ACL Top Pitchers

In-person scouting report · Click any row to expand

My ACL top pitchers list was largely formed through in-person observation. My evaluation process only begins at the field. After that, there is a post-look synthesis (of information) that happens. I look at the data and try to understand contextual factors that may have affected performance. Is he coming off an injury? Did I get an unusually strong or weak look? How does my impression from the field fit into the greater context of his season?

It's also worth noting that I don't have access to as much video as I did when I worked for a team. No TruMedia. No Synergy. That makes understanding the broader picture of a player harder. When I worked for the Twins, watching supplemental video became an integral part of my post-look evaluation process. It's a great way to understand the macro view of a player. In lieu of video I scraped publicly available Baseball Savant data. Then, I used it to form graphics and studied them. I also went to as many games as possible and had informal conversations with scouts at the field.

This list was originally going to be 50 pitchers long, but there weren't enough players I felt deserved a 30 FV grade or higher, so I cut it down. I didn't use an innings limit to determine list eligibility – if I saw them once or was able to obtain video, I considered them eligible.

Grades are projected future grades.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how to order these four. Livingston has the best combination of stuff, strike-throwing ability, athleticism and a body suited for logging SP innings. The difference between my 5/8 and 5/22 looks also sold me on him – his slider and changeup were much more consistent in the second outing. It's hard to tell if I saw him take a large step forward in just two weeks or if he just had better feel in his second outing. Regardless, he wasn't just flashing it on 5/22, both secondary pitches were consistently plus, and the fastball worked 95-98. It's a power high-80s change with late dive and a sharp mid-80s slider. He has continued to perform at Low-A and is three years younger than the league average age.

Kaleb Wing has as much upside as Livingston but probably has more downside risk. Both have great stuff and deep mixes with several swing-and-miss offerings. Wing has a good blend of physicality and looseness. I think you can argue that his frame might have more risk logging innings than Livingston, and that's a differentiator for me. Wing's aggressive mentality on the mound reminds me a bit of James Karinchak. He looks a bit unhinged, in a good way.

Watson checks every box you'd want in a SP. It's a big-league body right now, and this might sound contradictory, but I think he has some projection remaining too. It wouldn't surprise me to see him settle into the mid-90s. He has a very cohesive mix – I like the SI/SL/CUT combo, and how they play off one another. The SL has a chance to be a devastating swing-and-miss offering. He is well coordinated for a big kid, repeats his mechanics well and should throw a lot of strikes. He k'd Cristian Arguelles twice swinging in game 2 of the ACL Championship Series, which is hard to do. I initially had him after Slawinski, but now I think you could make a case he belongs at the top of this list.

Slawinski might have the highest floor among all pitchers on the complex. He has a very good chance to make it as a back-end SP and also has mid-rotation upside. Slawinski is a graceful mover with clean mechanics and a near-ideal pitcher frame. The changeup has a chance to be elite. He repeats the arm action well, and it gets a lot of ugly swing and miss with deceptive late dive. The curve has big horizontal movement, but since it's more sweeping break, it generates less swing and miss than a tighter version. The overall mix isn't as loud as the top three, but Slawinski has excellent pitchability and very good feel for deploying his mix.

Once you get beyond these four, the SP/RP call becomes murkier. The next tier of guys all have SP potential but some reliever risk too. If they aren't able to stick as a starter, they have a solid bullpen fallback and a good chance to profile as leverage relief arms.

Merite's raw stuff stacks up well against the guys ranked above him, but I have him a tier below the top four because there is more reliever risk. He's a leaner guy, listed at 6'3" 150 (but probably more like 185 now). Some scouts question his long-term durability/ability to log innings. Strike throwing has also come and gone this season, despite absolutely dominant stuff, mechanics that work and plus athleticism. Given all those contextual factors, his 12.4% BB% is baffling to me. The slider might have been the most dominant single pitch I have seen all season, dropping off the table late and getting a ton of swing and miss, chance to be an 80. The fastball sits mid-90s and touches 98, with 7.2 feet of extension. I am not sure what he will be in the long run, but his stuff is so good, it doesn't really matter if it's in the rotation or pen.

