26-and-Under MLB Power Rankings Nos. 10–6: Witt, Henderson, McLean

In Yahoo Sports’ 26-and-under power rankings, MLB organizations get evaluated on talent 26 years old and younger. Productive big-league youngsters count for more than unproven prospects.

The ranking covers four categories: young hitters, young pitchers, prospect hitters, and prospect pitchers. It’s a snapshot of where each team stands in terms of immediate impact and near-term depth.

This piece digs into how the Tigers, Royals, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Mets stack up. There’s also a look at what it all might mean for the sport’s rising stars.

Key observations from the 26-and-under power rankings

Several themes jump out from the rankings. Clubs with real, productive youth in the big leagues tend to ride that momentum.

Teams with lots of position-player depth near the top of their prospect lists still face tough questions about high-end pitching in the upper minors. Injuries and the challenge of turning prospect hype into major-league results loom large for everyone.

Here are some team-by-team takeaways that feel especially telling about where the game’s youngest talent stands right now.

Detroit Tigers

• Strengths: Detroit has a cluster of prospect hitters led by Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark. Josue Briceño and others could force their way onto major-league rosters soon.
• The Tigers have a strong offensive floor in the near term thanks to this volume of high-upside batters.
• Challenges: Pitching depth is thin in the 26-and-under group. Injuries to arms like Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson make it tough to feel optimistic about a quick pitching pipeline.
• The Tigers need to turn their hitting firepower into a healthy, complementary rotation.

Kansas City Royals

• Strengths: Bobby Witt Jr. leads the way, and Maikel Garcia has broken out this season. Hitters-in-waiting like Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen offer long-term promise.
• Challenges: Pitching depth at the upper levels is still limited. If the hitters keep developing faster than the arms, that could become a problem.
• The Royals need to build a more reliable front-end of the rotation from within.

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Strengths: Corbin Carroll and Geraldo Perdomo headline a potent group of young hitters. Gabriel Moreno gives them a strong catching presence, which really rounds out the lineup’s upside.
• Challenges: The pitching pipeline doesn’t have clear frontline starters right now. That makes it harder to turn offensive momentum into sustained winning at the highest level.
• Pitch development is still a critical focus for this team.

Baltimore Orioles

• Strengths: Even after slipping from last year, the Orioles still have Gunnar Henderson and high-upside pieces like Samuel Basallo and Jackson Holliday. These guys keep the farm system’s ceiling high for position players.
• Challenges: Pitching depth is in a rebuilding phase. Cade Povich and Trey Gibson are in the mix as Baltimore tries to stabilize the upper minors and build a more reliable rotation from within.

New York Mets

• Strengths: The season had some bright spots, like Nolan McLean—who could be a Rookie of the Year in 2026—and Brett Baty. There are also under-the-radar prospects such as A.J. Ewing and Jacob Reimer, plus promising arms like Jonah Tong.
• Challenges: The major-league roster went through a lot of turmoil. Even though some prospects have real upside, turning that into actual big-league results is still a big question mark for this system.

Yahoo Sports’ 26-and-under power rankings really drive home one point: teams with both young major-league stars and a deep group of position-player prospects have the best shot at staying competitive soon.

But honestly, high-end pitching talent in the upper minors just isn’t there for most teams. Injuries and the unpredictable leap from prospect to real-deal big leaguer? Those are still the biggest things making everyone nervous about what’s next.

 
Here is the source article for this story: MLB 26-and-under power rankings, Nos. 10-6: Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson and Nolan McLean lifting their teams up the list