Examining Zac Veen and Six Other Interesting Prospects That Could Be Called
Top prospects like Jesús Made and Leo De Vries are among the most exciting players to be called up this season, but most of the players who will be successful in the next few months will not be in the same galaxy as those guys when it comes to their potential. Some may be rare prospects, some former standouts from the roster – others may already be labeled walk-ons or league players. However, a good number of them will contribute to the big teams down the road. Some of the players who passed last year, such as Caleb Durbin, Isaac Collins, Joey Cantillo, Justin Wrobleski, and Chad Patrick, were not top 100 prospects – most would have struggled to make the top 500 list. Yet their productivity was significant, and you can identify a dozen such players every year.
The trade deadline is still a month away, but few quality players are available and those that are will not come cheap, meaning many teams will have to look inward as they work to improve their rosters. Below, I’ve selected seven players, either young prospects or guys who have fallen off the big league radar, who have some combination of projection, performance, development, or pressing team need that makes them surprising throughout the 2026 season. Naturally, this leaves top prospects like Kade Anderson, who I absolutely love, even the best, like James Tibbs III. Let’s go a little deeper.
Zac Veen, Colorado Rockies
Along with Drew Romo, Zac Veen once looked like an important part of the future of the Colorado Rockies; back in 2022, he was one of our top 50 prospects. His early wrist surgery ended his 2023 season, and that, combined with his disappointing performance in the minors, took him out of the high prospect zone. Unlike Romo, who was eventually fired and has been with three organizations since leaving Colorado, Veen stayed with the Rockies, but fell to no. 10-15 distance between Rockies farmhands. He made a number of positive lifestyle changes this offseason, however, and perhaps inspired by that, his play is legitimately interesting this year. Veen has already nearly matched his career home run streak (12 in 126 games in 2022) in just half the playing time and is drawing more walks than ever. Overall, ZiPS interprets his minor league line as the 16th best among minor league hitters this season (.280/.357/.466), almost identical to his former call-up teammate, Cole Carrigg. The Rockies got much better production from their outfield than they usually do, but I still think there’s a chance to get Veen some Coors bats.
Mitch Bratt, Arizona Diamondbacks
Mitch Bratt was once considered hot among fans, or at least I think he was – I’ve reached the age where I’m confused by pop trends, but I vaguely remember hearing about something called Bratt Summer a few years ago. Now, there’s a chance I’m wrong about that, but while I don’t see Bratt having the highest, we’re ranking the Diamondbacks as the no. 26 in baseball over the course of the rest of the season, so even a command-oriented number. A starting 3 would be very helpful – since the Diamondbacks are still close to the playoffs right now, anything involving pitching would be helpful. ZiPS projects Bratt to have a 3.90 ERA in Arizona over the course of the season, and he could be worse than that and still represent a cheap upgrade for the team.
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Christian Moore, Los Angeles Angels
Christian Moore, a former first-round pick, was selected by the Angels in part because they believed he wouldn’t need much time in the minors. Turns out he did, as he hit a paltry 82 wRC+ in Anaheim, though to be fair, he had only played 79 games before his start – even for a college bat, that’s not a lot. Moore has shown real progress in 2026, however, and while his 74% contact rate isn’t great, it’s up from the 65-69% he’s been posting in both the minors and majors. His pitch selection has also improved significantly, resulting in a career-best nine home runs. ZiPS translates his 2026 season to a .260/.376/.435 line, and while the computer is under duped he can do it. that in the majors moving forward, his 97 projected offseason wRC+ is ahead of the 83 he posted in the preseason. Moore has been starting at third base and left field in the minors, and his versatility could earn him a second chance with Los Angeles, though that won’t be enough to endear the Angels.
Peyton Alford, Seattle Mariners
Back in January, Peyton Alford failed to make the main part of our list of top Mariners prospects, rated as an honorable mention. That’s hardly surprising, considering he’s a reliever approaching 30, has command issues, and doesn’t throw 101. But he showed a legitimate improvement in 2026. He never had a first-strike percentage above 50% before this season, and he’s over 60% on long doubles this year, his lowest walk rate in Triple-A. He still lacks at-bats in the minors, and lefties can get whiffs prone to getting shots in the majors. Alford has had a split backfield in his minor league career, so the fact that Seattle’s better relievers (Gabe Speier and José A. Ferrer) are also southpaws is not an insurmountable obstacle. Even if the Mariners can’t use him, Alford could represent a really exciting pitch in a trade soon.
Ben Malgeri, Detroit Tigers
If I had told you in the spring that I took a time machine to the future and saw that the Tigers were struggling to stay out of last place in the AL Central after Tarik Skubal missed significant time with an injury, you probably would have thought that Detroit’s pitching had collapsed. And also that I was using the time machine in a very unpleasant way. In fact, it’s been the Tigers’ most problematic offense, with the linebackers combining for a 93 wRC+ despite Riley Greene’s poor season. Designated hitters were even worse, combining to hit an abysmal .215/.295/.324. No one is going to think of Ben Malgeri as a future star, but Detroit needs bats, and Malgeri is a good contact hitter with a solid under 50% strikeout rate in the minors. ZiPS only projects a 101 wRC+ from Malgeri in the majors this year, but a 112 wRC+ against southpaws projects that he could make him a very useful role player on a team currently short on productive lefty-mashers.
Willian Bormie, Texas Rangers
This past spring, Willian Bormie ranked only 33rd among Rangers prospects, with a 35+ FV rating. My colleague Brendan Gawlowski thought there might be some real improvement, and I would submit that that is exactly what we have seen this year. Bormie has dropped his walk rate below 10% after spending most of his minor league career in the 13-16% range, and he’s done so without missing a triple-digit strikeout fastball and whiffs. The Texas bullpen is rather lacking in pitchers with explosive balls, something they probably know for sure, or the hard-throwing Gavin Collyer wouldn’t be called upon while walking more than six batters in a game in the minors. The Rangers are currently only a partial game away from the Wild Card spot, so a fun finisher could have a lot of value.
Kyle Nicolas, Baltimore Orioles
Kyle Nicolas throws a fastball in the high 90s and a slider that reaches 90 mph, but he has yet to click in the majors due to terrible control. The Orioles recently acquired him, and they have a good track record with relievers like this, especially Félix Bautista, which gives me hope that Nicolas can surprise in Baltimore. ZiPS thinks I’m kidding, it’s projecting an ERA in the mid-to-high fours for a right-hander as a reliever, but he’s a guy who looks like a pitcher, and really tough to hit for power against, so I think a little improvement could have a big impact.
