Top Prospects Are Showing the Learning Curve of MLB Competition
We examine how our top 100 prospects at the game's highest level are doing to start the new campaign. Turns out, minor league success doesn't always instantly translate to the big leagues.
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Every Opening Day, Major League Baseball sees several of the league’s best prospects break camp with their franchise. These young guns always come with sky-high expectations that they will be key contributors to their respective ball clubs for years to come.
Yet for many of them, the jump from the minors to the big leagues comes with a learning curve the likes of which they have never seen throughout their professional careers.
For many young players, the early days of their careers are defined less by immediate stardom and more so about adjustment, the faster game speed, and the mental grind of the full 162-game season.
Some prospects quickly rise, validating the hype, while others endure prolonged struggles that test their confidence and ability to adapt to the everyday hustle of keeping up with the best players baseball has to offer.
Understanding these challenges reveals what separates early success from lasting careers.
All stats updated prior to games on Sunday, April 19
Konnor Griffin
Just Baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Konnor Griffin soared through the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league system following his 9th-overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. Griffin started his professional career in 2025 beginning at Low-A, and skyrocketing through the ranks to Triple-A as a 19-year-old.
The young shortstop turned heads in this year’s spring training as he hit four homers in 16 games and posted a more than respectable .749 OPS. Though those numbers did not encourage the Pirates to place him on the Opening Day roster, Griffin could not be ignored.
Starting the season in Triple-A, Griffin swung the bat to the tune of a .438 batting average, with a 1.196 OPS, forcing the Pirates to make the call.
Unfortunately, Griffin has yet to find his footing at the major league level. In just 15 games thus far, Griffin has posted a 66 wRC+ and is hitting .216 with an OPS of .587.
There is no denying the phenom has some adjustments to make, and the Pirates have reinforced the fact that there is no need to sound the alarm, as they handed Griffin as they locked him up with a nine-year, $140 million dollar contract.
Kevin McGonigle
The No. 2 prospect in Just Baseball’s Top 100, Kevin McGonigle earned his Opening Day spot with the Detroit Tigers following an impressive spring showing, as he posted a remarkable .411 OBP with an .888 OPS in 20 games.
The lefty-swinging stud built strong expectations throughout his dominant minor league career. From rookie ball to Double-A, McGonigle posted a .922 OPS. He finished 2025 in Double-A, and that elite spring training showing allowed him to bypass Triple-A entirely and crack the big league roster to start 2026.
McGonigle picked up right where he left off in spring, swinging an extremely hot bat as he’s currently sitting at a .312 batting average while slugging his way to an .892 OPS along with an outstanding 156 wRC+.
It’s early, but McGonigle has already shown his elite plate discipline plays at the highest level, as he ranks in the 92nd percentile in K%, and 84th percentile in BB%, per Baseball Savant.
The 21-year-old, who recently inked an eight-year extension worth a guaranteed $150 million, has already established himself as a cornerstone in Detroit through just 21 games with the club. Baseball fans should be excited to watch McGonigle blossom into a superstar for years to come.
JJ Wetherholt
Just Baseball’s No. 7 prospect is St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt. The Cards’ top prospect put together an impressive spring campaign, posting a .780 OPS in 15 games, earning the nod to break camp with the big league club.
Wetherholt, the first round selection of St. Louis in the 2024 MLB Draft, has solidified himself as a top-10 prospect with his ability to hit at every level.
The 23-year-old middle infielder appeared in 29 games in Single-A following his draft selection, posting a .295 average and an .805 OPS.
Wetherholt’s first full professional season came in 2025, where the Cardinals prospect hit .306 while slugging his way to a .931 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A. The exceptional numbers sustained through 109 games made Wetherholt a strong contender for the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster in 2026.
Wetherholt has held his own thus far, he’s turned in a .236 average, with a solid .755 OPS as well as a 122 wRC+. Impressively, the stud prospect ranks in the 97th percentile in range, as he has recorded 3 Outs Above Average playing second base for St. Louis.
Wetherholt has put together strong at bats through his first 20 games, and it is safe to say the Cardinals should have the utmost confidence in their No. 1 prospect to develop into a key piece for them moving forward.
Carson Benge
Benge entered the 2026 campaign as the Mets’ No. 2 prospect behind RHP Nolan McLean, but Just Baseball’s No. 11 prospect entered with high expectations.
The former Oklahoma State star’s only full professional season came in 2025, where he began in High-A and ended the season in Triple-A racking up 15 homers and 73 RBIs with a. .857 OPS. Though Benge struggled to conclude the strong campaign in Triple-A, he still entered 2026 with a great shot at the bigs.
The Mets outfielder found success in spring training, slashing .366/.435/.439 in 41 plate appearances. The Mets, in desperate need of another outfielder, decided the 23-year-old was ready for The Show.
Benge, however, has struggled mightily at the next level. In 18 games to start the season, he finds himself with an average of .150 and a .455 OPS, along with a wRC+ that’s dipped down to 37.
It has not all been bad for the Mets’ second-ranked prospect, as he still brings the struggling club strong fielding and base running value.
