Underrated Pitching Prospects To Buy Now (In The Process of Copying From Patreon, Editing Required.)

George Klassen, A+

Klassen is an enormously talented pitcher that may not be getting as much hype as he deserves - and that probably sounds ridiculous, as he's their #3 prospect. Do I think Christian Moore is really a better prospect than Klassen. Or Ryan Johnson, their #2 prospect? I don't think so. Klassen averages 97.7 mph on a fastball out of a low 27.2 degree arm slot - a very nice velocity to slot ratio that will provide some excellent horizontal play and ride.His AAA statcast is dominant, but there is one drawback...and that's the fact that he only pitched six innings. So this is essentially one start's worth of data. Can we really buy into that small sample size? Not quite. But what if we combine that start with his final outings at AA?Looking back to AA, Klassen compiled a less-than-ideal 5.35 ERA on the year, but with a healthy 11 K/9 and the stuff clearly being elite. But when you look at his last four starts at AA before being promoted, he only gave up three runs, while striking out 32 batters. That's pretty good. So if you decide to combine those last four starts at AA with his first action at AAA, we're beginning to see a picture of George

Klassen that matches his stellar psStuff+ grades.

Does he strike guys out? Yes.

Can he limit hard contact? Yes.

Does he limit walks?

Yes, well...at least as of late. But this was an issue for a large majority of the season.Is this the best pitching prospect in the minors? Possibly. When it comes to the stuff, Klassen approaches the top end. Add onto that an ideal movement profile and the sky is the limit.There was a debate around Klassen as he came out of college - would his lack of command relegate him to a bullpen role in the majors, or would he be able to grow and improve in that area, to the point that he'd be a viable starter?First of all, imagine having that kind of noise surrounding a guy coming out of college, before professional development coaches even held a conversation with the kid...so fucking silly. You always, and I mean always, go for the stuff (though both is ideal), and the rest comes later. Secondly....yeah, Klassen's control is starting to come along heading into his ETA 2026 season.When it comes to the pitch mix, we're looking at a guy with four elite offerings, all coming in above the 100 psStuff+ mark.

Slider , .222xBA - Klassen's primary pitch with 50.6% usage rate. At 89.1 MPH, it's a solid complimentary pitch to his fastball, which touches 99 mph at the upper end. An 8-10 mph difference between his two highest usage rate pitches is everything you want to see. Better yet, this slider has an absurd 50% whiff rate, nearly identical to the usage rate. Simply put - this guy is throwing a whiff 25% of the time just by way of the slider!

4-seam, .210xBA - This lil' piece of cheddar averages 97 mph, touches 99, and with Klassen's above-average extension, we're looking at over 100 mph of perceived velocity. On top of the elite velocity, the pitch has more horizontal movement than I was expecting to see from someone with this much power, but then I noticed the 27 degree arm angle and the nice 2387 RPM (higher than his slider), and you realize, damn, this kid has something special here. Maybe the best fastball in the entire minor league system in terms of pitch shape and velocity.

Curveball, 0.00 xBA - In his only start at AAA, literally nobody swing at this pitch, which rocks an elite 110 psStuff+ grade. The curveball has nearly the same location as his slider, with a bit less velocity, and breaks away from the glove side, giving him two pitches that break glove side, and two that break away - a nice mix that should certainly keep pitchers off balance.

Changeup, .003 xBA - So, it looks like someone actually swung at this one! And got possibly the weakest contact of all time! This 88 mph offering has extremely similar location to the fastball, as you can see in the graph below, and should fool batters who sit on the high heat. I'd actually love to see Klassen throw this pitch a bit more, as it most resembles his 50% usage rate fastball coming out of the arm slot, whereas the other pitches may be a bit more recognizable as not being the fastball considering their tremendous break away from the glove side. Bumping the 4-seam rate down to 40% and the Changeup rate to 18% could do wonders for the kid, as it would make him significantly less predictable. Overall, the kid has a solid pitch mix, but a part of me actually finds the slider to be a bit redundant when his curveball is both better and extremely similar, as it finds itself winding up in a similar location with similar velocity - 89 vs 94 mph. What Klassen needs, more than anything, is a glove side pitch that finds itself in the lower half of the zone to compliment the change and 4-seam. There still remains the possibility, though, that the small difference between these two pitches in their shape and velocity is just enough to fool batters sitting on either pitch - we honestly just need to see it play out.

Feel free to watch some film here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwtX6zXAl5U

Trey Gibson, B

Gibson has had a rough go of it at AAA, compiling a a 7.98 ERA alongside some pretty awful metrics. This is coming from a guy who posted a 1.55 ERA over 52 innings at AA, leading some to believe he was the best pitcher in the entire Orioles system. But there's still some really nice indicators here, like five of his six offerings coming in above 100 psStuff+. I'm going to give Gibson the benefit of the doubt here, as everyone is entitled to a bad stretch of play and some time to adapt. When the stuff is good, you get some leeway, ya know?

4-seam .229 xBA - What a relief to see that Gibson's 4-seam, which he throws nearly 25% of the time, comes in at a super healthy xBA and 28% whiff rate. The production may be lacking, but in the end, AAA hitters are still struggling to make good contact on Gibson's heat.

Sinker, .203 xBA - Even better! Gibson's power sinker comes in at an even better xBA than the 4-seam while be used at a 24% rate. Between the 4-seam and sinker combined, Gibson is throwing nearly 50% of his pitches for an xBA right around the .216 xBA mark....that's fucking excellent! But now we see what's coming - Gibson's off speed and breaking stuff are probably not getting the job done.

Slider, .382 xBA - Yep, there it is. Gibson's 116 psStuff+ slider is getting absolute demolished. It currently sports a 76.92 hard-hit rate % against, and that's so absurdly high that I think there's some genuine concern he's tipping his pitches. And if you look below at the release points graphics, you can see there are certainly some discrepancies in the clustering of pitches. His slider, cutter, and curve all have an entirely different release point than his sweeper, 4-seam, and sinker. When you compare this tunneling to Klassen above, you can see it's quite a bit messier and it's almost certainly something Gibson is going to have to clean up. No matter how messy the stuff is, hitters can handle it if they know what's coming.

Sweeper, .379 xBA

Curve, .269 xBA

Cutter, .299 xBA

You'll also notice that all of the pitches that don't break glove side are really getting bashed, while glove side pitches (being his two fastballs) are finding nice production.

There's a few ways to clean this up, in my opinion, and the first would be to just cut down on the pitch bloat. Gibson doesn't need six pitches; he needs to work on mastering four or five pitches and work on his mechanics, as mentioned above. With his sweeper being the only pitch that currently comes out of the same arm slot as his two fastballs, that should become his complimentary breaking ball. The cutter should be scrapped entirely, and slider should be cleaned up for tunneling purposes. I'd also scrap the curveball, and possibly develop a changeup, which seems to be what the cutter is replicating, coming in at 87 mph and trying to stay below the zone. But frankly, it's an awful cutter with not nearly enough RPM on it to get any kind of good cutting action.

Gibson is a few fixes away from being a solid MLB pitcher, and there's no better buy-low point than right now for a guy that's struggling, yet also displaying some fantastic stuff.

Thomas WHite

Thomas White, S

While I believe Klassen to be the prospect with the best stuff in the minors, there's no denying that Thomas White has been the best pitcher in the minors this year. White has worked his way from A+ to AAA in the course of just one season, dominating every step of the way:A+: 2.83 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 13.6 K/9AA: 1.59 ERA, 1.191 WHIP, 14.9 K/9AAA: 3.86 ERA, 1.393 WHIP, 16.4 K/9And although you may be looking at that AAA production and thinking it's not all that good, keep in mind he's only pitched 9.1 innings at that level, and his statcast and K/9 are still absolutely absurd. He's run into some control issues with his 4th percentile BB rate killing his WHIP, but when he actually throws in the zone, hitters just can't hit him. White seems to be his own worst enemy.It's pretty strange that none of White's pitches come in above the 100 psStuff+ mark, meaning they're all considered below average offerings, but some decent tunneling combined with markedly different locations and shape on his pitches really seems to perplex batters.4-seam, .003xBA (lol) - White has seen a notable increase in velocity this year, now touching 98 mph at times, and it's made his fastball rather devastating. A 50% usage rate, with a .003 xBA and 38% whiff rate is just completely and utterly absurd. And it's been the case not just at AAA, but through all levels of the minors this year. He excels at keeping it at the top of the zone, which then compliments other pitches that make their way down in a ladder-esque fashion. No other pitch in White's arsenal overlaps the 4-seam on the vertical axis.

Sweeper, .214 xBA - A .214 xBA looks bad coming in right behind a .003xBA, it's kind of like if Chance The Rapper came on after Kendrick or if Taking Back Sunday came on after Fallout Boy. But man, this is some good stuff! A nice 35% whiff rate and tortoise-esque 83 mph velocity round it out, alongside some fantastic glove side movement that separates its shape from other pitches by a metric shit ton. It's almost exactly diametrically opposed and parallel to the fastball. Even with Klassen, it's beginning to look like players who can move diagonally through the zone

Slider, .095 xBA - White's slider has been excellent, boasting a .095 xBA on 15% usage rate, and perfectly fills in the diagonal profile of his pitch mix. It has just enough glove side movement to throw hitters off-balance without giving away the pitch profile, but the issue becomes, it's sabotaging the changeup.

Change, .304 xBA - If you look below, I've created a triangle of sorts between the change, 4-seam, and slider. Normally, I'd love where the changeup finds itself with the common vertical drop from the 4-seam we typically see, and along the same vertical plane. But the issue then becomes sharing both that same vertical position with the 4-seam, AND a horizontal position with the slider. As hitters begin to understand the movement profiles of the slider and 4-seam, the changeup begins to become more predictable and hittable due to hitters recognizing those two pitches. It almost functions as a map of sorts, leading right to where the changeup is going to be. The adjustments required to reach the changeup become too easy to make whilst sitting on other offerings. If White wants to improve on this pitch and its .304 xBA, he needs to find a way to get a bit more arm-side movement, or a bit more vertical drop on the offering - ideally both. But if we were only able to pick one of those improvements, it would be finding more arm side movement to go from nearly a right triangle to acute.

Robby Snelling, SS

The Marlins have become real, real good at developing talent over the years, and having access to their minor league data always makes for a fun time. We just saw how dominant Thomas White has been over the course of the season, but now we move to the real #1 pitching prospect in the system - Robby Snelling.Snelling boats a stupidly dominant 1.27 ERA and .201 BA against through 63.2 AAA innings, making him the de facto pitcher of the year at the level. Four of his five pitches come in above a 100 psSTuff+, so let's take a peek, shall we?

4-seam, .139 xBA - The bread and butter pitch for Snelling, coming in at a 43.1% usage rate, is as dominant as a fastball could be at any level of baseball. It's not exactly high heat, averaging 94 and touching 96, but Snelling is a master at keeping it up in the zone and working the ladder, much like Thomas White above. In fact, looking at the graphic below may just make your pattern recognition skills tingle in excitement, as there's definitely something going on here. Let's call it The Diagonal Effect. Pitchers who are able to stay glove side at the top of the zone with their fastball, and work diagonally away from the hitter with off speed and breaking balls, are finding a ton of success. It's something we may hone in on here.

Curve, .176 xBA - At a 30% usage rate, this nasty little curveball has an elite xBA and a 42% whiff rate - nice. The 27% hard-hit rate is nothing to scoff at either. This curve has shape that leaves it perfectly complimentary to the 4-seam and really works the bottom of the zone with 14 inches of break on the best offerings. The high fastball, low curveball is a classic combination that we love to see in 2025. And at 82 mph, it's a doozy!Change, .225 xBA - The changeup couldn't have a better velocity, coming in at 88 mph, nestled right between the 82 mph curveball and the 94 mph fastball. And although the .225 xBA is a bit higher than the previous two pitches mentioned, it's still crazy good. The 29% whiff rate is solid, and it's more or less just. nice change of pace pitch that has similar movement to his fastball - a nice way to keep hitters on their toes.Slider, .391 xBA - One. Bad Pitch. That's it for Snelling. This slider has an 85 psStuff{ grade and the .391 xBA reflects that. It has extremely little break and hangs way too often. This is a pitch Snelling could scrap and he'd feel none the worse for it.Sinker, .099 xBA - This is a good pitch, but he rarely uses it. The 2% usage rate indicates it's a pitch that may be in the early stages of development, but damn is that .099 xBA not a thing of beauty. It has some nice horizontal break away and there's some really good potential there.

The statcast speaks for itself - it looks better than Klassen's, and actually has the sample size to back it up. Snelling is the Skubal of AAA.

Khal Stephen, B-

Recently promoted to AA, Stephen has had a rough go of it through 11 IP for the Guardians organization - a 6.35 ERA and 1.67 WHIP make it less likely that Stephen starts the 2026 campaign at AAA. Part of the reason Stephen makes this list is because I could see him being a summer callup if things go right, but he's definitely trending towards a 2027 ETA if he doesn't come out of the gates incredibly strong next year.But because the possibility is still there for a pitcher who has some good stuff and dominated A ball to the tune of 2.53 ERA and .200 BA against, I'll include him with a lower grade.

