Can you feel it? Baseball is in the air! Spring Training games are in full swing, the calendar is about to flip to March and a pair of MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects are already grabbing headlines -- Konnor Griffin (No. 1) and Travis Bazzana (No. 20) -- for launching monster moonshots early on at big league camp.
But what about the guys who have been quietly climbing the ranks within their respective organizations and haven't quite received the recognition yet? Well, that's about to change.
On the latest MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo -- with host Jason Ratliff -- provide a glimpse into the upcoming release of the new Top 30 prospects lists for each club, which will begin to roll out on Monday, March 2, with the AL/NL East teams followed by the AL/NL Central teams on Tuesday, March 3, and concluding with the AL/NL West teams on Wednesday, March 4. The week's excitement won't end there as Spring Breakout rosters are expected to be announced on Thursday, March 5, and all-new Farm System rankings will cap off the week on Friday, March 6.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
Without too many spoilers, the trio discusses 10 prospects who will be making their Top 30 list debuts next week and dive into why each player is worth keeping an eye on this season.
Patrick Clohisy, OF, Braves
Mayo: "He's all about speed. There's not a huge amount of impact. There's a little extra-base authority, but he knows he needs to get on base. He can really run. He can play center field. It's a little bit of an old-school profile here, but if he can go back to Double-A this year and kind of keep up with what he was doing once he got to Double-A and how he performed in the Fall League, then we've got a nice little interesting, extra outfielder who can do a lot of things with his speed."
Javen Coleman, LHP, Blue Jays
Callis: "Last year, Coleman split the year between Single-A and High-A [in] his pro debut. And he sat around 94 mph with the fastball, which is average velocity, up to 97 but got a ton of swing-and-miss on it. The slider was a very effective pitch in the mid-80s as well. ... He's a 6-foot-2 guy, there's some deception so the fastball had really good metrics on it last year. A 27 percent chase, 37 percent swing-and-miss, which is very promising. Maybe he's in the Blue Jays' bullpen sometime in 2027 if things continue to go well for him."
Luis Gutierrez, LHP, Padres
Mayo: "He doesn't miss a ton of bats -- 115 strikeouts in 125 innings -- but he throws strikes. The slider is the key component. It's got pretty good depth to it. It's a low-80s slider that had a 40 percent miss rate with it, and that's gonna be the key to him. The fastball's in the low 90s, but he's got a decent changeup. He's turning into one of these pitchability lefties who was not on radars at all. Now he'll pitch at the upper levels. ... I think if he repeats what he did last year, 1.) he may end up in the big leagues and 2.) he'll earn a spot on the Padres' roster."
Nathan Hall, RHP, Mets
Callis: "He was up to 98 [mph] before he [hurt his elbow] with great metrics -- the low release height, good vertical approach angle, showed mid-90s early in starts. He flashed pretty good sliders. There's a curveball, so he's got some feel for spin. ... The Mets are very encouraged by how well he's coming out of his rehab. ... Nathan Hall might be a little bit more of a long-term pick to click as he comes back from the internal brace surgery, but we should see him pitch sometime this year and that could wind up being a Draft steal."
Antwone Kelly, RHP, Pirates
Mayo: "He's an undersized righty, but he's one of these compact and strong guys, and now he's got a fastball that can hit triple digits, sat at 97, although it didn't miss as many bats as you would think. He's got an upper-80s slider as well as a cutter, but he put the cutter aside [to focus] on the slider. His changeup was effective, and then they had him work on a split change. ... I think he has a chance to start. Now that he's on the roster, he could make his debut at some point this year, even if they shorten him up and put him in a bullpen at the outset."
Johan Geraldo, SS, Cubs
Callis: "He looks like he's got 25-homer potential. He's got bat speed. He barrels balls. He's got a projectable frame. Actually an advanced hitter for his age, he's not even 17 yet. I think the question is long term, is he a shortstop? Because he's more of an average runner, average quickness, but he's got plus arm strength. ... I think with the bat and the average speed and the arm strength, it's easier to project him as a long-term third baseman, but he is very intriguing."
John Klein, RHP, Twins
Mayo: "This past year was when he really took a big jump, going from Double-A to Triple-A. He was added to the 40-man roster, he's a big right-hander who's added velocity. He came in pro ball throwing around 90, now he's averaging 94, topping out at 97. There's deception so he gets swings-and-misses. He added in a curveball and it's got some power to it now. ... He's a kitchen-sink kind of guy. ... The Twins used this sort of four-day, four-inning hybrid role in the Minors, so he could be a multi-inning reliever or he could be a spot starter."
Hudson Leach, RHP, Astros
Callis: "He had one of the highest spin rates on his breaking ball [in the Fall League]. He's got a curveball that's 82 to 85 miles an hour that's up around 3,000 RPM. He's got a slider-cutter that's in the upper 80s that also has high spin rates. He's got a mid-90s fastball that can get to the upper 90s that's got good carry and some shape to it. ... I think the key number is he struck out 63 of the 172 batters he faced, which is an exceedingly high percentage. He could be in the big leagues toward the end of this year as a reliever."
Hancel Rincon, RHP, Cardinals
Mayo: "He didn't make his United States debut until his age-20 season in 2022. In 2023 and 2024, he was in the Florida State League and Midwest League, one rung at a time. And then last year, he started the year in High-A again but moved to Double-A and pitched well in Double-A. He finished the year striking out more than [10 batters per nine innings]. The changeup is the best pitch, 43 percent miss rate on the offspeed pitch. But he's got a decent slider. His fastball's up to 95. So some interesting traits from a sort of late bloomer."
Jack Wheeler, 3B, Rangers
Callis: This one, I admit, kind of surprised me. He was a wide receiver and defensive back in football. He set the career scoring record at Morris Illinois High School in basketball. And so he didn't play a lot on the prep baseball showcase circuit. He's got an athletic 6-foot-5 frame. He makes good contact and has hard exit velocities for his age, so there could be 20-plus [home run] power in there. He moves well at third base and has got a strong arm. So a super interesting young high school player who I will admit I totally whiffed on in last year's Draft."