The Major Leaguers get to have their Opening Day fun on Wednesday and Thursday. Come Friday, it’ll be Triple-A ballplayers’ turn.
The International and Pacific Coast League regular seasons both begin on March 27 this year, meaning MLB hopefuls from coast to coast will take their first throws and hacks shortly after their counterparts in The Show. Some of the game’s top prospects will open 2026 at the Minors’ top level, none of them bigger than No. 1 overall Konnor Griffin. Other top-15 talents Colt Emerson, Max Clark and Walker Jenkins are among those expected to join him.
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To get fans ready for the MiLB campaign ahead, here is one notable Triple-A prospect to watch in every farm system:
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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Josh Kasevich, SS/3B (No. 13)
Kasevich was likely headed for a Major League debut in 2025 before back and wrist issues limited him to only 42 total games in the Minors. He got 74 extra plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League and managed a .419 on-base percentage there but didn’t pick up a single extra-base hit. All that aside, Blue Jays brass are still high on the 25-year-old infielder for his contact skills -- he struck out only twice in 40 Grapefruit League plate appearances -- and the strength in his swing seems to be returning with one homer and four doubles in Florida. With his above-average glove and arm on the dirt, he could be at least a serviceable backup infielder in quick order if the power gains hold in Buffalo.
Orioles: Trey Gibson, RHP (No. 5)
Part of a cadre of arms from the 2023 Draft class, Gibson was actually a nondrafted free agent signed that August. He really popped last year, fanning 166 over 120 1/3 innings and touching Triple-A Norfolk. His 31.5 percent strikeout rate over the past two years is third-highest among all Minor Leaguers with at least 200 innings. He tossed three scoreless Spring Breakout frames after getting three outings in big league camp.
Rays: Brody Hopkins, RHP (No. 3/MLB No. 85)
A pickup from the Mariners in 2024, Hopkins spent his first full season in the Rays' system exclusively at Double-A Montgomery, where he posted a 2.72 ERA with 141 strikeouts in 116 innings. Inconsistencies with his control might have been what kept him from seeing Triple-A Durham, and the Rays have worked with him on developing a curveball and a cutter that stay more over the width of the plate than his sweeper. The power of Hopkins’ stuff -- he’s touched triple digits in the past and was up to 98.7 mph in his brief Grapefruit League looks this summer -- could make his Triple-A time short, should he keep walks in check.
Red Sox: Payton Tolle, LHP (No. 1/MLB No. 19)
A 2024 second-rounder from Texas Christian, Tolle dominated in his pro debut last year, racing from High-A to Boston on the strength of an unhittable fastball that averages 96 mph and touches 101 with elite extension (7 1/2 feet) in his delivery. Among Minor Leaguers with 90 or more 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). But after making the Red Sox playoff roster, he got squeezed out by the offseason additions of Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez and Johan Oviedo.
Yankees: Carlos Lagrange, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 79)
Lagrange opened eyes this spring by striking out Aaron Judge with a 103-mph fastball during live batting practice and also has a sweeping mid-80s slider, an upper-80s cutter and a low-90s changeup in his arsenal. Signed for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, he posted a 3.53 ERA last year between High-A and Double-A while finishing third in the Minors in strikeouts (168 in 120 innings) and strikeout rate (33 percent).
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Guardians: Travis Bazzana, 2B (No. 1/MLB No. 20)
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft out of Oregon State reached Triple-A at the end of his first full pro season and will start his second there, with his big league debut on the not-too-distant horizon. He slashed .246/.383/.430 between the top two levels of the Minors a year ago while dealing with an oblique strain, numbers that don't fully attest to his plate discipline, hitting ability and plus raw power.
Royals: Luinder Avila, RHP (No. 9)
Avila debuted for the Royals last August and posted a 1.29 ERA with 16 strikeouts and six walks over 14 relief innings in the Majors but was unable to secure a spot back in Kansas City this spring, part of which he spent as a member of Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic-winning staff. The Royals plan to use him as a multi-inning arm with Omaha -- someone who gets starts but doesn’t have a full starter’s workload in order to preserve the rotation and bullpen routes for him back to the bigs. Avila’s best pitch remains his low-80s curveball, and he was showing a pair of 96-97 mph fastballs in limited Cactus League looks.
