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Diamond Diplomas 3/31/26: A Quero's Journey

Prospects Live March 31, 2026

Welcome to Diamond Diplomas! Whether you compete in the deepest of dynasty leagues or want to win the office redraft title, Prospects Live has you covered. Before we dive in, here is a quick overview of the tier system. Both the hitter and pitcher lists feature three “tiers” of prospects. These tiers loosely correspond to the Prospects Live Dynasty rankings of these players relative to one another, but the author (yours truly) will often place and move names around to more accurately reflect both their real-time dynasty value and their potential for major league fantasy production in 2026. The tiers themselves are as follows:

Tier 1 : These are the good leads, the Glengarry leads. Consider Tier 1 the top shelf of anticipated call-ups, highlighting players expected to have immediate and long-term fantasy relevance once they reach The Show. For all the redraft folks, this is where you find emerging stars before the rest of your league catches on. While the players in this tier are likely already rostered in most dynasty leagues, they are immediate must-adds if available and high-priority trade targets if the price has not yet risen in relation to their performance. Last year, this tier featured the likes of Nolan McLean and Samuel Basallo.
Tier 2 : A house blend of fantasy stability and upside with some light notes of uncertainty. These players tend to be slightly farther away from promotion (by a factor of weeks, not months) or have a less clear path to playing time with their Major League club. For redraft, put these names on your watch list and keep an eye out for a hot start at the big league level. For dynasty purposes, Tier 2 designation marks a key point in a player’s buy window, an opportunity to trade for or throw FAAB dollars on someone who could produce for you in 2026 and beyond. Sal Stewart and Cade Cavalli both were highlighted as Tier 2 names back in 2025, for example.
Tier 3 : Leagues of all types are won and lost in these trenches. You come here to find the post-hype (or hype-less) sleepers everyone else has overlooked and the single-category specialists. A Tier 3 player is likely a little older than their Tier 1 and 2 counterparts and might have a demotion or two on their résumé, but they could prove especially productive in the short term. Best case scenario? A true sleeper pick from this tier has the potential to drastically exceed expectations and become a fantasy mainstay. Jakob Marsee and Parker Messick both emerged as Tier 3 prospects on this list in 2025, and wound up helping out fantasy managers in a big way down the stretch.

Diamond Diplomas - Prospects LiveProspects LiveLucas Morel

Though a number of big-name rookies have made an immediate fantasy impression already this year after breaking camp with their respective teams, this series will focus on players called up during the course of the season. So, for as impressive as Chase DeLauter and JJ Wetherholt have been, their strong performances will not be highlighted here. Instead, keep reading for an overview of all the prospects you need to know moving forward. Check out the standout performers from the past few days in the latest Weekly Report Card (all statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference, Baseball Savant , Fangraphs, ProspectSavant.com, Milb.com, and TJStats , updated as of the conclusion of play on March 30):

Weekly Report Card:

Called Up :

Jeferson Quero, C (MIL): When did 2026 become the year of the (broken) hamate? Andrew Vaughn’s unfortunate hit-by-pitch and subsequent surgery have ruled him out for the next few weeks at a minimum, with Quero getting the corresponding call-up. Though he remains hitless as a big leaguer, Quero should see semi-consistent playing time as the backup to William Contreras while Vaughn recovers.
Jose Fernandez, SS (ARI): Despite having just one Triple-A game under his belt, Fernandez finds himself en route to Arizona following the news of Pavin Smith’s elbow injury. The 22-year-old impressed throughout spring training, slashing .280/.308/.840 with three home runs in just ten games, and should get a chance to hit his way into 2026 redraft relevance following this call-up.
Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B (MIA): Like Quero, De Los Santos benefited from an injury over the weekend, as Christopher Morel hit the injured list with an oblique issue. “DDLS” did not remain with the Marlins long, however, as they optioned him back to Triple-A on Monday. He and his substantial game power will need to bide their time in the minors for a while longer, it seems.

Locked In :

Konnor Griffin, SS (PIT): Though the game’s top overall prospect was likely disappointed to not break camp with the Pirates, he has acclimated to Triple-A competition just fine. A pair of doubles and two stolen bases punctuated his first weekend with Indianapolis, where he will almost certainly not stay long. Expect the fireworks to continue for a few weeks until the Pittsburgh front office suddenly decides their franchise shortstop is ‘ready’ for the Show.
Charlie Condon, 1B (COL): The Rockies had quite the competition going during spring training for their starting job at first base, and while Condon wound up losing out to T.J. Rumfield and Troy Johnston for a big league roster spot, he has looked excellent in his first taste of Triple-A action. Finally healthy, Condon’s power has returned in full, manifesting itself in two big flies this past weekend. If he keeps the power up (and the whiffs to a minimum), the former Georgia Bulldog could see Coors Field well before the All-Star break.
James Tibbs III, OF (LAD): The former Giants draftee crushed baseballs all weekend for Triple-A Oklahoma City, racking up five extra-base hits and driving in eight runs in just three games. The Dodgers are among the toughest lineups for prospects to break into at any position, but no one has told Tibbs that, apparently. Keep reading for more on what makes him a compelling breakout candidate this season.
Jonah Tong, P (NYM): Nolan McLean’s instant success in the Mets rotation last season provided an unfortunate foil for Tong’s own big league struggles, but Mr. High Release Point has nevertheless gotten off to a great start to the new season. Pitching for Triple-A Syracuse, the 22-year-old threw four scoreless innings with four strikeouts in his first outing of the campaign. The Mets will want to see him perform consistently before bringing him back up, but a 2026 return seems nearly guaranteed.
Robert Gasser, P (MIL): The Brew Crew excels at cobbling together an overachieving rotation each year, and while Gasser did not make Milwaukee’s pitching staff following spring training, he looks determined to play his way into the mix soon enough. Having struck out a remarkable eleven batters in just five and 2/3 innings pitched in his first start at Triple-A this year, Gasser could hardly have made a stronger impression.
Colton Gordon, P (HOU): The Astros have a knack for extracting value from fringey starter types, and Gordon might just be that guy for them in 2026. His first Triple-A outing went quite well, as the southpaw punched out four batters and allowed just the one earned run over five full innings of work. He should get a shot to start again for Houston at some point this season, whenever an opening arises.

Dropped Off :

No one, thus far. With the 2026 campaign freshly underway, hope abounds!

Without further ado, here are this week’s Diamond Diplomas hitters:

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