Here are the Top 10 right-handed pitching prospects for 2026

MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2026 Top 100 Prospects list 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.

Last year’s Top 10 right-handed pitchers list was focused on Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki, his arrival stateside and the questions about what he could bring to an already loaded Los Angeles roster.

This time around, you might be a lot more familiar with the names up top.

Nolan McLean (Mets), Bubba Chandler (Pirates) and Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays) sit atop MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 RHP list to begin 2026 after each saw time in the Majors last year. McLean was the Mets’ de facto ace down the stretch, and Yesavage grabbed headlines by setting the rookie record for strikeouts in a World Series game with 12 against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the Fall Classic. Even Chandler, after an uneven Triple-A season, looked like a key piece of the Pittsburgh puzzle with a 1.08 ERA, 19 strikeouts and zero walks in his final three MLB starts (16 2/3 innings).

Others on the list will look to join that top trio in making an MLB impact in 2026. Jonah Tong also made his debut in The Show alongside McLean in the Mets rotation, and Andrew Painter (Phillies), Jaxon Wiggins (Cubs) and Carlos Lagrange (Yankees) should be knocking on the door, if not busting it down, this spring and summer. Ryan Sloan (Mariners) and Seth Hernandez (Pirates) are just getting their careers going, while Travis Sykora (Nationals) will likely miss much of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in an otherwise dominant ‘25 campaign. In all, 18 right-handed pitchers (and one switch pitcher) will appear on the preseason Top 100 list to be released at the end of next week, but for now, here are the Top 10:

The Top 10 (ETA)

1. Nolan McLean, Mets (2026)
2. Bubba Chandler, Pirates (2026)
3. Trey Yesavage, Blue Jays (2026)
4. Andrew Painter, Phillies (2026)
5. Seth Hernandez, Pirates (2028)
6. Ryan Sloan, Mariners (2028)
7. Jonah Tong, Mets (2026)
8. Travis Sykora, Nationals (2028)
9. Jaxon Wiggins, Cubs (2026)
10. Carlos Lagrange, Yankees (2026)
    Complete list »

Top tools

Fastball: Chandler, Painter, Hernandez, Tong, Wiggins, Lagrange (70)
Heaters aren’t judged on velocity alone, though you’ll find a few triple-digit options in this group. For example, Chandler’s four-seamer, which was voted second-best among prospects by baseball executives, averaged 97.8 mph in Triple-A but generated a lot of whiffs because of a flat approach angle that buzzed it above many International League bats. Tong, he of the over-the-top delivery and massive extension for his size, averaged 18.7 inches of ride on his four-seamer, making it play above its 94-97 mph velo range. If you are in it for the heat alone, look to Lagrange, who touched 103 last year.

Curveball: McLean, Hernandez (60)
McLean’s curveball is already the spinniest in baseball; its average of 3,248 rpm was highest among all MLB pitches last year. The deuce comes with a lot of sweep too (18.7 inches on average), and that extreme movement can make it difficult to zone at times, knocking it down from a plus-plus pitch to a plus one. (He has plenty of other pitches at his disposal.) Hernandez, last year’s sixth overall pick, has more of a 12-to-6 option in this category, but his curveball comes with tons of spin in its own right, along with tight action that could help him thrive quickly in the pros.

Slider: McLean (70)
There’s the Mets prospect again. Technically, we’re talking about McLean’s mid-80s sweeper here -- a breaker with 16-17 inches of horizontal break on average and 2,929 rpm of spin during his time in the Majors. McLean’s best pitch plays off his mid-90s sinker by mirroring its break in the opposite direction, and he’ll use it against righties and lefties alike.

