IBC

From the BA MLB Prospects Wire July 1:


Rangers’ OF Braylin Morel Mashes On Monday

ACL Rangers outfielder Braylin Morel had his best game of the season on Monday. Morel went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run while driving in four runs. Morel is 8-for-12 over his past three games with four doubles and a home run, as he’s raised his slash line to a much more impressive .286/.306/.457.


From the BA July 1 Hot Sheet Chat:

Danny V: "Did Sal Stewart receive any consideration for the Hot Sheet? His 2 HR this week seem to hint at improving power."

Josh Norris (BA): "He's learning how to pull the ball with more authority, which is a great sign. I generally do Hot Sheet hitters by total bases, and he had just 13 last week, which is a tick shy of the threshold set by other hitters."


IBC Orioles prospects on the updated MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospects list:

3. Leo De Vries, SS
31. Carson Williams, SS
52. Sal Stewart, 3B/2B
61. Cam Caminiti, LHP
62. Cam Collier, 3B/1B
81. Robbie Snelling, LHP
93. Alfredo Duno, C

From the July 7 BA article Notable Risers & Fallers In July Top 30 MLB Prospects Update:


Sal Stewart, 3B, Reds

Stewart has pulled more home runs to left field in the past month (four) than he’d hit in his first 250 pro games (three). It’s a nice addition to Stewart’s hit-first approach, and it may actually help him drive the ball to right field, as now pitchers are being given a reason to not just try to jam Stewart in. He’s hitting .315/.379/.491 overall this year, and his 10 home runs are just two off his pro career high.

From the July 2 BA updated top 100 prospects:


6. Leodalis De Vries | San Diego Padres | SS
66. Robby Snelling | Miami Marlins | LHP
68. Alfredo Duno | Cincinnati Reds | C
70. Caleb Bonemer | Chicago White Sox | SS
75. Carson Williams | Tampa Bay Rays | SS
89. Sal Stewart | Cincinnati Reds | 3B

From the July 7 BA MLB Prospect Hot Sheet:


19. Graham Pauley, 3B, Marlins

Team: Triple-A Jacksonville (International)
Age: 24
Why He’s Here: .500/.550/1.065 (9-for-18), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 3 RBIs, 2 BB, 1 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: When Pauley broke camp with the Padres to begin 2024, most assumed he’d be long since graduated 16 months later, but Pauley is still holding onto his prospect status by a thread. He put together an outstanding performance against Charlotte last week, going 9-for-16 over his first four games. His best game of the week came on Thursday, as he went 3-for-4 with two home runs. Pauley is showing some power in Triple-A this year with a .243 isolated slugging, but with more walks than strikeouts, his added power hasn’t hurt his approach. (GP)

From the July 9 BA article 5 Dominican Summer League Prospects Making Noise In 2025:


3. Shai Romero, RHP, Dodgers

Romero signed toward the end of the last signing period, on Dec. 16, 2024, but did not make his pro debut until this year in the DSL. Now, he’s opening eyes. The large-framed righthander has already brought his fastball into the upper 90s and pairs it with a solid slider and a developing changeup. Obviously, the big problem here is a lack of strikes. Romero’s delivery is funky and he’s walked 17 hitters in 11 innings. Still, the stuff has intrigued evaluators outside of the system enough to make him one of circuit’s better arm talents.

From the July 8th MLB.com Pipeline article Team-by-team breakdown of every player headed to Futures Game:


Nationals: Alex Clemmey, LHP (No. 5)

Clemmey was a late replacement for his fellow 2023 Draft pick Travis Sykora, who will miss time with lower right triceps soreness. Still only 19, the 6-foot-6 southpaw has fanned 88 batters in 64 2/3 innings with High-A Wilmington, thanks to a low-90s two-seamer with good action and a sharp slider, but he’ll run into occasional control problems too.


Reds: Sal Stewart, 3B (No. 3/MLB No. 52); Alfredo Duno, C (No. 6/MLB No. 93)

Stewart made a 10-spot jump in the refreshed Top 100 because all he does is hit. He sports a .322/.385/.491 slash line, leads the Double-A Southern League in batting average at age 21 and tops the Reds organization with his 154 wRC+. Duno was just added to the Top 100 as one of the more exciting young catching prospects in the game, using his advanced approach to post an OPS of .873 in the Florida State League as a 19-year old.


