10 prospects at Spring Training who are lighting up Statcast
One of the best parts of Spring Training every year is getting to see the top prospects in baseball. A lot of the time, it's the first look fans get at MLB's future stars. But we also know a lot more about those prospects going into Spring Training than we
One of the best parts of Spring Training every year is getting to see the top prospects in baseball. A lot of the time, it's the first look fans get at MLB's future stars.
But we also know a lot more about those prospects going into Spring Training than we used to -- more than what's in their scouting report or their Minor League stat sheet.
Thanks to the Minor League Statcast data now available -- there's Statcast tracking for all Triple-A Games, a significant number of Single-A games, Arizona Fall League games and more -- we already know a lot about top prospects' tools before they even get to Spring Training. And then we get to watch them put those tools into action on the field.
So let's take a look at some of the young players at big league Spring Training this year (either on the 40-man roster or as a non-roster invitee) who have already showcased exciting skill sets in the Minors or Fall League.
Here are 10 top prospects at Spring Training 2025 -- five hitters and five pitchers -- who lit up Statcast last year.
Jac Caglianone, 1B, Royals
One of the biggest head-turners of the Arizona Fall League was Caglianone, who the Royals drafted as a two-way player with the No. 7 overall pick last year but will focus exclusively on hitting in 2025. And Caglianone rakes. The 22-year-old had a max exit velocity of 117.3 mph in the Fall League, on a line-drive single that was the second-hardest-hit ball of the AFL season. Only nine big leaguers had a 117-plus mph base hit in 2024. And Caglianone hit two home runs 110 mph or harder -- one at 113.1 mph, one at 111.6 mph. A non-roster invitee for the Royals this spring, the No. 22 prospect in baseball will be one of the most intriguing players to watch.
Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B Marlins
De Los Santos enters Spring Training as the reigning Minor League home run champion. He hit 40 homers last season -- and a lot of them were big ones. The 21-year-old slugger, who is ranked as Miami's No. 5 prospect, launched five homers 110 mph or harder at Triple-A in 2024. Those included a monster 114.2 mph, 471-foot blast on June 14. De Los Santos has light-tower power, the Marlins have added him to their 40-man roster, and he could make an impact in the big leagues in 2025.
Drake Baldwin, C, Braves
Baldwin is the Braves' top prospect entering 2025, MLB's No. 63 prospect overall and the No. 7 catching prospect. And the 23-year-old lefty swinger has some hitting metrics from last season that should catch your eye, especially coming from a young catcher. Baldwin raked at Triple-A, with a 92.8 mph average exit velocity, 53.1% hard-hit rate and 10.6% barrel rate. He posted a .304 expected batting average and .516 expected slugging percentage based on his quality of contact. Just an all-around excellent hitter.
JJ Wetherholt, SS, Cardinals
Wetherholt was drafted by the Cardinals seventh overall in 2024, went to Single-A and consistently ripped the ball. The 22-year-old had a 91.9 mph average exit velocity and 54.9% hard-hit rate, which is a ton of hard contact for his first professional season. Wetherholt's expected stats were top-tier, with a .292 expected batting average, .406 expected on-base percentage and .390 expected wOBA. As he enters his first Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, Wetherholt is ranked St. Louis' top prospect, MLB's No. 23 prospect and the seventh-best shortstop prospect in baseball.
Xavier Isaac, 1B, Rays
Isaac is ranked No. 51 overall on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects list in large part due to his tremendous raw power. That power showed up in the Arizona Fall League, where the 21-year-old lefty slugger smoked a 115.8 mph home run off White Sox prospect Eric Adler, which was one of the top 10 hardest-hit balls of the 2024 AFL season. Only 14 Major Leaguers hit a home run 115 mph or harder during the entire 2024 season, and only eight hit at least one 115.8 mph or harder.
Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates
Let's get to the pitchers. Chandler is ranked MLB's No. 15 prospect entering Spring Training 2025 after overpowering hitters in the Minors last year, including 54 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings at Triple-A. The 22-year-old has a great power arsenal, with a four-seam fastball that averaged 96.8 mph at Triple-A, a changeup that averaged 88.8 mph and a slider that averaged 86.8 mph. All three of those pitches produced strikeout rates over 30%.
Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Brewers
Chandler has one of the best fastballs among Top 100 prospects. Misiorowski might have the best. MLB Pipeline gave Misiorowski -- who's ranked No. 100 out of 100 -- a perfect grade for his explosive four-seamer. Misiorowski's heater sat at 98 mph and frequently reached 100-plus mph, making it one of the fastest fastballs in the Minors. But don't forget his curveball, which MLB Pipeline also ranked the best of that pitch type. The 22-year-old's bender generated a 41% whiff rate and was his best strikeout pitch at Triple-A. Oh, and his slider averaged 92.8 mph, too. Misiorowski's arsenal and potential to be a big league reliever in 2025 make him a must-watch at Spring Training.
