Jesús Made Holds No. 1 as Arias, De Vries Shake Up Prospect Rankings

With the Minor League postseason in the books and the Arizona Fall League set to open Saturday, the prospect board has taken on its autumn shape. Jesús Made remains baseball’s No. 1 prospect, but a strong finish by Red Sox shortstop Franklin Arias and an injury to Athletics infielder Leo De Vries have changed the look of the top tier.

This is not a full offseason rewrite of the rankings. It is a correction ahead of Fall League play, 40-man roster decisions and the winter movement to come, with a fresh vote on the first 15 spots, several substantial risers and fallers, two new names at the bottom of the list and a pair of departures.

Made stays on top as Arias climbs

Made, the Brewers shortstop, held the No. 1 position. Arias moved to No. 2 after a breakout season that included a .323/.400/.557 line and 25 home runs over 117 games between Double-A and Triple-A. The 20-year-old showed more power without giving away his in-zone contact, a combination that raises his offensive ceiling while his shortstop defense supplies a sturdy foundation.

De Vries slipped to third after undergoing right shoulder surgery on Sept. 14. His recovery could last as long as eight months.

Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula rose into the top four after continuing to establish himself as one of the most gifted young hitters in the minors. His outfield defense remains a question, but he became more aggressive while improving his contact work at Double-A Tulsa and retaining his plus power. Los Angeles called him directly from the Texas League when it needed a designated-hitter replacement for Shohei Ohtani, and De Paula answered by going 10-for-31 with a homer and 11 walks in 11 Major League games.

Gonzalez and Rodriguez reach the top 10

Giants shortstop Josuar Gonzalez jumped from No. 15 into the top 10 after producing in both the Arizona Complex League and at Single-A San Jose. The switch-hitter will turn 19 later this month and already carries the reputation of one of the minors’ finest defensive shortstops, giving him a legitimate five-tool profile.

Rodriguez climbed from No. 16 to No. 10 on the strength of a thunderous finish at Double-A Springfield. Over his final 36 games, the 19-year-old Cardinals catcher/first baseman hit .417/.482/.806 with 14 home runs, 16 walks and 20 strikeouts across 168 plate appearances. St. Louis may give him innings at third base as it searches for ways to fit his bat into the Major League picture, but the offensive production is loud enough to travel with him anywhere on the diamond.

Two more top-15 players will carry the spotlight into the Arizona Fall League. Walcott, ranked eighth, returned in mid-July from internal brace surgery and showed the smooth right-handed stroke and raw power that made him such a prominent name. His next assignment is demonstrating that he can again handle shortstop after making just two starts there during his return from the elbow injury.

Quintero reached No. 15 after a productive age-20 season at High-A Great Lakes. He paired frequent contact with notable impact, though his 33.9 percent swing rate in the Midwest League occasionally veered toward excessive selectivity. He is also a plus runner with the ability to play all three outfield spots.

Cardinals, Orioles, Twins and Nationals supply big movers

Cardinals catcher Leo Bernal made one of the largest gains, rising from No. 99 to No. 80. His path may help explain why the club is considering additional positions for Rodriguez. Bernal appears to have put himself in position to own St. Louis’ catching job in 2027 and beyond.

The switch-hitting Bernal hit a career-best 16 home runs with a 116 wRC+ in 101 Triple-A Memphis games, then batted .284/.333/.474 with five homers in 24 games for the Cardinals. His average 1.88-second pop time to second base placed him in the Major League 86th percentile. There was more swing-and-miss than desired in his first big league look, but it was still an encouraging opening résumé for a 22-year-old catcher.

• Orioles left-hander Joseph Dzierwa: No. 86 to No. 69.
• Twins shortstop Marek Houston: No. 71 to No. 54.
• Nationals infielder Seaver King: No. 68 to No. 51.

Dzierwa finished his first full Minor League season on a strong note, posting a 2.32 ERA with 33 strikeouts and six walks over his final six Double-A Chesapeake starts, covering 31 innings. The 6-foot-8 lefty logged 131 innings in 2026. His changeup is his closest offering to plus at present, but his command and control carried him throughout the season.

Houston recovered from a quiet August with a 10-game hitting streak to end the year. In that closing stretch, the 2025 No. 16 overall selection hit .405, walked seven times and struck out eight times in 50 plate appearances. His offensive game is built first on contact, speed and premium-position defense, though further power development could push him toward a more secure top-50 standing.

