Prospects we're excited to watch in Spring Breakout -- one from each team
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Fifty-four members from MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 are scheduled to play in the third edition of Spring Breakout, including shortstops Konnor Griffin (Pirates, No. 1), Jesús Made (Brewers, No. 3), Leo De Vries (Athletics, No. 4), JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals, No. 5), Colt Emerson (Mariners, No. 9) and outfielder Max Clark (Tigers, No. 10).
Twenty-four of the 27 first-round picks from the 2025 Draft also are slated to participate, led by shortstops Eli Willits (Nationals, first overall) and Ethan Holliday (Rockies, fourth), right-handers Tyler Bremner (Angels, second) and Seth Hernandez (Pirates, sixth) and left-handers Kade Anderson (Mariners, third) and Liam Doyle (Cardinals, fifth).
Spring Breakout begins Thursday and consists of 16 games over four days at Grapefruit and Cactus League parks. Every contest will be streamed live and blackout-free on MLB’s digital platforms (MLB.com, MLB.TV and the MLB app) and partner platforms. Seven games will air live on MLB Network and the other nine will be shown on tape delay. The full schedule is here.
Below, we highlight a player from each organization whom we're excited to perform in Spring Breakout. It was hard to pick just one from each system, of course.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Juan Sanchez, 3B/SS (No. 7)
The noise around Sanchez was already getting loud after he hit .341/.439/.565 with eight homers in 56 games in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League in 2025, and it hasn’t gotten any quieter with his move stateside this spring. Only 18 years old, the right-handed slugger balances strength with good swing decisions for his age, and it’s the latter that draws a lot of praise from the Blue Jays. Getting Sanchez together on the same Breakout infield as first-rounders JoJo Parker and/or Arjun Nimmala could be a glimpse into the future of the dirt in Toronto.
Orioles: Nate George, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 93)
The top-ranked Orioles prospect slated to play in this year’s Spring Breakout, George was a revelation in his first full season of pro ball as an Illinois high school multisport standout taken by the O’s in Round 16 of the 2024 Draft. He then performed his way from the Florida Complex League all the way to High-A during his first full season, finishing with a .337/.413/.483 line to go along with 28 extra-base hits and 50 steals in just 87 games. He’s one of the fastest guys in the Minors, and seeing him and Enrique Bradfield Jr. on the field at the same time will sate anyone with the need for speed. Spring Breakout race anyone?
Rays: Xavier Isaac, 1B (No. 14)
Isaac is no stranger to the Spring Breakout atmosphere. In the inaugural edition in 2024, he went deep twice for the Rays against the Twins. That said, things will be a little different this time around considering he missed the second half of last year after undergoing “life-saving” brain surgery in July. The 22-year-old has gone 6-for-15 (.400) and shown a max exit velocity of 113.2 mph in Grapefruit League play this spring, so his Breakout appearance wouldn’t be his true return. But it’s another positive step in a series of them for the former Top 100 prospect.
Red Sox: Justin Gonzales, OF (No. 6)
Signed for $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2024, Gonzales won the Carolina League batting title (.298) last season as the second-youngest qualifier (age 18) on the Single-A circuit. Bigger and stronger than his listed 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he has some of the best bat-to-ball skills, raw power and arm strength in the system. His 117-mph single on March 2 is the third-hardest ball in all of Spring Training this year, though his impressive exit velocities won't fully translate into home runs until he learns to launch balls in the air more consistently.
Yankees: George Lombard Jr., SS (No. 1/MLB No. 32)
Drafted 23rd overall out of a Florida high school in 2023, Lombard offers an intriguing blend of power, speed, defensive ability and instincts. The son of former big league outfielder and current Tigers bench coach George Sr. and the brother of top 2026 Draft prospect Jacob, he batted .235/.367/.381 with nine homers and 35 steals in 132 games last year, reaching Double-A before he turned 20.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Guardians: Ralphy Velazquez, 1B/OF (No. 4/MLB No. 89)
The 2023 first-round pick from a California high school continues to get better, leading the High-A Midwest League with 17 homers in 94 games last year before batting .330/.405/.589 at Double-A during the final month of the season. Velazquez manages the strike zone well and hits balls hard to all fields while exhibiting no obvious weakness at the plate.
