Here are the current top prospects at each position
We just revamped all of our prospect lists at MLB Pipeline. The overall Top 100 always draws the most attention, and fans from each team flock to our organization Top 30s.
We also compile positional Top 10s, ranking the top talents among catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen, shortstops, outfielders, left-handed pitchers and right-handed pitchers. Most of those spots are determined by Top 100 placement, but the majority of the first, second and third basemen aren't on that list and the catchers and lefties require a couple of extra names as well.
Below, we look at how the talent at each position compares to our preseason Top 10s:
Catchers
Preseason No. 1: Samuel Basallo, Orioles (graduated)
Current No. 1: Rainiel Rodriguez, Cardinals (preseason No. 3)
With Basallo and Carter Jensen moving to the Majors, Rodriguez rose to the top catching spot. He's a gifted defender who's raking at Double-A at age 19. Vahn Lackey (Twins) debuts at No. 2 after going third overall in the 2026 Draft. One of the best stories in the Minors this season has been the resurgence of Ethan Salas (Padres), who went from No. 1 on the preseason 2024 list to unranked going into 2025 and now stands at No. 4.
First Basemen
Preseason No. 1: Sal Stewart, Reds (graduated)
Current No. 1: Ralphy Velazquez, Guardians (preseason No. 4)
After Stewart and Bryce Eldridge became big leaguers, Velazquez jumped Charlie Condon (Rockies) to rank No. 1 among first basemen. Both have the ability to hit for both average and power and may be able to handle outfield duty if needed. Right behind them are three newcomers: James Tibbs III (Dodgers), Taitn Gray (Rays) and Mulivai Levu (Reds, supplemental second-round pick in July). Every player on this Top 10 features at least 25-homer potential, and the last guy on the list (Myles Bailey, Cubs) may have more raw power than any of them.
Second Basemen
Preseason No. 1: Travis Bazzana, Guardians (graduated)
Current No. 1: Demetrio Crisantes, Diamondbacks (preseason No. 6)
Healthy again after a shoulder tear ruined his 2025 season, the sweet-swinging Crisantes has vaulted from No. 6 to No. 1 while reaching Triple-A and displaying more pop than ever before. Four players selected in the top two rounds of the 2026 Draft jumped into the No. 3 through 6 slots: Chris Hacopian (Nationals), Landon Thome (White Sox), Jarren Advincula (Angels) and Chris Rembert (Pirates). Washington boasts two of the top three prospects at the keystone, with Devin Fitz-Gerald (part of the MacKenzie Gore trade package) rating ahead of Hacopian.
Third Basemen
Preseason No. 1: Andrew Fischer, Brewers (current No. 5)
Current No. 1: Caleb Bonemer, White Sox (preseason unranked at SS)
A lot has changed at the hot corner, where the Top 10 includes fewer holdovers from the preseason than any position (two) while the number of Top 100 prospects has risen from zero to four. The Top 100 contingent consists of Bonemer, who has swatted 30 homers between High-A and Double-A at age 20, along with Jefferson Rojas (Mets), Xavier Neyens (Astros) and Murf Gray (Pirates). The two repeaters, Fischer (who leads the Minors with 37 homers) and Chase Harlan (Dodgers), are outnumbered by three members of the 2026 Draft class in Ace Reese (Mariners), Cole Prosek (White Sox) and Bo Lowrance (Dodgers).
Shortstops
Preseason No. 1: Konnor Griffin, Pirates (graduated)
Current No. 1: Jesús Made, Brewers (preseason No. 3)
As it often is, shortstop is the glamour position among prospects. The first four prospects on the Top 100 are shortstops -- Made, Leo De Vries (Athletics), Franklin Arias (Red Sox) and Eli Willits (Nationals) -- and the lowest-ranked member of this Top 10 (Luis Peña, Brewers) checks in at No. 21. It's also the youngest Top 10 with six teenagers: Made, De Vries and Pena are all 19, while Willits, Grady Emerson (Rays) and Josuar Gonzalez (Giants) are just 18. Roch Cholowsky (White Sox) and Emerson immediately crashed this deep list after going 1-2 in the 2026 Draft.
Outfielders
Preseason No. 1: Max Clark, Tigers (current No. 3)
Current No. 1: Josue De Paula, Dodgers (preseason No. 3)
On a path to becoming the next Yordan Alvarez, De Paula headlines a group of five outfielders who ranked among the seven best outfield prospects on both our preseason and current lists. That quintet also includes Clark, Walker Jenkins (Twins), Eduardo Quintero (Dodgers) and Zyhir Hope (Tigers). With three of the top six outfielders, the Dodgers dominate one position more than any other system does -- and they had Hope too before including him in the Tarik Skubal trade earlier this month. The two highest-ranked newcomers are Theo Gillen (Rays) and Sirota, two of the leading candidates for our Minor League Hitting Prospect of the Year award.
Left-handed Pitchers
Preseason No. 1: Thomas White, Marlins (current No. 2)
Current No. 1: Kade Anderson, Mariners (preseason No. 3)
The left-handers are the most static group with the preseason and current top six consisting of the same southpaws in different orders. The ultra-polished Anderson is the highest-ranked non-shortstop on the Top 100 at No. 5, and he's enjoying one of the most dominant pitching seasons in recent memory, leading the Minors in ERA (1.06), strikeouts (135), strikeout rate (41 percent), K/BB ratio (10.4), average-against (.147) and WHIP (0.64). He's followed by Thomas White (Marlins), Cam Caminiti (Braves), Liam Doyle (Cardinals), Robby Snelling (Marlins) and Jamie Arnold (Athletics), then newcomer Joseph Dzierwa (Orioles).
Right-handed Pitchers
Preseason No. 1: Nolan McLean, Mets (graduated)
Current No. 1: Seth Hernandez, Pirates (preseason No. 5)
Like Anderson a top-six pick in the 2025 Draft, Hernandez also was having a spectacular pro debut (2.43 ERA, 40 percent strikeout rate, .181 average-against) until a left oblique strain ended it in late July. He's just one of three repeaters from the preseason Top 10, along with Ryan Sloan (Mariners) and Travis Sykora (Nationals). As for the new additions, the past two Drafts produced most of them with the top arm taken in 2026 (Jackson Flora, Giants) and a pair of first-rounders (Gage Wood, Phillies; Tyler Bremner, Angels) as well as an ascendant third-rounder (Anthony Eyanson, Orioles) from the year before.