Tigers: Max Clark, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 10)
Though he wasn’t truly competing for an MLB spot, Clark got off to a slow start in 2026 by going 2-for-18 (.111) over 10 Grapefruit League games. What he’s shown much more consistently throughout his career are good discipline and swing decisions that make him a potential plus hitter from the left side, and his plus-plus speed makes him a superb defender in center field. (Pay no mind to his issues in left, where he was learning new angles off the bat earlier this spring.) He started to show more power (14 homers) with the right stance adjustments in 2025, and if those hold in his first move to Triple-A Toledo, he could join Kevin McGonigle in Detroit by the All-Star break.
Twins: Walker Jenkins, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 14)
Jenkins headlines what is going to be a fun lineup in St. Paul, with fellow Top 100 prospects Kaelen Culpepper and Emmanuel Rodriguez joining Jenkins, the club's 2023 first-round pick. He’s produced whenever he’s been on the field, but injuries have prevented him from playing more than 84 games in either of his two full seasons and a hamstring strain kept him from getting more Grapefruit League at-bats this spring. Even with that, he’s playing at the highest level at age 21 and his hit+power combination could get him to the big leagues at some point this season.
White Sox: Noah Schultz, LHP (No. 2/MLB No. 49)
Though his stuff, control and prospect stock all regressed a bit while he battled tendinitis in his right knee throughout last season, Schultz struck out 76 in 73 innings between Double-A and Triple-A and still has one of the highest ceilings among all pitching prospects in the Minors. When the 2022 first-rounder from a suburban Chicago high school is 100 percent, he throws wipeout low-80s sliders with huge sweep and mid-90s fastballs that reach 99 mph.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Angels: Nelson Rada, OF (No. 3)
A light seemed to flip on for Rada last year at Triple-A, which he got to at age 19, hitting .323 with a .433 OBP and 20 steals in 42 games for Salt Lake City. He kept doing Rada-like things in big league camp this spring, hitting .294 (5-for-17) with a .500 OBP and four steals in 10 games. He’ll need to keep working on impacting the baseball in the air more, but he’s only 20 for nearly all of this season, so he could develop into a table-setting regular at the big league level.
Astros: Zach Cole, OF (No. 11)
Since signing as a 10th-rounder out of Ball State in 2022, Cole has displayed some of the best all-around tools and highest strikeout percentages in the Astros' system. Houston's 2025 Minor League player of the year, he compiled a .917 OPS with a 35 percent strikeout rate between Double-A and Triple-A, then posted an .880 OPS with four homers and a 38 percent K rate in 15 games in the Majors. He features plus speed, well-above-average raw power and double-plus arm strength.
A’s: Gage Jump, LHP (No. 3/MLB No. 57)
The Angels’ pick in Competitive Balance Round B out of Louisiana State in 2024, Jump leapt on the fast track when he spent most of his first full season at Double-A. The 2025 All-Star Futures Game participant is now No. 9 on the Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects list and allowed just two runs over 9 2/3 innings in Cactus League action this spring. The A’s don’t hesitate to move guys and he could be among the first starters called upon when there’s a need in the big leagues.
Mariners: Colt Emerson, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 9)
Emerson got as much playing time as any Mariners position player in big league camp this spring as he was competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster, and he certainly handled himself well with an .828 OPS in 47 plate appearances while playing a very capable shortstop. But rather than use him as a short-term fill-in until J.P. Crawford is healthy enough to return, the Mariners sent the 20-year-old Emerson down, where he can play every day for Tacoma and wait for the phone to ring.
