Every MLB Farm System's Biggest Breakout Prospect of 2026 Season
Even with a sea of advanced metrics available to analyze and entire scouting departments dedicated to player development, the MLB prospect world is anything but predictable.
Highly regarded prospects routinely fail to live up to the hype, while players outside the top tier of their farm systems can quickly emerge with breakout performances.
Payton Tolle (Red Sox), Gage Jump (Athletics) and A.J. Ewing (Mets) are among the biggest breakout prospects of 2025 who have since reached the big leagues, while Mike Sirota (Dodgers) and Luis Peรฑa (Brewers) used last year as the launching pad to elite prospect status.
Ahead we've highlighted one breakout prospect from each of the 30 MLB organizations. Each player's organizational rank at the beginning of the 2026 campaign, according toย Baseball America, is included alongside their current rank on B/R prospect lists for context.
AL East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: RHP Anthony Eyanson
Age: 21 | Preseason Rank: No. 13 (BOS) | Current Rank: No. 1
A year after serving as co-ace alongside Kade Anderson while leading LSU to a national championship, Eyanson is baseball's biggest breakout pitching prospect. He was the prospect centerpiece of the trade deadline blockbuster that sent Adley Rutschman to Boston, and with a 1.47 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 73.1 innings between High-A and Double-A, he is flying through the minors.
Boston Red Sox: C Franklin Primera
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: NR | Current Rank: No. 3
Primera hit a ridiculous .427/.549/.718 over 134 plate appearances in rookie ball, and he has continued to impress after earning a promotion to Single-A a few weeks after his 19th birthday. Signed for just $10,000 out of Venezuela, he is shaping up to be an international market steal.
New York Yankees: OF Wilberson De Pena
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: NR | Current Rank: No. 9
De Pena filled up the stat sheet in rookie ball to open the year, hitting .358/.411/.677 with 20 doubles, 16 home runs, 67 RBI and 23 steals in 56 games to win the Triple Crown in the Florida Complex League. The move to acquire him from the Angels in exchange for Oswald Peraza last summer looks like a heist.
Tampa Bay Rays: C Nathan Flewelling
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: No. 15 | Current Rank: No. 4
The Rays have two of the best catching prospects in baseball: 2025 first-round pick Caden Bodine and Flewelling, who won Futures Game MVP honors this year amid a breakout campaign. Flewelling is hitting .242/.372/.456 with 14 doubles, 19 home runs and 63 RBI in 93 games as a teenager at High-A.
Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Nolan Perry
Age: 22 | Preseason Rank: NR | Current Rank: No. 3
A 12th-round pick in the 2022 draft, Perry suffered a torn UCL in 2024 and then missed the entire 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 6'2", 195-pound right-hander has returned with a vengeance this year, posting a 2.29 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 59 innings across three levels and making his Double-A debut at the end of June.
AL Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: IF Javier Mogollon
Age: 20 | Preseason Rank: No. 16 | Current Rank: No. 9
After strong showings in the DSL and stateside rookie ball, Mogollon hit .220 with a .734 OPS over 51 games at Single-A last year while battling a hamstring injury. The undersized 5'8" infielder has bounced back nicely with an .828 OPS, 27 extra-base hits and 24 steals in 68 games this year, and he has not missed a beat since moving up to High-A.
Cleveland Guardians: OF Aaron Walton
Age: 22 | Preseason Rank: No. 22 | Current Rank: No. 9
The No. 66 overall pick in the 2025 draft, Walton has a strong 6'4", 218-pound frame and a 55-power, 60-speed toolbox with the athleticism to handle center field and the power profile to fit at a corner. He is hitting .272/.407/.489 with 28 doubles, 16 home runs, 60 RBI and 26 steals in 100 games between High-A and Double-A.
Detroit Tigers: LHP Ben Jacobs
Age: 22 | Preseason Rank: No. 19 | Current Rank: No. 8
Prior to Kash Mayfield and River Ryan coming aboard at the trade deadline, Jacobs had emerged as arguably the top pitching prospect in the Detroit farm system. With three plus pitches, clean mechanics and a solid feel for attacking hitters, he has 102 strikeouts in 72.1 innings in his pro debut and looks like a nice value selection as a third-round pick in 2025.
Kansas City Royals: LHP Justin Lamkin
Age: 22 | Preseason Rank: No. 20 | Current Rank: No. 5
Lamkin made 41 starts over three seasons in the Texas A&M rotation, improving each year on campus before going in the second round of the 2025 draft. He posted a 2.04 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 39.2 innings between High-A and Double-A before he was sidelined at the end of May, but that early success was enough to boost his prospect profile.
