2026 Bowman TLDR

Intro

Bowman is back! This year's May release is a fairly standard one, of equal quality to past year at the time of release. Has 2025 overperformed? Yep. Has 2024 underperformed? Yep. But they both follow the same basic template: the rest of the top 2025 draftees, plus the best of the rest that played pro ball in 2025. They've done a great job with that this year save a few exceptions (Jace LaViolette, etc). In this release we have, fairly undisputedly, the top available hitter, the top available pitcher, and the top remaining draftee from last year. But they've backed that up with solid depth throughout the checklist on both sides of the ball – it's great to see them with such strong pitchers.

Check out the 2026 Bowman Preview article for your quick reference needs.

Tier Ranks

Tier 1 - Cream of the crop. Combination of high-end Hit and Power tools that won’t end up as full-time designated hitters. Power/Speed combo players. Elite SP 1 pitchers (very rare). Potential for being perennial All-Stars and award winners.

Tier 2 - Bats that may lack in a certain area such as top-end power, three true outcomes players, great real life/fantasy players, but not hobby-elite, or tantalizing raw talents. High-end SP 2 pitchers with additional positive factors such as team, arsenal, pedigree, etc.

Tier 3 - May have some hobby interest due to a single factor such as prospect pedigree, team interest, general hobby hype, an interesting carrying tool, etc.

Tier None - The likelihood of widespread short-term hobby interest, and most likely long-term as well, is close to none. Plenty of pitchers, catchers, role players, hit-tool-only bats, Quad-A power bats, defense-first players, etc. to be found here. Hobby lottery tickets where the odds are stacked against you.

*Catchers and Pitchers are often knocked down a tier just due to their position.

Player Visualization

We've assigned Safety, Ceiling, and "It" Factor to each player to provide a quick glimpse into each player, which is illustrated by way of a bar graph for every player. You want to see a picture of a perfect prospect? That doesn't exist. But here's what "as good as it gets" looks like, considering Ceiling is what we care least about of the three factors:

Safety, shown in lavender, is merely the direct inverse of our Risk score. We've made it a neutral color, as it just provides a baseline, rather than something that's a strong factor in considering whether to collect a player. It's is a general measure of how far a player has advanced toward making an impact in the majors. So anyone at the Complex level, by rule, is almost always a 0-2 safety. On the flip side, a player at the AAA level is most likely a 7-10 level of safety.

Ceiling, shown in green, is just how significant the player has the potential of being for the hobby. I’ll provide the definition of a 5, and you, the reader, can interpret everything from that: a maximum realistic projection of an MLB regular with 10-15 HR power, .260 average, and one other element of interest (team context, excellent speed, etc).

"It" Factor, shown in red, covers everything else. It's aspects of a player that we've previously been massaging into risk and ceiling, such as team context, pedigree, a loud tool we love and believe in, or just being exciting to watch. So for instance, Rockies pitchers get bumped down here, and all Yankees prospects get bumped up.

Altogether, this forms the hobby context of what we think of a player. The bigger the bar, the better the player through the hobby lens.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Tier None

Carlos Virahonda (C, 20) Defense behind the plate is so good that it’s already fair to say it will carry him to the high minors at minimum. Solid progression in his bat last year, but still work to do to get to an average projection. Power likely fringe-average at best. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Enyervert Perez (1B, 20) Swing that indicates he wants to be a contact-first type. However, he doesn't make nearly enough contact for that approach to play. Some want to do damage as well but has difficulty accessing any power. Has slid down the defensive spectrum to 1B. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 2 (Base Only)

Athletics

Tier 2

Wei-En Lin (LHP, 20) Great command at age 20. Four pitches with average or better potential that will likely lead to a better sum of the parts, and is already in AA. Just needs to build up a workload of significance. International (Taiwan) baseball market kicks his hobby interest even higher. - Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 8 (Both)

Tier 3

Breyson Guedez (OF, 18) Bat first, contact-ability was excellent in the DSL but as he's now in Low-A, needs to mature into a complete hit tool. Burgeoning power that, emergently, could touch average with maturity. We can dream bigger though – good name for the product.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Gage Jump (P, 23) Electric fastball and good command of his entire arsenal to boot. Still needs to prove his higher-effort delivery and smaller frame can handle a significant workload, but low risk to get to the majors in some capacity.- Max Arterburn Risk: 4, Ceiling: 7 (Both)

