For the first time in a decade, Milwaukee is the cream of the crop.
The Brewers have ascended to the top spot in the MLB Pipeline farm system rankings. The last time the organization sat atop such a list was the 2016 midseason version, when it claimed eight Top 100 prospects. That number now sits at five -- including two picked up in an offseason trade -- but the impressive depth at multiple positions pushed the perennial NL Central contenders to the mountaintop.
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The Dodgers slide back one spot but still hold onto a top-two position, thanks to their great player development track record. Notably, the Brewers haven’t had a top-10 pick since 2017 and the Dodgers since 2006, so this isn’t a case in which either team could just draft its way to the top. The Pirates -- the No. 3 system here -- have a different story with two recent top-10 picks leading their charge in Konnor Griffin (2024) and Seth Hernandez (2026). But the Bucs certainly deserve credit for making good picks in those spots and especially getting Griffin to the No. 1 overall spot on Top 100s across the industry.
Looking back on last year’s preseason list, the Cardinals have climbed the most, moving up 16 places from 20 to 4. The Blue Jays (+12), Pirates (+11), Giants (+9) and Brewers (+6) round out the highest climbers, while the Cubs (-15), Red Sox (-11) and White Sox (-10) are among the clubs to take the biggest drops.
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2025 midseason rank: 4
2025 preseason rank: 7
2024 midseason rank: 17
2024 preseason rank: 3
The Brewers were already trending up with the full-season debuts of Made and Peña and the former’s push into the upper echelon of the game’s best young talents. Then, the organization added two Top 100 prospects in Williams and Sproat as part of this offseason’s Freddy Peralta deal, giving it two upper-level players that could contribute quickly in Milwaukee, and that about sealed the Crew’s place at No. 1. It has elite talent. The pipeline has depth, aided by nice breakouts from Marco Dinges and Josh Adamczewski in 2025. It’s well-balanced with all positions represented in the Top 30. Entering 2026, it’s the top farm system in baseball.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
2025 midseason rank: 1
2025 preseason rank: 4
2024 midseason rank: 5
2024 preseason rank: 8
The Dodgers have won three of the last six World Series and made 13 consecutive playoff appearances, including 12 National League West titles. They also excel at acquiring and developing prospects, with industry executives ranking them as doing the best job of developing both hitters and pitchers and rating them second-best at gathering talent via the international market and trades. No system features better outfielders, and while Los Angeles has a fairly hitter-heavy Top 30, River Ryan and Jackson Ferris could contribute to the big league pitching staff this year.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
2025 midseason rank: 9
2025 preseason rank: 14
2024 midseason rank: 20
2024 preseason rank: 9
Sure, Konnor Griffin is generating all sorts of buzz, and for good reason, but there’s a lot more here than just the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. For starters, the Pirates also boast the best pitching prospect duo in Bubba Chandler and Seth Hernandez. Beyond the five in the Top 100 -- three of whom could help the Pirates turn things around in the big leagues this year -- talent is amassing at every level and at pretty much every position.
4. St. Louis Cardinals
2025 midseason rank: 12
2025 preseason rank: 20
2024 midseason rank: 19
2024 preseason rank: 23
The Cardinals have two recent top seven overall Draft picks (Wetherholt, Doyle), two 2025 breakout prospects (Rodriguez, Baez), a former switch-pitcher who could take off now that he’s fully righty (Cijntje) and a Minor League Gold Glove catcher (Bernal). And that’s just the Top 100 group. As part of its rebuild, St. Louis has gone into talent acquisition mode on the farm, bringing in the likes of Cijntje, Brandon Clarke, Yhoiker Fajardo and Tai Peete this offseason to add bulk to an already-exciting system. Turning this into the Cards’ next homegrown contender is the next step.
5. Detroit Tigers
2025 midseason rank: 6
2025 preseason: 1
2024 midseason rank: 6
2024 preseason rank: 5
This is a top-heavy system, sure, and it’s almost exclusively focused on the bats. But have you seen the bats? McGonigle is arguably the best hitting prospect this decade and has the look of a future batting title winner. Clark is a five-tool star in the making. Rainer, the 2024 11th overall pick, looked really promising before a shoulder injury ended his first full season early last June. Briceño is a left-handed masher with an Arizona Fall League Triple Crown on his resume. Max Anderson, Hao-Yu Lee and Thayron Liranzo could all factor into future Motor City lineups, and Cris Rodriguez could crack future Top 100s if his plus-plus raw power translates stateside.