Stephen has one of the higher arm slots we've observed thus far, and to be honest, I think we prefer a lower arm slot than this if the velocity isn't piping hot - and for Khal, it's not. This isn't a super deceptive arm angle for a guy only averaging 93 mph, but let's look more closely at his pitches.4-seam, .176 xBA - I think it's safe to say that, at a 53% usage rate, Khal was really hard-carried by this pitch through the minor league system. It's a nice fastball that he keeps at the top of the zone, but at only 93-95 mph...it may be slightly exposed at AA. And the weird part is, the sinker that he throws way too scarcely and has the highest psStuff+ grade of any pitch in his arsenal, has nearly identical pitch shape, slightly more velocity, and a real nice .172 xBA.Slider, .120 xBA - Another solid pitch with pretty good shape that works diagonally from the fastball, and yet, there's still an issue. It overlaps entirely with a very mediocre cutter. And being his second most used pitch, well, guys might sit slider and find themselves blasting a hanging cutter. But back to the slider - we have a 42% whiff rate here. It's a real nice put-out pitch and it's MLB ready.

Change, .119 xBA - A nice 37% whiff rate has Khal's third-in-usage offering looking just as MLB ready as the slider. It has solid shape and finds itself on the same vertical plane as the 4-seam, which is exactly what you want from your changeup - same vertical plane, with a vertical drop. That's what fools batters. What we like less is that it rests on the same horizontal plane as the aforementioned slider and cutter. We really don't want three pitches all co-existing on the same level, and we'd be a lot safer if that cutter just went away.Curve, .317 xBA - Is it just me, or does this pitch perhaps have movement too similar to his slider, while also having a similar velocity? An 84 mph slider with comparable movement to a 79 mph curve seems like a recipe for disaster, and it kind of explains how this pitch has a 50% hard-hit rate against. If a batter sees this coming out and they're thinking slider, well...you get the idea.

Cutter, .238 xBA - The xBA here is pretty good, but the 17% whiff rate suggest this is a groundball inducing pitch at best. That's one - I think every good pitcher should be able to get outs any which way, groundballs included, but I am just not a fan of this pitch having the same movement as his slider with only 3 mph separating them in velocity. I just don't think that will work at the MLB level.

I know my scouting report on Khal probably seems more negative than positive, but let's keep in mind he hasn't even turned 23 yet, and we're looking at a guy with five out of six pitches coming in above the 100 PsStuff + mark. And now that he's a part of the Jays organization, maybe we'll see a splitter introduced to the arsenal by way of Gausman's mentorship! There's a chance Khal gains some velocity in the offseason, destroys camp and spring training, and immediately begins the season at AAA. But because there's only a chance....Khal gets a lower mark for now.

Jaxon Wiggins, SS

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't crazy excited to get to Mr. Jaxon Wiggins, possibly my favorite pitcher on this entire list, who also happens to be flying under the radar. When people think of elite, must-have prospect arms, I just don't see the discourse around Jaxon Wiggins reaching that tier of Bubba or Zebby, yesteryear's big names.But he should be. And he will, soon.In fact, my #1 comp for Wiggins, right now, is Tyler fucking Glasnow.Wiggins is an imposing figure, standing a lean 6'6, and has some ridiculous fucking heat coming in at skyscraper arm-slot. He averages 97.7 mph on the fastball; you read that correctly - averages. And on top of that scorching 4-seamer that he locates at the top of the zone and in on the hands, he has a masterful glove-side hammer curveball that perfectly compliments the pitch. His changeup is exactly what you want to see, being an 89 mph offering that finds itself on the same vertical plane as the 4-seam, with nice drop-off action that fools any hitter that dares sit fastball. The cutter, like most cutters we've observed at AAA, needs some work, but work is what he'll do this offseason.And finally, Wiggins is a strong Horizontal Effect pitcher, with the diametrically opposed fastball and curveball working in tandem to cover drastically different parts of the zone, changing eye level through solid tunneling. Wiggins has pitched his way through three levels of the minors this year:A+. 1.71 ERA, 0.987 WHIPAA, 1.93 ERA, 0.929 WHIPAAA, 4.66 ERA, 1.552 WHIPAnd while his 9 innings at AAA haven't been spectacular, keep in mind the statcast below is his AAA statcast, and shows he's had an awesome .194 xBA at the highest level of the minors. If we had charts for A+ and AA, I'd wager they'd be much more Skubal-esque. This is all extremely impressive stuff, and for me, puts him ahead of Chandler and Zebby as a pitching option going into 2026. He's that fucking good.If you want to watch him spin the ball:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDdKndF1u8E4-seam, .210 xBA - A 110 psStuff+ pitch that averages 98 mph on elite extension, bringing the perceived velocity past the 100 mph mark. Damn.This is pure, stinky cheddar

Cutter, .304 xBA - It's okay to have one bad pitch, and for Wiggins, like many others we've seen thus far, it's a cutter that really just doesn't move and finds itself being squared up a bit too easily. He should probably cut this pitch from his arsenal and develop a slider.Change, .003 xBA - Yep, you read that correctly. On 9% usage through 9.2 innings at AAA, this pitch has been basically untouchable. It has an absurd 83% whiff rate, and goes to show just how much hitters are sitting on that filthy fastball. With a 115 stuff+ grade, maybe they should be sitting change instead....what a conundrum!

Curve, 0.00 xBA - On 5% usage, this pitch has yet to be put into play. Nobody expects it when it comes, and when it does come, it moves unlike any other pitch in the arsenal. It currently boasts a 100% whiff rate. Yikes.

Jaxon Wiggins needs to be at the top of your shopping list, trust me.

Owen Murphy, B

Oh no, it looks like we've arrived at our first prospect without any prospectsavant data! Thanks, Braves, for not reporting. I guess you guys will just have to take my word for it when I tell you that this kid has the juice.Murphy threw only 27 innings at A+ this year, to the tune of a spectacular 1.32 ERA, 0.768 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9. This has all been recent as well, after returning from an injury that sidelined him for the first few months of the season.And last year? Only a 1.19 ERA, 0.732 WHIP, and 13.2 K/9 at A+ over the course of 41 innings.Murphy has just straight up dominated High-A to the point that the Braves are probably just waiting to see him healthy for an extended period of time before shoving him in AA or even AAA to start 2026. And up until his start on August 23rd, he hadn't allowed a single run:https://www.batterypower.com/atlanta-braves-prospects-minor-leagues/117678/braves-minor-league-recap-owen-murphy-continues-scoreless-streakSome film:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TndDsmWn7AMFastball - I'm not entirely sure if he's throwing a 2-seamer or a 4-seamer, or both, but it definitely looks like it has 2-seam movement. The pitch has touched 94-95 mph and it's Murphy's bread and butter. Coming off TJ, Murphy is currently regaining his strength and velocity, and we can only hope that he finds a new level of velocity with his cyborg arm going into 2026. All I can tell ya is this pitch has some very nice movement away from the glove-side, especially for a guy that has quite the high arm slot - I'm thinking anywhere between 40 and 50 degrees.Curveball - I'll tell you right now, I absolutely adore this guy's curveball. It's one of those extremely slow, low to mid 70s mph curves that just makes hitters look absolutely ridiculous. It's a wipeout pitch that Murphy locates at the bottom of the zone, when it entirely looks like it's up and out. Just a very fun and old-school offering.Slider/Cutter - I'm not sure how exactly to classify this pitch, but as it's been described several different ways in scouting reports, but just watching the film, I can tell you it's a nice mid 80's mph offering that has more vertical play than horizontal play, and seems to be a nice in-between on the vertical plane, in relation to his fastball and curveball. Murphy is a north-south pitcher with some old-school tendencies, and I'm here for it.We may not have the metrics for Murphy, but I can tell you one thing - this guy has dominated A+ two years straight, and the film shows a pitcher with several plus pitchers. Due to his lack of notoriety, he's an extremely solid buy-low option with tremendous upside, and should start the 2026 season at AA. He's only 22, but the Braves desperately need arms for their rotation. If he starts hot at AA, a summer promotion to AAA is most definitely on the table going into his age 23 season. But because he's so young, and hasn't yet touched AA, Murphy will be receiving a lower grade.

Tanner McDougal, A

If you've never heard of Tanner McDougal, well, good thing that's about to change. Watch these clips:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OQgR_YXGgAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9zegM6Wp0I&t=118sYeah, that's a 100 mph fastball at the top of the zone , paired with a mid 70s mph curveball that completely fools hitters and destroys any semblance of confidence they may have left. Add in a mid 80 mph slider and we have one hell of a pitch mix.McDougal has played at two levels this year:A+, 3.28 ERA, 1.475 WHIP, 11.4 K/9AA, 3.23 ERA, 1.186 WHIP, 10.2 K/9He's actually improved at AA compared to his A+ performance, and well, that's exactly what you want to see.

McDougal stands at an imposing 6'5, and is build like a brick shithouse - there's no lank and leanness here, just a thicc monster. And at age 22, his 100 mph fastball still has room to gain some velocity. If there's another pitcher in the pipeline ready to throw 102 mph+, it's going to be McDougal.4-seam - McDougal throws one of the most powerful fastballs in the entirety of the minors, averaging in the mid to upper 90s and touching 100 mph. It's nearly untouchable at the top of the zone, and if there's one drawback to the pitch, it's simply that he's had trouble with location and control in the early parts of his professional career. However, this has been improved significantly at AA, where he's cut his BB/9 from 5.0 at A+, to the current mark of 2.7. It can't be understated just how tremendous this development is, and may be the driving force behind McDougal making it to The Show in 2026.Curveball - Imagine seeing an upper-90s fastball at the top of the zone sail past your head, and then you get a 75 mph curveball at the bottom of the zone. What do you do with that? McDougal seems to be fantastic at both changing the sight-line, and changing the velocity, so what's not to love here? Slider- His 3rd offering and a nice in-between when it comes to both location and velocity, the changeup is a nice "keep them honest" pitch that keeps hitters off balance and induces some whiffs.

Coleman Crow, B-

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKn2TCJxc2d/

This guy with the cool name may have not been on your fantasy radar before, so let me introduce you to the Crow Man. This guy measures 6 foot, but has the body of a 5'9 beefy boy, with an enormously long neck doing the heavy lifting. We see a strong base and some farmer-esque forearms. Let's check out his production in the minors this year:AA, - 2.51 ERA, 0.907 WHIP over 43 innings.AA, - 7.71 ERA, 1.857 WHIP, over 7 inningsCrow absolutely dominated AA, received a promotion to AAA, and after one bad game, went down with a hip injury to end his season. And although we hate a 7.71 ERA and 1.857 WHIP in his extremely brief AAA stint, the statcast metrics actually mean more to us. We love the 80th percentile xBA and 89th percentile whiff rate alongside the ability to limit contact in the zone. this 88th percentile psScore statcast tells the tale of a pitcher who was untouchable at AA and had an unlucky debut at AAA.Curveball, .067 xBA - Cole is one of the rare pitchers that throws a primary curveball and looks like an absolute stud doing it. It has some steep, steep vertical break and glove side movement, perfectly complimenting his array of pitches in the upper half of the zone. As you can see below, the diagonal effect is here and beautiful, and reminds me a ton of Thomas White. All but one of Crow's pitches winds up scoring above 100 in psStuff+, yet his location and pitch mix really make the most of the strike zone, fooling batters without even making them chase. We love guys that pound the zone and limit walks, and at AA, Crow had a 1.7 BB9. Awesome.4-seam, .396 xBA - And here's the pitch that got punished, leading to Crow's yucky ERA and WHIP. It's nothing overwhelming, averaging 92 mph and touching 95 but it's a pitch he's normally very good at executing at the top of the zone, up and in on the hands of righties. And as previously mentioned, it perfectly compliments the down and way curveball with a beautiful diagonal effect. If Crow can manage to add one or two MPH to the pitch, we'd be looking at an elite prospect that should be expected to be a fantastic #2-#3 pitcher in the bigs.

Cutter, .211 xBA - This is a pretty decent cutter, with enough glove side break and mph drop-off to fool batters who might be sitting fastball. The location compliments his other pitches and contributes to a nice diagonal effect, though we'd like to see maybe a bit more glove side break to make it even more lethal.Sinker, .156 xBA - We've finally arrived at the 101 psStuff graded sinker, and it looks like a great pitch. It has near equal velocity to the 4-seam with just enough arm-side and vertical break to fool hitters. I think the next step for Crow would be to drop his 4-seam usage and bump this sinker usage up from 5% to at least 15%. It's a solid fastball offering and I'd say a 94 mph sinker with this much break plays better than a 94 mph fastball. The psStuff+ agrees.

