It was a busy week in MLB Pipeline Country, with a new Top 100 Prospects list, updated organization Top 30s and farm system rankings, a pair of Top 100 callups in Cubs outfielder Owen Caissie and Mets right-hander Nolan McLean, not to mention a sneak preview of the 2026 Draft with MLB's High School All-American Game. Let's keep the prospect talk going by answering some of your questions ...
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
Funwithnumberz also raised a Prospect Promotion Incentive-related question in last week's Pipeline Inbox, asking about just-traded prospects who might earn a PPI choice by winning Rookie of the Year accolades next year. Jonathan Mayo determined that there wasn't a good candidate, but I have a much broader field to choose from with this query.
Coincidentally, only 45 days remain in the big league season, so any prospect who gets called up for the first time today or later in the year will retain his rookie eligibility for 2026, provided they don't exceed 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched. For the purposes of this question, we'll assume that anyone already in the Majors will graduate before next year. That might be a stretch for Caissie and McLean, but so be it.
My National League pick is Cardinals middle infielder JJ Wetherholt, who could take over second base and allow Brendan Donovan to return to the outfield. Wetherholt might have been the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 Draft if he hadn't injured his hamstring at West Virginia, which allowed St. Louis to steal him at No. 7. He has the hitting ability to eventually win batting titles, not to mention 20-20 potential, and should make an easy transition to the Majors next year.
My American League choice is Orioles catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo, who doesn't have a clear path to regular at-bats right now but is too talented to ignore. He's slashing .274/.380/.598 with 23 homers in 75 games as the youngest regular (age 20) in the Triple-A International League.
I got to see most of the best 2026 prep prospects in action at the High School All-American Game on Tuesday. MLB Network will broadcast the game Saturday at 11 a.m. ET, so check that out. Here's my top five, which is not based on how the players performed at Dodger Stadium:
1. Grady Emerson, SS, Argyle HS (Flower Mound, Texas)
Advanced hitter with 25-homer power, plus speed and good actions at shortstop
2. Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (Miami, Fla.)
Maybe a little less hitting ability than Emerson but a little more power and speed
3. Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.)
Yet another shortstop with all-around tools, a bit more physical than guys ahead of him
4. Brady Harris, OF, Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Center fielder with plus speed has some of the best bat speed and power in the class
5. Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (Parkland, Fla.)
Polished lefty throws in mid-90s with ease, also owns lively slider and changeup
Chourio might be the best 17-year-old pitching prospect in baseball, and Shields could be the best 18-year-old mound prospect. Neither has cracked the Top 100 Prospects list, but they could force their way on with continued success in 2026.
A Venezuelan right-hander, Chourio signed for $247,500 in January. He already has earned two promotions, becoming the lone 17-year-old to have pitched in a full-season league this year, and has posted a 3.05 ERA with a 50/2 K/BB ratio in 41 1/3 innings between three stops. He already works in the mid-90s and commands his fastball very well, backing it up with a sharp upper-70s curveball with downer break and a promising mid-80s changeup with fade.
Shields reclassified into the 2024 Draft and went 41st overall, signing for $2.3 million out of a Pennsylvania high school. The left-hander also has advanced control and command for his age, as evidenced by his 1.56 ERA and 67/11 K/BB ratio in 57 2/3 innings in Single-A. He doesn't have wow stuff -- his fastball sits at 90-91 mph, his three secondaries all are more effective than dominating -- but he could have a solid four-pitch mix with tremendous pitchability once he's a finished product.
The Rays placed No. 10 in our new farm system evaluations, down from No. 2 in preseason and matching their lowest ranking since the 2017 preseason. Tampa Bay's four highest-rated prospects entering the year -- shortstop Carson Williams, first baseman Xavier Isaac, infielder Brayden Taylor, first baseman Tre' Morgan -- haven't lived up to expectations.
But there's good news in the Rays system too. Outfielder Theo Gillen's plus bat and speed have been as good as advertised, showing why he went 18th overall in the 2024 Draft. Right-hander Brody Hopkins, part of the Randy Arozarena trade with the Mariners last year, has emerged as the best pitching prospect in the system with a mid-90s fastball and a swing-and-miss slider.
Two under-the-radar righties have made impressive strides: Ty Johnson, part of the Isaac Paredes deal with the Cubs last summer, and T.J. Nichols, a 2023 sixth-rounder from Arizona. Both work primarily off mid-90s fastballs and mid-80s sliders, with Johnson missing more bats with his stuff and Nichols throwing more strikes.