6. Cleveland Guardians
2025 midseason rank: 5
2025 preseason rank: 9
2024 midseason rank: 4
2024 preseason rank: 19
The Guardians have won three of the past four American League Central titles while leaning heavily on their farm system, and they still have more talent coming. Their total of six Top 100 prospects matches the Cardinals and Mariners for the most in the game, and Bazzana, DeLauter, Messick and Ingle all could help in Cleveland this season. All four of them and eight of the Guardians' 10 best prospects arrived via the top four rounds of the last four Drafts.
7. New York Mets
2025 midseason rank: 7
2025 preseason rank: 12
2024 midseason rank: 13
2024 preseason rank: 13
The Mets have arguably the best pitching development group in baseball, and they also have the top pitching prospect to show for it. Tong, Jack Wenninger, Jonathan Santucci and Will Watson are also upper-level arms with strong results and the stuff to match, and that depth helped make Brandon Sproat movable this offseason in the Freddy Peralta blockbuster. There’s a nice mix of hitters closing in on the Majors (Carson Benge, Ryan Clifford, Jacob Reimer) and those just getting going (Mitch Voit, Elian Peña, Wandy Asigen) outside the Top 100 group. It’s that layering of talent that could make the Mets’ jump into the top 10 sustainable beyond these last two Farm System Rankings.
8. Seattle Mariners
2025 midseason rank: 3
2025 preseason rank: 5
2024 midseason rank: 9
2024 preseason rank: 18
Even with the trades that sent Harry Ford to the Nationals and Jurrangelo Cijntje to the Cardinals, the Mariners have six Top 100 guys, tied for the most in baseball. There have been different waves in this organization, with pitching back when Logan Gilbert, George Kirby et al came up, then with hitters like Cole Young and current No. 1 prospect Colt Emerson. And now there are more arms coming behind that, with both Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan potentially moving up quickly to help in Seattle.
9. Minnesota Twins
2025 midseason rank: 2
2025 preseason rank: 10
2024 midseason rank: 2
2024 preseason rank: 15
The Twins were in sell mode last Trade Deadline and have restocked the system a bit, with five new members of the Top 30 coming from recent trades. Eduardo Tait is the headliner as the Top 100 guy from that list, but Kendry Rojas and Hendry Mendez are two more from the top half who give this system more depth. If Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez can finally stay healthy for a spell, both should hit their way to the big leagues and help the Twins start to turn things around in the AL Central.
10. Tampa Bay Rays
2025 midseason rank: 10
2025 preseason rank: 2
2024 midseason rank: 1
2024 preseason rank: 6
The Rays always pride themselves on having one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, and when it seemed like its prospect talent level was about to take a hit after a down 2025, the organization addressed it by acquiring six Top 30 prospects in offseason trades and adding a pair more at the start of the international signing window. Among them, Jacob Melton could land an Opening Day spot in the Majors, Anderson Brito has some of the sharpest stuff in the system and Michael Forret has one of its deepest arsenals. Tampa Bay has multiple options that could join its current big three in the Top 100 quickly in ‘26.
11. Miami Marlins
2025 midseason rank: 13
2025 preseason rank: 16
2024 midseason rank: 15
2024 preseason rank: 29
No team has five higher-ranked players on the Top 100 than the Marlins, whose assemblage is headlined by the best combination of lefty pitching prospects in White and Snelling. Nevertheless, Miami has as many hitters (21) on its Top 30 as any club, an interesting proposition for a franchise that has struggled to develop bats. Of those 21 position players, 13 have been acquired since the start of 2025, including Caissie and No. 7 overall pick Arquette.
