Minor League development is rarely a straight climb, but this season’s prospect ledger was crowded with players who paired growth with loud production. From strikeout machines and breakout sluggers to teenagers holding their own in Double-A, every organization had at least one farmhand who put a number on the board that demanded attention.
Some of those figures came with the usual cautions about level, age or health. Others arrived with awards, promotions and, in a few cases, major league opportunities. Taken together, they offer a useful snapshot of where each system’s heat was generated in 2026.
American League East
Toronto right-hander Nolan Perry, the club’s No. 2 prospect and No. 90 overall, came back from the Tommy John surgery that erased his 2025 season and did not waste time. The 2022 12th-rounder struck out 36.0 percent of hitters, fanning 117 in 82 2/3 innings while reaching Double-A for the first time. Among Minor League pitchers with at least 80 innings, his strikeout rate ranked fourth. Perry also posted a 2.50 ERA, .181 opponents’ average, 1.02 WHIP, 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 26.2 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate.
Baltimore’s towering Joseph Dzierwa made an immediate full-season impression. The 6-foot-8 lefty, selected in the second round out of Michigan State in 2025, spent most of the year at Double-A and held opponents to a Minor League-best .186 average. His 0.90 WHIP led the Minors, while his 2.27 ERA was second-best.
Rays outfielder Theo Gillen joined a very short list by producing 22 homers and 44 steals, one of five Minor Leaguers to reach the 20-homer, 40-steal neighborhood. The 2024 first-round pick reached Double-A at age 20, finished with a .965 OPS and led Tampa Bay farmhands in that category.
Boston left-hander Dylan Brown brought swing-and-miss stuff in his first professional campaign. The 2025 eighth-rounder from Old Dominion had a 32.2 percent strikeout rate, second among qualified Minor Leaguers, and led Red Sox prospects with a 3.46 ERA. He punched out 143 hitters over 106 2/3 innings between Single-A and High-A. His fastball can touch 95 mph, but his command and deception have helped it play bigger.
The Yankees found a Florida Complex League star in Wilberson De Pena, acquired from the Angels for Oswald Peraza at the 2025 Trade Deadline. De Pena hit .358 with 16 homers and 67 RBIs to take the league’s Triple Crown, MVP award and top-prospect recognition. He also led the FCL in slugging percentage (.677), OPS (1.088), hits (81), doubles (20), extra-base hits (38) and total bases (153), showing above-average raw power along with plus speed.
American League Central
Guardians catcher-outfielder Cooper Ingle took International League MVP honors after leading Triple-A in OPS, 151 wRC+ and an 18 percent walk rate. The Clemson product, drafted in the fourth round in 2023, has brought a disciplined offensive approach, average power and uncommon athleticism for a player who catches.
Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez, 17, made his mark in the Dominican Summer League before showing he belonged in the Arizona Fall League. Kansas City signed him for $2.9 million in January, and he led qualified prospects in the organization at every level in OPS (1.120), slugging (.652) and isolated power (.292).
Detroit infielder Max Anderson kept making contact at an elite rate, striking out in only 13.5 percent of his plate appearances while leading qualified Tigers hitters. The second baseman-third baseman also paced the system with a 134 wRC+. He appears increasingly ready offensively, though the big league roster does not present an obvious opening.
For Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins, the meaningful total was 417 plate appearances between the Minors and his first major league stint. It was a career high for a player who has dealt with availability concerns. Jenkins gave Minnesota reason to summon him by posting a .939 OPS with Triple-A St. Paul.
White Sox prospect Caleb Bonemer took a considerable power step forward after winning Carolina League MVP in his 2025 debut. He led all Minor Leaguers with 69 extra-base hits, raised his homer total from 12 to 37 and finished fifth in the Minors in long balls. The 2024 second-round selection has allowed his right-handed swing to work more freely, with a better launch angle producing harder and longer contact. Baseball’s top third-base prospect is playing the outfield in the Arizona Fall League as Chicago looks for the quickest route for his bat.
