Now that the Minor League season has concluded, MLB Pipeline is announcing its choices for each system's hitting and pitching prospects of the year.
Pirates outfielder Konnor Griffin and Mets right-hander Jonah Tong headline our selections. Griffin, who ranks No. 1 on our Top 100 Prospects list and won the Minor League Hitting Prospect of the Year award, became just the fourth player to reach 20 homers and 60 steals since the Minors restructured in 1963 into the system we know today. The Minor League Pitching Prospect of the Year, Tong is the first hurler to lead the Minors in ERA and strikeouts in the same season during the modern era.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays
RJ Schreck, OF (No. 10): Acquired from the Mariners last year for Justin Turner, Schreck enjoyed a strong first full season in the Jays system by hitting .249/.395/.459 in 105 games between mostly Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo. His .459 slugging percentage, .854 OPS and 143 wRC+ were all highest in the system, while his 18 homers placed second.
Trey Yesavage, RHP (TOR No. 1/MLB No. 26): Before the 2024 20th overall pick was dominating in the MLB postseason, he was putting together one of the best pitching performances of the year in the Minors. Yesavage finished with a 3.12 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 160 strikeouts and .158 average-against over 98 innings across all four full-season stops in the Toronto system. His 41.1 percent K rate and 30.6 K-BB% were both best among the 410 Minor Leaguers with at least 90 frames in 2025.
Orioles
Dylan Beavers, OF (BAL No. 2/MLB No. 83): The Orioles’ pick in Competitive Balance Round A of the 2022 Draft, Beavers bounced back from a subpar 2024 season to reach the big leagues for the first time in 2025 thanks to a .304/.420/.515 line to go along with 18 homers and 23 steals in Triple-A. He upped his walk rate and lowered his strikeout rate while posting a 153 wRC+.
Michael Forret, RHP (No. 11): A lower back issue forced him to the sidelines for a month in May and then ended his year after August, but between those stints on the injured list, the 2023 14th-rounder was outstanding with High-A Aberdeen and Double-A Bowie. He finished with a 1.58 ERA over his 74 innings of work, holding hitters to a .157 BAA and posting a 0.82 WHIP and 11.5 K/9 rate.
Rays
Theo Gillen, OF (TB No. 2/MLB No. 65): Last year’s 18th overall pick was an on-base machine in his first full season with a .267/.433/.387 line over 324 plate appearances for Single-A Charleston before his season ended due to a left middle finger fracture early in August. His .433 OBP was second-best among Single-A hitters (min. 300 PA), while his 19.8 percent walk rate placed third. His 149 wRC+ was tops among Rays Minor Leaguers (same minimum), and he added 36 steals in 39 attempts for good measure.
Ty Johnson, RHP (No. 19): The 6-foot-6 right-hander throws his 91-94 mph fastball and 84-86 mph slider a ton, and that combination certainly works for him. He spent the entire season with Double-A Montgomery and finished with a 2.61 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings. Among 286 Minor League pitchers with at least 100 innings in 2025, he finished second with a 2.33 FIP and 25.8 K-BB%, third with a 34.7 percent K rate and fourth with a .172 average-against and 0.94 WHIP.
Red Sox
Roman Anthony, OF (graduated from Red Sox Top 30): Anthony ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball and slashed .288/.423/.491 with 10 homers in 58 Triple-A games before getting called up in June to Boston, where he continued to rake as a 21-year-old.
Payton Tolle, LHP (BOS No. 2/MLB No. 28): Tolle was a revelation in his pro debut, posting a 3.04 ERA, .203 opponent average and 133 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A before joining the Red Sox. Among Minor Leaguers with at least 90 innings, he ranked second in strikeout minus walk rate (30 percent), third in strikeout rate (37 percent) and fourth in K/BB ratio (5.8).
Yankees
Spencer Jones, OF (NYY No. 4/MLB No. 99): Jones batted .274/.362/.571 with 35 homers and 29 steals in 116 games between Double-A and Triple-A, finishing second in the Minors in homers, fifth in slugging, sixth in total bases (250), seventh in extra-base hits (59) and eighth in runs (102).
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, RHP (NYY No. 3/MLB No. 97): In his first season in the Yankees system after coming over from the Red Sox in a December deal for Carlos Narváez, Rodriguez-Cruz advanced from High-A to Triple-A and placed second in the Minors in strikeouts (176), fifth in innings (150) and eighth in ERA (2.58) and opponent average (.192).
