HOUSTON -- As Joe Espada aspired to be a big league manager, he dreamed of one day making a future player’s call-up to the Major Leagues a special moment.

The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now

The excitement of not one but two Opening Days this week -- MLB on Thursday, Triple-A on Friday -- drives the discussion on the latest edition of the Pipeline Podcast.

There was no better situation for Alex Lodise to record his first collegiate cycle. Amid a back-and-forth ninth inning for Florida State, Lodise clobbered a no-doubt grand slam to secure an 8-4 walk-off victory Tuesday night. As the ball drifted over the right-field wall, the Seminoles shortstop tossed his bat

SAN FRANCISCO -- When Jackson Jobe took the mound against the Giants at Oracle Park on Tuesday night in the Tigers’ final exhibition game ahead of the 2025 season, he did so knowing he was on the cusp of a golden opportunity.

This story was excerpted from MLB Pipeline's newsletter. Subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ARLINGTON -- Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter headlined the best rotation in college baseball at Vanderbilt in 2021. Four years later, they’ll round out the Rangers’ rotation on Opening Day.

Here is the latest on injuries and roster moves involving MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects:

CHICAGO -- There have been the Three Amigos, the Three Tenors, the longtime famous Three Stooges and now .. the three top White Sox pitching prospects working together at Double-A Birmingham. Okay, the name is still a work in progress. But what was expected for a few weeks during Spring

With Spring Training reaching the home stretch, teams are beginning the process of finalizing their Opening Day rosters. A number of the game's up-and-coming prospects remain in the mix for big league jobs at this critical juncture, vying for final roster spots that have yet to be decided upon. Here’s

ANAHEIM -- This time last year, Ryan Johnson was a junior at Dallas Baptist University with scant college experience. On Tuesday, he officially became a Major Leaguer. The Angels announced that Johnson, a 22-year-old right-hander whom they drafted in the second round last year, will break camp with the big

When the Astros acquired Cam Smith in the Kyle Tucker trade in December, the idea was that he'd need at least most of this season in the Minors before taking over the third-base job in Houston. But his Grapefruit League performance has radically altered those initial plans. After Smith batted

One of the joys of the offseason is poring over prospect rankings. Of course, there is no One True Prospects List handed down from the baseball heavens -- each list has its own set of preferences and biases. Some people prefer upside while others put a premium on proximity to

MONTERREY, Mexico -- Not long before Kristian Campbell boarded the Red Sox’s team charter to Mexico on Sunday, marking his first time out of the United States, manager Alex Cora gave him a pop quiz. Could Campbell name other MLB players who went to Georgia Tech?

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Major League Opening Day is set for Thursday, but the Minors get rolling right after that, with Triple-A getting under way on Friday. As the Twins set their roster for the big league team’s season, plans are also coming into place for prospects.

MONTERREY, Mexico -- With many fans decked out in Red Sox jerseys (number 34 seemed to be a particular favorite) and a mascot wearing a giant sombrero, there was an atmosphere at Estadio Mobil Super that was intoxicating to all those in attendance on Monday night. Salsa and American music

HOUSTON -- Standing at the base of the Astros’ dugout steps, Cam Smith, with his bat tucked under his left arm, took a few steps up, pulled on a bright orange batting glove and cracked a wide smile as he headed out for his first batting practice at Daikin Park

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Athletics wrapped up Spring Training with Monday’s Cactus League finale against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch. They will now return to their new temporary home of West Sacramento for a couple of days to settle in before heading to Seattle for Opening Day against the

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chase Meidroth will not open the 2025 season as the starting shortstop for the White Sox. In fact, Meidroth will begin the year at Triple-A Charlotte, which he was told by manager Will Venable and the White Sox front office before Monday’s final Cactus League game against

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Call it the Tito effect.

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles have developed their franchise cornerstone catcher in Adley Rutschman. They’ve developed a top-two shortstop in baseball in Gunnar Henderson and a former No. 1 overall prospect at second base in Jackson Holliday. They’re developing big boppers Samuel Basallo (BAL No. 1/MLB No. 13) and Coby

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- There's bad luck, and then there's the bad luck endured by several of the Blue Jays' top pitching prospects in 2024. Landen Maroudis and Brandon Barriera -- two of the club's current top 15 prospects -- underwent elbow surgeries early last year, knocking them out for the

MONTERREY, Mexico -- Kristian Campbell’s meteoric rise through the Red Sox’s farm system culminated in MLB Pipeline’s No. 7 overall prospect being informed by the club on Sunday he will be on the team’s Opening Day roster, a source told MLB.com. The right-handed hitter earned his promotion less than two

PEORIA, Ariz. -- With one day left in Spring Training for the Mariners, a couple of significant roster decisions remain, though Sunday brought more clarity when a veteran outfielder beloved in the Pacific Northwest for his meritorious contributions to the franchise was released. When the Mariners announced that they had

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Tarik Skubal’s defense of his American League Cy Young Award officially begins Thursday at Dodger Stadium, but the Tigers left-hander already has some new gold going into Opening Day, courtesy of future teammate Max Clark. Skubal mentioned on a podcast during Spring Training that he wouldn’t mind