Here are 11 first-half Minor League MVPs

One got away:
Texas League: Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B, Amarillo (AZ No. 14)
De Los Santos misses out on meeting the Texas League qualifying standard because of his May 21 promotion to Triple-A, but there’s little doubt he was the impact hitter of the first half here. His 14 homers are still tied for most in the circuit, and his 205 wRC+ was tops among all of Double-A (minimum 160 plate appearances).

One on the rise:
Carolina League: Angel Genao, INF, Lynchburg (CLE No. 11)
Genao’s .341 average and .553 slugging percentage remain tops among all Single-A qualifiers even after he’s spent his last 15 games with High-A Lake County. He had 23 extra-base hits and 12 steals over his 44 games at the lowest full-season level.

2nd half of the season starts with some roster moves:

LHP Doug Nikhazy promoted to Columbus. age 24 2nd round
LHP Parker Messick promoted last week to Akron age 23 2nd round
RHP Austin Peterson promoted to Akron age 24 9th round
RHP Rorik Maltrud prmoted to Lake County [age24 nondrafted FA]
RHP Kendeglys Vurguez promoted to Lynchburg 20 year old reliever

Another multi-homerun day for CJ Kayfus, he's hit 13 total with 58 total; with 6 in 72 plate appearances for Akron
We now have two many solid hitting firstbasemen.
How about trading Manzardo for Quantrill? I'm not interested in Civale

Velazquez and Chourio had been rather quiet lately, but did well yesterday:
RalphyV double17 and homer9
JaisonC double17 and 18 and steal 21
Hawke 2 singles a walk and steal16

Chourio, Jaison Guardians Lynchburg Hillcats A 5 1 2 3 0 1 2 2B, 1 SB
Velazquez, Ralphy Guardians Lynchburg Hillcats A 5 2 2 2 0 1 1 HR, 1 2B
Fox, Jake Guardians Lake County Captains A+ 2 0 0 0 2 0
Genao, Angel Guardians Lake County Captains A+ 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 SB
Mooney, Alex Guardians Lake County Captains A+ 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 SB
Frias, Dayan Guardians Akron RubberDucks AA 4 0 0 1 1 0
Halpin, Petey Guardians Akron RubberDucks AA 4 1 1 0 1 3 1 2B
Watson, Kahlil Guardians Akron RubberDucks AA 3 3 2 1 2 1 1 2B
Noel, Jhonkensy Guardians Cleveland Guardians MLB 4 1 1 1 0 2 1 HR

82 pitches today by Williams; in 4 innings that's not very effective work but for now it should be proof he is ready to pitch for the Guardians next week. His line:
4 3 1 1 2 6
Manzardo and Valera with 3 run homers; Martinez a solo shot plus a single; Brito 2 singles. JRod single and walk

per MLB.com

Hottest hitting prospects right now -- one for each team

Guardians: Jhonkensy Noel, OF/1B/3B (No. 26)
Noel owns some of the biggest raw power in the Minors and was recalled to the big league club on Wednesday after bashing at a .413/.476/.707 clip with six homers in his last 22 Triple-A games. Signed for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2017, he's slashing .295/.359/.578 overall and ranks fifth in Minors with 18 homers in 65 contests.

[They could have flipped a coin to choose before JKN and CJK. Kayfus joined Akron a couple days into June and in 18 AA games he's hitting 371/474/758 with 6 homers 10 walks and 21 RBI

Thursday of note:


Columbus: noted these yesterday: Valera and Manzardo each with a 3 run homer; Martinez solo and single' Brito 2 hits
Morgan 0.2 1 1 1 1 0
Walters 1 0 0 0 1 3 6.75 in AAA

Akron: Kayfus 0-5. Planez 2-4. a double Frias 2-4 4 rbi
Mace 4.2 9 5 5 2 4

Lake County:
Cooper Ingle 2b#17 single walks 331 925 Among league leaders in 2b, avg, obp, ops
Advincula homer single walk steal20
Devers single single walk walk
Burgos homer single walk steal

Lynchburg:
E Gonzalez double 2 singles 3rbi steal30
hawke single double#5 only walk steal17
Humphries about as usual 3.1 2 1 1 3 4 5.06

Oh my this Willi Castro guy...

Castro went 2-for-4 with two steals and a run scored in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Mariners.

Analysis:Castro notched base hits in his first two at-bats of the afternoon and stole second both times. He's now up to 10 steals on the year, marking a second consecutive season with double-digit thefts.

