list if you’d rater read first and then vote on-page after digesting all the glorious information on these up and coming future Cincinnati Reds.
Here’s how the list has materialized so far:
Sal Stewart
Alfredo Duno
Rhett Lowder
Hector Rodriguez
Edwin Arroyo
Cam Collier
Steele Hall
Tyson Lewis
Chase Petty
Arnaldo Lantigua
A large list of talented names exists below for spot #11. Have at it with the votes!
Adolfo Sanchez, OF (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: .339/.474/.504 with 2 HR, 10 SB in 154 PA with DSL Reds (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: Left-handed hitter who profiles to have a plus hit tool and potentially plus power; arm good enough to play RF if he doesn’t stick in CF; shaved 20% off his K% year over year; plus runner
Cons: Questions whether he’s already physically matured to the point where projecting him to be much better exist
The Reds signed Sanchez for $2.7 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2024 and kept him there to ply his trade professionally in the Dominican Summer League. Things went quite poorly for him there during his age 17 season, and he subsequently stuck around there to repeat in 2025 – though this time, things went swimmingly.
He’ll undoubtedly play in the States in 2026, but the question now is just how quickly the Reds might try to move him up if he hits the ground running. At 6’3” and 200 lbs already, he’s not the kind of prospect where you say he’s X now, but when he gets bigger and stronger he’ll be Y in two years. In other words, if he looks the part now, he needs to be challenged immediately, and my hope is that he gets time with Daytona right off the bat.
He’s got a hit tool that comes with all-fields power, excellent patience at the plate, and I really do think his swing will continue to play. Still, it’s likely he ends up in a corner spot in the OF, which means the power’s going to need to continue to show up for him to project as an everyday regular – at least vs. RHP.
Leo Balcazar, SS/2B (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .263/.339/.381 with 12 HR, 8 SB in 560 PA split between A+ Dayton Dragons (Midwest League) and AA Chattanooga Lookouts (AA Southern League); .277/.340/.340 in 103 PA with Peoria Javelinas (Arizona Fall League)
Pros: Good strike zone judgement and plate discipline (52/75 BB/K in 2025); well-rounded tools, continuing to improve off ACL surgery
Cons: Not a ton of power yet; some question whether he’ll be able to stick at SS long term
It’s easy to forget just how good of a start Balcazar had to his pro career after signing with the Reds for $100,000 out of Venezuela. He posted an .882 OPS in 2021 in Dominican Summer League play, an .886 OPS in 2022 with the Arizona Complex League Reds, and was off to a wicked start (.897 OPS) across the first 18 games of his 2023 season with Class-A Daytona before he tore his ACL.
2024 was a bit of a rough year for him, however, as the layoff and working back from the surgery clearly impacted his performance (.264/.295/.354 in 410 PA). However, 2025 saw him look a lot more like his former explosive self – both at the plate and in the field – and he clearly was healthy enough once again as he logged a combined 663 PA across all leagues.
He’s still just 21 years of age (22 in June of 2026), and if he’s shaken the rust off completely and enters this season after a normal winter, there’s a chance we see a whole lot more from him, too.
Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida
Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in
Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown
One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.
However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.
Jose Franco, RHP (25 years old)
2025 at a glance: 3.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 118/54 K/BB in 110.0 IP split between AA Chattanooga Lookouts (Southern League) and AAA Louisville Bats (International League)
Pros: Fastball that flirts with triple digits with ease
Cons: Secondary pitches need work, and that’s impacting his overall command (and ability to limit walks)
Franco turned 25 years old in November and earned a promotion to the 40-man roster of the Reds shortly thereafter due to his consistent performance across the upper levels of their farm system.
The Reds have a few hulks they’ve put on the mound in recent years, and Franco thoroughly qualifies. He’s listed at 6’2” and an oddly specific 257 lbs, and his size and frame allows him to tap into his excellent fastball velocity with ease. It’s the pitch he misses bats with the most, but how well he can differentiate his breaking pitches (and improve his changeup command) will determine whether or not he can a) get left-handed hitter out with aplomb and b) avoid ending up in the bullpen.
He’s been a late bloomer, in part due to injuries that cost him his entire 2023 season, and if he continues the path he’s been on since getting healthy there could be a whole lot more from him as early as 2026 for Cincinnati.
Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)
Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF
Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness
If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).
However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.
Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.