Zach Maxwell, RHP, Reds
Maxwell is a 6-foot-6, 275-pound tank on the mound who's nicknamed "Big Sugar" and is already turning heads as a non-roster invitee at Reds camp. The 24-year-old prospect has a power arsenal to match his stature, and he showed it on his way to racking up 58 K's in 39 1/3 innings at Triple-A in 2024. Maxwell's four-seamer averaged 99.2 mph and didn't even drop 10 inches on its way from his hand to the plate, which would make it comparable to some of the top rising fastballs thrown by Major League pitchers. Maxwell's fastball was so dominant that he could throw it almost three-quarters of the time in the Minors. He can blow hitters away well into the triple digits.
Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, Giants
Here's a pitcher who dominates with a pitch other than his fastball. Whisenhunt's changeup was his signature offering last season in the Minors, generating a 46.8% swing-and-miss rate and 39.1% strikeout rate at Triple-A. That changeup is why the 24-year-old lefty finished 2024 as San Francisco's top pitching prospect, and why he'll be an arm to watch at Spring Training as he tries to reach the Majors.
George Klassen, RHP, Angels
Klassen is all power -- his fastball, slider and curveball all have high-end velocity for their respective pitch types, and that trio made him the Angels' No. 3 prospect last year. The 23-year-old averaged 97.3 mph on his four-seamer in the Minors last season, 91.0 mph on his slider and 86.9 mph on his curve. Klassen's breaking balls were especially lethal, holding opposing hitters to a sub-.100 batting average between them and getting whiffs on nearly half of the swings against them. But it still starts with Klassen's heater, which doesn't just sit in the upper 90s but also gets over 14 inches of arm-side run. Any pitcher with three high-speed pitches like Klassen is worth watching in Spring Training, even as a non-roster invitee.
Pries Leaves the Yard Twice in Wednesday Win
The Columbus Clippers and Indianapolis Indians continued their six-game series on Wednesday with day baseball at Victory Field. Clippers struck first. Will Brennan singled and Johnathan Rodríguez walked with one away in the top of the third. Micah Pries, who hadn't left the yard since April 19th, battled Indy starter
Indy Takes Series Opener from Clippers
COLUMBUS - After a soggy week in Central Ohio last week, partly cloudy with a game time temperature of 71 degrees was a welcome sight for the Clippers as they opened a six-game series, the first of back-to-back road series over the next two weeks, against the Indianapolis Indians at
Clippers Lose to Saints in 10 Innings
The rain in Columbus finally subsided enough for the Columbus Clippers to become the Malmo Oat Milkers on Sunday, May 4, losing the St. Paul Saints, 3-2, in 10 innings. Parker Messick was dialed in early and punched out nine Saints, collecting 15 whiffs overall, 11 coming off of his
Clippers Fall in Rain Shortened Doubleheader Again
More rain forced another double-header attempt in the series between the Columbus Clippers and visiting St. Paul Saints. Game-one couldn’t even end without its own share of rain, with the Saints coming out on top, 6-4, in six inning shortened finish. Lefty Doug Nikhazy made his first start back with
Clippers Take Game-One of the Twin Bill
COLUMBUS – Tuesday’s series opener between the Columbus Clippers and St. Paul Saints became a doubleheader after their matchup on April 5th was postponed. Mother Nature had other plans and the two teams were only able to get the first game of the twin bill in before the rains came,
Clippers Downed in Extras on Wednesday
COLUMBUS - There wasn't a single cloud in the sky at game time on Wednesday as the Columbus Clippers and St. Paul Saints met in game-two of their six-game series at Huntington Park. Petey Halpin, making his fourth appearance in the top spot of the Clippers lineup, once again led
Saints Overpower Clippers in Game-One Win
COLUMBUS - After a forgettable road trip last week, the friendly confines of Huntington Park were a welcome sight to the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday as they opened a six-day, seven-game series with the St. Paul Saints in Ohio's capital city. Not only was it a Tansky Tuesday Dime-A-Dog Night
Halpin's Near Cycle Not Enough on Sunday
ALLENTOWN - Wind gusts of up to 36 miles per hour made things interesting for the fielders on Sunday, both the Columbus Clippers and Lehigh Valley IronPigs had to battle blustery winds in the series finale of their six-game set at Coca-Cola Park. The first five games saw a total
Big Blasts Power Clippers Back to the Win Column
ALLENTOWN - The Columbus Clippers continued the series at Coca-Cola Park with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Saturday night, hoping to avoid their first seven-game losing streak since the 2023 season. That task would be even more difficult as the Guardians were scheduled to play a doubleheader against the Boston
Losing Streak Continues for Clippers
ALLENTOWN - It was a rainy Friday night in Eastern Pennsylvania as the Clippers road trip continued at Coca-Cola Park, looking to snap a five-game losing streak. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs had taken the first three games of the series, including walking off Columbus in extra innings on Thursday night.