Tier None

Edgar Montero (SS, 19) Physically mature specimen, repeated the DSL in 2025 with great success. Some hitterish qualities, definite power potential, but zone whiff and passivity are current issues that will hurt him if they continue. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Braden Nett (RHP, 23) UDFA who’s done very well and should be in the MLB rotation sometime next year. Great stuff, but command issues prevent him from getting to more than mid-rotation as a ceiling. More likely a back-end piece.- Max Arterburn Risk: 3, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)

Atlanta Braves

Tier 3

Eric Hartman (OF, 19) Very speedy teen who’s already in High-A. Hit’s the ball hard, could be average or better power if he elevates with regularity. How the totality of his hit tool comes along will key where he ends up, but a decent hobby ceiling even if he doesn’t come into real power. - Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Owen Carey (OF, 19) Something to be said that with just a little optimism, he projects as a sum-of-the-parts big leaguer already at age 19. Whether a tool or two ticks higher than that will determine whether it’s as a 4th OF type, or a significant lineup piece. In Atlanta's strong hobby market, he's quite interesting. - Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Baltimore Orioles

Tier 3

Trey Gibson (RHP, 23) Purveyor of a death ball with some fantastic shape, as well as some intriguing fastball options. Proximity SP with high-K upside, fun mix. Can get hit around when control isn’t on. - Max Arterburn Risk: 2, Ceiling: 5 (Auto Only)

Esteban Mejia (P, 19) The highest octane power arm in the product -- some outings his velo doesn't drop below 90 on any of his pitches. Only 19, but command is quite poor at present and needs to significantly improve to make it as a SP. But not much limit to his ceiling in equal measure. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 8 (Both)

Victor Figueroa (1B, 22) Started 2025 on fire, cooled way down from July forward, then now has started 2026 on fire. Profile as a hitter is incomplete, but great raw power and approach at the plate, especially going to the opposite field. Limited defensive options so he needs to tap into most of that raw power. - Max Arterburn Risk: 7, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Wehiwa Aloy (SS, 22) 2025 Golden Spikes winner at Arkansas who fell to the 31st pick due to a divisive hit tool projection and lack of top-end speed up the middle. Should stick at short, at least for now, and boasts excellent raw power (especially for a shortstop), but his ability to limit strikeouts will determine his path. - Will Jarvis Risk: 7, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Tier None

Andrew Tess (C, 19) 2024 late Round prep catcher – a complete dart throw whose tools have not advanced past the point of pure speculation to date.- Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Boston Red Sox

Tier 2

Justin Gonzales (OF, 19) The behemoth Gonzales is a boom or bust corner outfielder, but not for the reasons you may think. His hit tool is quite good and doesn't have any concerns regarding swing and miss, but a very high ground ball rate is the only thing standing in the way of him tapping into his big time raw power and becoming a true home run threat. There is a ton of variance in his possible outcomes, but I'll gladly bet on a guy needing to clean up his ground ball rate over one with whiff issues. - Will Jarvis Risk: 8, Ceiling: 8 (Both)

Tier None

Hector Ramos (SS, 18) 2025 IFA SS who should at least stick at the position for the near-term. Solid DSL stats, but nothing to truly separate him in any way. The best part of his profile hobby-wise is team context - we're in flyer territory here, for better or worse. - Will Jarvis Risk: 9, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Nelly Taylor (OF, 23) 11th round JuCo in 2023. Posted a fine .704 OPS as a 22 year old in High-A last year, but struggling to keep his head above water in AA thus far this year. Only promising tools are glove and speed, which just aren't enough to where I could justify buying even at a cheap price. - Will Jarvis Risk: 6, Ceiling: 3 (Both)

Enddy Azocar (OF, 19) Minor 2024 IFA with a good ability to pick up spin, but hasn’t translated to any true hit tool development yet. Good body projection for power, but current issues handling velocity with regularity. Likely needs to actually make good on some physical projection to see who can be. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)

Chicago Cubs

Tier None

Kade Snell (OF, 23) 2025 5th Round pick, senior sign with a high baseball IQ. In total his physical skills are a bit lacking but if anyone could make it as a premium bench bat, it's Snell. Probably will have a long career in baseball whether he's a player or not.- Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 3 (Both)

Chicago White Sox

Tier None

Colby Shelton (2B, 23) Fantastic start to his pro career. Seems to have balanced the power in his Soph year with the hittability in his Junior year. But needs to maintain that to make it as a bat-first MLB regular 2B.- Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)