Padres: Leo De Vries, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 3)

Only 18 at High-A, De Vries has five-tool potential as a switch-hitting shortstop and should only grow into his offensive abilities more as he ages. Even so, his 110 wRC+ is third-best by a player 18 or younger at High-A since 2006 (min. 250 plate appearances).

From the July 10 MLB.com Pipeline article No. 3 prospect Snelling makes mark in 1st Triple-A start after promotion:


MLB Pipeline’s No. 81 overall prospect Robby Snelling tossed five scoreless innings in his return to Triple-A Jacksonville in Thursday’s 4-1 victory over Norfolk in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Vystar Ballpark.

Snelling, who ranks as Miami’s No. 3 prospect, didn’t compose his best performance but still managed to shut down the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate. He allowed four hits with three walks and three strikeouts, continuously working around trouble against a lineup featuring six players with big league experience.

Though Snelling tallied the third-most K's in the Southern League as of last Saturday, he didn't collect his first strikeout until fanning Emmanuel Rivera on a slider below the zone for the second out of the fourth.

In his 86-pitch, 57-strike outing, Snelling turned predominately to his four-seamer (one K), slider (two K's) and changeup. Gameday also registered one sinker and one curveball.

“I think it's going to be huge for me,” Snelling said of his slider in early April. “I got nothing but good feedback, visually and personally talking to the hitters that I was throwing to in spring of how that pitch adding to my repertoire is going to help me. Plays really well off the fastball, and it's just a shorter version of the kind of slurve/curveball that I throw. So that's going to be a huge point at the beginning of the season and later in the season, when the body starts getting a little more tired.”

After a leadoff single to open the game, Snelling induced a double play from Dylan Carlson. Following a double, he stranded the runner with a flyout to center. In the second, Snelling issued back-to-back one-out walks before retiring the next two batters.

When Norfolk tried putting together a two-out rally in the third on another walk and a ground-rule double, Snelling got José Barrero to ground out to second to end the threat. The leadoff baserunner reached in the fourth, but Snelling recorded the final six outs in order. He finished his start by tallying his first perfect inning with a pair of strikeouts. His fastest pitch of the game -- a 97.4 mph four-seamer -- was thrown during a sequence to strike out Samuel Basallo to end his outing.

This wasn’t Snelling’s first taste of the Triple-A level. He made his debut with the Jumbo Shrimp on Sept. 20, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and one walk to cap his 2024 season.

But after making two Grapefruit League appearances this spring, the Marlins reassigned him to Minor League camp and he began his 2025 campaign at Double-A Pensacola.

“Experience last year up there [at Triple-A] was awesome,” Snelling had said. “It's as close as you can get to the big leagues without being in it. … I thought that this year I'd potentially be starting up [at Triple-A] with how I threw last year in that one start, but I also understand that there's steps that you have to take to get up there.”

The 21-year-old, who came over from the Padres in the Tanner Scott/Bryan Hoeing trade ahead of last year's Deadline, went 3-5 with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 14 starts for the Blue Wahoos this season. Snelling led Pensacola in starts (14), innings (72 1/3) and strikeouts (85) at the time of his final appearance for the club.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that Snelling is a September callup for the Marlins if he continues to develop. However, he is not on the 40-man roster, so Miami would have to select his contract and make room for him. It also depends on what the Marlins do at the July 31 Trade Deadline.

“Very exciting for Robby,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said pregame Tuesday. “He showed us in Spring Training there was an uptick in velocity, there was an uptick in his overall stuff, and he's gone out in Double-A and pitched very well. Robby’s a terrific competitor, very hungry coming into this year, and he's performed in a way that it's time to challenge him in the next spot.

“So happy for Robby, and exciting that it's just another young player that has developed very well under our group in [player development], they've done an outstanding job with helping him take strides this year. Hope he continues to pitch well in Triple-A.”

