5 Prospects Who Will Break Into the Top 100 in 2026

Every season, new names emerge from outside the prospect spotlight to become must-follows for evaluators and fans alike. Sometimes it’s a breakout bat tapping into unexpected power, or a pitcher finding command and sharpening his arsenal.

In 2025, a handful of players have forced their way into top 100 conversations with standout performances across multiple levels. Below are five helium candidates who look poised to land firmly on prospect lists heading into 2026.

AJ Ewing, 2B/OF, New York Mets

At a Glance
2025 MiLB: 124 G, 564 PA, .315/.401/.429, 3 HR, 87 R, 55 RBI, 70 SB, 12.1% BB, 18.6% K, .113 ISO, .392 BABIP; 26 2B, 10 3B

Case for Helium
A 2023 draftee, Ewing has broken out in his second full pro season. He opened in Single-A and quickly earned a bump to High-A, where he logged a 140 wRC+ in 78 games with a 13.1% walk rate. For a prep bat, the plate discipline is advanced: it’s a patient approach, above-average contact, and mature swing decisions that turn him into an on-base engine.

The double-plus speed is a separator — he has 70 steals in 128 games across three levels, including 12 bags in just 28 Double-A games. He’s been more swing-happy since the Double-A jump, but that’s a normal adjustment for a fast-moving 20-year-old.

Overall Outlook
The missing piece is impact. Ewing has homered just three times in 2025, though the speed plays in the gaps (26 doubles, 10 triples) and props up the slug. He’s moved around the diamond but likely settles in the outfield; if he proves he can handle center, the ceiling pushes toward top 50 territory.

Even without big home run totals, the OBP/speed combo and defensive versatility make Ewing a firm top 100 candidate right now.

Rainiel Rodriguez, C, St. Louis Cardinals

At a Glance
2025 MiLB: 84 G, 368 PA, .276/.399/.555, 20 HR, 59 R, 63 RBI, 4 SB, 14.7% BB, 17.7% K, .279 ISO, 162 wRC+

Case for Helium
Rodriguez employs a slightly closed stance with minimal pre-swing movement, allowing him to get into a compact but powerful right-handed stroke. The 2024 IFA signee wasted no time making an impression, dominating the complex before torching the Florida State League — long known for suppressing offense.

His lightning-quick bat speed translates to top-of-the-scale raw power, and he’s shown an ability to consistently elevate the baseball (30.3% groundball rate) while doing most of his damage to the pull side (52.5%).

What makes him especially intriguing is the patience — walking 14.7% of the time at just 18 years old — which gives evaluators confidence he won’t be an all-or-nothing slugger.

Overall Outlook
Rodriguez won’t turn 19 until January, giving him plenty of developmental runway. Right now, the bat is the clear carrying tool while the glove lags behind. His receiving and blocking remain raw, but the arm strength is there to project improvement with reps.

The next challenge will be High-A, where more advanced sequencing and sharper secondaries will test his approach. Even so, his 2025 production has already put him firmly on the top 100 map, and if the defense comes along, the ceiling is that of a middle-of-the-order catcher.

Jonathan Santucci, LHP, New York Mets

At a Glance
2025 MiLB: 25 G (23 GS), 117.2 IP, 10.56 K/9, 3.14 BB/9, 0.69 HR/9, 47.2% GB%, 3.06 ERA, 3.12 FIP, 2.98 xFIP

Case for Helium
A 2024 second-round pick, Santucci has made a strong impression in his first full season of pro ball. His delivery features a deliberate arm stab in back, adding deception that especially plays against lefties.

The arsenal is led by a mid-90s four-seam fastball with solid ride and a biting slider he confidently deploys to both right- and left-handed hitters. That two-pitch mix powered a 20.2% K-BB rate in 2025. His ability to land the slider against right-handers is a separator and one of the reasons evaluators believe he can stick in a rotation despite lacking a polished third pitch.

