Breakout MLB Prospect Candidates For Every National League Team In 2026

Arizona Diamondbacks

David Hagaman, RHP

The Diamondbacks acquired Hagaman from the Rangers at the deadline in the Merrill Kelly trade. The 22-year-old had internal brace surgery prior to the 2024 draft and didn’t return to the mound until June.

After a trio of starts with the Rangers’ complex league affiliate, Hagaman made the jump to Low-A Hickory. There, he made five starts, striking out 16 over 15.1 innings and posting a 2.66 FIP. Post trade, the D-backs assigned Hagaman directly to High-A Hillsboro, where he took a big step forward after the team had him increase his curveball usage. Over 20 innings with Hillsboro, he struck out 27 batters to four walks while posting a 3.15 ERA.

Hagaman features just average fastball velocity—sitting 93-95 mph and touching 98 at peak—but the pitch features above-average ride and armside run. It misses an average amount of bats, but is commanded well and sets up a trio of good secondaries in mid-80s gyro slider, mid-80s changeup and a low-to-mid-80s curveball with a serious two-plane break. All of Hagaman’s secondaries boast plus whiff and chase rates with high zone rates.

Hagaman shows a good balance of stuff, arsenal depth and command, and it gives him a midrotation starter projection.    

Atlanta Braves

Diego Tornes, OF

The Braves signed the switch-hitting Tornes for a $2.5 million bonus in January 2025, and the top Cuban player on the market looks to be a sound investment so far.

Tornes made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2025, hitting .279/.395/.402 over 32 games. While he didn’t hit any home runs, he has plus bat speed, and his underlying data suggests there’s more power coming. With a 90th percentile exit velocity of 105.4 mph and a 88.1 mph average EV at just 17 years old, Tornes is showing plus raw power in games already. There’s some swing-and-miss with a 21.2% in-zone whiff rate, but he shows at least average swing decisions at present with fairly good launch angles.

Tornes currently is manning center field, but opinions are split on whether he’ll stick there long term. He boasts a plus—possibly plus-plus—arm that will fit well in a corner outfield spot should he move.

Overall, Tornes is an exciting talent likely to make his stateside debut in 2026.   

Chicago Cubs

Ethan Conrad, OF

The Cubs’ 2025 first-round pick may prove to be a steal at pick No. 17.

Conrad was one of the top names in the 2024 college transfer portal, and he transferred to Wake Forest after two seasons at mid-major Marist. A shoulder injury requiring season-ending surgery limited him to just 21 games with the Demon Deacons last year, however. Over those 21 games, Conrad was explosive, showing his stints in the Cape Cod League and at Marist were no mirage.

Conrad has strong bat-to-ball skills with potential for above-average power. He played center field at Wake Forest but could move to the corner outfield long term. Conrad is an above-average runner and a good athlete with a strong 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame.

If Conrad can return to full health, there’s potential for a big 2026 season. The 21-year-old combines an above-average hit tool with above-average power, making for talented all-around player who could play his way into the Top 100 Prospects list conversation early next year.

Cincinnati Reds 

Jose Franco, RHP

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in October 2018, Franco has had a long road to this point, as he’s spent seven seasons in the Reds organization. It took some time for Franco to gel, but in 2025, he received his first taste of the upper minors and enjoyed the best results of his career. Over a career-high 110 innings split evenly between Double-A and Triple-A, he pitched to a 3.11 ERA with a 25.2% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk rate.

While Franco doesn’t have outstanding stuff, he features a sneaky above-average arsenal. His fastball sits 94-96 mph with good plane and a solid combination of total movement. It grades out as a plus pitch on Stuff+ models, and he showed strong command of the pitch over the course of the season. Franco’s primary secondary is a mid-80s gyro slider that generates a high rate of whiffs and chase swings. His changeup is used almost exclusively against lefties, and it’s a below-average pitch.

Franco will likely fit into a swingman role for the Reds as soon as next season, offering value in a variety of roles.  

Colorado Rockies

Roldy Brito, 2B/OF

Brito signed with the Rockies in January 2024 out of the Dominican Republic, and after a pedestrian professional debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2024, he came stateside in 2025 and hit .368/.445/.555 over 51 games with three home runs and 22 stolen bases. He then made the jump to Low-A, hitting .375/.442/.463 over 33 games and finishing the season on a high note. Brito will likely return to Fresno to begin 2026, but he could be a quick study and up in High-A Spokane within the first few months.

