From 16 to 26, here is the best prospect at each age
Ben Weinrib
@benweinribWith the World Series over and the Arizona Fall League wrapping up, now is a good time to take stock of an exciting year in prospectdom.
In October, MLB Pipeline released its updated Top 100 Prospects list, which featured several big changes at the top, but we're going to take a look at baseball's best young talent from another angle. In the same spirit as Will Leitch's recurring column, let's break down the best prospects for each age.
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As an added twist, we're going to consider any baseball player who has not exceeded his rookie eligibility. That means we're including international teenagers, foreign professionals, high schoolers and college players.
So how do upcoming Draft prospects and stars of the World Baseball Classic compare to players already in the Minors? Let's count up from 16 to 26.
16: Grady Emerson, SS, Argyle HS (Texas)
While it's early to have any certainty about the 2026 Draft, Emerson is checking many of the boxes needed to become a No. 1 pick. One of just two players in his Draft class to make USA Baseball's U-18 World Cup team, the high school junior has routinely come up big in three appearances representing his country. The Texas A&M commit has the potential for plus power and hit tools with a fluid, simple left-handed swing, and he has the arm strength to play on the left side of the infield.
Runner-up: Cris Rodriguez, OF, Dominican Republic (International No. 3)
17: Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater HS (Okla.)
Holliday is one of the most famous high school hitters in years, thanks to his Major League father (seven-time All-Star Matt) and brother (2023 No. 1 overall prospect Jackson), but Ethan is living up to the hype as the 2025 Draft's top high school prospect. The younger Holliday is taller (6-foot-4) and stronger than his older brother (6 feet) and may end up a better hitter because of a power potential. The Oklahoma State commit is trending toward having to move off shortstop to third base because of his size, but his offensive upside will play at any position.
Runner-up: Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, SS, Dominican Republic (International No. 1)
18: Ethan Salas, C, Padres (SD No. 1/MLB No. 19)
Salas' star has faded a bit after he hit just .206/.288/.311 for High-A Fort Wayne. However, the top international prospect from 2023 is still immensely talented and well ahead of schedule. He receives strong grades defensively, and his quality of contact figures to improve with age. Playing such a demanding position means there's no major rush to hurry him to the Majors as a teenager, but he's got tremendous potential and the maturity to handle tough assignments. He maintains a narrow edge over fellow No. 1 international prospect Leodalis De Vries, who is only 4 months younger.
Runner-up: Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers (TEX No. 1/MLB No. 23)
Jenkins bounced back well after missing the first month-and-a-half of 2024 due to a left hamstring strain sustained while making a running catch at the wall. The fifth overall pick in 2023 earned a pair of promotions to Double-A Wichita and slashed .282/.394/.439 with more walks (56) than strikeouts (47). While he only has nine professional homers in 483 plate appearances, it's clear that more power is on the way. The upside of plus hit and power tools in center field makes him the best teenage prospect in baseball.
Anthony's meteoric rise has brought him to Triple-A Worcester, where he was the youngest player at the level at the time of his promotion. The 2022 supplemental second-rounder was actually more productive with the WooSox (.344/.463/.519) than for Double-A Portland (.269/.367/.489) and continues to flex impressive exit velocities. Anthony has the speed and instincts to stick in center field for now, but given Boston's other elite defenders already in the outfield, he'll fit well in Fenway Park's spacious right.
Runner-up: Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Orioles (BAL No. 2/MLB No. 13)
Williams is rolling in defensive accolades as the 2024 Minor League Defensive Player of the Year and a 2022 Minor League Gold Glove Award winner. But he has plenty of offensive potential as well. He's put up consecutive 20/20 campaigns and has even more power from the right side to tap into, although strikeouts remain an issue. Still, no-doubt shortstops don't grow on trees, especially ones with his offensive profile.
Crews is the complete package, with above average-or-better tools across the board. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 Draft had his fair share of learning moments in 31 Major League games last fall but showed flashes of brilliance with his quality of contact (30.5 percent squared-up rate, 88th percentile, had he qualified), arm strength (89.6 mph average competitive throw, 83rd percentile) and sprint speed (29.3 ft/sec, 93rd percentile). Still, it's easy to see him taking a leap in his first full season in the big leagues, since former LSU Tiger has the plate discipline to maximize his powerful bat and star potential.
23: Roki Sasaki, RHP, Chiba Lotte Marines
At long last, Sasaki is set to come stateside, where he would immediately become MLB's No. 1 prospect. The 6-foot-2 hurler has been one of baseball's most hyped prospects anywhere since he was a junior in high school and continues to live up to the hype. Given his age and four seasons of professional experience, he will be subject to international free agent rules that will cap his earnings to a couple million dollars. If he waited two more years, he would seem likely to dwarf the $325 million contract that fellow Japanese righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned in January. Sasaki's fastball has touched 103 mph, although his velocity is down two ticks this season. Still, when healthy, his stuff has been on par with any amateur prospect in recent memory, led by a double-plus splitter and plus slider that is particularly effective against righties.
Runner-up: Brandon Sproat, RHP, Mets (NYM No. 1/MLB No. 40)
24: Kumar Rocker, RHP, Texas Rangers (TEX No. 2/MLB No. 58)
Rocker has dominated at every level. A potential first-rounder out of high school, he instead went to Vanderbilt, where he tossed a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman and went on to strike out 321 batters across 236 2/3 innings. The hulking right-hander has that same dominant stuff -- three plus pitches led by a 70-grade slider -- but the lingering question is health after he underwent shoulder surgery in September 2021 and Tommy John in May 2023. Having already made his big league debut in September, he'll put his top-notch repertoire and durability to the test in 2025.
Runner-up: Munetaka Murakami, OF, Yakult Swallows
25: Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Pirates (PIT No. 4/MLB No. 85)
The Pirates are quickly building a pitching factory with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones starring in the Majors and Bubba Chandler emerging as one of the top pitching prospects in the Minors. But don't sleep on Ashcraft, whose stuff has taken a leap since he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021. The 2018 second-rounder uses a promising four-pitch mix and an athletic delivery to maintain excellent strikeout-to-walk ratios and whiff rates -- particularly on his slider. Ashcraft's 73 innings this season were a career high, so durability remains a question, but he has mid-rotation upside.
Runner-up: Will Warren, RHP, Yankees (NYY No. 5)
26: River Ryan, RHP, Dodgers (LAD No. 5)
Ryan cracked the Top 100 Prospects list and made his MLB debut before requiring Tommy John surgery in August that will likely sideline him for all of the 2025 season. Although he's older than most prospects, he's relatively new to focusing solely on pitching, since he was a two-way player as recently as his 2021 Draft year. When healthy, Ryan has three plus pitches headlined by a riding fastball and the potential to be a front-end starter. His control was improving before the injury, and that will be worth closely monitoring when he returns.
Runner-up: Nick Frasso, RHP, Dodgers (LAD No. 12)