For the third time in Baseball America history, the Pirates take the crown as the top-ranked farm system in baseball heading into the new season.
The Pirates, who also ranked first before the 2014 and 1997 seasons, enter 2026 with plenty of headline talent, none more highly touted than No. 1 overall prospect and reigning Minor League Player of the Year Konnor Griffin.
The Brewers, who won BA’s Organization of the Year Award for 2025, came in second while yet another NL Central team in the Cardinals rank third.
BA subscribers can read the full 2026 preseason system rankings below, complete with top prospects, recent rankings and more.
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
Having the best prospect in baseball in Griffin is a great start, but it’s the depth of top-tier prospects, including Bubba Chandler, Edward Florentino and Seth Hernandez, that puts the Pirates on top of the farm system rankings this year. The team’s second-tier depth is less impressive, but it’s better to have elite prospects in quantities than depth.
Previous Ranks
2025: 16
2024: 13
2023: 10
2022: 11
2021: 21
2. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are in the throes of the organization’s first modern rebuild, and they boast one of the most talented farm systems in the game. There’s a good balance of impact position players in Wetherholt, Rainiel Rodriguez and Joshua Baez and impact pitching with Liam Doyle, Quinn Mathews and Brandon Clarke.
Previous Ranks
2025: 18
2024: 20
2023: 9
2022: 18
2021: 12
3. Milwaukee Brewers
BA’s 2025 Organization of the Year, the Brewers are among the best in the game throughout all facets of scouting and player development. Four of their top 10 prospects are homegrown international signings, they find late-round gems and have a system with both impact talent at the top and depth at all levels.
Previous Ranks
2025: 9
2024: 2
2023: 13
2022: 25
2021: 28
4. Detroit Tigers
Few organizations can come close to matching the top-end prospect talent the Tigers have, led by McGonigle, Max Clark and Bryce Rainer. The system drops off pretty quickly after that, but the recent investments in high-ceiling pitchers could pay off in 2027 and beyond.
Previous Ranks
2025: 2
2024: 5
2023: 26
2022: 6
2021: 5
5. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have added eight prospects to their Top 30 since the start of December through trades and international signings. Doing so has greatly increased the team’s depth of prospect talent. The system still lacks truly elite prospects, but it now has a wide array of players who could emerge as prospects in 2026.
Previous Ranks
2025: 6
2024: 7
2023: 6
2022: 2
2021: 1
6. Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland’s farm system is one of the deepest in the game, with a litany of hitting and pitching prospects and success stories from both the amateur and international markets.
Previous Ranks
2025: 7
2024: 19
2023: 4
2022: 12
2021: 11
7. New York Mets
The Mets stand out for the depth and diversity of their prospect stock, even after trading Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat for Freddy Peralta. McLean is the No. 1 pitching prospect, while the organization also has top prospects at first base (Ryan Clifford), third base (Jacob Reimer) and center field (Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing). Their top eight prospects played at Double-A or higher, with McLean and Jonah Tong reaching MLB.
Previous Ranks
2025: 12
2024: 8
2023: 5
2022: 16
2021: 19
8. Miami Marlins
The Marlins’ progress is most evident on the mound, where top prospects White and Robby Snelling are nearing the major leagues. Position player help is close behind, with catcher Joe Mack and outfielders Owen Caissie and Kemp Alderman approaching readiness, while the lower minors are stocked with upside on both sides of the ball. Taken together, it represents the deepest and most credible promise the Marlins’ farm system has shown in years.
Previous Ranks
2025: 21
2024: 27
2023: 20
2022: 20
2021: 10
9. Athletics
The A’s have been team in turmoil at the franchise level thanks to their nomadic wanderings toward Las Vegas, but on the field, the success of Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson combined with the impressive pitching prospect depth the team has built has vaulted the team into being a top-tier farm system.
