IBC

From the April 7th BA Hot Sheet:


5. Sal Stewart, 3B, Reds

Team: Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)
Age: 21
Why He’s Here: .444/.545/.889 (4-for-9), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: Stewart spent all of 2024 in High-A Dayton, where he batted .279 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs. He also had a strong showing in the Reds’ Spring Breakout game by going 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a triple. In his first game of the season, the 21-year-old singled off George Klassen, stole a base and later scored when Ruben Ibarra homered in the next at-bat. In the next game, he sent a solo shot to center field and finished a triple shy of the cycle. Stewart split time between second and third base, but polished up his defense heading into the season. He’s an advanced hitter for his age— his 19% miss rate last season is among the best in the Reds’ organization—and he has walked almost as much as he has struck out in pro ball. (JC)

From the April 10 BA article 10 MLB Prospects Who Caught Our Attention In April:


3. Six-foot-six Nationals lefthander Alex Clemmey streamlined his delivery. “I’ve been able to simplify it where it’s smooth and effortless, and I can still produce high velocity,” he said. The 19-year-old opens the season at High-A Wilmington, where he was missing plenty of bats and proving to be difficult to square up.


4. Hard-hitting Reds infielder Sal Stewart will focus on third base this season. The 2022 first-rounder played second base on occasion in each of the past two seasons, and the Reds plan to play him there sporadically for Double-A Chattanooga this season.


10. Athletics outfielder Henry Bolte held his own when he reached Double-A Midland last season—but he struck out nearly 39% of the time. That’s why he focused on simplifying his swing in the offseason by “loading a little bit earlier and a little bit simpler, getting to my launch position.” This season Bolte returned to Midland, where he avoided striking out through his first three games.

From the April 11th BA Prospects Wire:


Nationals prospect Alex Clemmey had one of the best performances in the minor leagues on Thursday for High-A Wilmington. The 19-year-old punched out the first seven batters he retired, then finished hit outing by striking out the side, all of them swinging. Over five innings, he threw 70 pitches (43 for strikes) and allowed just one hit. Clemmey was one of three players the Guardians traded to acquire Lane Thomas last summer. He was one of the hardest-throwing prep pitchers in the 2023 draft, as his fastball sits in the mid 90s and touched 98 mph in 2024. He has the potential to reach 100 mph as he progresses in his career.


From the April 11th BP Minor League Update:


Pitcher of the Day:

Alex Clemmey, LHP, Washington Nationals (High-A Wilmington): 5 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 10 K, 2 BB.

We had Clemmey as a very high risk 55 on the Nationals list, but really he’s even more fun than that. The Rhode Island prep, acquired from the Guardians last summer for Lane Thomas, wields an authentically unorthodox delivery that is optimal for deception and less optimal for command. 6-foot-6 and lanky, there’s room for growth on both his low-to-mid 90s fastball and his tricky slider. The former second rounder now has 16 strikeouts over his first eight Sally League innings.

From BA's April 14 Hot Sheet:


10. Alex Clemmey, LHP, Nationals

Team: High-A Wilmington (South Atlantic)
Age: 19
Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 5IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: There’s little question that Clemmey has the stuff to dominate. Whether he can put it in the strike zone often enough, however, remains uncertain. In his second start of the season, he produced strikes in great quality and quantity. His strike rate for the day was 61.4%, about 1.4% higher than the clip he produced in 2024. The 10 strikeouts he racked up was a career high, besting his previous high-water mark of eight, which he reached twice in 2024. (JN)


20. Ben Kudrna, RHP, Royals

Team: Double-A Northwest Arkansas (Texas)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: 0-1, 3.86, 4.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Kurdna only pitched 4.2 innings in his lone start this week, but the 22-year-old made his presence known. The righthander tied a career high with 10 strikeouts, getting batters to whiff 18 times. He threw 89 pitches and landed 54 of them for strikes. He allowed seven hits, but it was still a very impressive outing. Kudrna’s four-seam fastball sits between 91-95 mph and can reach 97, but has limited deception. He’s added a two-seam fastball that has some sinking action. (JC)

From the April 18 BA article 18 MLB Prospect Performances That Could Mean Something—Or Nothing—Early In 2025:

Robby Snelling, LHP, Marlins

Snelling was once a Top 100 Prospect and Baseball America’s 2023 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, but he struggled to a 6.01 ERA at Double-A San Antonio last year. Things have stabilized since his trade to Miami, and he’s off to a strong start at Double-A Pensacola with a 2.20 ERA and 20 strikeouts over his first 16.1 innings. More importantly, Snelling has pitched more assertively within the strike zone, and his velocity is ticking up. With 143 Double-A innings under his belt, Triple-A Jacksonville is beckoning.


Herick Hernandez, LHP, Braves

Hernandez caught my attention by striking out nine over 4.2 scoreless innings against High-A Asheville. So did this line from his preseason scouting report: The Braves drafted him a year later in the fourth round for $472,500 despite a 6.14 ERA over 14 starts because they bought into his pure arm talent. There seems to be a recent trend of Miami pitchers finding more success in pro ball, and Hernandez has some interesting qualities as a 5-foot-10 lefty who throws a fastball up to 94 mph from a high slot and plenty of carry. He also appears to have reinserted his curveball back into his repertoire this year to round out his four-pitch mix.


Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics

Bolte is hitting .326/.396.488 in his return to Double-A Midland and is coming off a 2-for-4 game on Thursday where he went yard and also stole his first base of the year. But Bolte’s 16.7% strikeout rate and 72.2% contact percentage are what have my attention. Both would represent significant steps forward for a player who isn’t short on power or speed but has long faced a healthy amount of skepticism about how his swing would work against better pitching. Let’s see if he can sustain it.

From the BA April 21st Hot Sheet:

14. Caleb Bonemer, SS, White Sox

Team: Low-A Kannapolis (Carolina)
Age: 19
Why He’s Here: .471/.615/.765 (8-for-17), 5 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBIs, 7 BB, 4 SO, 3-for-5 SB

The Scoop: One of the top hitters on the summer showcase circuit in 2023, Bonemer has hit the ground running as a professional. Last week was the best week of his young professional career, as he reached base in more than half of his at-bats. On Wednesday, Bonemer collected four hits and reached base five times. He has thus far has shown advanced feel to hit and a discerning eye at the plate. Drafted in the second round last July, Bonemer is part of a core of good hitting prospects coming up in the White Sox system. (GP)

From the BA April 21st Hot Sheet:

4. Kelvin Hidalgo, SS, Rockies

Team: Low-A Fresno (California)
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: .417/.517/.750 (10-for-24), 10 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBIs, 5 BB, 7 SO, 9-for-9 SB

The Scoop: Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, Hidalgo had the best performance of his professional career last week against Lake Elsinore. Hidalgo opened the week with a home run on Tuesday and another on Thursday. He collected hits in all six games and went wild on the base paths. He had four steals in Wednesday’s game, two in Friday’s game and another three on Sunday to go a perfect 9-for-9 on the base paths during the series. With some power, speed and feel to hit, Hidalgo could rise this season with continued strong performance. (GP)

From NBCSports.com:

Padres SS prospect Leo De Vries went 5-for-5 with two homers and eight RBI on Tuesday for High-A Fort Wayne.

Unreal. De Vries hit for the cycle and recorded his second career multi-homer effort as a part of a legendary five-hit explosion. The 18-year-old switch-hitting prodigy pairs above-average speed and athleticism with the ability to drive the ball to all fields, which gives him a chance to blossom into a high-impact fantasy contributor down the road. He’s still a couple hyperspace jumps from the majors, but performances like this latest masterpiece show why he’s locked into top-10 dynasty prospect status until further notice.

From the 4/25 BA article 15 MLB Prospects Outside The Top 100 Who Have Stood Out Early In 2025:


Robby Snelling, LHP, Marlins

Sometimes, what’s old is new again. In 2023, Snelling was BA’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year and ranked in the middle of the Top 100. After difficult 2024, however, the lefthander fell off the list. Traded to the Marlins at last year’s deadline, Snelling has recaptured his old form with Double-A Pensacola. He has induced whiffs at a higher rate (15.6% swinging strike rate over the first month) while generating a high rate of ground balls (56.6%). The return of Snelling’s command and his best fastball and curveball has led to an April renaissance. Continued strong performance could vault him back into the Top 100.


Caleb Bonemer, SS, White Sox

It’s been a long time since the White Sox have drafted an impact hitter. So long that 31-year-old Tim Anderson might be the last homegrown Chicago draftee to meet expectations as a major leaguer. While it’s early in Bonemer’s career, the 2024 second-round pick offers White Sox fans a glimpse of hope that another could finally be on the way.

Hitting for power while showing average plate skills, Bonemer is currently putting together some of the best underlying data in Low-A. His exit velocity data is well above-average for his age and level, as evidenced by a 106 mph 95th percentile EV. Beyond the underlying data, Bonemer is putting together some good, old-fashioned production on the field, too. Entering Friday he is hitting .322/.447/.542 with nine extra-base hits and seven stolen bases. Bonemer has a well-rounded skillset with the ability to add strength and more power in the coming years. Could Bonemer be the White Sox great hope? Time will tell.

From the April 28th BA Hot Sheet:


5. Leodalis De Vries, SS, Padres

Team: High-A Fort Wayne (Midwest)
Age: 18
Why He’s Here: .350/.391/.900 (7-for-20), 4 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: De Vries opened the week with a single-game performance for the ages, hitting for the cycle, launching two home runs and racking up eight RBIs. The explosive outing catapulted his batting average from .217 to .294 in a single night. Although the 18-year-old cooled off in the days that followed, that one historic showing cements his place on this week’s list. (JC)


6. Tim Elko, 1B, White Sox

Team: Triple-A Charlotte (International)
Age: 26
Why He’s Here: .333/.400/1.095 (7-for-21) 6 R, 1 2B, 5 HR, 8 RBIs, 3 BB, 6 SO

The Scoop: In the past 10 games, Elko has hit eight home runs, with three different two-home run games. No other MiLB hitter has eight home runs all season. Elko has always been a slugger, but he has shown increased power this year. He already has home runs of 114, 111 and 110 mph and has already collected more 110+ mph hits this year than he had in 48 games at Charlotte last year. (JJ)