2 The Bigs

By Sal Corso: October 7th, 2025:

What does it mean for a prospect to “win” a season? In my eyes, it could mean a few things. They could 1) exceed lofty preseason expectations, 2) bounce-back from a challenging year prior or 3) surprise prospectors and scouts. I’ve picked a few prospects that clearly won in 2025 below:

Jesus Made (MIL)

Jesus could have been just another failed, over-hyped international toolsy prospect. His talent lied in his approach and plate discipline. And he did what most don’t do, he exceeded those lofty expectations put on the young teen in the preseason. .285/.379/.413 with a 130 hits between A and AA is no easy task as an 18-year-old. He’ll look at a full season in Double-A where he’ll try and jump Griffin and De Vries as the #1 prospect in baseball at some point in 2026.

Konnor Griffin (PIT)

Similar story but different background from Jesus Made. A high-school draftee with raw, yet exceptional tools. Griffin surpassed all expectations as a former top-10 pick. He hit over .330 in each level he ran through. He settled himself in as a clear-cut top-2 prospect in baseball. One that could debut later next summer given the Pirates continuous failures at the pro-level.

Kevin McGonigle (DET)

A perfect example of how hard it is to 1) draft prospects and 2) rank them. Another story of a non-1st-round, non-top-100 prospect shooting up the ranks at lightning speed. Kevin had a great end of 2024, one which we called out early. He continued right where he left off, increasing his OPS over .100 points year-over-year (.991). He’s the shortstop of the future for the Tigers, a future that will approach very quickly, as early as next opening day.

Carson Benge (NYM)

2 The Bigs called him the 2^nd most MLB ready hitter from the 2024 draft. That’s no joke given #1 was Nick Kurtz, who had possibly the best rookie season in this century. Benge is the perfect example of why we love a good hit tool over a power one. The Mets made MAJOR mistakes this season. One of which, was not trading top prospects for MLB pitching. I’ve been at the forefront of the “trade Jett Williams” discussions. One of the biggest reasons why was because I knew Benge had the talent to be a successful pro.  

Sal Stewart (CIN)

Ahh this one feels great. Every analyst said “Sal Stewart has the contact, discipline and approach, but he’ll never generate enough power”. Not me. And what did he do? In the minors this year, he increased his SLG (+.70), OPS (+.62) and HR rate (HR per 14 less AB). But he didn’t stop there, he hit 5 HR in 18 games at the pro-level and drove in 3 runs in the NL Wild Card round. Stewart is a high-contact, good power, corner infielder, who brings a ton of excitement and passion to the field. He’s going to be a great piece for the Reds.

The Chicago White Sox

I’m putting these kids together, as the White Sox may finally be onto something. Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery and Caleb Bonemer. Teel had a fantastic pro-debut which showed-off his great contact and discipline. Colson was quietly dropping down rankings due to his struggles in upper-levels. He then hit 21 HR In 71 games in the bigs and wow’d just about everyone. Bonemer is a bit further away from the pros, but the 2^nd round pick from last year jumped into the top-100 and carried an .874 OPS through A and A+. We called him a sleeper of the 2024 Draft set, looks like that’s coming to fruition.

Moises Ballesteros

Another favorite of ours for some time now. Moises was somehow consistently overlooked (probably due to his size), even though he was the most consistent and disciplined hitter in the minor leagues. Well, he saw two opportunities in the bigs the season, and slashed .298/.394/.474 across 20 games. The Cubs are all but certain to let Kyle Tucker walk, and they’ll look to build from within. The young core of Busch, PCA, Caissie and Shaw will now also include Moises.

Los Angeles Dodgers Outfielders

I mean, how many prospects can one team hit on. I’m including ALL of their outfields because every single one is showing-off. De Paula was healthy and looked great at the plate, Quintero is hitting the seams off the ball in lower levels, Hope is already in AA as a young-20-year-old, Freeland hit the pros and Sirota had a +1.000 OPS across two A-levels. The casual MLB fan will say the Dodgers win because of payroll (it’s somewhat true), but there’s not many (if ANY) teams that find and develop talent the way they they do in Los Angeles.

Colt Emerson

Colt had a tough 2024. He’s young, but he’s in a system with good middle-infield depth. You have Cole Young (in the pros), Michael Arroyo (shooting up ranks) and Felnin Celeten (the young international prospect). Emerson’s issue has never been getting on base, but the .263 AVG and .376 SLG in A+ just wasn’t going to cut it. In 2025 he had a fantastic season in A+ (.281/.398/.453) which led to an AA and AAA promotion before season’s end. The jump in power and hard-hit rates was exactly what the Mariners wanted to see. Now Seattle fans can start to imagine a Young/Emerson middle-infield duo, one which they should be very excited about.

Big Catchers/1B

Alfredo Duno (CIN) and Josue Briceno (DET): two big, young prospects who burst onto the scene in 2025. Briceno had a phenomenal stint in A+ and then became an “off-limits” prospect at the deadline along with McGonigle and Clark (per the Tigers GM). He should get a full year in AA in 2026, and will look to build on that 1.106 OPS he showed-off in A+. Duno spent an entire season in A-ball, and does not need another at-bat at that level. Posting a .948 OPS with 18 HR and a whopping 81 RBI in 118 games is unbelievable. He’ll look to build on the momentum in the AFL before he moves up the ranks in Cincinnati.

Who do you think won 2025? Follow us on social media (@2thebigs) and shoot us a message!