Zach Maxwell, RHP (25 years old)
2025 at a glance: 4.50 ERA, 5.64 FIP, 13/4 K/BB in 10.0 IP with Cincinnati Reds; 4.17 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 59/32 K/BB in 49.2 IP with AAA Louisville Bats (International League)
Pros: Huge. Literally gigantic (6’6”, 275-ish lbs). Throws gas (100 mph+) with a devastating slider (70-grade). And he’s titanic.
Cons: Struggles with control (6.1 BB/9 across 172.1 IP in his minors career)
Maxwell, a former 6th round pick out of Georgia Tech, throws the ball up to 102 mph with his heater, and it’s clear that hitters have just about as little idea where it’s actually going to be as Maxwell himself. That’s the rub here, really, in that Big Sugar has the pure stuff to turn even the best hitters into guessers, and it comes down to whether they’ll guess wrong more often than Maxwell misses the zone in each and every PA.
If they swing, though, they’re likely going to miss, and that’s why he’s right in the mix for a spot in Cincinnati’s bullpen again in 2026 after making his debut there in 2025. He can be a bit wild if it’s effectively wild, and that’s a tightrope he’s been walking since his days back at North Paulding HS in Dallas, Georgia. When he’s locked in, though, the heater is backed up by an absolutely devastating slide piece, and that two-pitch mix – again, when he’s locked in – is good enough to be closer material. He’s just got to continue to refine his delivery.
Liberts Aponte, SS (18 years old)
2025 at a glance: .247/.368/.461 with 7 HR, 9 SB in 193 PA for DSL Rojos (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: 29/35 K/BB showed greatly improving strike zone awareness; already a plus defender at short where he projects to be excellent both with range and arm long-term
Cons: Still not viewed as a potential plus with the bat, though early returns are already better than original scouting reports; has a long way to go in terms of physically maturing
The Reds doled out $1.9 million to sign Aponte last January, and that marked the single largest contract they doled out in that particular international signing window. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #18 player overall in that class, noting he was ‘one of the most skilled defenders in his class’ and ‘offers solid wheels’ with ‘magic in his hands’ while doling out a 65 grade on his fielding ability.
The rest, we knew, would take time, as he was just liked at 6’0” and 160 lbs, and that even felt like a slight exaggeration. To his credit, though, he mashed 7 homers as a 17 year old in DSL play while showing more power than anticipated, and if that aspect of his game grows to match what’s already known the Reds have found themselves a gem.
It will be interesting to see if the Reds push him up to Arizona Complex League play at all in 2026 or give him another year in the DSL seeing as he just turned 18 years old in November.
I’ve been working on some stuff. Researching. Hitting the archives. Looking for lost media. The digital world is an interesting place. The saying was, at one point, “the internet is forever” but now we know linkrot is a plague for the internet as websites shut down. Having a link to a site that doesn’t exist anymore is, aside from a few things like the Wayback Machine, useless.
We’re past the 20th anniversary of the 2004 World Series, but one of the moments I will always remember was from a game on June 13th. The Dodgers were in town. Dave Roberts (still a Dodger, remember) is at the plate. He hits a line drive. Surely extra bases. But no! Pokey Reese leaps into the air to snag the ball out of the sky.
MLB Film Room? They have just one highlight from 2004 and it’s not that.
But after some extensive searching I struck gold. Practically found footage.
I clipped the frames from the grainy video myself. Apologies for the poor quality of a game someone surely taped and uploaded to a corner of the internet.
And now we have a highlight.
And that was good. I was happy. But there was something more. Something else. Something commemorative for this year.
“It’s like a baby New York” maybe? Already uploaded. Although this too was lost media for a while. I actually wrote to Southwest in the early 2010s asking about the commercial. They have a YouTube channel and it had their latest ads…why not a classic? Anyway, here’s that one.
But I wanted to shoot higher.
As I mentioned in the 2006-2016-2026 article last week, those ‘06 Sox traded for a new centerfielder to replace the departed Johnny Damon. The lucky guy? Coco Crisp. While there was a lot of talk about Jeremy Reed as a “Johnny Damon starter kit,” Coco was established. Francona was ready to unleash his speed in the outfield and on the bases.
Everyone was excited.
Unfortunately an injury put Crisp on the IL just five games into the season. It was a minor disaster on the field.
It was a major disaster in the media relations department! Coco Crisp was a centerpiece of the NESN ad campaign for the season. They’d already shot the film and produced the commercials.
If you were around in 2006 this isn’t a surprise.
