Introduction
In this article, I’ll be looking at the 13 MLB prospects under 19 years old who are currently at the Single-A level or higher: Eli Willits, Elian Peña, Kendry Chourio, Taitn Gray, Juneiker Caceres, Kevin Alvarez, Stiven Martinez, Yairo Padilla, Andrew Salas, Brady Ebel, Breyson Guedez, Gabriel Davalillo, and Juan Sanchez. This list does not include draft prospects or prospects currently at the DSL/CPX level (but articles coming out soon will!)

This prospect group is extremely intriguing because of the high volatility in their futures, as well as their high propensity to get traded in blockbuster deals. For this reason, this group of players is possibly the most interesting prospect group to me, as they represent possibly the most valuable prospect asset in baseball: acquirable young potential superstars. However, these players also carry extreme bust risk. Players under 19 who are already at single A are on the track to potential superstardom, but must survive arguably the two hardest jumps in prospect development: Going from DSL/CPX level to Single A, and going from Single A to Double A.

In short, this prospect group contains high-risk potential future superstars that proved themselves in DSL/CPX and can/will be traded in deals. Targeting this prospect group via trades is high-risk/high-reward due to their extreme volatility, but is often the last time a future superstar is acquirable before being made untouchable at older ages/higher levels.

This article features three sections. The first will evaluate this prospect group as a whole, the second will feature individual writeups and analysis on each prospect (featuring player profiles, stats, tools, my Future Value Grade, and a writeup), and the third contains a table ranking these 10 potential future stars by my Future Value grading. Being ranked low on this table isn’t a slight, as all of these players are elite in terms of age-relative level and future projection, but it’s still fun to compare.

Evaluating The U19 Prospect Group At Single-A
As of the writing of this article (May 10th, 2026), there are just 13 prospects currently at Single A or higher who are under 19 years of age. This section will focus on the prospect group as a whole, looking at how these prospects were acquired, how much they cost to acquire, and who the best “value finds” were.

This prospect group is entirely made up of international amateur free agents and high school draft prospects. This is an intriguing factor in their evaluation, as these sources for prospects are where elite scouts can be difference makers for teams, plucking the next crop of superstars at an extremely young age for a potential extreme discount relative to draft slot or signing bonus.

Here are the organizations with a prospect in this group. Each team only has one prospect here:
NYM, STL, KCR, HOU, WSN, TOR, LAA, ATH, CLE, MIL, TBR, MIA, BAL

Let’s take a look at the makeup of how these prospects were acquired:
-3x First-Year Player Draft
-9x International Amateur Free Agency

Here is how the international amateur free agent country distribution looks:
-4x Dominican Republic
-5x Venezuela

Here is how the positional breakdown looks:
-1x SP
-4x OF
-4x SS
-2x 3B
-2x 1B

The average cost among all of these prospects was a ~$2.26million signing bonus.

Prospects signed for under $1m:
-Kendry Chourio ($248k)
-Juneiker Caceres ($300k)
-Yairo Padilla ($760k)
-Taitn Gray ($921k)
-Stiven Martinez ($950k)
-Juan Sanchez ($998k)

Prospects signed for over $3m:
-Eli Willits ($8.2m)
-Elian Peña ($5m)
-Andrew Salas ($3.7m)

Prospect Profiles/Evaluations/Writeups
This section will showcase writeups for each of the prospects in this prospect group. I’d like to give a special shoutout to FanGraphs, which was extremely helpful in acquiring all this information.

My evaluations of these prospects is based on a mixed-methods combination of qualitative tool-based scouting and quantitative stat/production-based scouting, with a specific focus on composite hit/power/speed tool indicators, frame projectability, wRC+, ISO, K%, BB%, SB, xFIP, and HR/9, making sure to evaluate based on the context of promotion between MiLB levels and injury. I’m also using Steamer/OOPSY projections to evaluate these prospects relative to how they’d perform if promoted to the MLB right now, in order to gauge just how far along they are in their development curves.

