It’s that time of year again, friends! The 2026 San Francisco Giants season may have been one of the worst in recent memory — or ever, for that matter — but at least we have a treat waiting to start the offseason: the return of the Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, in which we will, as a group, rank the top 44 prospects in the Giants system.
Last year’s CPL was so much fun. After years of a middling farm system, it really felt like things were headed up going into the 2026 Minor League Baseball season, and the 44 names (which didn’t even include Jonah Cox, Scott Bandura, Turner Hill, or César Perdomo!) reflected that. And, looking back on the list, we were right to be excited.
And yet, even though last year’s No. 1 prospect (Bryce Eldridge) graduated, it still feels like this year’s list is going to be even more exciting.
So today we embark on a community journey that will last for a few months. Hopefully by the time we wrap things up, there will be preseason baseball to keep us occupied, though the impending lockout could keep that from happening.
For the uninitiated — or just those who would like a refresher — here are the rules for the CPL, copy, pasted, and updated from a year ago:
And with that, let’s head to the comment section and nominate some players for Wednesday’s opening chapter! As always, a special thank you to all of the McCovey Chronicles writers who have handled this project in the past, with a special shoutout to Roger Munter, who not only remains an active participant in the CPL discussions, but a vital resource to all of us.
Now prospect fans, start your engines!