Spring training is here, and fans are seeing firsthand how every team's new-look roster is shaping up to perform during the 2026 season. After all, Opening Day is less than a month away. In professional baseball, roster building is about more than just having elite players on the major league team, though. Having elite prospects in the minor leagues who will eventually help out in the big leagues is important, too. So, which MLB teams have the best farm systems when accounting for top-end elite prospects and system depth?
10. Baltimore Orioles
Top 100 prospects (according to MLB.com – * indicates a top 25 prospect in ClutchPoints' prospect rankings)
- Samuel Basallo (eighth-ranked prospect)*, C – ETA: 2026
- Dylan Beavers (69th), OF – ETA: 2026
- Nate George (93rd), OF – ETA: 2028
Not long ago, the Baltimore Orioles had far and away the best farm system in baseball. Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday were all the consensus top prospects in baseball at one point, but they have since exhausted their prospect eligibility. The same goes for Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo, Heston Kjerstad, Jordan Westburg, and others.
All of the aforementioned prospects-turned-major league contributors were hitters, and what remains of Baltimore's farm system is still hitter-heavy. That should come as no surprise, considering the Orioles have almost exclusively targeted offensive players early on in recent drafts.
Samuel Bassalo will join the rest of Baltimore's young core as a player with All-Star potential. He is a home run-hitting catcher, which is a position with tons of depth in Baltimore's system. Ike Irish was drafted in the first round in 2025, and although he might end up in the outfield, he has come up as a catcher. Dylan Beavers is the other minor leaguer close to making an impact at the major league level. The team also has Enrique Bradfield Jr., one of the fastest players in all of baseball, who will be used as a situational speed threat sooner rather than later. The lack of pitching depth is the thing holding the Orioles back in these rankings. Luis De Leon and Trey Gibson are ranked fourth and fifth in the prospect system, but there aren't many other hurlers of note.
9. Philadelphia Phillies
Top 100 prospects
- Aidan Miller (23rd)*, SS – ETA: 2026
- Andrew Painter (28th)*, RHP – ETA: 2026
- Justin Crawford (53), OF – ETA: 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies don't have the depth of the other teams in the farm system rankings. What they lack in quantity, they make up for in quality, with three prospects with legitimate star potential. Aidan Miller has tons of power potential as either a shortstop or a third baseman.
Andrew Painter also has the ceiling of one of the best pitchers in baseball. While it isn't a guarantee he will get there, there is a lot to be intrigued about a 6-foot-7 flamethrower who has nasty movement. Painter was one of the very top players in the 2025 prospect rankings, but he slid down because of command issues following Tommy John surgery. The hope is that he will remind fans just how highly they thought of him before the injury.
Justin Crawford is also an outfield prospect who hits the ball hard and has MLB bloodlines. The Phillies have an old core that doesn't have much longer in this championship window. This core group of prospects will help them get younger, but they can also all play in 2026 and help Philadelphia finally break through. Gage Wood is worth mentioning, too, although the 2025 first-round pick won't get to the majors as quickly as his prospect peers.
8. Cleveland Guardians
Top 100 prospects
- Travis Bazzana (20th)*, 2B – ETA: 2026
- Chase DeLauter (46th), OF – ETA: 2026
- Angel Genao (66th), SS – ETA: 2026
- Ralphy Velazquez (89th), 1B/OF – ETA 2027
- Parker Messick (95th), LHP – ETA: 2026
- Cooper Ingle (99th), C – ETA: 2026
The first overall pick was up for debate in 2024, and the Cleveland Guardians settled on Travis Bazzana. In hindsight, a case can be made that the Guardians should have gone in a different direction, but that doesn't change the fact that the only number one overall pick second baseman in MLB history is a great prospect.
Bazzana and the rest of the Guardians' prospects are close to making their MLB debuts. In fact, Chase DeLauter and Parker Messick already have MLB innings under their belts. There might not be a megastar in the system, but along with those three, Angel Genao, Ralphy Velazquez, Cooper Ingle, and Braylon Doughty all look like everyday contributors.