My Future Value grades are based on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale, with a specific focus on ceiling evaluations, as I feel this prospect group is specifically valuable due to their perceived ceilings. You can read more about the 20-80 scale, projected WAR, and overall notes on scouting here.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#1 Eli Willits 60 WSN SS S-6'1/180 18.4 2029

ACQUIRED: 2025 Draft (#1) / $8.2m signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 60hit, 60speed, 60field, 60 bat control, + athl, 55arm

2026 STATS (A, 154 PA): 128 wRC+ / 18.2%BB - 24.0%K (-5.8%) / .168 ISO / 22 SB

2025 STATS (A, 58 PA): 127 wRC+ / 12.1%BB - 20.7%K (-8.6%) / .060 ISO / 2 SB

WRITEUP: Eli Willits is a complete baseball player with both the tools and the statistical production to become a star. Willits was aggressively assigned to Single-A last season and it paid off, producing a 127 wRC+ last year and improving on that mark with a 128 wRC+, higher ISO, more stolen bases, and increased BB rate this year. Willits looks ready for AA and could potentially break down the doors to the majors before his expected 2029 debut.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#2 Elian Peña 55 NYM 3B L-5'10/180 18.5 2031

ACQUIRED: 2025 International Amateur FA (Dominican Republic) / $5m signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 55 power, 55 field / 30 speed

2026 STATS (A, 138 PA): 129 wRC+ / .122 ISO / 14.5%BB - 17.4%K (-2.9%) / 21 SB

2025 STATS (DSL, 223 PA): 146 wRC+ / .236 ISO / 16.1%BB - 16.1%K (+/-0%) / 11 SB

WRITEUP: Peña tore up the DSL in 2025 and has been terrific for his age at Single-A in 2026. As a Mets fan, I’m very excited about Peña. I have him listed as a 3B here because it’s where most scouts expect him to end up in the majors. Something very intriguing about Peña is the amount of bases he’s been stealing despite having a low speed grade. The statistical production has decreased a bit from the DSL, but that’s entirely expected, and he’s still been a terrific hitter in Single-A, especially for his age. Peña should be in High-A relatively soon.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#3 Taitn Gray 55 TBR 1B S-6'4/220 18.7 2030

ACQUIRED: 2025 Draft (#86) / $921k signing bonus

+/- TOOLS (FanGraphs):

2026 STATS (A, 121 PA): 157 wRC+ / .211 ISO / 17.4%BB - 17.4%K (+-0%) / 3 SB

2025 STATS (N/A): N/A

WRITEUP: Taitn Gray has broken out in an enormous way this year. The Rays opted to send Gray straight to Single-A and its paid off in a big way, as he’s posted incredible stats this year and looks ready for the next level. The question with Gray is where he’ll play defensively, but there are no questions about his bat, which is both extremely productive and extremely projectable with his massive frame. The fact that he is this good this quickly is a testament to the Rays scouting and development team, as they’ve quickly turned the #86 pick in last year’s draft into a top prospect.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#4 Kendry Chourio 50 KCR SP R-6'0/160 18.6 2029

ACQUIRED: 2025 International Amateur FA (Venezuela) / $248k signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 60 curveball, 60 changeup, 55 command

2026 STATS (A, 20.1 IP): 3.17 xFIP / 28.6%K - 3.9%BB (+24.7%) / 0.89 HR9

2025 STATS (DSL/CPX/A, 51.1 IP): 2.67 xFIP / 29.9%K - 2.4%BB (+27.5%) / 0.35 HR9

WRITEUP: OOPSY projects that if Chourio was called up right now, he’d put up a 4.57 FIP, which is actually pretty incredible considering he’s 18 years old. Chourio’s production has been otherworldly, but I can’t fully believe in the stats until Chourio’s stuff improves somewhat. Chourio doesn’t get a lot of extension on his pitches and will likely be challenged at High-A or Double A by more advanced hitters, especially considering how much he throws his fastball when it’s not his strong suit. Regardless, Chourio looks like a stable rotation arm at some point, and the Royals have done great work here, signing him for only $248k out of Venezuela.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#5 Juneiker Caceres 50 CLE RF L-5'10/170 18.7 2030

ACQUIRED: 2024 International Amateur FA (Venezuela) / $300k signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 60 hit / 40 power

2026 STATS (A, 112 PA): 121 wRC+ / .140 ISO / 14.3%BB - 10.7%K / 5 SB

2025 STATS (CPX/A, 290 PA): 123 wRC+ / .139 ISO / 12.4%BB - 12.1%K / 7 SB

WRITEUP: Juneiker Caceres is a really well rounded player who does everything right. He’s handled the challenge of every level so far, even when promoted to Single A at just age 17 last year. The only real knock on him is a lack of game power, but scouts think he has more raw power to tap into. Cleveland have done very well turning a $300k signing bonus player into what is already beginning to look like an everyday MLB outfielder.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#6 Kevin Alvarez 45+ HOU LF L-6'3/180 18.3 2030

