IBC

11. Angel Genao, SS, Guardians
Team: Low-A Lynchburg (Carolina)
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: .409/.480/.591 (9-for-22), 3 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 3 BB, 1 SO, 5-for-5 SB
The Scoop: After a down season in 2023 that was hampered by a knee injury, Genao is beginning to fulfill the promise he showed in 2022 in the Arizona Complex League. The 20-year-old shortstop has shown a budding power-speed combo that has evaluators’ full attention. His .350 average is third in the Carolina League, his .547 slugging percentage is second and his 54 hits are tops on the circuit, while his 19 extra-base hits are tied for the most in the CL. (JN)

18. Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers
Team: Low-A Lakeland (Florida State)
Age: 19
Why He’s Here: .421/.520/.579 (8-for-19) 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 3 SO, 2 SB, 0 CS.
The Scoop: This is exactly what we hoped to see in McGonigle’s first full pro season. He’s collecting hits in bushels. McGonigle is one of the more advanced hitters in the Florida State League when it comes to strike-zone knowledge and bat-to-ball skills. His late start to the season means his .329 batting average doesn’t yet rank among FSL batting leaders, but if he keeps up this hitting, it’s only a matter of time. (JC)

Junes updated Top 100 Prospect list.

37. Cole Young
57. Luis Perales
65. Angel Genao
67. Kevin McGonigle
96. Thayron Liranzo

5. Brandon Sproat, RHP, Mets

Team: Double-A Binghamton (Eastern)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 13 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Sproat dominated in what ended up being his final start with Double-A Binghamton, striking out 13 over five scoreless innings on two hits and no walks. At one point in the start, Sproat struck out 11 batters in a row, something that’s never been done in major league history. Sproat relied on his fastball and slider combination to generate 18 of his 20 swinging strikes. Eight of his 13 strikeouts came via a swinging strike, as Sproat sat 96.9 mph on his fastball. Sproat mixes a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. He will be put to the test this week in his Triple-A debut. (GP)

Juan Valera, RHP, Red Sox: When he was in the Florida Complex League, Valera was one of the circuit’s best pitchers. Since moving to Low-A, he hasn’t let up one bit. That stretch continued on Tuesday, when he spun four hitless innings against Delmarva. He struck out five and walked two. In four appearances with Salem, Valera has allowed just one hit and five walks over a dozen shutout frames. He’s struck out 10. On Tuesday, he got 11 swings and misses in his four frames.

Twins’ David Festa Spins Best MLB Start
Twins’ righthander David Festa threw five shutout innings against the Cubs on Monday night in Minnesota’s 3-0 win. That’s easily his best start of his young MLB career, as he lowered his ERA from 6.98 to 5.55. Festa got seven swings and misses on his changeup and five more with his slider.

Cory Lewis, RHP, Twins: The Twins’ starting pitching depth across the minors has become an organizational strength. Double-A Wichita righthander Cory Lewis offered another reminder of that on Thursday, as he held Corpus Christi to two hits and one unearned run in six innings. Lewis struck out nine and walked three, lowering his ERA to 3.16. Lewis missed the first half of the season with a shoulder injury, but he’s now struck out 45 batters in 37 innings over nine appearances.

Midseason ESPN Rankings

https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/ ... y-mcdaniel

34. Kyle Teel
39. Cole Young
97. David Festa

Mid season MLB.com Top 100

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/top100/

27. Kyle Teel
37. Cole Young
89. David Festa
95. Angel Genao
97. Thayron Liranzo

hot sheet 8/20

1. Thayron Liranzo, C, Tigers

Team: High-A West Michigan (Midwest)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .611/.741/1.278 (11-for-18) 9 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 9 BB, 2 SO.

