The most pleasant prospect surprises so far -- one for each team

This is the time of year when we like to look at pleasant developments in the early part of the Minor League schedule. When we did so a year ago, we spotlighted several prospects who were steaming toward MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list: A.J. Ewing, Carlos Lagrange, Joe Mack, Rainiel Rodriguez, Caden Scarborough, Mike Sirota and Jaxon Wiggins.

Roughly two months into the 2026 season, Astros catcher/first baseman Jason Schiavone is your unexpected Minor League leader in home runs (18), slugging (.773) and OPS (1.221). After injuries marred the start of his career, Mariners shortstop Felnin Celesten is tearing up High-A and showing why he was one of the most coveted players in the 2023 international class. Nationals infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald has grown into some power and is making a case for being the best part of the five-prospect package received from the Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore trade.

Below, we highlight those players and 27 more, one from each farm system who's making encouraging progress:

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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Nolan Perry, RHP (No. 17)
A 12th-round pick in 2022, Perry entered this season with only 84 1/3 career innings due to early limits and Tommy John surgery that knocked him out for part of 2024 and all of 2025. He’s not only healthy now, but he’s added a few ticks to his fastballs after the rehab process (now sitting 93-95 mph) and he’s picked up a splitter to help him against lefties. His slider and curveball have also been effective pitches, leading to a 1.45 ERA and 50 strikeouts through 31 innings at Single-A and High-A. He shot up the Top 30 after Brandon Valenzuela’s graduation and could become an interesting 40-man option when Rule 5-eligible this offseason.

Orioles: Wehiwa Aloy, SS (No. 5)
When you’re the Golden Spikes Award winner and SEC Player of the Year, there are going to be certain expectations in terms of performance. But concerns about his hit tool and his tendency to chase breaking stuff out of the zone kept him out of the first-round proper last July. The K rate is a bit high (27.8 percent), but he’s getting to his power (10 homers in 32 games) while slashing .326/.375/.612 with High-A Frederick.

Rays: Cooper Flemming, INF (No. 27)
A second-round pick out of the California high-school ranks last year, Flemming has shot out of the gate in his first Minor League season, hitting .311/.405/.496 with four homers in 35 games for Charleston. His 147 wRC+ is tied for second-best among teenagers at Single-A alongside first-rounders Xavier Neyens (152) and Tate Southisene (146). Flemming already drew praise for his clean mechanics as a left-handed hitter before adding 25 pounds of strength between the Draft and Spring Training, and he’s reaping the rewards quickly in his career.

Red Sox: Anthony Eyanson, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 72)
The Red Sox had high hopes for Eyanson, whom they paid a nearly double-slot $1.75 million bonus as a third-rounder last July after he helped Louisiana State win the College World Series. But they couldn't have foreseen him dominating to the extent he has in his pro debut: 0.61 ERA, .108 opponent average, 42/7 K/BB ratio in 29 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. He has added 3 mph to his fastball, which now works at 94-96 mph and tops out at 100, making his already-nasty mid-80s slider even more devastating.

Yankees: Jack Cebert, RHP (No. 25)
The Yankees excel at turning later-round picks into quality pitching prospects, and their latest example is Cebert, a 15th-round senior sign a year ago out of Texas Tech. More of a two-seam fastball guy with the Red Raiders, he's now having more success with a lively 92-96 mph four-seamer and an improved low-80s slider. He needed just three outings to earn a promotion from High-A to Double-A and sports a 2.36 ERA, .179 opponent average and 37/7 K/BB ratio in 34 1/3 innings between the two levels.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians: Justin Campbell, RHP (No. 22)
A two-way star at Oklahoma State before focusing on the mound in 2022 and pitching his way into the supplemental first round, Campbell missed his first three full pro seasons because of two elbow operations (including Tommy John surgery in April 2024) and a wrist procedure. Not only is he finally healthy, he's displaying more fastball velocity (93-97 mph) than he did in college and effectively mixing five offerings. His long-awaited pro debut is going well, with a 1.66 ERA, .145 opponent average and 35 percent strikeout rate between High-A and Double-A.