7. Seattle Mariners
Top 100 prospects
- Colt Emerson (ninth)*, SS – ETA: 2026
- Kade Anderson (21st)*, LHP – ETA: 2027
- Ryan Sloan (33rd), RHP – ETA: 2028
- Lazaro Montes (43rd), OF – ETA: 2027
- Michael Arroyo (67th), 2B – ETA: 2026
- Jonny Farmelo (78th), OF – ETA: 2028
The Seattle Mariners are the only MLB team that has never reached the World Series before. They are close, though, evidenced by the fact that they went seven games deep in the ALCS last season. The team's deep farm system just may be enough to help them get over the hump.
Colt Emerson is competing for a starting spot in Seattle's lineup, and Kade Anderson is a much-needed left-handed arm who can improve a rotation filled with righties. The prospect depth in Seattle, which includes top 100 prospects Ryan Sloan, Lazaro Montes, Michael Arroyo, and Jonny Farmelo, is still evident despite recent graduations and departures of some of their top youngsters.
That just goes to show how incredible the Mariners are at drafting. The team hits on their early picks, and they find late-round gems better than most.
6. Chicago White Sox
Top 100 prospects
- Braden Montgomery (36th)*, OF – ETA: 2026
- Noah Schultz (49th)*, LHP – ETA: 2026
- Caleb Bonemer (61st), SS/3B – ETA: 2028
- Hagen Smith (72nd), LHP – ETA: 2026
- Billy Carlson (73rd), SS – ETA: 2029
The Chicago White Sox had one of the best farm systems ever, a little over half a decade ago. Players such as Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Andrew Vaughn, and Nick Madrigal were hyped up as the next big things. Those players either busted out or found success with a different organization, so Chicago's great farm system never panned out, and the organization was forced to hit the reset button.
The White Sox quickly reestablished a great farm system, even ranking first overall in last year's rankings. They've particularly thrived in adding youthful talent through the trade market in recent years. The White Sox don't rank as high this year after graduations from Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, and Colston Montgomery, but there is still plenty to like.
Noah Schultz is 6-foot-10 and has an unmatched ceiling. He hasn't put it all together, but the lefty has the potential to physically dominate his opponents. There is also star potential with Braden Montgomery, the centerpiece of the Garrett Crochet trade. The farm system is only going to get better, too. The White Sox have the first overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, and Roch Cholowsky is one of the best draft prospects in recent memory and the consensus number one pick.
5. St. Louis Cardinals
Top 100 prospects
- JJ Wetherholt (5th)*, INF – ETA: 2026
- Liam Doyle (34th), LHP – ETA: 2027
- Rainel Rodriguez (37th)*, C – ETA: 2028
- Joshua Baez (87th), OF – ETA: 2026
- Jurrangelo Cijntje (91st), RHP – ETA: 2026
- Leonardo Bernal (98th), C – ETA: 2027
The St. Louis Cardinals are known for the catcher position. Yadier Molina has been retired for a while now, but the team has plenty of backstops for the future. Rainel Rodriguez and Leonardo Bernal are two of the top catcher prospects in all of baseball. Rodriguez has tons of offensive potential, and Bernal was a minor league Gold Glover.
Those aren't even the two best prospects in the system. JJ Wetherholt is a high-floor prospect who can make an impact at a variety of different positions for St. Louis. Wetherfold was drafted seventh overall in 2024, and in 2025, the team took Liam Doyle with the fifth pick.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
Top 100 prospects
- Josue De Paula (15th)*, OF – ETA: 2026
- Zyhir Hope (27th)*, OF – ETA: 2027
- Eduardo Quintero (30th), OF – ETA: 2028
- Mike Sirota (60th), OF – ETA: 2027
- Emil Morales (92nd), SS – ETA: 2029
The Los Angeles Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions and well on their way to becoming a dynasty. They outspend everybody else in free agency, evidenced by their signing of Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz this offseason. Those acquisitions were the best 2025-26 overall free agent and the best 2025-26 free agent reliever, respectively.
