New tournament-style format coming to Spring Breakout in '27

Major League Baseball introduced Spring Breakout in 2024 and the prospect showcase games in Florida and Arizona were an immediate hit. Fans and front offices alike loved seeing all those future MLB stars on the field at one time. Now the concept is getting even better.

Starting in 2027, the prospect spotlight event that has showcased three of the past four Rookies of the Year -- Paul Skenes, Nick Kurtz and Drake Baldwin -- will be expanded into two single-elimination tournaments. In this win or go home format, there will be Spring Breakout champions crowned in both the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues.

“I love [the tournament idea],” said Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark, No. 10 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list, who is likely to play in his third Spring Breakout game this March. “I think it’s going to be huge. It’s only giving you more chances to put focus on Minor League prospects. I think it brings in an extra percent in terms of competitiveness. When you play a game, and then add in that it’s a tournament, there’s an adrenaline, a feeling about playing another colored jersey. You get an extra percent.

“There’s so many levels of competitiveness that come with this. You have guys in big league camp trying to make a team. Then Spring Breakout, we’re better than the other team’s prospects for a game. Then there’s a tournament, full of guys you’re going to see on TV in the next two to three years -- that’s what Spring Breakout is at its core -- and in a tournament you can see who has the best group.”

Spring Breakout has quickly become a jewel event for Major League Baseball. Even players new to pro ball are aware of it, putting it on their wish lists as they approach their first Spring Training.

“It’s all the top prospects, the opportunity to compete against all the top prospects,” said MLB's No. 13 prospect Eli Willits, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s Draft by the Nationals. “It would be a cool experience to be a part of. I’d love to do it and get on the field with all the prospects in the Nats organization and then play against the other team’s top prospects as well.”

Unlike Clark, who could very well graduate to the big leagues by next year’s Spring Breakout tournament, Willits will undoubtedly still be part of the Nationals’ prospect mix to play for that Grapefruit League title.

“Being able to compete against the best talent in baseball, to do it for one game is a blessing, but to do it for a whole tournament would be great as a player,” Willits said. “Hopefully, I can be a part of it and showcase my skills.

“We’re all super-competitive. No matter what we do, we want to win. The whole organization just wants to win, from top to bottom. To go out there, now that it’ll be a tournament, we want to go out and play the best we can play, even though it’s early in the year, and try to win. That’s always what we try to do whenever we step on the field.”

It’s not just the players who are amped up about the Spring Breakout expansion. Front offices have bought into the concept from Day 1 and are all in on it becoming a tournament to showcase the next generation of elite players.

“Even though these games are exhibitions, when you put competitive players and staff on a field, they’re trying to win,” Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly said. “The tournament is a really fun wrinkle: You’re playing for something. I think players will react to that, and fans will as well.

“Spring Breakout has been a big positive for the game, not only for organizations, but for fans and players. Telling players they’re on the roster, seeing fans react to the rosters, it’s been exciting. This is the next wave of great big league players, so it’s fun to see them on the field at the same time.”

In total, 210 players who participated in the first two iterations of the Spring Breakout have gone on to play Major League Baseball. It’s a list that includes names like All-Star James Wood, Gold Glove winner Masyn Winn and Brewers star Jackson Chourio.

This year’s Spring Breakout, which will take place in the largely single-game format from March 19-22, will undoubtedly add to that long roster. Many players at the top of the Top 100 are expected to play, including No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin of the Pirates, No. 2 Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), A’s infielder Leo De Vries and the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt.