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Buy or Sell Konnor Griffin and Top MLB Prospects Making 2026 Opening Day Roster
Spring training is not particularly meaningful for veteran MLB players who already have jobs. For prospects, though, it can be the big shot that earns an even bigger shot.
So, let's check in on eight top prospects who are vying for Opening Day roster spots and, while we're at it, play a game of "Buy or Sell?" with their chances of succeeding.
This is largely about how these eight players—all but one of whom is a top-100 prospect for MLB Pipeline—are stating their case, but who they're up against also matters. While some more or less have jobs to lose, others have to earn jobs that could just as easily go to someone else.
In focus here are only prospects who have not yet debuted in the major leagues, though there are plenty who deserve an honorable mention.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 9
Rookies with Jobs in Hand
Rookies Who Have Already Debuted
OF Spencer Jones, New York Yankees
2 of 9
Age: 24
Spring Stats: 5 G, 12 PA, 3 HR, 1 SB, .300 AVG, .417 OBP, 1.200 SLG
MLB Pipeline Rank: Not ranked
What's His Case?
Spencer Jones may not be a top-100 prospect, but he's definitely one of the "big hype" prospects wandering around Arizona and Florida right now. And there's more going on there than simply him being a Yankees prospect.
At 6'7", 240 pounds, Jones is absolutely huge. And he has the power to match, as the three homers he's blasted this spring (all of which were over 107 mph off the bat) have come on the heels of 35 in the minor leagues last season.
Also, if his swing looks familiar, that's because he models it after Shohei Ohtani.
What's He Up Against?
More than anything, Jones is up against a difficult roster crunch.
Though the Yankees have paid lip service to including him on the Opening Day roster, they have Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger from right to left. Barring an injury, the only way a spot would open for Jones is if Bellinger moved to first base and pushed Ben Rice into a platoon with Giancarlo Stanton.
There's also the main flaw in Jones' game, which is the swing-and-miss. He fanned in 35.4 percent of his plate appearances in the high minors last year, and the pitching doesn't exactly get easier in the majors.
Verdict: Sell
CF Justin Crawford, Philadelphia Phillies
3 of 9
Age: 22
Spring Stats: 6 G, 20 PA, 0 HR, 1 SB, .316 AVG, .350 OBP, .474 SLG
MLB Pipeline Rank: 53
What's His Case?
Justin Crawford spent the entire 2025 season at the Triple-A level, and all he did was slash .334/.411/.452 with 46 stolen bases in 112 games.
As was the case with his All-Star father, Carl, Crawford's game blends an above-average hit tool with blazing speed. Yet he's also shown this spring that he has real pop in his bat, as he has three doubles and one batted ball that registered at 110.8 mph off the bat.
Defense isn't seen as one of Crawford's best assets. But as Todd Zolecki wrote at MLB.com, he's looked efficient in center field this spring.
What's He Up Against?
Truth be told, not much.
Crawford is basically penciled into the starting job in center field for the Phillies, so he'd have to really hit the skids this spring to change that equation. He has shown no signs of doing so, though it bears noting that he hasn't faced tough competition.
Even if Crawford does slow down, the Phillies might roll with him anyway. Their other center field options are Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas, the latter of whom has reportedly failed a PED test and is appealing a potential 80-game suspension, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
Verdict: Buy
RHP Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies
4 of 9
Age: 22
Spring Stats: 1 GS, 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
MLB Pipeline Rank: 28
What's His Case?
Everything old is new again. Andrew Painter was first being discussed as a member of the Phillies' Opening Day rotation three years ago, when he was just 19.
He then lost all of 2023 and most of 2024 to Tommy John surgery, and his proper return in 2025 was full of ups and downs. Yet he looked good in his spring debut on Sunday, notably averaging 96.8 mph on his four-seam fastball.
The 6'7", 215-pounder also gets good extension and grades out as plus for his slider, changeup and control. So if it's a question of how talented he is, his upside is that of a top-of-the-rotation starter.
What's He Up Against?
As with Justin Crawford, all the signs point toward Painter having an inside track at a spot on the Opening Day roster.
It would be a different story if Zack Wheeler was healthy and the Phillies had to ultimately pick between Painter and Taijuan Walker for the No. 5 spot. But Wheeler isn't expected to be back from thoracic outlet surgery until April, and there isn't another good horse in the race with Painter for the final spot in the starting five.
That said, he probably does need to keep up the good work. If the guy who posted a 5.26 ERA in the minors shows up, the Phillies will have a reason to go with someone else until Painter proves he's ready for real.
Verdict: Buy
OF Carson Benge, New York Mets
5 of 9
Age: 23
Spring Stats: 5 G, 14 PA, 0 HR, 1 SB, .308 AVG, .357 OBP, .308 SLG
MLB Pipeline Rank: 16
What's His Case?
Carson Benge was the Mets' No. 19 pick in the 2024 draft, and he's posted exactly a .857 OPS in each of his two professional seasons so far.
There have been more impressive OPS figures, but the delight is in the details where Benge is concerned. He worked 68 walks against 92 strikeouts last year, and showed off a good variety of extra-base power with 25 doubles, seven triples and 15 home runs in 116 games.
He's done a solid job of getting his hits so far this spring, with three of the four coming in one game alone.
What's He Up Against?
