“I was devastated,” Brito told Baseball America in Spanish. “Something I learned over time is that there are some things in life we can’t control, but the way we respond is something we can control. But I miss his presence every day.”

Now, Brito carries those dreams forward on his own, guided by the memory of the man who had taught him everything. 

When he’s in the batter’s box, Brito is in full control of his actions, and since arriving in the United States, he has honored his grandfather in the way he’d always envisioned.

Although Brito signed for $420,000 in 2024 with the Rockies, his stateside debut didn’t come with much fanfare, even in a system as depleted as Colorado’s. However, after a strong 2025, Brito burst onto the scene, rising from being an unranked talent to become the Rockies’ No. 5 prospect heading into 2026.

Brito did so by establishing himself as one of the best players in the Arizona Complex League. The 18-year-old slashed .368/.445/.555  with 22 stolen bases and a 1.000 OPS, earning the ACL’s Most Valuable Player award. 

In his first taste of full-season affiliate ball, he hit .352 with a .423 on-base percentage across 33 games, showing that his standout performance in the ACL was no fluke.

“I just want to keep working hard,” Brito said. “I’m trying to give it my all every day so I can put on a good show so people can keep believing in me.”

But growing up as a baseball-loving kid in the Dominican Republic, there were stretches when belief was in short supply.

Brito, now listed at 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, wasn’t always the most physically-developed athlete in his youth. If anything, his size made him stand out for the wrong reasons. Whenever he and his father, Ronny, traveled to different parts of the island for showcases, Brito often felt like an outcast before he even picked up a bat.

Many called them “locos” for believing that a skinny, undersized kid could one day play professional baseball.

No one thought Roldy could hit.

No one thought Roldy could field.

No one thought Roldy could become anything more than a kid with a dream too big for his frame.

But his father, grandfather and everyone who loved Roldy always believed he could.

“No one believed in him,” Ronny said. “Then he just started playing with his heart. People couldn’t believe how hard he hit the ball. That’s when they started saying, ‘Wow, your son really is the best.’

“It’s easy to say that now, with him at the top. But when he was climbing, it was the opposite. He stayed resilient. His heart is what got him here.”

So when the Brito family gathered at the Rockies’ complex in the Dominican Republic for Roldy to officially sign his contract, the moment overwhelmed them. 

As soon as pen met paper, the tears came.

“I’m motivated by my family,” Brito said. “They inspire me to become the best version of myself. I want to keep pushing myself for them because they are all so proud of me. If someone loves and values me as a person, that inspires me to give it my all for them.”

But the celebration didn’t last long. The moment the ink dried, Brito was thrown into the reality that professional baseball does not wait for anyone—not even a teenager carrying the weight of his family’s pride and his grandfather’s memory.

In his first 13 games, Brito went 4-for-38 (.105) with seven strikeouts. The pitching was sharper, the routines stricter and the pressure heavier. Brito’s confidence slowly started to decline. The doubts returned, this time directed toward himself. 

Perhaps he wasn’t ready after all, he thought. For the first time since Martín’s passing, Brito felt genuinely lost.

But this was where all those years of being doubted mattered for Brito. He’d been underestimated before. He’d been overlooked before. And each time, he had clawed his way forward. So, he did the same in the Dominican Summer League and finished strong. After that stretch, he found his rhythm.

Brito went on to hit .293/.383/.367 across 41 games with 21 RBIs, 19 walks and 20 stolen bases. While the hot second half erased any doubt Brito had, he didn’t think it would be enough to warrant a move to the United States the following year. 

Instead, he got a call much sooner than anticipated, as the Rockies sent him to the United States for instructional league to end 2024. The move set up what was to come—a permanent move to the U.S. 

For the first time in Brito’s life, he would be away from the comfort of his own home and in a land he had dreamt about his whole life. Even if he knew this was a long time coming, the reality of the situation didn’t set in until he boarded a plane from Santo Domingo to Phoenix and was finally at the Rockies facility in Scottsdale.