Change, N/A - We can see on the pitch movement graph that Crow has thrown four changeups, but unfortunately, the pitch doesn't show up in the arsenal breakdown due to the limited usage. I'm actually extremely intrigued by this pitch, because as it stands, this is a perfectly located changeup to compliment both the 4-seam and sinker. I'll attempt to find film of Crow using this pitch, but thus far, it's proven difficult.

Gage Stanifer, C+

Let me preface this by saying that Gage is only 21 and only just reached AA ball by year's end. For that reason, his grade will be lower. But with just how advanced his stuff is, there's a path to the majors in 2026, even if 2027 is the more likely ETA. Going from A ball to AA over the course of a single season is nothing short of impressive, and for that reason, we're in. Check out this film:https://www.milb.com/vancouver/video/gage-stanifer-s-10-strikeoutsGage has an absolute cannon of an arm, and although the statcast below only shows a 95.4 mph average on the sinker, he's found more juice as the season's progressed, climbing into the 96-98 mph range several times. And remember, this kid is only 21, about to be 22. It's entirely likely that we see another velocity jump in 2026. I will say, though, that I'm not sure how well his pitching form will hold up....there's quite a lot of whipping motion with a lack of extension, and as he continues to climb towards that 100 mph mark....well, we all know how that goes.But enough of that! Looking the 2025 A-ball statcast, it becomes immediately apparent that he was just way too good for this level of baseball. A nice 0.69 ERA and .112 BA against over 26 innings was more than enough for the Jays to promote Stanifer to A+, where he then had a 3.20 ERA, 1.224 WHIP, and 13.6 K/9 over 76 innings. Not nearly as dominant as his A ball numbers, but still exemplary for the kid's first action at a more respectable level of baseball.Through 8 innings of ball at AA, Gage posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.750 WHIP, and that's where his season ends. He got a taste of AA, and failed to impress without a chance at redemption. With that kind of sample size, it's really not a big deal, and if anything, it can be considered a humbling experience that drives him to work hard in the offseason.

xBAs are A-ball.

Sinker, .159 xBA - Stanifer boats perhaps the best sinker in all of the minors, coming in at a 114 psStuff+ grade with fantastic velocity and arm-side movement. This is a pitch that just destroys righties up-and-in, and if they decide to sit on it, well, the they can expect a wipeout slider or change. Not only did this pitch have a stellar .159 xBA at low A, but a 36.80% whiff rate to boot. His other pitches compliment nicely, though I do wish he at least one more pitch with shape that took him a bit more down and away, like a sweeper or curve, to fill out the zone and create a more diagonal effect. As it stands, most of his movement occurs arm-side, with the slider finding itself with a slight amount of glove-side movement. Also, looking at the release point breakdown, we'd probably like to see a bit better tunneling of the sinker.

Slider, .071 xBA - Gage's slider may only boast an 83 psStuff+ grade, but that doesn't change the fact that it's been effective through a sheer drop of velocity. For a guy with such a power arm, the 85 mph average velocity on the slider comes as a bit of a shock, and I assume hitters feel no differently. As state previously, we do wish this pitch had a bit more vertical and glove-side movement on it to separate it from the changeup even more drastically, and it remains to be seen just how effective it will be at higher levels of the minors. We do commend just how well it tunnels with the changeup, though, which has even more juice on it than the slider. Change, .193 xBA - A pitch that nearly reaches that average 100 psStuff+ grade, Stanifer's change has the perfect amount of sheer vertical drop to fool hitters sitting on his 65% usage rate sinker. I guess that, because his sinker usage rate is so high, these pitchers get the job done even without being consider elite stuff. Hitters just can't help but wait on the sinker.

4-Seam, Irrelevant at 2.8% usage rate. It sucks.

Stanifer îs one of the more promising young arms in the minors, and the Blue Jays rotation is basically geriatric. While 2026 may be unlikely, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Gage is advanced for his age.

Drew Beam (Revised ETA, on hold)

Marco Raya, B

Marco Raya is probably a pitcher you've never heard of - way outside the top 100, 15th in the Twins organization - so consider this a blessing in disguise when I tell you that Marco Raya has the stuff of a top 100 prospect. Think Cam Schlittler going into 2025, when nobody had him on their radar.Check out this film before you continue reading:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz-BUmuFTBU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElUeqdwl1cgRight away, the aspect of Raya's game that stands out to me is how the ball explodes out of his hand, with each and every delivery looking like he's about to throw the most vicious fastball you've ever seen. And when a 92 mph changeup comes out? Yikes.Raya has a total of six pitches that all come in above the 100 psStuff+ mark, one of the more impressive arsenals I've seen whilst making this list. And the wild part is that his 95 mph fastball is his 4th most used pitch, something you don't often see with such solid velocity. Let's take a look at Raya's offerings!Sweeper, .227 xBA - Raya's primary pitch at a 22.8% usage rate, the 108 psStuff+ sweeper has some significant glove-side movement and clocks in at 86 mph. This pitch is extremely horizontal, with a noticeable lack of vertical break separating it from a curveball that rests on a similar vertical plane. We see a 36% whiff rate on Raya's primary offering, which is actually pretty great, and overall, we love this pitch. It tunnels well with the fastball and cutter and all too often makes hitters look silly. Raya might have 6.02 ERA at AAA, but this pitch isn't the problem child.Cutter, .312 xBA - Ah yes, the AAA cutter....the woe of many, many aspiring MLB pitchers. I can't tell you just how often I see a cutter in a minor league pitcher's arsenal and roll my eyes....it just 'aint worth it, kids. All too often, they lack enough cut movement to be effective, and wind up just hanging over the middle of the plate, with batters taking hulking bites of the most scrumptious meatballs you'll ever see served for dinner. Raya's cutter, which he throws 20.9% of the time, has a .312 xBA and 23.8% whiff rate. And honestly? Shame on the Twins pitching development for continuing to let Raya throw this pitch when he has so many solid pitches in the arsenal that actually have good shape.

4-seam, .218 xBA - Raya's fastball is exemplary, averaging 95 mph and topping out at 97 mph. Add onto that nice velocity a solid .218 xBA and average 25% whiff rate, and you begin to wonder why he's only throwing it 19% of the time, while he throws his cutter 20% of the time. Raya's easy path towards MLB success simply involves scrapping the below-average cutter and bumping up this 4-seam usage to 40%, and featuring the sweeper as the secondary wipeout offering. I have no idea why the Twins are so keen on going against the grain here on a guy with nice velocity on a 102 psStuff+ 4-seam that works, but hopefully we make some adjustments in 2026.

Curve, .199 xBA - Raya's curveball rocks a 112 psStuff+ rating to go with that awesome .199 xBA and a 37% whiff rate, putting it ahead of even his sweeper. He's using it 19% of the time, and if you look at the pitch movement graphic below, finds itself moving quite a bit more vertically than the sweeper, while existing on a similar, yet less pronounced, vertical plane. This winds up being extremely deceptive and perfectly compliments the awesome sweeper - I can't stress enough how filthy these two breaking pitches are.

Change, .169 xBA - And then we have a 116 psStuff+ changeup, and you begin to wonder....how does this kid have such a filthy arsenal? And he's only throwing it 10% of the time with a 36% whiff rate and .169 xBA? There's just no good reason for him to keep throwing the cutter when he has so many other solid offerings at his disposal.

Sinker, .277 xBA - The sinker is the only other pitch in Raya's bag that we'd say he'd be better off not throwing, currently boasting a poor .277 xBA and equally poor 16% whiff rate. At 8.5% usage, throw it in the trash bin.In spite of the awful 6.02 ERA and .266 BA, Marco Raya still winds up being one of my highest graded pitchers heading into the 2026 season. In my mind's eye, I see an extremely clear path not only towards a major league debut, but also success, for a guy that has some of the best stuff around and a very easy remedy to his problems. What I want to see:40% 4-seam usage.30% sweeper usage.20% curveball usage.10% changeup usage.And wah-lah, a four pitch pitcher without any unnecessary bloat dragging him down, with all the pitchers creating a perfect diagonal effect! Please, Twins, don't let this kid down.

Quinn Matthews, C+

At first glance, Matthews seems like a rather whelming prospect - a 3.93 ERA, 4.51 FIP, and 93 mph 4-seam with a 97 psStuff+ have Matthews looking like just another AAA arm. But there's always context to be had, and for Matthews, it's that he's battled shoulder soreness to begin his 2025 campaign, only returning in June. He's been slowly building up his strength and regaining velocity, and although the road back has certainly been bumpy, we've seen some excellent outings that showcase the potential of the Cardinals formerly ranked #2 prospect.

Check this out:https://www.milb.com/video/quinn-mathews-strikes-out-nine-x9930?t=st-louis-cardinals-affiliatesMatthews, when he's feeling it, can be a strikeout machine that abuses some super slow offspeed junk. But when he's not feeling it, well, there's lots of BBs issue alongside some hard contact on the fastball. Let's take a look at his offerings.4-seam, .327 xBA - I know what you're thinking - "yuck." Matthews has found no success with a fastball this year, and as you'll see in a bit, this includes the sinker. I'm going to attribute this to the shoulder soreness and subsequent velocity drop we've seen from Matthews this year, and also a reason to have some hope. A nice offseason of conditioning and rest could see Matthews regain some fastball velocity and have him MLB ready as he approaches age 26. Slider, .193 xBA - Quinn's fastballs may not be working this year, but let's not pretend like his offspeed stuff hasn't been insanely effective, starting with his 23.7% usage rate Slider. A .193 xBA and 38% whiff rate highlight a pitch that has perfect diagonal play from the arm-side, top-of-the-zone 4-seam. At 85 mph, this pitch has a nearly 10 mph drop from the fastball, and with good vertical and glove side movement, it plays well above its modest 98 psStuff+ mark.Change, .134 xBA - Don't let the 87 psStuff+ grade fool you, this is the best pitch in Quinn's arsenal. With a .134 xBA and phenomenal 56% whiff rate, this changeup that has some awesome arm-side movement and vertical bite, while clocking in at an uber-slow 81 mph, is just a ridiculously strong wipeout pitch. If Matthews manages to get his 4-seam going next year, we could wind up seeing one of the better fastball/changeup combinations in the league. That's not an exaggeration. I know this pitch has an 87 psStuff+ grade, but that's due to a lack of velocity, and sometimes that's just not an important aspect of a changeup. The shape and movement on this pitch are exemplary.Curve, .151 xBA - If you thought the slider was Quinn's nastiest offering, well, let me introduce you to his curveball! Here we have a .151 xBA offering with a 41% whiff rate, boasting some beautiful rainbow-esque shape, making it look like a slider coming out, but with way more vertical bite. And the velocity? 76 mph - this is one of those curveballs that will make any hitter sitting slider look silly as hell. Quinn Matthews has some nasty off speed stuff, and if the fastball comes along, he'll genuinely be a good pitcher. Sinker, .320 xBA - Bad.

Matthews, like Michael McGreevey, is going to be a Cardinals pitcher that focuses on offspeed and breaking stuff to control at-bats, and I trust this organization to develop him properly.

Ty Floyd, B+

Floyd is an interesting case, as he missed his debut season after undergoing shoulder surgery, and only recently made his minor league debut at the ripe age of 24. Floyd was throwing gas over at LSU, at one point averaging 98 mph on his 4-seam. Unfortunately, shoulder surgery has sapped that velocity in 2024, as he now averages a meager 92.4 mph on the offering....damn. It's always depressing to see a promising pitcher lose so much of what made them great, but I'm still holding out hope he regains strength in that shoulder and sees an uptick in velocity going into 2026. Even jumping from 92.4 to 94 mph would see Floyd that much closer to MLB relevancy, and anything more than that would be a luxury. But even more unfortunate is that's he's been sidelined yet again 2024, having been shelved back in June with an unspecified injury....we don't know if it's that shoulder. But before the injury? Floyd was aces, throwing 27.2 innings with a bright red statcast highlighted by an absurd .113 xBA against, 92nd percentile K rate, 85th percentile BB rate, and 84th percentile barrel rate. Floyd was basically untouchable at A ball, throwing a 105 psStuff+ sinker that, as previously mentioned, didn't really have too much velocity.

