5 National League Spring Breakout prospects to watch in MLB showcase

Major League Baseball benefits by showcasing its best young talent on the national stage. For the second year in a row, the top prospects in baseball will fill rosters for a special weekend of action across spring training camps with Spring Breakout.

All 30 MLB teams will put their best young players on the diamond for 16 games across four days. There's a good chance a chunk of those players will make their big league debuts in 2025. A strong outing in these showcase games could go a long way in fast-tracking a run to the majors.

The American League may have the upper hand on high level prospects — 56% of the top 50 prospects are with AL teams per MLB Pipeline — but the National League has plenty to offer in terms of minor league talent.

JJ Wetherholt, SS - St. Louis Cardinals

There was buzz last summer that JJ Wetherholt could go No. 1 overall in the draft. Instead, the West Virginia product fell to seventh where the Cardinals snatched him. He impressed enough in a short Single-A stint to garner the top spot among St. Louis prospects, placing 23rd in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 for the 2025 season.

Wetherholt has made a great impression on and off the field throughout his first six months with the Cardinals organization. He recorded two hits in his spring debut, including a three-run homer, and turns heads on the back fields with his work ethic and baseball IQ.

Although he did not register another hit after his first game, the Cardinals' No. 1 prospect drew six walks and scored four times with three steals in his inaugural big-league camp. Wetherholt was among the best hitters in college baseball over the past two seasons. He's expected to translate that to the professional ranks.

Bubba Chandler, RHP - Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes took most if not all of the Pirates' headlines in 2024. Rightfully so, considering his rookie season was a campaign of historic levels, but he's not the only young Pittsburgh arm who can take the MLB by storm. Top-15 prospect Bubba Chandler has the stuff to get guys out consistently. He'll be striking out major league hitters before you know it.

MLB Pipeline's fourth-best pitching prospect, Chandler is close to making his debut and will likely do so this season following a breakout year in 2024. The former third-round pick struck out 148 batters in 119 2/3 innings while lowering his WHIP, walk rate and hits per nine innings.

He was especially dominant during the tail end of the season, posting a 4-0 record with a 1.83 ERA and 54 strikeouts in seven Triple-A starts. Chandler's heater is his bread and butter but he's improved his secondary pitches over time. His entire four-pitch mix will be on display when he faces the Phillies' top prospects on March 14.

Bryce Eldridge 1B- San Francisco Giants

Few prospects have as much raw power as Bryce Eldridge, the tall left-handed hitting first baseman who headlines the Giants farm system. After hitting 23 home runs across four levels last season, it's natural to envision Eldridge crushing bombs into McCovey Cove for years.

Though he's shown his ability to hit pitching at the lower levels, Eldridge has only 75 plate appearances above High-A ball. Despite that, his makeup has pushed the trajectory of his MLB career forward. A few great months, rather than years, will get Eldridge to the majors.

If his defense improves at first, keeping him in the minors much longer will be hard. Still only 20 years old, there's no rush for the Giants to bring Eldridge up. He might not give them a choice.

Chase Burns, RHP - Cincinnati Reds

A pitcher making his MLB debut less than a year after being drafted was nearly unheard of just a decade ago. While still rare, it's no longer extraordinary to hear about such excitement surrounding a young arm. Chase Burns is in that category, and he'll have Reds fans salivating for the future.

Taken by Cincinnati second overall in last year's draft, Burns was held out of minor-league action after recording 191 strikeouts in 100 innings for Wake Forest. The Reds did the same thing for 2023 first-round pick Rhett Lowder, who ended up in Cincy's rotation last September after just 22 starts in the minors.

Burns flashed his excellence in his only spring training game with the Reds, touching 100 mph five times while striking out three in a scoreless frame. He is a fun pitcher to watch and should be one of the most talked about players post-Spring Breakout.

Eduardo Tait, C- Philadelphia Phillies

Out of everyone on this list, Eduardo Tait has the longest path to the big leagues. That doesn’t mean there can’t be some excitement around the teenager who signed with the Phillies as a 16-year-old in 2023.

While there's still work to do for Tait to sniff the MLB, Philly is excited about his potential as their backstop of the future. Scouts love the returns he gave during his first season in the United States. He played 80 games across rookie and Low-A ball, posting a .302 average with over 34 percent of his hits going for extra bases.

It was enough for Tait to crack multiple top-100 prospect lists before the 2025 season. His defense is a work in progress, but he only needs it to be average behind the plate if his bat can translate through the upper levels and into the majors. Watch him against the Pirates and remember the name.

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