ACQUIRED: 2025 International Amateur FA (Dominican Republic) / $2m signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 60 bat control, 60 power, ++ frame / 40 speed, 40 arm

2026 STATS (A, 105 PA): 99 wRC+ / .172 ISO / 3.8%BB - 19.0%K (-15.2%) / 3 SB

2025 STATS (DSL, 192 PA): 131 wRC+ / .154 ISO / 12.0%BB - 9.9%K (+2.1%) / 11 SB

WRITEUP: Kevin Alvarez is a high risk, high reward prospect with monster power and a massive frame, which he wields well with a great bat control grade and a positive BB%-K% last year in the DSL. Unfortunately, Alvarez’s walks have plummeted down to a measly 3.8% this year, and his strikeout rate has shot up nearly 10%, making his plate discipline somewhat of a concern going forward. The good news is that despite these woes, Alvarez has still managed to be an average hitter in Single-A, mostly due to his titanic power and an increased ISO. Even if Alvarez doesn’t figure out his plate approach, he still projects to be a good platoon bat against RHP in the majors, and if he can advance his bat and continue to tap into his projectable power, watch out.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#7 Yairo Padilla 45+ STL SS S-6'1/195 18.9 2029

ACQUIRED: 2024 International Amateur FA (Dominican Republic) / $760k signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 55 hit, 55 bat control, 55 power, ++ frame, 60 arm / 40 speed, 40 field

2026 STATS (A, 0 PA): N/A

2025 STATS (CPX, 148 PA): 119 wRC+ / .083 ISO / 12.2%BB-14.2%K (-2.0%) / 24 SB

WRITEUP: Padilla is injured with a hamstring strain and hasn’t played yet this season, but he is technically in Single-A, so he makes this list. Padilla has been in the Cardinals system since 2024, and in 2025, he showcased an improved walk rate and lowered K rate in the jump from the DSL to the CPX level. His power/ISO has dropped a bit from his DSL numbers, but it’s really not a big deal because of the small sample size and his age-relative production. Padilla also steals a lot of bases for a guy with a - speed tool. The main reason for Padilla being a 45+ FV comes down to some monster tools, where he features an extremely projectable frame, plus hit/power/bat control tools, and a great arm that should make up for some deficiencies in the field.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA STAT
#8 Stiven Martinez 40+ BAL OF R-6'4/198 18.8 2030 96 wRC+

ACQUIRED: 2024 International Amateur FA (Dominican Republic) / $950k signing bonus

+/- TOOLS (FanGraphs): 55pwr, 60arm, ++frame, +athl / 40hit, 40spd

2026 STATS (A, 81 PA): 96 wRC+ / .137 ISO / 8.6%BB - 33.3%K (-24.7%) / 2 SB

2025 STATS (CPX/A, 286 PA): 88 wRC+ / .116 ISO / 16.1% BB - 35.0%K (-18.9%) / 5 SB

WRITEUP: Stiven Martinez is a tall, toolshed prospect with plus power and he’s improved his numbers from last year, where he went from the DSL to the CPX level and ended the year at Single-A. The concern with Martinez is an ungodly 30%+ K rate, but he’s continued to hit for power and has improved to around league average at Single-A, which is great for his age. I am a bit concerned about the K rate and the dropoff in his BB rates, which puts him at a 40+ FV, as I believe in the tools here despite some yellow flags in the statistical profile.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#9 Andrew Salas 40+ MIA SS S-6'2/180 18.2 2031

ACQUIRED: 2025 International Amateur FA (Venezuela) / $3.7m signing bonus

+/- TOOLS (FanGraphs): 60spd, 55fld, 55arm, +frame, +athl

2026 STATS (A, 120 PA): 60 wRC+ / .106 ISO / 10.8%BB - 25.0%K (-14.2%) / 5 SB

2025 STATS (A, 453 PA): 74 wRC+ / .059 ISO / 15.9%BB - 24.3%K (-7.4%) / 39 SB

WRITEUP: Andrew Salas is still a decent prospect, but has somewhat disappointed relative to the $3.7m signing bonus the Marlins handed to him in 2025. Salas was aggressively promoted to Single-A immediately, and has posted pretty terrific SB numbers, but he’ll need to improve his plate approach if he wants to be an everyday shortstop, which I think he absolutely could still do. The plus signs are improved power numbers and some terrific tools. He’s got 60 grade speed, is a plus fielder with a plus arm at shortstop, and has plus athleticism with a plus frame, so there’s a lot to project on here. Regardless, Salas has to find his groove at Single-A at some point to reach the everyday shortstop ceiling that’s still tangible within his prospect profile.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#10 Brady Ebel 40+ MIL SS L-6'3/190 18.8 2030

