Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jake Mintz takes a look at the latest teams in our list of top clubs based on their roster of aged 26 and under players. Check out the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
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Video Transcript
Our next group on the young talent rankings is the Tigers, Royals, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Mets.
The Tigers are an interesting one, just because they have a stupidly stacked group of position players on the farm.
The rest of their roster is a lot more even, with not a lot of MVP or All-Star level talent at the big leagues, with all due respect to Riley Green.
That is not the case with the teams at number nine and number eight, the Royals and the Diamondbacks, whose offensive groups at the big league level are stacked, as good as it gets.
Corbin Carroll, Gabby Moreno, and Geraldo Perdomo for the Diamondbacks; Bobby Witt, Michael Garcia for the Royals.
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To have players like that, that are competing for MVP awards under the age of 26, is very rare, and both these teams have that and depth behind it.
The Orioles clock in above these teams.
They have Gunnar Henderson, who is really in that tier, even though he’s coming off of somewhat of a down year in 2025.
The Orioles’ prospect pitching has seen an uptick.
Part of the reason the 2025 team was so bad is ’cause they didn’t have arms that filled in when their best pitchers in the big leagues got hurt.
We think that they’re gonna have that this year with dudes like Trey Gibson, maybe Nestor Herman, some relievers like Tyson Nabors.
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We think that’s important to keep in mind for the Orioles.
And then at number six, it’s the New York Mets.
Beneath the wreckage of the Mets in 2025 was a lot of interesting development going on.
no Mets fans will raise that banner for themselves, but Nolan McLain becoming one of the most exciting arms in the entire sport is a big, big deal.
He’s the runaway favorite for NL Rookie of the Year.
He’s playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team USA, and we could not be higher on this dude.
On the farm, Carson Benge turning into a top 20 prospect is a big deal.
I have him ranked even higher.
I think this dude is kind of like a baby Yelich.
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He’s got a beautiful swing.
Is he a center fielder?
Probably not.
He’s gonna grow into more power.
Looks great from the left side.
He’ll be a big part of the Mets, in 2026.
And this team has gotten good at development.
They know how to turn middle-round pitchers into big leaguers, and that is an extremely valuable thing, even though it does not help cover the wounds of last year’s abottom- abottable, abobitable season.
