This next group of prospects is a big mix of guys who are coming and going for one reason or another. They're guys I felt like were locks for this list, as opposed to the bottom handful, though not high-probability impact guys like the top group.
#25 - Jean Cabrera
It's tough to see Cabrera having fallen this far so quickly, but this is arguably a GENEROUS ranking considering some have already dropped him from their lists. His results in AAA were nightmarish, and getting dropped back to AA (and off the 40-man roster) barely helped. Without the premier stuff to fall back on, that prospect luster continues to fade rapidly.
Since writing this initial draft, the Phillies went and released him. Welp...
#24 - Devin Saltiban
After a lost 2025, a strong ABL run reenergized Saltiban's prospect hype some, but continued struggles in the first half of 2026 torpedoed that. The physical tools are still enticing and he's still just 21, but if he continues to struggle without much improvement at A+, it's hard to imagine him succeeding in the higher Minors.
#23 - Mavis Graves
Graves was on his way to jumping up this list after following up a strong finish to the 2025 season with a hot start in 2026 (3.38 ERA, .197 OPPBA, 51 K in 34.2 IP through 9 starts). Those results backed up in June into July, however, as he limped to the break with a 4.97 ERA overall. Graves was recently moved to a relief role for Reading, though I'm not quite sure this will work as he lacks a RP-style arsenal.
#22 - Felix Reyes
Reyes was a guy who I challenged to continue his AA success from 2025 into 2026 at AAA. Thanks to a strong run in April (.294/.291/.612) and May (.300/.324/.614), that bore out, though his MLB cup of coffee was...not great, and certainly left me doubting again if he's got the chops for the Majors. Still, it's early, but it stands to wonder how much leash he'll get on the 40-man roster or if his first MLB look was simply a product of pressing roster need over actual belief in Reyes's MLB upside.
#21 - Alirio Ferrebus
Ferrebus is a guy who has shot up rankings this year with a great season at the plate for Clearwater. A torrid slash line of .322/.375/.516 in the first half turned a lot of heads, and he came in red hot. Still, his receiving is a work in progress, and like teammate Griff Burkholder, he'll need to keep up that momentum in Lakewood for me to really believe he's turned a corner. He did actually get that promotion shortly after the break, but quickly went down with a season-ending injury.
#20 - Chan Min Park
Park hasn't pitched yet in the pros so there's not much for me to report on him - he really just makes the list off of pedigree as one of the top arms in the 2026 international class.
#19 - Chuck King
I continue to view King as a RP at the highest level, though he's made progress as a starter to where I could see him starting out in that role. Bumped up to AAA in April, he posted a 4.02 in nine pre-break starts for Lehigh, allowing more than two runs in only two of those outings. As things stand, he's playing himself into the 6th SP conversation though his stuff could play as a very useful MIRP for the big club.
#18 - Alan Rangel
Rangel presumably exceeded rookie limits over the break, hence why his status on the list is provisional backdated to the break. The book on him is similar to King - up-and-down spot starter with better stuff out of the bullpen. Slightly more success at AAA and some decent showings on occasion in the Majors give him the edge for the 18th spot.
#17 - Moisés Chace
Chace is a weird rank for a lot of reasons. The 2024 season was electric, but his start to 2025 was unimpressive before he hit the IL and needed Tommy John Surgery. Even if he were to come back in 2026, not much he would do can change his ranking. 2027 will be a big year for him.
#16 - Carson DeMartini
An ice-cold first week of April had it looking like DeMartini maybe just couldn't hack it at AA, but then the switch flipped from April 11th through May 6th, he slashed a torrid .321/.398/.513 over 19 contests. That run wouldn't last though, as he'd miss the rest of the first half with injury. That all considered, his ranking hasn't moved much, but those 1st half results certainly suggested he's finally figuring out AA ball. How he finishes the AA season could change his rankings a lot.
#15 - Bryan Rincon
Rincon follows Ferrebus and Reyes as guys who I did not rank at the start of the season on needing to "see it". Well, there's sure been a lot to see from Rincon this year. Consistently producing at the plate while being a wiz at SS, he worked to a .256/.390/.469 slash line in 71 first half games as one of the Eastern League's best players. He'll need to keep it up after years of struggles at the plate for me to really buy it, but the progress is undeniable for a guy at 22 jumping to AA after a poor hitting season a level lower.
#14 - Wen Hui Pan
It's hard to really do much with the rankings of a guy like Pan who missed a year and then is just coming back from Tommy John Surgery. He didn't get up to AA until mid-June and got tagged pretty hard (1.021 opponent's OPS) while not missing many bats (only 3 K in 8 IP) in the following month. Still, he's quite green in pro ball even for being almost 24, and just getting his sea legs back under him, so these stats don't mean much. A strong finish to the season will help him a lot.
#13 - Alex McFarlane
Much has happened with McFarlane since the All-Star Break, so writing this retroactive to my ASB rankings is even harder than for anyone else. At that point, he was still pitching in AA, and while he was dominating and had aced every test, I had still wanted to see him succeed higher up to really move him up the rankings. He'll probably exceed rookie limits this year, but were I to make a September update, he certainly will have moved up.
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