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10 Statcast Standouts From Opening Weekend
Plus: New Top 25, 15 more backfield risers, 2026 debuts to watch & more
Statcast Standouts Returns For Triple-A Opening Weekend
Baseball is back, and now, so are Statcast Standouts.
Every Monday morning, Eli Ben-Porat will highlight 10 players who stood out over the previous week based on underlying Statcast metrics, which often serve as early indicators of breakouts and helped us to get scoops on names like Jonah Tong, Drake Baldwin, Carter Jensen, Edward Florentino, Rainiel Rodriguez long before they became consensus Top 100 Prospects. Highlights from our inaugural 2026 edition, which feature opening weekend numbers plus some spring training data, include:
An intriguing arm lurking outside the Brewers’ Top 30
Check-ins on the White Sox’s Top 100 pitchers
Colton Ledbetter flashing 65-grade raw power
Esmerlyn Valdez’s intriguing early Triple-A data
An NCAA sophomore who’s a supercharged Nick Pivetta
NCAA TOP 25
New Top 25 College Baseball Rankings
It was an ugly week for ranked teams, as Week 7 produced the worst combined W-L performance by BA College Baseball Top 25 this season (58-42).
The chaos across the country led to a significant reshuffling of the rankings and opened the door for four new teams to enter the mix. Thirteen Top 25 teams failed to produce winning weekly records while four—Arkansas, Auburn, NC State and Ole Miss—posted losing weeks.
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MORE FLORIDA NAMES TO KNOW
15 More Prospects Who Impressed In Florida Spring Training Looks
In just under two weeks on the west coast of Florida for spring training, BA’s newest prospect writer, Ian Cundall, was able to see six teams and two Spring Breakout games.
Those days on the backfields are invaluable in building an evaluation baseline for a lot of new players and getting a first look at how players have progressed over the winter. Here are Ian’s notes on 15 players who caught his eye during his time in Florida.
Go deeper into Ian’s Florida backfield analysis with a round-up of six 2025 draftees he saw who have us excited for their pro debuts this season.
LATEST METS INTEL
Mets Prospect Intel: What We Learned This Spring
The 2026 season figures to be a crucial one for the Mets as they look for that elusive postseason breakthrough. Down in the minor leagues, things are shaping up for an exciting year, too.
To that end, BA’s Matt Eddy has compiled a slew of intriguing Mets updates coming out of spring training. Highlights include:
A.J. Ewing’s star turn in big league camp
First impressions for the team’s top international FA
Lesser-known Mets prospects to keep an eye on
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@baseballamerica Kevin McGonigle Rookie of the Year season loading…. #fyp #mlb #tigers #baseball
TRENDING NOW AT BASEBALL AMERICA
👀 ICYMI: We updated our top 500 dynasty rankings for March.
🤔 Jacob Rudner has the latest on Grand Canyon’s coaching search.
5️⃣ Jacob also had five things we learned from college Friday night baseball.
⚾️ Mason Edwards & Grant Govel are doing big things for USC this season.
🎙️ Our Prospect Profile series scouted every No. 1 prospect in the NL Central.
👄 Don’t know how to pronounce a player’s name? We have you covered.
📖 Don’t forget to purchase your 2026 Prospect Handbook.
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