20 Standout Prospect Performances From Spring Breakout
Image credit: Gunnar Hoglund (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
The 2025 MLB Spring Breakout series wrapped up this weekend, featuring a slew of standout prospect performances, names to know from both inside and outside the Top 100 Prospects list and even a few lowlights.
You can think of Spring Breakout as the MLB Futures Game multiplied 15 times, as it was a chance to see many of the best prospects in baseball on a bigger-than-normal stage. Since we know that even the most dedicated fans may not have been able to watch every one of the games, we’re helping you to catch up on all the must-known prospect action you might have missed.
Hitting Standouts
Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox
Swimming in a sea of “overrated” chants, Anthony silenced the crowd with one swing of the bat. His home run was the most majestic of the Red Sox “Big Three’s” homers (more on this below). As it traveled 441 feet and left the bat at 110 mph. It was an absolute blast that saw the ball almost disappear into the night sky.
Carson Williams, SS, Rays
While three other Top 100 Prospects homered in the Spring Breakout kickoff, Williams was the standout at the plate. Not only did he homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Rays a 7-5 lead, he reached base two other times on Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a walk. Williams is an outstanding defender with power at the plate and loads of athleticism that touches all elements of his game. He’s had some bat-to-ball concerns during his career but has done well to improve in that area in recent years.
Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers
The Tigers’ 2024 first-round pick certainly showed well in Sunday’s matinee matchup with the Braves. Rainer had RBI singles in consecutive innings, performed well in the field and made hard contact in two of his three at bats. Rainer looked loose and athletic on both sides of the ball, and there seemed to be the potential for added strength in the coming years.
Tai Peete, OF, Mariners
Peete was a part of the Mariners’ loaded 2023 draft class featuring three picks in the top 30. He went 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs in Friday’s game. The home run was particularly impressive, as he took Matt Wilkinson deep to right-center field on a shot that left the bat at 110.6 mph and traveled 422 feet.
Elijah Green, OF, Nationals
It’s been a forgettable start to Green’s professional career. After struggling to make much contact over the last two seasons, he is at a crossroads in 2025. On Friday, Green showed what he needs to do this season. The 21-year-old outfielder went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, reaching base three times. He’ll still need to prove this is more than just a single-game sample, but it was an encouraging look from Green.
Boston Baro, 3B, Mets
Baro was the Mets’ eighth-round pick in 2023 out of high school in California. At the time, he was a tall infielder with a sweet swing and plenty of room to add strength. Slowly but surely, he’s packed on some muscle, and the results were evident in the Mets’ Spring Breakout game against the Nationals on Sunday. Baro was easily the game’s offensive star. While Nats lefthander Alexander Clemmey was busy julienning the rest of the Mets’ lineup, Baro wasn’t fazed. In his lone at-bat against the fireballing southpaw, Baro rifled a 94 mph fastball the opposite way for a home run. He faced another lefthander, Jackson Kent, in his next at-bat, and shot a 93 mph fastball through the right side for his second hit of the day. He almost collected a second homer in his final at-bat, but it died on the warning track. Nonetheless, it was a very impressive day for a very impressive player and reaffirmed Baro’s extraordinarily bright future.
Pitching Standouts
Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates
A year after Paul Skenes gave us the most memorable moment of the 2024 Spring Breakout, organizational mate Bubba Chandler may have given us 2025’s best pitching performance. Chandler tossed two perfect innings to open the Pirates showdown with the Phillies on Friday, striking out four while sitting 99 mph on his four-seam fastball and showing a low-90s changeup and mid-to-high-80s slider. Chandler’s second inning was dominant, as he struck out the side in order, sitting down Gabriel Rincones Jr., Eduardo Tait and Otto Kemp in succession. Chandler was the most impressive pitching performance of the first few days of the Spring Breakout. The rest of the Pirates pitching staff didn’t fare quite as well, as they allowed five runs to a talented Phillies order. Chandler’s combination of elite stuff and feel for the zone makes him one of the most anticipated pitching prospects likely to make his MLB debut in 2025.