King’s bounce-back began in last year’s Arizona Fall League and continued through his second full season. He hit 21 homers, including 16 at Triple-A Rochester, and posted a 104.9 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity with a 110.9 mph maximum. If he can lift more baseballs, the power may remain. His ability to play shortstop could also influence Washington’s consideration of moving CJ Abrams to second base.

Alvarez and Azocar enter the list

Angels outfielder Hayden Alvarez arrives at No. 98, joining Arjun Nimmala at No. 34 and Tyler Bremner at No. 42 as the organization’s three ranked prospects. Alvarez posted a .391 on-base percentage in 118 games between Single-A and High-A during his age-19 season. He hit a personal-best 12 home runs and stole 53 bases, with more physical strength still possible in his 6-foot-3 frame.

Orioles outfielder Enddy Azocar checks in at No. 99. The 19-year-old came from Boston in the Trade Deadline deal that sent Adley Rutschman the other direction and continued to produce after changing systems. Across 110 games at Single-A and High-A, he posted an .885 OPS with 21 homers and 20 steals. His contact rate rose from 69.7 percent at Greenville to 79.3 percent at Frederick, a welcome development for a player who already shows above-average power and speed potential.

Injuries, contact concerns push others down

White Sox shortstop Billy Carlson dropped 22 places, from No. 59 to No. 81. A torn ligament in his left thumb cost him nearly two months from May through July, and a skin infection ended his season after Aug. 9. He appeared in only 57 games for Single-A Kannapolis, did not hit a homer and sent 41.8 percent of his batted balls to the opposite field. The defensive work remains excellent, but the shortened season cooled his standing.

Tigers catcher/first baseman Josue Briceño fell 20 spots to No. 86 after right wrist surgery at the start of the year and a right ankle sprain at the end limited him to 32 games at the upper levels. The 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter still has exceptional raw power, but he has played more than 56 games in a season only once since reaching full-season ball in 2023.

• Royals infielder Josh Hammond: No. 67 to No. 82.
• Marlins left-hander Thomas White: No. 34 to No. 47.
• Mariners shortstop Felnin Celesten: No. 47 to No. 60.
• Mariners outfielder Jonny Farmelo: No. 70 to No. 83.
• D-backs second baseman Demetrio Crisantes: No. 72 to No. 84.
• Astros infielder Xavier Neyens: No. 90 to No. 100.

Hammond started well at Single-A Columbia and improved his chances of staying at shortstop, but he slugged only .312 over his final 40 games and finished as a league-average hitter in the Carolina League. White missed a substantial part of the season with a left shoulder capsular strain, moving him into a more fitting place among the left-handed pitching group.

Celesten was the Northwest League MVP in 2026, but his first look at Double-A Arkansas was rough. He hit .171 with a 44 wRC+ and a 33.6 percent strikeout rate, with an aggressive approach producing too much swing-and-miss. Farmelo’s season still carried a positive marker: he stayed healthy and played more than 100 games for the first time. But his 46-game Double-A stint also showed his vulnerability to softer offerings.

Crisantes and Neyens slid for different reasons. Crisantes is a contact-oriented second baseman whose late promotion to Triple-A Reno did not produce much impact; his 90th-percentile exit velocity there was 100.8 mph. He will have another chance to show more in the Arizona Fall League.

Neyens brings plus-plus left-handed raw power, but the contact concerns were pronounced at High-A Asheville. He made contact on only 60.8 percent of his swings in 35 games and swung at just 30.3 percent of pitches, leaving evaluators to weigh both passivity and swing-and-miss as he approaches his age-20 season in 2027.

Milbrandt and Hall fall off the board

Marlins right-hander Karson Milbrandt and Reds shortstop Steele Hall were removed from the rankings. Milbrandt dominated early at Double-A Pensacola but lost the zone at Triple-A Jacksonville, where he finished with an 8.39 ERA, 62 strikeouts and 52 walks in 64 1/3 innings. Opponents slugged .460 or better against each of his three main pitches: the four-seam fastball, slider and sweeper.

Hall was the ninth overall pick in 2025, drafted as a long-range project after entering the class at 17 years old. That remains the case after a difficult transition from the Arizona Complex League to Single-A Daytona in late July. His in-zone contact rate sat in the low 70s, leaving plate adjustments as the clear task before he can force his way back onto the board.

The Fall League now offers the next clubhouse stop for many of these young players. The regular season is finished, but prospect season is not quite ready to surrender the field.