With Juan Soto now in left field, Brett Baty, Tyrone Taylor and Mike Tauchman are also in the mix for the right field job. And when it comes to Benge, David Stearns sounded reluctant to promise anything in February.
That caution is appropriate simply in light of the wall Benge hit in Triple-A last year, posting a .583 OPS in 24 games. He also hasn't hit the ball especially hard (89.1 mph on average) this spring, and he has yet to take a walk.
If he doesn't start to look better, this is a case he could absolutely lose.
Verdict: Sell
INF Colt Emerson, Seattle Mariners
6 of 9
Age: 20
Spring Stats: 8 G, 20 PA, 0 HR, 0 SB, .222 AVG, .250 OBP, .333 SLG
MLB Pipeline Rank: 9
What's His Case?
Colt Emerson started last season in High-A and finished at Triple-A, altogether hitting .285/.383/.458 while playing outstanding defense at shortstop.
Emerson has since seen plenty of action in the Cactus League, including at shortstop thanks to J.P. Crawford's sore shoulder. He's continued to look good in the field, and his modest offensive results don't capture how good he's looked in the box.
To wit, he's averaged 91.7 mph on his 15 batted balls, with eight of them breaking the hard-hit barrier of 95 mph.
What's He Up Against?
Though the Mariners have publicly teased Emerson as a member of their Opening Day roster, he doesn't have a clear path to a job.
With Crawford at short and Brendan Donovan at third base, Cole Young's role at second base may be what determines Emerson's fate. He could open a door by struggling offensively, but even then nothing would be certain. The Mariners really like Young, who was also a top prospect a year ago.
Plus, Emerson played all of six games at Triple-A last year. The Mariners deciding he needs more seasoning would be no joke.
Verdict: Sell
INF JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals
7 of 9
Age: 23
Spring Stats: 6 G, 16 PA, 1 HR, 1 SB, .300 AVG, .563 OBP, .600 SLG
MLB Pipeline Rank: 5
What's His Case?
The Cardinals chose JJ Wetherholt with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft, and all he's done since then is hit .304/.418/.487 in 138 minor league games.
As you can tell from how he had just one more strikeout (73) than he did walks (72) in 2025, he's an extremely advanced hitter. And that skill has been on display this spring, as he's walked six times while striking out only twice.
He's also averaged a solid 91.4 mph on his batted balls, and his move from shortstop to second base has gone swimmingly. Which is good, because Gold Glover Masyn Winn won't be moving off short any time soon.
What's He Up Against?
With Brendan Donovan no longer around to man second base, the job sure looks like Wetherholt's to lose.
The Cardinals do technically have other options, including Gold Glove winner Ramón Urías. And given they aren't looking to contend in 2026, they might play the service-time manipulation card and hold back Wetherholt long enough to stretch his club control from six years to seven.
With the way he's playing, though, the better play would be to give him the second base job and hope he earns them a PPI draft pick.
Verdict: Buy
SS Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers
8 of 9
Age: 21
Spring Stats: 7 G, 17 PA, 0 HR, 1 SB, .400 AVG, .471 OBP, .667 SLG
MLB Pipeline Rank: 2
What's His Case?
Kevin McGonigle was "only" the No. 37 pick in the 2023 draft, but he's been about as hot as any prospect in baseball over the last year.
Despite an early-season ankle injury, he posted a .991 OPS in 88 minor league games last season, and then followed with a 1.210 OPS in the Arizona Fall League. In both cases, he walked more than he struck out and showed off impressive pop.
That has continued this spring, with McGonigle averaging 96.4 mph on his batted balls even before homering for the first time on Tuesday in an exhibition against the Dominican Republic's WBC squad. And while defense is meant to be his weak point, he's managed to turn heads in the field.
What's He Up Against?
One big thing working against McGonigle is that he has yet to play above the Double-A level. And even there, he only has 46 games on his ledger.
Another challenge is the reality that the Tigers do have workable options at shortstop, at least for the early portion of the season. If Zach McKinstry isn't up for it, there's always Trey Sweeney.
That said, McGonigle has the same energy now as Julio Rodríguez did in Mariners camp back in 2022. And with the Tigers looking to contend, they have a good excuse to not do the service-time manipulation thing and just give McGonigle a job.
Verdict: Buy
SS Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates
9 of 9
Age: 19
Spring Stats: 6 G, 15 PA, 3 HR, 0 SB, .214 AVG, .267 OBP, .857 SLG
MLB Pipeline Rank: 1
What's His Case?
Konnor Griffin is the No. 1 prospect in baseball for a reason: he does everything so well that it's hard to believe he's even real.
He gets plus grades across the board, and there was nothing theoretical about any of them as he was going off in the minors last year. He posted a .941 OPS with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases, also winning a MiLB Gold Glove.
That Griffin's three homers are his only hits of the spring is the bad news, but that comes with the caveat that they're, you know, home runs. He's also struck out only twice, thus avoiding a truly alarming red flag.
What's He Up Against?
As with Kevin McGonigle, Griffin has experience working against him. He's only played 21 games at Double-A.
Assuming they can't extend him, Griffin could also be up against a Pirates organization that would be all too happy to slow-play his promotion. Given their limited resources, they definitely have incentive to hold him back in hopes of stretching his club control from six years to seven.
But since that approach backfired with Paul Skenes, the Bucs may be reluctant to try it again. And besides, having a star-caliber talent at short right away could only help speed up their contention timeline.
Verdict: Buy
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