Sinker, .114 xBA - The velocity may not be there, but that hasn't stopped the psStuff+ algorithm from grading this as a plus sinker. With a .114 xBA and 29% whiff rate, this fastball is well on its way to being a major league ready offering. And if it approaches the 98 mph velocity we use to see before the unfortunate shoulder injury? Ty could absolutely receive a 2026 promotion and make an immediate impact in redraft leagues. The cool aspect of this sinker is how it works diagonally as a starting point (along with the 4-seam) in both the arm side and glove side directions. Floyd can go Sinker > Change when attacking the arm side, or Sinker > Slider > Curve when attacking the glove side.4-Seam, .090 xBA - Floyd's second most used pitch is yet another fastball, also lacking velocity, and also extremely dominant at the low levels of the minors. Floyd seems to have excellent location at the top of the zone, as evidence by his 85th percentile BB rate, and a bump in velocity will only make him more dominant.Slider, .121 xBA - I love how this pitch works glove-side with a nice velocity dip, and it tunnels extremely well with both fastballs. It could stand to gain a few extra inches of horizontal break, but nevertheless, it has the right shape.Changeup. .127 xBA - We're cooking here. Floyd's changeup is another 83 mph offering that really plays well off both fastballs, coming in with perfect tunneling, and just enough horizontal and vertical break to really fool batters sitting on "heat". The 42% whiff rate on the pitch is a testament to just how complimentary this pitch actually is.Curveball, .000 xBA - At only a 3.8% usage rate, this pitch holds an amount of potential I'm absolutely delighted to see in 2026. It's a wickedly slow offering, coming in at 75 mph, with a ton of break arm side, and really drops the hammer vertically. If the velocity comes back on the fastballs, and he learns to use this pitch a bit more, I truly believe Floyd can be a top 10 pitcher in the minors next year.Don't sleep on this kid, he has some of the best pitch shape and ability to work the zone as anybody on this list, and we know the potential for a velocity bump is there. It's actually difficult to believe that this kid was once throwing 98 mph, because if that still held true, he'd be closing in on my #1 pitching prospect going into 2026 - that's how much I adore his pitch mix and shape. He's currently the cheapest he'll ever be in dynasty leagues, so have it. I expect him to start the season at AA, but a strong spring showing could launch him to AAA.

Blade Tidwell, A

I'm fully aware that Tidwell has reached the majors in 2025 and has pitched less than ideal innings, but that sample size is ultimately far too small to care about the production we've seen. And frankly, this might be a blessing in disguise for those who want to buy low on the pitcher with tremendous upside!Tidwell has one of the sexiest stat casts you'll see in AAA, and while nothing is quite elite, we have:86th percentile xwOBA82nd percentile xBA72nd percentile EV75th percentile K %66th percentile whiff%Tidwell was just a solid all around pitcher with a bunch of pitches that register some great psStuff+ grades. Let's check them out.4-seam, .258 xBA - At 27.5% usage and with a 105 psStuff+ grade, you'd probably hope for better than a .258 xBA. Especially when the fastball averages 96 mph. It only doesn't get too many whiffs, registering only 23%. More encouraging, though, is the fact that it played better in the bigs :

I'm not entirely sure why his 4-seam suddenly found more success than his breaking stuff, which played much better at AAA, but it's encouraging, considering it's a pitch he threw 39% of the time for the Mets, thus having the largest sample size of all his pitches. Sweeper, .158 xBA - This pitch absolutely dominated at AAA, but got crushed in the bigs, as you can see above. But that doesn't change the fact that this pitch has a beautiful 106 psStuff+ grade, right in line with his MLB Fangraphs Stuff+ grade of 107. Nice. The pitch has perfect diagonal glove side movement complimentary of the fastball, and should find success in at the MLB level.Sinker, .230 xBA - This is a nice power sinker, averaging 94 mph with some solid arm side movement in on the hands of righties - think of it as more of a two-seamer than a sinker. It doesn't get many whiffs but it's extremely effective at inducing weak contact, and we love guys who can outs through different means. The .292 xwOBA on this pitch tells the story of a pitch that I believe to be better than his 4-seam, which registers a much poorer .354 xwOBA. Maybe Tidwell should consider making the sinker his primary fastball?Slider, .167 xBA - Tidwell's last pitch above a 10% usage rate, clocking in at 14.2%, is a good one. With a .167 xBA and 32% whiff rate, this pitch is almost as good as the plus sweeper, but the hard-hit rate is a bit lackluster at 42%. I'd say the usage rate here is solid - it's a good off-balance pitch, but not good enough to be used above that 20% mark. It's basically a faster version of his slider, and keeps hitters on their toes.Change, .069 xBA - This pitch is ridiculously impressive and fuck do I wish he'd throw it more! A .069 xBA, 37% whiff rate, and 13% hard-hit (damn!) rate have this pitch looking good enough to be a 20% usage rate + offering, rather than the 8.8% we saw at AAA. Funny enough, it's his only offering that falls below the 100 psStuff+ mark, but its arm side location and lack of velocity play perfectly with the fastball. He needs to use this pitch more.

Cutter, .261 xBA - Bad pitch on a low usage rate. He could just stop throwing it. Pitch shape has it looking way too much like his slider and sweeper.Curve, .100 xBA - .5% usage rate, N/A. I do like the shape though, it has far more vertical break than any other pitch in the bag.Tidwell has some really good stuff and a nice, albeit bloated, pitch mix, with some nice pitch shape that could maybe stand to gain a tad more north-south movement. It's rare to find a guy throwing 97 mph cheddar alongside low 80s off speed and breaking stuff. Consider Tidwell's disappointing first year in the bigs nothing more than an anomaly, and buy low while you have the chance.

Mason Miller, C+

So you read this name, and you're thinking, "Gerbs...we all know who Mason Miller is. You good, homie?"Well, I'm not great, because doing research on KANSAS CITY ROYALS PROSPECT Mason Miller has been pretty difficult. Every time I look for articles or film on the kid, I'm met with MLB superstar reliever Mason Miller throwing 103 mph fastballs. But I promise, this a real prospect, and he's pretty good!The 6-3 lefty has thrown at both A and A+ this year:A, 44.2 IP - 3.63 ERA, 1.231 WHIP, 11.5 SO9A+, 39.2 IP - 0.91 ERA, 1.109 WHIP, 9.8 SO9You read that correctly; over 39.2 innings at A+, Miller has pitched to a remarkable 0.91 ERA. That's just utter dominance. We really need to check some film on this kid:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CATXrDPhjWUThis is the only footage I could find, and it's from 2024. It generously tells us a few things:Fastball - 89-92 mphChangeup - 84-87Slider - 80-82Curve - 75-76After watching the film, it's clear to see that Miller does have some fantastic breaking and off speed stuff, with the slow fastball probably being the offering we really need to see evolve for him to make an impact in the majors. I've been trying to see if the fastball has made any strides in velocity in 2025 and HOLY SHIT I FOUND SOMETHING!https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=24109383882022477Some Mason Miller Quad City footage on Facebook, and guess what, he's now touching 94 mph on the fastball! This kid has made some immense strides and his dominance at A+ is no fluke, that fastball is coming along nicely. If he starts touching 95-96 mph next year, we could see an even better Mason Miller reach the MLB ranks! Expect him to start 2026 at AA, with a likely 2027 ETA. But thanks to the Royals having a fairly volatile rotation, 2026 is in the cards depending on how he plays going into his age 24 season.

Winston Santos, B-

Santos has had a bit of a rough go of it in 2025, putting it lightly:AA, 13.2 IP - 7.90 ERA, 1.756 WHIP, 14.5 K/9AAA, 3.2 IP - 2.45 ERA, 1.364 WHIP, 9.8 K/9Let's also look at 2024:A+, 64.1 IP - 2.80 ERA, 1.135 WHIP, 11.3 K/9AA, 46.0 IP - 4.89 ERA, 1.152 WHIP. 11.2 K/9As we can clearly see, Santos fared a bit better at AA in 2024, so we know he's fairly capable of handling that level of competition. A 1.152 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 are mightily impressive, even as the 4.89 ERA lags behind.Let's check out some film and see just how electric the stuff is:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxETpeRi0Qk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0s_T9w6lYsTwo words come to mind: Effortless and CakeSantos' delivery is absolutely effortless, and well, what he happens to be delivering is a 96.4 mph, 103 psStuff+ fastball. Nice.And boy does Santos have some cake. We love seeing a strong base on our starting pitches, as velocity generated from the lower half takes a ton of strain off the arm, with significant room for velocity growth. Keep hitting the squat rack my dude.4-seam, .258 xBA - Keep in mind that we're only looking at a sample size of 3.2 innings here, so even though the xBA is not what you want to see, the most sticky stat we get from this kind of sample size is the 103 psStuff+ grade. The stuff is there, therefore we're there for Winston. Changeup, .090 xBA - It's nice to see his secondary pitch fared well in what was otherwise a poor outing, and beyond the .090 xBA, we see a ridiculously beautiful 57% whiff rate! This 105 psStuff+ changeup is a thing of beauty, and a perfect secondary pitch to compliment a fastball that we may see touching 100 mph by 2026! Seriously, an 86 mph changeup to go with an upper 90s fastball? Now that's the good stuff.Slider, .228 xBA - The only pitch in Santos arsenal that falls under the 100 psStuff+ mark, this pitch doesn't have as much break in either direction as we'd like to see. It is interesting, though, that it has the same velocity as his changeup, and may actually wind up being a more deceptive pitch thanks to the lack of movement that could further differentiate it from the changeup. Because when compared to the changeup, there really is enough movement here to fool batters that may be sitting on the change. The jury is still out on this one for me.Overall, I'd say I'm a fan of the simple three pitch mix, though I'd really love to see him add one more pitch that has more glove side movement than the slider, or perhaps a curveball that can work the bottom of the zone a bit better.

TJ NicholsThe man, the myth, the legend, and most of all, a top 100 prospect in the making. Book it.In a Rays farm system loaded with pitching talent, Nichols by far and away impresses me the most. Brody Hopkins? Ty Johnson? Yoniel Curet? Gary Gill Hill? Sure, they're all solid prospects. And yet, TJ Nichols is ranked behind every single one of them. I watch this kid pitch and think, "how?"

A+ Film:

https://www.milb.com/video/t-j-nichols-record-career-high-12-strikeoutsAA Film:https://www.milb.com/video/t-j-nichols-fans-seven-over-seven-scoreless?t=playerid-694375So right away, a few things stand out, but let's start with that delivery.....oh boy, that fucking delivery. Nichols is throwing at a 40 degree + arm angle here with some above average extension, and the ball remains well-hidden until the release point - it's all very explosive and very smooth, and I can't understate how much I adore Nichols' mechanics. The fastball comes out flat with little movement barring some perceived rising action, while the changeup looks like it's floating in the matrix, and it's extremely hard to differentiate between these two pitches until it's way too late. The slider looks almost like a hammer curveball, and I'd classify it as a slurve if I were a statcast algorithm being forced to differentiate between the pitches. Alas, I am but a humble man.In the first video, check out the breaking ball with extreme vertical break around the 15 second mark, followed by the high fastball at the 20 second mark. I think these two pitches, when watched back to back, perfectly encapsulate exactly why hitters are struggling to do literally anything against TJ Nichols. Oh, right, his numbers in the minors this year:A+, 96.2 IP, 3.63 ERA, 1.086 WHIP, 11.1 K/9, AA , 37.0 IP, 0.97 ERA, 0.838 WHIP, 9.0 K/9His numbers at A+ were solid, and already warranted a higher prospect grading than what we've previously seen.....but the numbers at AA? I mean, come on, a 0.97 ERA and 0.838 WHIP over a solid sample size of 37 innings?That's fucking absurd.

While it's hard to find concrete measurements due to a lack of statcast data, the information I've found is that his fastball is currently averaging around 96-97 mph and often touching 99 mph. And his breaking and off-speed offerings, a slider and changeup, are sitting mid 80s and high 80s. It's arguable that, somehow, those two secondary offerings are actually better than a power fastball sitting upper 90s, and yet TJ Nichols barely cracks the top 20 in the Rays system? It just makes no sense. Something about watching the 6'5 Nichols, who I'd wager has something like a 6'7+ wingspan because boy is the kid lanky, throw such a flat fastball out of a decently high arm slot, is extremely satisfying to watch.

Felipe De La Cruz, D+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TibmAgqkExoIf you watch the video above, you're almost certainly going to come away thinking that Felipe's best pitch is by far and away his slider, which accounted for 8 of the 9 K's he threw in his AAA debut. It may be a 91 psStuff + grade pitch, but don't let that leave you with the wrong impression - this is a very good pitch. It has some fantastic glove-side break with what I'd consider minimal vertical movement, giving it almost a cutting action on the hands of righties. But before we get to the pitches, let's check out the stats:

AA, 39.2 IP - 3.63 ERA, 1.185 WHIP, 13.2 K/9, 3.4 BB/9AAA, 7.30 ERA, 7.66 ERA, 1.662 WHIP, 11.7 K/9, 6.2 BB/9Felipe as solid at AA, but holy shit did he struggle at AAA, with his BB rate spiraling into unplayable territory. A 6.2 BB/9 shows a complete and utter lack of control, and I can't find any particular reason as for what exactly caused this to happen, in terms of some kind of injury. But what can tell you, after looking into his game log, is that he was actually demoted back to AA after his miserable AAA performance:

And after his first appearance back at AAA, which has seemingly come out of the bullpen, he's been mostly okay through limited-inning appearances, never giving up more than 2 runs in any appearance...even if we're only looking at 2-3 inning appearances. His appearance on 9/13 - a 3 inning, 7 K performance - is perhaps his best since his AAA debut. But even as he struggled mightily at AAA, and with his status as a starting pitcher completely up in the air, we still need to acknowledge what the prospectsavant data shows us - there's something here if he can get his location and BB issues under control.