Previous Ranks
2025: 11
2024: 25
2023: 27
2022: 27
2021: 29
10. Seattle Mariners
Similar to last year, the Mariners boast one of the league’s most impressive top 10s, headlined by Emerson, Kade Anderson and Lazaro Montes. Beyond that, however, the talent drops off sharply between players 13–30. Notable names in that range include Korbyn Dickerson, Leandro Romero and Teddy McGraw.
Previous Ranks
2025: 5
2024: 16
2023: 22
2022: 1
2021: 2
11. Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles had the largest bonus pool in last year’s draft and then sent three of their high-bonus 2025 draftees to the Rays to bring back Shane Baz, using the farm system to improve the big league club. While it led to a five-spot drop from where we had them ranked in mid December, a much-improved MLB rotation is the payoff.
Previous Ranks
2025: 17
2024: 1
2023: 1
2022: 4
2021: 7
12. Minnesota Twins
The Twins’ historic trade deadline sell-off added considerable talent to an already promising system. Minnesota has depth and balance, but many of the organization’s players come with a fair amount of risk. None more so than the trio at the top in Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Connor Prielipp, all of whom are close to major league ready but have lengthy injury histories.
Previous Ranks
2025: 8
2024: 14
2023: 21
2022: 14
2021: 8
13. Los Angeles Dodgers
The front of the Dodgers’ system is led by a quartet of high-upside outfielders with contrasting skill sets. From there, a lot of the group’s more intriguing prospects dealt with injuries in 2025. The system’s pitching talent could use a boost, too. The end result is system that ranks outside the top 10 for the first time since 2014.
Previous Ranks
2025: 3
2024: 9
2023: 3
2022: 8
2021: 9
14. San Francisco Giants
This system is in its best shape in years. Beyond Eldridge, the group has benefited from a bumper crop of young talent, including firecracker shortstop Josuar Gonzalez. There’s depth and upside in spades.
Previous Ranks
2025: 24
2024: 22
2023: 18
2022: 17
2021: 14
15. Boston Red Sox
Once a system dominated by high-end hitting talent, the Red Sox have seen things flip completely, and now seven of their top 10 prospects are pitchers. They have enviable close-to-the-majors pitching depth, but their position player prospects after Franklin Arias have a lot of questions.
Previous Ranks
2025: 1
2024: 13
2023: 10
2022: 11
2021: 21
16. Washington Nationals
Led by the 2025 No. 1 overall pick in Willits, the Nationals’ system leans heavily on shortstops and also boasts power arms aplenty in the top 10. Incoming head of ops Paul Toboni and his player development team now are tasked with coaxing more on-field production from the system’s players. Offseason trades for Harry Ford, Luis Perales and Gavin Fien help enhance the quality of the top 10. Now, half of Washington’s top 20 prospects were acquired in either 2025 or early 2026.
Previous Ranks
2025: 14
2024: 15
2023: 7
2022: 26
2021: 30
17. Toronto Blue Jays
It was a banner season in 2025 for the Blue Jays’ farm system, as their revamped pitching development helped in the emergence of a World Series standout in Yesavage. The righthander leads a loaded top 10 group at the top of the system, but a lack of depth in the 11-20 range drags the system down.
Previous Ranks
2025: 23
2024: 24
2023: 15
2022: 19
2021: 4
18. Chicago White Sox
The White Sox have made significant strides in player development in recent years, but the development of Schultz and fellow lefthander Hagen Smith remains one of the big to-do items for 2026 and beyond. Shortstop Caleb Bonemer’s emergence as a top prospect gives the team another potential long-term building block.
Previous Ranks
2025: 4
2024:18
2023: 28
2022: 30
2021: 20
19. Cincinnati Reds
Chase Burns’ graduation dinged the Reds’ ranking, but the team has several prospects ready to help at the big league level. Stewart should fit right into the middle of the Reds’ lineup, and righthander Rhett Lowder is back to fit into the starting rotation at some point. Keep an eye on shortstop Tyson Lewis, who could make a big jump up our rankings in 2026.