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Guardians
C.J. Kayfus, 1B/OF (graduated from Guardians Top 30): Before his big league callup in August, Kayfus hit his way onto the Top 100 Prospects list with a .300/.390/.539 performance that included 14 homers in 86 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
Parker Messick, LHP (No. 11): Messick logged a 3.47 ERA, .216 opponent average and 1.22 WHIP -- which would have ranked second, first and fourth in the International League if he hadn't been summoned to Cleveland in August and fallen short of qualifying. He also fanned 119 in 98 2/3 innings.
Royals
Carter Jensen, C (KC No. 1/MLB No. 39): A steady riser and performer throughout his time in the Kansas City system, Jensen’s development culminated in his best year yet with career highs in all three slash-line categories (.290/.377/.501) and homers (20) over 111 games at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. His .377 OBP was highest among Royals Minor League qualifiers, while his .501 slugging percentage, .878 OPS and 136 wRC+ each ranked second.
David Shields, LHP (No. 6): Kansas City tends to take it easy with its prep arms in their first full seasons, but Shields forced his way to Single-A Columbia by May and never looked back. His 2.01 ERA was second-lowest among 110 Single-A pitchers with at least 70 innings, while his 2.57 FIP and 23.1 K-BB% also ranked second, his 1.02 WHIP third and his 28.3 percent K rate sixth. Shields was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year.
Tigers
Kevin McGonigle, SS (DET No. 1/MLB No. 2): The owner of the Minors’ best hit tool has gone 2-for-2 in Pipeline Hitter of the Year picks for the Tigers system. Despite dealing with an early ankle issue, McGonigle managed a .305/.408/.583 line in 88 games, spent mostly at High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie. His 19 homers were almost four times his 2024 total of five, and his .583 slugging percentage was tops in the Tigers system – all while walking more times (59) than he struck out (46). McGonigle’s 182 wRC+ was tops in the Minors among batters with at least 300 plate appearances.
Troy Melton, RHP (graduated from Tigers Top 30): Before becoming part of the Tigers’ postseason pitching plans, Melton put his deep arsenal to good use at Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo, where he finished with a 2.99 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings. He was arguably even better at the higher level, where he had a 2.72 ERA and struck out 37.8 percent of his batters faced over eight appearances (six starts). Melton debuted with the Tigers on July 23 and didn’t return to the Majors the rest of the way.
Twins
Gabriel Gonzalez, OF (No. 8): Gonzalez’s first full season with the Twins, in 2024, didn’t go as planned, but he made up for it this year. Playing all season at age 21, Gonzalez raked across three levels, finishing in Triple-A, with a combined .329/.395/.513 line. He led the Twins organization in all three slash-line categories as well as with his 148 wRC+.
Pierson Ohl, RHP (graduated from Twins Top 30): Things really clicked for Ohl in 2025 as he moved into a multi-inning reliever/swingman type of a role. He pitched his way to the big leagues thanks to a 2.40 ERA, 10.9 K/9 vs. 1.4 BB/9 rates and .213 BAA across the upper levels of the system.
White Sox
Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B (CWS No. 4/MLB No. 73): Bonemer won Carolina League MVP accolades in his pro debut after hitting .281/.400/.458 with 10 homers and 27 steals in 96 games, leading the Single-A circuit in on-base percentage, slugging, OPS (.858) and doubles. He also posted a 1.020 OPS in 11 High-A contests at the end of the season.
Christian Oppor, LHP (No. 8): Oppor broke out in his full-season debut, compiling a 3.08 ERA, .199 opponent average and 116 strikeouts in 87 2/3 innings between two Class A stops.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Angels
Nelson Rada, OF (No. 7): Playing nearly all year at age 19, it was impressive enough that Rada held his own in a return to Double-A Rocket City, hitting .270 with a .380 OBP and 34 steals. But then he upped that to a .323 average and .423 OBP, to go along with 20 more steals, in 42 games with Triple-A Salt Lake, when he was nearly eight years younger than the average position player in the Pacific Coast League.
Dylan Jordan, RHP (No. 16): The Angels went over slot to sign Jordan as a fifth-rounder in 2024 out of the Florida high school ranks and the 6-foot-3 teenager acquitted himself well during his first full season of pro ball. He moved from the Arizona Complex League to Single-A ball and threw better up a level, always a good sign. Combined, the right-hander finished the year with a 2.36 ERA, 10.0 K/9 rate and .222 BAA over 76 1/3 IP.
