Deep League Pitching Prospects Poised to Breakout in 2026

One of my favorite articles to write each offseason is my breakout prospect list. Getting in on prospects early in the dynasty before their stock takes off is huge, and this is what I hope to accomplish in this article, helping you add this list of high-octane prospects to your dynasty farm system.

No matter how deep of a league you are in, we have you covered with a ton of pitching prospects that could break out in 2026. This article will be broken up into two parts. This is the deep league edition with some deep cut targets. Check out yesterday’s article here:

Let’s dive into the 13 pitching prospects I like to break out in 2026.

Deep League Pitching Prospect Breakouts

Format: Name, Position, Team, 2026 OD Age, Height/Weight, Highest Level

Landon Harmon, RHP, Washington Nationals, 19, 6’5”/190, HS

Harmon is a sturdy-built prep righty with really solid traits. His fastball works 92-95 mph with average IVB from his release height of 5’7”. While it is fairly generic, Harmon’s shape is more of a cut-ride shape and reaches nearly 97 mph at times with high spin rates. Harmon has registered IVB up to 18.5 inches, which means there is more in the tank, and the extension is good at 6’7”.

The low-80s slider has heavy sweeping action up to 18 inches with good depth. He locates the pitch surprisingly well for how much movement it has and misses plenty of bats. Harmon’s changeup sits in the mid-80s with plenty of carry and 15-17 inches of arm-side fade. 

Harmon’s pitch traits are good, and he has the makings of three strong offerings. He does drop the release point a decent bit on the changeup, so that will be something to watch. Everything does point toward a potential starter with plenty of upside.

Zane Taylor, RHP, Athletics, 23, 6’0”/200, AAA

A four-year starter at UNC Wilmington, Taylor improved each year and was one of the better arms in college baseball this season. Tossing 95.2 innings, Taylor averaged 6.5 innings per start and posted a 1.98 ERA with a 0.76 WHIP. It was not flukey either, as Taylor walked just three percent of batters while punching out 29 percent.

Command is the name of the game on all pitches, but the stuff is there as well. Taylor sat just shy of 94 mph on his fastball with 18 inches of IVB and over 15 inches of arm-side run. The pitch had a flat -4.5 VAA from a lower 5’5” release height. While it did not miss a ton of bats, it set up the rest of the arsenal, which saw three secondaries have a 44 percent whiff rate or higher.

Starting with a slider that sits in the mid-80s, Taylor has a gyro shape that misses bats at a high clip. Taylor’s changeup works in the 83-85 mph range with late depth and 13 inches of fading action. It had a 45 percent whiff rate against, and the locations were stellar.

Taylor will throw a cutter at times and has a curveball in the low-80s with more depth than the slider, but a similar short horizontal movement. He had one of the best strike rates in baseball at 71 percent. Landing in the Athletics organization, which has done well with pitch development, feels like a great fit.

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