Previous Ranks
2025: 10
2024: 11
2023: 8
2022: 7
2021: 18
20. Philadelphia Phillies
Miller, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford give the Phillies an enviable trio, but trades have sapped the system of depth. They’ll need to hit big on their draft picks to move back up the ranks.
Previous Ranks
2025: 20
2024: 21
2023: 19
2022: 23
2021: 27
21. Kansas City Royals
Jensen’s breakout last year gives the Royals another potential long-term regular to go with Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia, but the team’s misses on three straight top 10 draft picks—Asa Lacy, Frank Mozzicato and Gavin Cross—have left a lasting mark. The early returns on 2024 first-rounder Jac Caglianone are much better, as he’s already graduated.
Previous Ranks
2025: 27
2024: 30
2023: 29
2022: 5
2021: 13
22. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have boasted a strong top of the system for the past several seasons, with a trio of Top 100-caliber prospects. However, the system shallows out after the top and has a real lack of impact pitching.
Previous Ranks
2025: 15
2024: 4
2023: 17
2022: 15
2021: 22
23. New York Yankees
After trading 16 prospects during the 2025 season, the Yankees’ system is as fallow as it’s been in years. Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange could see New York in 2026, while Lombard and fellow shortstop Dax Kilby both have high upsides and impact potential.
Previous Ranks
2025: 25
2024: 10
2023: 16
2022: 13
2021: 16
24. Texas Rangers
Walcott is one of the game’s elite talents, and righthander Caden Scarborough was one of the game’s bigger breakouts in 2025. But the system needs major rebounds from its near-proximity prospects to supplement the big league roster. Bounce-backs from the 2024 draft class would go a long way, too.
Previous Ranks
2025: 19
2024: 3
2023: 12
2022: 9
2021: 24
25. Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona has doubled down on drafting solid hitters in recent drafts, a trend that should lead to a significant number of future big leaguers. But the question the team faces now is how many impactful big leaguers are currently down on the farm?
Previous Ranks
2025: 22
2024: 2
2023: 10
2022: 17
2021: 10
26. Atlanta Braves
The Braves targeted bats in the draft for the first time in years, but the system’s strengths continue to revolve around the pitching depth with lots of uncertainty in the hitting ranks.
Previous Ranks
2025: 28
2024: 26
2023: 30
2022: 22
2021: 6
27. Houston Astros
For the better part of the last decade, the Astros’ system has ranked among the worst in the game. While no one is going to mistake this system for a top-half-of-the-league collection of talent, it’s full of higher-upside players giving it a risk-reward element. Houston boasts three high-upside teenagers in Neyens, outfielder Kevin Alvarez and recent international signee Albert Fermin.
Previous Ranks
2025: 29
2024: 29
2023: 24
2022: 28
2021: 26
28. Los Angeles Angels
As has been the case in many recent years, the Angels have some intriguing prospects at the top of their system, but overall depth remains far below that of many other teams. Some of that is because of the team’s tendency to push players quickly to the majors, which means 2024 first-rounder Christian Moore doesn’t qualify as a prospect anymore.
Previous Ranks
2025: 30
2024: 28
2023: 25
2022: 29
2021: 23
29. San Diego Padres
The Padres’ system would rank in a more prominent spot had they not traded a slew of top 30 prospects—headlined by Leo De Vries—at last year’s deadline. Still only 19, Salas has reclaimed the top spot in the system followed by a trio of intriguing arms. But at the moment, this is a system that lacks depth and high-end talent.
Previous Ranks
2025: 26
2024: 6
2023: 23
2022: 21
2021: 3
30. Colorado Rockies
Paul DePodesta and the new Rockies brass have a steep mountain to climb given the current state of the farm system. Colorado has long targeted players with upside, but that promise too often fades once they reach the majors. Ethan Holliday and Charlie Condon are the organization’s top prospects, and even they come with major questions.
Previous Ranks
2025: 13
2024: 23
2023: 14
2022: 24
2021: 25