Before we shift gears entirely to the MLB Postseason, which kicks off in just five days (we’re containing our excitement for now, but not much longer), let’s take a look back at the standouts in Minor League Baseball this year.

For those trying to start dabbling more in the prospect space, make sure you check out The Call Up Podcast and social media pages, where we cover the future stars of MLB in-depth all the time!

We’ll have All-MiLB teams and breakouts of the year coming soon, but this week we highlighted the top performer in every farm system this season.

Stay tuned with our newsletters for previews, recaps, and info on every round of the MLB Postseason coming soon🔥

MiLB Players of the Year

This was not an easy task to decide just one player for each organization with so much talent flooding through the minor leagues these days.

Some of these players you have now seen at the MLB level, but we felt their excellent performance during their time in the minors was still worthy of this nod.

These articles were written by Just Baseball’s Jay Staph and Shaan Donohue with the players selected by our staff.

American League

Kevin McGonigle (DET)

It’s not often that a 20-year-old cements himself as the consensus top prospect in baseball, but Kevin McGonigle’s 2025 campaign did exactly that.

The Tigers’ infielder tore through three levels, finishing the year in Double-A Erie while posting a .305/.408/.583 line across 98 games with 20 home runs and 14 steals.

Connelly Early (BOS)

Connelly Early turned in one of the best pitching seasons in Boston’s system, striking out 132 batters across 100.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A while posting a 2.60 ERA.

His ability to pair swing-and-miss stuff (11.84 K/9) with consistent ground balls (50% GB rate) made him one of the more difficult pitchers to square up in the upper minors.

Caleb Bonemer (CHW)

Chicago’s second-round pick out of the Michigan prep ranks wasted no time making an impression in his first professional season.

Bonemer played 107 games between Low-A and High-A, slashing .281/.401/.473 with 12 home runs, 77 runs scored, and 29 steals. His combination of patience and athleticism allowed him to adjust quickly to full-season ball, posting a 15.8% walk rate that helped fuel a 151 wRC+ overall.

National League

Konnor Griffin (PIT)

When talking about some of the best minor league seasons in recent memory, it’s tough to ignore the numbers Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin just recorded. Griffin’s 2025 season was historic, as the 19-year-old made huge steps forward in his development.

Although he began the year at Low-A, Griffin flew through the minor leagues, finishing the season in Double-A. His production was nearly unmatched, as he slashed .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers, 65 stolen bases, and a 165 wRC+.

Jonah Tong (NYM)

Throughout the 2025 season, the New York Mets have had a surplus of top performers in their minor league system. From the rise of Jett Williams to Carson Benge‘s breakout, this has been a big year for the Mets’ farm system. Despite these key performances, right hander Jonah Tong has pitched his way to the top.

Tong, our 47th-ranked prospect, has flown through the minor leagues this season. Starting the year in Double-A, Tong pitched his way to the major leagues, where he’s made four starts so far. In the minors, Tong recorded an ERA just over 1.40, striking out 179 batters in just 113.2 innings.

Alfredo Duno (CIN)

One of the most exciting breakout stars of the entire minor league season came in the form of catcher Alfredo Duno, who made a name for himself in Low-A with the Cincinnati Reds. Still just 19 years old, Duno looks like a fantastic young prospect.

Across 113 games in Low-A, Duno slashed .287/.430/.518 with 18 homers and a 164 wRC+. Duno hit so well, in fact, that he took home the Florida State League MVP Award following the end of the Low-A season.

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League last season in 2024?

A) Niko Kavadas

B) Andrew Painter

C) Josue Briceño

D) Caleb Durbin

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Arizona Fall League

The Arizona Fall League is set to kick off in less than two weeks with every team sending a variety of prospects to work on their craft for an extra month against high-level competition!

This league is comprised of six teams, each being made up of prospects from five MLB organizations, and is considered to be “finishing school” for many top prospects as they prepare to reach the MLB level next season. Additionally, it’s a great time for prospects who have dealt with injuries to rack up some innings.

We’ll have plenty of AFL coverage with Aram Leighton covering the league in-person for a week this time around.

Daniel Espino is back on the mound. The Guardians pitching prospect was one of the hottest names in the prospect world three years ago following the 2022 season, but until this week had not pitched in a MiLB game since that 2022 season.

He made his first appearance in three years and is expected to make a few more in the Arizona Fall League. These are the guys you can’t help but root for and Espino will be a name to watch in Arizona.

Kevin McGonigle and Sebastian Walcott headline top prospects. These two are consensus top-10 prospects in baseball and lead the group of top prospects participating this season.

McGonigle became our top prospect in all of baseball in our July Top 100 update, while Walcott started to really figure out Double-A at just 19 years old down the stretch this season. If you only tune into the AFL briefly, catching some at-bats from these guys should be a priority.

Learn all about prospects heading to the AFL in the first part of our roster previews with more to come soon⬇️

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Just Baseball Discord

We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Trivia Answer: C) Josue Briceño

This Tigers prospect put himself firmly on the map last fall with an incredibly showing in the AFL. Now a top 50 in baseball, Briceño is the latest of many players who have shined on this stage in Arizona.

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