The Scoop: Liranzo didn’t travel far when the Dodgers traded him to the Tigers in the Jack Flaherty trade. He was playing for Great Lakes in the Midwest League and moved to West Michigan in the same league. But the trade has transformed him at the plate. Liranzo was hitting .220 with just 22 extra-base hits in 74 games. With the Tigers, he has a .396 average and 10 extra-base hits in 15 games. He has had six games this year with six or more total bases. Three of those have come in the past two weeks. And one of his home runs this week was one of the better ones we’ll see all year. Liranzo cleared the batter’s eye in center field with a titanic shot. (JC)

Twins’ Cory Lewis Making Up For Missed Time
Double-A Wichita righthander Cory Lewis missed the first half of the season with a shoulder injury, but he’s been on a roll ever since he came off the injured list in June. Lewis did have one awful outing where he gave up seven runs in 3.1 innings. But he’s allowed only four runs in his past five starts. On Tuesday he went 5.1 innings, allowing five hits. He walked three and struck out seven. Lewis gave up a home run to Harry Ford to start the game, but that was the only run he allowed.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/ranking ... prospects/

Top 100 BA updated 9/3

27. Kyle Teel
52. Cole Young
72. Angel Genao
90. Thayron Liranzo

https://www.baseballamerica.com/mlb-pro ... 10ebdf42b3

Angel Genao Continues Stellar Season In Championship Opener
Just two players this season hit .330 or better with 30 or more doubles, 10 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases. One is Kristian Campbell, the Red Sox prospect who can safely be counted among the sport’s biggest breakouts in 2024. The other player who hit those marks is Angel Genao, the Cleveland shortstop prospect who opened eyes in 2022 before a knee injury muted his encore campaign. Now fully healthy, the 20-year-old Genao has spent the season showing all his gifts in full. With a championship on the horizon, Genao propelled his team to a series-opening with a 3-for-5 night with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... t-9-17-24/

Nestor German, RHP, Orioles
An 11th round pick last year out of Tarik Skubal’s alma mater Seattle, German put together an impressive season in 2024. German made 21 appearance and 12 starts across both levels of A-Ball, pitching to a 1.59 ERA with 90 strikeouts to 17 walks over 73.2 innings. Throughout the season, German piggybacked with other pitchers, going 3-4 innings each time out. He mixes a four-seam fastball that sits 93-94 mph with 19-20 inches of induced vertical break, a upper-70s curveball with serious depth, as well as a changeup, slider and cutter. German has a deep mix, misses bats with all of his pitches and shows the ability to land all of his pitches for strikes. (GP)

Hurston Waldrep

Track Record: Waldrep was drafted with the 24th pick in 2023, signed for an under-slot deal of $2,997,500 and raced to Triple-A that summer. In his first full pro season in 2024, Waldrep posted a 3.47 ERA across four levels, though most of his time came at Double-A and Triple-A. He also made his MLB debut but struggled in two starts.

Scouting Report: Waldrep is an impressive athlete with quick arm speed and a high-effort delivery which features a steep slot and significant head whack in his finish. His three-pitch mix includes a 94-96 mph fastball that touches 98-99, as well as an upper-80s slider and mid-80s split-changeup. While his fastball has plenty of power, it doesn’t have the shape of a true bat-misser in the majors. There’s a bit of cutting action, but not much carry. Waldrep also hasn’t shown the sort of fastball command necessary to avoid damage in the zone. Instead, he’ll need to rely on his secondaries, which are both solid. Waldrep throws his slider in the 85-90 mph range, and it’s an above-average pitch at times. His real weapon is a plummeting, mid-80s split-change. The pitch parachutes out of his hand and is equally effective against lefties and righties, and in 2024 it generated a 26% swinging-strike rate. Waldrep is an erratic strike thrower with an 11.4% career walk rate, and his reliance on a splitter that is typically difficult to throw for strikes adds to his reliever risk.

The Future: Waldrep could find success as a big league starter with high slider and splitter usage, but he’ll need to throw more strikes to do so. If not, he should have the stuff to carve out a mid-leverage reliever role.

Garrett Bauman
Track Record: Baumann signed a $747,500 deal as a fourth-rounder in 2023 as one of the most physically imposing players available. He made a brief pro debut at Low-A Augusta after signing, and in his first full season in 2024 he made 19 starts, posting a 3.18 ERA and finishing fourth among minor league pitchers 19 years old or younger with 99 innings.

