IBC

This on Ryan Waldschmidt from Keith Law’s updated top 50 today…

Waldschmidt was a steal for the Diamondbacks at the 31st pick last year, and he’s been one of the best hitters from the 2024 draft class in the last 10 months. He’s hit .290/.459/.469 through Sunday in High A with more walks than strikeouts, and that strikeout rate is under 20 percent. Normally I’d be banging the table arguing for a promotion, but Arizona’s Double-A affiliate plays in Amarillo and that is one of the best home-run parks anywhere in the minors, so there’s some argument that it’s better to develop guys a little longer in the more neutral Northwest League environment before sending them to Amarillo and then onward to the surface of the moon (Reno). He’s the sort of impact, middle-of-the-order bat most teams will tell you is really hard to find.

Today from BA… Hitting Prospects With Standout Data article.

Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Diamondbacks

The D-backs’ 2024 supplemental first-round pick has enjoyed a strong first season, hitting .281/.416/.470 between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo. After a slow start to his Double-A career, Waldschmidt leveled up in August and hit .386/.505/.687 with five doubles, a triple and six home runs.

Waldschmidt’s performance was the best of any hitter in the minors for August and showed how the 22-year-old can do a little bit of everything. He reached base in more than half his plate appearances, slugged his way to the top of the monthly leaderboard and also stole 10 bases during the month.

Based on underlying data, Waldschmidt displays above-average contact skills, swing decisions and power, making for a very well-rounded profile. He could debut with the D-backs in 2026.

Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Guardians

After hitting .206/.282/.411 over the first 64 games of the season, Velazquez locked in during July and has dominated since. The 20-year-old slashed .313/.374/.554 last month and followed it up with an even stronger performance in August, hitting .372/.481/.709 with seven home runs.

Even more impressive? The majority of Velazquez’s monthly production came after he was promoted to Double-A on August 11. In his first 13 games in Double-A, he went 19-for-51 with four home runs and 10 walks to eight strikeouts.

After a rough first half, Velazquez has changed the outlook of his season and is trending toward ending 2025 on a high note. He’s a bat-first prospect who boasts as much impact hitting ability as any player in the Guardians’ organization