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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat: 6/12/26

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June 12, 2026
12:32
Eric A Longenhagen: Friday chat fam, what’s up? Hello from the kitchen island in Tempe as monsoon season looks like it has arrived early and we’re in line for some rain today.
12:33
Eric A Longenhagen: I wrote up the Twins with James this week. Two more orgs to go before we’re done with all 30. I’m starting on Rays this weekend, Brendan is doing Marlins. Pretty exciting stuff! Let’s see what you’ve got for me today…
12:33
WarrenJ: Happy to see Merphy Hernandez in your Twins writeup, even as an honorable mention.  Yohandy Morales isn’t a favorite of the prospect community, but he’s hitting 339/415/596 at Rochester.  Don’t the Nationals have to give him a try soon?
12:34
Eric A Longenhagen: Merphy can play some defense, man. I share in the Yohandy skepticism but think he’s in line for trial after Garcia is traded.
12:34
muenstertruck: No real question, but I’m excited that Daniel Espino finally got the call. I can’t imagine his stuff is quite as electric as it was before the injuries, but he’s still bumping 100 in the minors and the story behind it is amazing.
12:36
Eric A Longenhagen: He’s going to be a higher leverage reliever, I think. Sitting 96-100 with plus vert, slider generating plus miss. Ryan Helsley look to the mechanics. Hunter Harvey type trajectory for Espino.

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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat: 6/5/26

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June 5, 2026
12:02
Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning, y’all. Sorry for the slight delay, had a cat w/ bird situation to handle just as we were supposed to start.
12:03
Eric A Longenhagen: (bird was bleeding a bit but also flew away just now so…yay?)
12:03
miggy80: Nice to see a very young cubs overslot doing well, what is Hartshorns ceiling as of right now?
12:05
Eric A Longenhagen: Everyday 1B driven by OBP and contact, more doubles pop than huge raw. Like 55 hit, 50 power, plus plate discipline. Don’t think he’s a 30+ homer guy. We considered 50’ing him when he did Cubs, but thought the 45 was more in line with the value of the profile when it’s in A-ball.
12:05
alec_eiffel: Hey, a Dax Kilby sighting at the Rookie league! Just stay healthy kid!
12:05
Eric A Longenhagen: Wooot, now go hit please.

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Pittsburgh Pirates Top 50 Prospects

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June 3, 2026
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as my own observations. This is the sixth year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see in the “position” column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers. The ETAs listed generally correspond to the year a player has to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual adjustments are made where they seem appropriate, but we use that as a rule of thumb.

A quick overview of what FV (Future Value) means can be found here. A much deeper overview can be found here.

All of the ranked prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It has more details (and updated TrackMan data from various sources) than this article and integrates every team’s list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. It can be found here. Read the rest of this entry »


Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat – 2026 Regional Edition

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May 29, 2026
12:04
Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from Tempe on a gorgeous Friday, I’m excited to overeat baseball today. I’ve got Squeeze Play on but the Kentucky/Wake game is the big one starting shortly, so if you have to pick one I suggest that.
12:05
YardGoat: Hey Eric, do you have a prediction for who makes it to Omaha?
12:09
Eric A Longenhagen: Last week I mentioned Georgia Tech, UCLA, Auburn. Auburn’s path was made easier by the way the brackets shook out. If I’m looking for a deeper seed to sneak in it’s coming from the Chapel Hill and Lincoln regionals.
12:10
Justin Krupp: Have you seen Luis Hernandez in person this year or heard anything from scouts to lend context (good or bad) to what hes done so far this year?
12:12
Eric A Longenhagen: Yeah, like six times. I like him, I don’t think he has the enormous physical tools of a guy who we eventually rank 3rd or anything like that. He’s a skilled, smaller player who gets a lot out of his body because of how well he rotates.
12:13
Eric A Longenhagen: Do they not have velos in Morgantown? Lemme crack the trackman real quick…

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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat: 5/22/26

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May 22, 2026
12:45
Eric A Longenhagen: Hey from the shade at Scottsdale Stadium as the Zags and Dons stretch for this morning’s elimination game. I’m here to see Karsten Sweum and Mikey Bell, among others. Sorry my attention will be divided but it’s conference tourney time and we’ve all just gotta do what we’ve gotta.
12:45
liljebbie10: One other question, with Esmerlyn Valdez coming up today, what are you thoughts on him? What is his upside for the Pirates?
12:46
Eric A Longenhagen: I updated his tool grades and report on The Board and on his player page. Here is a brief version:
12:48
Eric A Longenhagen: Selectivity, power, less pull ability than last year, really late on a lot of heaters so far. Bad defense. 45. Nice piece, 5-thru-7 hole bat with OBP and power. I don’t believe in the year over year improvement in his K% and still think he’s a 40 contact hitter and barely playable on defense, so not a true “everyday” guy, but still a contributing piece.
12:48
Surplus Valuez = Profits = Stolen Wages: Happy Friday. When yous were doing the Cubs list, was there any feedback that Juan Cabada may end up in the OF? Or is there high confidence for the IF?
12:49
Eric A Longenhagen: Second base but not great there.