Mathias LaCombe (RHP, 23) French pitcher who will be too old to earn his place in hobby relevance. High K potential and really a decent ceiling to dream on, but we’re years away and big command improvement hurdles remain.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 4 (Base Only)

Adrian Gil (1B, 20) Sorry Sox fans. This is the guy you don't want. Has not had success on the field in a few years. Swing is built for contact, but has a very low contact rate. A non-prospect at this point. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 1 (Auto Only)

Cincinnati Reds

Tier 3

Pablo Nunez (OF, 19) Potential four-tool talent, with power as the laggard. Everything is so impressive that I think he can escape the no-power stigma hobby-wise. Almost no physical development yet though, and still needs to debut stateside, so risk is aplenty. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 7 (Auto Only)

Cleveland Guardians

Tier 3

Dauri Fernandez (SS, 19) Shorter SS, very thin frame but looks somewhat physically projectable. Needs that to favorably come to fruition in order to get a clearer picture on his entire profile, but is showing signs of non-physical adjustments already.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Tier None

Riley Nelson (1B, 22) 2025 Collegiate 5th Rounder. Hit-centric 1B. Doesn’t really try to drive the ball with regularity, but barrel control and good approach make his hit tool interesting. But that may be his only tool that’s even fringe-average.- Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Gabriel Rodriguez (2B, 19) Lacks anything resembling polish or a tool with loud projection at present, but he's only 20. Could end up as an everyday Util as a best case, but likely in a boring-for-the-hobby way with a middling average and low power output. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Colorado Rockies

Tier 1

Ethan Holliday (SS, 19) Cover athlete. 2025 4th overall pick – Draft-leading $9 MM bonus. Immense power in raw form, still learning to get to enough of it in-game, but early signs are promising that it will happen. Good plate discipline, but the rest of his hit tool is developing. Fringy speed, could be good enough defense to stick at SS.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 10 (Both)

Tier 2

Roldy Brito (OF, 19) One of the few guys in the product with true five-tool potential. Plenty of physical projection remaining, already hits the ball hard with regularity. Needs to elevate more for power to show, but his fantastic speed could make it so he may not have to and still be quite hobby-relevant. - Max Arterburn Risk: 7, Ceiling: 9 (Both)

Tier 3

Wilder Dalis (SS, 19) Puts up high-quality AB's with regularity. Needs a bit more of his power projection to come to fruition to say it's average, but definitely has the physical traits have that hope. Quality defender at several positions including SS. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 6 (Base Only)

Tier None

Matt Klein (C, 22) 2025 5th Rounder with a long injury history. Solid defender behind the plate. Passive hitting approach, contact-first when he does swing the bat, with only a little pull-side pop. Backup C profile. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 2 (Base Only)

Detroit Tigers

Tier None

Jude Warwick (SS, 20) 2024 late Round prep draftee. Speedy middle infield type. Not yet developed physically, but right now does not look projectable enough to say his hit or power will carry him to being an MLB starter, but a bench piece could be in the cards with more maturity. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Houston Astros

Tier None

Nick Monistere (2B, 22) 2025 emergent collegiate 4th Rounder. Some power, but likely a 2B profile. In Low-A and showing improvement to his approach, but plenty of flags within what he's doing well.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Alimber Santa (P, 23) Short-statured reliever. High-90’s fastball, slider get lots of whiff. Poor command. Low risk of making it to the majors, but also not likely to be a closer.- Max Arterburn Risk: 3, Ceiling: 2 (Base Only)

Jase Mitchell (C, 19) 2025 7th Round prep catcher. Frame for power, as well as present strength, good arm. If he doesn’t make it as a catcher, his athleticism could be good enough for a corner OF. But for now we should only expect slow growth.- Max Arterburn Risk: 10, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Kansas City Royals

Tier 2

Kendry Chourio (RHP, 18) Undersized, and that's where the downside starts and ends with Chourio. He's 18 and tearing up Single A, barely walks anybody, and strikes guys out at an elite rate. The fastball is solid but not great, and he boasts 4 average or better offerings, once again, as an 18 year old. He's got the potential to be a hobby monster- he just needs to stay healthy and keep doing his thing. - Will Jarvis Risk: 8, Ceiling: 8 (Both)

