Brody Hopkins is quickly catching attention for his overall stuff on the mound. MLB.com has him at #85 on the Top 100 list, and he was selected to the 2025 All-Star Futures Game.

Hopkins is 6’4 and has a fastball that touches triple digits and explodes at the top of the zone. He also possesses three different 60-grade (plus) secondary pitches. He features an advanced repertoire, with 5 separate pitches: a curve and a sweeper that both sit in the upper 80s, a low-90s cutter, and a changeup that lives between 88 and 91 MPH.

Hopkins has the stuff, but his biggest hinderance is the ability to consistently throw strikes. Hopkins was drafted in the 6th round by the Seattle Mariners in 2023 and went back to Tampa as part of the Randy Arozarena trade in March 2025. Since the trade, the Rays have scaled back his arsenal at times, in an effort to find more strikes.

The 24-year-old Hopkins had his best season yet in 2025 with AA Montgomery, going 5-7 with a .272 ERA in 116 innings. He held the opposition to a .204 average and struck out 141 batters. He walked 60, which accounted for a 12.2% walk rate. He’ll need to cut down that rate to take the next step, but if he simplifies his arsenal and trusts his stuff, I think he can do it.

Baseball America staff writer Mark Chiarelli chose Brody Hopkins as his Breakout Pitcher to Watch in 2026, comparing him to where Milwaukee Brewers’ All-Star Jacob Misiorowski was entering last season.

Last year, Jacob Misiorowski ranked No. 44 on the Top 100 Prospects entering the season. Then he harnessed more consistent strikes compared to any point of his career, overwhelmed Triple-A hitters with his elite arsenal and was pitching in the All-Star Game by July. Misiorowski has few peers when it comes to stuff, but Brody Hopkins’ trajectory at least has a lot of similarities.

To Chiarelli’s point, Hopkins enters 2026 at #37 on BA’s Top 100 list. His stuff is electric. It can play at the MLB level. But he’s got to cut down on the walks. But if Misiorowski can go from inconsistent prospect to MLB All-Star in less than a year, the possibilities are endless for Hopkins.

When I look at Brody Hopkins, I instantly think of Zach Wheeler. Upright, leg kick, glove close to body, low arm angle. Big heater, nasty off-speed. The one major difference between Wheeler and Hopkins is that Hopkins has much longer arm action, which is a major reason scouts are siting for his control issues. Shortening his arm action and maybe limiting the use of the unpredictable sweeper, and Hopkins could follow a similar path to Misiorowski and end up on an All-Star stage.