Josh Owens is a tough evaluation in some ways because he is splitting time between pitching and playing in the field. I view him as a pitcher long term. As a hitter, he has a significant amount of swing and miss despite a fairly low-maintenance/compact swing. It's hard to make a SP/RP call though because he has worked in short 1-2 inning stints all year. The SP ingredients are obvious though. Owens has a big workhorse frame and a heavy sinker in the 95-98 range. The sinker has a lot of run, which pairs well with a sharp horizontal slider. Owens is also in the Goldilocks zone physically, with an ideal combination of coordination and strength. I don't have much feel for his pitchability and ability to turn over a lineup due to the shortness of looks at him. The stuff, body, and ease of operations stand out immediately as SP caliber.

Alejandro Rivera was one of the bigger popup guys in the ACL this year. He has a deep mix and keeps hitters off balance by changing speeds and working the full zone. His changeup is plus right now. The fastball velo wasn't dominant, but Rivera has great feel to manipulate it (cut/tail/flatten) and paint the corners. He has plus or better command to the point where I am not overly concerned about below-average velo. The biggest question with him is size and durability. He will need to prove it in the long run. He's an incredibly fun pitcher to watch go about his business. Good luck guessing what his next pitch will be. Opposing hitters will always be on their toes, he keeps them guessing.

CJ Gray has a similar profile to Josh Owens in that he is a low-slot righty with big horizontal separation between his sinker and breaking stuff. He's a big kid with sneaky athleticism, very light on his feet and a good fielder, with quick reactions. The fielding will be important because the SI/SL combo generates a lot of ground balls. It's a loose arm and relatively low-effort mid-90s fastball that can touch 98 with sinking/tailing life. The curve and slider blended together, but both were effective. He gets a lot of weak ground ball contact, which would be good for turning over lineups quickly. But his command/control profile will go a long way in determining future role; Gray walked 11% of hitters this year and the shape of his secondary pitches was inconsistent. Difficult SP/RP call – could go either way.

Manuel Colon has absolutely electric stuff. It seems crazy to have an ACL reliever this high on the list, but I think he deserves it. The fastball explodes out of his hand from a short/deceptive arm action and works comfortably 95-98. Colon isn't a big kid, but he has a semi-wide build with good functional strength. He also has two potential plus secondary pitches in a wipeout slider and rarely used SPL/CHG. The mechanics are clean and repeatable, but his hips open a bit early. He's a bit of a dart thrower with elite arm speed. You could argue it's a player dev opportunity, which could take some burden off his arm through more effective rotation. I would love to see him getting a shot as a SP, but it looks like he has continued to work in relief after getting promoted to Columbia.

Lan-Hong Su has loud stuff and an uber projectable frame that should add weight. It's not crazy to think he could reach high-90s velo with added strength. At the same time, the body doesn't scream SP future. Su launches himself down the mound, which creates good extension but also makes it harder to repeat. He's a great athlete, a well-coordinated twitchy mover with big arm speed. I think he can improve on his 10% BB% over time – his mechanics are hard to repeat, but he has impressive body control and athleticism. He seems to have made a deliberate alteration to his delivery (from amateur days), exchanging balance for momentum to throw harder. Su sits mid-90s with a sharp slider and potentially elite low spin splitter that dives late. Su has SP type stuff, but I would lean pen future due to durability/ability to log innings.

Yeremmy Cabeza made one of the best starts of the 2026 ACL season in early May against the ACL Giants and went down with an injury shortly thereafter, missing the rest of the ACL season. He's a special arm talent with big arm speed. Cabeza sat 95-98 with unusual 2-seam movement from a high slot, which threw hitters off. He has two breakers with plus potential, and the slider especially has devastating late break. The stuff is unassailable and Cabeza's delivery suggests he should throw a lot of strikes. My main concern is his durability. Also, as a 22-year-old in his third pro season, he's only thrown 26 2/3 innings to date. It's not hard to see a scenario in which the Rockies are incentivized to fast track him in a pen role, but he has the stuff to profile as a leverage reliever if they do.