Clippers Rally Late, Fall Short in Extras
ALLENTOWN - After dropping the first two games of the series, the Columbus Clippers looked to right the ship on the road on Thursday night against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on a picture perfect evening at Coca-Cola Park. Buddy Kennedy got the scoring started with a solo home run, it
Clippers Fall Short in Pitchers Duel
ALLENTOWN - The Columbus Clippers continued their series with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA. After dropping the series opener on Tuesday, Columbus looked to avoid their first four-game losing streak since May of 2024. Clippers got on the board first. Micah Pries
IronPigs Score Early and Often to Take Series Opener
ALLENTOWN - For the first time since April of 2022, the Columbus Clippers returned to Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania for a series with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. IronPigs wasted zero time getting on the board, Gabriel Rincones Jr. singled home a run and Garrett Stubbs reached on catcher interference
Bats Too Much on Sunday For Clippers
A picture perfect Easter Sunday in Ohio's capital city saw the Columbus Clippers and Louisville Bats close out the first "Battle of I-71" series of the season. Will Brennan entered the game on an absolute tear, reaching base in every single game in the month of April, including 24 hits
Louisville Downs Clippers on Saturday
After putting up a season high 13 runs on Friday night, the International League West Division leading Columbus Clippers couldn’t keep their momentum rolling on Saturday afternoon at Huntington Park as the Louisville Bats surged to a 10-7 victory. Things looked promising early on. In the bottom of the first
Offense Explodes in Friday Night Victory
COLUMBUS - The calendar says April, but the temps felt like June as the Columbus Clippers hosted the Louisville Bats in front of 7,573 fans on Friday night at Huntington Park. The largest crowd of the season was treated to the highest run total of the season from the hometown
Bats Snap Clippers Home Win Streak
There wasn't a single cloud in the sky in Ohio's capital city on a beautiful spring Thursday afternoon as the Columbus Clippers and Louisville Bats faced off in the third matchup of their six-game series at Huntington Park. Clippers came into the game winners of six in a row at
Comeback Clippers Do It Again
A sunny, but cool Wednesday evening in the Arena District saw the Columbus Clippers host the Louisville Bats in the second game of their six-game series at Huntington Park. The Clippers were the first to hit the scoreboard. In the bottom of the third, Milan Tolentino reached on a walk.
Clippers Take Series Opener From Louisville
The wind was cold but the Dime-A-Dogs were hot as the Columbus Clippers opened a six-game series at Huntington Park with the Louisville Bats on Tuesday evening. Louisville didn't waste any time getting on the board. A single and a walk led to a sacrifice fly for Rece Hinds in
Woo Sox Win Seesaw Series Finale
WORCESTER - An unforecasted heavy snowfall overnight Friday of more than four inches blanketed Polar Park and forced the postponement of Saturday's matchup between the Columbus Clippers and Worcester Red Sox. Thankfully, a warm front that gave us a game time temperature of 44 degrees, was more than enough to
Brennan's Career Night Sails Clippers to Win Column
WORCESTER - A game time temperature of 44 degrees did nothing to cool the bats of the Columbus Clippers offense, or the arm of starter Doug Nihkazy, in a Friday night tilt with the Worcester Red Sox at Polar Park. Micah Pries led of the top of the second with
Messick is Money in First Triple-A Win
A brisk New England spring evening at Polar Park saw the Columbus Clippers and Worcester Red Sox face off in game-three of their six-game series on Thursday. Parker Messick, Zak Kent, and Andrew Misiaszek recorded a season high 16 strike outs combined on the mound in the 2-1 victory for
Worcester Wins Back-And-Forth Battle With Clippers
After taking game-one of the twin bill, the Columbus Clippers went for the sweep of the Worcester Red Sox on Wednesday night at Polar Park. Will Wilson homered in his first at bat in game-one of the doubleheader, he stayed in the yard in plate appearance number one of game-two,
Brennan Has A Grand Time in Game-One Win
With Tuesday's series opener postponed due to extreme cold in Worcester, the Clippers and Woo Sox faced off in a doubleheader at Polar Park on Wednesday afternoon. Will Wilson got the scoring started in the top of the second, blasting a 428 foot solo home run over the center field