2026 Fantasy Baseball: Top MLB prospects to watch during Spring Training

Spring Training is underway and we’re about a month or so before the start of the 2026 MLB regular season. We have a few weeks to prepare for fantasy baseball drafts and in most formats, we’re monitoring for injuries or surprise performances during exhibition games. That will help us be more informed for our season-long drafts. But if you’re in a dynasty or keeper format, you likely have to do more prep likendigging deeper in the player pool, looking at some of the top prospects in baseball.

For those in keeper and dynasty formats, or managers who are looking to be prepared for later in the season when prospects could get called up, we’re going to go over some key players to monitor this spring.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]

Before we dive in, this list will include prospects who haven’t debuted in MLB yet and are generally going undrafted or past the top 200 picks in Yahoo fantasy baseball — you won’t see Roman Anthony on this list, but you will see …

Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 1 overall

Griffin is the top prospect in baseball heading into this spring and the 2026 season. A first-round pick back in 2024 by Pittsburgh, Griffin has true 5-tool potential, standing at 6-foot-4 and 225 lbs. He’ll begin this season as a teenager at 19, turning 20 in late April. And while we rarely see anyone this young in MLB, Griffin could force the Pirates’ hand this season if he has a season anything close to resembling 2025.

Last season, Griffin posted insane numbers across Single-A, High-A and Double-A ball. In 122 games, he had 21 HRs, 95 RBI, 65 stolen bases and a .941 OPS. While it’s a long shot for a 20-year-old to get called up, Griffin is simply too good and the Pirates may be wise to fast-track him to the big leagues. If he starts in AA, there’s a good chance he’ll get promoted to AAA at some point this season. That could mean Griffin gets a September call-up if Pittsburgh sells big at the deadline.

Keep an eye on Griffin this spring. If he puts on an offensive display, that could put more pressure on management to get him up quicker.

We’re trying to focus on players who aren’t being drafted on Yahoo but Griffin has an ADP of 206.1 early on. This is likely in keeper formats where managers will try and stash him in hopes of the call-up.

Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 9 overall

The reigning AL West champions could give Emerson, a 2023 first-rounder, a long look this spring. Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told MLB.com this month that “it’s not out of the question that [Emerson] earns a spot” on the team” for 2026. The 20-year-old was one of the best hitters in the minors last year, posting 16 HRs and 78 RBI with a .285/.383/.458 slash line in 130 games spanning High-A, AA and a brief stint in AAA-Tacoma, where he should begin 2026.

JP Crawford and Josh Naylor are locked in at SS and 1B, respectively, for the M’s going into this season (pending an injury or something unforeseen). Newly-acquired Brendan Donovan should settle in at 2B while Cole Young, Miles Mastrobuoni, Leo Rivas and Ryan Bliss will fight for the 3B job/platoon work coming off the bench. It isn’t crazy to think Emerson can beat out that group and force the Mariners’ hand this spring.

We also know Seattle isn’t shy about keeping a youngster on the roster and giving him a chance to shine; we saw it with Julio Rodríguez back in 2022 as a 21-year-old rookie. That said, Emerson’s most likely path is in 2027, when Crawford becomes a free agent and SS opens up. But the M’s could have Emerson play other infield spots in AAA to prep him for a potential call-up this season. Eventually, he could help your fantasy team in batting average, plus he has some pop and speed.

Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 14 overall

The Twins aren’t expected to compete much in the AL Central behind Detroit, Cleveland and Kansas City this season (though you never know). If that’s the case, we could see Jenkins at some point later in the season. The Twins don’t have much talent behind Byron Buxton in the outfield with Matt Wallner likely to hold down RF in some type of platoon with Trevor Larnach and Ryan Kreidler. Austin Martin, James Outman and Alan Roden will also be in the mix for playing time/roster spots.

It’s a crowded competition but one that doesn’t have a ton of standout options. That could leave the door open for Jenkins, who was the fifth overall pick in 2023. He’s played nearly 200 games at the minor-league level, which is significant for a 20-year-old. In 84 games last season between Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A, Jenkins had 10 HRs with 34 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a .286/.399/.451 slash line.

With Buxton at the World Baseball Classic, that could give Jenkins some more looks during the spring. Players could get dealt throughout the season in Minnesota if the team isn’t competitive by the summer. If that’s the case, Jenkins could get a call-up late in the season.

Thomas White, SP, Marlins

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 17 overall

We usually see pitchers take a bit longer to develop in the minors but White has a legit shot to make it to the big leagues this season and be a difference-maker. He started last season as a 20-year-old in High-A ball and finished the campaign in Triple-A Jacksonville. A first-rounder back in 2023, White made 21 minor-league starts and had a 2.31 ERA with a pretty gaudy 14.6 K/9.

As a left-handed pitcher, White already has an upper hand when it comes to getting to the next level. As do most lefties, he has a plus-slider that should help him miss plenty of bats in the big leagues. FanGraphs did a great interview with White heading into spring training to give you a better sense of the type of prospect he is.

The Marlins are one of the easier teams for a prospect to break into the league with since they generally aren’t competing; the franchise has made the playoffs just twice since winning the World Series in 2003. Sandy Alcantara and Chris Paddack could be trade fodder, which would open up a few spots in the rotation this season. White could occupy one of those spots if he has a solid spring and/or performs well at Triple-A early on in 2026. White could be a great source of strikeouts whenever the call comes.

Andrew Painter, SP, Phillies

MLB.com prospect ranking: No. 28 overall

Painter is getting selected toward the end of drafts with an ADP of 203.5 on Yahoo. We could see that ADP rise over the course of this spring and that’s why Painter is a player to watch. We know Zack Wheeler is going to miss the start of the season and right now, FanGraphs has Painter penciled in as the fifth starter in the Philly rotation.

Painter has a high pedigree as the 13th overall pick in the 2021 draft and has plenty of minor-league experience. He’s also physically imposing at 6-foot-7 on the mound. He made 22 starts at Triple-A last season and while the numbers left much to be desired (5.40 ERA, 1.54 WHIP), Painter will have a chance in spring training to show he belongs in MLB.

If Painter looks good over the course of the next few weeks, he’s not a bad deep sleeper pick in redraft formats, plus he has keeper appeal. The Phillies should boast a top-10 offense, which would give Painter plenty of run support. If he can refine his command and limit the long-balls, Painter has a shot to provide fantasy value in 2026 right away.

Other prospects to monitor: Kevin McGonigle, INF, DET; Spencer Jones, OF, NYY; Carlos Lagrange, SP, NYY; Travis Bazzana, INF, CLE

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