Changeup: Chandler, Hernandez, Sloan, Tong (60)
The debate over the best changeup in the Pirates rotation (non-splinker division) could be a fun one in a few years. Chandler already has a leg up; his 90-93 mph cambio had a 39.6 percent whiff rate in the Majors, thanks to the way he sells it with arm speed and the separation he generates off his aforementioned four-seamer. Hernandez’s change was one of the best overall pitches in last year’s Draft, and he’s much more confident in it than your typical prep arm. The other two are a little funkier. Tong moved his Vulcan grip to the horseshoe of the baseball to great effect, aiding his push to the Majors, while Sloan has a sinking kick change that helped avoid splits issues against lefties.

Splitter: Yesavage (70)
You could make a case that Yesavage’s splitter is the best in baseball. From his sky-high release point, Yesavage can really fool batters with his 82-85 mph splitter, a pitch that looks like it’s dropping from the ceiling of the Rogers Centre. It comes with roughly 10-11 mph of separation from his fastball too, and that helped it generate a whiff rate of 58.4 percent between the regular season and postseason in The Show.

Cutter: McLean (55)
For all the talk of his spin, McLean can also wedge in an 89-92 mph cutter for early strikes that puts him ahead in counts and lets the louder stuff speak for whiff and chase.

Control: Painter, Hernandez, Sloan (55)
Painter’s control wasn’t at the same level as it was pre-Tommy John surgery with a 9.7 percent walk rate at Triple-A in 2025, but there’s hope he could still find his fastball command with a steadier, more consistent arm slot moving forward. Sloan’s walk rate was stellar at 4.5 percent over 82 innings in his first full season, and if he holds that over longer outings in ‘26 and beyond, that would help his argument as a future frontline starter. Hernandez already repeats his delivery well at 6-foot-4, and it’ll be interesting to follow how much he can hone his control in a Bucs system known for its pitching development.

Superlatives

Highest ceiling: McLean
The New York right-hander already looked like a current stud with a 2.06 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 48 innings during his first run in the Majors, and his deep arsenal and incredible metrics give him rare No. 1 upside.

Highest floor: Yesavage
Let’s put it plainly -- if everyone in this group retired tomorrow, only one would have a World Series gem on his résumé. Sure, there are some questions whether Yesavage’s three-pitch, all-armside mix can hold its effectiveness as Major Leaguers see it more and more, but it’s also already worked against the likes of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani on the game’s biggest stages.

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Rookie of the Year candidate: McLean/Yesavage
Cheating a little here, but there are two leagues, meaning there are two Rookies of the Year and we can make two picks. While pitchers often face an uphill awards battle against their position-player compatriots, McLean and Yesavage have already shown that their stuff plays against MLB bats, and depending on other moves and general health, they could be No. 2 starters for competitive teams in New York and Toronto all summer.

Highest riser & Humblest beginning: Lagrange
Lagrange signed for only $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in February 2022 when he was 18 years old. Four years later, the 6-foot-7 right-hander is a Top 100 prospect after a breakout 2025 season in which he finished third in the Minors with 168 strikeouts over 120 innings at High-A and Double-A. His previous career high for frames in a season was 41 2/3, set in 2023.

Most to prove: Painter
Last spring, the Phillies told anyone who would listen that they were circling July as the time for Painter’s MLB debut in 2025. That never came to pass as the 22-year-old couldn’t find consistent enough results to press the issue. The jump to Triple-A and the workload after missing two years with elbow issues and Tommy John rehab/recovery could certainly explain Painter’s issues, but he won’t have the same excuses in 2026. It’ll be full go time for the 2021 13th overall pick.

Keep an eye on: Kyson Witherspoon, Red Sox
Boston oversaw big breakouts from Payton Tolle and Connelly Early in 2025. (That’s a preview for a future Top 10 list.) That makes the organization’s pick of Witherspoon with the 15th overall pick in July all the more intriguing. The former Oklahoma ace has plenty of power with a mid-90s fastball that can touch 99, though getting a little more life out of it could be a project in ‘26, and he has a deep mix with a curveball, slider, cutter and changeup to go with it. In other words, there is a lot for the Red Sox pitching group to work with in Witherspoon’s first full season.