Sinker, .270 xBA - You'd think a 95 mph, 105 psStuff+ power sinker used at a 53% rate would be a dominant pitch....and in this case, you'd be wrong. It just didn't work for Cruz at AAA due to some really bad control of the strike zone, and he often found himself throwing this pitch for balls. Nevertheless, the potential of the pitch is still high, and we can only hope he works on his mechanics over the offseason.Slider, .146 xBA - This pitch has been excellent for Cruz at all levels of play. Even at AAA, where Cruz struggled mightily, this pitch had a .146 xBA and 44% whiff rate. That's phenomenal. So why then, exactly, have the Mets been having Cruz throw his sinker at such a high usage rate? It's apparent that a pitch mix change for Cruz could do him wonders, and we've seen plenty of pitchers throw the slider as the primary offering, so why not Cruz? If we see Cruz begin his 2026 campaign throwing the Slider over 50% of the time, we might just be cooking here.Change, .423 xBA - This pitch actually boasts the highest psStuff+ grade in Cruz' back at a 105 psStuff+ score, but it also got crushed to the tune of a .423 xBA. The shape is just too similar to the sinker. But the fix might be below.4-seam, .003 xBA - this pitch was only used at a 1.8% rate, but that doesn't have to be the case, right? In fact, this pitch might actually be a significantly better choice to throw to righties with way less arm-side break and a more drastic difference in pitch shape from his changeup! It's actually frustrating to me that I see quite a few solutions here for Felipe's pitch mix, and can only hope the Mets take care of business. Here's the ideal pitch mix I'd love to see:Slider- 55% usage4-seam - 30% usageChange - 15% usageLet the changeup become a wipeout pitch now that hitters can't destroy it when they're sitting on a sinker that no longer exists! I get that the sinker had a high psStuff+ grade, but unfortunately, it just has no place in Felipe's current arsenal. As it stands, De La Cruz is a buy-low, high upside pitcher who's shown some solid metrics at AAA despite poor performance:.217 xBA71st percentile K76th percentile Whiff75th percentile zone swing92nd percentile zone contact

When Felipe does throw strikes, the outcomes tend to be pretty good. There's no harm in taking a chance on a guy with good stuff entering his age 25 season, right?

Hayden Mullins, A-

Mullins is an old school pitcher through and through, and yet another pitcher that reveals a Red Sox organizational willingness to develop guys that don't necessarily light up the radar gun. If Connelly Early has been anything to go by, this isn't a terrible approach when done correctly. Before we check out the film and pitch mix, let's look over some stats:A+, 17 IP - 1.06 ERA, 0.824 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, 14.3 K/9AA, 84.2 IP - 2.44 ERA, 1.169 ERA, 5.1 BB/9 (ouch), 10.2 K/9The numbers at both levels are excellent, and it's unfortunate I don't have access to any metrics at either level because fuck am I itching to see what's going on under the hood here. But I wihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9BYQQ48HCg

https://www.milb.com/portland/video/hayden-mullins-strikes-out-seven-batters?t=t546-default-vtp

https://www.mlb.com/video/hayden-mullins-strikes-out-eight-batters4-Seam - Mullins throws a 4-seam fastball that tops out, generously, in the mid 90s. But his location on the pitch is superb, and coming out at 35ish degree arm slot, has some good ride at the top of the zone. If you watch the immaculate inning I linked above, you'll IMMEDIATELY see three perfect top of the zone fastballs to punch out Jace. And then another fastball - strike.Another fastball - strike.Another fastball - strike....Another fastball......- ......strikeand another one....

anddddd.....another one.Welp, that's the immaculate inning. Nine straight fastballs, none in the upper 90s. Sheesh.I've read a few articles that have basically stated the Red Sox are entirely focused on building Mullins' velocity this offseason. Much like Royals' Mason Miller, we'd love to see the fastball bump up into the mid 90s consistently in 2026, and if it does, well you're looking at the complete package here. Let me give you a guarantee - if Mullins averages 94 mph on the fastball next year, he's reaching the bigs. And not only will he make it to The Show, he'll be a damned good pitcher.Changeup - It took an entire video to finally see this guy throw a changeup, but I'd reckon it was worth it. This guy throws a clear as day low 80s change that really just appears to freeze for a split second after looking like a fastball, then drops on the hitter. Even I was having a tough time recognizing the pitch on delivery, so I can't imagine standing in the batters box. It's a solid offering.Slider - I think I've come away from the film grading this as Mullins best offering, and maybe you have too? This pitch looks to be mid to upper 80s with a tremendous amount of arm side break in on the hands of righties, to the point where I thought I was looking at an elite cutter at times. Seriously, does that not look like a cutter to you?Googles for more information on Mullins slider

Why am I not surprised that Mullins' himself refers to it as cutter? This pitch is filthy and absolutely destroys righties - an essential tool for any elite southpaw in a league where 70% of hitters are right-handed!

Mullins has an extremely high ceiling alongside a solid floor thanks to a solid changeup and slider that should work at the MLB level just fine. And I find it difficult to say I'm even worried about the fastball - not only is it working as it tops out in the mid 90's, it's excelling. If the Red Sox are saying they're going to work on the velocity heading into Mullins' age 26 season, then I'll choose to believe in their development and assume they'll succeed in adding 1-2 mph to the 4-seam. And when they do succeed....look out, Mullins is going to be real, real filthy.

Jake Bennett

I was going to get to Bennett in a few days time at the rate I've been progressing this list, but after a Prospectsavant shout-out after some dominant Arizona Fall League performances, it's time to bump him up. My enthusiasm can no longer be contained!A+, 23.2 IP - 1.90 ERA, 1.056 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 9.1 SO/9AA, 45.2 IP - 2.56 ERA, 1.117 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9, 6.5 SO/9These are solid numbers, no doubt, although we'd like to see the strikeout numbers improve a bit going into AAA next year (if he doesn't make the MLB roster, which is a possibility).

Let's watch some film from his Fall League performance:https://www.milb.com/video/jake-bennett-strikes-out-sevenLovely performance. If the Ks weren't indicative enough that he's improved on his AA SO/9, let's talk about his current Fall League whiff rate of 40.7%. Yeah, this dude is missing bats, plain and simple.When it comes to the diagonal effect on pitch movement, a pattern I've come to love, Bennett really excels. He throws a 93 mph 4-seam that works the top of the zone, just to keep hitters honest, but his real bread and butter works magic at the bottom of the zone. Let's check out his pitch mix.Changeup, 123 psStuff+ - You read that correctly - we're looking at a 123 psStuff+ grade, one of the highest grades we've seen on any pitch thus far. This pitch allows Bennett to work down and in on the hands of lefties with minimal effort, and as it stands, lefties can't touch him. He's currently throwing it 15.86 % of the time against lefties and 8.26% against righties, which makes sense as this pitch as tremendous arm-side movement. It also has extremely similar shape to his sinker, with only 2 inches separating it on the vertical plane. Where it becomes deceptive, though, is how much less vertical drop it has, alongside a 9 mph gap in velocity at 84 mph. I love this pitch, and you should too. If you check out the location chart below, you'll see just how well he locates the ball down and in on lefties - but also uses it down and away on righties for putouts. Cutter, 91 psStuff+ - Just as the changeup does phenomenal work in on lefties and out on righties, the cutter is essentially the same pitch, but in reverse. Check out the location chart below and you'll see how the cutter does work down and away from lefties, and down and in on righties. Bennet has not one, but two pitches that can crowd hitters on the inside and create weak contact and easy outs.Sinker, 119 psStuff+ - This highly graded sinker is by far the most used pitch in Bennett's arsenal at a 32.76% usage rate and has solid arm side movement - in fact, more than even the incredible changeup. The 93 mph velocity is nothing to get excited about, but it's honestly just good enough to get the job done thanks to the aforementioned movement on the pitch and the way his other pitches compliment it. When you're throwing multiple plus pitches that work entirely different parts of the zone, you can get away with a 93 mph sinker on a modest 33% usage.

Daniel Espino, B+

The curious case of Daniel Espino....a perhaps forgotten prospect approaching age 25, who's now found himself completely buried on the Guardians prospect rankings at #30. Mr. Espino, for all intents and purposes, hasn't pitched since 2022; multiple surgeries, including Tommy John and shoulder surgery, have prevent him from throwing for literally three years.Well guess what, the guy who once threw a 103 mph fastball and last threw 18.1 innings at AA for a 2.45 ERA and 0.709 WHIP has returned to baseball! And although the sample size is small, we now have nearly 3 innings of action to work with between AAA and AFL ball! Let's check it out:https://www.milb.com/video/daniel-espino-k-s-two-in-fall-league-debuthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGpwqwfaJ8AAs it turns out, Daniel Espino still has absolute cheddar - his fastball was sitting 97-98 mph on the night of his AFL debut and spinned two innings with a 45.5% whiff rate. Going back to his AAA start, we may have gotten some poor production in the .2 IP performance (40.00 ERA, .600 BA), but look at the actual metrics! A .191 xBA, red from top to bottom, and a 113 psStuff+ grade on the fastball!But back to his AFL start, where we saw 0 ER and a 1.00 WHIP across two innings pitched. We saw the fastball grade out at a 109 psStuff +, consistent with a 113 grade we saw at AAA, and that should remain an extremely sticky stat that will carry him to the MLB. You just can't teach a 98 MPH, elite stuff FB, and it's a relief to see his arm has survived multiple major surgeries!What we saw at the AFL that we didn't see in his line AAA appearance was a cutter that he not only introduced, but threw at a whopping 30.77% usage rate. However, after comparing the two appearances, I've determined that this cutter is now a variation of the slider we saw in the AAA outing, simply being recognized as a different pitch by statcast. Check out the two movement charts and you'll see they're nearly identical:

There's a slight difference in movement, with the cutter being a bit flatter horizontally alongside a bit less drop. And in terms of velocity, we see the cutter averaging 87.9 while the slider averaged 87. Small, but discernible differences.

But where we start to see a more substantial change is Espino also threw two sinkers and a curveball, with the sinker being an entirely new pitch we saw no iteration of at AAA. Let's look at his AFL pitch mix:

4-seam - Back when Espino was a top 100 prospect, over three years ago, his 4-seam was one of the most hyped pitches in all of the minors as it registered 103 mph on the radar gun. Then came all of the surgeries and doubts as Espino fell completely off the grid, with scouts and analysts all but forgetting about him. Yet, at age 24, he's now back in action and averaging 98 mph on the fastball which plays beautifully at the top of the zone and looks to be a pitch he'll be using well over 50% of the time. And there's a very real possibility that this pitch gains more velocity as we approach the 2026 season, where Espino is just as likely to make the MLB roster as he is to wind up at AAA - I'd give it a 50/50. It all depends on how he looks for the remainder of his AFL stint and in spring training.

Cutter/Slider - In his AAA appearance, the slider graded at 102 psStuff+. In his AFL appearance, we see the pitch graded at 91. But forgoing grades, the AFL outing was solid whereas the AAA appearance wound up being a disaster despite solid metrics across the board, and we can't argue with production! It's clear that Espino is working on this pitch in real time with the AFL being the perfect stage, and we'll just continue to follow the progress on this pitch. What we do know is that this pitch is designed to break glove side and compliment the near 60% usage fastball. As it stands, the current iteration has slightly less glove side break, yet it the lack of movement could potentially make it less recognizable from the 4-seam. Again, we'll follow the pitch!Sinker - A new pitch, how exciting! He may have only thrown it twice, but in such a limited outing, that still amounts to a 7.69% usage rate, which is very much statistically relevant in a pitch mix! And oddly enough, this sinker averaged 89.5 mph - quite slow for a guy throwing 98 mph, isn't it? I was expecting anywhere from 95-98 mph, so color me surprised to see a pitch that may wind up not even looking like a sinker at all, but perhaps a changeup? I'm going to look for film because I need to see this in action. Over at TJ stats, there's no sign of this sinker even being used, as he only has three total pitches counted. But prospectsavant very clearly shows two sinkers with very different break from the rest of the arsenal, so we're 100% going to trust this.

-------------------------------------------AFL---------------------------------------------------

Juaron Watts Brown, B+

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jvZlsYXKlA

I love guys like this, guys I'm almost certain you've never heard of. And most importantly, guys I'm certain are going to be solid pitchers in the MLB. Brown has been a stud in the minors this year, and it's becoming more and more evident that the Jays didn't just send over some JAG in the Seranthony Dominguez trade, as much as fans complained at the time. His minor league numbers this year:A+, 37.1 IP - 3.62 ERA, 1.179 WHIP, 14.9 K/9, 2.9 BB/9AA (BAL), 35.1 IP - 3.82 ERA, 0.906 WHIP, 11.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9AA (TOR), 51.2 IP - 3.48 ERA, 1.239 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, 4.5 BB/9That's some fine production for the #36 prospect in the Orioles organization, and seeing the drastic improvement after being traded to Baltimore is all the more reason for enthusiasm. The WHIP dropping from 1.239 to 0.906 and the BB/9 dropping from 4.5 to 3.1 shows that, although the K/9 numbers have dropped, he has much better control of the zone and a feel for his pitch mix. Where he once tried to make people chase, he's now pitching to soft contact, realizing he has the stuff to do so.