Scouting Report: An imposing 6-foot-8, 245-pound righthander, Baumann has a smooth, easy operation and attacks hitters from a higher-than-average release point. He dominated Low-A hitters with a fastball that sits 93-94 mph and has been up to 98 with above-average, heavy life and occasional armside run. Baumann threw the pitch for strikes 71% of the time and creates a steep angle with it thanks to his height. He adjusted his grip on the pitch in an attempt to impart more vertical ride, but given his angle and release height, it would be unsurprising if he also developed a strong two-seamer in the future. Baumann had such natural success with his fastball that the Braves had to encourage him to simply throw his slider and changeup more, which need work to become consistent swing-and-miss offerings. His mid-80s slider varies in shape between a firm, cutter-like breaker and a slower, slurvy variant. His upper-80s changeup was his least-used offering but a focal point after the season during instructional league, and the Braves were happy with the progress he made with it. Secondary development will be key for Baumann to miss bats at the upper levels, but he’s an above-average strike-thrower, and his strikeout rate jumped from 19% in the first half to 24% in the second.

The Future: Baumann will attempt to build on his excellent 2024 campaign in 2025 with High-A Rome. He has the look of a workhorse-like back-end starter.

Jefferson Rojas
Track Record: Rojas was one of the more highly touted players from the 2022 signing class to emerge out of the Dominican Republic. The Cubs landed him for $1 million, and he made his pro debut that June in the Dominican Summer League. Rojas was selected as a DSL all-star in a season in which he hit .303/.391/.407. To begin 2023, Rojas needed only one game in the Arizona Complex League before the Cubs promoted him to Low-A Myrtle Beach, where he hit .268/.345/.404 as an 18-year-old. Rojas spent all of 2024 with High-A South Bend, hitting .245/.310/.336 in 96 games as one of the youngest qualified hitters in the Midwest League.

Scouting Report: While Rojas’ 2024 statistics don’t jump off the page, his underlying data shows the makings of a strong contact hitter with a balanced approach and projection for fringe-average to average power. While the combination of the Midwest League’s treacherous hitting environment and his youth likely dragged down Rojas’ numbers, he did show the ability to hit a variety of pitch types and handle velocity. Rojas boasts above-average-or-better contact rates against all pitch types, and he has a good balance of patience and aggression. Rojas’ underlying power metrics are above-average for his age and level, and he shows a knack for getting the ball in the air consistently. On the bases, Rojas is an average runner who gets good jumps and can be a threat to steal bases. He’s an average fielder at shortstop and might ultimately move to second base, but his above-average arm could allow him to stick on the left side of the infield.

The Future: Rojas is a talented young player with advanced bat-to-ball skills and the ability to stick in the dirt. He should develop into an average everyday regular.

Brandon Birdsell

Track Record: Birdsell is the rare player to be drafted three times. He was taken by the Astros out of high school in the 39th round in 2018 and then twice out of Texas Tech, the first time by the Twins in the 11th round in 2021 and then by the Cubs in the fifth round in 2022. Birdsell signed for $385,000 and made his pro debut the following season, performing well across High-A and Double-A with a 2.78 ERA and 97 strikeouts to 32 walks in 107 innings. In 2024, Birdsell took another step forward, dominating in the Double-A Southern League for 14 starts before making the jump to Triple-A, where he posted a 19.4% strikeout-minus-walk rate.

Scouting Report: Birdsell stands 6-foot-2 with a stocky, filled-out body. He uses a short arm action with a slight pause before delivering the ball from a high three-quarters slot. Birdsell mixes five pitches but primarily relies on his fastball and slider combination. His heater sits 94-95 mph and touches 98 at peak with below-average ride and cut. Birdsell’s fastball plays below that velocity because of a lack of extension in his delivery. His slider sits 83-85 mph with a heavy gyro shape and late drop. Birdsell’s cutter was used less than his slider, but it generated good results at 88-90 mph with more horizontal movement than a typical cutter. Birdsell also mixes a curveball and changeup, though both pitches are used intermittently. Ultimately, the thing that pulls Birdsell’s arsenal together is his plus command. He has shown excellent walk rates across every level of the minors and has the ability to land all of his pitches in the strike zone.

The Future: Birdsell is a ready-made No. 5 starter for a club as soon as 2025. While he doesn’t have bat-missing stuff, he boasts a deep arsenal with above-average velocity and throws lots of strikes.