And you know what’s coming.
So I give you a treat. NESN’s big ad campaign: One Nation, One Network.
Or as you remember it: Did you see that catch Coco made?
We’ve definitely hit a lull here in the offseason — one where no news is good news as you hope that players and coaches are continuing to make personal preparations for the season while hopefully avoiding pratfalls such as, oh, I don’t know, slipping on ice or something like that.
As such, this is a good time for articles such as the one that ESPN put out here on Monday morning. Bradford Doolittle of ESPN has once again tried to figure out who will be the breakout teams of baseball for this upcoming season and as it turns out, Doolittle has placed the Braves in this list of breakout clubs.
In fact, Doolittle has tabbed the Braves as his top breakout candidate. Based on his own algorithms and simulations that he’s run over the course of the offseason, he’s given the Braves a 59 percent chances of picking up 90 wins during this upcoming season — compared to a baseline of 80 wins for 2026. For comparison’s sake, the Orioles were the No. 2 team in Doolittle’s eyes and he only gave them a 35 percent breakout probability, so he appears to be somewhat confident in Atlanta’s chances to return to form after two-straight disappointing seasons.
Here’s part of Doolittle’s reasoning for Atlanta being primed to bounce back this season (and I highly recommend you go over there and give the entire article a read as well):
Injuries were the primary culprit, though there were certainly some underperformances as well. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider both missed time, as they did in 2024, and when they played they were still working their way back into form. Getting those stars and others, such as Austin Riley and Matt Olson, back to full capacity and/or productivity is the Braves’ best hope for a quick bounce-back. The projections think they have a good chance of getting that. My simulations have the Braves winning 11 more games than their baseline win estimate of 80. In other words, their average projection qualifies them as a breakout team, the only team for which that is the case.
Doolittle mentioned Strider in there but also, my own personal belief is that health among the entire starting rotation should help boost the Braves in 2026. He’s absolutely right about Austin Riley hopefully returning to form after two injury-plagued and other stars like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson continuing to be stars as well but the rotation is key. It’s been mentioned multiple times but Bryce Elder ended up leading the Braves in innings pitched last season. With all due credit to Bryce Elder and his contributions to the team over the past few seasons, having Elder lead your team in innings pitched doesn’t appear conducive to the overall success of a baseball club.
As long as Chris Sale stays healthy and the rest of the rotation follows suit, that alone should give the Braves more of a fighting chance to stay relevant and return to the Postseason conversation during this upcoming season. The team’s depth has been fortified over the course of this offseason as Alex Anthopoulos did a pretty solid job of addressing the team’s needs in the infield, outfield and bullpen as well. Now granted, the team will already start of shorthanded due to Ha-Seong Kim’s icy mishap and I will admit that that doesn’t engender a lot of confidence about this team finally evading the injury bug for the first time since 2023.
However, if Ha-Seong Kim’s injury is simply the injury bug’s last hurrah before a healthy season on the field for the Braves, then things should be better based off that alone. It’s January — why not be a little optimistic? This projection from ESPN is optimistic for Atlanta’s chances in 2026 and as always, all we ca do is hope for the best in order to see those projections play out as planned so that the Braves can finally bounce back after a couple of years in the wilderness. We’ll see what happens.
Shohei Ohtani reacts after recording the final out of the World Baseball Classic in 2023 on a strikeout of then-Angels teammate Mike Trout. (Eric Espada / Getty Images)
Japan's roster for the World Baseball Classic features familiar names, but one question lingers.
Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki, who will be returning to the starting rotation after missing most of last year’s regular season because of a shoulder injury, was not selected. Sasaki was on Team Japan in 2023, starting two games — including a dramatic semifinal win over Mexico.
In his earlier announcement, Ohtani did not indicate whether he would pitch in the WBC and on Monday Ibata told reporters that the team will get a better sense once Ohtani reports to spring training next month.
In the 2023 WBC, Ohtani won tournament most valuable player with a .435 batting average and 1.86 ERA, helping Japan to the title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game.
Eight major leaguers were named to Team Japan's WBC roster, including Angels left-hander Yusei Kukuchi, Padres left-hander Yuki Matsui, Blue Jays infielder Kazuma Okamoto, White Sox infielder Munetaka Murakami, Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki and right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, currently a free agent who pitched for the Baltimore Orioles last year.
MLB players are expected to join Team Japan for exhibition games on March 2. Japan will open WBC play on March 6 against Taiwan.