ACQUIRED: 2025 Draft (#32, comp pick) / $2.75m signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 60psel, 55bctrl, 55arm

2026 STATS (A, 131 PA): 71 wRC+ / .049 ISO / 17.6%BB - 20.6%K (-3%) / 10 SB

2025 STATS (A, 66 PA): 80 wRC+ / .017 ISO / 9.1%BB - 25.8%K (-16.7%) / 0 SB

WRITEUP: Brady Ebel looks like a solid player, but I wonder if he should’ve spent a year at CPX, considering he’s struggled pretty significantly at Single-A with really horrific power statistics and a negative BB%-K%. That being said, I’m pretty excited about the improvements he’s made in his plate approach so far this year, boosting his BB% by ~8% and cutting his K% down to -20%. I think Ebel will definitely end up being an MLB contributor, but he has to produce if he wants to look more like an everyday shortstop and less like a superutility player.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#11 Gabriel Davalillo 40+ LAA 1B R-5'11/200 18.5 2031

ACQUIRED: 2025 International Amateur FA (Venezuela) / $2m signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 55hit, 55pwr, 60arm / 20spd, 35field, --frame, -athl

2026 STATS (A, 111 PA): 78 wRC+ / .100 ISO / 14.4%BB - 30.6%K (-16.2%) / 0 SB

2025 STATS (DSL, 169 PA): 136 wRC+ / .216 ISO / 13.6%BB - 12.4% K (+1.2%) / 3 SB

WRITEUP: Davalillo is someone the Angels have been very aggressive about, both in terms of the $2m signing bonus they handed out to sign him from Venezuela and in terms of a relatively aggressive promotion to Single-A this season. Davalillo’s wRC+ has cratered and nearly halfed from his DSL numbers, his ISO has done the same, and there’s been an enormous jump in his K rate by about ~18%. If you’re looking for a silver lining, it’s that he’s improved his walk rate (marginally) and still has the tools to be a surprisingly productive player, but his 20 speed grade and 35 fielding grade, combined with a - - frame and -athleticism means I don’t really know where he’s going to end up playing. Regardless, I think the tools and some silver lining on the storm clouds of his statistical production add up to a guy who’s going to be productive in the MLB in some role.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#12 Breyson Guedez 40+ ATH LF L-5'10/160 18.6 2031

ACQUIRED: 2025 International Amateur FA (Venezuela) / $1.5m signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 55bctrl, 55fld, +athl / 30psel, -frame

2026 STATS (A, 139 PA): 71 wRC+ / .087 ISO / 7.9%BB - 33.8%K / 0 SB

2025 STATS (DSL, 210 PA): 132 wRC+ / .130 ISO / 6.7%BB - 9.5%K / 5 SB

WRITEUP: Breyson Guedez is an interesting prospect. The K rate is a major concern, and he doesn’t steal a lot for a guy with decent speed, but scouts apparently really like what they see from Guedez, and he has an interesting set of tools (+ bat control, + fielding, + athleticism) that makes me wonder if he could find a home in CF someday. All of Guedez’s stats have dropped off from a pretty great DSL debut in 2025, outside of his BB% improving marginally. Regardless, the Athletics have done well getting the most out of outfielders like this, with a developmental track record in recent years of Carlos Cortes, Brent Rooker, Denzel Clarke, and Henry Bolte, but Guedez has to start hitting for power if he’s going to produce like them.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS H-HT/WT AGE ETA
#13 Juan Sanchez 40+ TOR 3B R-6'2/190 18.6 2031

ACQUIRED: 2025 International Amateur FA (Dominican Republic) / $998k signing bonus