Brito shows above-average bat-to-ball skills and power with the ability to consistently find the barrel. There are some red flags in Brito’s profile, however, including subpar angles and a swing-happy approach prone to expanding the zone. Despite this, Brito had very good expected outcomes this season due to his combination of contact and power.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Charles Davalan, OF

A standout in his lone season at Arkansas, Davalan hit .346/.433/.561 with 14 home runs last year before being selected in the supplemental first round by the Dodgers. He got a quick taste of professional ball over eight games with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga and performed extremely well, going a jaw-dropping 17-for-34 with three doubles, a triple and a home run. While it was a small sample, Davalan will likely make the jump to High-A to begin 2026 and could move to Double-A Tulsa quickly.

Davalan blends plus bat-to-ball skills, average power and a knack for finding the barrel. It culminates in good in-game results and power numbers better than his raw exit velocities would otherwise suggest.

Davalan is a likely candidate to be the next breakout Dodgers hitting prospect.   

Miami Marlins

Karson Milbrandt, RHP

It’s taken a few seasons for Milbrandt to turn a corner, but he’s now showing all the ingredients of a potential breakout in 2026 as he mows down hitters in the Arizona Fall League.

Milbrandt enjoyed a career-best season in 2025 with High-A Beloit, as he struck out 101 batters and pitched to a 3.26 ERA over 19 starts spanning 77.1 innings. He then made the jump to Double-A Pensacola, making two starts for the Blue Wahoos.

Milbrandt brings good stuff to the table with an above-average fastball that sits 94-96 mph and features above-average ride and run. He mixes three different breaking ball shapes in an upper-80s cut-slider, mid-80s sweeper and low-80s curveball.

Milbrandt has all the necessary pieces to establish himself as a top pitching prospect, Now, it’s simply a matter of throwing enough strikes.

Milwaukee Brewers

Marco Dinges, C

Drafted out of Florida State in the fourth round in 2024, Dinges is talented hitting catcher with an outside shot to stick behind the plate long term.

Dinges put himself on the prospect radar this season with a strong performance across Low-A and High-A, hitting a combined .300/.416/.514 with 13 home runs over 77 games. There is some swing-and-miss in his game, as he ran a 21% in-zone whiff rate this season and could see that number climb when he reaches the upper minors.

Despite the hit tools concerns, Dinges shows plus game power with an encouraging blend of plus exit velocity data and good launch angles. His 107.2 mph 90th percentile EV places him among the top 95% of hitters in the minor leagues.

As an above-average hitting catcher, if Dinges can replicate his 2025 production next season at Double-A or higher, he could jump into Top 100 conversations.

New York Mets

Jacob Reimer, 3B

It took a few years for Reimer to find his sea legs as a professional after being a fourth-round pick back in 2022 out of Yucaipa (Calif.) High School. The good news for Reimer is he took a massive step forward in 2025, hitting .282/.379/.491 with 17 home runs between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton.

While there are some questions about whether he sticks at third base long term, if Reimer has to move off the position, his bat is enough to carry him at first base, as he combines one of the better blends of bat-to-ball ability and power. In 2025, he ran a 15.3% in-zone whiff rate with strong swing decision metrics and a 105.3 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. He doesn’t just show power and plate skills, either, as he has the optimized angles to allow him to put his best-struck drives in the air and shows the ability to hit for pullside power with regularity.

From a data-based perspective, Reimer is one of the best emerging power hitters in the minor leagues. Still not Rule 5-eligible for another season, Reimer could hit his way onto the Mets’ active roster by the end of 2026.  

Philadelphia Phillies

Gage Wood, RHP

The Phillies’ 2025 first-round pick, Wood enjoyed an outstanding junior season at Arkansas in which he made 10 starts after coming back from shoulder injury early and dominating down the stretch. Over 37.2 innings with the Razorbacks last year, he struck out 46% of opposing batters against a 4.7% walk rate. Wood then tossed a complete game no-hitter in the College World Series, striking out 19 Murray State batters in an all-time performance.

Wood mixes a four-seam fastball, curveball, cutter and splitter, with his fastball and curveball seeing the majority of usage in 2025. His fastball sits 95-97 mph and touches 98 at peak with above-average ride from a lower release height to create an outlier plane of approach to the plate. His curveball plays off his fastball at the top of the zone, changing eye levels at 83-85 mph and showing dynamic two-plane movement. The cutter and changeup see very little usage presently, but with slight improvement, they could deepen Wood’s plan of attack against opposing hitters.