Updated team top 10 list after a couple trades with BA ranking as of 9/1
https://www.baseballamerica.com/ranking ... prospects/

1. Kristian Campbell 2B/OF(#24)
2. Kyle Teel C(#25)
3. Matt Shaw 3B(#43)
4. Cole Young SS(#51)
5. Jefferson Rojas SS(#57)
6. Angel Genao SS(#70)
7. Logan Evans RHP(#90)
8. Franklin Arias SS(#91)
9. Tre Morgan 1B
10. Matt Wilkinson RHP

Dylan Beavers:
Track Record: Beavers was a strong college performer at California who knew, as evaluators did, that he needed to work on his swing. He fell to the Orioles at No. 33 overall in 2022 and signed for slightly below slot at $2.2 million. He overhauled his swing in his 2023 pro debut and then sought more power in 2024, hitting 15 home runs with a .756 OPS at Double-A Bowie before a one-week cameo at Triple-A Norfolk.

Scouting Report: Beavers spent the first year of his professional career making changes to his swing before settling on a setup that worked for him. In year two, he worked to use those changes to generate more power through more aggressive swing decisions in advantaged counts. While Beavers still boasts advanced bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline that can make him an average hitter, the pursuit of more slug—which worked in the first two months of the 2024 season—hampered his overall offensive approach in the second half, and he had to regroup to finish well. Given his ability to barrel the baseball, he can have average power in the future as he continues to refine his movements and get stronger. He has struggled to catch up to velocity, hitting just .118 with one extra-base hit versus fastballs at 94 mph or faster in 2024. Beavers is a plus runner who improved defensively in 2024. He plays all three outfield spots with right field as his likely long-term home.

The Future: Beavers’ upside remains among the most enticing in the Orioles’ organization, and the idea of adding consistent hard contact to his skill set would make him a solid-average major league regular, even if the pieces for a traditional corner outfield profile aren’t fully intact yet. He’ll begin 2025 back at Triple-A Norfolk with a chance to debut in the big leagues late in the year.

Kristian Campbell:
Track Record: Campbell had a remarkable breakout in his first full pro season, transforming from a 2023 fourth-round selection who did not crack the system’s preseason Top 30 Prospects in 2024 to the Minor League Player of the Year. Some evaluators even prefer Campbell to No. 1 overall prospect Roman Anthony. That emergence owes to an overhaul of Campbell’s approach. As a redshirt freshman at Georgia Tech in 2023, he was a high-contact, line-drive hitter who put the ball in play and used his legs. One year later, he was a different player thanks to 15 pounds of added muscle and an ability to turn on pitches and launch them to his pull side. Campbell reached Triple-A Worcester in 2024 and produced a .997 overall OPS that ranked second in the minor leagues.

Scouting Report: Campbell’s unorthodox swing prompted plenty of double-takes and Hunter Pence mentions. Despite the atypical movement pattern, he is a disciplined hitter—aside from some chase on elevated fastballs—who rarely whiffs on pitches in the zone. His defensive actions, like his swing, are unconventional and somewhat choppy, and some scouts and teams are skeptical of his defensive value. Yet he proved to be efficient and rangy at multiple positions in 2024, including second base, center field, third base and shortstop. Evaluators are unsure of his future defensive home, though second base or left field are common guesses. Campbell runs well and should contribute in all phases.

The Future: There’s a fascinating unknown to Campbell’s floor and ceiling given his metamorphosis. Still, based on 2024, he looks like a potential star. Because of his defensive versatility and righthanded bat in a lefty-heavy Red Sox lineup, he has a number of pathways to the big leagues. While Campbell might start 2025 at Triple-A, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him break camp in the big leagues.


Kyle Teel:
Track Record: Teel started at Virginia for three years and emerged as a standout All-America catcher in 2023 when he was Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year. Widely seen as a top 10 prospect, he remained available to the Red Sox at No. 14 and signed for a slightly below-slot $4 million. Given his advanced feel for the game—aided by a father who caught in the minors—the Red Sox let Teel zip to Double-A in his pro debut then had him spend all of 2024 at the upper levels. He was an impressively consistent performer at Double-A Portland before seemingly wearing down at Triple-A Worcester.

Scouting Report: Teel is a line-to-line hitter who stays back on the ball and employs a minimal stride into a firm front side before generating impact with an aggressive hip rotation while relying on his hands to catch the ball in different areas of the zone. He’s willing to shoot the ball the other way—a trait that should produce at least an average hit tool—while occasionally turning on pitches with top-end exit velocities of 110 mph, suggesting average power potential. Defensively, Teel’s start to 2024 was rough as he acclimated to a one-knee down catching setup. He struggled with his framing and blocking, and footwork issues led to a poor start in controlling the running game. But he made strides over the year and transitioned well to Triple-A, suggesting potential to be an average receiver with above-average arm strength. His enthusiasm and motor endear him to pitchers. His speed is below-average, but better than most catchers.