The Mets are allowing Benge the chance to battle back at the MLB level despite his slow start, and with the injury to Juan Soto, the left-handed hitting prospect will look to bust out of this slump and maintain his MLB roster spot.
Andrew Painter
The road to the big leagues for Phillies’ No. 2 prospect has not always been easy. Andrew Painter, the club’s first-round selection out of high school in 2021, dominated every level he touched in 2022, posting a 1.56 ERA and finishing his season in Double-A Reading.
The hard-throwing righty saw his progress come to an abrupt halt in 2023, when he underwent Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. A player once poised to fast track his way to the bigs, had a long road to recovery ahead.
Painter struggled mightily in 2025; his command issues led him to a 5.40 ERA in 106.2 innings in Triple-A. The Phillies had expectations of him joining the club throughout the year, but his struggles kept him in Lehigh Valley for the duration of the season.
Painter was expected to make the Opening Day roster entering spring, and he confirmed the Phillies expectations with an amazing Spring showcase.
The 6-foot-7 hurler has already shown his potential early on in 2026, for a Phillies rotation starving for an elite righty, following the uncertainty regarding Zack Wheeler and the rough 2025 campaign for Aaron Nola.
In two starts and a five-inning relief appearance, the 23-year-old has posted a 3.77 ERA, fanning 16 hitters in 14.1 innings of work. The advanced numbers tell an even better story, as Painter currently has a sparkling FIP of 1.52.
With Wheeler’s retirement likely looming in 2027, the Phillies hope Painter can continue his development, and replenish the top of their rotation moving into the future.
Chase DeLauter
The Guardians are a franchise that focuses more on homegrown talent than most MLB franchises. They expect Just Baseball’s No. 20 prospect to be the next star they develop next to José Ramírez.
The top Guardians draft pick in the 2022 draft played 138 games in the minors from 2023 to 2025. The 24-year-old showed promise, hitting 20 homers while recording a .302 average and an .888 OPS.
The outfielder showed no signs of slowing down despite his injury plagued journey to the big leagues. In 2025, his MLB debut came in the Wild Card Series against the Tigers. DeLauter only saw seven plate appearances before the abrupt end to the Guardians’ season.
The expectation was for DeLauter to break camp with the team in 2026, and his spring OPS being just south of 1.400 was the icing on the cake for Cleveland’s front office.
DeLauter has not missed a beat since Opening Day. Through 20 games played, he’s blasted five homers, and has found himself with an OPS of .847, and a 137 wRC+.
Much of the Guardians’ successful 12-10 start can be attributed to the red hot bat of their rookie prospect, as he brings a thump they needed at the top of their lineup.
Noah Schultz
There has not been much to be happy about for Chicago White Sox fans amidst their 7-14 start to the season, but the excitement of watching Noah Schultz pitch every fifth day is something fans of the team can look forward to this season.
Schultz, Just Baseball’s No. 65 prospect, was the White Sox first-round draft choice in 2022 out of high school. His plus fastball along with his highly rated slider makes the southpaw the potential ace of the future for a desperate Chicago franchise.
From 2023 to 2026, Schultz had not faced much trouble, as he rose through the ranks of the White Sox system. In his minor league career, he dominated with a 2.94 ERA.
The 6-foot-10 lefty did not earn a spot on Chicago’s Opening Day roster, but after two starts in Triple-A with a 1.29 ERA and an .089 average against, he received the call.
In his first and only big league start thus far, Schultz tossed 4.1 innings allowing just three hits, but struggled slightly with command, walking four batters. The White Sox top prospect exited the game allowing three earned runs and fanning four hitters.
While his first career start was not perfect, the concern level should be low. If the lefty can stay healthy and adapt to big league game speed, he can be a frontline starter for years to come.
Justin Crawford
The Phillies have struggled to find consistency and success in their outfield for majority of their contending window, and they think 22-year-old Justin Crawford can be a solution to that problem.
Justin, the son of former MLB star Carl Crawford, was picked 17th overall by Philadelphia in 2022. The left-handed hitting outfielder ranks 79th on Just Baseball’s top 100, and has been solid to start his big league career.
The Phillies believed the speedy outfielder was ready to crack the bigs in 2025, during an outstanding campaign Crawford was putting together in Triple-A. Crawford recorded a .334 average with an .863 OPS down in Lehigh Valley.
Crawford was ready for the Phillies, but they were not ready for him. Philadelphia was dealing with an outfield with $30 million total owed to Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos, as well as adding Harrison Bader at the deadline, with Brandon Marsh as a plus platoon bat.
The Phillies emphasized their desire for Crawford to only come up when he was able to be an everyday player, and 2026 provided a cleared path with the departures of Kepler, Castellanos, and Bader.
The Phillies’ everyday center fielder has been a bright spot in a disappointing lineup, as he’s provided a .273 average and a .344 OBP with a .726 OPS from the ninth spot in their lineup.
Assuming the speedster can continue to put together productive at bats and put the ball in play, it would not be a surprise to see the Phillies experiment with one of their top prospects as a leadoff hitter as the season rolls on.
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Written by
Chris is an intern at Just Baseball, specializing in Phillies coverage. Chris is from Central Jersey and currently attends Rutgers University. You can follow him on…