These players have the best tools in Spring Breakout

The first two years of Spring Breakout showcased several players who quickly became big league stars, including reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, 2025 Rookies of the Year Drake Baldwin and Nick Kurtz, and postseason sensation Trey Yesavage. It also put an assortment of stunning tools on display, and this year's edition should do the same with 55 of MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects expected to participate.

During Spring Breakout 2025, Kurtz showed off his power with an 111-mph double and Yesavage concluded two scoreless innings by notching a called strikeout with his signature splitter. Chandler Simpson, the fastest player in the event, beat out a bunt single and stole a base, a prelude to swiping 44 bags as a rookie. Jacob Misiorowski, who has the most wicked stuff in the Majors and made the All-Star Game after just five big league starts, struck out four in 1 2/3 innings.

For this year's Spring Breakout, which kicks off Thursday and features 16 games over four days, we've identified the top tools in 10 different categories below. The numbers in parentheses represent grades on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale, with 50 representing big league average.

Best Hitter: JJ Wetherholt, INF, Cardinals (65)

Wetherholt led NCAA Division I with a .449 batting average as a West Virginia sophomore in 2023, a year before the Cardinals drafted him seventh overall. His ability to control the strike the zone and barrel balls with his compact left-handed stroke have translated into a .304/.418/.487 batting line in two years in the Minors and enabled him to win the Cardinals' leadoff and second-base jobs this spring.

Also in the running: Max Clark, OF, Tigers; Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners; Eli Willits, SS, Nationals.

Best Power: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates (65)

Griffin ranks as baseball's best prospect because he has the potential for well above-average tools across the board, which got him drafted ninth overall in 2024 and produced a stunning .333/.415/.527 pro debut with 21 homers and 50 steals last summer. He has a spectacular combination of bat speed, strength and size (6-foot-3, 222 pounds) that give him at least double-plus raw power and the hitting ability to make the most of it.

Also in the running: Ethan Holliday, SS, Rockies; Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners; Rainiel Rodriguez, C, Cardinals.

Fastest Runner: Kendall George, OF, Dodgers (80)

The Dodgers' top pick (36th overall) in the 2023 Draft, George stole 72 bases in his final 53 games last season to total 100 swipes and become the fourth Minor Leaguer to reach triple digits in the last two decades. He can get from the left side of the plate to first base in under 3.5 seconds on bunts and under 4.0 seconds on regular balls in play, which allowed him to notch 40 hits on grounders to the left side of the infield last year.

Also in the running: Enrique Bradfield, OF, Orioles; Kellon Lindsey, SS, Dodgers; Andrew Pinckney, OF, Nationals.

Best Arm: Billy Carlson, SS, White Sox (70)

Drafted 10th overall in 2025 as a shortstop, Carlson also could have gone in the early rounds as a right-handed pitcher who could touch 97 mph with his fastball and spin a promising curveball. In addition to pure arm strength, he also has the instincts and body control to make any throw from any angle needed at short.

Also in the running: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates; Braden Montgomery, OF, White Sox; Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers.

Best Defender: Billy Carlson, SS, White Sox (70)

Last spring, several scouts described Carlson as the best defensive shortstop they'd ever seen at the high school level. He has all the ingredients to become a Gold Glover with smooth actions, range to both sides, reliable hands, double-plus arm strength and a finely tuned internal clock.

Also in the running: Starlyn Caba, SS/2B, Marlins; Druw Jones, OF, Diamondbacks; Carson Williams, SS, Rays.

Best Fastball: Liam Doyle, LHP, Cardinals (70)

Doyle topped NCAA D-I in strikeout rate (15.4 per nine innings) and K's via a fastball (105) at Tennessee last spring before the Cardinals drafted him fifth overall. His fastball operates at 95-97 mph and touches 100, playing even better than its uncommon velocity for a southpaw because the extension and low release height in his delivery create explosive carry.

Also in the running: Dennis Colleran, RHP, Royals; Tanner Franklin, RHP, Cardinals; Seth Hernandez, RHP, Pirates.

Best Curveball: Hudson Leach, RHP, Astros (65)

Leach has the most modest pedigree on this list, signing as a nondrafted free agent out of Miami (Ohio) in 2023 after having three elbow surgeries as an amateur. But he also owns the best curveball in Spring Breakout, a low-80s downer that can exceed 3,000 rpm and be unhittable when he can harness it.

Also in the running: Braylon Doughty, RHP, Guardians; Tyson Neighbors, RHP, Orioles; Zach Root, LHP, Dodgers.

Best Slider: Brody Brecht, RHP, Rockies (70)

A former wide receiver at Iowa, Brecht is more athletic than most pitchers and can reach triple digits with his fastball. But the 2024 supplemental first-rounder's best offering is an upper-80s slider with horizontal and vertical life that generated a 58 percent swing-and-miss rate in Single-A last season.

Also in the running: Gabe Craig, RHP, Phillies; Anthony Eyanson, RHP, Red Sox; Eduarniel Núñez, RHP, Athletics.

Best Changeup: Sean Paul Liñan, RHP, Nationals (70)

Acquired from the Dodgers in a trade for Alex Call last July, Liñan has a devastating changeup that earns comparisons to Devin Williams' airbender. It ranges from 79-82 mph and behaves like a screwball with huge drop and fade, registering a 60 percent swing-and-miss rate in 2025.

Also in the running: Jake Bennett, LHP, Red Sox; Tyler Bremner, RHP, Angels; Seth Hernandez, RHP, Pirates.

Best Control: Kendry Chourio, RHP, Royals (60)

Signed for $247,500 out of Venezuela in January 2025, Chourio reached Single-A at age 17 during his pro debut, in large part because of his ability to locate his fastball, curveball and changeup where he wants. He posted a 63/5 K/BB ratio and 2 percent walk rate in 51 1/3 innings between three levels.

Also in the running: Brendan Beck, RHP, Yankees; Jake Bennett, LHP, Red Sox; Ryan Sloan, RHP, Mariners.