Castro closed out June on a heater at the dish. In 13 games since June 16, he's slashing .370/.414/.667 with two homers, nine RBI and 13 runs scored. He's totaled seven multi-hit efforts over that span. The 27-year-old is cruising to career-best offensive numbers this year across the board in his second season with the Twins.

i hope all our minor leaguers work out, wherever they turn up in the majors. Willi was a nice prospect who yieilded us [forget the first name] Martin, a CF, from the Tigers. Castro wasn't particularly successful with Detroit but doing better at the magical age 27 like Fry and Schneemann.
Ernie Clement, now 28, is a part-timers with Toronto. Unfortunately his most memorable moment in CLE was running into Josh Naylor and lading Josh in the hospital with multiple fractures
Kid named Sam Haggerty a Cleveland 24th round pick never made it beyond a brief time in AAA for us; has moved on to a useful utility role for the Mariners over parts of 5 seasons.

While top round OFs Zimmer and Frazier had much less success; Benson struggling with the Reds; Nolan Jones is displaying a great OF arm and an amazing propensity to strike out for the Rockies [5K in 6 AB a couple days ago]

you never know

as for current minor leaguers, I am curious if the Akron rotation has future major league arms or just solid AA pitchers.

Noted last week that both Parker Messick and Ryan Web [both lefties] made the Baseball America Hot Sheet

Overall this year:
Webb age 25, 4th round, 2021 3.08 ERA 1.29 WHIP 90K/33BB/ 4 HR in 85 innings
Messick age 23 2nd round 2022 combining Lake County and Akron: 3.59 ERA 1.28 WHIP 100K/29BB 7HR in 80 inings.

Very solid stats from Righties, neither who's been on any top 30 list so I know little of the quality of their arsenal
Aaron Davenport age 23 6th round 2021 2.80 ERA 1.18 WHIP 73K/ 28BB only 4HR in 87 innings [19 homers in Lake County last year]
totally unheralded Austin Peterson 9th round 2022 combining Lake County and Akron: 2.30 ERA 0.77 WHIP 102K/6BB 4homers in 98 innings--- those are Shane Bieber quality minor league stats. I have not seen a word about him in Baseball America, has anyone in any other forum?

BA is using a statistical model to rate prospects, using offensive figures only. Here's where CLE players appear

Let’s see some of the…<pinky touches lower lip> fireworks that took place in the minor leagues. Although RoboScout doesn’t understand the functional utility of pyrotechnics, they understand that humanoids enjoy visual spectacles with loud noises.

Speaking of, this segues perfectly into…

As a reminder, the RoboScore is the value (0 to 100) assigned per level by RoboScout based on 2024 statistical performance and projecting fantasy value (without considering defensive position or ability). The RoboCast number is the RoboScore but with statcast blended in and then transformed to the 0 to 100 scale.

Dominican Summer League Hitters (min 25 PA)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Juneiker Caceres CLE 99 100
7 Gabriel Rodriguez CLE 86 89
18 Yeiferth Castillo CLE 63 78

Arizona/Florida Summer League
14 Welbyn Francisca CLE 71 85
Same level pitchers:
3 Jacob Bresnahan CLE 100 95
16 Jogly Garcia CLE 82 87

Low A Hitters
8 Ralphy Velazquez CLE 79 89
12 Jaison Chourio CLE 74 87
19 Angel Genao CLE 66 81 [later promoted to High A]

Low A Pitchers
1 Matt Wilkinson CLE 100 100 since promoted to High A

High A Hitters
13 Angel Genao CLE 76 81
21 C.J. Kayfus CLE 73 78 since promoted to AA
22 Cooper Ingle CLE 71 78
In 2023, Cooper Ingle (Guardians) was taken in the fourth round, ultimately signing for $400,000. In his first full season as a professional, the High-A Lake County catcher has a 171 wRC+ with six home runs. With his league average swing decisions and plus contact rate, Ingle is a prototypical Guardian hitting prospect where thump is less of a priority than precocious bat-to-ball ability. Ingle has been particularly productive in the last six weeks, with five of his six home runs coming in his last 134 plate appearances, where he has also put up a scorching 201 wRC+, the second-highest mark by anyone with at least 80 plate appearances over that span.

High A Pitchers
2 Matt Wilkinson CLE 100 100
22 Austin Peterson CLE 76 78 since promoted to AA

AA Hitters
17 C.J. Kayfus CLE 72 75 [3 places above Dayvison DeLosSantos]

AA Pitchers:
Just when I said I have not read any reviews of Austin Peterson, here's one:
In 85 innings in High-A, Austin Peterson (Guardians) has walked batters at a microscopic 1.9% rate. Although he has been in the back end of the High-A Top 25, RoboScout hasn’t been too enthused because of the fact that he is a bit older at 24-years old and his 91 mph doesn’t light up the internal “stuff” model. This attitude, however, is what led to Matt Wilkinson (Guardians) being initially dismissed this season and Zebby Matthews (Twins) himself was a victim to this robotic snobbism last year. Speaking of Zebby, since being promoted to Double-A Akron, Peterson has followed in Matthews’ footsteps by refusing to issue a free pass in his first 13 innings of work. It would behoove RoboScout to adjust his priors and concede that the ninth-round pick from the 2022 draft may not throw flames, but his ability to command his above average slider, curveball and change up are pointing to another Guardian pitching development success story – and what looks like a back-of-the-rotation innings eater.