Royals: Justin Lamkin, LHP (No. 13)
Last year’s 71st overall pick, Lamkin was the talk of the backfields in Surprise this spring, with director of player development Mitch Maier saying, “I'm really excited because, wow, this is what it looks like.” But even given that, the former Texas A&M hurler is moving quicker than expected, having already reached Double-A after posting a 1.27 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 38 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings for High-A Quad Cities. Lamkin works with a fastball-slider-changeup-curveball mix, and while he’s shown a little bit of a velo bump in the pros, it’s the slider in particular that has gotten a ton of whiffs early in 2026.

Tigers: Ben Jacobs, LHP (No. 16)
Jacobs was our left-handed pitching pick for the early All-Breakout Prospect Team in this week’s MLB Pipeline newsletter. He’s shown a 93-95 mph fastball that plays well thanks to a flat approach angle and sets up a full suite of other pitches in his low-80s slider, upper-70s curveball and low-80s changeup. The Arizona State product has fanned 41 batters in 26 ⅔ innings between Single-A and High-A, and his 38.7 percent strikeout rate is 12th-best in the Minors (min. 25 IP).

Twins: Connor Prielipp, LHP (No. 5)
There’s long been a sentiment among the Twins brass that if Prielipp could stay healthy, his stuff would play. This was mostly theoretical because the 2022 draftee tossed just 30 innings combined in 2023 and 2024 after having Tommy John surgery in college, then internal brace surgery as a pro. After topping 80 innings in 2025, though, he came out throwing very well in Triple-A to kick off 2026 (2.30 ERA, .204 BAA, 12.6 K/9 over 15 2/3 IP) to earn his first call to the big leagues. He’s been one of the Twins’ best starters since, posting a 2.89 ERA with a WHIP under 1.00, 10.4 K/9 and a BAA of .169 over his first five starts.

White Sox: Jacob Gonzalez, INF (No. 24)
After starring in college at Mississippi, helping the Rebels win the 2022 College World Series and going 15th overall in the 2023 Draft, Gonzalez slashed just .232/.310/.335 in his first three pro seasons while looking defensive at the plate. He has been more aggressive in 2026 while improving his exit velocities and quality of contact. He ranks second in the Minors with 15 homers, nearly doubling his previous career high of eight just one-third of the way into the season, and is batting .305/.419/.646 in Triple-A.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels: Nate Snead, RHP (No. 19)
Snead pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen during his college career, first at Wichita State and then over two years at Tennessee. But his combination of a big repertoire and decent strike-throwing capability had many thinking he could get a chance to start in pro ball. The Angels were among that group and after taking him after the end of the third round last July, sent him out to be a part of the High-A Tri-City rotation to begin his pro career. He’s responded by posting a 3.39 ERA and 34/6 K/BB ratio over his first 29 1/3 IP while also posting a 55-percent groundball rate.

Astros: Jason Schiavone, C/1B (unranked on Astros Top 30)
An 11th-round pick out of James Madison in 2024, Schiavone generates some of the highest exit velocities (a max of 116 mph this year) and walk rates (23 percent). He also whiffs a lot (30 percent K rate) because he takes a lot of strikes and swings and misses at in-zone offerings. It's a volatile profile but working to the tune of a .288/.448/.773 line with 18 homers, nine steals and 39 walks in 36 games, mostly in High-A.

A’s: Henry Bolte, OF (No. 5)
Ever since going over slot to sign Bolte in the second round of the 2022 Draft, Bolte has shown off an exciting speed and raw power combination, stealing 122 bases and hitting 38 homers combined over his first three full seasons of pro ball. With that came a lot of swing-and-miss, recording a 32.4 percent strikeout rate in that same time span. He cut that down considerably with Triple-A Las Vegas to start the year, posting a 1.076 OPS to go along with 12 homers and 17 steals in just 37 games to earn a call up to the big leagues, where he’s started out 6-for-17 (.353) over his first five contests.

Mariners: Felnin Celesten, SS (No. 7)
The Mariners believed enough in Celesten’s ceiling to give him $4.7 million to sign in January 2023. Injuries were a stumbling block out of the gate, with a Grade 2 hamstring strain ruining his pro debut after signing and left hamate surgery cutting his 2024 season short. He played 104 games in 2025 and held his own in full-season ball, albeit without much impact and the one-time Top 100 prospect tumbled off that list. He’s making noise like he belongs back on so far this year. Still only 20, he’s hitting .346/.442/.506 over 35 games with High-A Everett.