+/-TOOLS (FanGraphs): 55arm, +frame / 40bctrl, 40spd

2026 STATS (A, 73 PA): 22 wRC+ / .063 ISO / 11.0% - 30.1%K (-20.1%) / 4 SB

2025 STATS (DSL, 253 PA): 156 wRC+ / .224 ISO / 10.3%BB - 17.4%K (-7.1%) / 4 SB

WRITEUP: Juan Sanchez was unconscious in the DSL in 2025, posting terrific hitting production numbers and power numbers, but has fallen off a cliff in his promotion to Single-A so far, posting a horrific 22 wRC+ at the level and a horrible -20% BB%-K%. If there’s a silver lining, it’s Sanchez’s speed improvements. Sanchez doesn’t steal a lot, and has - speed, but has been stealing more at Single-A than at DSL. Sanchez has a + frame and a + arm, but has - bat control, which is a scouting indicator that represents potential red flags to me. Combined with the rest of his profile, Sanchez is an arrow-down prospect who needs to turn it around sooner rather than later or needs to be sent back to the CPX level to figure out what’s going on with his plate approach.

Every Prospect U19 in MiLB, Ranked (May 2026)
Provided below is a full table of this prospect group, ranked in terms of Future Value, including their prospect profiles, signing bonus, key stat, and tools.

RK PROSPECT FV TEAM POS HAND-HT/WT AGE ETA ACQ/$ STAT TOOLS
#1 Eli Willits 60 WSN SS S-6'1/180 18.4 2029 DRFT/$8.2m 128 wRC+ 60hit, 60bctrl, 60spd, 60fld, 55arm, +athl
#2 Elian Peña 55 NYM 3B L-5'10/180 18.5 2031 INT/$5m 129 wRC+ 55pwr, 55fld, 60frame / 40psel, 30spd, -frame, -athl
#3 Taitn Gray 55 TBR 1B S-6'4/220 18.7 2030 DRAFT/$921k 157 wRC+ 60pwr, ++frame, +athl / 40bctrl, 40spd
#4 Kendry Chourio 50 KCR SP R-6'0/160 18.6 2029 INT/$248k 3.17 xFIP 60curve, 60change, 55cmd
#5 Juneiker Caceres 50 CLE RF L-5'10/170 18.7 2030 INT/$300k 121 wRC+ 60hit, 55bctrl / 40pwr
#6 Kevin Alvarez 45+ HOU LF L-6'3/180 18.3 2030 INT/$2m 99 wRC+ 60bctrl, 60pwr, ++frame / 40spd, 40arm
#7 Yairo Padilla 45+ STL SS S-6'1/195 18.9 2029 INT/$760k N/A 55hit, 55bctrl, 55pwr, ++frame / 40spd, 40fld
#8 Stiven Martinez 40+ BAL RF R-6'4/198 18.8 2030 INT/$950k 96 wRC+ 55pwr, 60arm, ++frame, +athl / 40hit, 40spd
#9 Andrew Salas 40+ MIA SS S-6'2/180 18.2 2031 INT/$3.7m 60 wRC+ 60spd, 55fld, 55arm, +frame, +athl
#10 Brady Ebel 40+ MIL SS L-6'3/190 18.8 2030 DRAFT/$2.75m 71 wRC+ 60psel, 55bctrl, 55arm
#11 Gabriel Davalillo 40+ LAA 1B R-5'11/200 18.5 2031 INT/$2m 78 wRC+ 55hit, 55pwr, 60arm / --frame, -athl, 20speed, 35field
#12 Breyson Guedez 40+ ATH LF L-5'10/160 18.6 2031 INT/$1.5m 71 wRC+ 55bctrl, 55fld, +athl / 30psel, -frame
#13 Juan Sanchez 40+ TOR 3B R-6'2/190 18.6 2031 INT/$998k 22 wRC+ 55arm, +frame / 40bctrl, 40spd

Superlatives
I wanted to add a section at the bottom for my predictions on how this prospect group will develop from here and how they’ve developed so far.

Biggest Riser: TBR Taitn Gray
Most Likely To Get Promoted: WSN Eli Willits / NYM Elian Peña
Most Aggressive Promotion: LAA Gabriel Davalillo
Most Stable: CLE Juneiker Caceres / KCR Kendry Chourio
Most Volatile: STL Yairo Padilla
Most Likely To Boom: BAL Stiven Martinez
Most Likely To Bust: TOR Juan Sanchez
Best Value: KCR Kendry Chourio / CLE Juneiker Caceres

Thank you so much for reading, I would love to discuss this article with you on Twitter @ARKNDJL or via email: arkndjl@gmail.com

Article also available on Substack: https://arkndjl.substack.com/p/evaluating-every-u19-prospect-in