Astros
Zach Cole, OF (No. 19): Cole rebounded from an oblique injury and strikeout issues early in the year to bat .279/.377/.539 with 19 homers and 18 steals in 97 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He homered on the first big league pitch he saw in September and went deep four times in 15 games with the Astros.
Alonzo Tredwell, RHP (No. 28): Plagued by back and shoulder ailments in his first two pro seasons, Tredwell recovered to record a 3.69 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 100 innings while advancing from Single-A to Double-A.
A’s
Henry Bolte, OF (No. 5): Bolte’s premium athleticism played well at the upper levels in 2025. He also cut his K rate down from 2024, helping him hit a combined .284/.385/.427 with 44 steals (in 46 attempts). That resulted in a 121 wRC+.
Gage Jump, LHP (ATH No. 3/MLB No. 60): Jump leapt up prospect radars and into the middle of the Top 100 with a very strong first full season after being taken in the second round of the 2024 Draft out of LSU. He dominated High-A and while he tired a bit down the stretch in Double-A, he still finished with an impressive 3.28 ERA over 112 1/3 IP to go along with a .214 BAA, 1.10 WHIP, 10.5 K/9 and just 2.7 BB/9.
Mariners
Colt Emerson, SS (SEA No. 1/MLB No. 9): The 2023 first-rounder touched three levels this season, finishing with a red-hot week in Triple-A Tacoma. He finished with a combined .285/.383/.458 line with 16 homers and 14 steals, and he didn’t turn 20 until July. He didn’t swing and miss much (17.5 pct K rate) while drawing plenty of walks (11.8 pct) and posting a 130 wRC+.
Ryan Sloan, RHP (SEA No. 5/MLB No. 44): The Mariners’ second-rounder in 2024 out of the Illinois high school ranks, Sloan showed his stuff would play just fine right out of the gate. At age 19, he pitched well enough to finish the season with High-A Everett and ending with a combined 3.73 ERA, 9.9 K/9 (vs. just 1.6 BB/9). His 3.21 xFIP led all Mariners Minor League pitchers with at least 70 IP.
Rangers
Cody Freeman, 3B/2B/OF (graduated from Rangers Top 30): Freeman enjoyed the best season of his six-year pro career, slashing .336/.382/.549 with 19 homers in 97 Triple-A games to win the Minor League batting title, rank fourth in the Pacific Coast League in slugging and fifth in OPS (.931) and earn his first big league callup.
David Davalillo, RHP (No. 7): After leading the Minors with a 1.88 ERA in 2024, Davalillo encored by posting a 2.44 ERA, .184 opponent average and 126/28 K/BB ratio in 107 innings between Double-A.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves
David McCabe, 3B (No. 29): McCabe won this honor in 2023, but he missed nearly all of the 2024 season following Tommy John surgery. He spent most of the year with Double-A Columbus, earning a promotion after posting an OPS of .813 over 105 games. Overall, he hit a combined .275/.376/.426 with 14 homers, leading the organization with his 132 wRC+
JR Ritchie, RHP (ATL No. 2/MLB No. 86): The 2025 Futures Game starter in Atlanta, Ritchie has made his 2023 Tommy John surgery a distant memory. He pitched his way from High-A to Triple-A and finished with a combined 2.64 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .174 BAA and 140 K’s in 140 innings.
Marlins
Joe Mack, C (MIA No. 4/MLB No. 70): A repeat winner from 2024, Mack earned International League and Triple-A National Championship titles this year while batting .257/.338/.475 with 21 homers in 112 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He's also one of the better defensive catchers in the Minors and erased 33 percent of basestealers.
Robby Snelling, LHP (MIA No. 3/MLB No. 51): Another member of those IL and TANC winners, Snelling logged a 2.51 ERA (fifth in the Minors) with 166 strikeouts (fourth) in 136 innings between Double-A and Triple-A.
Mets
Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B (No. 6): Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing deserve shouts here as well, but Reimer’s impressive consistency between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton give him the nod here. Playing in his age-21 season, the corner infielder finished with a .282/.379/.491 line, 17 homers and 15 steals over 122 games. His 157 wRC+ was tops among Mets Minor League qualifiers – a notable feat for someone who only managed 25 games in the Minors in 2024 due to a hamstring injury.
Jonah Tong, RHP (NYM No. 4/MLB No. 46): Tong was named the MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year already, so consider this an extra honor. He led Minor League full-season qualifiers with a 1.43 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings at Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse, and he was also tops with his 40.5 percent K rate, 29.9 K-BB%, .148 average-against, 1.68 FIP and 2.16 xFIP among Minor Leaguers with at least 100 frames in 2025. This is a repeat showing for the 2022 seventh-rounder, who also featured in this spot in 2024.
