All Pipeline's Hitting and Pitching Prospects of the Year since 2013

We have been naming a Hitting and Pitching Prospect of the Year every season there’s been Minor League Baseball since 2013. Over the years, many of these prospects have gone on to appear in MLB All-Star Games and win Rookie of the Year, MVP and Cy Young Awards.

Here’s a list of every Hitting and Pitching Prospect of the Year winner since the awards have been announced:

2026

Hitter: Andrew Fischer, 3B, Brewers -- Fischer led the Minors in SLG (.654), OPS (1.067) and total bases (287), but it was his 48 home runs that stood out the most. It was the most in a single Minor League season since Ron Kittle hit 50 in 1982. He also drew a ton of walks to offset his high K rate, leading to a second-best wRC+ of 162.

Pitcher: Kade Anderson, LHP, Mariners -- At the time of his callup to Seattle from Double-A in August, Anderson led all Minor Leaguers in ERA, strikeouts, opponent average, WHIP, strikeout rate (40.5 percent), strikeout minus walk rate (36.6 percent) and K/BB ratio (10.4). His 1.06 ERA was the lowest for any pitcher who worked at least as many as his 93 1/3 innings since 1971.

2025

Hitter: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF Pirates -- Griffin entered pro ball as a super-toolsy -- but raw -- high school player, before quickly shedding the raw label in his first season. He played across three levels and finished with a .333/.415/.527 line. He led all Minor Leaguers with at least 400 plate appearances in wRC+ (165) while becoming just the second 20-60 player in the Minors since the early 1980s.

Pitcher: Jonah Tong, RHP, Mets -- Tong used his unique over-the-top delivery to dominate the Double-A and Triple-A levels, topping Minor League qualifiers with his 1.43 ERA and leading all arms with 179 strikeouts. The right-hander also sat atop the leaderboard in K rate (40.5), K-BB% (29.9), BAA (.148), FIP (1.68) and xFIP (2.16) among Minor Leaguer hurlers with at least 100 innings pitched.

2024

Hitter: Kristian Campbell, 2B/OF, Red Sox -- Campbell flew under the radar during his amateur career, but that all changed with his 2024 season that saw him go from High-A to Triple-A and finish with a .330/.439/.558 line. He went 20-20 (20 HR, 24 SB) and topped the Minors with his 177 wRC+. He was second in OBP and OPS, fourth in batting and fifth in runs scored (94).

Pitcher: Quinn Mathews, LHP, Cardinals -- This was Mathews’ first year of pro ball and he made quick work of it, pitching across four levels and posting a 2.76 ERA over 143 1/3 IP. Just the second pitcher since 2011 to surpass the 200-strikeout plateau, he was second in the Minors in K rate (35.4 percent), fourth in BAA (.179) and seventh in WHIP (0.98).

2023

Hitter: Jackson Holliday, 2B/SS, Orioles -- The No. 1 pick in the 2022 Draft, Holliday went from Single-A all the way to Triple-A in his first full season of pro ball. He slashed .323/.442/.499 with 12 homers, 24 steals and a robust 158 wRC+, while playing the entire season at age 19. It greatly accelerated his timetable and he made his big league debut early in 2024.

Pitcher: Drew Thorpe, RHP, Yankees -- Thorpe was all over the Minor League leaderboard in his first full season. He ended up topping all pitchers in the Minors with 182 strikeouts, and finished fourth in ERA (2.52). Among qualified full-season pitchers with double-digit strikeouts per nine innings (11.8 K/9), he was second in walk rate (2.45 BB/9), equating to a Minors-leading K-BB% (26.9).

2022

Hitter: Gunnar Henderson, SS, Orioles -- Henderson began the year in Double-A and finished it in the big leagues; the only reason he didn’t go 20-20 in the Minors was his late August callup. He was one of only three Minor Leaguers with an OBP over .400, SLG above .500 and at least 19 homers and steals.

Pitcher: Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies -- Painter became the sixth high school pitching draftee to reach Double-A in his first full season this century. He led all pitchers with at least 100 IP in WHIP (0.89) and K-BB% (32.4), while finishing second in ERA (1.56), fifth in K/9 (13.5), sixth in BAA (.181) and eighth in K/BB (6.2), all as a teenager.

2021

Hitter: Anthony Volpe, SS, Yankees -- A 2019 first-rounder, Volpe had to wait to show what he could do because of the pandemic. It was worth the wait. He led the Minors (min. 400 plate appearances) with his 1.027 OPS and 171 wRC+ between Single-A and High-A and finished tied for second with 68 XBH. His 27 homers and 33 steals made him one of 16 players to turn in a 20-20 season in the Minor Leagues.

Pitcher: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Orioles -- Rodriguez transformed into a complete pitcher in a season that saw him reach Double-A for the first time. It was the first year he topped 100 innings, and he led all pitchers who did so in K/9 rate (14.1), strikeout rate (40.5 percent) and BAA (.159), while landing sixth in strikeouts (161).