From the July 16 BA article Top 25 Florida Complex League Prospects For 2025:


7. Jorge Rodriguez, C, Red Sox

Rodriguez is the FCL’s premier catch-and-throw artist, with an arm capable of regularly producing pop times well under than 1.90 seconds. His pure arm strength is at least double-plus, with the only knock being how well the operation will hold up against the rigors of a full season.

Despite a smaller stature, Rodriguez does an excellent job of finding the barrel and producing solid or better exit velocities. In the end, he could be an average hitter with fringe-average power and the kind of arm that puts the brakes on attempted base burglars.


8. Stiven Martinez, OF, Orioles

Martinez is one of the younger players in the league—he’ll play all year at 17 years old—but he made an impression on scouts nonetheless. He knows how to spray the ball to all fields, handles velocity and does a solid job recognizing offspeed offerings as well.

All those traits make him an up-arrow prospect and one of the more intriguing on the complex this summer. Offense will need to carry his profile, because he’s not an average runner—despite a frame that would suggest otherwise—and he’s likely to wind up in a corner once he reaches his full maturity.


9. Yairo Padilla, SS, Cardinals

Padilla opened eyes last summer in the DSL thanks to a quick-twitch operation and projectable tools on both sides of the ball. There was always a chance his development was going to be longer-term play, and that’s the way it’s looked after moving stateside.

Scouts still believe in Padilla’s athletic frame and remaining projection, and they see flashes of the offensive upside that could one day make him a threat at the top of the order. Padilla has struggled with throwing accuracy and getting to balls in the 5.5 hole, both of which are areas that will need to develop in order for him to reach his ceiling.

From the July 16 BA article Top 25 Arizona Complex League Prospects For 2025:


8. Keyner Martinez, RHP, Giants

Last year and in the early portion of the ACL season, Martinez and his knockout stuff were being deployed in a reliever’s role. He made his first start on May 28 and has been in that role ever since, with fantastic results. In his first half dozen starts, Martinez produced a 1.85 ERA and 28 strikeouts against six walks in 24.1 innings. He’s come about those numbers thanks to a dynamic combination of a hard sinker in the mid 90s and a potentially plus sweeper that has shown increased power and more consistent shape since last season. He’s introduced a changeup this season, and the pitch has made big strides as he’s become more confident with it.


12. Joswa Lugo, SS, Angels

There is little doubt that Lugo is capable of jaw-dropping power. The raw juice was apparent in spring training and in spurts throughout the ACL season. Now, he needs to prove he can refine his approach and bat-to-ball skills in ways that allow him to get to that power more often. Scouts in the complex league report a player with a hyper-aggressive approach who has trouble picking up spin. Of further concern is his ultimate defensive home. His body was already physical, but his lower half has thickened somewhat and the chances of him sticking at shortstop are slim. His likely home is at third base or in an outfield corner.


21. Stharlin Torres, RHP, Reds

The Reds’ club in Arizona has plenty of interesting arm talent, but Torres is at the top of the heap. The 19-year-old was stellar last year in the DSL, where he produced a sparkling 1.76 ERA. In the ACL, it’s been more of the same. His ERA through 10 appearances—six starts—was just 1.88. Torres comes by those numbers thanks to his stellar feel for a three-pitch mix of fastball, slider and changeup. His fastball sits in the low 90s and brushes 94, though scouts believe he has a good shot to add a few more ticks as he matures. Torres’ changeup is his superior offspeed pitch, thanks to late diving action and a feel to land it for strikes and bury it for chases. The slider is a slurvy pitch with inconsistent break. Torres has the ceiling of a back-end starter.


22. Humberto Cruz, RHP, Padres

Cruz is in the argument for the smoothest delivery in the complex league. The righthander’s actions are clean and repeatable and allow him to throw strikes at a high clip. His fastball sits in the low 90s and can scrape 95, and he pairs the pitch with a changeup and slider that each have the chance to be 55-grade offerings on the 20-80 scouting scale. The biggest blemish on Cruz’s card revolves around durability. His season was delayed by an injury and he has not completed four innings in any of his starts, including those after a promotion to Low-A Lake Elsinore. If he can be more durable, he has the look of a back-end starter with the ceiling for a little more.