Tier 3

David Shields (LHP, 19) 2024 2nd Round prep who was young for the class, but has already shot up to High-A. Deceptive lefty with fantastic command and some projection remaining. Great sweeper, fastball likely needs more velocity, which should help his other secondaries.- Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 7 (Both)

Los Angeles Angels

Tier None

Yojancel Cabrera (OF, 18) Physical RF prototype. Great DSL season that’s not prescriptive of future success. Needs to clean up flaws in his swing and swing decisions to have success at higher levels, but should have significant power. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Isaiah Jackson (OF, 21) Now with the Red Sox. 2025 Collegiate 8th Rounder. Premium athlete, surefire high-ceiling CF defender. The entirety of his offensive game is very much a work in progress, but showed some pop late in his collegiate career.- Max Arterburn Risk: 7, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Los Angeles Dodgers

Tier 3

Brendan Tunink (OF, 20) 2024 8th Round prep. Great ability to elevate line drives with superior exit velocity to the pull side. Swing and miss remains a considerable concern, but from having come in as a raw as he was (and still is), he’s come a long way.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 7 (Both)

Tier None

Francisco Espinoza (C, 19) Minor 2024 IFA. Needs a lot of physical development – impossible to see where his floor and ceiling lay at present. Plenty of hitterish traits present though, good Complex performance (where he will return). - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)

Patrick Copen (RHP, 24) Big 6’6” righty. Plus fastball in the high 90s, and a slider & cutter with equally promising plus potential. Poor command, so there’s immense relief risk, but a likely high leverage role. Big if, but if he sticks at SP he has everything you want in the hobby.- Kevin Hamlin Risk: 4, Ceiling: 4 (Base Only)

Miami Marlins

Tier 2

Aiva Arquette (SS, 22) As the 7th overall pick last year, has a high pedigree. Fantastic prospect overall with a good floor mostly based in his defense (could be SS). Plenty of plate skill to go with it, but needs to prove it can be loud and impactful to get near where we have him here in Tier Two for the long run.- Max Arterburn Risk: 5, Ceiling: 8 (Both)

Tier 3

Luis Arana (SS, 18) Unheralded 2025 IFA who put up an amazing contact rate in the DSL – good approach as well, but not yet a complete hit tool. Some pop, projectable speed. Defense is a bit of a question everywhere at the moment.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Tier None

Luis Cova (OF, 19) Tooled up DSL repeater who showed great improvement last year. Impossible to tell exactly how high the ceiling of his power and hit is, but good indications that they could both be average or better.- Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 6 (Base Only)

Chris Arroyo (1B, 21) 2025 5th Round pick, currently injured. Has rhythm issues at the plate that prevent him from accessing his above average power. Likely needs a significant change to his setup to find consistency.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 4

Milwaukee Brewers

Tier 2

Andrew Fischer (3B, 21) Big hype this pre-season, enough of an approach to play into his hit tool and let a lower contact rate be palatable. Easy 30 HR potential, perhaps more. Questions of remaining as a 3B, but has the arm for it and there’s a chance it won’t matter because the offense is so good. - Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 8 (Both)

Tier None

Daniel Dickinson (SS, 22) Personally, I love defense 1st MIs but Dickinson isn’t pushing the needle for me. If he somehow can find power later on like a Nico Hoerner, he might be more collectible. At best he will be a utility bench player with a decent OBP, but low SLG%. This is more of a player that I wait until he makes it to the Show and start collecting, than taking the risk with his Bowman cards. - Kevin Hamlin Risk: 5, Ceiling: 3 (Both)

Ethan Dorchies (RHP, 19) 2024 late round prep who has progressed very quickly, but remains raw in his command. Needs to make good on his physical projection, and perhaps tweak a pitch or two in order to see where his ceiling truly lies.- Max Arterburn Risk: 7, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Pedro Ibarguen (RF, 19) Poor elevator of the baseball, fringy bat speed, but wants to do damage. Good contact rate and has been very successful getting on base. Just needs to put it all together into a true hit tool. Not much hope for anything but squarely below-average power.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Brailyn Antunez (OF, 18) Physically mature, high $ 2025 IFA. Completely unsettled hit tool has him unable to access anything resembling pop yet, but no concerning markers with contact rate or batted ball profile despite willingness to take healthy hacks mean it could be fixed sooner rather than later. Good speed, ability to man CF. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Handelfry Encarnacion (CF, 18) Medium upside dart throw. The dream is a high-.200’s average with 15 HR in a corner OF bat,. To get there, he needs to learn to work the count, draw walks, and pick better pitches to attempt to do damage with. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Minnesota Twins

