Inbox: Most exciting non-Top 100 prospects likely to debut in 2026
Thursday night's news that Kyle Tucker landed a four-year, $240 million contract from the Dodgers made me think about when I first saw him play. It was at the 2014 Under Armour All-America Game, where he went 1-for-2 with a walk and was one of 12 future first-round picks.
On to your questions...
The easy answer is Giants shortstop Luis Hernandez, the top-rated prospect on MLB Pipeline's International Top 50. Signed for $5 million when 2026's international period opened on Thursday, Hernandez is one of the most advanced teenagers to come out of Latin America in years.
At age 15 in 2024, Hernandez batted .346 in the Venezuelan Major League, which is comprised of much older players and former professionals. He has precocious bat-to-ball skills and bat speed that portends future plus power. There's no question about his ability to stay at shortstop, where he's a fluid defender with plenty of arm.
Besides his tools, Hernandez draws praise for his high baseball IQ and work ethic. He's skilled enough to potentially skip the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League and make his pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League in May and play in Single-A by the end of the season. He's a different type of player, but he could be fast-tracked like the Rangers have done with Sebastian Walcott, who reached full-season ball eight months after turning pro and is on course to make his big league debut later this year at age 20.
Hernandez had the highest ceiling in the 2025 Draft. Not only did he offer a tantalizing four-pitch mix (fastball that reaches triple digits, precocious changeup, a pair of high-spin breakers in his curveball and changeup), but he also stood out with his feel for his craft, athleticism, size and projection. He also offered intriguing right-handed power potential, not that the Pirates are going to let him hit after signing him for $7.25 million -- a record for a high school arm -- as the No. 6 overall pick last July.
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Let's look all the way back to 2014, when ill-fated prep pitchers Brady Aiken and Tyler Kolek were the top two picks in the Draft. In those dozen Drafts, MLB Pipeline rated 14 high school hurlers among the 10 best overall prospects in their year: Aiken, Kolek and Touki Toussaint (2014); Jason Groome, Riley Pint and Braxton Garrett (2016); Hunter Greene and MacKenzie Gore (2017); Matt Liberatore, Carter Stewart and Cole Winn (2018); Jackson Jobe (2021); Noble Meyer (2023); and Hernandez (2025).
None of those other pitchers had as many quality pitches and polish as Hernandez, and his athleticism and projectability also stacked up very well. Based on how they were regarded at the time, I would rank the top six in this order:
Seth Hernandez (2025, No. 6 overall, Pirates)
Brady Aiken (2014, No. 1, Astros)
Jackson Jobe (2021, No. 3, Tigers)
Hunter Greene (2017, No. 2, Reds)
MacKenzie Gore (2017, No. 3, Padres)
Jay Groome (2016, No. 12, Red Sox)
So I don't give away any secrets, I'm going to answer this question on the basis of our 2025 end-of-season Top 100 Prospects list rather than our 2026 preseason Top 100, which we'll reveal next Friday. And rather than give you three prospects, I am going to give you three pairs of prospects.
Two hitters: Cardinals outfielder Joshua Baez and Guardians first baseman Ralphy Velazquez. Baez made adjustments to his swing and stance last season and now looks ready to deliver on his 25/25 potential. Velazquez slashed .330/.405/.589 in the final month at Double-A at age 20 and could help solve Cleveland's power outage.
Two pitchers: Orioles right-hander Trey Gibson and Rays righty Brody Hopkins. Gibson has gone from nondrafted free agent to Triple-A in two years, showing the ability to miss plenty of bats with his fastball, curveball and slider. Hopkins has one of the best power repertoires in the Minors, with a fastball that reaches triple digits and a slider, a cutter and a changeup that regularly climb into the 90s.
Two guys who intrigue me but aren't as close to the Top 100 as the others above: White Sox righty Tanner McDougal and Reds outfielder Héctor Rodríguez. McDougal broke out last year, sitting in the upper 90s with his fastball while spinning unhittable curveballs and sliders. Rodríguez has 20-25 homer upside and is having a big winter in the Dominican League.
We'll add 2026 international signees to our organization Top 30 Prospects lists when we unveil our completely updated rankings in early March. Hernandez could debut as high as No. 3 on our Giants Top 30, while other players such as Mets shortstop Wandy Asigen and Phillies outfielder Francisco Renteria should rate highly as well.