Brito’s father knew how tough the mental game would be for Roldy, but he also acknowledged the resilience his son had shown his entire life.

“I was always certain he’d play in the United States,” Ronny said. “I told him, ‘Your goal is to kill it in rookie ball, and finish the year in Low-A.’ I was confident that he could do it. I always believed in his skill set.”

And just like Ronny predicted, it all happened.

Now, with his Rockies future ahead of him, Brito knows the journey is far from over. And with his grandfather Martín’s voice in his heart and his family’s faith at his back, he steps into each game the same way he always has. 

Whatever comes next, it will be for him—and for the grandfather who made him believe he could be more than anyone thought possible. With a keen eye in mind, Brito wants to set an example for everyone who was once doubted and overlooked, just as Martín did for him.

Targets

Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B, Royals  

A long-time favorite of Roboscout, Pasquantino truly established himself as one of the top first basemen in baseball in 2025. It was Pasquantino’s first time playing over 150 games and the results followed, as he hit a career-high 32 home runs with 113 RBIs.

Under the hood, Pasquantino saw a significant jump in his barrel rate, climbing from 7.1% in 2024 to 10.8%. Since Pasquantino came up to the majors, he’s shown a good balance of plus bat-to-ball skills and plus power. In 2025, it finally came together. Entering his age-28 season, Pasquantino is squarely in his prime. I’m buying into a repeat of his 2025 season. [Geoff]

Sal Stewart, 1B, Reds

Like with Pasquantino, RoboScout has been a proponent of Stewart for a few years now, liking his blend of hit, power and age for level. For three straight years, Stewart’s minor league contact rate has been plus at 78 to 80%. His 90th percentile exit velocity has risen consistently from 103 mph as a 19-year-old to 107 mph last year, while he’s also barreled at a rate higher than 17% in each year. There were questions as to where he would play on defense, but it seems like his likely home will be first base.

In our rankings blurb, we likened Stewart to Pasquantino as someone who should hit .270 to .280 with on-base percentages that should reach .350 at peak while putting up 20-plus home runs yearly. His homer totals are likely to be even higher playing at Great American Ball Park. In redraft leagues for 2026, he is currently being taken in the 16th round (same as Spencer Steer and 10 rounds after Pasquantino). He’s underpriced in redraft, and once that’s discovered, we will realize he’ is’s underpriced in dynasty, too. [Dylan]

Sleepers

Ryan Clifford, 1B, Mets

With the likely departure of Pete Alonso in free agency, the projected incumbent at first base is Mark Vientos. But with only 17 career major league games at first base, it’s possible that experiment doesn’t work out. Fortunately, the Mets have Clifford, who should be more than an adequate fill-in defensively, waiting in the wings.

From an offensive standpoint, RoboScout sees the 22-year-old producing, at peak, a .345 OBP with 35 home runs. Those are essentially Bryce Eldridge-type projections without the hype. Public projections have him slightly lower, which to me makes him a sleeper. [Dylan]

Alec Burleson, 1B/OF, Cardinals 

In terms of real-life value, Burleson had a better season in 2025 than he did in 2024. However, in fantasy, value often deviates from real life, and Burleson wasn’t as valuable in 2025 for managers due to a dip in RBIs and runs.

Despite this drop in production, Bureleson showed several under-the-hood signs of a coming breakout. For example, he set his career high in barrel rate last season at 9.4%, a product of jumps in exit velocity and steeper angles. Additionally, all of his plate skill metrics trended up, as he lowered his chase rate and swinging-striking rate. With multi-position eligibility, Burleson is poised to potentially provide his managers value at multiple positions. [Geoff]

Fades

Josh Naylor, 1B, Mariners 

Outside of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., there are few players in MLB as fun as Naylor. His exuberant style of play was on full display in the Mariners’ run to the ALCS this fall.