4-seam, .190 xBA - A solid offering that touches 95 mph and averages 93 mph, Brown is adept at keeping the pitch up in the zone, as all good pitchers are. His Diagonal Effect movement all starts there, with the complimentary breaking balls and off speed stuff giving this pitch just enough juice to get by hitters at AAA. Slider, .189 xBA - With a nearly identical xBA to the solid 4-seam, this pitch has perfect shape to fall right between the 4-seam and curveball. It has a 101 psStuff grade, same as the 4-seam, to go with an elite 47 whiff rate. This slider often looks like a power curveball (until you see the hammer curve) with some steep vertical drop, and at 85 mph, it has a nearly 10 mph gap between it and the 4-seam's top velocity.

Curveball, .120 xBA - I'm a sucker for a good curveball, and when it comes to Brown, we may be looking at the best curveball in the minors. This thing has some insane glove side AND vertical movement, differentiating itself quite a bit from a slider that has almost equal glove side play. And being 5 mph slower, this thing just really destroys any hitter that dares sit on the slider. The 104 psStuff grade and 53.57% whiff rate really just confirm what the film shows, this curveball is filth.Change, .198 xBA - To me, when a pitcher has this kind of pitch shape that works diagonally across the zone, the pitch that holds it all together - the glue, if you will - is the changeup. When a guy has a changeup that works on the same vertical plane as the fastball (and in this case, a little extra arm-side movement on top), it's so much easier to just make everything work. When everything works diagonally from the fastball, minus the changeup, hitters don't really know what to expect. If you sit fastball, you're going to allocate mental resources to differentiate it from the slider and curveball, which is going to take most of your processing power. Then the changeup comes in and you're just completely out in front. Try to sit changeup? Well, good luck catching up to the fastball. When a pitcher works the zone like this, it's impossible to bat predictively - if any kind of hitter is going to succeed, it's going to be the guys that simply turn their brains off and react, like Vlad Sr.

Jean Cabrera, C-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN46nfNyYQ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK1mF5j0E_cIf you watched the film linked above, then you already have a pretty good idea of what we're dealing with here - a 6'0 pitcher that pitches well above his size when it comes to fastball heat, and more importantly, a filthy changeup. Between the 14 K performance in 2024 that heavily featured the changeup as a wipeout pitch and the 2025 highlights showing an ever-improving sinker approaching the 97 mph mark, Jean Cabrera is possibly nearing a 2026 MLB debut.AA, 137 IP - 3.81 ERA, 1.226 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 4.0 BB/9Those stats, on face value, are whelming. A 4.0 BB/9 is not what you want to see, and a 8.3 K/9 is pretty low when it comes to fantasy value. In fact, as I've typed out these stats, I've begun to realize this may be a tough sell. But when you actually watch him pitch, you can't help but see a guy that passes the eye test. His mechanics are repeatable and consistent with a nice leg kick, the arm angle is sustainable, and we just saw him pitch 137 innings at AA which is an extremely healthy work load. Then you look at his 2023 psStuff grades, which are quite outdated, but nevertheless, you see a 107 grade sinker and and 104 grade changeup. If he starts the 2026 campaign at AAA, which seems likely, we'll get updated psStuff+ grades almost immediately, and I'm going to guess we'll see some much improved grades across the board.

2024, A Ball Metrics:

Franco Aleman (reliever)

2024 AAA, 22.2 IP - 1.99 ERA, 1.059 WHP, 4.0 BB/9, 13.5 K/92025 AAA, 36.2 IP - 7.85 ERA, 1.773 WHIP, 5.9 BB/9, 14.0 K/9Before you tell me to fuck off for recommending a guy with a 7.85 ERA, please, just look at what he did in 2024, and then look at the 2025 metrics below.71st percentile xSLG78th percentile xBA92nd percentile whiff94th percentile zone contact89th percentile KFranco Aleman may have been the unluckiest pitcher in the entirety of AAA last year, and his less than stellar walk rate definitely exacerbated that. However, his lack of control may have been caused by hernia surgery he underwent back in February - coming off surgery, mechanics can be a bit wonky.But if anything, this makes Aleman the perfect buy-low candidate for savvy buyers looking for ace-quality stuff at bargain-bin prices. Let's see some:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTzVC3WBEhIhttps://www.mlb.com/video/franco-aleman-strikes-out-the-sideIt's not much, but enough to get the gist - Aleman is a 6'6, elite extension, power arm pitcher that is hitting 100+mph of perceived velocity. His stuff is elite, and when he has command, his power fastball at the top of the zone is a thing of beauty.

Ben Hess, A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaBGnf-MuVY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=401C1QCxpwwA+, 66.2 IP - 3.51 ERA, 1.140 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9, 12.7 K/9AA, 36.2 IP - 2.70 ERA, 0.995 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 11.0 K/9Curveball - At only age 23, Ben Hess already looks like a pitcher more than ready to shove his stuff down MLB hitters' throats. When you watch the film, you'll see an insanely advanced curveball that, if I had to guess a psStuff+ grade, would be somewhere in the 105 range. It has some tremendous vertical break, while also breaking glove side. It sits mid 70s and really takes hitters for a ride when they're sitting on a decent sinker. Not only does it get whiffs, but it often just gets guys looking.Sinker - After watching a good deal of film, this pitch is hitting anywhere from 90-96 mph, and I'm still unsure if that's intentional. The 90 mph offering sometimes seems like he's intentionally taking something off the pitch and inducing cutting, and I see this lower velocity appear earlier in counts. Late in counts, he tends to let the sinker rip and we see 94-96 mph with less break, but obviously more chutzpuh. I'm leaning towards these two sinkers almost being a cutter/sinker combo, but there's nothing definitive yet. Both pitches have nice arm side break and really crowd righties. I look forward to him hitting AAA in 2026 so we can see some proper metrics on prospectsavant.Changeup - Hess doesn't use this pitch too often, and I'd reckon it's a 10% usage rate kinda offering. But from what I've seen, it's actually a really nice compliment to the high velocity sinker with similar horizontal movement, more vertical break, and obviously something taken off on the velocity. It's a pitch he seems to like breaking out in the later innings of starts, alongside the four-seam fastball. It's actually pretty solid and I'd rate it plus with good wipeout potential.Four-seam - This pitch was once Hess' primary fastball, but that no longer seems to be the case now that he favors the sinker. Still, it's a pitch I see him using away from righties with some juice on it, in the 94-96 mph range. Like the changeup, it's a lower usage pitch I think he likes to break out late in starts to deceive hitters. And I mean, I think it gets the job done. There's very little horizontal break here and after multiple innings of seeing sinkers with some nasty arm side break, hitters seem to be a bit befuddled when this paints the outside black.If Hess can prove that the 96 mph sinker is something he can throw at will, he immediately becomes a blue-chip, uber prospect in 2026. His breaking ball and offspeed are already MLB ready, and we're just waiting on a bit more info on the fastball. And if somehow he manages to gain velocity and reach 97-98 mph? He's then touching ace level.

Bryce Mayer, S

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr-a86cDzuwhttps://www.milb.com/corpus-christi/video/bryce-mayer-strikes-out-eight

Congratulations to the Astros MiLB pitcher of the year! Mayer, the #11 prospect in the Astros system (and set to rise), had a phenomenal 2025 campaign that saw him excel across not one.....not two....but three levels of the minors!A, 17.2 IP - 4.08 ERA, 1.302 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 15.3 K/9A+, 41.0 IP - 2.85 ERA, 0.927 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 9.9 K/9AA, 29.0 IP - 5.90 ERA, 1.448 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, 11.5 K/9

The majority of Mayer's work - and stellar work, might I add - came at A+, where he posted a splendid 2.85 ERA and 0,927 WHIP over 41.0 IP. This was enough to earn him the promotion to AA towards the end of the season, where admittedly, he stumbled a fair bit to close out the year. Now keep in mind that Mayer is only age 23 and literally just worked his way from low A to AA over the course of a single season. There's no other way to describe that other than brilliant.4-Seam - Bryce has some nice ride on a fastball with velocity anywhere from 93-96 mph, but typically in that 94-95 mph range. In terms of vertical movement, it stays relatively flat and works perfectly at the top of the zone, like every other solid prospect we've run into. I actually see a little bit of the Bryan Woo fastball here, with a 3/4 arm slot that generates the kind of velocity and ride you expect to see in an ace, like Bryan Woo, who I've claimed is the best starter on the Mariners roster since 2024. Mayer is going to be a force to be reckoned with.Curveball - Mayer's second most used pitch is a lovely mid 70s curveball that not only has tremendous vertical break, but some really awesome glove-side break to boot. It almost has a slurve action on it, but without the draw back of less vertical movement. This is a nasty curveball and is more than MLB ready.Change - If you decide to look at official scouting reports on Mayer, you'll see his changeup graded as being quite a bit worse than his 4-seam and curveball....I'm not buying it. When a guy has a changeup that looks near indistinguishable from the 4-seam, so much so that I need to rewatch the pitch just to look for the subtle velocity difference, you know you've got a good one. Check out the pitch at the 20 second mark. That changeup has to be upper 80s, looks like a fastball almost all the way to the batter, and then dips. I think his changeup is genuinely a plus pitch and if it has viewers rewatching, I can't imagine what it looks like standing in the batter's box.

Slider - Check out the pitch around the 10 second mark in the YouTube video linked above. That's his slider, and boy does it fucking slide. It's basically his curveball, without the rainbow - there's no north and then south action here, just flat and then south. I actually love that we see his curveball immediately following this pitch, just so we can really differentiate between the two back to back, because boy do they look juicy when juxtaposed!I really can't wait to get some prospectsavant data on Bryce to get a better idea of his pitch movement in terms of what I look for, but everything on film, alongside his progression through the minors, adds up. This guy is going to be excellent.

Ethan Pecko, A

Yay, another side-thrower in the Astros organization! Last year, we saw Colton Gordon (who didn't perform up to expectations) and Brandon Walter both throwing at low arm angles - 31 and 27 degrees respectively. But Ethan Pecko says "hold my beer," and throws at a magical 20 degree angle, the lowest on this entire list. We love pitchers with unique little quirks, and this is certainly one of them! Just looking at his Savant page, we see a lot of sexy red from top to bottom, with the only two flaws being his hard-hit rates and exit velocities. And yet, all of the pitches that batters actually manage to make good contact on wind up being groundballs anyway! Ah, the perks of being a low-angle thrower living at the bottom of the zone!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omAwIENzc4c

Looking at his pitch movement chart, we see a master of the diagonal effect, and oddly enough, in several directions! This is one of the more interesting pitch mixes we've seen thus far and no pitch seems entirely redundant.

4-seam, .246 xBA - The 98 psStuff+ rating isn't going to turn too many heads, but there's something we need to note before going over the rest of Pecko's Pitches ( name of his business venture?,) and it's that lower angle throwers don't necessarily need to rely on tons of movement and velocity to be effective. In fact, I'd argue that a 98 psStuff+ rating on 94 mph is actually EXTREMELY impressive at this arm slot! Guys like Pecko rely on the odd angle of delivery and horizontal movement to really throw off hitters, and off times pitches from guys like Pecko lack the vertical play to really jack up the psStuff+ grade. The .246 xBA on 29% usage is respectable, though we'd love to see that mark below .230, and it also has a nice 25% whiff rate. On a primary pitch, a 25% whiff rate is a good mark.

Cutter, .268 xBA - Following a trend we've seen in the minors, of course the cutter winds up being the worst pitch in the arsenal. A .268 xBA is awful, and even if I said no pitch seems redundant based on movement....this pitch is simply not good enough to be included in the mix. It does have a slightly better xOBA than the 4-seam, .279 vs .318, but when both are being hit at a 50% hard-hit rate, we actually see walks being a bit safer vs more contact and a higher xBA. Pecko has enough solid pitches to throw this in the trash, and honestly, it might actually wind up helping his 4-seam be more effective if hitters sitting on the 4-seam are able to bash the cutter, and vice-versa.

Slider, .204 xBA - We finally get to our first truly dominant pitch in Pecko's arsenal, that being the slider. With the solid .204 xBA and a respectable 25% whiff rate, this pitch also boasts 10 inches of glove side movement with relatively little vertical break. This is truly a sliding slider and I'd consider it the glue that holds Pecko's pitch mix together. When you see a guy with an arm angle as low as this, you always expect there to be a nasty slider involved.