Sandy Ozuna is a physical Dominican righty with a high-90s fastball and good body control for his size. It's a great body, a near-ideal pitcher frame. Overall, Ozuna checks a lot of boxes: frame, athleticism/coordination, strike throwing ability, and raw stuff all suggest SP future. Ozuna's fastball, however, plays true, and hitters were able to square it up despite its velo. I also have some depth of arsenal questions with Ozuna. The SL/CUT don't differ enough in shape or velo and may as well be a single pitch. The CHG is well below average. Development of a viable third pitch is an important variable for Ozuna. There are a lot of SP elements here, but I have a suspicion that the pen is more likely long term.

Frank Cairone is a well-proportioned lefty with a clean delivery and intriguing fastball traits, which could help it play up. He releases the ball out front with good extension and also has a flat approach angle from a standard ¾ slot, which is an unusual look for hitters. Cairone's high spin breaker should translate to a good put-away pitch that will miss a lot of bats. The ACL was his first game action since a serious car accident in January, so it was hard to have a more definitive evaluation from the look. Like what I observed so far – wait and see.

Jacob Johnson is a converted position player who the Rangers took out of a Mississippi JUCO in the 2025 draft. He's raw on the mound and has some projection both in terms of pitching ability and physicality. The fastball runs up to 97, and he has a wicked slider. It's a big horizontal mover, but Johnson still has an uncanny ability to land it in the zone for strikes. Johnson is also a low-slot flat approach angle guy who should get good swing and miss on his 4SM fastball up. Johnson missed time in the middle of ACL and returned the final week. Durability is a concern, and I would lean pen for that reason.

Cameron Millar is a high slot north/south worker with secondary stuff that complements his fastball well. Millar gets swing and miss on three pitches, his fastball, slider and change. The fastball worked 90-94 and had big carry, which helped it play up. His slot borders on over the top, and it is a unique look. The mostly-vertical slider and changeup fall off the table late. He changes eye levels and throws a lot of strikes. Millar has a chance to make it work as a back-end starter. He has thick legs and a frame that suggests he could log innings. He missed about a month with an injury and has only thrown 17 innings in the ACL. He looks ready for Low-A Columbia, health permitting.

You could argue this order a lot in my opinion. All these guys have positive traits but profile question marks/risk factors too. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Blake Larson missed the 2025 season with TJ and only made three 2026 ACL appearances before getting shut down again. Now he's out 6 weeks and could be back by the end of Bridge League. I was able to catch his second outing, in which he only faced six batters but worked mid-90s with a plus slider. It's a low-slot east/west approach. If he's going to succeed as a starter, I expect he'll need a combination of weak ground balls and swing and miss. It's a short stride/upright finish with a high-intent delivery that suggests relief. His physicality and raw stuff give him SP upside. Getting healthy will be his first priority. He could be better than this ranking, but he was hard to evaluate from such a short look.

Luis Gamez took big strides forward over the course of the ACL season, especially with his slider, which is now sharper than early in the season. He's a low-slot SI/SL/CUT guy who works mostly east/west and has overpowered ACL hitters, who look hapless against the slider and cutter. The slider and cutter play well off one another. The CUT gives Gamez a reliable in-zone option to get ahead in counts. When hitters think they have it sized up, he'll expand the zone with the slider to put them away. The fastball runs up to 96, and I can see a viable pen fallback, which is good because he is not a big kid, and ability to log innings is a risk factor for his SP status.

Sometimes you go to the field with a target in mind and other times you just show up and your target finds you. That was Neiker Palacios one Thursday evening in June. I think he is one of the best pitchers on the complex no one is talking about. Palacios isn't a big kid, but he has projection and is a very good athlete off the mound. His delivery is silky smooth too; he has all the characteristics of a velo spike guy. The fastball worked 92-93 with natural cut carry life, which he pairs with two breaking balls and a seldom thrown split/change. I am not sure if the body could sustain innings, but I like everything else about this kid.

Adriano Marrero is a large Cuban righty with elite feel for spin and a sinking fastball. The slider flashes tight/long break – it was the second biggest horizontal mover of 283 ACL sliders according to the Statcast data. He has a low-effort delivery and loose arm. Physically, his legs are massive which should help take stress off his arm, but there is also some body risk because he looks a bit soft. He's not throwing enough strikes right now, and his hips open early, leading to too many non-competitive misses. I can see a path to back-end SP if he can refine the strike throwing ability.

