8 Pitching Prospects Whose Stock is Rising

McLean’s feel to spin the baseball was always intriguing and with an isolated focus on pitching through the offseason leading into 2025, his stuff took a leap. His two seam shape is more optimized and a tick harder while his four seamer gained an inch of induced vertical break as well. Where the improvements really stand out is with his breaking balls. McLean will throw a cutter that flirts with the low 90s, an outlandish sweeper that has only tightened up and an upper 70s sweeping curveball that averages 10 inches of vertical break and 18 inches of horizontal and more than 3200 RPM.

Through five starts at Double-A, McLean has pitched to a 1.37 ERA in 26.1 IP, blending above average whiff with elite ground ball numbers. I noted McLean as a prospect who just missed our preseason top 100 list, making him a prime candidate to crack the update.

Sean Linan – RHP – Dodgers

Affiliate: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes – Low-A

Despite solid Low-A results in 2024, Linan was hardly on prospect radars entering this season as an under-the-radar IFA signing out of Colombia in 2022. His fastball averaged 91.5 MPH in 2024, though he racked up swing and miss with his plus changeup, a high-spin offering with screwball-like action. Linan found another tick this season, which has helped the good run and ride he gets on his fastball play up while the changeup has become even more difficult for hitters to lay off of.

The 20-year-old has struck out a whopping 50 batters in 29 2/3 innings, boasting an ERA of just 1.21. His changeup has arguably been the most dominant pitch in the minor leagues thus far, racking up a comical swinging strike rate of 46% and chase rate of 58% through his first six starts of the year. Linan struggled to mix in a quality breaking ball in years prior, and while it is far behind his other offerings, his improved mid 80s slider has helped him vary his looks as well. Linan should be primed for a High-A promotion soon.

Gage Jump – LHP – Athletics

Affiliate: Lansing Lugnuts – High-A

Of the prospects in this article, I am not sure there is an arm who has jolted their stock more than the Athletics 2024 second rounder. Jump has seen his fastball velocity climb by nearly two ticks in his first pro season, which paired with the elite ride he generates, has made the pitch dominant at High-A. There’s some deception to his delivery as well with a jerky arm action that seems to throw off the timing of hitters, though he is able to repeat his mechanics well and fill up the zone.

Jump has poured his fastball in for a strike at a 76% clip, with plus whiff and chase rates. The pitch sets up his breaking balls really well, with his mid 80s slider diving off of it to generate some ugly swings from lefties with enough sharpness to back leg righties. He will also throw a sweeper left on left that differentiates enough from his slider a couple ticks slower as well as a curveball that he prefers to throw to righties.

The fastball usage is high for Jump at 60%, but that is not due to necessity with the aforementioned breaking balls all looking like quality offerings. He keeps throwing the heater because nobody can hit it. After surrendering four earned runs in his pro debut, Jump has since twirled 29 innings at a 1.24 ERA in five starts, striking out 40 and walking just five.

Robby Snelling – LHP – Marlins

Affiliate: Pensacola Blue Wahoos – Double-A

Snelling enjoyed one of the most impressive pro debuts in recent memory for a prep arm, pitching to a 1.82 ERA in 103 2/3 innings between Low-A, High-A and Double-A with the Padres in 2023 before hitting a bit of a wall in 2024. The Padres moved Snelling at the deadline as part of the Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing deal, where he finished the year strong in the Marlins organization and carried that success into 2025.

The 21-year-old’s velocity was down a tick in 2024, but he told us on “The Call Up” earlier this month that some adjustments he was told to make with his breaking ball heading into last season had him getting away from what has always worked for him. He also keyed in on his delivery through his offseason work, crediting some small mechanical tweaks for his fastball uptick, which is up from 92.2 MP in 2024 to 94.3 MPH in 2025, along with an inch and a half of induced vertical break.

Ironing out the delivery has also helped Snelling get back to being the strike thrower he has always been, handing out just seven free passes through his first five starts. The changeup is slightly harder with more vertical separation from his fastball, generating more whiff within the zone while his new gyro slider gives him a solid fourth offering to mix in.

Snelling once again looks the part of a top 100 prospect who could break into the big leagues sometime this season. Between the improved stuff and elite athleticism on the mound, Snelling has a great chance of at least landing as a back end starter.

Ryan Sloan – RHP – Mariners

Affiliate: Modesto Nuts – Low-A

Though he was a second round pick who got first round money, Sloan has been too darn impressive out of the gate to not crack this list. the 6-foot-5 right-hander turned 19 years old just before the season, but you wouldn’t know it with how polished he is on the mound already. The Mariners have been somewhat cautious with his workload at Low-A, keeping him at around 55-60 pitches on average where he has pitched to a 3.31 ERA in 16 1/3 innings, with 19 strikeouts and five free passes.

The stuff is tantalizing. His fastball has averaged 95.5 MPH, touching 98 MPH, from a low-effort delivery that implies there could be more in the tank. His 83-85 MPH sweeper already looks like a plus offering while the splitter has flashed as well. Sloan looks like the idea starting pitcher template with some Logan Gilbert qualities to him.