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America’s Next Top Pitcher: Why Brody Hopkins is the Rays’ Pitching Lab Masterpiece

SportsGrid Contributor Just Baseball

Host · Writer

Who is America’s Next Top Arm? The Race to the Top of the 2026 Rankings
The Verdict: Brody Hopkins vs. The Field
- With the moving up of big three arms like Nolan McLean and Andrew Painter looming, the throne for the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball is officially up for grabs.
- Brody Hopkins has some of the most electric pure stuff in the minors, but Marlins prospect Thomas White and Pittsburgh's Seth Hernandez look like studs in the making.
- If you’re building a rotation from scratch, do you take the 101-mph ceiling of the Rays' newest masterpiece, or the ceiling of Seattle's 20-year old, Ryan Sloan?
- Cast your vote: Who is your SP1 for the next generation of baseball?
- Sound off in the comments and let us know if you think Hopkins forces his way into the Tampa Bay rotation by midseason!
Brody Hopkins: The Heir Apparent to America’s Next Top Arm
The Vacant Throne of MLB Pitching Prospects
- MLB prospecting is currently in a golden era, led by generational talents like Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle eyeing Opening Day debuts.
- With top arms like Nolan McLean, Bubba Chandler, and Andrew Painter set to graduate in 2026, there isn't a clear successor for the title of Best Pitching Prospect in Baseball.
- While teammates Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan are in the mix, the real leader in the clubhouse is Brody Hopkins (No. 38), a pitcher built for the modern era of pitching labs.
The post The Next Top Pitching Prospect: Brody Hopkins appeared first on Just Baseball.
The Winthrop Find: How the Mariners Exploited Mid-Major Traits
Identifying the Diamond in the Rough
- Brody Hopkins had a fascinating path, transferring from the College of Charleston to Winthrop, where he operated as a two-way player with 46 starts in the field.
- Standing at 6’4" and 200lbs, he possessed surefire draftee size, leading the Seattle Mariners to take him in the 6th round of the 2023 MLB Draft with a $225,000 bonus.
- The Mariners focused on his funky arm slot and release traits rather than his college results—a scouting philosophy that has consistently yielded high-end pitching talent.
The post The Next Top Pitching Prospect: Brody Hopkins appeared first on Just Baseball.
The Arozarena Trade: Hopkins Becomes a Rays Project
A Breakout Campaign in the Rays System
- After cutting his walk rate in Single-A, Hopkins was the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade that sent Randy Arozarena to the Mariners.
- Joining the Tampa Bay Rays alongside Aidan Smith and Hogan Windish, Hopkins immediately saw his command trend upward in High-A.
- In 2025, he officially arrived, pitching 116 innings in Double-A with a 3.33 FIP and a 28.7% strikeout rate, cementing his status as a consensus Top 100 prospect.
The Pitching Lab: A 70-Grade Fastball and Elite Vert
Breaking Down the Outlier Arsenal
- Hopkins features a 70-grade fastball that sits in the upper 90s and can reach back for 101 mph.
- What makes the heater "bonkers" is the sub-negative four vertical approach angle combined with 20 inches of induced vertical break—a profile that is nearly unhittable at the top of the zone.
- His curveball is a secondary nightmare, thrown at 85 mph with -12 IVB, achieving over 30 inches of separation from his fastball. He rounds it out with a sweeper that grades out as his best pitch by tjstuff+.
The Path to Acehood: Mechanics and 2026 Projections
Refining the Low Slot Supinator
- Hopkins is the poster child for the low slot supinator movement that MLB scouting departments are currently obsessed with.
- The Rays have already implemented mechanical tweaks, raising his arm slot and creating a more linear forward move to stabilize his weight shift.
- If the command continues to sharpen at age 24, Hopkins will either force his way into the Rays rotation by mid-2026 or enter the next offseason as the unquestioned No. 1 pitching prospect in the world.
Who is America’s Next Top Arm? The Race to the Top of the 2026 Rankings
The Verdict: Brody Hopkins vs. The Field
- With the moving up of big three arms like Nolan McLean and Andrew Painter looming, the throne for the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball is officially up for grabs.
- Brody Hopkins has some of the most electric pure stuff in the minors, but Marlins prospect Thomas White and Pittsburgh's Seth Hernandez look like studs in the making.
- If you’re building a rotation from scratch, do you take the 101-mph ceiling of the Rays' newest masterpiece, or the ceiling of Seattle's 20-year old, Ryan Sloan?
- Cast your vote: Who is your SP1 for the next generation of baseball?
- Sound off in the comments and let us know if you think Hopkins forces his way into the Tampa Bay rotation by midseason!
Brody Hopkins: The Heir Apparent to America’s Next Top Arm
The Vacant Throne of MLB Pitching Prospects
- MLB prospecting is currently in a golden era, led by generational talents like Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle eyeing Opening Day debuts.
- With top arms like Nolan McLean, Bubba Chandler, and Andrew Painter set to graduate in 2026, there isn't a clear successor for the title of Best Pitching Prospect in Baseball.
- While teammates Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan are in the mix, the real leader in the clubhouse is Brody Hopkins (No. 38), a pitcher built for the modern era of pitching labs.
The post The Next Top Pitching Prospect: Brody Hopkins appeared first on Just Baseball.

America’s Next Top Pitcher: Why Brody Hopkins is the Rays’ Pitching Lab Masterpiece

The Verdict: Brody Hopkins vs. The Field

The Vacant Throne of MLB Pitching Prospects

Identifying the Diamond in the Rough

A Breakout Campaign in the Rays System

Breaking Down the Outlier Arsenal

Refining the Low Slot Supinator

The Verdict: Brody Hopkins vs. The Field

The Vacant Throne of MLB Pitching Prospects

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