The Future: Teel’s well-rounded profile suggests an unusually high floor for a catcher. Ideally, he’ll refine his defense in Triple-A for the first half of 2025.



Franklin Arias:
Track Record: As an amateur in Venezuela, Arias showed natural actions on both sides of the ball, packaged in a projectable 145-pound frame, leading Boston to sign him for $525,000. After a strong Dominican Summer League performance in 2023, Arias got off to a solid start in the Florida Complex League before catching fire, hitting .434/.527/.736 with six homers and 22 steals over a 27-game stretch while showing true shortstop traits. That explosion earned him FCL MVP honors as well as a promotion to Low-A Salem in July.

Scouting Report: Arias is a well-coordinated athlete whose soccer roots are evident in the body control he exhibits both in the field and as a hitter. While he emphasized putting the ball in play and shooting the ball to right field with his clean righthanded swing as an amateur, he started to learn to pull the ball—a common theme with Red Sox prospects—to tap into power in 2024 while maintaining a low strikeout rate. Among 18-year-olds to bat at least 350 times, Arias’ .178 isolated slugging ranked fifth, while his 17.5% strikeout rate was second lowest. Evaluators are confident that Arias will be an average-or-better hitter with a chance to reach homer totals in the mid-teens or higher. Despite slightly below-average speed, he shows excellent anticipation and terrific footwork that permits him to make edge-of-range plays, suggesting at least average out conversion at shortstop. His arm is also above-average.

The Future: Arias offers evidence of the depth of talent in the Red Sox system behind Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel, and depending on how much strength and power he adds to his two-way profile, he could emerge as an elite prospect. He’ll likely open 2025 back in Salem but will be a candidate to move early if he builds on his 2024 performance.


Luis Perales
Track Record: Perales generated plenty of backfield buzz after he signed for $75,000 out of Venezuela in 2019, thanks to a mid-to-high-90s fastball. But the Covid-19 shutdown, arm injuries and a careful innings buildup limited him to fewer than 40 pro innings through 2022. After a promising 2023 campaign, Perales made arsenal and usage improvements in 2024 that fueled an early-season breakout at High-A Greenville that included a 39.7% strikeout rate. Perales reached Double-A Portland in June, but he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in his ninth start and had Tommy John surgery later that month.

Scouting Report: Perales has the power repertoire to miss bats in the zone, starting with a four-seam fastball that averaged 97 mph. The pitch topped out near 100 and has up to 20 inches of ride and showed a bit of cut in 2024. Though that had been Perales’ primary pitch in the past, he balanced its usage with a newly developed low-90s cutter and reshaped mid-80s splitter with straight downward break. He used each roughly 30% of the time and attacked different areas of the strike zone to leave hitters flailing. While Perales employed a gyro slider in the past, he started to develop a sweeper before his injury. He made considerable strides in 2024 attacking the zone, helping him lower his walk rate from 13% in 2023 to 8% in 2024. His slight frame comes with durability concerns—his stuff tended to fade beyond the third inning—and questions about whether he can stick in the rotation.

The Future: Perales will miss most or all of the 2025 season while rehabbing. If he comes back with the same arsenal he showed in 2024, he has a chance at the ceiling of a No. 2 or 3 starter, though durability could push him to a late-innings role.

Matt Shaw
Track Record: A native of Brimfield, Mass., Shaw starred for three seasons at Maryland, where he set the program’s home run record with 53. As a rising junior in 2022, Shaw won Cape Cod League MVP honors and led the league with a .360 average. He carried that momentum into 2023, when he won Big 10 Conference player of the year honors. The Cubs drafted Shaw 13th overall that year and signed him for $4,848,500. Shaw is Maryland’s highest drafted player ever. He appeared in 38 games at three levels after the draft, reaching Double-A Tennessee for the final three weeks of the season. In 2024, Shaw began the season at Double-A and moved to Triple-A Iowa in August. He hit .284/.379/.488 with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 121 games. Shaw participated in the Futures Game and was awarded Southern League MVP honors after the season.