Reid Clague is a big 6'5" Canadian lefty with a fastball that touches 95 and two sharp/deep breaking balls. The fastball was mostly 90-93, but I suspect more was in the tank because Clague seemed to save his best velo when he elevated the fastball in two-strike counts. The Reds are likely to develop Clague as a starter and see how far he can go. He repeats his delivery fairly well for a bigger guy, but he wasn't super fine in the zone. It's a starter caliber mix and body. There is a lot to dream on here – great get for the Reds as a 2025 NDFA.

One scout opined Seong-Jun Kim was like a ball of clay, and I felt like that was an apt description. Kim is a smooth mover on the mound and an impressive athlete. His arm slot was higher in extended than in the ACL. Kim now has one of the flattest VAAs among all ACL pitchers, and I wonder if that was the impetus for the slot change. The fastball was hit hard in my extended spring look and looked nitro zone straight. Kim didn't perform well in my look, but the slider flashed plus. It was a hard outing to evaluate - Kim appears to be working on some things. He has also split time between hitting and pitching too – so this grade tried to reflect all those contextual factors.

A veteran scout once told me pitchers fall into four buckets: good stuff/good results, good stuff/bad results, bad stuff/good results, and bad stuff/bad results. The middle two groups are the hardest to evaluate. Iker Redona and Carlos De La Rosa are the antithesis of each other in that sense. De La Rosa has good stuff but hasn't performed results-wise this year. The fastball runs up to 95/96, and he flashes a hammer curve. In extended, he looked great against a lineup filled with rehabbing major leaguers. Then in ACL he struggled to throw strikes against rookie ball competition. He has a long arm action and a lot of hip-to-shoulder separation that is great for torque/velo, but the violence also makes it harder for him to repeat. One outing I saw him taking some off the fastball to throw strikes. He will need to find an equilibrium point between pitch quality and strike throwing. Luckily, time is on his side.

Iker Redona is a physically mature 18-year-old Mexican lefty with a deceptive fastball and a plus now changeup. Redona utterly dominated the ACL (with a 30% K%-BB%), but there are also reasons to question whether his success will translate vs better hitters. He sits 90-92, and he has no physical projection. The fastball, however, already generates a significant amount of swing and miss as-is. Redona strides closed from the 1B side and has a deceptive arm action, which might explain its effectiveness, but I still wonder how it will fare as he climbs the ladder. It is a scary profile because I do not see much of a pen fallback either; this feels like back-end SP or just a good org arm.

Juan Ledezma doesn't really fit into any "tier group category" on this list, but he feels well suited here with the 40 FV guys. It's an aggressive ranking for a guy who worked fully out of the pen for the ACL Diamondbacks, but I think Ledezma is real. He has an aggressive grip-and-rip aura, mid-90s heat with late life and a plus slider with tight break. I only got him for an inning, but I can see why he dominated this level. Early returns have not been good in Visalia, but I still believe in him.

Cardenas is a soft-tossing pitchability type who mixes and matches and changes speeds. His changeup and curve produced a lot of swing and miss in the ACL, but I think the profile is limited by his fastball velocity. He is listed at 6'2" 160 and clearly heavier now. I unfortunately missed him in person, but he looks high waisted on the video and maybe closer to 185-190 now. I am not sure how much projection he has left. If his velo can take a step forward he suddenly becomes really interesting because he understands how to sequence and how to pitch.

Keisther Castillo is an arm speed righty with a good pen chance. He's a loose/smooth mover with big arm speed. It's easy mid-90s velo with cut life. Special arm talent, great body, good stuff. His arm slot cheats up for the curve, which has decent depth but also breaks fairly early out of hand. The power change in high-80s might be his best present secondary pitch. He needs to throw more strikes and develop better secondary stuff. I can see pen stuff and pen mentality – he's trying to throw it by you and sometimes that means in the zone in a bad spot. Castillo puts too many fastballs over the heart of the plate right now and has been punished for it.

I have soured a bit on Will Hynes over the course of the season. He's a sinker/slider guy with a projectable frame and good athleticism, but he has been too pitch-to-contact reliant, and the slider shape hasn't been consistent enough. The sinker is working mostly 90-93 and not missing enough bats. I am guessing the ACL defense behind him hasn't done him many favors, but Hynes hasn't produced enough swing and miss either. I still believe he can contribute MLB value, in a relief role type of way.