From the July 17 BA article Top MLB Prospect Performers In Every Organization At Midseason:


Chicago White Sox

Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B
Low-A Kannapolis

The White Sox made Bonemer the fifth high school shortstop drafted last year, selecting the Michigan prep 43rd overall. The organization had a history with him via the Midwest team at the Area Code Games it sponsors. That familiarity has paid off. Bonemer has been one of the most productive 19-year-olds in full-season ball this season, batting .247/.380/.415 with seven home runs, 21 stolen bases and 51 walks in 73 games for Low-A Kannapolis.

From the July 16 BP article 2025 Prospects: The Midseason 50:


2. Leo De Vries, SS, San Diego Padres

Why He’ll Succeed: de Vries is a switch-hitter with plus hit and power potential from both sides of the plate. He’s more than held his own on the Padres’ very aggressive promotion track, and has been a league-average hitter in the Midwest League as an 18-year-old. He has impressive bat speed, and could be a 30-home-run hitter in the majors while staying somewhere on the dirt.

Why He Might Fail: de Vries has been a much better left-handed hitter than right so far in his pro career—not unusual for young switch-hitters and can be just a reps thing—and he’s likely to move off shortstop as he enters his early 20s. He is mostly projection and age-relative-to-league performance at the moment, and eventually we will need to see him dominate a minor-league level.


18. Carson Williams, SS, Tampa Bay Rays

Why He’ll Succeed: Potential Gold Glove shortstops with plus power and optimized launch distribution don’t show up often. Williams is great at the six spot and should hit more than his share of dingers with a 107-mph 90EV and a lot of balls hit hard in the air.

Why He Might Fail: Contact is a huge, ginormous problem here; his 34% Triple-A strikeout rate isn’t a total fluke. Williams has just gotten his in-zone contact rate to round up to 80%, and his whiff rate against secondaries this year is a massive red flag level, 45%. These numbers have gotten better as the season has progressed, so perhaps there’s additional room for improvement, but he needs to improve to get to just bad.


48. Caleb Bonemer, IF, Chicago White Sox

Why He’ll Succeed: While the White Sox top pitching prospects have had a rough 2025 season so far, it’s been sunnier for the hitters. Bonemer, an older prep bat who the Pale Hose took in the second round in 2024, has acquitted himself well in 2025, showing a good approach married to some pull-side power. He’s likely to stick somewhere on the dirt as well, albeit not at the most premium shortstop spot. All in all, our “Dan Uggla with better defense” comp from the offseason remains on point and moving in the right direction.

Why He Might Fail: Part of the reason for the Uggla comp was Bonemer is already pretty physically maxed and has a bit of a stiff swing. That last bit can quickly get exposed against better stuff in the upper minors.

From the July 21 BA MLB Prospects Hot Sheet:


5. Keyner Martinez, RHP, Giants

Team: ACL Giants (Arizona Complex)
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 1 GS, 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 11 SO

The Scoop: The ACL Giants have been the league’s top team, thanks in large part to a deep and effective pitching staff, of which Martinez has been a key contributor. He leans on a two-pitch mix, featuring a lively, mid-90s fastball with angle and downhill plane and a sweeping low-80s slider. He commands both pitches well, especially to the outer edge against righties. The slider stands out as a true weapon, capable of landing for strikes or diving out of the zone to generate ugly swings. Martinez is also working to add a changeup to round out his arsenal. Though still developing, it sits in the upper 80s and flashes promising armside life. (JC)

From the July 28 BA MLB Prospect Hot Sheet:


7. Robby Snelling, LHP, Marlins

Team: Triple-A Jacksonville (International)
Age: 21
Why He’s Here: 0-1, 2.70, 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO, 2 HR

The Scoop: Saturday was a banner day for Marlins lefthanded pitching prospects. At Double-A, Thomas White struck out 14 in five innings. A level above, Snelling rung up 11 hitters, albeit in a loss to Durham and former top prospect Forrest Whitley. Result aside, Snelling was excellent. He reached 98 mph with his fastball and got 24 swings and misses before exiting. The former Padres prospect and 2022 Baseball America Pitcher of the Year has 101 strikeouts and just 26 walks in 88 innings this year between Double-A and Triple-A. (JN)