2026 Rotation Projections

[snoogans8056]

These last three drafts we’ve gone absolutely nuts with young arms, and now have gotten to the point where those crowded rotations are going to be supplemented with college arms every draft. It sure seems like this coming 2026 season is when that all comes to a head.

With the seeming avoidance of major injuries to Letson and Tobias, are Woodward and Episocpe the only long term injuries that should extend into next year?

Any guesses as to what those Arizona, Wilson, and Wisconsin rotations will look like?

Arizona (HS Draftees / DSLers):

Cairone, Flores, Vucinovich, Roupe, Bentley, Holden, and an assortment of DSL arms

Wilson (Possible Promotions / Repeaters / Rehabs):

Meccage, Dorchies, Renz, Dubanewicz, Tobias, Carra, Mercado, Mercedes, Broughton, Robinson, Johnson, and Knoth

 Wisconsin (Letson / College Arms / Hernandez):

Letson, Birchard, Woodward, Smith, Thompson, Morrison, Episcope, Hernandez, and Rodriguez

Will be interesting to see if our draft strategy starts to reflect these crammed rotations. I personally would love to keep drafting a full high school rotation every year, but maybe go for a couple big time bullpen college arms and way more bats to ride this wave of arms.

[biedergb]

Obviously injuries (and trades) will play a huge part in this prediction. But my first attempt would look something like this:

AAA: CF. Rodriguez, Kuehner, Crow, Hunt. Possibly Wichrowski and Hardin. And Cornielle if he re-signs as a minor league FA. Of course a MLB ready pitcher (Patrick, Myers, Henderson) could start here based upon the big league pitching staff.

AA: DeBerry, Birchard, JD Thompson, M. Rodriguez fee like likely core starters here. Then either Wichrowski or Hardin if they repeat. Tanner Gillis, Travis Smith, and Will Rudy are possibilities too. 

A+ (Wisconson): T. Smith, Sam Garcia, Letson, Meccage, M. Hernandez, Jacob Morrison and Andrew Healy could start at low A and bump up, or start here. Potentially Wande Torres and any one of the arms that I have at WIlson below. Also factor in that Josh Knoth, Yorman Galindez and Jason Woodward are all injured and if healthy could see time at high A. Chandler Welch could be here as a reliever along with B. Rivera and I guess Bjorn Johnson whose development I still don't get.

A (Wilson): likely may see repeats of several of the late season debuts, so I assume Dubanewicz, Dorchies, Renz, Mercado, Mercedes. Injuries/Rehab will dictate what we see from Hostetler, Tobias, H. Robinson, Broughton, E. Cortez and D. Corniel. I would also expect that Cairone and maybe Josh Flores will be in the mix with Carlos Carra. Any of the NDFA or college arms (Health, Morrison, Owens, Episcope) could be here as starters or relievers.

ACL: Cairone/Flores/Carra may debut here. In addition I suspect that likely several of the HS drafted pitchers (Vucinovich, Roupe, Bentley, Holden) along with possible DSL pitchers (Mayorquin, Galindo, Colmeranez, Pena). This will be the hardest to predict.