Minnesota Twins: RHP Riley Quick
Age: 22 | Preseason Rank: No. 11 | Current Rank: No. 5
Quick checked in at No. 98 on the most recent B/R Top 100 prospect list, and he offers an electric fastball-slider combination from a 6'6", 255-pound frame that gives him the look of a workhorse starter. He has climbed two levels to reach Double-A in his pro debut, but could take some time to develop in the upper levels after logging just 87 innings across his three college seasons.
AL West
3 of 6
Athletics: OF Breyson Guedez
Age: 18 | Preseason Rank: No. 24 | Current Rank: No. 11
The Athletics have not had much success converting high-profile international signings into stateside top prospects in recent years, but Guedez is on track to buck that trend. Signed for $1.5 million in 2025, he jumped straight to Single-A from the DSL, and he is hitting .308/.350/.448 with 39 extra-base hits in 97 games.
Houston Astros: C/1B Jason Schiavone
Age: 23 | Preseason Rank: NR | Current Rank: No. 10
Schiavone hit .165 with a .689 OPS at Single-A last year, but the power that saw him slug 18 home runs during his junior year at James Madison has returned this season. In 93 games between High-A and Double-A, he is batting .263/.412/.532 with 20 doubles and 23 home runs, and he has also swiped 24 bases in 30 attempts. In a thin Houston farm system, he is climbing fast.
Los Angeles Angels: OF Hayden Alvarez
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: No. 21 | Current Rank: No. 7
Alvarez batted .340 in his stateside debut, but with 15 extra-base hits in 296 plate appearances, questions remained about his ceiling. With a .294/.396/.473 line that includes 28 doubles, 11 home runs, 55 RBI and 46 steals in 101 games between Single-A and High-A, he now has as much helium as any teenage prospect in baseball.
Seattle Mariners: LHP Mason Peters
Age: 22 | Preseason Rank: No. 19 | Current Rank: No. 11
Peters played two years of JUCO ball before pitching primarily out of the bullpen at Dallas Baptist as a junior, but his plus stuff and 31.4 percent strikeout rate were enough for the Mariners to call his name in the fourth round of the 2025 draft. The Mariners are stretching him out as a starter, and he has a 1.43 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 68-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 50.1 innings over 14 starts at Single-A.
Texas Rangers: LHP Dalton Pence
Age: 23 | Preseason Rank: No. 14 | Current Rank: No. 9
Pence leans heavily on a fastball that has great late life, though his slider and splitter have flashed plus. His fastball and ability to miss bats give him a high floor out of the big league bullpen, but his 2.71 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 86.1 innings across three minor league levels while reaching Triple-A have him looking more and more like a potential rotation piece.
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NL East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: OF Eric Hartman
Age: 20 | Preseason Rank: No. 26 | Current Rank: No. 1
The Braves went above-slot to sign Hartman for $340,000 in the 20th round of the 2024 draft, and two years later, he is up to No. 31 on the B/R Top 100. The Canadian-born outfielder is batting .267/.361/.506 with 44 extra-base hits, 24 home runs and 43 steals, and he made his Double-A debut on Aug. 4.
Miami Marlins: 2B/3B Brayden Taylor
Age: 24 | Preseason Rank: NR (TB) | Current Rank: No. 10
Taylor showed some playable power in the lower levels of the minors, but after hitting .173 with a 27.7 percent strikeout rate at Double-A last year he fell off top prospect lists entirely. With an .882 OPS and 17 home runs in 93 games in the upper minors this year, he rebuilt his stock, and he was the prospect centerpiece in the deal that sent Liam Hicks to Tampa Bay.
New York Mets: LHP Zac Thornton
Age: 24 | Preseason Rank: No. 13 | Current Rank: No. 9
Thornton has gone from second-tier prospect in the Mets system to one of the better performers in their big league rotation. Over seven starts in the majors, he has a 2.52 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 39.1 innings. His plus command gives him a high floor, though his ceiling might be at the back of the rotation.
Philadelphia Phillies: C Alirio Ferrebus
Age: 20 | Preseason Rank: No. 17 | Current Rank: No. 6
Signed for $70,000 in 2023, Ferrebus made a limited impact during the first three years of his pro career. He hit .324/.375/.520 with 21 doubles, 11 home runs and 58 RBI in 72 games at Single-A this year to earn a promotion to High-A, and he is the clear top catching prospect in the Philadelphia system.
Washington Nationals: RHP Miguel Sime Jr.