Nationals
Marconi German, SS/2B (No. 26): It isn’t often that Dominican Summer League players appear in this spot, but German, who signed for $400,000 out of the DR back in January, made himself difficult to overlook with an impressive debut. The switch-hitting middle infielder sported a .283/.479/.513 line and 162 wRC+ over 213 plate appearances in his debut season, earning DSL mid- and postseason All-Star honors. He added eight homers and 33 steals and was the Nats’ only Minor League qualifier with more walks than strikeouts in 2025.
Jake Bennett, LHP (No. 10): The 6-foot-6 southpaw missed all of 2024 as he rehabbed from Tommy John surgery and displayed little rust in his return season, posting a 2.27 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 64 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 75 1/3 innings. He was the only Nats Minor Leaguer to post a sub-3 ERA over 70 innings or more. Bennett will look to continue to build on that success in the Arizona Fall League.
Phillies
Justin Crawford, OF (PHI No. 3/MLB No. 54): That’s three years in a row that we’ve tipped our cap to Crawford as the Phillies’ hitting prospect of the year, and who can blame us? He hit .334 to win the Triple-A International League batting title while finishing third with a .411 OBP and third with 46 steals. That equated to a 133 wRC+ and he’s now hitting .322 for his career.
Jean Cabrera, RHP (No. 11): Cabrera was a consistent presence in Double-A Reading’s rotation this season, compiling 137 innings and a 3.81 ERA and .214 BAA. He definitely fared better away from his hitting-friendly home ballpark, with a 3.29 ERA on the road.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers
Blake Burke, 1B (No. 29): Burke’s beginning to the season at High-A Wisconsin was solid (.289/.380/.403), if lacking in the slugging department. He flipped a power switch upon his promotion to Double-A Biloxi in early August, aided by an improved flyball rate, and slashed .300/.377/.579 with 11 homers in 37 games with the Shuckers the rest of the way. The 2024 34th overall pick finished the season with a .292/.379/.453 line, 16 homers, 15 steals and a 139 wRC+ in 132 games and led the system’s full-season hitters in OBP, OPS (.832), hits (143), extra-base hits (45) and total bases (222).
Tyson Hardin, RHP (No. 20): Taken in the 12th round as a Mississippi State reliever last year, Hardin moved into a starting role in the Milwaukee system and thrived in his first full season. He finished with a 2.72 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 96 strikeouts and 17 walks in 96 innings between High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi. His 4.4 percent walk rate was ninth-lowest among 410 Minor Leaguers with at least 90 frames in 2025.
Cardinals
JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B/3B (STL No. 1/MLB No. 5): Last year’s seventh overall pick entered the Cardinals system with a ton of hype and met it with aplomb. The left-handed-hitting infielder hit .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 games at Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. He accomplished all that while posting a near-equal 73/72 K/BB ratio between the two spots, and his numbers at the higher level were superior; his 156 wRC+ was fourth-best among 364 players with at least 200 plate appearances at Triple-A.
Ixan Henderson, LHP (No. 15): The 2023 eighth-rounder built on a solid first full season with a special sequel at Double-A Springfield. Named the Texas League Pitcher of the Year, Henderson led the circuit with a 2.59 ERA and a .208 average-against in 132 innings. He also fanned 134 batters in that span, putting him in a tie for second-most K’s in the Cardinals system alongside his Springfield teammate Brycen Mautz.
Cubs
Owen Caissie, OF (CHC No. 1/MLB No. 47): Caissie hit .286/.386/.551 with 22 homers in 99 Triple-A games at age 22, finishing third in the International League in OPS (.937) and sixth in slugging and extra-base hits (52). He also drilled his first big league homer in mid-August.
Jaxon Wiggins, RHP (CHC No. 3/MLB No. 67): Wiggins emerged as the best pitching prospect in the Cubs system, compiling a 2.19 ERA, .161 opponent average and 97 strikeouts in 78 innings while moving from High-A to Triple-A.
Pirates
Konnor Griffin, SS/OF (PIT No. 1/MLB No. 1): Not much went wrong for Griffin, the Pirates’ first-round pick in 2024, and that’s why we picked him as our Hitting Prospect of the Year. He started the year in Single-A and finished in Double-A, compiling eye-popping numbers: .333/.415/.536, 21 HR, 65 SB, 165 wRC+.