Rangers: Jose Corniell, RHP (No. 4)
Acquired from the Mariners in a December 2020 trade for Rafael Montero, Corniell won Rangers Minor League pitcher of the year accolades in 2023 but lost all of the following season to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He returned to record a 1.89 ERA with a 41/9 K/BB ratio in 38 innings between three Minor League stops last season before making a single appearance with Texas. He showed more four-seam fastball velocity than ever in the Arizona Fall League, working at 95-97 mph and topping out at 99, and his low-80s sweeper gave him a solid second offering.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: JR Ritchie, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 90)
The 22-year-old right-hander started last year’s All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta and it shouldn’t be long before he calls Truist Park home for good. He pitched his way to Triple-A last season and finished with 140 total innings, then posted a 2.25 ERA with 14 K’s over 12 Grapefruit League innings this spring. The Braves are having injury issues with their big league rotation, and while we would have loved to see Ritchie be an option right out of the gate, look for him to pitch well enough to be someone they turn to soon.
Marlins: Robby Snelling, LHP (No. 2/MLB No. 39)
Thomas White may be battling a right oblique strain, but Jacksonville still can roll out another southpaw from the Top 100 Prospects list in Snelling, who ranked fourth in the Minors in strikeouts (166 in 136 innings) and strikeout minus walk rate (23 percent) and fifth in ERA (2.51) last year. Acquired from the Padres in a 2024 trade for Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing, he finished last season with the Jumbo Shrimp, helping them win the International League and Triple-A National championships. He operates with a 93-96 mph fastball that reaches 100, two versions of an 82-85 mph slider and an upper-80s changeup.
Mets: Jonah Tong, RHP (No. 3/MLB No. 48)
Just one season ago, Tong was named the MiLB Pitching Prospect of the Year after posting a 1.43 ERA with 179 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings between Double-A and High-A. His Major League time was rough (7.71 ERA), however, in part because of a reliance on his plus-plus fastball and impressive changeup. He’s worked to add a cutter this spring, and early results there are mixed. Finding a quality gloveside pitch back in Syracuse, where he only made two starts in 2025, will be necessary for him to push back toward Flushing.
Nationals: Luis Perales, RHP (No. 6)
Considering how much of the new front office comes from the Red Sox, the new Nationals brass knew what they were getting in Perales when they acquired the 22-year-old from Boston in December for lefty Jake Bennett. Namely, a ton of velocity and upside. Coming off Tommy John surgery, Perales averaged 99.1 mph on his fastball in the Arizona Fall League before the trade, and he leaned on his low-90s cutter just as much to give his power stuff a different shape. He threw the Nats’ six fastest pitches in the Grapefruit League, ranging from 99 to 100.5 mph, so he’s certainly checking the velo box in ‘26. Holding onto it while showing enough control to be a starter in Rochester will be huge.
Phillies: Jean Cabrera, RHP (No. 15)
The top bats expected to be in Lehigh Valley -- top prospect Aidan Miller and No. 8 Gabriel Rincones -- who could have competed for big league spots if healthy – will both begin the year on the shelf, due to a bad back and knees respectively. Cabrera is coming off a solid year with Double-A Reading, leading the Eastern League in average-against (.214) while finishing fourth in ERA (3.81) and fifth in WHIP (1.23). He started the Phillies’ first Spring Breakout game this year and allowed just one hit over two scoreless innings against the Twins.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers: Jett Williams, SS/2B/OF (No. 3/MLB No. 51)
Acquired from the Mets in the Freddy Peralta deal this offseason, Williams was limited to only nine Cactus League games in his first spring as a Brewer because of a left quad injury. He got back up to speed fairly quickly after his March 12 return and now has something to prove in his first season in his new organization. With near plus-plus speed, Williams can live up to his first name, and he gets to a decent amount of power despite his 5-foot-7 frame because of his lift-and-pull tendencies. He has experience at shortstop and center field but is expected to be a priority second baseman in Nashville with some third base mixed in as Milwaukee searches for a Major League defensive home befitting of his athleticism.