American League West
Angels right-hander Tyler Bremner had his workload trimmed by an early illness, but the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 Draft still reached Double-A. Over at least 70 innings, he led the organization with a 24.0 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate, a 3.46 FIP and a 3.51 xFIP.
Houston’s Jason Schiavone authored a sharp turnaround. After batting .180 in his first full professional season, the 2024 11th-rounder from James Madison hit 32 homers and stole 32 bases while moving from High-A to Triple-A. He became only the second Minor League catcher to record a 30-30 season. Schiavone’s package includes premium exit velocity and patience, though the approach can drift into passivity and his swing-and-miss numbers remain a concern.
A’s outfielder Devin Taylor opened at High-A and finished in Triple-A, producing at every stop. The 2025 second-round pick led Oakland’s system with a .904 OPS and a 129 wRC+, finishing at .308/.411/.493 as he moved close to the major league doorstep.
Seattle left-hander Kade Anderson was the Minor League pitching standard. The No. 3 choice in the 2025 Draft led qualifying pitchers with a 1.06 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, .147 opponents’ average and only 13 walks over at least 90 innings. His 10.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio stood 2.38 points above the next closest pitcher, fellow Mariners prospect Ryan Sloan. Anderson was named Pitching Prospect of the Year.
Rangers shortstop-third baseman Sebastian Walcott lost time after undergoing internal brace surgery on his throwing elbow in February, a setback that likely delayed a possible age-20 debut. Once he returned in mid-July, the Bahamian infielder showed why Texas signed him for $3.2 million in 2023. In 41 games, mostly at Double-A, he hit .325/.401/.590 with 10 homers.
National League East
Braves outfielder Eric Hartman was the lone Minor Leaguer to complete a 20-homer, 50-steal campaign, finishing with 26 homers and 56 steals. The 20th-round pick from the western Canadian high school ranks reached 20 homers and 30 steals in 71 games, the second-quickest pace to that combination since 2005.
Marlins right-hander Jacob Kisting traveled through three organizations before settling into a breakout year. Minnesota sent him to Tampa Bay last November in the Eric Orze deal, and Miami acquired him in July in the trade package for Liam Hicks. The 2024 14th-round pick out of Bradley led the Minors with a 1.72 ERA and ranked second with a .186 opponents’ average and 0.91 WHIP. His low release point creates difficult angles, while a low-90s fastball with horizontal movement and command works alongside two low-80s changeup variations.
Mets left-hander Jonathan Santucci reached Triple-A and struck out 163 hitters, enough to edge Cardinals prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje, Braves pitcher Cedric De Grandpre and Phillies left-hander Adam Seminaris by one for the Minor League lead. The Duke product, a 2024 second-rounder, led Mets farmhands in strikeouts per nine innings (11.74), strikeout rate (30.8 percent) and xFIP (3.73).
Nationals shortstop Eli Willits answered the principal question surrounding his offensive ceiling. The No. 1 overall pick in 2025 hit 14 homers and slugged .463 while rising from Single-A to Double-A at age 18. The Oklahoma high school product and son of former major league outfielder Reggie Willits was the second-best slugging age-18 qualified hitter in full-season ball; only Guardians outfielder Juneiker Caceres, at .484, finished higher.
Philadelphia outfielder Francisco Renteria dominated the Dominican Summer League after signing for $4 million last January. The league MVP batted .379/.470/.682, leading qualified Minor Leaguers at every level in wRC+ (176), slugging percentage and OPS (1.152). He also topped the Phillies system in batting average, on-base percentage and isolated power (.303).
National League Central
Brewers corner infielder Andrew Fischer launched 48 homers, the most by a Minor Leaguer since Ron Kittle hit 50 in 1982. The 2025 first-rounder from Tennessee also led the Minors in slugging (.654), OPS (1.067) and total bases (287), while finishing second in RBIs (114) and wRC+ (162). The power comes from some of the hardest contact and most aggressive launch angles in the game, though his contact rates, including against strikes, remain among the weakest.