Hunter Barco, LHP (PIT No. 4/MLB No. 78): The Pirates’ decision to take Barco in Round 2 of the 2022 Draft even though he had Tommy John surgery that May is looking like a good one. He got a taste of the big leagues at the end of the year, a nice reward for a season that saw him post a 2.81 ERA, .196 BAA and 10.5 K/9 rate over 99 1/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A.
Reds
Sal Stewart, 3B/1B/2B (CIN No. 1/MLB No. 31): Stewart was our choice in 2024, too, because all the guy does is hit. He landed in the big leagues and on a postseason roster, but not before he hit .309/.383/.524 across Double- and Triple-A. He hit 20 homers and swiped 17 bags, finishing with a 152 wRC+, helping him reach Cincy at age 21.
Jose Franco, RHP (No. 25): Franco began his year in Double-A and finished it up a level. Combined, he compiled 110 innings and finished with a 3.11 ERA, .209 BAA and 9.65 K/9, leading all Reds Minor Leaguers in all three of those categories, among others.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-backs
Ryan Waldschmidt, OF (AZ No. 1/MLB No. 66): The 2024 31st overall pick came to pro ball with a reputation as someone who doesn’t expand the zone much, can flex above-average power and show decent speed (especially as he moved away from a left ACL tear). Waldschmidt checked all three boxes as he hit .289/.419/.473 with 18 homers and 29 steals in 134 games between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo. His 96 walks were second-most in all of the Minors.
Daniel Eagen, RHP (No. 13): Named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Year, the 2024 third-rounder posted a 2.49 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 132 strikeouts in 97 2/3 innings with High-A Hillsboro, and his 34.1 percent K rate was tops among 64 High-A pitchers with at least 90 frames at the level. Eagen made four late-season starts at Double-A Amarillo and finished with 153 K’s, most by any Arizona farmhand and tied for 10th-most in the Minors.
Dodgers
Eduardo Quintero, OF (LAD No. 3/MLB No. 34): Quintero earned MVP and Prospect of the Year accolades in the California League after slashing .306/.426/.533 with 14 homers and 35 steals in 81 games, leading the Single-A circuit in on-base percentage, slugging, OPS (.959) and longballs and placing third in batting. He finished with a combined .293/.415/.508 line with 19 homers and 47 steals between two Class A levels.
Patrick Copen, RHP (No. 17): After a line drive struck him in the face and cost him the vision in his right eye in August 2024, Copen returned to record a 3.59 ERA, .200 opponent average and 152 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. He ranked eighth in the Minors with 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
Giants
Bryce Eldridge, 1B (SF No. 1/MLB No. 12): Eldridge also won these accolades in 2024 and repeated by hitting .260/.333/.510 with 25 homers in 102 games between Double-A, Triple-A and a brief rehab stint in Rookie ball. He made his big league debut in mid-September at age 20.
Jacob Bresnahan, LHP (No. 11): Bresnahan earned Single-A California League Pitcher of the Year honors with a 2.61 ERA, .201 opponent average and 124 strikeouts in 93 innings.
Padres
Braedon Karpathios, OF (No. 29): A nondrafted free agent signed out of Harford Community College in July 2022, Karpathios has slowly garnered more attention in the Padres system and especially broke out with High-A Fort Wayne this season, slashing .254/.370/.410 with 12 homers, nine steals and a 125 wRC+ in 103 games. Adding in his time with Double-A San Antonio, he finished second in the system with a 122 wRC+ and fifth with 40 extra-base hits.
Miguel Mendez, RHP (No. 5): Mendez was one of the breakout arms of the entire Minor League season, riding up an upper-90s fastball, plus slider and improved control to a 3.22 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 118 strikeouts in 95 innings across the Single-A, High-A and Double-A levels. With a 29.4 percent mark, he was the only Padres pitching prospect to post a K rate above 24 over 90 frames or more.
Rockies
Jared Thomas, OF (No. 8): Thomas kind of quietly had an outstanding first full season, hitting .300/.398/.452 with 14 homers and 33 steals between High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford. His 135 wRC+ topped all Rockies Minor League hitters.
Sean Sullivan, LHP (No. 12): Sullivan was slow to start his 2025 campaign coming back from a hip issue, but once he got going, he was outstanding with Double-A Hartford. His 2.94 ERA topped all Rockies arms on the farm with at least 100 IP, as did his 4.16 K/BB rate, .220 BAA, 1.06 WHIP and 3.41 xFIP.