Casilla is another case of bad results/good stuff. His slider has elite spin rates and sharp break, and he sits mid-90s from the left. It is no sh*t stuff for a lefty reliever. He hasn't thrown enough strikes despite mechanics that work ok, which is a concern for me. Casilla is 21 and should be dominating the complex but isn't, and I don't see an obvious fix with his delivery. At the same time, if he can get to 40 command/control, the stuff would comfortably play in a pen. He could be a big mover if he is able to make a tweak and make a small improvement to his command control.

Jubrayker Salaya is a lean athletic Venezuelan righty with a mid-90s fastball and slider that flashes plus. He works down the mound well with big extension and has battled control problems this season. The out-front release is a double-edged sword because it creates big extension but also makes it harder for him to repeat consistently, since his torso isn't stacked over his lower half. He's thrown more strikes as the ACL season has gone along. The fastball is straight and isn't missing many bats despite a flat approach angle. Salaya is a good athlete with room to add strength; there's also a chance the velo takes a step forward and the fastball shape becomes a moot point. I think part of the problem is his depth of mix. Salaya works almost exclusively 4 SM/SL/CB, and the breaking balls are similar in shape and velo. He needs to give hitters more to think about and defend against.

Po-Chun Lin is an athletic Taiwanese righty with a fastball in the 91-95 range and a plus CHG/SPL. I initially thought he had a knuckleball or knucklecurve, because the splitter and change dive late in different directions. Lin works down the mound well and repeats his mechanics well. He throws a lot of strikes and has good feel to locate his fastball around the zone. The CHG/SPL are his bread and butter swing-and-miss pitches, but I question whether he has a reliable in-zone offering beyond the fastball. The fastball velocity is below average and I don't see a standout trait that will help it play up, so I suspect he will need to work closer to max intent in a pen role down the line.

Diego Lanzosa is an athletic Venezuelan righty with big arm speed. The delivery starts slow, finishes fast, which I think creates some deception. He also has a compact arm circle. Lanzosa has a slim athletic build and is a quick mover off the mound and has a great pickoff move. His slider and change both have potential as swing-and-miss offerings. There's some effort to the delivery and the frame looks unlikely to sustain innings, so he's a high likelihood reliever, but he has the athleticism and stuff to profile in middle relief. Lanzosa last threw on 6/20, so it seems like he went down with an injury.

Marcos Herrera was demoted from Low-A in July and made a few appearances on the complex before getting promoted back up to Fresno. He sits mid-90s with a plus slider. But the fastball is straight and hitters get a good look out of hand due to his tall finish. The delivery doesn't have much effort to it and Herrera has an easy arm action, so it's not hard to envision a few more ticks of velo in a pen role, and the fastball honestly needs the extra velo due to its suboptimal pitch characteristics.

Zack Qin is a high slot lefty with below average fastball velo, but he still got a lot of swing and miss under it due to big backspin. He pairs the fastball with a deep curve. Lefties who sit 89-91 in MLB are an extinct species, and Qin is physically maxed out, so it seems likely he will need to work closer to max effort going forward and develop a harder breaking ball. He has good feel for spin and a mix that works. I see a viable path to MLB value if he can make some adjustments.

Jordan Valenzuela has a short, easy stride with little drive and double-plus arm strength that allows him to throw mid to high-90s. There's an element of deception to his delivery because he works slow to home then fires absolute gas. The fastball really jumps out of his hand with cut life and a flat VAA. He was able to largely dominate ACL hitters on the fastball alone but still walked a guy an inning. I think that speaks to his command/control profile, which is well below average. If he can refine the strike throwing, his raw stuff would profile in an MLB pen.

Ryan McDonagh is a tall Canadian righty who stands out for his projectable frame. He has a loose arm and some "intent-based projection" too. It's not hard to see him gaining a couple ticks and sitting mid-90s in a pen role. He also has some feel to spin a slider and curve. The mechanics and coordination are both below average to fringe, but I think he will throw enough strikes to profile in a pen.