12. Cincinnati Reds
2025 midseason rank: 8
2025 preseason rank: 11
2024 midseason rank: 14
2024 preseason rank: 10
The top of this list is packed with hitters, with bats making up seven of the top eight. It's led by Sal Stewart, who, if he gets big league at-bats, has the chance to be a sneaky good NL Rookie of the Year Award candidate. There’s some fun up-the-middle talent here with Alfredo Duno behind the plate and potential shortstops aplenty in Steele Hall (their first-rounder from last year’s Draft), Tyson Lewis and Edwin Arroyo all in the top 10.
13. Baltimore Orioles
2025 midseason rank: 15
2025 preseason rank: 15
2024 midseason rank: 3
2024 preseason rank: 1
With their ascension to playoff contention status, this system thinned out with graduations -- some of those guys are still establishing themselves as part of the young lineup core in Baltimore -- and trades. But there are still some fun hitters at the top of the list, with newcomer Nate George ready to take the banner as top bat once Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers graduate. In the past, there haven’t been too many pitchers making their way up, but that’s starting to change with two in the top five (Luis De León and Trey Gibson) and a total of 10 arms in the top 20.
14. Boston Red Sox
2025 midseason rank: 11
2025 preseason rank: 3
2024 midseason rank: 7
2024 preseason rank: 14
The Red Sox experienced the second-biggest drop (11 spots) in our rankings from 12 months ago, the result of graduating three elite prospects (Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer) and dealing off several other farmhands. But they still have a decent system and more pitching prospect depth than they've enjoyed in years, with Tolle and Early taking big leaps forward in 2025 and finishing the season on the big league playoff roster. Boston also features more international signees (15) on its Top 30 than any other system, highlighted by shortstops Franklin Arias and Dorian Soto, right-hander Juan Valera and outfielder Justin Gonzales.
15. Toronto Blue Jays
2025 midseason rank: 20
2025 preseason rank: 27
2024 midseason rank: 24
2024 preseason rank: 24
Having a World Series-tested right-hander leading your Top 30 will certainly give a team some sort of bounce up the Farm System Rankings. That said, Yesavage isn’t doing all the heavy lifting. Up arrows for Johnny King, Gage Stanifer and Juan Sanchez (now a Top 10 third-base prospect before coming stateside) gave the American League pennant winners additional boosts, and the addition of Parker -- a potential plus hitter at shortstop with power to come -- with the eighth overall pick was another boon. After 2025 was so focused on rejuvenating the pitchers on the farm, the bats could receive a similar emphasis this summer.
16. Chicago White Sox
2025 midseason rank: 17
2025 preseason rank: 6
2024 midseason rank: 11
2024 preseason rank: 20
After promoting three Top 100 prospects (Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero) to Rate Field in 2025, the White Sox could do so again this year with Braden Montgomery, Schultz and Smith. They have shortstops coming behind them, including Single-A Carolina League MVP Caleb Bonemer and future Gold Glover Billy Carlson -- not to mention whomever they select with the No. 1 overall pick in a shortstop-heavy Draft. Many of their best prospects played for their Area Code Games team in high school: Schultz, Bonemer, outfielder Jason Fauske and George Wolkow, left-handers Christian Oppor and Blake Larson.
17. Washington Nationals
2025 midseason rank: 23
2025 preseason rank: 13
2024 midseason rank: 10
2024 preseason rank: 12
Talk about a whole new look. Sixteen members of Washington’s Top 30 prospects list have joined the organization since last July as Draft picks or trade acquisitions, including No. 1 overall selection Willits, former Mariners Major Leaguer Ford and all five players from the MacKenzie Gore swap with the Rangers. That aside, the two best arms in Sykora (Tommy John) and Susana (lat) are coming off season-ending surgeries. Overall, there is a lot of raw talent here with upside, and the new Nationals front office will be focused on drawing out that potential and boosting the system’s standing with the players it now has.
18. Athletics
2025 midseason rank: 14
2025 preseason rank: 21
2024 midseason rank: 22
2024 preseason rank: 25
Could the A’s have another Nick Kurtz situation on their hands, getting a new draftee to the big leagues in a hurry? There isn’t a hitter that fits, but Jamie Arnold, the left-handed pitcher who was their first-rounder in 2025, should move quickly. It shouldn’t shock anyone if he contributes in some fashion this year. The A’s are excited to have Leo De Vries for an entire season after he hit very well and reached Double-A following his trade from the Padres in the Mason Miller deal. He’s still only 19, but he could also reach the big leagues this year.