Beyond the whiffs, Santucci also kept the ball on the ground, with a 47.2% GB rate across both levels, including a 51.3% rate at Double-A.

Overall Outlook
The open question is whether Santucci can develop a consistent third offering. His walk rate (8.5% across two levels) hints at occasional command lapses, but the quality of his fastball/slider combo helps cover for it. While two-pitch lefties have succeeded as starters before (think Carlos Rodón), adding even an average third pitch would push Santucci’s ceiling much higher.

As is, he already projects as a mid-rotation starter and could be the next arm to join the Mets’ wave of young pitching. After his 2025, he belongs firmly in top 100 discussions.

Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Minnesota Twins

At a Glance
2025 MiLB: 113 G, 517 PA, .289/.375/.469, 20 HR, 77 R, 64 RBI, 25 SB, 9.7% BB, 17.4% K, .181 ISO, 138 wRC+

Case for Helium
The Twins’ 2024 first-round pick hit the ground running in his first full professional season. Early in 2025, Culpepper battled a high groundball rate, but he made adjustments and settled in, ultimately dominating across multiple levels.

His plus bat-to-ball ability shone through, as he struck out just 17.4% of the time while posting a 76.8% overall contact rate. More importantly, he unlocked more power than anticipated during his draft year, launching 20 home runs and running a 21.6% HR/FB rate.

Culpepper also demonstrated defensive chops at shortstop — quieting concerns he’d eventually move off the position — while contributing value on the bases with 25 steals.

Overall Outlook
The big question is whether Culpepper can replicate the production. His profile mirrors that of 2024 helium riser Kristian Campbell, whose own breakout vaulted him to Triple-A and into top 10 prospect discussions, only for him to struggle in 2025 and spend much of the year back in the minors.

Culpepper differs in key areas — he’s a steadier defender at short and has a more orthodox swing path — but he’ll need another strong season in 2026 to cement himself among the game’s elite prospects.

If the power continues to hold and the glove sticks at short, he’s not only a firm top 100 candidate but a realistic option to be Minnesota’s shortstop of the future as early as 2026.

Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, RHP, New York Yankees

At a Glance
2025 MiLB: 26 G (25 GS), 145.0 IP, 10.74 K/9, 3.54 BB/9, 0.19 HR/9, 54.8% GB%, .183 BAA, 2.42 ERA, 2.45 xERA, 2.78 xFIP.

Case for Helium
Acquired from Boston in exchange for Carlos Narvaez, Rodriguez-Cruz has taken a massive step forward in 2025.

The former fourth-round pick leans on a heavy sinker that creeps into the mid-90s and makes him one of the premier groundball arms in the minors (54.8% GB%). He complements the fastball with two distinct breaking balls: a tight, biting slider that works as a chase pitch and a curveball with bigger two-plane depth that he commands more consistently.

Early in his career, command held him back — his K-BB sat at just 9.2% in 2024 — but that number nearly doubled to 19.8% in 2025. That strike-throwing progress, paired with elite groundball skills, has vaulted the 22-year-old into top 100 conversations.

Overall Outlook
Rodriguez-Cruz’s profile — a groundball machine with multiple weapons to both sides of the plate — is the blueprint for a mid-rotation arm. The continued challenge will be sustaining his improved command as he faces upper-level hitters, but opponents managed just a .183 average against him across two levels in 2025.

If the command growth proves real, ERC comfortably fits as a top-100 prospect and projects as a potential mid-rotation starter for the Yankees as early as 2027.

Conclusion

Breakouts come in many forms: Ewing and Culpepper showing polish beyond their years at the plate, Rodriguez emerging as a power-hitting catcher with patience, and arms like Santucci and Rodriguez-Cruz refining their stuff to look like future rotation anchors.

Each of these players has already proven they can handle aggressive assignments and make adjustments, a key marker for long-term success. By the time prospect lists are refreshed heading into 2026, don’t be surprised to see all five names comfortably inside the top 100 — and a couple of them making a push toward the top 50.