MLB Pipeline’s latest Top 100 list comes loaded with youth, and the 17-year-old class is particularly deep right now.
That’s not exactly shocking for Minor League baseball, but it still jumps off the page: of the top 25 prospects, 17 are too young to legally drink in the United States, and eight are teenagers. At No. 25 overall sits Luis Hernández, the 17-year-old shortstop/third baseman who signed as the top international player in the 2026 class.
Hernández is not alone in that age range. A recent MLB Pipeline Podcast mailbag question, along with a mention in Jonathan Mayo’s latest Inbox, opened the door to a wider look at the best 17-year-old prospects in pro ball.
Mayo and Jim Callis discussed several of them on the podcast, though A’s shortstop Johenssy Colome, who had been No. 5 on the Athletics’ list, has since turned 18 and no longer qualifies for this group. He probably would have landed around fourth in these rankings.
Here are the seven best 17-year-olds in the minors right now:
Luis Hernández has already started to justify the hype, and then some. The Giants paid $4,997,500 to sign him, and the Venezuela native wasted little time showing why he was so coveted.
He went straight to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and later logged a 20-game stint with Single-A San Jose in his first pro season. What stands out is the maturity in his offensive game: advanced pitch recognition, quality bat speed from the right side and a polished approach uncommon for a player this young.
He’s athletic, too, even if his speed is only average compared with the rest of his tool set. The upside is still loud, and the instincts should help him squeeze everything out of it.
Francisco Renteria made his own statement in a big way. Signed by the Phillies for $4 million as the No. 3 international prospect this year, the Venezuela native led all qualified minor leaguers in OPS at 1.152 and slugging percentage at .682.
He nearly walked as often as he struck out, with a 14.4 percent walk rate and a 15.3 percent strikeout rate. At 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, he already has the frame for impact, but the skill set is what makes him so intriguing: big power, elite hand-eye coordination and enough speed to swipe 24 bags in 28 tries in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League.
He’s also projected to stay in center field.
The Royals gave Angeibel Gomez a challenge by sending him to the Arizona Fall League, and he hasn’t looked out of place. Signed for $2.9 million as the No. 4 international prospect this year, Gomez was the second-youngest player ever in the circuit.
He’s already stronger than his listed 6-foot-2, 173-pound build suggests, and there’s a real five-tool ceiling here if his right-handed power continues to develop. The Venezuela native’s speed is already plus plus, and his DSL numbers backed up the buzz: a 1.119 OPS and .653 slugging percentage, both third-best among qualified minor leaguers.
Jared Grindlinger entered pro ball with a very different path than most on this list. A Southern California native, he was once seen as a two-way prospect before reclassifying for the 2026 Draft.
The Angels signed him for $5.9 million after taking him 12th overall, and they’ll develop him strictly as an outfielder. Right now, his game leans more hit than power from the left side, though there’s room for the 6-foot-3 frame to add more thump.
He doesn’t swing and miss much, and that disciplined approach gives him a strong base to build on. The plus arm, a carryover from his pitching days, fits perfectly in a corner outfield spot.
Albert Fermín brought a different offensive profile to the Astros. He was the top switch-hitter in the 2026 international class, ranked No. 19 overall, and signed for $2,147,500.
The Dominican Republic native has a good feel for the barrel and a strong sense of the strike zone, which has helped him do damage at a level where most players are still learning how to survive. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, he’s already fairly physical, and scouts believe there’s more power coming.
The open question is whether that added size eventually chips away at his above-average speed and nudges him from shortstop to third base, where his plus arm and quick first step would fit.
Wandy Asigen is the youngest player in this group by a wide margin; he turned 17 in late August. The Mets signed him for $3.9 million as the No. 2 international prospect, but a hamstring injury delayed the start of his pro career.
Once healthy, the left-handed hitter flashed big power in the DSL, where he hit .279/.470/.525. The sample was small, just 83 plate appearances, and the contact and strikeout numbers were concerning at 28.9 percent.
Even so, his athleticism and plus speed give him a chance to remain at shortstop.
Rocco Maniscalco rounds out the list after reclassifying into the 2026 Draft and becoming one of the youngest players in his class. The Alabama native struggled in his final year of high school, but his work at the MLB Draft Combine was strong enough to land him late first-round money at $3.2 million when the Cardinals took him 50th overall.
Defense is his calling card at shortstop, where he shows smooth actions, a strong arm and the kind of baseball IQ that tracks with his family background. His father reached Triple-A.
Offensively, the switch-hitter is better from the left side for now, and as he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame, he projects to reach at least average power.
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