Staff Picks Outside the Top 100

We recently released the Pro Side Top 100 prospects. This was a process done by taking several different submissions and combining them. Because of that, prospects that the individual evaluator like more than most can get lost. That's a shame. In order to rectify that, our talented pro side staff was asked to write about the prospects that they feel fell through the cracks in the final product.

The assignment was very open-ended here. These are players that different evaluators thought either ranked within their own lists, but didn't make the groups, or it could be prospects they think could make this least a year from now. Whatever the reasoning behind picking these players, evaluators picked some of their favorites.

Before diving into this group, make sure to check out who cracked the Top 100!

2026 Top 100 ProspectsFull scouting reports with tool grades for the top 100 prospects headed into the 2026 seasonProspects LiveProspects Live Staff

Hooth's Pick

SS Juan Sanchez, TOR

Sometimes when you make a Top 100, there’s just not room for everyone. The player I regret most not including is Juan Sanchez. After slashing .341/.439/.565 with eight homers in the DSL last year, Sanchez is looking to make an impact stateside in 2026. His plate discipline numbers were solid, posting a 10.3 percent walk rate with a 17.4 percent strikeout rate. At the plate the standout tool is his power, which he generates through shoulder-hip separation. This is a good indication at least plus pop moving forward, especially with him already showing a penchant for pulling the ball in the air. The skills are obviously still raw, but the groundwork is there in a significant way. Defensively it seems he’s trending towards playing the hot corner long term, where he has the arm to succeed. Sanchez will be 18-years-old for all of the 2026 season, where if he performs well he should be universally appearing on Top 100 lists.

Mitch Stachnik's Picks

There were three players in my personal top 60 lists that didn't make the cut for our top 100 update. Two on the hitting side and one on the mound. All three have high ceilings but admittedly lower floors.

OF Bo Davidson, SFG

Davidson has a very unique story, having signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent for $50,000 out of community college in July 2023. In my opinion, he has developed into one of the best outfield prospects in baseball for 2026. In 2025, between High-A and Double-A, Davidson showcased an exciting combination of speed and power. He hit 18 home runs, posted a max exit velocity of 112.5 mph, and stole 19 bases. Defensively, he is solid in center field thanks to his plus to double plus speed, and staying in center while maintaining his power upside makes him particularly intriguing. If a move to a corner is necessary, his above average arm would play well in right field. The primary concern in Davidson’s profile is his hit tool. His 82 percent Z-Contact was below average for Double-A. He currently profiles as a strong side platoon bat, performing well against right handed pitching while struggling against lefties. If he can improve against lefties and establish himself as an everyday player, he has the potential to be ranked highly in the Top 100 next year, if he isn’t already contributing at the major league level.

OF Johnny Farmelo, SEA

I have long been on the Farmelo hype train since he was drafted out of high school in 2023. He was the highest ranked player on my Top 100 who did not crack the list. Injuries have limited how often he has been on the field, including a torn ACL in 2024 and a stress reaction in his ribs in 2025. Like Davidson, his combination of power and speed is tantalizing, though questions remain about his hit tool. Defensively, he has the makings of a sure fire center fielder with double plus speed, easily covering grass in the outfield. In 2024, before tearing his ACL, he stole 18 bases in 46 games, an efficient rate that would project closer to 50 stolen bases over a full season. At the plate, questions emerge. I am bullish on his power potential. His 6 home runs in 29 games this season would project to roughly 26 over a full season. He posted a Max EV of 109.2 mph during the Arizona Fall League, highlighting his raw power. His hit tool lags behind, largely due to swing and miss concerns. If he can address those issues and stay healthy, the upside for Farmelo is extremely high.

RHP Esteban Mejia, BAL

Mejia is a true bet on upside, having thrown just 11.2 innings in Low A to close the season. Understandably, not everyone is willing to gamble on a pitcher that far away from the majors, but fellow 18 year old pitching prospect Kendry Chourio logged only 22.2 innings at the same level and still came in at No. 74 on the Top 100. While the two are very different arms and I personally ranked Chourio higher inside my top 60, both felt deserving of making the list. With Baltimore having lacked impact pitching talent in recent seasons, their prayers may soon be answered in Mejia, who possesses some of the most electric stuff in all of the minor leagues. He is headlined by a double plus fastball that has touched 102 mph, and given his 6 foot 3 175 pound frame, it is not hard to envision even more velocity as he continues to add strength. Mejia rarely throws below 90 mph. His slider is a legitimate plus offering, thrown with power (90-94 mph) and spinning in the 2400 to 2500 rpm range, while his changeup currently grades slightly below average (91-94 mph) but shows signs of becoming more with promising depth, often dropping off the plate to induce whiffs or weak contact. Command remains the biggest obstacle in Mejia’s profile, but it would not be surprising if, a year from now, he is being discussed as one of the premier pitching prospects in baseball.

Brandon Tew's Picks

RHP Gage Wood, PHI

Gage Wood has a nasty two-pitch combo built around a hammer knuckle-curve and a fastball that overwhelmed hitters in college. There’s reliever risk in the profile, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Phillies move him aggressively toward a bullpen role, but the upside is there. His omission from the Top 100 is understandable given his workload and injury concerns, yet the raw ingredients make him a backend addition for me.