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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat: 5/15/2026

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May 15, 2026
12:02
Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from sunny Tempe, where the temps have begun to crank a bit. Check out the Orioles list if you haven’t yet. I’m working on Pirates next, Brendan on BoSox. Good systems, all.
12:03
Jeb: How long until Seth Hernandez is the #1 pitching prospect in baseball?
12:03
Eric A Longenhagen: I’d guess end of year he’s in the mix once he’s held this stuff for a whole season and hopefully thrown strikes against hitters who actually have a shot against him.
12:04
lukesingy: How are you feeling about Dylan Crews? Still a top prospect who just needs time in the minors?
12:04
Eric A Longenhagen: I still think he’s so talented that he’s going to be good. Will he be franchise-altering? That outcome is leaving the building.
12:06
giantsprospects: Have you seen anything like what Luis Hernandez and Josuar Gonzalez having been doing to start the ACL season?

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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat: 5/8/2026

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May 8, 2026
12:03
Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from Tempe, where the temps are going to hit 100 and (it looks like) stay there for the foreseeable future. Brendan and I are working on the Orioles system writeup, I’m working on draft update. Enjoying another day in in the desert. Thanks for being here.  
12:04
GB: Lonbard get a grade bump?
12:05
Eric A Longenhagen: Not just yet, it’s gonna be fascinating and instructive to see him and Volpe side by side for the next little bit.

12:05
Erick: not sure what you can do about this, but christian scott’s stuff+ numbers from last night aren’t showing on his page / game log despite last night’s showing for other players. just thought i’d pass it along
12:05
Eric A Longenhagen: What I’m looking at has them visible:
12:05
Eric A Longenhagen: Christian Scott – 2026 Pitching Game Logs | FanGraphs Baseball

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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat: 5/1/26

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May 1, 2026
12:03
Eric A Longenhagen: Morning, readers, welcome back. Let’s hop to.
12:04
Stashin: Who comes up first – De Vries or Emerson?  And who has a bigger impact this year and next?
12:06
Eric A Longenhagen: That’s a good one. Obviously, the Emerson extension makes him feel more proximate at the start of the discussion. JP Crawford has a .390 xwOBA right now and Cole Young has found his footing. So those two are holding serve at the moment. Emerson has been fine, he’s not kicking the door down…
12:08
Eric A Longenhagen: De Vries has now been at Double-A for a little over 200 plate appearances. He could justifiably be promoted soon. If he sustains this level of performance at Triple-A for another four-to-six weeks while Hernaiz continues to look like he has, there’s a more obvious vacuum there.
12:09
Eric A Longenhagen: I think De Vries will hit for power immediately. Emerson’s swing is less dangerous in ways and places that pitchers can access.
12:11
A dummy: As a prospect dummy, should I get excited over Pedro Ramirez or is it just a case of the cubs writers pumping up their guys?

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Eric Longenhagen Prospects Chat: 4/24/26

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April 24, 2026
12:02
Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from the kitchen island in Tempe, I’m happy to be home and chatting from my usual spot for the first time in a month. The Nats list ran today, so go check that out. Brendan published Royals Wednesday, enjoy that, too.
12:02
NFP: Victor Figueroa real or no real?
12:02
Eric A Longenhagen: Watched a bunch of him this week while tying loose ends on Nats and his swing does look different.
12:03
Eric A Longenhagen: More viable, actually accessing the power. Let’s see if the spray changed…
12:04
Eric A Longenhagen: Looks pretty similar. Contact rate actually down compared to last year, but it’s early… Needs more info.
12:04
Pirates: Talk me off the ledge regarding Konnor Griffin. Is this still adjusting? Right now nothings working for him

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Washington Nationals Top 41 Prospects

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April 24, 2026
Eli Willits Photo: Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images

Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Washington Nationals. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as my own observations. This is the sixth year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see in the “position” column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers. The ETAs listed generally correspond to the year a player has to be added to the 40-man roster to avoid being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Manual adjustments are made where they seem appropriate, but we use that as a rule of thumb.

A quick overview of what FV (Future Value) means can be found here. A much deeper overview can be found here.

All of the ranked prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It has more details (and updated TrackMan data from various sources) than this article and integrates every team’s list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. It can be found here. Read the rest of this entry »


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