10 Spring Training Standout Prospects Who Have Continued To Impress Early In 2025

George Lombard Jr., SS, Yankees

Spring Report: Scouts gush about (Lombard’s) combination of athleticism and polish, both of which should make him an easy pick to stick at shortstop. Lombard is a tireless worker who has made strides in each of his seasons as a pro, and this season he looks primed for a breakout. Scouts who have seen Lombard this spring reported a player who got stronger without sacrificing his athleticism, and those highest on him give him a chance to become a plus hitter with plus power, as well.

Early Returns: Lombard crushed the competition at High-A Hudson Valley and earned a promotion to Double-A. Things have been a bit slow in his early days in the Eastern League, which is a fairly common phenomenon for a player reaching the upper levels for the first time. He’s the easy choice for the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect and checks in at No. 22 on the Top 100.

Jonah Tong, RHP, Mets

Spring Report: In the Spring Breakout outing and in subsequent turns on the backfields, Tong showed a solid four-pitch mix fronted by a four-seam fastball that has clipped 96 mph, plus one of the best true curveballs in the minors. He has pitchability and feel for spin, both of which are amplified by the deception borne from the high front side in his delivery. There are questions about whether he can hold his best stuff deep into outings, but he has plenty of time to build strength and develop the durability required to reach his ceiling as a midrotation starter.

Early Returns: Like many in the Mets’ farm system, Tong has been excellent this year. On May 10, he put together arguably the best outing in the minors all season. Facing Reading, Tong threw 6.2 perfect innings with 13 strikeouts before handing the ball to TJ Shook for the last out of Binghamton’s seven-inning perfecto. The outing was sandwiched between two more stellar turns, and in May he’s allowed just one run over 16.2 innings while striking out 29 and issuing only five walks.

Arjun Nimmala, SS, Blue Jays

Spring Report: This spring, he … looks ready for a full-fledged breakout. He’s a smooth defender with a strong arm at shortstop, and he looks like he’s added roughly 15 pounds of good weight since last season. The extra strength should equate to even more longballs, especially if he continues to improve his swing decisions. There is some length to his cut that will need to be pared down if he is to become a complete hitter.

Early Returns: Despite an assignment to the High-A Northwest League, where the early-season weather is not exactly conducive to playing baseball, Nimmala has cooked. He was especially good in April, finishing the month with five home runs and a .903 OPS. He’s cooled a little bit in the early days of May, but his seven long balls are tied with teammate Adrian Pinto and Mariners prospect Lazaro Montes for the NWL lead. He’s also tied for the league lead in doubles (11) and extra-base hits (18).

Joe Mack, C, Marlins

Spring Report: Now, with a wider base, Mack can sweep the barrel through the zone quickly and let his strength do the rest. Combine his offensive talent with defense littered with potential plusses—he’s an outstanding receiver and blocker, and his throws to second usually arrive in less than 2.0 seconds—and you get a player with the potential to be one of the best backstops in the sport.

Early Returns: Mack annihilated the pitcher-friendly Southern League by hitting .318/.464/.614 with three home runs in 15 games before earning a bump to Triple-A. With Jacksonville, the New York native has done just fine. He’s slugged four doubles and two home runs over his first 21 games in the International League, though his strikeout-to-walk rate is worse than 3-to-1. There’s still polish to be applied, but Mack is making it clear that his future could be mighty bright.

Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Pirates

Spring Report: As an amateur and in his first tests as a pro, Griffin has earned a rep as one of the toolsiest prospects in the sport. His upside is matched by few in the minor leagues. He can fly around the bases, put huge jolts into balls and rip off laser-like throws with ease. The biggest question is: Will he hit? It’s very early, but the indicators are trending in the right direction. Scouts who saw him this spring noticed a much cleaner operation in the box and a much less severe arm bar to his swing. 