2019

Hitter: Luis Robert Jr., OF, White Sox -- There were huge expectations after the White Sox signed Robert for $26 million in 2017, but his '18 season was derailed by a thumb injury. He showed what the fuss was about the following year as the youngest player since 1999 to turn in a 30-30 season. He led the Minors with 314 total bases, making him the first 30-30-300 player since 1961.

Pitcher: MacKenzie Gore, LHP, Padres -- Blister issues had hampered Gore in his first full season, but he sure was healthy in Year 2. The lefty led all pitchers with at least 100 innings in ERA (1.69) and WHIP (0.83), ranked second in opponent average (.161) and fifth in strikeout percentage (35.7). He allowed one run or fewer in 17 of his 20 starts, including 13 straight from late April through mid-July.

2018

Hitter: Vladimir Guerrero Jr, 3B/1B, Blue Jays -- Playing all year at age 19, Guerrero flirted with hitting .400 for much of the season and ended up leading the Minors with his .381 average after “slumping" in Triple-A (.336). He also led all Minor League hitters in SLG (.638) and OPS (1.073) while also setting career highs in doubles (29), homers (20), total bases (222) and RBIs (78) despite playing in just 95 games.

Pitcher: Dylan Cease, RHP, White Sox -- It was Cease’s first full season with the White Sox after coming over from the Cubs at 2017’s Trade Deadline. He didn’t disappoint, reaching Double-A and finishing with a 2.40 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 124 IP. His 32.5 percent strikeout rate was third best in the Minors and he was among the leaders in BAA (.189) and K’s (160).

2017

Hitter: Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves -- Acuña was a relative unknown heading into 2017, having fewer than 150 full-season at-bats under his belt. But he played his way from High-A to Triple-A, leading the Minors with 181 hits and finishing as just one of two players to reach 20 homers and 40 steals. He hit .325/.374/.522, setting the stage for his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018.

Pitcher: Jon Duplantier, RHP, D-backs -- Duplantier had thrown just one professional inning and missed all of 2015 in college because of injury, but made up for it during his first full season. His 1.39 ERA was the second-lowest among full-season qualifiers in the previous 32 years (Justin Verlander, 1.29 in 2005), and he also posted a .192 BAA, 0.98 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 rate.

2016

Hitter: Alex Bregman, SS, Astros -- Bregman didn’t spend much time in the Minors, but he led the Double-A Texas League in OBP (.415) and SLG (.559) before moving to Triple-A. After an OPS of 1.014 in 18 games, he got called up to Houston and never looked back. Over 80 total Minor League games, he hit .306/.406/.580 with 20 homers, showing more power than expected.

Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pirates -- The only pitcher to win this honor more than once, Glasnow spent most of 2016 in Triple-A, making his big league debut in July, finishing with a combined 1.93 Minor League ERA to go along with a .176 BAA. He struck out 11.1 per nine and gave up three or more earned runs in a start just three times all year.

2015

Hitter: Kyle Schwarber, OF, Cubs -- This made two straight Cubs winning this honor as Schwarber crushed Double-A and Triple-A the year after getting drafted, slashing .323/.430/.591 with 16 homers and 17 doubles in 75 games. He wasn’t done, as his .842 OPS with 16 homers in 69 big league games were a huge reason why Chicago returned to the postseason for the first time since 2008.

Pitcher: Blake Snell, LHP, Rays -- Not only did Snell toss 49 consecutive innings (a streak that started at the end of 2014), but the left-hander led the Minors with his 1.41 ERA, while his .182 BAA was second and his 163 K's were fourth overall across three levels, finishing the year in Triple-A. He made his big league debut early the next season, winning his first Cy Young Award in 2018.

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2014

Hitter: Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs -- In what proved to be his lone full season in the Minors, Bryant put on a show, leading all Minor League hitters with his 43 homers, .661 SLG and 1.099 OPS. He also hit .325 with over 100 runs scored (118) and RBIs (110) across Double-A and Triple-A. The No. 2 pick in the 2013 Draft was knocking on the door, and he was the NL Rookie of the Year the following season.

Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pirates -- In his second year of full-season ball, Glasnow dominated the High-A Florida State League. The 6-foot-8 righty posted absurd numbers across the board, including a 1.74 ERA, .174 BAA and 11.4 K/9 over 124 1/3 innings for the year. He topped the FSL in those first two categories, as well as in K% (31.8) and WHIP (1.05).

2013

Hitter: Byron Buxton, OF, Twins -- Buxton spent all year at age 19 and managed to hit .334/.424/.520 with 55 stolen bases and 49 extra-base hits across both levels of A ball. He topped all Minor Leaguers with 18 triples and was among the leaders in a host of offensive categories while representing the Twins at the Futures Game.

Pitcher: José Fernández, RHP, Marlins -- It was easy to forget Fernández was just 20 years old given how well he pitched in the big league rotation. (We considered anyone who began the year as a prospect for this award in 2013.) He hadn’t pitched above A ball before making the All-Star team, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors and finishing third in Cy Young Award voting.