19. San Francisco Giants
2025 midseason rank: 18
2025 preseason rank: 28
2024 midseason rank: 23
2024 preseason rank: 17
The Giants made the fourth-biggest jump from our pre-2025 rankings, moving up nine spots, and they're poised for another leap this season. They have the game's best power prospect in Eldridge and the top international amateur from each of the past two classes in Gonzalez and fellow shortstop Luis Hernández. Their group of potential Top 100 shortstops also extends to Jhonny Level and Gavin Kilen, and they have several other candidates to join the list in the near future, including outfielders Dakota Jordan and Bo Davidson and left-hander Jacob Bresnahan.
20. Philadelphia Phillies
2025 midseason rank: 21
2025 preseason rank: 17
2024 midseason rank: 16
2024 preseason rank: 22
It’s a good thing when your top three prospects -- all Top 100 guys -- will have the chance to contribute to the big league roster this year. Two of them, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford, should make the Opening Day roster. Just beyond the Top 100 prospects, there’s excitement brewing with 2025 first-rounder Gage Wood and 2026 international signee Francisco Renteria, who is already creating buzz in the organization.
21. Kansas City Royals
2025 midseason rank: 25
2025 preseason rank: 23
2024 midseason rank: 25
2024 preseason rank: 28
Jensen’s ascent to become a bona fide Rookie of the Year Award candidate holds a good amount of weight in Kansas City’s modest climb, and the organization is flush with quality catching prospects in Mitchell and No. 8 Ramon Ramirez also slotting in high on the Top 30. There is plenty of intrigue across the industry surrounding teenage arms Kendry Chourio and David Shields, and both could jump into the Top 100 with repeats of their 2025 performances at higher levels over larger samples. But for now, it’s just the two backstops in that realm.
22. Arizona Diamondbacks
2025 midseason rank: 16
2025 preseason rank: 22
2024 midseason rank: 21
2024 preseason rank: 16
Top 100 Prospect: Ryan Waldschmidt, OF (No. 59)
Organizations with only one Top 100 prospect typically don’t slot very highly in Farm System Rankings, but there’s a lot more depth for Arizona behind Waldschmidt, who has caught plenty of attention as a dark-horse candidate to win an MLB job out of his second Spring Training. The D-backs are deepest on the infield (specifically the second-base position) and have built up their Minor League pitching corps with much-needed additions through trades and the Draft.
23. Chicago Cubs
2025 midseason rank: 19
2025 preseason rank: 8
2024 midseason rank: 8
2024 preseason rank: 2
After ranking eighth in March 2025, in large part because they tied the Mariners for the most Top 100 Prospects (seven) at that time, the Cubs have fallen further than any other system, down 15 spots. Ballesteros stands out most in a bat-heavy Top 30, with Wiggins the only arm who ranks among the organization's dozen best prospects. Chicago has high hopes for its 2025 Draft, especially three outfielders: Ethan Conrad could emerge as the system's top prospect a year from now, Kane Kepley could be its best pure hitter and Josiah Hartshorn could be its best power hitter.
24. Atlanta Braves
2025 midseason rank: 28
2025 preseason rank: 26
2024 midseason rank: 27
2024 preseason rank: 26
The Braves have three pitchers atop their Top 30, and two of them will have the chance to help the big league club get back to competing in the NL East this year. JR Ritchie had a huge year, starting the Futures Game in Atlanta and reaching Triple-A. No. 3 prospect Didier Fuentes was rushed up last season, and if it hadn't been for his uneven year, more people would be talking about him as well. It’s a pitching-heavy list with 17 of the 30 making their living on the mound, but they did pick up two potential middle infielders to kick off last year’s Draft in high school product Tate Southisene and college product Alex Lodise.
