Ranking NL West’s top 20 prospects entering the 2026 MLB season

The start of a new year can mean only one thing around these parts: it’s time to analyze and rank an unhealthy amount of minor-league prospects. Such is the tradition here at CBS Sports, but while we’re upholding that tradition, be aware that we’re making some changes to our approach by ranking the top 20 prospects per division, however that breaks down by team. Our belief is that those tweaks will make the coverage better by making it easier for fans to compare how their future players stack up against their top rivals. 

These rankings are formed through firsthand observational and statistical analysis; conversations with scouts, analysts, and player development specialists; and an understanding of historical trends. Add in some biases toward and against certain player types and, on occasion, a tiebreaking coin flip, and you have a general idea about how we put these lists together.

Below, you’ll find the National League West rankings. Perhaps predictably, the Dodgers lead the way by virtue of employing eight of the 20 prospects. That group includes three of the top four and six of the top 11. Josue De Paula, Eduardo Quintero, and Zyhir Hope probably won’t factor into this season, but they could provide Los Angeles with an impressive outfield over the coming years.

The weakest farm system in the NL West belongs to the Rockies. They have just two players on the list; neither cracked the top 10. First baseman Charlie Condon has disappointed since draft night 2024, while shortstop Ethan Holliday has to answer some serious concerns about his game over the coming months. It’s no wonder the Rockies find themselves under new management.

Let’s get down to business and break down the rest of the NL West’s prospect class.

• The quick hook: Cleanup hitter in the making
• MLB ETA: Summer 2027

De Paula remains just a few tweaks away from emerging as a monster middle-of-the-order bat. His age (he’ll turn 21 in May) and the Dodgers’ sterling player development reputation makes it easier to take the leap of faith. He’s a well-constructed lefty hitter with big-time power and a borderline passive approach at the plate. Unlike some of his organizational peers, he doesn’t swing and miss at high rates. Rather, the areas of concern for De Paula entail him better leveraging his strength by lifting the ball more frequently and his long-term defensive value (he may end up at DH). The Dodgers once traded Yordan Alvarez. De Paula may give them a second crack at that skill set. 

• The quick hook: Yet another promising Dodgers outfielder
• MLB ETA: Summer 2028

Quintero celebrated his 20th birthday in September as he was putting the finishing touches on a season that saw him hit .293/.415/.508 with 19 home runs and 47 stolen bases split between A-ball affiliates. Despite his youth, he already has a feel for making loud contact while running an 80% contact rate. Quintero’s approach is borderline passive, but that’s about the biggest knock you’re going to find here.

• The quick hook: Big man, big power, big whiff
• MLB ETA: Already debuted

Eldridge is a 6-foot-7 first baseman, and you know what that means. He combines massive strength (he had a hard-hit rate over 60% between Triple-A and the majors) with legitimate swing-and-miss concerns (especially against breaking balls). Such is life for most players this size. Eldridge has had his share of issues with left-handers (no surprise given the previous parenthetical), suggesting that he may be best deployed as part of a timeshare. He should see plenty of time in the majors in 2026 and he should eventually record San Francisco’s second 30-homer season since the Barry Bonds days.

4. Zyhir Hope, OF, Dodgers

• The quick hook: Power and walks for days, but strikeout creep a factor
• MLB ETA: Summer 2027

Hope, the best part of the return on Michael Busch, batted .266/.376/.428 with 13 home runs and 27 stolen bases while spending most of the year in High-A. He’s a physical left-handed hitter with clear loft to his swing. He knows how to lift and pull the ball, which is a good thing given his innate strength. Hope also possesses a patient approach that, when married to his swing-and-miss tendencies (he connected on fewer than 70% of his swings in High-A), could result in an uncomfortably high strikeout rate. A larger sample of him in Double-A should reveal just how high.

• The quick hook: Quality, if unusual corner bat
• MLB ETA: Summer 2026

Waldschmidt was an analytics darling heading into the 2024 Draft, but he slipped to No. 31 because of an odd swing that sees him barely stride before he launches. He’s since put some of those aesthetic concerns to sleep with a strong introduction to the professional ranks. In fact, last season he hit .289/.419/.473 with nearly as many walks as strikeouts split between High- and Double-A. Waldschmidt has sneaky athleticism, but he’s likely ticked for a corner at the game’s highest level. Still, there’s enough here to project him as an above-average hitter who could arrive before the season is out.