Curve, .260 xBA - Don't let the .260 xBA fool you, this pitch has a ton of potential at the MLB level. A solid 100 psStuff+ grade backs up a pitch with 32% whiff rate and exemplary vertical movement in an arsenal of pitches that move mostly side to side. We're talking 13.56 inches of drop here, as opposed to every other pitch literally having only upward movement thanks to the 20 degree arm angle. When every pitch has rising action, and a hitter suddenly sees this pitch come out of the same arm slot....yeah, that's some real deception. As it stands, Pecko lacks control of the pitch, which has led to not only a .260 xBA, but also a .344 xwOBA. But if we're looking forward, and assuming Pecko can manage to reign this pitch in and locate it even....I don't know.....20% better? Then we're looking at a guy ready to dominate MLB hitters.

Sinker, .094 xBA (Wow!) - Now we're cooking with gas. The highest graded pitch in Pecko's bag, with a 102 psStuff+ grade, is a sinker that has significantly more horizontal break than the 4-seam whilst having nearly identical velocity. In fact, with only a few inches less of rising vertical movement than that 4-seam, I'd be inclined to call this more of a two-seam than a Sinker for all intents and purposes, and I'll be damned if this isn't one of the best two-seam fastballs in the minors! Oh, and did I mention the 41.90 % whiff rate on the pitch to go with that absurd .094 xBA? This pitch makes Pecko's path to the MLB all the more apparent - swap the 4-seam fastball usage (28.9%) with 2-seam usage (13.7%) and wa-lah!

Change, .317 xBA - And we've finally arrived at the least-used, and objectively worst pitch in Pecko's bag. The xBA is bad. The whiff rate is bad. The xwOBA is bad. This pitch should just stop being thrown. Hitters sitting fastball are having a field day with the pitch, which is just coming out like a hanging fastball.

I'm a huge Pecko fan and see multiple avenues of improvement for the young hurler. If he can manage to lose that cutter and changeup, and stick to his Sinker, Slider, Curveball...I think we have a real stud here. As it stands, his pitch mix suffers from a bit of bloat and he'd be best served as a three pitch pitcher.

Antwone Kelly, S

I'll begin by showing you what his 2024 metrics looked like at A ball.

Whelming, right? At the time, the 5'9 talent was throwing a 94 mph fastball. Nothing crazy, just fine for an age 21 pitcher of shorter stature.But what if I told you that Antwone Kelly was suddenly throwing 100 mph in 2025, and nobody has taken notice?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEuBMwf0fU8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igdQuFxQX4UIn the first video, you'll see the fastball has major life to it, even if the MPH isn't actually clocked. And in the second video, Antwone Kelly is interviewed, with one of the questions being about him reaching 101 mph on the fastball.Kelly has lowkey made the largest jump in fastball velocity of any pitcher in the minors, and it's something that we simply can't ignore. So how did he do in the minors this year?A+, 59.1 IP - 3.03 ERA, 0.978 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 2.6 BB/9AA, 48.0 IP - 3.00 ERA, 1.167 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9Excellent following a 2024 campaign that saw him pitch to a 4.43 ERA at low A. This is actually such an insane jump in production that one has to wonder just how much he'll improve going into his AAA 2026 campaign!Because his 2024 psStuff grades seem irrelevant at this point with his fastball changing so drastically ( and I assume his other pitches), I'll grade based on film and not the prospectsavant metrics available.

4-Seam - Kelly's fastball is right up there with Tanner McDougal and George Klassen in the power department. We have some real heat here with the pitch sitting anywhere from 97 to 100 mph, and as previously mentioned, touching 101 mph. Even at low A, the 94 mph 4-seam was good enough to induce a .210 xBA. Now that it's gained over 5 mph? It's up there with the best of prospects, true top 100 stuff. And thanks to his nice 3/4 arm slot, it comfortably lives at the top of the zone with ride. Uber tier.Changeup - After watching the film, this is definitely Kelly's #1 complimentary pitch to the fastball and has major wipeout potential. I'm not sure how hard he's throwing it now, and trust me, I've looked. But if it's gained velocity like his fastball, we could be looking at a 90 mph changeup here with some serious vertical drop.

Slider - I don't think he's throwing this pitch too often, but I believe I identified the slider at the 1:36 mark in the YouTube video linked above. It seems to be an upper 80s offering with really awesome arm side break that induces lots of week contact, and when he throws it in on the hands of lefties, they're expecting it to be a 100% inside ball. This pitch has some amazing front door potential on lefties, and I expect it to be a major weapon in the righties arsenal.

Antwone Kelly easily has the stuff of a top 100 prospect, and much like TJ Nichols, should find himself quickly climbing the prospect rankings as 2026 approaches. BUY HIM NOW.David Davallilo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4sFXOnOG2ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7DuR9Afi4

I'll lead with a concrete statement - David Davallilo has a top 10 slider in the minors. Behind the slider lurks a plus changeup, and behind that, a middling fastball. This guy is ahead of the curve (no pun intended) on the pitches that are much harder to develop, and in recent interviews, has explicitly stated he expects to add some velocity to a fastball that touches the mid 90s at best. The cool thing about that is his 4-seam, even at a lower velocity, still has some good shape and location. We're basically working with a high-quality canvas and a perfectly outlined painting, and now it's up to Davallilo to add the color and vibrancy through velocity gains. So how did he do this year?

A+, 51.0 IP - 2.12 ERA, 0.824 WHIP, 12.0 K/9, 1.9 BB/9AA, 56.0 IP - 2.73 ERA, 1.018 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 2.7 BB/9You quite literally could not ask for more from an age 23 pitcher than going through two levels of the minors with a sub 3.00 ERA and extremely solid WHIP numbers. His 12.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 at A+ were insanely good, and even though we saw a small drop-off at AA, we still love the 9.3 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. It's a damned near certainty Davallilo begins the 2026 campaign at AAA.

4-Seam - If you were reading closely enough, it may have almost sounded like I was a bit down on Davallilo's fastball. That's actually not the case! In fact, I think it's a good fastball! Coming out of a 3/4 arm slot with good ride, this thing actually touches 96 mph - that's excellent! Fast forward to the 23 second mark of the 2025 highlights video and you'll see a nasty fastball for a K! However, the fastball still lags behind some genuinely amazing offspeed and breaking ball offering, and at this point, we're just being greedy wanting even more. If Davallilo starts averaging 96, rather than touching it here or there, he's easily a top 100 prospect and has instant ace potential.

Slider/Sweeper - Believe me when I tell you this is one of the most MLB ready sliders I've seen in the minors, and probably better than most guys already in the MLB if we're being honest. This is just a slider that straight up slides with both glove side break and vertical break, and hitters genuinely look lost when trying to hit it. I mean, when a guy has a sub 3.0 ERA through both A and AA, something has to be elite, right?

Splitter - If an elite slider wasn't enough, Davalillo is the first pitcher on this prestigious list to feature a splitter! A good splitter is the most lethal pitch across baseball, and if you've been watching the World Series, you've probably seen more splitters than you've seen during any other series this year. That's not a coincidence - good teams have good pitchers, and good pitchers have splitters. Particularly pitchers from Japan. The splitter also happens to be the rarest pitch across baseball because frankly, it's just not easy to throw. So congratulations to Davalillo on not only developing a splitter, but a splitter that most scouts say is currently his best pitch.

Jack Wenninger, S+

See the 2024 prospectsavant data right down there? I'm going to ask you to look at it, and then completely disregard it.Jack Wenninger is an entirely new pitcher in 2025.The 2024 numbers were fine, but his arm has gained some major juice.

AA, 135.2 IP - 2.92 ERA, 1.150 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmUbjzJdEFIWatch the film linked above and you'll see that only a month ago, Wenninger was throwing 97 mph 4-seam fastballs deep into his Easter League Finals start. But a fastball that's gained over three ticks isn't even the focus here, as hard as that might be to believe. No, we're looking at that gorgeous splitter...oh man, that splitter. Fuck. David Davallilo's splitter was good.

Jack Wenninger's splitter is a top five splitter in all of baseball, at any level. Please watch the film and watch as hitter's not only miss the splitter consistently, but just look silly each and every time they wipe out. They're not just swinging above it - they're in a completely different area code. This thing has some major, major bite to it, and if the World Series has taught us anything, it's that the splitter is the most lethal pitch when used correctly. 4-Seam - Wenninger may have averaged only 92.4 mph on the fastball in 2024, but that low velocity seems to be well in the past. We're seeing him touch 96-97 mph consistently towards the end of 2025, and late in games too. It has a bit of arm-side movement to it, same as the splitter, and has enough velocity to be used as a straight up power fastball in the zone. He's just getting it by batters, with relative ease, because they're so damned paranoid about being destroyed by that ridiculous 87 mph splitter. This fastball has everything it needs, and then some.

Splitter - This pitch is in contention for the best pitch on this entire list, and this entire list features guys with legitimate MLB stuff from top to bottom. I'm enamored with Wenninger's upper 80s splitter and just how well it compliments not only the fastball, but a slider that sits at the same exact upper 80s velocity. This whole arsenal is like a well-oiled machine. Wenninger is going to be a strikeout threat immediately upon promotion and people are going to go crazy for him, so get him while you can.

Slider - Just like his splitter and fastball, which have both seen significant velocity increases from 2024, the Slider is coming in at 87 mph, up from 82 mph. This thing looks EXACTLY like the splitter coming out with the EXACT same velocity, and then it breaks glove side at the last second - the EXACT opposite of the splitter. And we're talking the same horizontal plane here, with extremely similar horizontal break in the other direction. Wenninger's tunneling and deceptive, filthy stuff is just so fun to watch.Wenninger just straight up has the stuff and pitch mix to be an excellent starting pitcher in the MLB and it's actually amazing to see just how much he improved over the course of one offseason. If he makes even a fraction of that improvement going into 2026, we're genuinely looking at a pitcher with real top 20 potential. That splitter is no joke, and in 10 years, we can be talking about it the same we've talked about Gausman's.

Miguel Ullola, B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_auWlYdxNoIhttps://www.mlb.com/astros/video/miguel-ullola-k-s-seven-over-six-hitless-inningsUllola's 2025 data includes three pitches with a psStuff+ grade above 100, including a 4-seam fastball that has some of the best ride of any fastball offering on this list. So even if he didn't have a ton of velocity, the rising action would still be enough of a make it an MLB quality offering. Fortunately enough, the pitch is capable of touching 97 mph and quite effortlessly rests in the mid 90s. AAA, 113 IP - 3.88 ERA, 1.346 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 6.2 BB/9The fact that Ullola has a wretched 6.2 BB/9 and still managed to emerge from the 2025 season with a sub 4.0 ERA and 1.40 WHIP is a testament to just how good his stuff is when he actually manages to locate. Only a single pitch in Ullola's arsenal has an xBA above the .220 mark, that being the change at a .268 xBA. And guess what? He only throws that 11% of the time. That means Ullola has a sub .220 xBA on a whopping 89% of pitches thrown. That's kind of absurd if you stop to think about it, and shows an extremely high ceiling - if Ullola can manage to improve his location as he progresses into his age 24 season, he genuinely has the stuff to be a plus MLB pitcher.

4-Seam, .163 xBA - Ullola's primary offering at the aforementioned 44% usage rate, this is a really nice fastball with tremendous ride out of a high 47 degree release point. We're always going to love fastballs with solid rising action, especially when the potential for velocity growth is there. Ullola has an arm capable of the upper 90s as he continues to progress, but for now, he seems to be focused on taking a bit off to work on his control issues. If he get polish up his mechanics this offseason, it would be entirely unsurprising to see him averaging 95+ mph on the fastball.

Slider, .217 xBA - At a 24% usage rate, this pitch is the clear #2 in Ullola's arsenal, with the next-most-used offering being a curveball at 15%. This is a powerful slider coming in at 88 mph with some bite on the horizontal and vertical axis, but at the same time, it harkens back to a fastball that we wish had a few ticks added on. The velocity gap between an 88 mph slider and a 93 mph fastball seems a bit iffy at times, and even though there's a pretty good difference in movement between the two pitches, we'd still like to see this gap expand. 5 mph could have someone sitting slider and be able to catch up to the fastball - bump that up to 7 mph+ and then we're cooking.

Curveball, .213 xBA - I love a good curveball that can work the bottom of the zone, as you've probably seen me state one hundred times by now. But nothing can quite take the wind out of a batter's sails like a wipeout hammer curve from a high release point (except maybe a splitter). The pitch currently has a 31% whiff rate and 32% hard-hit rate - solid numbers all around.

Ullola has MLB stuff with minor league command, and with a 2026 ETA, is at his ultimate buy-low price. The Astros could wind up working their magic with him, just as they do every other pitcher, and turn him into a top tier starter.

Connor Prielipp, C+

Prielipp was recently awarded the Twin's minor league pitcher of the year....which is not the best sign for the organization, considering he posted inflated ERA and WHIPs across two levels of the minors.