Tier 3

Dasan Hill (P, 20) Highly projectable lefty with good stuff and a great season of Low-A under his belt. Command issues, but there’s hope physical maturity itself will solve it. Very nice hobby ceiling. - Max Arterburn Risk: 7, Ceiling: 7 (Both)

Marek Houston (SS, 22) 16th overall pick in last year's Draft. Hit and defense-first prospect with a very high floor. Not a zero in power, but swing is not geared for it, and getting to more would likely cost him in the areas in which he excels, so his long term ceiling isn't all that high. - Max Arterburn Risk: 4, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

New York Mets

Tier None

Anthony Frobose (SS, 18) High school 2025 9th Round draftee drafted as a TWP. Local kid, probably winds up focusing on being an infielder full time in the near term. Limited data so it's a wait and see type profile. As risky a buy as you can find, and it's hard to determine what the ceiling is right now. Mets are a big market - those buyers are likely only creators of his initial hobby hype. - Will Jarvis Risk: 10, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

New York Yankees

Tier 3

Dillon Lewis (OF, 22) Traded to Marlins. Fringy hit, great power output thus far. Having incontrovertibly positive speed and defense profiles lifts him to Tier Three for now, but risk abound as a potential 4th OF if he doesn't hit enough. - Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Tier None

T.J. Rumfield (1B, 25) Traded to Rockies and earned a spot as a regular in their lineup to start the year. Not big power, but there is some, as well as a fringe-average hit. Probably no better than an average big-leaguer long-term. - Max Arterburn Risk: 1, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Juan Torres (2B, 18) Hyperagressive, short-statured 2B-type who put up a good average in the DSL. Everything else is against him. A player of this type needs a much more refined approach to be considered a legitimate prospect.- Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 4 (Base Only)

Henry Lalane (P, 21) Fun, 6’7” lefty with great movement on his pitches. But everything else about him is wrong. Poor command. Numerous injuries. Only in Low-A at age 21. Hasn't built up a workload. Needs to bridge gaps in his pitch mix. Throw all this together, and he's very likely a reliever.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Philadelphia Phillies

Tier 3

Matthew Ferrara (SS, 18) 2025 9th Round prep Draftee. New setup for 2026 has brought a ton of hard contact. Lots of hit-tool centric risk. Needs more than the zero approach he has, but could also end up as a true offensive force at 2B. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 7 (Both)

Tier None

Keaton Anthony (1B, 24) 1B-only UDFA who’s done great to reach AAA. Likely to make it to the majors in a bench role, but lacks power and a complete hit tool, so the odds are slim he makes it even as a second division regular. - Max Arterburn Risk: 2, Ceiling: 3 (Base Only)

Moisés Chace (P, 22) High-grade fastball with some great secondaries when they’re at their best. Needs to continue command improvements to stick as starter, which was trending positively before he went down to TJ in May 2025.- Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Anderson Araujo (C, 18) Unheralded 2025 IFA with a good eye, ferocious swing approach, and a complete inability to hit breaking balls at present. Sticking at C will be important, as will figuring out how to hit spin. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Kehden Hettiger (C, 21) Likely a MLB backup catcher of some ilk, faint hope to escape it. Hit and power both need to tick up, and one or the other need to be a significant tick. Also needs a bit more defensive development. - Max Arterburn Risk: 4, Ceiling: 3 (Both)

Pittsburgh Pirates

Tier 1

Edward Florentino (OF, 19) Hobby monster with serious power and ability to steal bases, Florentino is the product chase in 2026 Bowman. Exploded onto the scene in 2025, and almost a lock to be a top 10 overall prospect guy by the time the 2026 campaign is done. No major red flags in his profile that should to give you pause when chasing him in Bowman. - Will Jarvis Risk: 7, Ceiling: 10 (Both)

Tier 3

Wyatt Sanford (SS, 20) After a full year in the minors, his hit & power are still in complete dart throw territory. Defense & speed have progressed him to High-A, so if he succeeds on the offensive side at this level, could rise quickly.- Max Arterburn Risk: 7, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Tier None