Rangers: Malcolm Moore, C (No. 18)
Moore went from the 30th overall choice in the 2024 Draft to batting just .199/.300/.304 in his first two years as pro and then struggling in the Arizona Fall League. A broken finger after a foul tip struck his right hand last April contributed to his woes, but the Stanford product has looked much better at the plate now that he's fully healthy. He's hitting balls harder and launching them in the air more often, which has translated into a .333/.420/.623 line with seven homers in 29 games in High-A.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Eric Hartman, OF (No. 20)
When a young, under-the-radar player puts up really good numbers over the first month of his second full pro season, you make a note. When he keeps it going into May, you pay even closer attention. The Braves got Hartman in the 20th and final round of the 2024 Draft from the Alberta, Canada high school ranks and he fared well while dealing with hamstring issues in an aggressive push to full-season ball. He got nudged up to High-A Rome this year, still only 19, and has responded with a .308/.390/.643 line over his first 36 games, tapping into surprising power with 12 homers and using his double-plus speed to swipe 15 bags.

Marlins: Karson Milbrandt, RHP (No. 9)
The Marlins have had high hopes for Milbrandt since signing him to an over-slot $1,497,500 bonus as a third-round pick out of a Missouri high school in 2022. Inconsistent control and command have led to slower development than anticipated, but he's locating his pitches much better this year, leading the Double-A Southern League in ERA (1.24), strikeouts (51), K rate (37 percent) and WHIP (0.91). He's leaning heavily into his upper-80s cutter and also missing bats with his mid-90s fastball and mid-80s sweeper.

Mets: Yovanny Rodriguez, C (No. 30)
There is some physicality and raw power in Rodriguez’s profile, but it hadn’t shown up much in games over his first two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, where he hit four homers over 87 games between 2024 and 2025. Now stateside for the first time in the Florida Complex League, the 19-year-old catcher has already gone deep five times in eight games to lead all Rookie-level hitters in the category. He also ranks third early on with a .757 slugging percentage.

Nationals: Devin Fitz-Gerald, INF (No. 10)
The Nationals acquired Fitz-Gerald from the Rangers in the offseason MacKenzie Gore deal and showed they thought they could push the 20-year-old infielder by assigning him to High-A Wilmington after he played only 10 Single-A games last year due to a left shoulder injury. The switch-hitter has been up to the task and more, especially in the power department. He’s clubbed 11 homers – including eight in a 10-game span between May 5-16 – to rank fourth among all High-A hitters. He also ranks second at level with 92 total bases, third with 23 extra-base hits, fourth with a .643 slugging percentage and fifth with a 1.067 OPS – all while playing in a pitcher-friendly home park.

Phillies: Bryan Rincon, SS (No. 27)
Because of his outstanding defense at shortstop, Rincon has always had a pretty high floor. He could handle the premium position in the big leagues right now, and the thinking always was that if he could hit at all, he’d be a big leaguer. Injuries haven’t helped his development, playing just 119 games combined in 2024 and 2025, but hitting just .186 over those years did not help his prospect stock. Now 22, Rincon is showing signs of life at the plate with Double-A Reading, with a .932 OPS, seven homers and 15 steals over his first 36 games. And it’s not a hitting-friendly Reading mirage: Rincon’s OPS is actually higher on the road.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Luis Lara, OF (No. 5/MLB No. 95)
Lara entered this year with 10 career homers spread out across four Minor League seasons. His career high for a single campaign was four, set in 2024. He’d never slugged above .390 in a season either. Entering Wednesday, the switch-hitting outfielder has gone deep seven times already through 44 games for Triple-A Nashville and is hitting .337/.449/.503. His exit velocities still might not pop, but there’s enough juice in his bat to make him a possible everyday center fielder in Milwaukee, especially given how good his speed and defense have always been as a pro.

Cardinals: Jacob Odle, (unranked on Cardinals Top 30)
The 2023 14th-rounder missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and struggled a bit with Single-A Palm Beach last year (6.28 ERA, 30 walks in 43 innings). Back in the Florida State League this spring, Odle has been a revelation with a 1.80 ERA, 43 strikeouts and 14 walks in 30 frames. He’s been holding good velocity with a four-seamer that averages 97.2 mph, and he plays off that with a potentially special curveball. The 22-year-old should finally see High-A Peoria before long.

