The most important thing for prospects is development: learning how to be a professional, acquiring new skills, sharpening tools or pitches. There often can be bumps in the road along the path to the big leagues, and it's important to note that performance and production in the moment isn't necessarily the be-all/end-all in projecting future success.
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Sometimes, though, top prospects also put up impressive numbers on that developmental journey and the game is still very much results-based. Below is a standout stat from a prospect in each organization. In many cases, each of these players sat at, or near, the top of their systems not only in the category we chose to highlight, but in many others as well. Not surprisingly, a good amount of these high-performing prospects earned organizational hitting or pitching prospect of the year nods a week ago.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: 36.0 K%
Nolan Perry, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 90)
A 12th-round pick in 2022, Perry missed the 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery, but he sure shook off the rust in a hurry while reaching Double-A for the first time in 2026. His strikeout percentage -- he whiffed 117 in 82 2/3 innings -- led the Blue Jays and was fourth among all Minor League pitchers with at least 80 IP. He was also top 10 with his 2.50 ERA, .181 BAA, 1.02 WHIP, 12.7 K/9 and 26.2 K-BB%.
Orioles: .186 BAA
Joseph Dzierwa, LHP (No. 3/MLB No. 69)
The 6-foot-8 lefty was the Orioles' second-rounder in 2025 out of Michigan State and made the most of his first full season, spending most of it in Double-A. He led all Minor League pitchers with that .186 batting average against, while also topping them with his 0.90 WHIP and finishing second in ERA (2.27).
Rays: 22 HR, 44 SB
Theo Gillen, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 16)
Gillen was one of only five Minor Leaguers to have a 20-40 season, as he reached Double-A at age 20. The 2024 first-rounder got to his power more consistently and finished the year with a .965 OPS, tops in the Rays organization and 15th among qualified full-season Minor Leaguers.
Red Sox: 32.2 K%
Dylan Brown, LHP (No. 19)
Brown ranked second in the Minors in strikeout rate among official qualifiers, a shade behind Marlins left-hander Julio Mendez (32.3 percent), and also topped Red Sox farmhands in ERA (3.46) and strikeouts (143 in 106 2/3 innings between Single-A and High-A) during his pro debut. The 2025 eighth-rounder from Old Dominion has a fastball that tops out at 95 mph but misses bats with command and deception.
Yankees: .358 AVG, 16 HR, 67 RBI
Wilberson De Pena, OF (No. 13)
Acquired from the Angels in exchange for Oswald Peraza at the 2025 Trade Deadline, De Pena earned MVP and top prospect accolades in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League after winning the triple crown. He also paced the FCL in slugging (.677), OPS (1.088), hits (81), doubles (20), extra-base hits (38) and total bases (153) while displaying well above-average raw power and flashing plus speed.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Guardians: .952 OPS
Cooper Ingle, C/OF (No. 4)
Ingle was named International League MVP after topping the Triple-A circuit in OPS, wRC+ (151) and walk rate (18 percent). The 2023 fourth-rounder from Clemson is a disciplined hitter with average power and more athleticism than most catchers.
Royals: 1.120 OPS
Angeibel Gomez, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 76)
We know we have to take Rookie-level Dominican Summer League stats with a grain of salt, but it's hard not to get excited about Gomez, especially after seeing him holding his own at age 17 in the Arizona Fall League. Signed for $2.9 million in January, Gomez led qualified Royals prospects at any level in OPS, SLG (.652) and ISO (.292).
Tigers: 13.5 K%
Max Anderson, 2B/3B (No. 10)
We might need to start a "Free the prospect" campaign because it's clear Anderson is ready for a big league shot offensively, but without a clear spot in Detroit for him. He topped all qualified Tigers players with that minuscule strikeout rate, in line with his career numbers, and he also led the system with a 134 wRC+.
Twins: 417 PA
Walker Jenkins, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 13)
Plate appearances aren’t exactly a new-fangled stat, but it stands out for Jenkins, who has had some issues with staying healthy. The 417 PA combine his Minor League and big league debut totals and represent a career high. When he's been on the field, he's produced, and this year was no different, with his .939 OPS with Triple-A St. Paul giving the Twins confidence to call him up for the first time.