Cardinals: Joshua Báez, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 87)
Báez put his major contact issues in the past and broke out with 20 homers and 54 steals across High-A and Double-A in 2025. That earned him a spot on both the Top 100 and the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, and after he continued to show more power this spring, there were even some calls from fans for him to jump straight to the bigs as St. Louis’ Opening Day right fielder. The Cardinals have cautioned that they still want to see the 6-foot-3 right-handed slugger dominate Triple-A before getting that aggressive with him, but with his mechanical adjustments and loud contact, it may not be a long stay in Memphis anyway.
Cubs: Jaxon Wiggins, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 58)
Wiggins missed his entire 2023 junior season at Arkansas before the Cubs selected him in the supplemental second round that July, and he has regained his stuff while displaying better control than ever before. He compiled a 2.19 ERA, .161 average-against and 31 percent strikeout rate while advancing from High-A to Triple-A in 2025, overmatching hitters with a 96-98 mph fastball that tops out at 101 and an upper-80s slider that reaches 93 with significant depth.
Pirates: Konnor Griffin, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 1)
Sure, we’re a little disappointed the top prospect in baseball didn’t make the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, but as Griffin said himself, this is still a promotion for a teenager who has only played 21 regular-season games above A ball and has just one year of pro ball under his belt. Look for him to get back to using all five tools consistently and force his way to Pittsburgh sooner rather than later while getting his work in with Indianapolis.
Reds: Héctor Rodríguez, OF (No. 6)
Originally signed by the Mets and sent to the Reds in 2022, Rodríguez has pretty much hit everywhere he’s been, including finishing 2025 with a 118 wRC+ and 19 homers while reaching Triple-A for the first time at age 21. He was added to the 40-man roster during the offseason and had an .879 OPS in the Dominican Winter League. He didn’t do much with his 19 Cactus League plate appearances, but he should go back to Louisville and keep on raking.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-backs: Ryan Waldschmidt, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 59)
Seen as a potential dark horse to crack the D-backs’ MLB outfield for the first time, the 2024 31st overall pick will instead head to Triple-A for the first time. He could put up big power numbers at Reno’s elevation, and he has the discipline and above-average speed to build a well-rounded offensive profile in his second full season. Worth watching: Waldschmidt moved to center field at Double-A last season, and he’s expected to get more priority looks in the middle of the grass in 2026.
Dodgers: River Ryan, RHP (No. 6)
Stolen from the Padres in a 2022 trade for Matt Beaty, Ryan posted a 1.33 ERA in four big league starts in 2024 before blowing out his elbow and having Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of last season. Fully healthy again, he has a six-pitch arsenal fronted by a 95-100 mph four-seam fastball with big carry and a tight upper-80s slider. They're both plus pitches, and his 82-85 mph curveball and a low-90s cutter show flashes of becoming the same.
Giants: Bryce Eldridge, 1B (No. 1/MLB No. 25)
The best two-way prospect and the 16th overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Eldridge has focused on hitting and become the best power prospect in baseball. Though wrist and hamstring injuries slowed him in 2025, he still drilled 25 homers in 100 games between Double-A and Triple-A before becoming the youngest position player in The Show (at age 20) upon making his MLB debut in mid-September.
Padres: Jase Bowen, OF (unranked)
After spending seven seasons in the Pirates' system, Bowen signed a Minor League deal with the Padres in November and turned some heads by going 16-for-54 (.296) with four homers and six doubles in 25 Cactus League games. His 16 hits, 10 extra-base knocks and seven steals led all Padres position players in Spring Training. Bowen aggressively expanded the zone with Triple-A Indianapolis last season, so if he can keep that in check, he has the other offensive tools and defensive versatility at all three outfield spots to push for a debut in his second organizational home.
Rockies: Charlie Condon, 1B (No. 2/MLB No. 70)
First it was a right hand injury after he signed. Then a broken wrist suffered in his first Spring Training hampered him. Even when he made it to the Arizona Fall League and hit .337, it was without any power. Well, it looks like the real Charlie Condon showed up this spring, and after posting a 1.175 OPS with seven extra-base hits (three homers) in 20 Cactus League games, we can’t wait to see what kind of numbers he can put up for Albuquerque.