MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2026 Top 100 Prospects list at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 23, with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position.
“If he’s going to be a first baseman, he’s going to have to hit.”
It’s a common refrain that comes up in discussions with scouts, coaches, executives and anyone connected with baseball. If you’re going to play the cold corner, you have to bring the lumber. In 2025, first basemen accounted for 709 homers, beating out every other on-field positional group by at least 20. (Designated hitters totaled 827.) They also led in OBP (.326), slugging percentage (.429), OPS (.754) and total bases (7,766).
A lot of that value needing to come from the bat stems from the fact that first base is the lowest on the defensive spectrum totem pole. But last year also proved that young first basemen can be valuable quickly should their bats translate. Athletics star Nick Kurtz, who ranked third on last year’s Top 10 first-base prospects list, was named the American League Rookie of the Year after slashing .290/.383/.619 with 36 homers in 117 games.
Could there be any future Rookie of the Year candidates on this year’s Top 10 first-base ranking? Seven of the 10 have ETAs of 2026, and two (Sal Stewart, Bryce Eldridge) already have Major League experience.
The Top 10 (ETA)
- Sal Stewart, Reds (2026)
- Bryce Eldridge, Giants (2026)
- Charlie Condon, Rockies (2026)
- Ralphy Velazquez, Guardians (2027)
- Ryan Clifford, Mets (2026)
- Cam Collier, Reds (2027)
- Jonathon Long, Cubs (2026)
- Luke Adams, Brewers (2026)
- Xavier Isaac, Rays (2027)
- Tre’ Morgan, Rays (2026)
Complete list »
Top tools
Hit: Stewart (60)
Stewart hasn’t posted a strikeout rate higher than 17 percent at any of his Minor League full-season stops since he was taken 32nd overall in 2022, though there was a small blip after his MLB debut last season. He hit the ball so hard in that first taste of The Show (52.5 percent hard-hit rate, 107.4 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity) that he can trade a few strikeouts for more rockets in play and still be a .300-average threat.
Power: Eldridge (70)
The 6-foot-7 lefty hitter is as pure a slugger as you’ll find on this or any prospect list. He’s combined to hit 48 homers over his last two Minor League seasons, and he should just be getting going as he enters his age-21 campaign. Eldridge had a 108.5 mph 90th-percentile EV at Triple-A in 2025, 10th-best among batters with at least 150 batted-ball events -- despite being almost 7 years younger than the average player at the level -- and his 95.7 mph average EV in the Majors was better than Aaron Judge’s 95.4, albeit in a much smaller sample. Eldridge has 40-homer potential if he can make enough contact to get to that prodigious pop consistently.
Run: Morgan (50)
This isn’t a very fleet-a-foot position on the diamond, but Morgan at least gives opposing defenses something to think about. He stole 20 bags in his first full season of 2024 and added eight more in 92 games with Triple-A Durham last year.
Arm: Eldridge, Collier (60)
First basemen also aren’t called upon to use their arms often, but there are a few cannons here. Eldridge worked 92-96 mph with his fastball as an amateur, and Collier is expected to still get some looks at third base because his arm strength can work at the hot corner.
Field: Morgan (70)
The former LSU star is the best defensive first baseman of his prospect generation. You might remember him best for his play on a squeeze bunt at the 2023 College World Series, and he’s retained his soft hands, quick reactions and impressive dexterity during his first two full seasons in the Tampa Bay system. There’s potential for multiple Gold Gloves here, if his bat can carve out an everyday opportunity.
Superlatives
Highest ceiling: Eldridge
Eldridge’s power gives him All-Star potential, and considering how quickly he zoomed to the Majors before his 21st birthday, he still deserves plenty of time and space to make the most of that elite skill. His high whiff rate against non-fastballs and high strikeout rates overall in 2025 set off enough alarm bells to knock him down from the top spot on this list, but on pure talent alone, he is still very much in the conversation.
Highest floor: Stewart
We’ve already seen Stewart take well to the Majors with a .255/.293/.545 line, five homers and a 124 wRC+ in 18 games with the Reds. Despite a high chase rate, he still hit the ball plenty hard, and he may only need more exposure to Major League pitching to get that approach to improve to a level we saw more commonly in the Minors.
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Rookie of the Year candidate: Stewart
The 22-year-old has seen time at second and third base during his career but was primarily a first baseman during his time up with Cincinnati last year because that’s his clearest route to playing time. He could still fit in at either spot or fulfill DH duties, should the Reds prefer Spencer Steer at the cold corner. In any event, Stewart should be up with Cincy on Opening Day with the chance to produce above-average overall offensive numbers across 500+ plate appearances (assuming health). That’ll always move the ROY needle.
Highest riser: Long
Increased power at Double-A and in the Arizona Fall League in 2024 certainly put Long on the national radar heading into last season, but he helped his standing take another jump by hitting .305/.404/.479 with 20 homers in 140 games for Triple-A Iowa. He grades out well for his swing decisions and raw power, and that has him knocking on the door of Wrigley entering his third full season.
Humblest beginnings: Adams
Adams looked headed to Michigan State until the Brewers called his name in the 12th round of the 2022 Draft. Milwaukee signed him for $282,500 (sixth-round money) to keep him away from the Spartans and have watched him climb as an OBP and HBP machine to Double-A through his age-21 season.
Most to prove: Condon
It hasn’t been a dream start to the 2024 Golden Spikes Award winner’s career since he went third overall to the Rockies. A hand injury stifled his production after the Draft, and he was set back initially by a broken wrist suffered in his first Spring Training. His performance was solid across High-A, Double-A and the Arizona Fall League but lacked the electricity he displayed at the plate at Georgia, where he clubbed 37 homers and slugged 1.009 as a junior. A fully healthy return to the Minors will give us a clearer window into where he stands in the Colorado and overall prospect hierarchy.
Keep an eye on: Blake Burke
A member of Tennessee’s first title-winning team in 2024, Burke went to the Brewers with the 34th overall pick in 2024 on the strength of his plus-plus raw power. That didn't play in games early on in his first full season with only five homers in 95 games with High-A Wisconsin, but a switch flipped after an early August promotion to Double-A Biloxi, where he went deep 11 times in only 37 games. Burke cut his ground-ball rate by 10 points at the higher level, and the improved launch was a big factor in his power turnaround. The lefty masher will try to keep that momentum in his age-23 campaign and should push to join Adams on this list whenever we need the next Top 10 1B replacement.