In what looks like a solid 2025 college pitching draft class, Wood stands out as my second-favorite arm overall. The curveball is a true plus offering with depth and power, capable of missing bats, and the fastball has the kind of life and explosiveness that can dominate.

I’m bullish on his ability to round out the mix with a quality cutter and/or slider along with a splitter, which would further solidify his arsenal. His command is average in projection, and you could argue he didn’t zone enough of his pitches at Arkansas, but that seemed to be a choice to chase whiffs and strikeouts. The durability questions loom large, but this is a high-ceiling arm with real swing-and-miss, and late-inning stuff out of the pen if that is the route.

RHP JR Ritchie, ATL

JR Ritchie may be the best pure pitch executor in the minors, consistently hitting spots from a lower arm slot. The right-hander works with a deep, seven-pitch mix that includes both a traditional lifted slider and a sweeper, with the slider showing roughly six inches less sweep. The sweeper will dip into a slurve range at times and was added specifically to combat right-handed hitters.

While he doesn’t feature overpowering stuff, the overall quality of the arsenal is solid and plays up due to above-average command and a strong feel for sequencing. Ritchie works the edges of the zone with intent, understands the strengths and limitations of each pitch, and rarely wastes offerings within an at-bat.

Ritchie’s slight cross-body delivery and deep arm stroke add natural deception, and when paired with his execution and command, it’s how he succeeds. He’s a great athlete on the mound, throws consistent strikes, and shows the pitchability to work through lineups without needing premium velocity. The package points to a higher floor than most arms in the Top 100, especially given his ability to adjust and lean into what’s working on a given day.

With the recent injury news surrounding Spencer Schwellenbach, there’s a realistic path for Ritchie to see innings in Atlanta, potentially even competing for a rotation spot. Long-term, he projects as a No. 4 starter who can turn over lineups, manage contact, and provide steady value through quality innings rather than overpowering performances.

Grant Carver's Picks

Starlyn Caba, SS MIA

I think I have officially accepted the role as the high man on Starlyn Caba and I am happy to keep pounding this drum. Caba is so elite defensively and projects as a legit 80 defender at arguably the most important position, and for that I cannot quit him. Watching him defensively is some of the best film you’ll watch, especially when he is moving to the glove side and coming in on the ball. I admittedly tend to always be higher on the premium position defensive first profiles, but I think it’s for a real reason. I believe in the bat too, as he held his own in Low-A even with some early season injuries. The approach is super passive, maybe too passive at times, but it allows him to avoid chasing outside of the zone. The contact rates have always been elite too and those are what will be the main thing watched as he moves up the minors. Will he ever hit the ball hard enough for power? Probably not, there’s not much impact there currently and he lacks physical projection. However, the bar for the bat is just not that high for him to be a productive everyday, consistent 2 WAR player and put up peak seasons in that 3 WAR range with a glove as good as his is at shortstop. I love the profile and am very much hoping for a full, healthy 2026.

Braylon Doughty, LHP CLE

Doughty is a guy that really impressed me in his first taste of pro ball in 2025. He was taken 36th overall by the Guardians in the 2024 draft and that’s looking like a very wise call on their part. It’s not often that you see a high school arm as polished as Doughty is already and he still has lots of projection left. The velocity does not jump off the page, but he has very good command on it and there’s room for more strength if he wants to chase a couple ticks. Doughty can also spin the ball at impressive rates, especially on his curveball. It’s already a plus pitch and could end up even better than that. The slider is at least above average, and while the changeup is more fringe to me right now, it projects as at least an average fourth pitch. There’s still lots of tweaking to be done with his arsenal I’m sure, but he has a very good foundation of feel for spin and plus command to build off of. It’s hard not to love a guy with his combination of youth, advanced breaking balls, and pitchability feel on the mound.

Matt Seese's Pick

Joey Oakie, RHP CLE

Oakie is pretty volatile here, but the final stretch of his season with Lynchburg (now Hill City) was completely and utterly dominant. Oakie was a prep arm from the same ‘24 Draft that saw the Guardians take Bazzana and Doughty, and while Doughty is far more polished for his age as a fellow prep arm, Oakie, if he can put it all together, has the ceiling to be the best player from that class.

The biggest challenge for Oakie has been learning the mechanics to truly pitch as a pro. The quality velocity and great shape on his fastball make it a plus offering, but his ability to command it only came around towards the end of August. For a while, the feel for his heater was totally lost, and it was a carousel around the bases.

The difference maker for Oakie was finding a consistent arm slot, namely with his slider. He struggled locking down the shape for a lot of the season between the Complex League and Lynchburg. His slider is at its best when it finds that sharp downward break, but he found it generating more horizontal sweeping action rather than drop, and it led to walks and hard contact as it hung up in the zone. Something clicked for him in mid-August that largely coincided with his promotion, and as he found more consistency in release point, his confidence grew into his slider being a bona fide plus offering and among the best individual pitches of any in the organization.

Oakie saw his walk rate drop from nearly 20% down to 12% over the last five starts, and that was while he was going deeper into starts, towards the four and five inning mark. His strikeouts and whiffs skyrocketed, seeing his K-rate soar over 40%. A true third offering, ideally his seldomly used changeup, will fully unlock a starter’s arsenal, and while there’s a natural reliever outlook here, the sky is the limit with stuff like this.