White Sox: 69 XBH
Caleb Bonemer, 3B/SS/OF (No. 2/MLB No. 27)
Bonemer won Single-A Carolina League MVP honors in his 2025 pro debut, then demonstrated significantly more power in his second pro season. He led the Minor Leagues in extra-base hits while boosting his home run production from 12 to 37 (fifth in the Minors), the result of turning his right-handed swing loose more often and with an improved launch angle, enabling him to hit balls harder and farther. The 2024 second-rounder from a Michigan high school ranks as baseball's best third-base prospect but is focusing on the outfield in the Arizona Fall League to expedite his bat to the big leagues.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Angels: 24.0 K-BB%
Tyler Bremner, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 42)
While an early illness limited Bremner's workload in his first full season, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 Draft still reached Double-A and led the org (min. 70 IP) not only in K-BB percentage, but also in FIP (3.46) and xFIP (3.51).
Astros: 32 HR, 32 SB
Jason Schiavone, C/OF (No. 6)
An 11th-rounder from James Madison in 2024, Schiavone went from hitting .180 in his first full pro season to posting the second-ever 30-30 season by a Minor League catcher in his second while advancing from High-A to Triple-A. He's a study in extremes with high-end exit velocities, patience bordering on passivity but also worrisome swing-and-miss rates (both overall and versus strikes).
A's: .904 OPS
Devin Taylor, OF (No. 7)
The A's second-rounder in 2025 began the year in High-A and finished it in Triple-A, producing everywhere he went. He led the system in OPS, and also in wRC+ (129) while finishing with a .308/.411/.493 line and knocking firmly on the big league door.
Mariners: 10.38 K/BB
Kade Anderson, LHP (No. 1/MLB No. 5)
MLB Pipeline's Pitching Prospect of the Year led the Minors (min. 90 IP) in a host of pitching categories, including ERA (1.06), WHIP (0.64), average-against (.147) and walks (13), but that K/BB rate really stands out. The 2025 No. 3 pick's K/BB was 2.38 more than his closest competitor (fellow Mariner Ryan Sloan).
Rangers: .991 OPS
Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B (No. 1/MLB No. 8)
Billed as the best Bahamian prospect ever when he signed for $3.2 million in 2023, Walcott likely would have made his big league debut this year at age 20 if he hadn't required internal brace surgery on his throwing elbow in February. But it wasn't a completely lost season, as he showed off his precocious bat and well-above-average power by slashing .325/.401/.590 with 10 homers in 41 games (mostly in Double-A) after returning in mid-July.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: 26 HR, 56 SB
Eric Hartman, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 38)
A 20th-round pick out of the western Canadian high school scene, Hartman shot up the Top 100 with his breakout season as the only player in the Minors to turn in a 20-50 campaign. He reached 20-30 in just 71 games, the second-fastest to get there since 2005.
Marlins: 1.72 ERA
Jacob Kisting, RHP (No. 21)
Traded from the Twins to the Rays last November for Eric Orze and then to the Marlins in a package for Liam Hicks in July, Kisting broke out by leading the Minors in ERA and ranking second in opponent average (.186) and WHIP (0.91). Drafted in the 14th round out of Bradley in 2024, he operates from a low release height that adds deception, owns a low-90s fastball that plays up with horizontal action and command and keeps batters off balance with two versions of a low-80s changeup.
Mets: 163 K
Jonathan Santucci, LHP (No. 2)
The Duke product went in the second round of the 2024 Draft and has steadily pitched his way up the ladder, reaching Triple-A in 2026. He edged Jurrangelo Cijntje of the Cardinals, Cedric De Grandpre of the Braves and Adam Seminaris of the Phillies by one K for the Minor League strikeout crown. He led the Mets organization in K/9 (11.74), K% (30.8) and xFIP (3.73).
Nationals: .463 SLG
Eli Willits, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 6)
The Nationals made Willits the No. 1 overall pick in 2025, and there were several other clubs that rated him as the best player in the Draft, but the one question was how much power he ultimately would have. An Oklahoma high school product who's the son of former big league outfielder Reggie Willits, he put those concerns to rest by hitting 14 homers and slugging .463 as an 18-year-old climbing from Single-A to Double-A. Guardians outfielder Juneiker Caceres was the only age-18 batting qualifier in full-season ball with a higher slugging percentage (.484).