Scouting Report: Shaw stands just 5-foot-9, but he plays well above his height, showing an explosive combination of hitting ability, power and speed. He does a good job of balancing aggression and plate approach while avoiding passivity at the plate and showing enough barrel awareness to keep his strikeouts in check. Shaw’s ability to make consistent, hard contact against a variety of pitch types is testament to his advanced hitting ability, and his swing adjustments allow him to not only do damage against breaking and offspeed pitches, but to also consistently find the barrel. Shaw’s ability to drive the ball in the air consistently allows him to get the most out of his power in games. He hits the ball with authority to all fields, spraying an even number of pull-side and opposite-field home runs in 2024. Shaw will have above-average power at peak with 25-plus homer upside. He pairs his hitting ability and power with above-average speed and an aggressive approach on the bases. Shaw will run into outs from time to time but isn’t afraid to take the extra base and is adept at reading pitchers and getting good jumps. In the field, Shaw has seen time at multiple positions. Drafted as a shortstop, Shaw saw more time at third base in 2024, starting 63 games at the hot corner. Shaw is a fringe-average defender at third and, due to his lack of arm strength, is likely only a fill-in at shortstop. Though he showed above-average range at third, his actions can look awkward. He lacks the natural arm strength typical of third basemen, but his athleticism and quick release allow him to make many plays that less nimble infielders do not make.

The Future: Shaw is a bat-first infielder with power and an above-average hit tool. His positional versatility could earn him big league playing time in 2025 and should make him one of the more dynamic rookies.

Tre Morgan:
Track Record: A three-year star at LSU and a career .322 hitter in college, Morgan was a key part of the Tigers’ 2023 national championship team. His defense and throw home on a bunt to help beat Wake Forest will be replayed in Baton Rouge for decades. Drafted in the third round in 2023, Morgan was assigned to Low-A to start 2024 largely to keep him and fellow first baseman Xavier Isaac off the same roster. They ended up together for much of the season at High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery and even played together in the Arizona Fall League. Morgan missed the Coronavirus-shortened 2020 high school season with a left elbow injury. He also saw his 2023 pro season end early because of a minor arm injury, but he’s generally been durable.

Scouting Report: Morgan has a chance to hit .290-300 in the big leagues in his best years thanks to a gap-heavy, all-fields approach. Early in counts, he will try to yank the ball into the seats, but once he gets to two strikes, he wears pitchers into submission by stubbornly refusing to give in. Morgan struck out on three pitches just three times in 2024, and he either took a ball, fouled the pitch off or put it in play on 90% of two-strike pitches seen. At first base, Morgan is exceptional. He should be a perennial Gold Glove candidate. He has plus range, top-tier hands and a shortstop’s mentality. He wants the ball hit to him in crucial situations. He has a plus arm for the rare cases where he needs to start a double play. He can play a below-average left field, but he’s so much better at first.

The Future: Morgan’s combination of exceptional bat control, a polished all-fields approach and exceptional defense makes him a low-risk MLB regular. The question becomes whether his power develops enough to make him a significant offensive contributor.

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/early-202 ... e-coverage

Tirso Ornelas, OF, Charros de Jalisco (Mexico)
SD No. 17
The 24-year-old Ornelas plays all year round. He played in 63 games last winter in the Mexican League after a full Minor League season, and already has 24 games under his belt this winter in his native country after spending the entire 2024 season at Triple-A El Paso. Ornelas can hit. He batted .297 with 23 homers and an .864 OPS -- and some of the better exit velocities in the Padres' organization -- at El Paso this summer. And he's done a little bit of everything at the plate this winter, hitting .309/.429/.531 with four homers, 17 RBIs and six steals for Jalisco.

Shay Whitcomb

Track Record: Selected with the final pick of the five-round 2020 draft, Whitcomb has enjoyed a steady rise in the Astros’ system. He hit 20-plus home runs in his first four pro seasons, including 35 in 2023, when he tied for the minor league lead. In 2024, he drastically improved his contact skills and swing decisions, leading to a breakout season at Triple-A Sugar Land in which he hit .293/.378/.530 with 25 home runs in 108 games. Whitcomb earned his first callup in 2024, making his MLB debut on Aug. 17.