Cubs: Pedro Ramírez, 3B/2B (No. 2/MLB No. 86)
Ramírez came into the season with some of the best bat-to-ball skills among Cubs farmhands, and he has taken his game to another level by hitting balls harder and increasing his launch angle to tap into some power. Signed for just $75,000 in 2021 -- out of the same Venezuelan program that spawned Moisés Ballesteros -- he's slashing .312/.395/.547 with a career-best nine homers in 43 Triple-A games.

Pirates: Easton Carmichael, C (No. 16)
The Pirates’ third-round pick in 2025, Carmichael opened eyes with a home run in the Spring Breakout game in Florida this past March, and he’s kept hitting since. The backstop has a .307/.358/.526 line over 33 games, and he’s not just putting up numbers in High-A Greensboro’s friendly confines, all while making more strides than expected with his overall defensive game behind the dish.

Reds: Edwin Arroyo, SS (No. 3/MLB No. 100)
Drafted back in 2021 out of Puerto Rico by the Mariners and traded to the Reds in the Luis Castillo deal at the 2022 Trade Deadline, Arroyo was in the Top 100 in the past, missed all of 2024 following a torn left labrum, and didn’t show much impact at the plate in a full 2025 season. The Reds still thought he might get back to the player he was pre-surgery and added him to their 40-man roster and it sure is looking like a good decision. The 22-year-old has a .348/.411/.601 line over 44 games with Triple-A Louisville, with 22 extra-base hits (nine homers). He’s back in the Top 100 and loudly knocking on the big league door as the Reds have some infield issues he could help solve soon.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Alberto Barriga, C (No. 27)
Barriga’s defense behind the plate has long been special; his 43 percent caught-stealing rate this season at High-A Hillsboro matches his career rate. But standing 5-foot-9, the backstop’s power has been more of a question, and he slugged just .296 with four homers in 99 games for Single-A Visalia last year. Now up in the Northwest League, he’s already gone deep six times and owns a .310/.402/.586 slash line over 102 plate appearances.

Dodgers: Cam Leiter, RHP (No. 21)
When the Dodgers drafted Leiter in the second round out of Florida State last July, he hadn't pitched since developing shoulder issues in March 2024 and having cleanup surgery seven months later. They gambled that his premium stuff would come back and it has in his pro debut, as he's dealing with an upper-90s fastball and upper-80s slider while expertly killing spin on a low-90s changeup. The latest in the long line of pitching Leiters -- father Kurt reached Double-A while uncles Al and Mark and cousins Jack and Mark Jr. made it to the Majors -- has compiled a 2.40 ERA with a 37 percent strikeout rate in 15 innings.

Giants: Jonah Cox, OF (unranked on Giants Top 30)
The son of former big league catcher Darron Cox, Jonah led NCAA Division I with 114 hits and fashioned a 47-game hitting streak (third-longest in D-I history) while helping Oral Roberts reach the 2023 College World Series. A sixth-round pick by the Athletics that July and dealt to the Giants for Ross Stripling seven months later, he showed off well above-average speed but middling offensive production in his first three years as a pro. Now he's hitting balls harder and in the air more often, leading the Minors in hitting and slashing .419/.464/.718 with 21 steals in 35 Double-A contests.

Padres: Jase Bowen (No. 23)
After spending seven years in the Pirates system, Bowen signed a Minor League deal with the Padres last offseason and has been a revelation for the farm system at Triple-A El Paso. Entering Wednesday, he’s hitting .291/.357/.623 with 11 homers and five steals in 38 games. There are some rough markers about his ability to make contact against secondary pitches, but Bowen has exhibited good power and speed while playing all three outfield positions. He could be an option for the Major League club if/when it needs additional help on the grass.

Rockies: Sterlin Thompson, OF (No. 15)
There was hope that Thompson would be a fast-moving college bat when they took him in 2022, but he was slowed by an elbow injury in his first full season, and struggled a year later in 2024. It looked like he was figuring it out in 2025 in Triple-A and got added to the 40-man roster, and he headed back to Albuquerque this season to show that last year wasn’t a mirage. The 24-year-old corner outfielder hit .344/.491/.496 over 36 games as proof, and that led to his first call up to the big leagues last week.