After signing a five-year contract to stay in Seattle, we have a clearer view of what Naylor’s future lineup and home park looks like. Having split his 2025 season between Arizona and Seattle, Naylor is coming off the best season of his career. While he did see his home runs dip from 31 to 20 and his RBIs from 108 to 92, he managed to be more valuable due to a surprise 30-steal season. With only 25 career stolen bases entering 2025, it’s hard to imagine Naylor steals 25-30 bases again next year. It’s certainly possible, but due to the lack of track record as a basestealer, I’m fading Naylor. [Geoff]

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers

This is less an indictment on Freeman’s value as it is commentary on his perceived value. Hitting in the middle of a stacked Dodgers lineup, Freeman’s only true “flaw” at the position is that he is in his mid 30s.

Figuring out when to trade away aging fantasy contributors—see Paul Goldschmidt and Mike Trout— is the hardest thing to time up correctly when playing dynasty. If you pull the trigger too early, you pay a huge opportunity cost. If you wait too long, you may only return pennies on the dollar. This might be a good time to test the waters in moving Freeman, as he is currently riding the World Series wave and likely high on people’s minds. [Dylan]

Miller is played around the infield, and the Braves believe he could handle himself in the outfield if needed. Miller is a project, but his speed and perceived room to develop more pop makes him a reasonable one. He has a lot of strength in his 5-foot-11, 189-pound build.

“You have the tools to play short, you’ll be able to fit anywhere on the diamond, especially the infield,” Braves scouting director Ronit Shah said. “The speed that someone like Cody Miller has, he’s going to be able to play in the outfield, also, if he ever needs to do that.”

Miller hit well at two levels of the Braves’ system in his debut, batting .327/.381/.449 with two home runs and 10 stolen bases in 26 games for Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome.  

While the Braves say it wasn’t intentional, the team injected needed position-player talent into its system with the latest draft. Miller won’t be fast-tracked to the same extent as Lodise, but his traits make him a fascinating player to follow.

SHORT NOTES

— Catcher Drake Baldwin won 2025 National League Rookie of the Year, bestowing them with a Prospect Promotion Initiative draft pick after the first round in the 2026 draft. The Braves’ own first-round pick will be settled via lottery, with a 4.54% chance of it becoming No. 1. It will be interesting to see if the organization gaining an extra pick will motivate it to pursue a free agent who received a qualifying offer.

— The Braves love 2025 fourth-rounder Briggs McKenzie, a North Carolina prep lefthander they swayed from an LSU commitment to join their system. The question with him will be his fastball velocity—it hovered in the high 80s and low 90s last season— but his curveball is immediately one of the most exciting pitches among the organization’s lower-level arms.

But Honeycutt swings and misses—a lot—and that’s not Kepley’s game.

The 21-year-old raised his draft profile in the Cape Cod League in 2024, drawing 38 walks against just 20 strikeouts while batting .244/.449/.362.

Kepley built on that success with the Tar Heels in 2025, batting .291/.451/.444 in 61 games. He walked (44) twice as often as he struck out (22), and the 5-foot-8, 180-pound lefthanded hitter added 27 hit-by-pitches to further enhance his on-base ability. 

“We really believe in this guy, because he was probably the best contact and swing decision combination in the country last year. He’s at least a plus center fielder, and he’s going to steal a million bases,” one Cubs official said

“I mean, we saw that right out of the draft. I think nobody’s a finished product either.”

Once on base, Kepley uses his plus speed as a weapon, successfully stealing 87 bases in 95 attempts in college and 16-for-20 in his 28-game pro debut with low Low-A Myrtle Beach. He batted .299/.481/.433 with two homers in the Carolina League.

The biggest question is whether Kepley, whose frame is small but muscular, will hit enough to be a Steven Kwan-type of undersized everyday outfielder, or more of a fourth outfielder whose speed and defense makes him a viable big league option.