Top 150 Prospect Rankings Update (Memorial Day, 2026):
These prospect rankings are based on FANTASY value, not on real life value. Considering such, hitters generally weigh a bit heavier for me due to the injury risk and higher volatility of prospect pitchers. Proximity to the majors is also prominent in the equation, though these rankings are taking a longer-term / dynasty look on these guys (think of it more as a 5 year plan).
Rather than getting into writing little bios on all of these hitters, I’ve decided to keep my rankings simple by providing the 2026 stats of each player across all levels, the player’s fScores (which can be found only on MLB Data Warehouse), a player comp, a small blub on the player’s prime skills for fantasy including my tool grades / pitching arsenals and an explanation of my ranking that may include trending data.
Please note these rankings are the result of months of work from using available data via MLB Data Warehouse, the fScore algorithms developed by myself (and coded by Jon Anderson), regular in-person scouting (Florida based), writing weekly prospect performance columns and weekly performance podcasts and regular film review; I have provided my personal comps for each prospect (for fun - note: comps may be based on mechanics, body type, pitching arsenal or similar skills & box score style) and how I generally think each prospect will perform once in the majors over the next five or so seasons.
Additional in-season note: The statistical references will vary as I’m writing this article in-season over the course of a two week time period. Look at the right side of the date slider to see the dates in comparison to each other when referencing multiple players.
Follow me on X (@fantasyaceball), YouTube (@TheTimkanak) and my podcast (@fantasyaceball podcast).
NOTE: Rookie status is determined by 130 ABs, or 50 IPs at the Major League level - rather than including time on roster.
51. OF Lazaro Montes (Mariners)
ETA: Early 2027
Comp: Oneil Cruz without the speed
Prime Skills: Big strong kid with fantastic power from the left side and a solid eye. The power has been insane with a new 118 max EV this year and a 108.3 90th percentile EV. Last season, despite some bad contact rates, he smashed 58 extra base hits in 131 games and this year he has 18 extra base hits in 43 games. There has been no improvement in the contact department, however he has improved his power angles for more line drives and more pull power. He has unreal power, but he has to hit enough to be effective at the major league level.
Hitter Tool Grades:
Hit: 30/40
Plate Approach: 35/45
Power: 65/70
Speed: 35/30
Ranking Explanation: Montes is a high risk power profile who has 40 homer potential in the majors at his peak, but he also might only hit .220-.240 ala Eugenio Suarez because he doesn’t have the speed of an Oneil Cruz to back up the poor contact rates. He does at least know how to take a walk, despite the high K rates and a lefty Eugenio Suarez or Max Muncy in the OF might be another good comparison statistically to predict his future outcomes. He has too long of a swing for the Baby Yordan comparison people like to give him, but keep in mind he is still very young for the level and might be able to close the gap on plate approach or K rate as he matures. Montes and George are almost polar opposite players, but George’s hit and speed combo make him a safer bet to make it at the major league level.
Previous Rank: 65
52. OF Zyhir Hope (Dodgers)
ETA: Late 2027
Comp: Lean Josh Naylor
Prime Skills: Shorter dude with quick hands and a high impact lefty swing with some major pull power. Hope started the season hot in 2025, but finished with a cool .220/.345/.339 slash in the second half. The contact rate is up from the end of last year, but the walks are down and reportedly has hit (when recorded) to a 90th percentile EV of 109.3 (keeping in mind we don’t have public EV data for him) with a 113.9 max EV in 2025, but he did hit a 470 foot bomb in the Arizona Fall League and he gets good angles with a more than 25% line drive rate, though he has pulled the ball less last year which has hurt him a bit in the HR/FB totals. Hope knocked 45 extra base hits in 127 games in 2025 and has 15 extra base hits in 43 games in 2026.
Hitter Tool Grades:
Hit: 40/45
Plate Approach: 45/50
Power: 50/65
Speed: 55/55
Ranking Explanation: Hope’s hit tool has regressed and the strikeouts are up, but the raw power is now translating to game power at the same time. Hope might not have the superstar ceiling some people thought a year ago and might be more like Teoscar Hernandez as a solid #5 bat in a lineup who can drive in runs and hit for a .250-.270 average with mid-to-high 20s homer potential and 10-15 steals in peak seasons. Hope is much safer than Montes as a bat, however Montes will potentially hit for an extra 10 homers per year in his peak seasons and he’s much less blocked than Hope in the crowded Dodgers OF prospect situation.