Winston Santos, RHP, Rangers
Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, Santos’ start to his career was delayed by almost two years, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, he’s proven to be one of the most effective pitchers in the Rangers’ system. The 22-year-old showed just that in his Spring Breakout start against the Giants by twirling three hitless innings with six strikeouts. Santos generated 12 whiffs and pounded the strike zone, with 26 of his 37 pitches landing for strikes. Santos’ stock has grown after incorporating a gyro slider to complement his intriguing fastball and changeup.
Gunnar Hoglund, RHP, Athletics
Hoglund’s presence was felt in his two scoreless innings of work against the Padres on Friday. The righthander struck out four consecutive batters, including Leodalis De Vries and Cobb Hightower. Eighteen of his 24 pitches were strikes, with his fastball residing in the mid 90s. Hoglund pitched to a 2.84 ERA in 19 games for Double-A Midland last season. Between there and his late promotion to Triple-A, he struck out 119 batters while walking only 37.
Parker Messick, LHP, Guardians
Facing off against a loaded Mariners lineup that featured five players ranked in the Top 100 Prospects list, Messick struck out five over three scoreless innings and landed 33 of his 44 pitches for strikes. Most impressively, he recorded 14 swing-and-misses, the second-most of any Spring Breakout or major league spring training game played on Friday. He got Colt Emerson and Lazaro Montes to strike out swinging consecutively and caught Felnin Celesten whiffing, too.
Brody Brecht, RHP, Rockies
Brecht has battled his control at times, but the Rockies righthander has a top-tier fastball/slider combo. He needed just 10 pitches to toss a scoreless inning against the White Sox on Saturday. While his 96-97 mph fastball was effective, it was his hard 88 mph cut slider that dominated. He threw it four times and got four swings and misses in a quick inning of work. He struck out two of the three batters he faced, with only George Wolkow making contact off of him (for a fly out to left field).
Luis Mey, RHP, Reds
A righthanded reliever, Mey sat at 100-101 mph in his inning of work against the Brewers. He shattered Juan Baez’s bat on a foul ball and then finished him off with 102 down and in for his second strikeout of the three batters he faced. Most importantly, Mey threw strikes. When he does that, he succeeds, because no one lifts his turbo-sinker. Of the 244 batters he faced last season, Mey allowed only six doubles with no triples or home runs.
Alexander Clemmey, LHP, Nationals
It’s no secret that Clemmey has some of the loudest stuff in the Nationals system. The 19-year-old lefthander, who was dealt from Cleveland to Washington last summer in the deal that sent Lane Thomas to the Guardians, garnered a $2.3 million bonus in the second round of the 2023 draft. His eye-popping stuff makes it easy to see why. Clemmey’s fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, his upper-70s curveball flashes plus with sharp bite and his slicing slider can vex even the best of hitters. Both pitches were outstanding on Sunday night, when he struck out six in three innings. His changeup flashed at least solid-average, too. Now, he needs to throw more strikes. Clemmey’s outing was part dominant and part scattershot, which is the tale of most of his turns on the mound. He finished with a flourish, however, punching out Mets prospects Jett Williams and Ryan Clifford to finish his evening.
Jake Bloss, RHP, Blue Jays
After dominating in a major league game earlier in the week, Bloss got the start against the Twins on Saturday. The righthander tossed two scoreless innings, allowing one hit, striking out four and walking none while showing the depth of his arsenal: a four-seam fastball that sat 94-96 mph and touched 98 at peak, high-80s slider slider, upper-70s curveball curveball and mid-80s changeup changeup. Bloss had seven swinging strikes in the outing, generating at least one whiff against each of his pitches. His most impressive sequence came in his second inning. Bloss started off Kala’i Rosario with a four-seam fastball for a called strike and followed it up with a changeup for a called strike before getting him to chase on a slider off the plate. Billy Amick then whiffed on a curveball for a swinging strike, followed by a changeup and finally a slider that induced a groundball out. Bloss showed the entirety of his arsenal and kept hitters off balance with good stuff and command.