Brent Iredale (3B, 22) Decent approach, power bat with an uppercut swing. Hits it a long way when he catches barrels up in the zone, but whiff on those pitches and elsewhere is a concern. Limited defensively.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Jared Jones (1B, 22) Carrier of all the red flags. One-dimensional power bat who’s been known as such for a long time and never grown out of it. Transition to pro ball has not gone well in a limited sample thus far. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

San Diego Padres

Tier None

Miguel Mendez (RHP, 23) Great arm for the Padres in the near future – two plus pitches. Fringy command at present, needs to tick up from that to remain a SP long-term. Development is more likely to come in the majors or as an up-and-down arm though, so hobby-wise is a bit weaker. - Max Arterburn Risk: 5, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)

Truitt Madonna (C, 19) 2025 prep catcher; 11th Round overslot signee. Big physicality, the hope is for power. But swing is very raw and will need to adapt. Defense behind the plate is also raw across the board. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Jorge Quintana (SS, 20) Seven-figure IFA in 2024. Hasn’t shown much in his two pro seasons, but he still has a lot of raw tools, including power. He is only 20 though, and as a projectable defender at SS should stick around to see in anything pans out.- Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

San Francisco Giants

Tier None

Parks Harber (1B, 24) UDFA, has come far quickly since but is already 24. Incredible eye, hits with a ton of power, but doesn’t pull the ball too much or have a swing that generates lift. Poor injury history as well, but is just a swing adjustment away from being a legitimate power threat. - Kevin Hamlin Risk: 5, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)

Jean Carlos Sio (2B, 23) Cuban player that has progressed within the Giants organization. Middling hitting numbers with little to no power makes him a hobby no-go. Could at best be a defensive utility sub in the MLB. - Kevin Hamlin Risk: 5, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Carlos Gutierrez (OF, 21) Hit projection likely above average or better. Smaller stature, drive-it-up-the-middle then adjust approach. Leads to some slappiness, but good baserunning helps his offensive impact as well.- Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Angel Guzman (OF, 20) Retail-only subject without much to be interested. Gets on base at a good clip, but not much else. Low on the defensive spectrum, poor contact rate, little power. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 2 (Paper Auto Only)

Keyner Martinez (RHP, 21) Older for being in Low-A and without a solid innings buildup. Good stuff, but command is still very raw. Not likely to advance quickly, so safe to put on the hobby back-burner as he'll likely be too old to have hobby significance when he does advance.- Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)

Argenis Cayama (RHP, 19) 2024 IFA. Good stuff, decent frame. Still raw at the position and learning, especially how to locate his pitches. It all needs to take a step forward to really see who he’ll be. Would be worth a flyer if he wasn't base-only.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 6 (Base Only)

Seattle Mariners

Tier None

Ricardo Cova (SS, 21) Small in stature, lacks projection. No tools to really propel his hobby status, and perhaps speed is his only average asset. Not old yet but has stalled at multiple levels despite average performance. - Max Arterburn Risk: 3, Ceiling: 3 (Both)

St. Louis Cardinals

Tier 3

Deniel Ortiz (3B, 21) Burly 2024 late round JuCo who’s played very well. He has decent pop with really good BABIP and OPS numbers. HR are a little on the low side but has power and surprising base-stealing acumen. Strong arm plays at 3B, but could be 1B long-term because he’s not a great defender. - Kevin Hamlin Risk: 5, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Tier None

Kenly Hunter (OF, 18) Nicaraguan speed-first CF prospect. Great current contact-ability, but doesn’t yet drive to all fields. Could have a touch of power projection, but not enough to pique hobby interest right now.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Tampa Bay Rays

Tier 2

Daniel Pierce (SS, 19) Toolsy prep first rounder taken 14th overall last year. Nothing truly stands out at present as a definite future plus tool, but has great projection – everything could be average or better. Should be able to stick at SS.- Max Arterburn Risk: 7, Ceiling: 8 (Both)

Tier 3

Jose Urbina (P, 20) Got to High-A at age 20. Rapidly developing talent, great stuff, high velocity fastball and plenty more projectability remaining. Learning how to sequence his pitches better and establishing exactly what his his mix is the priority right now.- Max Arterburn Risk: 7, Ceiling: 7 (Both)

Tier None

James Quinn-Irons (OF, 22) High-risk 2025 collegiate draftee, 5th Round pick. Good power, but hit tool has historically been the question. Swing-and-miss issues seem solved, but is still not a complete hitter which impacts his power ceiling as well.- Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Texas Rangers

