Spring Training Prospect Report - February 24, 2026

Ah, can you smell it? The smell of fresh-cut grass and the dirt of the diamond. Baseball is back, and it is a beautiful sight. Spring Training games have kicked off, and we are here to break down everything you need to know regarding the top prospect performers from the previous day’s action.

What prospects are standing out? Who is making noise? Who could break camp with teams? Let’s discuss what you need to know!

Exit Velocity Leaders(Prospects Only)

Whiff Leaders(Prospects Only)

Spring Training Prospect Watch

🚀 Standout of The Day

Konnor Griffin, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates

Stats: 2/4, 2 HR, 4 RBI

Notable Data: 104.8 mph HR, 111.2 mph/440 ft HR

Why The Performance Matters:

Hey Siri, queue the song Superstar by Lupe Fiasco. That's what we have on our hands with Konnor Griffin, a 19-year-old who is budding into a superstar. In the second inning of yesterday’s game, Griffin took a Ranger Suarez curveball and blasted it out of the stadium in left field. The exit velocity registered 104.8 mph and traveled 374 feet, but im certain that thing went much further.

When Griffin returned to the plate in the fourth inning, he showed the true power upside, blasting a home run 111.2 mph that traveled 440 feet. Griffin just looks like a superstar when you watch him play.

Turning 19 in April last season, Griffin dominated his way to Double-A by season’s end, turning in one of the best seasons in the minors. Griffin slashed .333/.415/.527 and got better as the season went on. He hit 21 home runs and scored an insane 117 runs. He stole 65 bases in the process.

Already having a well-filled-out frame, Griffin stands at 6’4”/222, but despite filling out his frame, he is still a 70-grade runner. Not only that, but Griffin has a strong glove in the field.

At the plate, Griffin put up some pretty absurd underlying data. He made contact on 85 percent of his swings on pitches in the zone and a 74 percent overall mark. While many panicked about the high chase rate at the beginning of the season, which was never an issue, Griffin wound up with a 25 percent chase rate for the season.

The power is off the charts, as Griffin ran a 108 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. It was one of the highest marks among all minor league hitters, but one of the top among players of his age.

So, we are talking about potential 70-grade power and speed to pair with a solid hit tool. Is Griffin the best prospect we have seen in years? HE might just be.

Fantasy Spin:

While the Pirates have said Griffin is unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster, it does not seem crazy to think he could force their hand. It would seem foolish to not have him up early enough to put team in a spot where they could get a PPI pick, but crazier things have happened.

I would say the Opening Day chances seem low. But a May or early June call-up is in the realm of possibility. -CC

🔥 Impact Hitting Performances

Jac Caglianone, RF, Kansas City Royals

Line: 1/3, HR, R, RBI

Notable Data: 115 MPH EV on HR

Analysis:

Cags is no longer a prospect, but he is like prospect adjacent, so hopefully Chris doesn’t fire me for mentioning him here. We all know Cags brings a ton of power to the plate but it's good to see it actually in a game and on video.

Cags routinely barrels up pitches when he makes contact, and that is the big part of the equation: will he make enough contact to be the 30-homer bat we as fantasy managers want him to be? Also, Royals fans are dying for this because they just need to surround Bobby Witt Jr. with other above-average offensive pieces.

He will get a full year in the majors to prove that he can make enough contact to be the middle-of-the-order bat we all dream he would be. The upside is immense with him, but the hit-tool risk is scary. I don’t think Kansas City moving in the walls really affects him, because, well, he has light tower power. The encouraging thing is he can’t be worse than last year, right? - RW

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Cleveland Guardians

Line: 2/3, HR, R, 3 RBI

Notable Data: 107.8 EV on HR

Analysis:

This is a nice little tune-up before Travis Bazzana goes off to represent Australia in the World Baseball Classic. Two hard-hit batted balls on the day, and a home run for good measure. Bazzana looks primed to carry Australia to win the WBC, or so I hope anyway.

Last year didn’t go as planned for Bazzana. He felt like the rare member of his draft class to not make the major leagues and dealt with injuries in 2025 that only resulted in him making it to Triple-A. There seems to be no world where Bazzana is not in the mix for the Guardians this coming season. Their second-base options are bleak, to say the least, and he provides the most offensive upside of any of the middle infield options the Guardians have collected.

The dream with Bazzana is a 25-homer bat at second base who can be a nonzero in the stolen-base department. I would set a June ETA if I had to set a date, just knowing how the Guards operate. They will want to get that extra year of service, so whenever Super 2 is, I would expect Bazzana to be up shortly after that. - RW

Josue De Paula, RF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Line: 3/3, 2B, 2 R, RBI

Notable Data: 110 EV on 2B

Analysis:

Josue De Paula is another big-time power bat with some hit tool concerns. His stem from being far too passive, but maybe just maybe the Dodgers can get him to swing more. In yesterday’s game, he was perfect at the plate and barreled up an 87 mph changeup from Austin Peterson.

JDP is going to be a fun prospect, because if he can be slightly less passive, you can see a 30-homer bat, and with his power, he could just get there right now even with his level of passivity at the plate. Speed isn’t going to be a big part of the profile, but that is fine. He is a big boy; he has plenty of physicality to him.

