Check out the freshly updated Top 100 Prospects list
While much of the baseball world turns its focus to the Major League postseason this week, those who follow the land of prospects closely are in a quieter period between the end of the Minor League season and the start of the Arizona Fall League.
That makes it a good time to tweak the MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospects rankings.
As we’ve done a few times during the 2025 season, we’ve made a series of what we call market corrections to our overall rankings of the best prospects in baseball. As part of that process, we've completely revoted on the top 15 spots, moved deserving players up or down 10 or more spots, removed prospects who have fallen out of Top 100 status and replaced them with more worthy talents.
In other words, this isn’t a complete revamp, like those we do before each season and again in August. But it does help us paint a more accurate picture of the state of prospects heading into the offseason.
Here’s what to know about the updated Top 100:
Top 15
1. Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates (previous: No. 1)
2. Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers (previous: No. 2)
3. Leo De Vries, SS, Athletics (previous: No. 3)
4. Jesús Made, SS/2B, Brewers (previous: No. 5)
5. JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B/3B, Cardinals (previous: No. 6)
6. Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B, Rangers (previous: No. 4)
7. Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Orioles (previous: No. 8)
8. Max Clark, OF, Tigers (previous: No. 9)
9. Colt Emerson, SS/3B, Mariners (previous: No. 11)
10. Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins (previous: No. 14)
11. Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets (previous: No. 36)
12. Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants (previous: No. 13)
13. Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers (previous: No. 12)
14. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates (previous: No. 7)
15. Eli Willits, SS, Nationals (previous: No. 18)
Not much change in this upper echelon. The Griffin vs. McGonigle debate as the top tier will rage on into the offseason and likely until both graduate (possibly in 2026). For now, we’re sticking with the 19-year-old shortstop who just recorded the Minors’ second 20/60 season since 1982 over the infielder with the Minors’ best hit tool.
Made slides up one spot and nearly jumped fellow 18-year-old De Vries for No. 3, but the latter took off late in the year at Double-A Midland, hitting .383/.420/.851 with five homers and 11 extra-base hits in 10 games in September between the regular season and playoffs. The A’s top prospect reaffirmed why he’s been pushed so aggressively through two Minor League seasons.
The most notable mover into the top 15 is McLean, who rises to his highest-ever position on the Top 100 at No. 11. This shouldn’t come as a huge shock to anyone who watched the Mets down the stretch, when it was clear that the 24-year-old right-hander was their best starter. McLean posted a 2.06 ERA with 57 strikeouts and only 16 walks in eight starts, and beyond the results, he showed killer stuff with his heavy mid-90s sinker as well as his high-spin sweeper and curveball. McLean's improved control against Major League bats as well locked in his place as the game’s top pitching prospect over Chandler, who slips to the 14th overall spot. At 48 innings and 43 days of service time, McLean retains prospect/rookie eligibility heading into 2026.
This year’s No. 1 overall pick, Willits slides into the top 15 for the first time after going 15-for-50 (.300) in 15 games with Single-A Fredericksburg as a 17-year-old in his pro debut. Getting the power to show up in games could be an area of focus heading into his first full season, but the switch-hitter already puts the ball in play a good amount, especially compared to fellow 2025 prep pick Ethan Holliday, who struggled in that department in his own aggressive assignment off the complex this summer.
Highest risers
+38 Rainiel Rodriguez, C, Cardinals (93 to 55)
+27 Carter Jensen, C, Royals (66 to 39)
+25 Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets (36 to 11)
+24 Robby Snelling, LHP, Marlins (75 to 51)
+22 Alfredo Duno, C, Reds (70 to 48)
+20 Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Twins (72 to 52)
+19 Eduardo Quintero, OF, Dodgers (53 to 34)
+17 Dylan Beavers, OF, Orioles (100 to 83)
+16 Edward Florentino, OF/1B, Pirates (97 to 81)
+16 Josuar Gonzalez, SS, Giants (98 to 82)
+15 Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies (47 to 32)
+13 JR Ritchie, RHP, Braves (99 to 86)
+12 Jaxon Wiggins, RHP, Cubs (79 to 67)
+10 Justin Crawford, OF, Phillies (64 to 54)
+10 Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B, White Sox (83 to 73)
Two catchers took the biggest jumps at very different portions of their careers.