Royals: Kendry Chourio, RHP (No. 3)
No pitcher burst onto the scene quite in the same way Chourio did in 2025. Signed for $247,500 out of Venezuela in January, he posted a 3.51 ERA with 63 strikeouts and only five walks in 51⅓ innings while climbing from the Dominican Summer League to Single-A Columbia at just 17 years old. A Breakout appearance would be his most aggressive assignment yet, but he has the stuff for the showcase with a 94-97 mph fastball, above-average curveball and promising changeup. Heck, he might have the best control of anyone in this year’s edition, though that will be put to the test against more patient Rangers hitters.
Tigers: Bryce Rainer, SS (No. 3/MLB No. 35)
The 2024 11th-overall pick’s first full season didn’t end as hoped with a dislocated right shoulder in June. But nine months later, he’s included on the Breakout roster in what could be his return to competitive play. The left-handed slugger has the makings of a potential plus power hitter, and he’s also an above-average runner with a plus-plus arm, two traits that could help him stick at the premium position of shortstop. He DH-ed during MLB Pipeline’s visit to Lakeland last week, and even that role would provide a nice check-in on his progress on Friday against the Pirates.
Twins: Dasan Hill, LHP (No. 6)
Hill had a very good first full pro season, missing a ton of bats over 62 innings and touching High-A as a teenager. He’s been having a very good spring as well, showing a tick up in velocity (he’s hit triple digits), and the 6-foot-5 lefty is super-projectable with three legitimate secondary offerings. C0mmand still needs to be refined, but Hill is the type of young arm -- he’ll be 20 for all of the 2026 season -- who could really pop on prospect radars this year. We recently predicted he’d be on the Top 100 by next year, and he’s getting the start against the Phillies in their Thursday Spring Breakout game.
White Sox: Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B (No. 3/MLB No. 61)
Bonemer won Carolina League MVP honors in his 2025 pro debut, leading the Single-A circuit in on-base percentage (.400), slugging (.458), OPS (.858) and doubles (26) at age 19. Signed for a well-over-slot $2,997,500 as a 2024 second-round choice from a Michigan high school, he has growing power and has exceeded expectations by playing a quality shortstop.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Angels: Tyler Bremner, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 81)
This won’t be the first nor the last time that we say we might be light on Bremner’s ranking. The No. 2 overall pick in the Draft has more than enough fastball (averaged 95 mph with Santa Barbara in 2025) and one of the best changeups in the Minors, and while his slider was behind those two pitches, he still missed bats with it. Given how advanced he is and how quickly the Angels move prospects, this might be our only chance to see the right-hander in Spring Breakout.
Astros: Kevin Alvarez, OF (No. 1)
One of the best all-around talents in the 2025 international class, Alvarez signed for $2 million after leaving Cuba. One scout compared his setup and the path of his left-handed stroke to Kyle Tucker's, and his instincts may enable him to remain in center field. He compiled a slash line of .301/.419/.455 with 17 extra-base hits and 11 steals in 47 games during his pro debut in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League.
A’s: Jamie Arnold, LHP (No. 2/MLB No. 41)
While we’ll never be upset to see top A’s prospect Leo De Vries in action, we have gotten to see him on large stages like last year’s Futures Game. Arnold, the A’s first-rounder in 2025, has only gotten a few Cactus League innings under his belt, so this is an opportunity to put a spotlight on the Florida State product. His three-pitch mix and ability to command it may impress, but really keep an eye on his nasty slider, a low-80s breaker that produced a 45 percent miss rate with the Seminoles a year ago. Spring Breakout could be a nice springboard to a fast track to the big leagues for the lefty.