I doubt we see him in 2026, but you never know; he could be one of the Dodgers’ nine best options by the time the deadline comes around, and they have to play him. He has that upside. Keep an eye this year if we see some of him playing first base. I am not fully convinced he is an outfielder, and neither are some people I talk to. He could slide in and be the heir to Freddie Freeman’s throne. - RW

🎯 Notable Pitching Standouts

Jack Wenninger, RHP, New York Mets

Line: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Notable Pitch Data: 7 Whiffs

Analysis:

Jack Wenninger was able to collect 7 whiffs yesterday, three of them coming off his changeup. It seemed like the changeup was the point of emphasis for him, as he led off with his plus changeup. Everything plays well off the changeup, and watching Jack Wenninger on video, he is your classic pitch diversification type. He throws most of his pitches about 15-20% of the time, and that allows everything to play up ever so slightly because it gives batters a few different looks to worry about.

You know a pitcher trusts his changeup when he is not afraid to throw it to same-handed batters, and that is what Wenninger does. The four-seamer and changeup tunnel well off one another. He gets 18 inches of IVB from a high release point, and that interacts well with a changeup that gets about 11 inches of horizontal break. To go along wit the movement profile he gets upwards of 10 mph of separation between the fastball and changeup. 

There is a cutter here, and he has a slider, and a sinker, so there are a few pitches for him to play with. Wenninger is in the mix to get some starts with the Mets at some point this season, or he could be moved to a team with more runway for him to start. He has the stuff to be a good back-end starter type that throws a ton of strikes, can get whiffs, while limiting the long ball. Keep an eye on the Mets moving him at the deadline because he does need to be added to the 40-man this offseason. - RW

Chase Shores, RHP, Los Angeles Angels

Line: IP

Notable Pitch Data: 11 inches of Run on the Sinker

Analysis:

The Angels love to draft these bad fastball-shape guys who throw really hard and hope they can be relievers of note for them. It has yet to work for them. Chase Shores is likely the next in line for this designation, and if this is the case with Shores, it would be the wrong deployment of him.

I think Shores has enough of a changeup and a slider to be relied upon to be developed as a starter, but he needs some time. I would invest in him in any other organization. But for the crowd out there that likes immediate returns, Chase Shores might be able to provide some innings and some strikeouts. I am not as sure about the ratios. 

Shores will probably pitch in low-leverage spots for the Angels and can maybe get some holds. I don’t think he has the stuff to be a closer for any team other than the Angels, because their bullpen looks rough as currently constructed. - RW

👀 Under-The-Radar Prospect Performer

Yordany De Los Santos, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates

De Los Santos was once a buzzy prospect, and some of the hype came from me. Spending time on the backfields during complex ball in 2024, De Los Santos really stood out physically and with his performance.

Listed at 6’2”/170, De Los Santos looks around 6’4” to my eye and brings an intriguing skillset to the table. After a strong complex performance in 2024, De Los Santos really struggled in Single-A. There were a couple of people I talked to who mentioned the struggles may not have been skills-related.

He returned to action in 2025 and looked much improved. Hitting 11 home runs in a pitcher-friendly Florida State League, De Los Santos stole 51 bases and slashed .249/.311/.388.

The exit velocities were disappointing last year as he ran an 84 mph average exit velocity, but the 90th percentile was much higher at 103.4 mph. The chase rate was quite high as well at 38 percent.

Seeing him blast a 107.5 mph home run on Tuesday off a Major League arm was encouraging. De Los Santos is still a watch list type guy, but someone to watch out for, because the tools are there. -CC

🚨 Daily Overreaction

Riley Cornelio, RHP, Washington Nationals

Typically, this section has been about players performance that we should not overreact to despite the buzz they get on social media. Today, there is a performance I am overreacting to, that no one is talking about. That player is Riley Cornelio.

I watched Cornelio pitch several times last season, and he seemed to get better each time I saw him. He worked his way up to Triple-A by season's end and wound up pitching 134.1 innings with a 3.28 ERA and a 24.8 percent strikeout rate.

Cornelio was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of TCU, and after getting off to a slow start in 2023 and 2024, something changed last year. Adding over two ticks of velocity, Cornelio also refined the delivery, and it has made all the difference. 

In the sixth and seventh innings of yesterday’s game against the Cardinals, Cornelio did not face a star-studded lineup, but did square off against Jordan Walker, Nelson Velázquez, and a couple of respectable prospects. The result? Two scoreless innings with one hit allowed and three strikeouts. Cornelio generated a daily best nine whiffs.

The velocity was up another tick as Cornelio sat 96.2 mph and averaged over 19 inches of IVB and 12 inches of arm-side run. Throwing from a 5’7” release height, those are strong traits on the pitch.

The slider was nasty as well, sitting in the mid-80s, and having a respectable shape. It averaged five inches of IVB and two inches of horizontal break. Cornelio’s changeup sat in the upper-80s with 17 inches of arm-side movement.

With a lot of the Boston crew now in Washington, don’t be surprised when Cornelio takes the next step and pitches in the Majors this year. At the moment, he is a watchlist guy, but be ready to pounce if we get another few spring outings. -CC

📊 Quick Hitters

• Owen Murphy: 2 IP/1 H/0 ER/0 BB/3 K - 5 Whiffs, FB velo up(92 avg), new cutter??

• Jake Casey(2025 Blue Jays Draftee): HR, 2 RBI (103 mph HR)

• Angel Bastardo: 1 Scoreless IP, big stuff on the mound!

• Jack Wenninger: 2 Scoreless IP, 2 BB, 3 K. FB Velo up again!

• Joe Mack: HR

• Josue De Paula: 3/3 110 mph 2B

• Travis Bazzana: 2/3 1 HR, 3 RBI (108 mph HR, 103 mph BBE)