Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2026 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. 3B Jordan Lawlar | 23 | MLB | 2023
The sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Lawlar has graduated prospect status on days served, but he’s still sitting at just 108 plate appearances, so he sort of snuck onto this list. He’s spent parts of three seasons in Triple-A, most recently slashing .313/.403/.564 with 11 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 63 games this season. He has nothing left to prove in Reno, but shortstop belongs to Geraldo Perdomo in Arizona, so Lawlar is set to open 2026 as the everyday third baseman. The defense might be shaky as he adapts to the big league hot corner, but this is a bright, flashing buy-low opportunity for a premium prospect even if his ETA cracks me up a bit here.
2. OF Ryan Waldschmidt | 23 | AA | 2026
The 31st overall pick in the 2024 draft, Waldschmidt represents the windfall profit from Corbin Carroll’s Rookie of the Year award. At 6’2” 205 pounds from the right side, Waldschmidt features plus contact skills, speed and power, a valuable trio of traits in the fantasy game. In 134 games across High-A and Double-A, he slashed .289/.419/.473 with 18 home runs, 29 stolen bases and a 16-to-17.6 percent walk-to-strikeout ratio. There’s a major league opening in left field while Loudres Gurriel recovers from a torn ACL, and Waldschmidt should make a charge to earn that spot.
3. 2B Tommy Troy | 24 | AAA | 2026
The 12th overall pick out of Stanford in 2023, Troy made some swing-adjustments as a professional and enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, slashing .289/.382/.451 with 15 home runs, 24 stolen bases and a 16.9 percent strikeout rate in 125 games across Double (87 g) and Triple-A (38 g). He’ll likely open the season back in Reno and could produce some loud outcomes in that hitter-friendly setting. I’ll be interested to see if they start trying him in the outfield corners as he’s got speed to burn, and he’d be more likely to find at bats if he could do a little bit of everything, especially with SS Geraldo Perdomo and 2B Ketel Marte under contract through 2030. Blaze Alexander just made this shift to utility infielder/outfielder, so that path is probably obvious to all involved.
4. SS Kayson Cunningham | 19 | A | 2030
A left-handed hitter at 5’10” 182 pounds, Cunningham was selected 18th overall in this summer’s draft and sent to full-season ball just a month later. He hit .255 with a .277 slugging percentage in those 11 games, but those numbers are meaningless compared to the fact that Arizona had the confidence in him to send him straight into the battle. While a lot of high school draftees will be waiting for the complex leagues to begin in 2026, Cunningham will be facing college-age arms for the Visalia Rawhide. A gifted hitter with fluid hands in the batter’s box, Cunningham could put an early charge into his dynasty stock with a fast start in a challenging context.
5. 3B LuJames Groover | 23 | AA | 2026
Groover’s patient approach and fast hands at the plate make him difficult to strike out. He’s been graded as a potential power bat with a decent hit tool, but I think it’s time to flip that after he slashed .309/.399/.434 with just 12 home runs in 123 Double-A games this season. He also struck out just 14.4 percent of the time against an 11.5 percent walk rate. At 6’1” 212 pounds, he’s got a chance to add power and become a lineup regular, but it’s hard to see how he’ll fit on this particular club at the moment.
6. OF Slade Caldwell | 19 | A+ | 2028
A spark plug lefty at 5’9” 182 pounds, Caldwell lacks the dynamite-stick athleticism of Corbin Carroll, but you can see the team trying to follow that blueprint in drafting Caldwell 29th overall in 2024. A plus defender in center, he’ll have no problem kicking over to a corner if necessary. In the box, he’s got plus patience that helps him maximize his smaller strike zone. In 114 games across Low-A and High-A, he slashed .260/.408/.369 with three home runs, 25 stolen bases and 138 strikeouts (26.7%). I think it makes sense to expect that strikeout-rate to settle around 20 percent or lower at some point when he’s playing against same-age arms. If he can’t get them under control, it’s hard to see his path to an everyday job for a contender.
7. 3B Demetrio Crisantes | 21 | A+ | 2028
Crisantes is a tough eval right now because missed most of the season with a posterior left labrum tear, and shoulders can be tricky for hitters. For anyone, really. For Crisantes, the hit tool does pretty much all the heavy lifting for the profile. He’s a sure-handed defender, too, but without standout athleticism at 6’ 178 pounds, his range is a little limited for him to become an impact defender at a premium position. I mentioned Placido Polanco while writing his blurb last year, and that feels pretty sticky to me. Good player. Not a dynasty trade target.
8. OF Druw Jones | 22 | A+ | 2027
The second overall pick in the 2022 draft, Jones saw his distressed prospect stock drop even further in 2025. In 123 High-A games, he slashed just .255/.335/.360 with five home runs and 28 stolen bases. There’s some hope in the mess, I guess. From a mechanical perspective, I don’t like his swing. His front foot steps toward the plate and cuts off his rotational explosion. Could certainly be adjusted, but he’ll need a bunch of healthy reps to make that happen, and he’s finally starting to get those. I’ll be watching closely to see if he shows up with a quicker, more streamlined attack in 2026. The whole league is trying to pull and lift, but Jones has been mechanically geared toward blooping liners into right center field.
9. 2B JD Dix | 20 | A | 2029
Dix opened this season in the complex league after being drafted 35th overall out of a Wisconsin high school in 2024. He was good right away in rookie ball, slashing .342/.421/.493 in 39 games, but Low-A slowed him down: 261/.391/.335 with one home run and 19 steals in 50 games. A switch-hitter at 6’2” 180 pounds, he’s got room on the frame to add strength across time, and if he can convert that strength to power, he can be a five-category fantasy contributor who’s talented enough on defense to play where he’s needed.
10. LHP Mitch Bratt | 22 | AA | 2026
Arizona played the Merrill Kelly market perfectly at this year’s deadline and landed Bratt along with LHP Kohl Drake and RHP David Hagaman. All three are solid prospects who could make a case for this spot, but if you’ve been around a while, you know I’m pretty into Mitch Bratt. Lefties his age with plus command of a starter’s arsenal don’t come along often. He’s gotten good results already mixing it up with his fastball, cutter, slider, curveball and changeup, but none of the pitches is especially dangerous on its own just yet. He’s 6’1” 190 pounds, so he might not have a bunch of obvious physical upside, but pitchers are finding velocity around every corner these days, making a guy who’s already good at everything else and just needs a nasty pitch or two very interesting to me.
Thanks for reading!