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: No. 24 | Current Rank: No. 7
With a 70-grade fastball that touches triple-digits, Sime has some of the best pure stuff of any teenage prospect, and he has racked up 111 strikeouts in 61.1 innings between Single-A and High-A. The 6'4", 235-pound right-hander also has 55 walks, and the ongoing development of his command will determine his long-term ceiling.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: OF Josiah Hartshorn
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: No. 11 | Current Rank: No. 1
The Cubs have two of the biggest breakout prospects in baseball with Hartshorn and catcher Owen Ayers, who began the year at No. 17 and has moved up to No. 2 on the Cubs list. Hartshorn is up to No. 32 on the B/R Top 100, and he has a gaudy .285/.405/.521 line that includes 20 doubles, 18 home runs and 92 RBI in 98 games between Single-A and High-A.
Cincinnati Reds: C Jirvin Morillo
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: No. 22 | Current Rank: No. 7
The Reds have one of baseball's top catching prospects in Alfredo Duno, and now Morillo has joined him on the organization's top 10 list. After two years in the DSL, he hit .321/.449/.652 with 13 doubles, 13 home runs and 53 RBI in 54 games in rookie ball before he was bumped up to Single-A.
Milwaukee Brewers: 3B Andrew Fischer
Age: 22 | Preseason Rank: No. 12 | Current Rank: No. 4
Fischer slugged 25 home runs during his junior season at the University of Tennessee in 2025, and his raw power has fully translated to pro ball. In 97 games between High-A and Double-A, he is hitting .280/.420/.650 with an MiLB-leading 35 home runs.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 3B Murf Gray
Age: 22 | Preseason Rank: No. 27 | Current Rank: No. 5
Gray is hitting .309/.407/.583 with 21 doubles, 27 home runs and 80 RBI in 99 games over three minor league levels in his pro debut, and he has quickly emerged as the third baseman of the future. Catcher Easton Carmichael (No. 26 to No. 6) is also worth a mention, and he is batting .295/.340/.500 with 18 home runs and 72 RBI while climbing to Double-A in his first full pro campaign.
St. Louis Cardinals: OF Alexander Frias
Age: 18 | Preseason Rank: NR (MIL) | Current Rank: No. 7
Following a solid pro debut in the DSL last year, Frias posted an eye-popping .441/.518/.678 line over 137 plate appearances in rookie ball, vaulting up the Brewers' top-prospect list. With a 60-power, 50-speed offensive profile and a center-field skill set, he has a considerable ceiling. Frias was the key piece the Cardinals acquired in the Dustin May/JoJo Romero trade.
NL West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: C Carlos Virahonda
Age: 20 | Preseason Rank: No. 19 | Current Rank: No. 10
Virahonda hit .300 on his stateside debut last year after two seasons in the DSL, albeit with limited extra-base thump. That has changed this year, as he is batting .276/.380/.517 with 17 home runs and 77 RBI in 80 games between Single-A and High-A. With standout defensive tools, his offensive game will determine his future role, and it is clearly trending up.
Colorado Rockies: OF Cristian Arguelles
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: No. 20 | Current Rank: No. 8
Arguelles won DSL MVP honors last year, though it was in his second go-around in the league and he was old for the level. He has followed that up with a .390/.469/.652 line and 38 extra-base hits in 68 games this year, and he is now on the other end of the age scale as one of the younger everyday players in the California League.
Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Christian Zazueta
Age: 21 | Preseason Rank: No. 12 | Current Rank: No. 5
With a standout fastball-changeup combination and plus command, Zazueta has emerged as the top pitching prospect in the Dodgers system. After a strong season in the lower levels of the minors last year, he has a 3.66 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a pristine 113-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 78.2 innings between High-A and Double-A.
San Diego Padres: RHP Lan-Hong Su
Age: 19 | Preseason Rank: No. 19 | Current Rank: No. 7
After another trade deadline that depleted the Padres' prospect depth, Su has emerged as one of the organization's top arms. The undersized 6'1", 150-pound right-hander signed for $775,000 out of Taiwan last October and has reached Single-A in his first professional season.
San Francisco Giants: RHP Ramon Marquez
Age: 20 | Preseason Rank: No. 14 (PHI) | Current Rank: No. 7
Marquez broke through with a 1.68 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 93 strikeouts in 59 innings between Single-A and High-A before the Phillies flipped him at the deadline in the Luis Arraez deal. With a mid-90s fastball and one of the best changeups in the minors, he is now the top pitching prospect in the San Francisco system.
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