AA, 61.2 IP - 3.65 ERA, 1.492 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 2.6 BB/9AAA, 21.0 IP - 5.14 ERA, 1.571 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 5.6 BB/9

Still, the prospectsavant data shows a pitcher with good stuff and amazing metrics barring a poor BB%. Prielipp has two pitches with psStuff+ grades above 110, the slider and changeup, and his metrics feature:67th percentile xBA80th percentile xSLG87th percentile chase76th percentile whiff84th percentile EVThe 96th percentile PS score looks great, and one has to wonder why he had so much trouble producing on the diamond when it all looks so good under the hood. Well, looking at his pitch movement, I think things become quite evident...three of his pitches move in similar ways, with only slider moving glove-side. No matter how good your stuff is, you're going to have a tough time deceiving hitters when your slider, sinker, and changeup all move so similarly, and Prielipp may beed to consider making changes to his arm slot or adding a new pitch to alleviate this issue. Prielipp currently throws from a rather high 55 degree arm angle and it would be beneficial to his pitch mix to add a curveball, or perhaps even a splitter, if possible.

Slider, .193 xBA - It's been a while since we've seen a guy with a primary pitch slider, but it makes sense considering Prielipp's slider is graded at a 110 psStuff + and has a sub .200 xBA. The 37% whiff and 23% hard-hit rates on the offering are also fantastic, but the problem is, it's the only pitch with glove-side movement in his arsenal. Usually, you'd want a complimentary glove-side pitch with a velocity and vertical change to compliment, but none exist here. So when he throws any other pitch, they pretty much know exactly how it's going to move.

4-Seam, .244 xBA - Aside from the whelming xBA, I should also tell you this pitch has an awful .348 xwOBA. He simply can't locate the pitch consistently, and guys aren't chasing. His 87th percentile chase rate doesn't seem to apply to the fastball which he throws 33% of the time, only 1% behind his 34% usage slider. The velocity is good, sitting mid 90s and even touching 98 mp every once in a while, but to be honest, I don't think this pitch has very good ride on it. I see a pretty decent sinking action to the pitch, which may be what has led Prielipp to developing a sinker in the latter part of the season.

Sinker, .208 xBA - I think the thinking here may have been, "well, if he's going to throw a 4-seam that doesn't have great movement, we may as well give him a fastball designed to actually sink." The .208 xBA shows a serious improvement over the .244 xBA 4-seam, and yet, we still see a .319 xwOBA weighing the pitch down. Still much better than the 4-seam, but ultimately showing control issues and a lack of chase. There's also one other big differentiator between the two fastballs, that being the hard-hit rates. While his 4-seam has an awful 47% hard-hit rate against, his sinker is finding massive success at an 8.33 hard-hit rate. And at 16% usage while being a pitch he developed late in the season, I wouldn't be shocked if we see this become his primary fastball at a 30%+ usage next year. It's just better than his 4-seam.

Change, .225 xBA - Prielipp's slider gets all of the love and adoration in this family of pitches, but I'll be damned if this 117 psStuff+ changeup isn't one of the most impressive pitches I've seen. It's become clear Prielipp has a knack for throwing pitches that break downward, and this 88 mpg changeup is no exception. Not only do we see a nice .225 xBA, but a .289 xwOBA to boot. And at a 42% whiff rate, this pitch is an absolute wipeout offering. But that's the kicker - he's only throwing it 15% of the time, and we need to ask - should such a good pitch be relegated to wipeout duty entirely? Or should Prielipp consider pitching backwards once in a while, bumping this up to 25%+ to help accommodate the sinker?

Ty Johnson

When it comes to Ty Johnson, there seems to be some debate in the scouting community about how many pitches he actually has in the bag. Even as he dominated minor league pitching for the entire calendar year, scouts claimed his two-pitch arsenal wouldn't be enough for the MLB. Yet, when I watch some footage, I clearly see him throwing three pitches - a nice 4-seam fastball alongside a glove side slider and an arm side changeup....or maybe it's the reverse, I'm not entirely sure of the classifications for each pitch. But what I am sure of, is he very clearly has two different offspeed pitches that break in different directions, and allow him to work both sides of the plate against both lefties and righties. After watching the film, there's zero worry for me that he doesn't have the pitch mix to handle MLB hitting. If there's currently any weakness to Johnson's game, it's that his fastball sits in the lower 90s. It has good ride, and we see several examples of him getting it by hitters just by way of nice location in the upper part of the zone, but we still need this pitch to approach the mid 90s at minimum.

AA, 110 IP - 2.61 ERA, 0.943 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, 3.1 BB/9

It's actually quite surprising to see just how efficiently Johnson dominated AA hitting, without ever seeing a promotion to AAA. Especially considering the fact that he's now approaching his age 25 season. Then again, Brody Hopkins and TJ Nichols also never made it past AA in a year in which they also dominated. Man, the Montgomery Biscuits had one hell of a rotation! I suppose the Rays had a plan to let all three develop at AA for the entirety of the year, and held steady on that plan even after they showed they were more than read for AAA. Who am I to argue with the ways of the Rays ( trademark that).Expect the Rays to feature all three in their rotation by the end of 2026.

4-seam - It really is a fine fastball...for AA. But as previously stated, I just don't think it's going to work if it continues to sit in the 92 mph range. Should we really be worried that he can't add two ticks to the offering by the start of spring training? I don't think so. And if he does manage to do just that, well, this pitch would be MLB ready at 94 mph thanks to some awesome ride and command! I'd say we can bank on the Rays being able to get this pitch up to par.Offspeed - I'm still not quite sure how to classify his pitches, but the one thing I can tell you is they're both good. They're low 80s offerings with excellent vertical break, with the glove side pitch having a bit more zest than the arm side. As a righty pitcher, I've seen him consistently use the changeup to absolute destroy lefties through the front door, and I think this is one of his #1 traits that's allowed him to compile a sparkling 2.61 ERA - any righty pitcher than can handle lefty hitting is automatically in a tier of his own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVS1YssgCgA

Lucas Braun, B-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45GZpKJe6AY

Braun is almost certain to make his MLB debut in 2026, and yet, amongst all of the names on this list, he may instill the least amount of enthusiasm in readers - at least at first glance. This is a guy with six pitches all graded under the 100 psStuff + mark, and a fastball that averages 92.2 mph. Not very exciting, is it?AA, 130 IP - 3.99 ERA, 1.110 WHIP, 9.2 K/9, 2.4 BB/9AAA, 19.0 IP - 1.42 ERA, 0.684 WHIP, 5.2 K/9, 1.9 BB/9

His numbers at AA were solid, albeit whelming. A 3.99 ERA is mid, a 1.110 WHIP is good, a 9.2 K/9 is decent, and a 2.4 BB/9 is good. After his promotion to AAA, Braun really managed to dial in over 19 innings pitched. His 1.42 ERA and 0.684 WHIP were excellent, his 1.9 BB/9 was awesome, and his 5.2 K/9 was....not great. This drastic drop in K/9 may be indicative of a change in approach, and if we look at his AAA metrics, we see a nice ability to limit hard contact:51st percentile EV62nd percentile xSLG84th percentile Barrel54th percentile hard-hitOh, and a 86th percentile BB% alongside a 72nd percentile chase %To me, this screams of a guy who's attacking the bottom and black of the zone with impeccable command and limiting any kind of good contact. And he's even getting people to chase outside the zone to create poor contact rather than whiffing, which means the location must be consistently on the edges and when he misses, it's still close. Now we move on to the pitch movement below, and well, the Diagonal Effect is in full play with Braun, which could explain why that, despite underwhelming stuff, Braun still produces consistently. Braun is a master of working the zone vertically with varying movement on his pitches, both glove side and arm side, and we love to see it!

4-Seam, .269 xBA - It's rather unfortunate that Braun's 4-seam, which he uses at a 27.2 rate (same as his slider), happens to be one of his weaker pitches. At 92.2 MPH, even with good location, it's still pretty easy to catch up to, and the .269 xBA with the .320 xwOBA kind of drives this point home. It's not fooling hitters, and it's certainly not getting by them. Braun is still 24, and we can hold out hope that he finds a way to add some velocity. I do have one positive thing to say about it, which is it has some decent ride to it, which is probably why we don't see an even worse xBA.Slider, .208 xBA - If you watched the film, you probably noticed this is a damned good slider. It has some awesome glove side break to it and just straight up gets whiffs. We see a .208 xBA, .217 xwOBA, 26% whiff rate, and 25% hard-hit rate. He locates the pitch, induces soft contact, and generates whiffs. Braun has an uncanny feel for his slider and it should play extremely well at the MLB level.

Sinker, .395 xBA - Damn....if you thought the 4-seam was bad, well, this pitch makes it look like a Randy Johnson fastball. And he used it 18% of the time too, which is wild when you consider just how well he did at AAA. A 9% whiff rate and 66% hard-hit rate have this as one of the worst pitches on the entire list, full stop.

Change, .182 xBA - Ah, finally back to a good pitch, how refreshing! I actually love just how well this pitch compliments his 4-seam fastball. It has a significant amount of vertical drop, comes in at 85 mph, and also has a tiny bit of arm side bite to it. When you look at the movement chart, there's actually a pretty steep gap between the 4-seam and the changeup; compare that to other pitch movement charts on this list, and you'll actually see it's steeper than most. Then look at his release points:

Braun is actually excellent at tunneling, which really makes this changeup a lethal pitch when it looks exactly like a fastball coming out. And remember that dogwsater sinker? It actually fills in the gap between the 4-seam and changeup, making it extremely easy to hit when a hitter is actually sitting on either of those pitches - and it doesn't fucking help that it's a 90 mph offering, only 5 mph removed from the changeup!

Cutter, NA - Oh shit....do we actually have a good cutter here!? Not only does the pitch currently boast zero balls in play against, we also see .000 xwOBA, 55.60% whiff rate, and 25% hard-hit rate. You might see these absurdly strong numbers and think "man, he must have only threw this pitch one or two times." Well, you'd be wrong! He threw the pitch 10% of the time across those 19 innings pitched! Looking at the movement chart, this pitch works perfectly in the diagonal axis we drew that includes the 4-seam, cutter, slider, and curveball. This pitch might just be the answer to Braun's fastball woes and I'd be extremely interested to see if he could go the Mariano route and make this his primary fastball, while cutting out the sinker entirely! In fact, this cutter appears to be so effective that I wanted to see if anyone's taken note of it:https://www.batterypower.com/atlanta-braves-prospects-minor-leagues/119270/lucas-braun-owen-carey-alex-lodise-injury-john-gilIn his first AAA start, he generated 10 whiffs on that cutter! Lucas....throw this pitch more, please?

Curveball, .300 xBA - Braun's least used pitch wasn't very good, but I still believe it has a place in his pitch mix going forward. It fills out the movement profile in the southern part of the zone and compliments the rest of his pitches, but he needs to improve the location of the pitch in a big way. Going into 2026, my dream scenario for Braun's pitch mix would be:Slider - 30%

Cutter 20%4-seam 20%Changeup 20%Curveball 10%

And if he happens to add some velocity to the 4-seam, we could bump that usage up back to where it is now, around 27%. Braun is ever so close to being an exemplary pitcher....he just needs to gain some strength.

John HolobetzHolobetz wasn't initially on my list, or even my radar, for that matter. But good buddy Massimo shed some light on the Red Sox relatively unknown prospect, and after doing some digging and discussing, we came to the conclusion that he's right there with Mullins as the Red Sox next guy up in 2026. Holobetz was incredible through three levels of the minors last year :

A, 24 IP - 3.00 ERA, 0.875 WHIP, 11.6 K/9, 1.9 BB/9A+, 63.0 IP - 3.43 ERA, 1.254 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 1.4 BB/9AA, 37.2 IP - 2.39 ERA, 0.850 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 1.2 BB/9Holobetz had nothing shot of an exemplary campaign. His AA ERA of 2.39 represented a high point on the year, though we need to take a bit of caution in regards to his K/9 dropping as he progressed through each level of the minors. However, also take note that his BB/9 dropped as well - perhaps an indication he made a conscious decision to attack the zone and induce weak contact, rather than make guys chase outside the zone.4-seam - His fastball touches 96 mph at the top end, certainly a solid mark for a 23 year old just now making himself known to the baseball community. If he can manage to add a few ticks of velocity before he begins the 2026 campaign at AAA, we might see that 96 mph mark become the average rather than the top end. But as it currently stand, he typically averages 93-94 mph on the offering.

Change/Curve/Slider - Holobetz highest graded pitch is his changeup, at least according to scouting reports. And after watching film, I'm 100% in agreement. In fact, the changeup has so much looping rainbow action, that I was nearly inclined to label it a curveball, which he also has in the bag. Honestly, because of a lack of film, I'm having trouble differentiating at the moment between Holobetz' offspeed and breaking offerings. I'm going to have to see if I can just find one of his complete starts if my MLB League Pass permits it.Both his fastball and changeup also have a pretty sizable amount of arm side play, and I'm beginning to think Holobetz' natural horizontal movement is going to do extremely well at the MLB level.