Of course, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tanner Scott are just a few of their other big-name acquisitions in recent memory. The Dodgers haven't become a powerhouse just because of their willingness to improve through the trade market and in free agency, though.
The team also thrives at finding amateur talent and developing it into players viewed as future contributors. The future of the outfield, in particular, looks quite impressive in Los Angeles. They have four outfield prospects in MLB.com's top 100, including Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, and Mike Sirota. Over the coming years, the Dodgers will likely either turn these players into major league contributors or use them in trades to revamp the roster. Their excellent team building is why the Dodgers have a top-five farm system despite already looking like a potential dynasty.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
Top 100 prospects
- Konnor Griffin (1st)*, SS/OF – ETA: 2026
- Bubba Chandler (11th)*, RHP – ETA: 2026
- Seth Hernandez (29th), RHP – ETA: 2028
- Edward Florentino (50th), OF/1B – ETA: 2028
- Hunter Barco (96th), LHP – ETA: 2026
Paul Skenes was one of the very best prospects of the 21st century. Now, he is cemented as one of the best pitchers in the MLB. The Cy Young winner with a career 1.96 ERA is dominant on the bump, but he had next to no help in his sophomore season, which led to just a 10-10 record.
The Pittsburgh Pirates should be much better off in providing him help in 2026, though. Not only did they revamp the roster in the offseason, but they have a bunch of great prospects ready to help out, too. Konnor Griffin is nearly as prestigious a prospect as Skenes was. The consensus number one prospect in baseball can legitimately become a megastar at either shortstop or in center field.
Bubba Chandler should also be a great number two behind the ace that is Skenes going forward. Once Seth Hernandez joins them in the majors in a couple of years, it is hard to picture any team in the league having a better pitching staff. Hunter Barco and Jhostynxon Garcia, the latter of whom was just added in a trade, are ready to contribute at the major league level right away, too.
2. Detroit Tigers
Top 100 prospects
- Kevin McGonigle (2nd)*, SS – ETA: 2026
- Max Clark (10th)*, OF – ETA: 2026
- Bryce Rainer (35th), SS – ETA: 2028
- Josue Briceno (40th), C/1B – ETA: 2027
The top-end talent in the Detroit Tigers' farm system is truly impressive. If it wasn't for Konnor Griffin, Kevin McGonigle would have a case as the best prospect in baseball. The shortstop hits to all areas of the field for both power and contact. He was actually drafted after Max Clark, a fellow top-10 prospect, in 2023.
Clark has been in the news for the wrong reasons a couple of times during spring training, but he has all the talent in the world. Both Bryce Rainer and Josue Briceno are top-50 prospects, too. Rainer has some serious pop with the bat. He may move away from shortstop because of McGonigle's presence in the system and slower-than-average instincts at the position. Briceno will blast a lot of home runs as either a catcher or a first baseman.
A lack of system depth and pitching prospects holds the Tigers back from the top spot in these rankings, but they have multiple hitting prospects with legitimate All-Star potential.
1. Milwaukee Brewers
Top 100 prospects
- Jesus Made (3rd)*, SS – ETA: 2027
- Luis Pena (26th), INF – ETA: 2028
- Jett Williams (51st), SS/2B/OF – ETA: 2026
- Cooper Pratt (64th), SS – ETA: 2026
- Brandon Sproat (100th), RHP – ETA: 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers are one of the most respectable organizations in baseball. They don't operate on a high budget, but they constantly find talent, develop it, and replenish the major league roster. The team can find contributors early or late in the draft, as well as through the international pool.
Jesus Made and Luis Pena fit the latter description. Made is a switch-hitter who is one of the top prospects in baseball. Cooper Pratt was a sixth-round pick who was clearly a draft-day steal. Jett Williams was one of their recent first-round hits, and his versatility allows for numerous routes to playing time in the majors this year.
There is more hitting depth than pitching depth in Milwaukee's farm system, but Brandon Sproat and Logan Henderson will be a part of the Brewers' rotation this year.
