The sample sizes are extremely small this early in the new season, so many of the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, there are many prospects off to blazing starts who'll be highlighted due to the limitations of the article format:
Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, CLE – Velasquez has emerged as one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball due to his youth, power profile and patience beyond his years. Velasquez is just 20 years old, but has already found little resistance in 31 games at Double-A between last season and this year, hitting over .330 with six home runs, 25 RBI and almost as many walks (15) as strikeouts (21) over that span.
A.J. Ewing, OF, NYM – Ewing swiped a staggering 73 bases in 124 games last year across three levels while also hitting .315. The Mets' future centerfielder is 4-for-9 (.444) with two steals through three outings at Double-A.
Brody Hopkins, P, TB – The 24-year-old righty has only allowed one run across two starts at Triple-A while opposing batters have only gone .172 against alongside a 1.80 GO:AO, though walks remain an issue.
Noah Schultz, P, CWS – Schultz is hoping to recapture some of his prospect luster after a subpar 2025 and he's so far posted a 1.00 ERA and 10:2 K:BB through two Triple-A appearances.
Owen Murphy, P, ATL – Murphy made a rather quick return from Tommy John surgery and hasn't missed a
The sample sizes are extremely small this early in the new season, so many of the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, there are many prospects off to blazing starts who'll be highlighted due to the limitations of the article format:
Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, CLE – Velasquez has emerged as one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball due to his youth, power profile and patience beyond his years. Velasquez is just 20 years old, but has already found little resistance in 31 games at Double-A between last season and this year, hitting over .330 with six home runs, 25 RBI and almost as many walks (15) as strikeouts (21) over that span.
A.J. Ewing, OF, NYM – Ewing swiped a staggering 73 bases in 124 games last year across three levels while also hitting .315. The Mets' future centerfielder is 4-for-9 (.444) with two steals through three outings at Double-A.
Brody Hopkins, P, TB – The 24-year-old righty has only allowed one run across two starts at Triple-A while opposing batters have only gone .172 against alongside a 1.80 GO:AO, though walks remain an issue.
Noah Schultz, P, CWS – Schultz is hoping to recapture some of his prospect luster after a subpar 2025 and he's so far posted a 1.00 ERA and 10:2 K:BB through two Triple-A appearances.
Owen Murphy, P, ATL – Murphy made a rather quick return from Tommy John surgery and hasn't missed a beat. After six excellent starts at High-A to end last season, he fanned 10 during his first start at Double-A.
Let's take a look at some other prospects who have made the most of their opportunities early on in the 2026 campaign.
Check out where future major league baseball starts slot into RotoWire's MLB Top Prospects & Rankings for 2026!
UPGRADE
Owen Caissie, OF, MIA – Caissie parlayed a strong showing for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic (7-for-17 (.412); 1.241 OPS) into a fast start for the Marlins as he's already dispatched two homers and nine RBI through nine outings for a surprising squad that's started the year 6-3. Any sort of roadblock to playing time for Caissie was eliminated once he was shipped to Miami, where he should be a fixture in right field.
Andrew Painter, P, PHI – Still only 22, Painter missed two full seasons due to injury. The 6'7" hurler returned in 2025, perhaps predictably struggling with his command following such a long layoff following arm surgery. Painter pitched well enough during the spring to win a spot in Philly's starting rotation, and his debut was a dandy as he only gave up one run on four hits across 5.1 innings against the Nationals while striking out eight and walking one. While the Phillies could be cautious with their top arm, he did throw 118 innings last season. So as long as Painter stays healthy, Painter should become a staple of the Phillies rotation for the majority of this year.
TJ Rumfield, 1B, COL – Not really a prospect anymore at 26, Rumfield was dealt from the Yankees this offseason as he was blocked at both first and DH. He won the starting 1B job for the Rockies out of Spring Training, and the organization may have found a diamond in the rough as he's hitting .345 with two home runs and five RBI. Rumfield should be helped by playing at Coors Field as he's actually never exceeded 17 homers at any level since entering the minors during 2021. He's also not batted below .285 since 2023.
Max Clark, OF, DET – Clark has swagger and the talent on the diamond to back it up. Already at Triple-A at 21, he's hitting 11-for-30 (.367) with three RBI and three steals across eight appearances while drawing seven walks and striking out twice. Clark's struggles during the spring may give the Tigers brief pause at a quick promotion, though there's not much blocking him in centerfield while Detroit are firmly in "win-now" mode. As such, his stay in the minors could be minimal.
CHECK STATUS
Sam Antonacci, 2B, CWS – A fifth-round pick during 2024, Antonacci may also not be long for the minors. He displayed his mastery of the strike zone across three levels last season while also producing 48 stolen bases. Antonacci is off to a white-hot start at Triple-A slashing .346/.528/.615 with two home runs, four RBI and four steals. He only went deep five times in 2025, so the White Sox could have an option up the middle for years to come if power can be added to the rest of his already stellar tools.
Kade Anderson, P, SEA – Arguably the No. 1 arm in last June's Draft, Anderson was aggressively assigned to Double-A to begin 2026. The polished collegian out of LSU made a strong impression in the spring and the Mariners have a tendency to promote their top pithcing prospects directly to the bigs from Double-A. Anderson showed the promise of a future frontline starter during his professional debut as he threw four scoreless innings while fanning six. It's not outside the realm of possibility he gets to the Majors this summer.
Parker Messick, P, CLE – Despite being a 2022 second-rounder, Messick has been mostly doubted throughout his pro career. The 25-year-old southpaw posted a 2.72 ERA and 38:6 K:BB across 39.2 innings for the big club to close out last season and has already registered a 0.82 ERA and 11:3 K:BB from 11 frames for the Guardians. Messick has pitched over 120 combined innings in each of the last three seasons and hasn't gone over a 3.60 ERA since the end of 2023. Maybe it's time for him to get his due.
Carson Benge, OF, NYM – Benge won a starting outfield job for the Mets out of Spring Training, and his ML career began with a bang as he hit a homer during his debut. He's since struggled having only managed to two hits over 27 at-bats. Benge does have four steals and his placement appears secure for now, especially with Juan Soto nursing a balky calf. He should be given every opportunity to succeed, but there could be some growing pains.
DOWNGRADE
Carson Williams, SS, TB – A rough start to 2026 has already resulted in a demotion back to Triple-A for Williams as he went 3-for-23 (.130) with nine Ks and one walk over seven outings while not collecting a homer or steal and also batted .172 through 32 games last season. He's a toolsy prospect who offers both power and speed, yet there are real concerns as to whether he'll be able to hit for enough average in the bigs. Put differently, Williams needs to hit above the Mendoza line to make his intriguing power/speed combination relevant.
Brandon Sproat, P, MIL – Shipped to the Brewers as part of the Freddy Peralta deal, Sproat made the Brewers' roster as a kind of hybrid starter/opener/long reliever. He's been blown up in two appearances so far allowing 11 earned runs on 10 hits during 6.2 innings. Perhaps more concerning is that Sproat walked seven batters over that stretch. He's battled some control issues in his brief professional career while major-league offenses will make hurlers pay for additional free passes. Sproat has largely struggled at the higher levels since a dazzling 2024. And at 25, it still looks like he still requires some development/tinkering.