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Home Fantasy RoboScout Top MLB Prospects At Every Level On July 7, 2024

ARTICLEFANTASY
RoboScout Top MLB Prospects At Every Level On July 7, 2024
July 7, 2024
July 7, 2024
Dylan White
0 Comments


Hope you all had a great holiday season and safely enjoyed some fireworks this past week.

Let’s see some of the…<pinky touches lower lip> fireworks that took place in the minor leagues. Although RoboScout doesn’t understand the functional utility of pyrotechnics, they understand that humanoids enjoy visual spectacles with loud noises.

Speaking of, this segues perfectly into…

As a reminder, the RoboScore is the value (0 to 100) assigned per level by RoboScout based on 2024 statistical performance and projecting fantasy value (without considering defensive position or ability). The RoboCast number is the RoboScore but with statcast blended in and then transformed to the 0 to 100 scale.

Dominican Summer League Hitters (min 25 PA)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Juneiker Caceres CLE 99 100
2 Jesus Made MIL 92 96
3 Jose Anderson MIL 100 93
4 Eduardo Beltre MIN 83 91
5 Elvin Garcia BAL 82 90
6 Luis Pena MIL 86 89
7 Gabriel Rodriguez CLE 86 89
8 Yolfran Castillo TEX 84 88
9 Jirvin Morillo CIN 81 87
10 Edward Florentino PIT 75 85
11 Jaset Martinez CIN 76 84
12 Justin Gonzales BOS 72 84
13 Emil Morales LAD 85 83
14 Adriander Mejia BAL 71 83
15 Queni Pineda NYY 70 82
16 Jhonayker Ugarte KCR 77 81
17 Diorland Zambrano CIN 66 80
18 Yeiferth Castillo CLE 63 78
19 Rafael Flores TOR 66 78
20 Euri Rosa LAD 71 78
In a reversal of “AI is coming for our jobs”, Ben Badler delivered his latest article of players in the DSL generating buzz, essentially rendering RoboScout irrelevant this week. If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor.

Elvin Garcia (Orioles) has entered into the top tier of targets. Although his performance is already sufficient to have him in the conversation of dynasty targets, when you add in that he plays a solid shortstop with a high baseball IQ and athleticism, he becomes a must-bid. Garcia also has a plus contact rate, plus chase rate and a preternatural knack for barreling all pitch types. This includes five barrels against breaking pitches. This is not clear when merely scouting the statline, but RoboScout folds it into the grade.

Congratulations also to Yolfran Castillo (Rangers). He was brought stateside and is now in the Complex League.

Complex League Hitters (min 55 PA)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Yeremi Cabrera TEX 100 100
2 Eduardo Tait PHI 93 99
3 Robert Calaz COL 92 99
4 Eric Bitonti MIL 84 97
5 Eduardo Quintero LAD 81 94
6 Franklin Arias BOS 78 91
7 Edgleen Perez NYY 75 91
8 Starlyn Caba PHI 78 91
9 Yoeilin Cespedes BOS 81 91
10 Dameury Pena MIN 77 87
11 Jhonny Severino PIT 73 87
12 Brailer Guerrero TBR 73 86
13 Luis Parababire ATL 72 86
14 Welbyn Francisca CLE 71 85
15 Andruw Musett BOS 67 84
16 Felnin Celesten SEA 72 84
17 Miguel Rodriguez BAL 69 83
18 Pablo Guerrero TEX 85 82
19 Joshua Liranzo BAL 72 82
20 Aroon Escobar PHI 67 81
21 Carlos Tavares WSN 68 81
22 Franyerber Montilla DET 67 80
23 Jeremy Rodriguez NYM 77 78
24 Abrahan Ramirez NYY 64 78
25 Alexander Albertus LAD 63 78
After missing the first bit of the season, Joshua Liranzo (Orioles) has only recently debuted stateside and only now has qualified for the Complex Level hitting list, debuting in the Top 20. Considering he has already hit two balls over 105 mph in his first week of playing—and is one of the youngest hitters in the Complex League—RoboScout is extremely excited, and that’s without even knowing that he is the younger brother of Thayron Liranzo (Dodgers). Although a growth spurt has pushed him off shortstop, the younger Liranzo’s patient approach, solid bat-to-ball skills, and potential for high end exit velocities should be more than enough to play at a corner. The biggest concern right now is Liranzo’s average launch angle is currently negative, something already evident in the 51% groundball rate, but despite that he still has put up a league average barrel rate. It’s been fewer than 60 plate appearances but RoboScout is extremely excited about the young Oriole infielder’s ceiling – probably making him a Top 250 fantasy prospect already.