Tier 1

Caden Scarborough (RHP, 21) Our pick for the best pitcher in a release full of exciting arms. He broke out in a big way in 2025 by completely dominating Low-A in every facet. Big frame, room to fill out and a deceptive delivery that mystifies hitters. Has added velo every year as a pro with a nasty slider as his best secondary. - Will Jarvis Risk: 8, Ceiling: 9 (Both)

Tier 3

David Davalillo (RHP, 24) Splitter is probably as good as any in the MLB, a devastating swing-and-miss weapon. However, he is almost 25 with a that's just OK, and a jumbled mess of other secondaries. There's obvious reliever risk here, and while I think he could become a dominant closer fairly quickly, that is usually a hobby death sentence. - Will Jarvis Risk: 5, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Seong-Jun Kim (RHP, 19) Korean two-way IFA, too raw to say much of anything definite. Whether he ends up as a hitter or pitcher, premium athleticism will help him along and could serve as a bit of a floor eventually.- Max Arterburn Risk: 10, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Jack Wheeler (3B, 19) Overslot 6th Round prep in last year's Draft. We’re here for the big power with an athleticism kicker. Everything else is very raw -- a work in progress across the board to be sure -- but far worse flyers can be taken. - Max Arterburn Risk: 10, Ceiling: 7 (Both)

Toronto Blue Jays

Tier 2

Juan Sanchez (3B, 18) Big time power potential with the kicker of a potential above average hit to boot. As he's been aggressively pushed to Low-A at 18, he could rise quickly. But there's a lot of things to clean up, such as pitch selection and maturity in general.- Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 8 (Both)

Tier 3

Seojun Moon (RHP, 18) Big bonus Korean high school IFA with a projectable RHP frame. Velo should spike into the upper 90’s in time, the rest is a work in progress. Interesting project to keep tabs on. - Max Arterburn Risk: 10, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Blaine Bullard (OF, 19) 2025 switch hitting prep OF – major overslot bonus in the 10th Round. Premium speed, great CF defender for his age. Good bat speed and swing plane, but needs to develop his approach in every way possible. - Max Arterburn Risk: 8, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Tier None

Gage Stanifer (RHP, 22) Two great pitches. A high K% future is not in doubt, and will likely make it to the majors. But his command is poor and his mix is shallow, so it may be as a high-leverage reliever.- Max Arterburn Risk: 4, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Edward Duran (C, 21) Great overall defensively behind the plate. Little power, needs to keep improving his hit tool (and arm accuracy) to make it as a backup catcher.- Max Arterburn Risk: 6, Ceiling: 2 (Base Only)

Victor Arias (OF, 22) Already 22 and has a ways to go to say any tools except speed are average or better. Tries for power, but it’s not good raw and can’t elevate easily.- Max Arterburn Risk: 5, Ceiling: 4 (Both)

Washington Nationals

Tier 3

Coy James (SS, 19) Slid due to poor performance across the board in his 2025 Draft year. Transition to a mature body will key whether he has enough of a hit tool to let his at least above-average raw power play, and where on the field can be his long-term home.- Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 7 (Both)

Marconi German (SS, 18) Talented unheralded 2025 IFA. Much more raw than his excellent DSL season indicates. Power he showed there is likely not predictive -- more likely a hit-first prospect as he matures. - Max Arterburn Risk: 9, Ceiling: 6 (Both)

Tier None

Daniel Hernandez (C, 18) 2025 high-bonus IFA catcher. Swing currently lacks any semblance of power, but an extremely strong contact rate. Needs physical development to see if any of this plays out in a positive way. - Kevin Hamlin Risk: 10, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)

Sam Petersen (CF, 23) Speedy OF who's offensive bottom line offers little projection. However, what he's done thus far is good enough to put him on track for at least a 4th OF role in time. - Max Arterburn Risk: 5, Ceiling: 5 (Both)

Sean Paul Liñan (RHP, 21) Twice-traded Colombian IFA. Lower velocity fastball, but fantastic change-up. Had really good numbers all-around in Low-A last year, but his dominance has slipped dramatically thus far in over 50 innings of High-A. If he can make adjustments to his command, lowering the BB%, he stands a good chance of making it as an end of the rotation type starter. - Kevin Hamlin Risk: 7, Ceiling: 5 (Base Only)