Early Returns: Griffin has taken his hot spring and translated it into a scorching regular season. His name can be found all over the Florida State League leaderboard, including in third place for batting average (.324), second in home runs (7), third in slugging percentage (.547) and first in hits (45) and total bases (76). He could stand to cut down on his swings and misses and work more walks, but it’s clear that Griffin’s contact often leads to damage.

Connor Prielipp, LHP, Twins

Spring Report: In a de facto Spring Breakout game against the Red Sox, Prielipp spent three innings brutalizing opposing hitters in ways that made it seem fortunate that the game was not televised. Prielipp’s fastball sat between 96-97 mph and reached 99, and he backed it with a cutter and a slider that each had a chance to be plus and a changeup that could get to above-average. With average command, that pitch mix is enough to leave hitters in cold sweats. Prielipp’s command, however, is a couple of ticks better. His misses were minuscule, and they were always in areas that would not leave him prone to any damage.

Early Returns: After such a lengthy injury history, Prielipp is being handled with caution. The lefty has eclipsed 50 pitches just once in seven turns and has not gone past four innings in any outing. Still, there are positive signs. He’s allowed just two home runs in 19.1 innings—no small feat in the hitter-heavy Texas League—and has amassed 25 strikeouts while walking just five. His best outing came on May 8 at Northwest Arkansas when he blanked the Naturals for four innings and struck out six.

Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF, Royals

Spring Report: The report on Caglianone is the same as it was coming out of Florida: If he can improve his approach just a touch, he has a chance to be a star. The lefty slugger’s raw power is at least double-plus, and his in-game output could be the same if he just makes a touch more contact. Scouts would also like to see him do a better job catching the ball out front and getting it in the air more often. He’s been solid around the bag as well, too.

Early Returns: Caglianone has improved his approach a touch, and now he has an even greater chance of becoming a star. The Florida alum tortured the Texas League for 38 games, slamming nine home runs before earning a promotion to Triple-A Omaha. His walk rate has nearly doubled, too, which has helped him become more than just a slugger. If those improvements hold, he might not be far away from his big league debut.

JR Ritchie, RHP, Braves

Spring Report: Chief among the reasons for Ritchie’s improved stock is a jump in velocity. He touched 97 mph in the Braves’ Spring Breakout game with the Tigers, a tick above his peak from a season ago. His slider flashed above-average, and his changeup has also improved, though not to the point where it can be considered a true out pitch. Scouts believe he could one day find his way into a big league rotation, with the most bullish among them believing his pitches and athleticism could give him a ceiling as a No. 3 starter.

Early Returns: Perhaps the best challenger to Jonah Tong’s 13-strikeout masterpiece was Ritchie’s nine-inning one-hitter with nine strikeouts on May 10. As it turned out, that was the righthander’s last start before a bump to Double-A. He finished his tenure in Rome with 38 strikeouts and 10 walks in 41.2 innings. He might be the next Braves pitching prospect to blossom into a bona fide rotation piece.

Dauri Fernandez, SS, Guardians

Spring Report: Fernandez is a physical switch-hitter with a sound swing from both sides of the plate who could one day produce plus power. He will likely slide off of shortstop and move to either second or third base, where his bat would profile nicely. He has throwing issues to clean up no matter where he winds up on the diamond.

Early Returns: Fernandez has been on fire in the early days of the Arizona Complex League, where he’s gone 19-for-40 with five doubles, three triples and twice as many walks as strikeouts. He’s already just six behind his extra-base hit total from last year in the Dominican Summer League.

Braxton Bragg, RHP, Orioles

Spring Report: Fellow Baltimore righty Braxton Bragg has an enviable feel to spin the ball, which he uses to create a solid east-west attack.

Early Returns: That east-west attack has been highly effective across two levels. After stifling the competition for two turns in the South Atlantic League, Bragg moved to Double-A Chesapeake and kept on trucking. His 0.70 ERA leads the minor leagues, while his 46.3% ground ball rate and 34.4% strikeout rate are fourth and first in the Orioles’ system among pitchers with 30 or more innings this season.