Mariners: Kade Anderson, LHP (No. 2/MLB No. 21)
This is going to be a fun Spring Breakout pitching staff to watch. Actually, the whole roster is worth checking out, with the M’s sending all six of their Top 100 prospects and every member of their top 10 to the game. Anderson and fellow top arm Ryan Sloan are expected to go two innings apiece and both have impressed in camp. Anderson was the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s Draft and could be the type of college arm who makes a beeline to Seattle, perhaps even helping out in a playoff push given his stuff and polish.
Rangers: Josh Owens, SS/RHP (No. 6)
The Rangers will develop Owens as a two-way player after signing him for an over-slot $1.1 million in the third round last July. As a shortstop, he has plus speed and the change to develop comparable raw power. On the mound, he has a slingy delivery that produces heavy sinkers that reach 98 mph and low-80s sliders with promising sweep.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: Diego Tornes, OF (No. 8)
This is one of our favorite parts of Spring Breakout, that you can have advanced prospects close to the big leagues and some like Tornes, who has yet to play in the United States, on one field. The Braves gave Tornes $2.5 million to sign in January 2025, when he was No. 15 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 International Prospects list. He turned in a solid Dominican Summer League debut and is stateside for the first time, already impressing with his physicality, bat speed and overall tools.
Marlins: Kemp Alderman, OF (No. 9)
Few prospects can hit balls harder or drive them farther than Alderman, who slashed .285/.338/.482 with 22 homers and as many steals in 130 games between Double-A and Triple-A last year. While his raw power and exit velocities stand out the most, he's surprisingly athletic for a 6-foot-3, 235-pounder and possesses plus arm strength.
Mets: A.J. Ewing, OF/2B (No. 4/MLB No. 97)
In big league camp this spring, Ewing looked very much like the player from last season who jumped into the Top 100 in our most recent update. That is to say he sprayed the ball around the field with an ability to control the strike zone and then let his plus-plus speed push the envelope on the basepaths. He’ll be New York’s lone Top 100 prospect in their Breakout game against the Rays, and if he continues to show the same skill set -- along with his impressive defense in center -- the calls for him to head to Queens in 2026 will only grow louder.
Nationals: Eli Willits, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 13)
Washington hasn’t been afraid to push last year’s first overall pick into a few Grapefruit League games at just 18 years old, and given his lineage, Willits shouldn’t be too much of a stranger to bigger environments. But competing against fellow prospects should give us a better look at Willits’ present and future talent level. The switch-hitter already shows strong bat-to-ball skills and plenty of defensive aptitude that should help him stick at shortstop. All eyes will be on him as the face of Washington’s ongoing rebuild.
Phillies: Dante Nori, OF (No. 7)
The Phillies’ first-rounder in 2024, Nori immediately impressed with his advanced approach at the plate, his speed and his outfield defense. He seems to enjoy the challenge of stiff competition, playing well in the Arizona Fall League last year and then really raising his profile with Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He also started answering some questions about his offensive impact by not only hitting .400 (8-for-20) in that tournament, but by launching a pair of homers as well.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers: Bishop Letson, RHP (No. 9)
The 6-foot-4 right-hander already showed some standout traits -- namely his 7½ feet of extension on the mound -- before a right shoulder impingement limited him to 41⅓ innings in 2025. So when he touched 97.7 mph in his first (and only) Cactus League appearance, many across the game became all the more interested in his profile. He has since said adrenaline likely contributed to that max velo, and he’s been sitting closer 94-96 mph in backfield games. But either of Milwaukee’s two Breakout games will offer another opportunity to check in on that heat, and if it’s good and Letson holds it for 100 innings this summer, he’d be an easy Top 100 addition.