• The quick hook: Massive lefty with two-way background
• MLB ETA: Summer 2029

Schoolcraft drew comparisons to Giants prospect Bryce Eldridge as an amateur based on size (he’s listed at 6-foot-8) and their two-way potential. Whereas Eldridge has focused on hitting as a professional, Schoolcraft’s future is on the mound. He’s able to generate a flatter plane than his power forward frame suggests he should and he’s shown promising velocity (touching into the upper 90s) and feel for secondaries (a changeup and a slider). He’s one to keep tabs on.

7. Ethan Salas, C, Padres

• The quick hook: Extremely young backstop whose ascent has slowed
• MLB ETA: Spring 2027

As recently as 18 months ago, Salas looked destined to become MLB’s first teenage catcher since Iván Rodríguez. Unfortunately, he’s no longer assured of that fate. He followed up a disappointing 2024 campaign by missing almost the entire year on account of a back injury. The perfect world outcome here remains a strong defensive backstop who offers enough offense to start most days. Given that Salas won’t turn 20 until June, it’s fair to remain hopeful that he can reach that projection — even if it’s going to take more time than was originally expected. 

• The quick hook: Powerful infielder overshadowed in deep system
• MLB ETA: Summer 2028

Morales spent most of last season as an 18-year-old, but he already looks like a thumper in the making. The combination of his 6-foot-3 frame, his loft-heavy swing, and his actual output (a handful of his 14 home runs last season exited to center or right field) makes it clear that power will carry his game. As for everything else? Well, his contact rate was on the wrong side of 70% and his size may necessitate a move to the hot corner in due time. In a lot of other systems, he’d be the crown jewel. With the Dodgers, he’s not even among the top three most enticing young hitters.

• The quick hook: Short, speedy outfielder who needs to swing more
• MLB ETA: Summer 2028

Caldwell is your standard issue Diamondbacks outfield prospect. He’s listed at just 5-foot-9, but he’s fast and he’s shown more thump in the past than you’d anticipate thanks to his feel for lifting and pulling. That last part wasn’t on display in his first professional season, as he put the ball on the carpet more than 50% of the time. To make matters worse, Caldwell employed a laughably passive approach, swinging about a third of the pitches he saw. (For context, Juan Soto had the lowest swing rate among qualified hitters, and even he made an attempt at a 35% clip.) He was technically an above-average performer all the same, but he’s going to need to let ‘er rip more often as he progresses through the minors.

• The quick hook: Nifty trade acquisition who could start most days
• MLB ETA: Summer 2027

Sirota has been on prospect radars since he was known as a big-swing, small-school outfielder at Northeastern. The Reds popped him in the third round of the 2024 Draft, but they sent him to the Dodgers that offseason in exchange for Gavin Lux. That looks like another savvy move by the Dodgers, since Sirota spent last year hitting .333/.452/.616 across A-ball affiliates before hurting his knee on a slide in early July. He possesses a patient, maybe even passive, approach and above-average juice and athleticism. Sirota did swing and miss a lot, so keep an eye on that dynamic as he continues to climb the ladder.

• The quick hook: Quality infielder without a clear role
• MLB ETA: Already debuted

The state of the Dodgers’ roster and player development machine is such that they’re able to bring up prospects like Freeland and Daulton Rushing, who would be Day One starters for most other organizations, and deploy them in reserve roles. It’s to be seen how Freeland, a switch-hitter with discipline and pop (particularly against right-handed pitchers) fits onto the 2026 roster. He should be part of it, though, because he doesn’t have anything left to prove in the minors.

• The quick hook: Disappointing righty bat
• MLB ETA: Summer 2026

Condon was a legitimate candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2024 Draft thanks to a well-rounded offensive game that featured contact, on-base, and slugging upside. He instead went third and then had a dismal introduction to pro ball for someone with a successful SEC vetting to his credit. He had an improved first full year, batting .268/.376/.444 with 14 home runs split between High- and Double-A. There are still some discouraging aspects to his game, including how the Rockies used him primarily at first base. That puts more pressure on his bat, which may not be a good thing. Condon whiffed on nearly 30% of his swings and most of his hardest contact came at low-flying trajectories. Maybe the new Rockies regime can help unlock the version of Condon that drew comparisons to Kris Bryant?