The 18-year-old Rodriguez has garnered plenty of attention for climbing three levels in his first stateside season and finished with 20 homers in 84 games across the complex, Single-A and High-A. The power he showed last year in the Dominican Summer League looked more real by the month, and his 145 wRC+ at Single-A was third-highest among catchers aged 18 or younger at the level since 2006 (minimum of 250 plate appearances). Samuel Basallo (151) and Jesus Montero (147) were the only ones higher, offering both excitement and caution about backstops who get off to such strong starts.
Jensen, meanwhile, becomes Kansas City’s top prospect, thanks to his own thump at the plate. He already had set a career-high mark with 20 homers in 111 games between Double-A and Triple-A when he moved to the Majors last month, and his .300/.391/.550 line and three homers over 20 games did little to stop the hype train. Jensen continued to pummel balls with high barrel and hard-hit rates with KC, and his 482-foot dinger on Sept. 28 was the longest by a Royal in the Statcast era (since 2015). His blocking could still use work, but he certainly has the upper hand on being Salvador Perez’s long-term successor behind the plate.
After McLean, Snelling is the pitching prospect with the most helium. The 21-year-old southpaw showed no problem transitioning to Triple-A (and then MLB ball) with a 1.27 ERA, 81 strikeouts and 17 walks in 63⅔ innings with Jacksonville. He got ample whiffs with his 93-96 mph four-seamer and 81-84 mph curveball and showed a quality-enough changeup to keep righties at bay. He and No. 22 overall prospect Thomas White could be intriguing left-handed starting options for Miami’s MLB rotation in the first half next year.
Duno was arguably Single-A’s most effective hitter in his age-19 season, finishing with a .287/.430/.518 line and 18 homers over 113 games. His 164 wRC+ led all 120 qualifiers at the level, and he was one of only two Minor League qualifiers to walk more (95) than he struck out (91) while hitting 15+ homers; McGonigle was the other (59/46). Finally among the mega-jumpers, Culpepper wrapped up a stellar first full season with a .289/.375/.469 line, 20 homers and 25 steals in 113 games between High-A and Double-A. He can get jumpy against non-fastballs, but the 2024 21st overall pick showed better pop than expected as he transitioned full time to the pros.
New faces
97. Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, RHP, Yankees
98. Jackson Ferris, LHP, Dodgers
100. Emil Morales, SS, Dodgers
Acquired from the Red Sox last offseason for catcher Carlos Narváez, Rodriguez-Cruz continued to build on his velocity gains from 2024 with a fastball that sat 95-97 mph (touching 99) across three levels this summer. His slider, curveball and changeup all got ample swing-and-miss too, leading to 176 strikeouts (second-most in the Minors) over a career-high 150 innings.
Ferris and Morales give the Dodgers seven Top 100 prospects.
The former had an uneven start to his age-21 season at Double-A Tulsa but posted a 1.95 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 74 innings over his final 14 starts. He relies heavily on his 94-97 mph fastball and 85-88 mph slider but also works with a curveball and a changeup that flash above average. Like Rodriguez-Cruz, lackluster control keeps him from jumping into a firmer place in the Top 100.
Morales moved stateside for his age-18 season and seemed to get better as the season wore on, leading to a .339/.420/.548 line with five homers and a 161 wRC+ in 30 games with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He hit 14 homers across 89 games overall, aiding the belief he’ll have at least plus power in the end, thanks to ample bat speed and a solid ability to lift the ball on contact. While his strikeout rate actually decreased with the move from the Arizona Complex League to the California League, he still showed vulnerability to secondary stuff -- something worth monitoring as he heads into 2026.