Cardinals: Rainiel Rodriguez, C (No. 3/MLB No. 37)
Rodriguez has been a premier slugger since signing out of the Dominican Republic in April 2024, and he took another step forward in the power department with 20 homers in 84 games across three levels during his age-18 season last year. Not only does he hit the ball hard, but he also elevates nicely on contact, enabling that loud contact to sail over the fence consistently. Now 19, the right-handed slugger hasn’t gone deep in limited Grapefruit League action, meaning he might be itching to take his pop into the big stadium against the Nationals on Thursday.
Cubs: Juan Tomas, SS (No. 14)
Though he batted just .186/.352/.301 with a 29 percent strikeout rate during his pro debut in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, Tomas has some of the best all-around tools in the system. Signed for $1.1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2025, he has drawn comparisons to Elly De La Cruz because he's a switch-hitter with a lightning-quick bat, big raw power, plus speed and at least solid arm strength.
Pirates: Seth Hernandez, RHP (No. 3/MLB No. 29)
Sure, Konnor Griffin is good and all, but he’s gotten enough ink. And we’ve yet to see Hernandez throw a professional pitch, so getting the Pirates’ 2025 first-rounder on this stage is exciting. Word from the backfields is he’s been sitting around 98 mph with his fastball and missing a ton of bats with his array of secondary offerings, particularly his absolutely nasty changeup.
Reds: Steele Hall, SS (No. 3/MLB No. 83)
One of the many high school shortstops from the 2025 Draft class, Hall will definitely stay at the premium position with outstanding range, actions and more than enough arm. He offers plenty of offensive projection, and as he continues to add strength and refine his approach, he has the chance to be a dynamic all-around presence. His 70-grade speed will be fun to see in action in this game as well.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-backs: Demetrio Crisantes, 2B/3B (No. 5)
Crisantes was trending toward Top 100 territory last year with a 93 percent in-zone contact rate at High-A (per Synergy) when he suffered a posterior labral tear in his left shoulder in May. He didn’t return for the remainder of the season and finished with only 34 games for Hillsboro, but the D-backs still saw enough from him in that limited sample and early on this spring to plan to promote him to Double-A Amarillo for Opening Day 2026. Spring Breakout will allow the rest of us a closer one-game look at his plus hit tool, arguably the best in the Arizona system.
Dodgers: Emil Morales, SS (No. 5/MLB No. 92)
Morales won Rookie-level Dominican Summer League MVP and top-prospect accolades during his 2024 pro debut, then led the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League in hits (70), extra-base hits (25) and total bases (116) last year before batting .339/.420/.548 in the final six weeks at Single-A at age 18. Signed for $1,897,500 out of the Dominican Republic in 2024, he has well-above-average raw power and solid arm strength.
Giants: Luis Hernández, SS (No. 3)
The top prospect in the 2026 international class, Hernández signed for $4,997,500 in January and is so advanced that he'll make his pro debut in the United States at age 17. The youngest player in Spring Breakout, he has the potential for four plus tools and average speed, and he also earns praise for his high baseball IQ and maturity.
Padres: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP (No. 1/MLB No. 88)
Standing 6-foot-8, the 2025 25th overall pick will draw attention at Breakout on Saturday against the Cubs in Mesa, but he has the stuff to open some eyes too. His fastball has sat 94-96 mph in backfields action, and his changeup also has the makings of a plus pitch, a rarity for a recent prep pick. What we’ll be interested in seeing is how Schoolcraft’s slider has come along after it’s been a developmental priority at such an early stage in his career. If that becomes an effective offering in 2026, the southpaw’s combination of stuff and size would make him a quick climber up the Top 100.
Rockies: Ethan Holliday, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 24)
Rockies Spring Breakout batting practice could be worth the price of admission alone, with Charlie Condon and Holliday sure to put on a show. Holliday, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 Draft had topped the MLB Pipeline rankings thanks to his ridiculous raw and usable power from the right side of the plate, with belief that he’s going to be a complete hitter who gets to it consistently. The MLB bloodlines don’t hurt, either.