Phillies: 176 wRC+
Francisco Renteria, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 73)
Renteria joins Angeibel Gomez as the lone players from the DSL to make this list. Signed by the Phillies last January for $4 million, Renteria earned league MVP honors after hitting .379/.470/.682. That 176 wRC+ led qualified Minor Leaguers at any level, as did his .682 SLG and 1.152 OPS. He topped the Phillies system in batting average, OBP and ISO (.303) as well.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers: 48 HR
Andrew Fischer, 3B/1B (No. 5)
Fischer's 48 homers were the most by a Minor Leaguer since Ron Kittle's 50 in 1982, and he also topped the Minors in slugging (.654), OPS (1.067) and total bases (287) while ranking second in RBI (114) and wRC+ (162). The 2025 first-rounder from Tennessee produces some of the highest exit velocities and launch angles in the Minors, but he also comes with some of the worst contact rates, both overall and against strikes.
Cardinals: .328 AVG, .408 OBP, .591 SLG
Rainiel Rodriguez, C/1B (No. 1/MLB No. 10)
Rodriguez established himself as the game's premier catching prospect by leading the Double-A Texas League in all three slash stats at age 19 and batting a combined .324/.413/.574 with 27 homers and 11 steals in 115 games between that level and High-A. Signed for $300,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2024, he still requires some defensive polish, but his bat should make him a star.
Cubs: 127 R, 120 BB, 70 SB
Kane Kepley, OF (No. 5)
The Cubs selected Kepley in the 2025 Draft's second round out of North Carolina because he's a classic table-setter with plus hitting ability, speed and center-field defense. In his first full pro season, he led the Minors in runs (the most in a season since 2019), walks (the most since 2015) and steals.
Pirates: 40.4 K%
Seth Hernandez, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 9)
The only thing that slowed Hernandez down was an oblique injury that ended his season in July. He led all Pirates pitchers (min. 70 IP) in several categories, including that K%, ERA (2.43), xFIP (3.19) and K-BB% (29.8). That 40.4 percentage was good for third among Minor Leaguers with that many innings, while he finished third in K/9 (14.35), fourth in K-BB% and seventh in xFIP.
Reds: .986 OPS
Carter Graham, 1B (No. 22)
An eighth-round pick in 2023, Graham had little to show for his first two full years of pro ball, but he jumped on the prospect radar by finally getting out of A ball and up to Double-A while slashing a combined .300/.421/.565 in 2026. He led the Reds in OPS and wRC+ (151) and all three slash line categories, as well as counting stats like home runs (29) and RBIs (93).
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Diamondbacks: 27 HR, 28 SB
Avery Owusu-Asiedu, OF (not ranked on D-backs Top 30)
Acquired from the Phillies last December for Kyle Backhus, Owusu-Asiedu recorded the first 25-25 season ever by a D-backs farmhand. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder possesses plus raw power and solid speed once he gets going.
Dodgers: 11 G
Josue De Paula, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 4)
The best offensive prospect in the Minors, De Paula required just 11 big league games to claim a spot on the Dodgers' postseason roster, going 10-for-31 with twice as many walks (11) and as many extra-base hits as strikeouts (five). Signed for $397,500 out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, he won Texas League MVP honors this summer after slashing .303/.401/.547 and topping the Double-A circuit in hits (152), doubles (37), runs (106) and RBI (104).
Giants: 3 straight league pitcher of the year awards
Jacob Bresnahan, LHP (No. 9)
Bresnahan earned league pitcher of the year accolades for the third straight season, adding High-A Northwest League hardware to go with awards from the Rookie-level Arizona Complex (2024) and Single-A California (2025) leagues. Stolen from the Guardians in a July 2024 trade for Alex Cobb, he confounds hitters with a 92-97 mph fastball with huge carry and a nasty mid-80s kick changeup.
Padres: Age 20
Ethan Salas, C (No. 1/MLB No. 21)
At 20, Salas was the youngest player in the MLB playoffs and started three of San Diego's four Division Series games. The top-rated prospect in the 2023 international class, he signed for $5.6 million out of Venezuela before struggling with injuries and getting rushed by the Padres in 2024 and '25. He bounced back to bat .296/.374/.448 with 10 homers and 17 steals in 96 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season and won the Minor League Defensive Player of the Year award.
Rockies: .402 AVG
Cristian Arguelles, OF (No. 5)
Arguelles signed in January 2024 for $700,000, and in his two most recent main stops -- the DSL in 2025 and the Arizona Complex League this year -- he's hit over .400. He hit .422 in the Dominican, earning league MVP honors, then hit .402 in the ACL to earn another MVP award before getting promoted to full-season ball for the first time. He'll bring a .344/.434/.518 career line with him into the 2027 season.