Previous Rank: 52
53. SP Jonah Tong (Mets)
ETA: Debuted
Comp: Tim Lincecum
Prime Skills: Tong has some tricky IVB on a sinking mid to high 90s fastball, a big curve that drops right in on hitters from a high over the top arm slot from a smaller 6’ 1”, 180 pound frame. He also pairs these with a decent back pocket change up and a hard vertical slider to bridge between the fastball and curve. Tong had an absolutely ridiculous 2025 and I wasn’t really sure how he was doing it besides deception, but now in 2026 we see him coming back to Earth. The fastball grades well based on ride and the changeup is a vulcan grip change up that is pretty nasty as his second best pitch. The issue with Tong has always been his lack of providing horizontal movement in the zone. All his stuff plays north and south and that works in the minors, but not the majors, hence the development of a more slurvy curveball and a new cutter. The new slurve / curve has not been very effective in the minors at getting whiffs, but has been a good groundball generator, while the gyro slider / hard cutter has been a good pitch that he needs to get better locations on.
Arsenal Grades:
FA (95-98 mph): 60/60
CH (85-87 mph): 50/60
FC (89-94 mph): 45/55
CU (79-83 mph): 40/45
SL (84-89 mph): 35/40
Command: 40/45
Ranking Explanation: His success largely depends on having at least average command of his pitches - which the command issues may be a thing of the past at this point and the biggest concern now is how his shoulder will hold up based on a slight frame and a super over the top arm slot that could lead to injury. He’s back in the majors as of this writing and we haven’t seen enough sample size of the new arsenal to truly judge it, but it’s still a work in progress and I think at best he’s likely to be a mid rotation starter who will have some really hot runs and some really cold runs throughout his career.
Previous Rank: 26
54. 2B / SS / OF Jett Williams (Brewers)
ETA: Early 2026
Comp: Jose Altuve build, Bryson Stott-like production
Prime Skills: Plate skills and speed, the contact tool is still developing, but should ultimately be a good tool for Williams, as he has gotten the hit tool close to his pre-injury 2023 levels with an 80.8% contact rate. He has non-zero power and because he has a quick swing can get to a surprising number of extra base hits. He has a max 109 EV over the last couple of seasons, but will likely live in the 15 homer range with a below average 90th EV and can steal 30-40 bags. Jett had a phenomenal 58 extra base hits in 130 games in 2025. He has 15 extra base hits in 49 games this season as his hit total has been lower than previous years due to less quality angles than normal.
Hitter Tool Grades:
Hit: 50/55
Plate Approach: 60/65
Power: 40/45
Speed: 60/60
Ranking Explanation: Jett is an interesting player who should have some position flexibility and has a bit of a mighty mouse in him despite the smaller stature. Williams has a track record of destroying lefty pitchers, while only having moderate success against righties. He has a good hit tool and plate approach and will make for a better points leagues player than standard leagues, but should put up 13-17 homer power and 30 steal speed in his peak seasons with a .250-.280 batting average depending on how his BABIP luck is tracking. I’ll take the higher power profiles over the well-rounded on-base and steals guys more times than not, hence Montes and Hope getting the nod over Jett as we have seen his EVs stagnate.
Previous Rank: 36
55. SS/3B Emil Morales (Dodgers)
ETA: 2028
Comp: Fernando Tatis Jr. light
Prime Skills: Big, athletic shortstop with high end power potential and decent speed. He has the Fernando Tatis Jr. swing which has led to a similar batted ball profile (though beware of the high swinging strike rate as an average hit tool is likely the best case outcome with high 60s-low 70s contact rates). Morales has reportedly (per Baseball America) popped a 105.9 90th percentile EV this season (3 mph over last year) which is incredibly high at his age and when you combine his projected growth as a big 6’ 3” kid with the optimal angles he gets (29.2% line drive rate at A ball last year and 26% this year), there is a lot of power upside here (144 XBH+) even with the lackluster hit tool with 25 extra base hits in 40 games this year.
Hitter Tool Grades:
Hit: 35/45
Plate Approach: 35/45
Power: 55/65
Speed: 50/50
Ranking Explanation: There’s a lot of potential here with Morales and skills-wise he has a higher upside than even some of the other players ahead of him, but due to lack of proximity and being in the Dodgers organization where it’s easy to get buried - this pushes him down a bit in my rankings. What helps him is the fact he will likely land at 3B, a position that is lacking a lot of prospect talent and the increased exit velocities with consistent power angles. As long as the hit tool and plate approach rate to 40s as he climbs up the levels, he will make the majors and could be a .230-.260 hitter with 30 homer power and he can throw in 8-12 steals a season.
Previous Rank: 70