6 top MLB prospects whose hot starts could have them in the big leagues soon

It might be early May, but we've already seen rookies who debuted in 2026 take MLB by storm. Munetaka Murakami leads the Majors with 13 home runs. Both Kevin McGonigle and JJ Wetherholt are tied with Mike Trout with 1.5 fWAR, placing them just outside of the top five in the league. White Sox lefty Noah Schultz has a 2.53 ERA in his three starts. Even top overall prospect Konnor Griffin, despite a fairly sluggish start at the plate, has already stolen seven bases, showing off his absurd tools.

We're in for insane Rookie of the Year races in each league, and they're bound to get even crazier, with these top 100 prospects according to FanSided's list knocking on the door of their first-ever call-ups.

LHP Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

• FanSided Rank: No. 22
• Current Level: Double-A

The Seattle Mariners are a team known for their pitching, and their rotation has mostly been solid to begin 2026. But while they don't exactly need reinforcements, at a certain point, what Kade Anderson is doing will be hard to ignore.

Sure, Anderson has only five professional appearances since being selected No. 3 overall by Seattle in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, but he's been otherworldly in those outings, all of which have taken place for Double-A Tacoma. The southpaw has a 0.37 ERA thus far, allowing a total of one earned run in 24.1 innings of work. What's even crazier is he's struck out 38 batters while issuing just four walks and allowing only 13 hits. These numbers are video game-like.

There's a chance the Mariners will want to see him pitch in Triple-A before giving him a call-up to the Majors, but at a certain point, even if their rotation doesn't need him, dominance like this is going to be too hard to ignore.

OF Ryan Waldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

• FanSided Rank: No. 47
• Current Level: Triple-A

With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. slated to begin the year on the IL, it felt as if Ryan Waldschmidt had a chance to crack the Arizona Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster. A slow start to camp doomed his chances, but he finished his spring off by swinging a hot bat and that has carried into the regular season. In Waldschmidt's first taste of Triple-A pitching, he's done nothing but thrive.

The 23-year-old is slashing .293/.396/.491 with three home runs and 19 RBI. He's even chipped in five stolen bases, eight doubles and three triples while playing center field just about every day. The Diamondbacks have been getting nothing offensively out of Alek Thomas in center field, so assuming Waldschmidt continues to hit, it feels like it's only a matter of time before he debuts for Arizona.

LHP Robby Snelling, Miami Marlins

• FanSided Rank: No. 37
• Current Level: Triple-A

It's easy to forget about Robby Snelling because Thomas White is a very exciting pitching prospect thriving in the Miami Marlins' system, but FanSided considers Snelling one of the 10 to 15 best pitching prospects in the sport for a reason. He is supremely talented and very close to being big-league ready.

The southpaw had a 1.27 ERA in 11 Triple-A starts last season and has almost matched that in his first six starts at that same level this year. He has a 1.86 ERA so far, allowing six earned runs on just 11 hits in 29 innings of work. He's issued 15 walks, which is more than you'd like, but he's fanned a whopping 44 batters. Command can elude him at times, but when he's in the zone, Snelling is incredibly hard to square up.

The Marlins could use a Chris Paddack replacement in their rotation, and even if they didn't need one, 17 dominant Triple-A starts should have Snelling on the verge of debuting.

INF George Lombard Jr., New York Yankees

• FanSided Rank: No. 55
• Current Level: Triple-A

The New York Yankees just promoted a top prospect, righty Elmer Rodriguez, to the Majors, and could be close to promoting another one in the not-too-distant future. George Lombard Jr. has been one of the team's brightest prospects ever since New York used a first-round pick on him in 2023, and it's easy to see why.

His defense has always been his calling card, but Lombard is starting to blossom as a hitter. He had a .971 OPS in 20 Double-A games, swinging such a hot bat that the Yankees decided to promote him to Triple-A. So far at that level, he's gone 3-for-10 with two walks, reaching base in five of his 12 plate appearances.

The Yankees will want Lombard to prove he can master Triple-A pitching, but assuming he can do so, it feels like he'll be ready to take over either at third base or shortstop in the near future.

LHP Jamie Arnold, Athletics

• FanSided Rank: No. 30
• Current Level: Double-A

Jamie Arnold is in a similar boat to Anderson. Granted, he hasn't been as dominant, but he was selected in the first round by the Athletics in the 2025 MLB Draft as well, and after not throwing a professional pitch last season, the lefty is pitching extremely well in Double-A. Arnold has a 2.95 ERA in six Double-A starts, striking out 32 batters in just 21.1 innings of work.

The A's will want to see him get more experience under his belt, but they're a team in need of some starting pitching. Assuming the 22-year-old continues to throw well, why can't the team call him up if they're competitive to try and push for the playoffs?

OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, Minnesota Twins

• FanSided Rank: No. 66
• Current Level: Triple-A

Walker Jenkins is the outfield prospect Minnesota Twins fans pay most attention to, but he's off to a so-so start in Triple-A. Meanwhile, another outfield prospect, Emmanuel Rodriguez, is tearing the cover off the ball at that same level.

He's slashing .247/.417/.506 with six home runs and 18 RBI this season while playing all three outfield positions, and that's after he had a .852 OPS in Triple-A last season. Rodriguez has proven he's worthy of an opportunity in the Majors, and he's already on Minnesota's 40-man roster.

With Matt Wallner hitting well under the Mendoza Line and striking out nearly half the time he steps up to the plate, Rodriguez's long-awaited promotion should be imminent.

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