Opening Day saw eight of the National League’s top prospects make big league rosters. Between these eight players, their respective teams will have a chance to earn a draft pick if one wins the NL Rookie of the Year. This is all thanks to the Prospect Promotion Incentive created by the CBA before the 2022 season. To qualify, a prospect needs to be a top 100 prospect and make a big league roster within two weeks of Opening Day. The prospect candidates comprise three pitchers and five position players in the NL. In comparison, the American League only has six such candidates.
NL Prospects Who Could Boost Their Team’s Draft Stock Next Season
The Cream of the Crop
JJ Wetherholt – INF (St. Louis Cardinals)
While the Cardinals may be rebuilding, the future has arrived in St. Louis in the hands of JJ Wetherholt. Thanks to the trade of Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners, there was a clear road to the show for the St. Louis prospect. This spring, he showed great plate discipline, walking more than he struck out, and some versatility defensively in the infield.
Wetherholt has one of the highest-ranked hit tools among all minor league prospects. This is due to his excellent awareness of the strike zone and even better bat-to-ball skills. He’s even shown more of a power surge recently, hitting for a minor league career high in home runs last season. The future is bright for the Cardinals’ infield if he can live up to his lofty expectations.
Nolan McLean – SP (New York Mets)
Nolan McLean is fresh off a WBC appearance, during which he started two games, including the championship final. On top of that, in his one start during spring training, he threw a scoreless four innings with six strikeouts. The NL Rookie of the Year hopeful is looking to build off a strong start to his pro career, where he pitched to a 2.06 ERA in eight starts and 48 innings at the major league level last season.
McLean is one of the few pitchers, let alone a prospect, in baseball with two plus-plus breaking balls. He consistently spins a 3,000 RPM slider and adds a nasty 12-6 curveball to his arsenal. This alone would allow the former two-way star at Oklahoma State to wrangle in hitters, but he also has an above-average cutter and fastball in his pitch mix. McLean is the heavy favorite in the NL Rookie of the Year race to start the season, and his arsenal is the reason why. He should have a strong career as a front-of-the-rotation arm for years to come.
Bubba Chandler – SP (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Bubba Chandler is another former two-way player who excels on the mound. Chandler should have a little more protection in the Pirates’ rotation than McLean with the Mets, thanks to reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and other veterans. However, Chandler may not need it. During his time last season in Pittsburgh, Chandler pitched to a 4.02 ERA in seven games and 31 1/3 innings. His ERA was a little inflated from his first start, where he was roughed up a bit. While he struggled a little with his control this preseason, there was no doubt his stuff was dominant, with 17 strikeouts in 11 innings.
Somehow, with a consistent 100 mph fastball and an upper-80s slider, Chandler has the second-best stuff in the Pirates’ rotation. Unfortunately, that’s probably always going to be the case when there’s a Cy Young winner on staff. Luckily for Chandler, he adds a third plus pitch with his changeup. Between McLean and Chandler, this could be the two best pitching prospects in an NL rookie class in a long time, and there are more high-end arms to come.
Paul Skenes watching Bubba Chandler warmup in the bullpen before his start is awesome.
— Baseball (@mlbelites_) February 15, 2026
Carson Benge – OF (New York Mets)
Carson Benge certainly continued his hot spring on Opening Day with a home run for his first major league hit. This really should’ve been no surprise for baseball fans as Benge hit .396 during spring training with a .439 slugging percentage. The Mets prospect will look to man an outfield spot all season if he continues to hit like this.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW KID!!!@Carsonbenge3 | #LGM pic.twitter.com/TtPJHhQcn0
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 26, 2026
Carson Benge is the second former two-way Oklahoma State star on this NL prospects list. Similar to McLean, Benge looks to be a major part of the Mets and any success they have this season. He’s an above-average athlete with plus speed and should have no problem playing any of the three outfield spots. At the plate, Benge is likely to hit for average power, but could hit for average as he has a good approach that allowed him to hit .261 across three levels in his first taste of the minor leagues.
Sal Stewart – 1B/3B (Cincinnati Reds)
The Reds seem to be creating a monopoly of young, promising players, and Sal Stewart is the next in line. While in Arizona, the Reds’ prospect hit three home runs and had a batting average of. 327 in just 49 at-bats. This power is nothing new for Cincinnati friends, as they saw Stewart hit for five homers in just 18 games last season.
Stewart will look to continue his power surge in a lineup made up of Elly De La Cruz and other young, promising hitters. Stewart continues to boast high exit velocities and show off his raw power. While he may not be the best defensive prospect, he should mostly see time at first base for the Reds. His improved agility and natural instincts should mark him as an average fielder at worst.
Andrew Painter – SP (Philadelphia Phillies)
It has been a long journey to Philadelphia for Andrew Painter. He has been plagued with injuries since being drafted by the Phillies. Originally, Painter was hoping to pitch meaningful innings for the Phillies last fall. However, that ended up not being the case, but the top pitching prospect earned his spot this spring. Painter pitched to a 2.31 ERA in 11 2/3 innings while only walking two batters.
Painter’s ability to limit base on balls is crucial to his success. He can sometimes struggle with locating the fastball. However, when he is on, his fastball is a potential plus-plus fastball. Painter has a great feel for his changeup and registers top-end spin rates on both his curveball and slider. The key to a successful season for the Phillies’ prospect will lie in his control.
The Dark Horses
Moises Ballesteros – C/DH (Chicago Cubs)
Moises Ballesteros continues to demonstrate an archetype that baseball executives have fallen in love with: the left-handed hitting catcher. The Cubs’ prospect has one of the smoothest swings in baseball. Additionally, he walks more than he strikes out and has hit .289 across his time in the minors. During spring training, Ballesteros unleashed some of his raw power, slugging .619 in 42 at-bats.
Home runs in back-to-back at-bats for Moisés Ballesteros!
2nd inning: 108.2 mph | 441 ft
3rd inning: 103.9 mph | 423 ft
The @Cubs‘ top-ranked prospect is hitting .367 with a 1.020 OPS during Cactus League play. pic.twitter.com/hB21cCSN5O
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 18, 2026
Ballesteros will always be a hit-first prospect. The real question mark is how long he’ll be able to catch during his career. He is only 5’ 8″ and weighs more than 200 pounds. This creates some issues with blocking and receiving pitches, resulting in 10 errors in 92 games behind the plate last season. Luckily, there’s no denying his hitting ability. His ability to control his barrel and his advanced approach make him a danger to pitchers.
Justin Crawford – OF (Philadelphia Phillies)
Yes, that is Crawford as in Carl Crawford. And yes, this is his son. Justin, not Carl, Crawford has torn up the Phillies’ minor leagues as a prospect. He’s a career .322 hitter across four seasons of minor league baseball. Crawford did all this while stealing at least 42 bases in his three full seasons in the minors.
Justin Crawford is this year’s Jacob Wilson. Crawford brings excellent bat-to-ball skills without eye-popping exit velocities. On top of this, he is a legitimate threat for the stolen base crown at the end of the season. He is even an above-average defender in center. Crawford could bring some instant offense to an aging Phillies roster.
Main Photo Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images