Didier Fuentes, RHP, Braves: This spring, Fuentes has been a revelation. The Braves righty has retired 27 of 28 batters he’s faced, including four more scoreless innings with eight strikeouts on Wednesday. He sat 96-97 mph on his fastball with a flat vertical approach angle and plus extension. Fuentes is making a strong case at a second crack with the Braves. Despite his early lumps as a professional, Fuentes is a huge upside name heading into 2026 and beyond.

Connelly Early, LHP, Red Sox: There’s too many mouths to feed in the Red Sox rotation picture, but Early continues to make a strong case. He tossed five scoreless innings on Wednesday against the Yankees and struck out seven. Early looked dominant for stretches as he allowed one hit and two walks, keeping Yankees hitters off balance time and time again. He generated 11 swings and misses that were evenly distributed across a wide repertoire headlined by a 95 mph fastball and a slider, sinker, curveball, changeup and sweeper.

Carlos Lagrange, RHP, Yankees: Few pitching prospects have made noise this spring like Yankees righthander Carlos Lagrange. He made another strong case for a big league job on Wednesday, tossing four scoreless innings of relief against the Red Sox. Lagrange struck out four batters with two hits and a walk. He threw three of the five hardest pitches in a spring training game yesterday--his 100.9 mph fastball trailed only Chase Burns at 101 mph--and elicited 11 whiffs. Lagrange has premium stuff and continues to show more refined strike-throwing this spring.

Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies: Painter enjoyed his best start of the spring to date on Wednesday. The tall righthander fired off four scoreless innings with one hit, a walk and three strikeouts. Painter sat 96 mph in his fastball with improved cut-ride shape, mixing slider, sweeper, changeup and curveball. Painter is unlikely to make the Phillies rotation out of camp, but should see starts this season. 

Editor’s Picks

Happy Spring Breakout! Yes, March Madness begins today, but that takes on a slightly different meaning these days for prospect hounds. Today kicks off MLB’s annual stretch of prospect showcases throughout the weekend. We have you covered with everything you need to know.

• 5 players who could raise their stock

• The 10 best prospects on Spring Breakout rosters

• Tiered rankings for every roster

• Why the 2026 rosters feel weaker than previous years

• Schedule and roster analysis for every team

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Juneiker Caceres, OF, Guardians: Lefthanded offensive impact is a hallmark of Cleveland’s system, and Caceres fits right in. He was one of the system’s best prospects two seasons ago in the DSL and didn’t miss a beat upon matriculating to the U.S. in 2025. Caceres doesn’t have any plus tools, but he’s one of the purer hitters in the system and could be an average defender in either corner outfield spot. Caceres was excellent in the Arizona Complex League and reached Low-A for 30 games toward season’s end. If everything clicks, he has a future as an everyday outfielder.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Angels infielder Denzer Guzman had a strong day Wednesday, going 2-for-3 with a double and a home run.

• The Brewers are teeming with infield prospects. Wednesday was Cooper Pratt’s turn to impress. He went 3-for-3, scored two runs and stole a base.

• Boston quietly picked up LHP Tyler Samaniego from the Pirates over the winter in the Johan Oviedo trade. The Red Sox don’t have a ton of lefthanded relief depth, so Samaniego’s two-inning, four-strikeout performance on Wednesday is encouraging.

• Robby Snelling (Marlins) and Harry Ford (Nationals) were both reassigned to minor league camp.

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