Tommy Case is a wiry righty with big arm speed and mid-90s stuff. He has great feel for spin and flashes quality shape on his curve, slider, and changeup. It's a high effort delivery with a whippy arm action. Case's hips open early, leading to a big disconnect between his lower half and his arm, which limits his command/control and ability to repeat breaking ball shape. It looks hard for him to sync everything up consistently. The raw stuff is MLB pen caliber, but strike throwing is a big question.

Felix Doroteo is a big/lanky 6'6" Dominican righty who touches high-90s and flashes a couple workable breaking balls. Breaking ball shape was inconsistent, and he was really fastball dominant/reliant in my look. His hips leak open early too which might be a player dev opportunity. He's an interesting developmental project with some talent. To be realistic his strike throwing and breaking ball development need to take a step forward. Last week the White Sox traded Doroteo to the Pirates for Jose Urquidy. Doroteo was a decent return for the Pirates in my opinion.

I saw Mikey Cascino in extended and came away really impressed. His fastball got a lot of swing and miss, and he was spotting it around the zone with ease. My second look at Cascino was in the final week of the year, and he struggled against the ACL Rangers. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. I am not fully off him yet. I think he needs to develop a more vertical breaking ball to pair with his fastball which plays well up. I view him more as a developmental arm now, but I can still see a path to MLB value.

Derek Munoz is another low-slot sinker/slider guy who touches mid-90s and flashes a plus slider. He was hit hard the day I saw him, but I still liked the body, athleticism and the arm talent. He has big arm speed and the slider has big horizontal break.

Sebastian Caseres is a short soft-tossing lefty, with clean mechanics and a deceptive arm action. He only works 89-91 T92 but has elbow flexion inside 90, which helps hide the ball behind his body. He is a smaller kid with a chance to grow into more strength and add velocity. He also has good feel for his slider and change which both flash above average or better potential with late movement.

Erick Batista is a thin righty with big arm speed and big extension (6.7 feet) for a shorter guy. The fastball comes in hot sitting 94-95 with a flat -4.7 degree vertical approach angle – it's generated a lot of swing and miss. But he needs to develop a more reliable second pitch and throw more strikes to become a viable relief option.

Dylan Wilson is a pitchability guy with some athleticism. He's in his third season in Rookie ball, which is a bit of a red flag, but he was just promoted to Low-A. He looks to be around 6' 180 and a good athlete. He has good feel to tail or cut his fastball. Wilson works the full plate and changes speeds. There is a strong possibility he's just an org player in the long run, but I think he has a chance to add a tick or two and that velo increase would help his profile more than the average pitcher.

Herrera got a lot of buzz from scouts on the complex throughout extended spring training. He is listed at 6'4" 180 and probably checks in closer to 205-210 now. He has a great pitcher frame and is an impressive athlete. Herrera went down with an injury in his 5/30 outing at Tempe Diablo. He only threw 9 pitches and was struggling to throw strikes. He touched 96 early and was pulled when the last one came in at 88.

Chicuate only pitched once in the final week of ACL, and I was lucky enough to catch him on the Peoria backfields. He's a short Mexican righty with big arm strength – he came in blowing smoke for an inning, sitting 95-98 from a high ¾ slot. Despite an open stride and below average extension, hitters were overpowered by his fastball. The ball jumps out of his hand and got several bad swings. He has a 4sm, 2sm and SL. I am not sure if the slider is any good; he only threw two and one was spiked. Repeated well and looks like a he will throw strikes from this short look. He's an interesting under-the-radar arm and high-priority follow heading into Bridge League.

Gregory Sanchez and Kevin Concepcion both pitched in game two of the ACL finals. Sanchez is a golden arm type. Short stride with little drive through his lower half and incredibly easy 96-98 mph heat. He k'd 5 in two innings largely on the dominance of his heater. I had a bad vantage point for the game but ducked behind home for a couple batters to peek at the Trackman. He's a high-octane arm with elite arm strength, but I am not sure if he has much of a breaking ball. Concepcion is a well-proportioned/athletic righty with a loose arm and mid-90s heat. He's pitch-to-contact reliant right now, but gets some tailing life on his fastball in on RHH hands. His secondary stuff needs development. Like the body, like the athlete, like the ease of operations. I am hoping to see both in Bridge League to learn more.