25. Texas Rangers
2025 midseason rank: 26
2025 preseason rank: 19
2024 midseason rank: 26
2024 preseason rank: 7
Top 100 Prospect: Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B (No. 7)
The Rangers are building their system back up after graduating four top 10 overall Draft picks to Arlington in the past three years, dealing with injuries to several of their best pitching prospects last season and surrendering eight farmhands in deals for Merrill Kelly and MacKenzie Gore. They took another hit when Walcott had internal brace surgery in February, though that shouldn't affect forecasts of future stardom. On the positive side, they're well stocked with right-handers after Caden Scarborough and David Davalillo had strong 2025 seasons, A.J. Russell arrived via the second round of the Draft and Jose Corniell, Winston Santos and Izack Tiger returned to full health.
26. New York Yankees
2025 midseason rank: 22
2025 preseason rank: 22
2024 midseason rank: 18
2024 preseason rank: 11
The good news: The Yankees have a strong quartet of Top 100 prospects, with potential 25/25 shortstop Lombard, nearly ready righties Lagrange and Rodríguez and precocious Kilby, a supplemental first-rounder last July. The bad news: Beyond that group, righty Ben Hess and outfielder Spencer Jones, the depth falls off dramatically, the result of New York trading an industry-high players who appeared on Top 30s since the start of 2025. The Yankees also rank first with 21 pitchers on their current Top 30.
27. Colorado Rockies
2025 midseason rank: 24
2025 preseason rank: 18
2024 midseason rank: 12
2024 preseason rank: 21
If things click with some of the bats in this system, the Rockies will take a big jump forward. Everyone is excited to see what the latest Holliday can do and hopeful that the real Charlie Condon, free of injuries, is the one raking so far in Spring Training. The first six on the top 30 are all hitters with upside and question marks about them getting to that ceiling. The pitching depth can also improve if some of the guys further removed from Tommy John surgery (particularly Gabriel Hughes and Jackson Cox) get back their former selves.
28. Los Angeles Angels
2025 midseason rank: 27
2025 preseason rank: 30
2024 midseason rank: 29
2024 preseason rank: 30
Top 100 Prospect: Tyler Bremner, RHP (No. 81)
This is a high-risk, high-reward system. The Angels have rolled the dice on several high-ceiling high school pitchers over the past couple of Drafts. If that group performs well, this system will shoot up the rankings faster than their upper-90s heaters. But we all know the inherent risk of the demographic. There are also some interesting hitters from the international market who made some noise last year, even while being rushed up levels. That will further buoy the organization if they keep swinging the bat well.
29. Houston Astros
2025 midseason rank: 29
2025 preseason rank: 29
2024 midseason rank: 30
2024 preseason rank: 27
Top 100 Prospects: None
The Astros haven't placed higher than 27th in our rankings since we started doing them biannually in 2020, and they're without a Top 100 prospect for the third time in our last five preseason lists. They do keep winning, even if their eight-year playoff streak ended on a tiebreaker, and they signed three players in 2025 who could crack the Top 100 in the near future: outfielders Kevin Alvarez and Ethan Frey and shortstop Xavier Neyens. Houston continues to excel at finding bargain pitchers, and its three best mound prospects are 16th-rounder Bryce Mayer, sixth-rounder Ethan Pecko and seventh-rounder A.J. Blubaugh.
30. San Diego Padres
2025 midseason rank: 30
2025 preseason rank: 25
2024 midseason rank: 28
2024 preseason rank: 4
Top 100 Prospect: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP (No. 88)
The Padres have been the most aggressive buyers on the trade market, and that’s cost them significant prospect losses, both in terms of top talent and overall depth. The shining example was De Vries, who went to the A’s at last year’s Deadline for all-world reliever Mason Miller. In reality, that is part of a farm system’s job -- to supply the organization with talent it can turn into Major Leaguers, either on their own or packaged together in deals. In that vein, San Diego has helped get breakouts out of prospects like Miguel Mendez (2025) and Bradgley Rodriguez (2024), two arms now on the 40-man roster. The organization could do something similar in ‘26 with currently undervalued talents. As it stands, Schoolcraft is the only Top 100 prospect in the group ahead of his first full season, and catcher Ethan Salas has the best chance to join him, but only if he can stay healthy and productive for the first time since 2023.