Scouting Report: Whitcomb took a giant step forward in his age-25 season. After adding significant power heading into 2023, he took it a step further by slashing his in-zone miss rate and chase rate, resulting in a drastic drop in his strikeout rate at Triple-A. Whitcomb now shows advanced plate skills, which held true in his brief major league time. He combines strong bat-to-ball ability with plus raw power and quality of contact. His 90th percentile exit velocity of 106.3 mph is above-average, as is his 43.5% hard-hit rate. His .424 expected wOBA on contact is also outstanding and a marker of his plus contact quality. He is an average straight-line runner who has shown a knack for stealing bases with four consecutive 20-plus steal seasons. Whitcomb saw a majority of his time defensively at third base and shortstop in 2024 but played all four infield positions as well as left and right field in 2024. He grades out as a below-average shortstop but is fringe-average at third base.

The Future: Whitcomb looks like a ready-made power source who is big league ready. He has a future as a utility infielder with the ability to play up to six positions and provide average offensive production.

Cole Young

Track Record: Young has been billed as an advanced bat since he was drafted out of high school outside Pittsburgh in the first round of 2022. He signed for $3.3 million to lure him away from his Duke commitment. He’s lived up to that billing thus far, posting a career .279 batting average with 163 walks to his 185 strikeouts while reaching Double-A at age 20.

Scouting Report: Young’s carrying ability is his hit tool. Opposing pitchers struggle to generate whiffs against him, and he has a knack for seemingly hitting the ball out of the catcher’s glove. Young loves to let the ball travel as long as possible and use the back side of his swing. That also makes him difficult to shift against, and he projects to hit for a high batting average. The key to his offensive ceiling will be how much elevation he can access on his pull side. He’s not particularly big or strong, and his mean exit velocities are low, so he may never hit for meaningful power. Young is an average runner with solid acceleration, though he doesn’t have the same top gear as some of the more explosive athletes. He is aggressive on the basepaths and has stolen more than 20 bases in each of his two full seasons. His true basestealing prowess may be overstated, because his efficiency has been lacking. The Mariners have emphasized spending time at both middle infield positions for Young, but his true home is likely second base, where his average arm will play. He has excellent footwork, above-average hands, and decent lateral mobility, all of which bode well for his ability to play a capable second base in the major leagues.

The Future: Young more than held his own at Double-A, positioning him to make his MLB debut before his 23rd birthday, either late in 2025 or early 2026. At peak, he projects to be a high-average, high-OBP second baseman who can set the table at the top of the order.

Logan Evans

Track Record: It didn’t make many waves when the Mariners drafted Evans out of Pittsburgh in the 12th round in 2023, especially considering he was a 22-year-old college senior brandishing a 5.88 ERA in his draft year. However, he had a brilliant pro debut, and Seattle responded by aggressively assigning him to Double-A Arkansas to start 2024. Evans thrived there, pitching to a 3.20 ERA while generating a 48% groundball rate.

Scouting Report: Evans has the frame of a prototypical innings-eating starter, standing 6-foot-4 with wide shoulders. His fastball comes out of his hand with ease and sits 93-97 mph with natural sink. Its shape lends itself to ground balls more than whiffs. Evans’ offsets his sinker with a four-seam fastball up in the zone and a hard low-90s cutter. His best pitch is a 81-86 mph sweeper that he can use to back-foot lefthanded hitters and dive away from righties. He rounds out his arsenal with a high-80s changeup that shows solid fade. Evans has a deep arsenal, and he’s not afraid to throw any pitch in any count, though his command comes and goes. At times, he gets ahead early and buries pitches late, but there are innings where he misses big with his fastball. Overall, his control projects as average, with a chance for a tick better.

The Future: Though there are no flaws in Evans’ profile, he doesn’t carry any elite, top-of-rotation qualities either. There are concerns that he may never be a big strikeout pitcher, and neither his control nor groundball rate are at elite levels. He projects as a safe No. 3 or 4 starter who should be able to post strong innings totals every season. His success in Double-A in 2024 puts him in position to potentially make his MLB debut in 2025.

Updated team top 10 list after a couple trades with BA ranking as of 9/1
https://www.baseballamerica.com/ranking ... prospects/

1. Kristian Campbell 2B/OF(#24)
2. Kyle Teel C(#25)
3. Matt Shaw 3B(#43)
4. Cole Young SS(#51)
5. Jefferson Rojas SS(#57)
6. Angel Genao SS(#70)
7. Caden Dana RHP(#82)
8. Logan Evans RHP(#90)
9. Franklin Arias SS(#91)
10. Tre Morgan 1B