Didier Fuentes, RHP, Braves
The Braves brought on Fuentes in the seventh against the Tigers Sunday, and he simply dominated for three innings. Fuentes struck out seven, allowing a single and hitting a batter. His fastball sat 97-98 mph, as he mixed in a slider and a splitter. He generated ten swinging strikes and struck out Hao-Yu Lee twice. It was an all-around dominant outing aside from the hit batter. Fuentes’ fastball is unique, as it generates one of the flattest planes in baseball. In short spurts like this, Fuentes has shown elite power across his mix.
Defensive Standouts
Denzel Clarke, OF, Athletics
Clarke did a great job of keeping the Padres’ stars from getting any highlights. In the first inning Friday, he made a diving catch in right-center field to rob Leodalis De Vries of an extra-base hit. An inning later, he went into the left-center gap on the run to chase down an Ethan Salas line drive. Clarke also had a nice day at the plate, finishing with an infield single, a walk and two RBIs.
Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox
Montgomery’s defense at shortstop has sometimes raised questions, but he looked excellent in robbing Rockies second baseman Adael Amador of a hit on Sunday. Montgomery went into the hole, and then quickly fired an accurate throw to cut down Amador. Montgomery didn’t get a lot on the throw with his momentum working against him, but because he got rid of the ball quickly, it was still enough to record the out.
Adael Amador, 2B, Rockies
Amador repaid the favor to Montgomery, as he got Gabriel Hughes out of the only jam he faced with a nice play to his left to start a double play on a Montgomery ground ball. Amador didn’t have to go too far left to field the grounder, but his ability to quickly feed shortstop Ryan Ritter with an accurate, on-the-bag throw allowed Ritter to get Montgomery at first.
Jud Fabian, RF, Orioles
During an inning in which Orioles righthander Nestor German saw lots of hard contact, Fabian’s catch on a deep T.J. Rumfield drive might have been the loudest. On a deep flyball to right-center field, Fabian leaped against the wall to make a spectacular grab. The catch saved extra bases and likely a run, as the following batter singled.
Eduardo Beltre, OF, Twins
Beltre turned 18 years old last October and will make his official stateside debut in 2025. Twins fans got a glimpse of the future on Saturday, as Beltre batted second and patrolled center field. Beltre made a great catch to rob Orelvis Martinez of extra bases and another good catch an inning later to steal a single from Dasan Brown.
More Spring Breakout Moments To Know
Most Impressive Moment: Boston’s Big Three Goes Yard
We feel confident in saying that the Rays-Red Sox matchup will be the one most remembered from the 2025 Spring Breakout series, just like the Skenes-Holliday battle led off the inaugural Spring Breakout and remained the most memorable moment from 2024.
In one game, all of Boston’s “Big Three” (Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer) homered. As noted above, Anthony’s home run was particularly majestic:
Rays’ top prospect Carson Williams also homered. You want to see the stars perform, and on Thursday night, they all did.
Most Disappointing Moment: Dodgers vs. Cubs Gets Cancelled
It rarely rains in Phoenix, but the Spring Breakout schedule seems to bring out the precipitation. Thursday evening’s Cubs-Dodgers game was expected to be one of the more interesting matchups, but rain washed the game out and cancelled it. Last year’s Padres-Mariners Spring Breakout game was rained out and rescheduled.
Most Impressive Collection Of Talent: Boston Red Sox
If you’re a regular Baseball America reader, you know about the Red Sox’s terrific triumvirate of Anthony, Campbell and Mayer. But there’s more. A lot more. For starters, let’s talk about just that—a starter. Specifically, one nabbed by Boston last February when they shipped reliever John Schrieber to the Royals. In return, they landed righty David Sandlin, an Oklahoma alum whom Kansas City selected in the 11th round of the 2022 draft.
Sandlin got the ball for the first three innings of Boston’s Spring Breakout tilt with the Twins on Thursday and showcased the type of blowaway stuff that tends to tantalize evaluators and torture hitters. The righty’s fastball sat around 97 mph and touched 99 for the first two innings before dipping into the 94-96 range in his final frame, which was ended early once he’d reached his pitch count. When he wasn’t bringing heat, Sandlin was peppering the zone with cutters and sliders in the upper 80s and low 90s. Both the fastball and slider project as double-plus offerings, and the cutter was just a tick behind. He got even more out of his arsenal thanks to a hip turn that helps him hide the ball before it explodes out of his hand. To raise his stock another notch, he’ll need to carry his stuff deeper into outings and work to make sure the cutter and slider separate themselves as distinct offerings.