Cardinals catcher-first baseman Rainiel Rodriguez established himself as the sport’s leading catching prospect with a huge age-19 season. He led the Double-A Texas League with a .328 average, .408 on-base percentage and .591 slugging percentage. Across High-A and Double-A, the Dominican signee hit .324/.413/.574 with 27 homers and 11 steals in 115 games. Rodriguez signed for $300,000 in 2024 and has defensive refinements left to make, but the bat has star potential.
Cubs outfielder Kane Kepley put together a classic leadoff season: 127 runs, 120 walks and 70 steals. The 2025 second-round pick out of North Carolina led the Minors in all three categories. His run total was the largest in a Minor League season since 2019, and his walk count was the highest since 2015. Chicago drafted him for his hitting ability, speed and center-field defense, and he checked each of those boxes in his first full season.
Pirates right-hander Seth Hernandez had his season halted by an oblique injury in July, but not before posting a 40.4 percent strikeout rate. That mark was third among Minor Leaguers with at least 70 innings. Hernandez led Pittsburgh’s qualifying farm pitchers with a 2.43 ERA, 3.19 xFIP and 29.8 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate. He also ranked third in the Minors at 14.35 strikeouts per nine innings, fourth in K-BB percentage and seventh in xFIP.
Reds first baseman Carter Graham finally turned the corner after limited production in his first two full seasons. The 2023 eighth-round selection advanced beyond A ball to Double-A and hit .300/.421/.565, leading Cincinnati’s system in OPS (.986), wRC+ (151), each slash-line category, home runs (29) and RBIs (93).
National League West
Diamondbacks outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu became the first Arizona farmhand to record a 25-homer, 25-steal season, finishing with 27 homers and 28 steals. Acquired from Philadelphia last December for Kyle Backhus, the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder brings plus raw power and surprising usable speed once he gets underway.
Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula needed only 11 major league games to earn a postseason roster spot. He went 10-for-31, drew 11 walks and finished with five extra-base hits and five strikeouts. Before the call, the 2022 Dominican signee had been named Texas League MVP after batting .303/.401/.547. He led the Double-A circuit in hits (152), doubles (37), runs (106) and RBIs (104), reinforcing his standing as the Minors’ premier offensive prospect.
Giants left-hander Jacob Bresnahan collected a league pitcher-of-the-year award for the third straight season, adding the High-A Northwest League honor to previous awards in the 2024 Arizona Complex League and 2025 California League. San Francisco acquired him from Cleveland in July 2024 in the Alex Cobb trade. Bresnahan’s arsenal features a 92-97 mph fastball with exceptional carry and a sharp mid-80s kick changeup.
Padres catcher Ethan Salas, 20, was the youngest player in the MLB postseason and started three of San Diego’s four Division Series games. After injuries and an aggressive developmental timetable complicated his 2024 and 2025 seasons, Salas rebounded to hit .296/.374/.448 with 10 homers and 17 steals in 96 games between Double-A and Triple-A. The Venezuelan catcher, who signed for $5.6 million as the top-rated international prospect in the 2023 class, also earned Minor League Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
Rockies outfielder Cristian Arguelles has made a habit of hitting above .400. He batted .422 in the Dominican Summer League in 2025 to win MVP honors, then followed with a .402 mark in the Arizona Complex League and another MVP award before his first promotion to full-season ball. Signed for $700,000 in January 2024, Arguelles will enter 2027 carrying a .344/.434/.518 career line.
The numbers do not settle every projection, and they are not supposed to. But a healthy season, a new pitch, an improved swing decision or a louder ball off the bat can change the conversation around a prospect quickly. This year’s farm systems supplied no shortage of those turning points.
