MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2025 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 24, 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.

MLB.com has produced top 10 prospects rankings by position dating back to 2011, so we're up to 120 lists over 15 years now. Just twice has the same team featured the two best prospects at the same position in the same year.

Mariners outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodr¨ªguez were the first duo to accomplish the feat in 2021. Now White Sox left-handers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith join them four years later. Chicago turned its last three southpaw first-rounders -- Chris Sale (2010), Carlos Rod¨®n (2014), Garrett Crochet (2020) -- into All-Stars, and Schultz (2022) and Smith (2024) look to be on the same path.

For the fourth straight year, high schoolers outnumber collegians on the Top 10 Left-handed Pitching Prospects list. Schultz, Jackson Ferris (Cubs, second round, traded to the Dodgers) and Robby Snelling (Padres, supplemental first round, dealt to the Marlins) were all part of the 2022 prep class. The other high school arms are Thomas White (Marlins, supplemental first) and Alex Clemmey (Guardians, second, shipped to the Nationals) from 2023 and Cam Caminiti (Braves, first) from last year.

The three Top 10 lefties traded almost match the total of four from the other seven positions. Ferris was part of the Michael Busch/Yency Almonte deal last January, while Clemmey moved in the Lane Thomas swap and Snelling changed addresses in the Tanner Scott/Bryan Hoeing exchange at the Trade Deadline last July.

The Top 10 (ETA)
1. Noah Schultz, White Sox (2025)
2. Hagen Smith, White Sox (2026)
3. Thomas White, Marlins (2026)
4. Quinn Mathews, Cardinals (2025)
5. Jackson Ferris, Dodgers (2026)
6. Cam Caminiti, Braves (2028)
7. Justin Wrobleski, Dodgers (2025)
8. Carson Whisenhunt, Giants (2025)
9. Alex Clemmey, Nationals (2027)
10. Robby Snelling, Marlins (2025)
Complete list ?

Top Tools

Fastball: Smith (65)
Smith set an NCAA Division I record for strikeout rate (17.3 per nine innings) and also led the nation in average-against (.144) in 2024, thanks in large part to his fastball. He topped all college starters in heater overall (42 percent) and in-zone (39 percent) swing-and-miss rate, operating at 94-97 mph and touching 100 with his funky delivery and low release height creating plenty of deception and carry.

Curveball: Ferris (55)
Ferris still has the same solid upper-70s curveball that was his main breaking pitch in high school, though it wasn't quite as effective last year when he focused more on refining his slider. The Cubs originally taught him a low-80s sweeper before the Dodgers had him scrap it in favor of a tighter mid-80s slide piece.

Slider: Schultz (70)
Using his 6-foot-9 frame and low three-quarters arm slot, Schultz produces exceptional horizontal action on a wipeout breaking ball that continues to gain velocity and now sits in the low 80s and peaks at 88 mph. Double-A hitters batted .152 with 42 strikeouts in 102 plate appearances against his slider.

Changeup: Whisenhunt (70)
Though Whisenhunt struggled with the smaller strike zone and smaller ballparks in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League last year, his changeup continued to shine. He sells his tumbling 78-81 mph cambio with fastball arm speed and can manipulate its depth and shape, resulting in outlandish chase (49 percent) and swing-and-miss (47 percent) rates.

Control: Mathews, Schultz, Wrobleski (55)
Schultz has solid control, which is pretty amazing considering his size and youth, and sports a 153/30 K/BB ratio in 115 1/3 innings over two pro seasons. Mathews and Wrobleski are similar strike-throwers with deeper arsenals but not the same high-end stuff.

Superlatives

Highest ceiling: Schultz
Because of his build, arm slot and slider, Schultz has drawn comparisons to Randy Johnson since high school -- and he's a much more polished pitcher at the same stage of development. He won Double-A Southern League pitcher of the year accolades at age 20 and has posted a 2.03 ERA, .191 average-against and a 33 percent strikeout rate as a pro.

Highest floor: Schultz
Schultz has the best arsenal and control, and his command is as good as anyone on this list. His slider alone could make him a late-inning reliever.

Rookie of the Year candidate: Whisenhunt
Most of these lefties won't get much runway in the Majors this year. The two who figure to get the most opportunity are Whisenhunt, who finished second in the PCL with 135 strikeouts in 109 2/3 innings, and Mathews, who topped the Minors with 202 whiffs in 143 1/3 frames. Whisenhunt has the benefit of much more Triple-A experience and a shakier big league rotation in front of him, so he gets the nod.

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Highest riser: Mathews
A 2023 fourth-round pick out of Stanford who garnered much attention for his 156-pitch, 16-strikeout victory over Texas in the NCAA Super Regionals that June, Mathews ranked just 22nd on our Cardinals Top 30 entering his first full pro season. Now he's one of the best lefty prospects in baseball after rocketing to Triple-A and becoming the second Minor Leaguer in the past decade to reach 200 strikeouts in a season. He added about 3 mph to his now-mid-90s fastball and about 4 mph to his now-mid-80s slider, showing the ability to miss bats with both pitches as well as his plus low-80s changeup.

Humblest beginning: Wrobleski
Wrobleski blew out his elbow in 2021 at Oklahoma State, his third college in three years, and had Tommy John surgery two months before the Draft. The Dodgers signed him for a slightly above-slot $197,500 in the 11th round, nursed him back to health and saw his lively fastball jump from 90-93 mph with the Cowboys to 94-96 with a peak of 99. He mixes five pitches and provides plenty of strikes, giving him a high floor to go with a tantalizing ceiling.

Most to prove: Snelling
In 2023, Snelling posted a 1.82 ERA and a 28 percent strikeout rate while reaching Double-A as a 19-year-old in his first pro season. Last year, his fastball and slurve lost velocity and effectiveness as he got pounded for a 6.01 ERA before the Padres traded him to the Marlins. He bounced back somewhat after the deal, but which Snelling will show up in 2025?

Keep an eye on: Kash Mayfield, Padres
The 25th overall pick last July, Mayfield has a fastball that reaches 97 mph with run and carry and already possesses an advanced changeup in the low 80s that plummets at the plate. The Oklahoma high school product also has an upper-70s curveball that he commands well but needs better power and shape. He creates good extension in his delivery and provides plenty of strikes.