Sandlin was followed by righty Juan Valera, who cranked the heat up to 100 mph on multiple occasions. Valera, who is just 18 years old and ranked No. 8 among BA’s Top 20 Florida Complex League prospects last season, complemented the fastball with a slider and changeup that added east-west attack elements to a fastball best used to bludgeon hitters at the top of the zone. One particular changeup was eye-popping. The pitch, which garnered a swing and miss, featured hellacious fade and came in at an astounding 94 mph. Read that again: An 18-year-old threw a changeup… at 94 mph… with bat-missing life.
‘Welcome Back’ Awards: A Pair Of Bounce-Back Arms
Connor Prielipp, LHP, Twins
When Prielipp has been healthy, the Twins lefty has been dominant. Unfortunately for him, he’s rarely been healthy since the pandemic. He had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and never made it fully back, having to have a revision surgery in 2023. Prelipp made it back on the mound for High-A Cedar Rapids late in the 2024 season, but he was kept on strict pitch limits and treated very conservatively.
For three innings agains the Red Sox on Thursday, Prielipp looked every bit of the pitcher Minnesota ponied up $1.825 million to add to their system in the second round of the 2022 draft. The Alabama alum was both ruthless and resplendent, bedeviling some of Boston’s best bats with a mix of ferocious stuff and pinpoint command. Prielipp’s four-seamer sat around 96 mph and regularly touched a few ticks higher. He backed the pitch with a cutter, slider and changeup that each graded between 55 and 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Prielipp rarely missed his target. When he did, it wasn’t by much. If he can bottle this outing and take it with him once the regular season begins, he’s going to tear hitters apart all summer long and could finish his year on the mound in Minnesota.
Frank Mozzicato, LHP, Royals
Mozzicato hasn’t missed time. He’s been taking his turn consistently for the past two years. But his fastball velocity had largely disappeared, as he sat at 89 mph in 2024 and topped out at just under 93. The fact that he went 5-10, 3.45 is a testament to his craftiness, but he had to nibble and didn’t blow hitters away.
In his two innings of work in the Royals’ Spring Breakout game against the Diamondbacks on Friday, Mozzicato didn’t light up the radar gun, but he did show much more velocity than he had last year. He sat at 92-93 and topped out at 93.7 while striking out two in two scoreless innings. He’s touched 95 in other outings this spring. Mozzicato has shown he can pitch, but if the lefty can maintain this improved velocity to go with his feel, the 2021 first-rounder is a much more intriguing pitching prospect.
Roughest Pitching Performances: Trio Of Top 100 Arms Struggle
Caden Dana, RHP, Angels
Dana didn’t make it through the first inning in his Spring Breakout start against the Cubs. He faced eight batters, giving up four hits, two walks and four runs, highlighted by a Kevin Alcantara home run. Other than the home run, Dana wasn’t hit hard, but he gave up lots of contact, getting one strike out among the eight batters he faced.
Jarlin Susana, RHP, Nationals
Susana also failed to make it out of the first in his start against the Astros, but Washington sent him back out to start the second, and his rough day got rougher. Susana struggled with his control. He walked two of the first three batters he faced, and then gave up back-to-back-to-back singles before being pulled. When he came back out for the second, he walked the first two batters he faced, gave up a single and then walked another to drive in a fourth run. This time, the Nationals let him try to work out of his own trouble and to his credit he did, getting a double play and strikeout to end his second inning of work. In all, Susana gave up five runs on four hits and five walks.
Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Brewers
Misiorowski was knocked out of the game agains the Reds Sunday with two outs in the second. A RBI triple by Edwin Arroyo was the final blow. It was the second triple Misiorowski had given up on, as he also allowed a Sal Stewart triple in the first. Misirowski sat 96-97 mph, and he struck out four, but he retired only five of the 10 batters he faced, giving up three runs on three hits in 1.2 innings.