Wood has the stuff to make a big jump as a professional in 2026 and could even potentially see some innings with the Phillies by the end of next year.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Esmerlyn Valdez, OF

The 2025 season has been a good one for Valdez.

During the regular season, the 21-year-old outfielder slugged 26 home runs between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, slashing .286/.376/.520 over 123 games. The Pirates then sent Valdez to the Arizona Fall League, where his easy plus power has been on full display. Over 11 games with Salt River, Valdez leads the AFL by a wide margin with eight home runs in 29 at-bats.

Valdez combines plus raw power with excellent launch angles. Despite below-average bat-to-ball skills, he’s able to consistently tap into his power, as evidenced by a 107.8 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and 14.8 degree hard-hit launch angle. While there’s some red flags in Valdez’s contact data, his plus power hitting ability could be enough to overcome that, as he runs high barrel rates with the ability to consistently hit the ball in the air to his pull side.

Likely a slam dunk addition to the Pirates’ 40-man roster this offseason, Valdez could debut in Pittsburgh at some point in 2026.

San Diego Padres

Jorge Quintana, SS

An under-the-radar trade acquisition by the Padres, it looks like Quintana could end up a steal.

The Brewers signed the switch-hitting Quintana in 2024 for $1.7 million out of Venezuela. He put up solid but unspectacular numbers this season, slashing .264/.349/.403 over 50 complex league games, before struggling post-trade over 25 games with Low-A Lake Elsinore.

Under the hood, Quintana shows a collection of good traits, including above-average bat-to-ball skills and strong swing decision data. He posted a 17.8% in-zone whiff rate this year and also showed above-average raw power for his age and level with a 104.1 mph 90th percentile exit velocity.

Quintana’s biggest red flags are his flatter angles on contact, which sap some of his in-game raw power. However, this is an area the Padres can help Quintana improve, and additional positive launch angles could lead to a true breakout down the line.    

San Francisco Giants

Trevor Cohen, OF

After three seasons with Rutgers, Cohen went to the Giants in the third round of the 2025 draft for $847,500. He debuted following the draft and registers one of the most impressive post-draft performances of any player in the 2025 class. Over 28 games with Low-A San Jose, Cohen hit .327/.438/.402 with more walks than strikeouts as he overwhelmed opposing pitchers.

Metrics-wise, Cohen exemplified strong plate skills with a 9.2% in-zone whiff rate in his debut to go along with a 23.8% chase rate and .373 xwOBA. His power is just fringy with a 102.7 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and a solid barrel rate. More of a line drive-hitter, Cohen doesn’t put many hard-hit balls in the air, and his best contact comes in the form of well-placed ground balls. Improving his game power and angles will be a point of emphasis for Cohen going forward. 

St. Louis Cardinals

Tanner Franklin, RHP

In addition to drafting one of the best 2025 college talents in Liam Doyle, the Cardinals also boast a great deal of excitement Franklin, who was Doyle’s college teammate at Tennessee before going to St. Louis as a supplemental second-round pick.

After he worked primarily as a reliever with Kennesaw State and the Volunteers the past three seasons, the Cardinals plan to develop Franklin as a starter, as he boasts a high-octane pitch mix featuring a four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup and slider. His four-seam fastball sat 95-97 mph this season, touching 101 at peak with good ride from a lower release height. His primary secondary is a hard, low-90s cutter with high spin rates and true cut-fastball shape. He tosses a changeup on a rare occasions, as well as a baby sweeper in the mid 80s, which some designate as a curveball.

With such an electric mix, it seems to be simply a matter of whether Franklin can stick as a starter as a professional. If he does, he could be one of the breakout names of 2026.    

Washington Nationals

Jake Bennett, LHP

Presently, Nationals’ farm system is fairly barren when it comes to viable breakout candidates—something that shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who have followed the organization in the minor leagues in recent years. Fortunately, with a front office overhaul currently underway in Washington, many of the Nationals’ players should see improved player development and streamlined organizational processes coming soon.

Bennett, a 6-foot-6 lefthander is the player who may benefit the most from the new changes. The 24-year-old missed all of 2024 after having Tommy John surgery and returned to action in 2025. He made 19 appearances across three levels, finishing the season in Double-A and pitching to a 2.27 ERA. He also showed off his strengths—generating weak contact and throwing consistent strikes—by posting a 47.3% groundball rate and 6.4% walk rate.

Eligible to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, Bennett is likely in line for some starts with the Nationals in 2026. While he has enjoyed a fair amount of success as a professional, improvements to his pitch mix could pay dividends.