• The quick hook: The most famous player in last year’s class has upside, downside
• MLB ETA: Spring 2029

It was only fitting that Holliday was selected by the same franchise that chose his father Matt 27 years prior. Will this decision work out as well as that one did? There’s reason to be skeptical. Holliday the Younger has power and discipline working in his favor, but the amount of swing and miss in his game could sabotage the entire operation. (There’s no sense reading too much into an 18-game sample, particularly when it represents a player’s introduction to pro ball, but he whiffed on more than 40% of his swings in the California League.) The Rockies played Holliday exclusively at shortstop, but scouts believe he’ll eventually move to the hot corner. 

14. Josuar Gonzalez, SS, Giants

• The quick hook: One to dream on
• MLB ETA: Summer 2029

The Giants inked Gonzalez for nearly $3 million last January. In time, that may register as a franchise-altering decision. Gonzalez is a switch-hitting shortstop who hit .288/.404/.455 with more walks than strikeouts in his introduction to professional baseball. Not bad for someone who just celebrated his 18th birthday in October. He’s a long ways off, but there’s a chance for him to develop into a five-tool player (albeit in the sense that he has average or better marks in each) if all goes well.

• The quick hook: Promising young right-hander
• MLB ETA: Summer 2028

Cruz is a shorter right-hander who logged six appearances in the California League as an 18-year-old, compiling a 6.97 ERA and a 2.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Those marks may not be impressive, but he has a flowering three-pitch mix (including a hot fastball) and he projects to develop at least average command. Cruz’s youth and the general attrition rate for young right-handed pitchers means you should apply generous error bars to his potential outcomes. 

16. Bo Davidson, OF, Giants

• The quick hook: Former undrafted free agent closing in on MLB debut
• MLB ETA: Late summer 2026

Davidson is a great story: a nondrafted free agent who the Giants signed for five figures in 2023. He’s already outperformed any realistic expectations they could have had, hitting .281/.376/.468 with 18 home runs and 19 stolen bases split between High- and Double-A. Davidson, a lefty batter, has shown power to all fields and connected on more than 74% of his swings in 2025. He has had some platoon issues throughout his career, but developing into a most-days option in a corner is a massive scouting and development win for an organization that could use some more of those.

• The quick hook: Bat-first infielder who needs better health
• MLB ETA: Spring 2028

Crisantes, a seventh-round find out of Nogales, Ari., can really hit thanks to a simple right-handed swing. In 34 games last season, he batted .252/.358/.415 with more walks than strikeouts. Alas, Crisantes’ year ended in mid-May when he required shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Availability is often referred to as the sixth tool. So far, it’s one that Crisantes lacks. Since being plucked in 2022, he’s appeared in just 155 regular-season contests. If he can stay hearty and hale, he should hit his way to the majors quicker than the above estimate.

• The quick hook: Lefty middle infielder with contact, discipline
• MLB ETA: Spring 2029

Cunningham, the 18th pick in last summer’s draft, was one of the most polished prep bats in the class. He has an appreciable feel for contact and the strike zone alike from the left side. Scouts also project him to stick on the dirt, albeit probably not at shortstop. There were two main drawbacks to his game: 1) he was already 19 on draft night, putting him on the older side for a prep player; and 2) he has a lack of oomph that could cause both his hit tool and his approach to play down. It’s up to Cunningham and the Diamondbacks to do what they can to prevent that outcome from being realized.

• The quick hook: Well-traveled outfielder with solid base of skills
• MLB ETA: Summer 2027

Tibbs has moved around a lot more than you would expect for someone who was drafted in the top half of the first round not yet two years ago. First, the Giants sent him to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade. Then, the Red Sox shipped him to the Dodgers in the Dustin May deal. Through it all, he hit .243/.373/.429 with 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases. It’s only fair to have some skepticism when a player bounces around like this, but on paper he has a decent combination of contact, discipline, and strength — and, as an added bonus, he’s already demonstrated competency against Double-A competition. 

• The quick hook: Talented righty with terrible health track record
• MLB ETA: Already debuted

Ryan is, at 27, the oldest player on any of these lists. He’s thrown fewer than 200 innings as a professional, including a grand total of zero in 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Yet he’s on here anyway because his arm talent is that good. The last time anyone saw Ryan play, he was working with a six-pitch arsenal led by a mid-to-upper-90s fastball, three breaking balls, and a changeup that featured some sink. He’s shown he can throw strikes and generate ground balls. He just has to stay healthy.