Biggest droppers
-23 Leonardo Bernal, C, Cardinals (69 to 92)
-23 Jeferson Quero, C, Brewers (84 to 61)
-20 Rhett Lowder, RHP, Reds (60 to 80)
-19 Jarlin Susana, RHP, Nationals (68 to 87)
-19 Arjun Nimmala, SS, Blue Jays (49 to 68)
-14 Blake Mitchell, C, Royals (48 to 62)
-13 Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees (86 to 99)
-12 Jhostynxon Garcia, OF, Red Sox (73 to 85)
Bernal has a high floor as a strong defensive backstop, and his 39.1 percent caught-stealing rate was among the Minors’ best. But the Cardinals catcher hit a wall offensively in the middle of the season and batted just .204/.305/.277 with two homers and a 66 wRC+ in 52 games for Double-A Springfield from July 1 onward. The switch-hitter will still only be 22 heading into 2026 and doesn’t need to be rushed toward St. Louis as he tries to find offensive consistency, though he is Rule 5 Draft-eligible this offseason.
Similarly, Quero has long held an exceptional defensive reputation, but after shoulder surgery knocked him out for virtually all of 2024 and other issues limited him again in 2025, he backslid a bit, especially when it came to showing off his rocket arm (just an 18.9 percent caught-stealing rate for Triple-A Nashville). He showed signs of gaining strength as the season wore on -- and joined Milwaukee’s taxi squad, likely for that reason -- but a significantly high chase rate at Triple-A pulls his bat into question too.
Lowder made only five Minor League starts due to forearm and oblique injuries, setting him back for a lost year after a strong MLB beginning in 2024. Susana flashed his typical electric fastball-slider combination but was limited to 56 1/3 innings, first by a UCL sprain and later by a lat injury that required surgery. That does little to quell the concerns he’s headed for the bullpen long term.
Back on the hitting side, Nimmala ran cold-then-hot in 2024 and reversed that narrative this season with a .184/.277/.290 line in 75 games for High-A Vancouver after June 1. There’s still ample power to dream on in the 6-foot-1 shortstop’s frame, and he did a nice job of not expanding the zone as a 19-year-old in the Northwest League. But improved consistency is needed for him to remain in the top 50.
A broken hamate dogged Mitchell for much of 2025 and might have done much to explain his .296 slugging percentage in 49 games with High-A Quad Cities. The Arizona Fall League will provide a more extended look at him offensively, but for now, he slips below Jensen, both among Kansas City and overall catching prospects. Jones had support for even higher than his placement on the midseason list, but the 6-foot-7 hulking slugger got back to his K-heavy ways with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in August and September with a 42.3 percent rate. He remains one of the most divisive prospects in baseball. Garcia got a brief cup of coffee with the Red Sox in late August but went just 6-for-53 (.113) with one homer, two walks and 21 strikeouts the rest of the way for Triple-A Worcester. The 22-year-old still has intriguing power from the right side but lacks a true plus offensive tool.
Moving out
Jefferson Rojas, SS/2B (from 59)
Logan Henderson, RHP, Brewers (from 85)
Felnin Celesten, SS, Mariners (from 91)
Rojas learned about the leap from High-A to Double-A the hard way. After joining Double-A Knoxville in mid-July, the right-handed-hitting infielder batted just .164/.279/.205 with no homers and a 54 wRC+ in 39 games. His strikeout rate jumped 4 points between the two levels (sliders were especially tough on him), while his ground-ball rate went from 38.7 percent at High-A to 47.3 at Double-A and his ISO fell from .214 to .041. Rojas will still only be entering his age-21 season when he returns to the Southern League for 2026, but he’ll have to turn around many indicators in that second go.
Henderson’s fastball-changeup combination and impressive control in his first five MLB starts had him looking more like he’d be a graduate than a Top 100 candidate at season’s end. Instead, a right flexor tendon strain kept him out of games after Aug. 3, and he’s still yet to throw more than 103 innings in his first four Minor League seasons. That lack of durability pushed him out for now.
Celesten didn’t play at all in games in 2023 due to a hamstring strain and was then limited to 144 plate appearances last year due to hamate surgery. Perhaps this year’s expanded workload explains why he faded late in the summer with just a .257/.354/.377 line and three homers between 47 games at Single-A and High-A. He was especially exposed at the higher level, striking out 31.3 percent of the time in (an admittedly small sample of) 48 plate appearances. Still, the 20-year-old switch-hitter was already slipping down the Top 100 and lost his holding without a late turnaround.