In 2022, the Brewers signed Jhonny Severino (Pirates) for $1.25 million but traded him to the Pirates for Carlos Santana a year ago. The report on Severino was that he had a fair bit of chase, but his average contact rate and above average exit velocities should be viable even if he moved off shortstop to the hot corner. So far in 2024, he has improved his contact rate by 7%, essentially raising it from average to plus, and improved his swing decisions from a 35 grade to a 45. Not only has he demonstrated that he has a strong underlying foundation, over his last 130 plate appearances he has a 146 wRC+, with a league leading nine home runs over that time, and seven stolen bases. He will no doubt be pushed to a corner. To my surprise, RoboScout projects him to have the second most home runs at peak of any hitter in the Complex Leagues behind only Yeremi Cabrera (Rangers).

Complex League Pitchers (min 12 IP)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Trevor Harrison TBR 95 100
2 Samuel Sanchez LAD 96 96
3 Jacob Bresnahan CLE 100 95
4 Christian Zazueta LAD 89 94
5 Sean Linan LAD 92 93
6 Ovis Portes BOS 86 92
7 Hayden Robinson MIL 95 92
8 Keyner Benitez MIA 100 91
9 Joseph Yabbour NYM 84 91
10 Rafael Gonzalez HOU 86 91
11 Alix Hernandez SFG 86 89
12 Nelfy Ynfante STL 93 89
13 Yeferson Vargas BOS 82 88
14 Adrian Herrera CIN 82 87
15 Jesus Palacios BAL 86 87
16 Jogly Garcia CLE 82 87
17 Sandy Ozuna COL 90 86
18 Luis Arestigueta ATL 81 85
19 Adam Bates BOS 79 85
20 Jesus Carrera HOU 82 84
21 Juan Nunez HOU 77 84
22 Jordarlin Mendoza NYY 78 84
23 Zander Mueth PIT 76 83
24 Jeremy Pilon TBR 88 83
25 Luis Gonzalez PHI 89 83
Moving up to just outside the top 15 is Sandy Ozuna (Rockies), an 18-year-old righthander with a 94 mph four seam fastball, an 83 mph bullet slider that gets above average whiffs and chases, and a show-me changeup. In 2023 in the DSL, Ozuna had a 14% walk rate, demonstrating his lack of command, however so far in his 22 innings at the complex, the 6-foot-3-inch has a 7% walk rate to go along with his 30% strikeout rate. The fastball, despite the velocity, doesn’t have the shape of modern four seamers but he has topped out at 97 mph and won’t turn 19 until next May, suggesting it will still be an effective pitch even if it remains a dead-zone shape.

Low-A Hitters (min 55 PA)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Lazaro Montes SEA 100 100
2 Colt Emerson SEA 89 98
3 Michael Arroyo SEA 94 98
4 Kevin McGonigle DET 85 97
5 Blake Mitchell KCR 86 96
6 Jonny Farmelo SEA 79 91
7 Axiel Plaz PIT 90 89
8 Ralphy Velazquez CLE 79 89
9 Demetrio Crisantes ARI 73 88
10 Josue De Paula LAD 73 88
11 Aidan Smith SEA 83 88
12 Jaison Chourio CLE 74 87
13 Jesus Baez NYM 76 87
14 Jeral Perez LAD 74 86
15 Max Clark DET 73 85
16 Leodalis De Vries SDP 96 85
17 Walker Jenkins MIN 68 84
18 Zyhir Hope LAD 67 84
19 Angel Genao CLE 66 81
20 Josue Briceno DET 65 80
21 Logan Wagner LAD 63 80
22 Aron Estrada BAL 74 79
23 Yophery Rodriguez MIL 74 79
24 Jordan Viars PHI 69 78
25 Cooper Pratt MIL 67 78
Over the last month, we’ve discussed Leandro Arias and Thomas Sosa (Orioles) as some noteworthy Low-A Delmarva hitters —but the hitter who has filled up the stat sheet the most in the last six weeks is their teammate Aron Estrada who has put up a 170 wRC+ with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases. With his poor chase rate, he doesn’t walk—getting a bit dinged in OBP leagues—and might get exploited as he progresses up the levels, but RoboScout projects him to be a league-average hitter with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases at peak in the major leagues, without being a defensive liability. The statcast data slightly lags the surface stats, but RoboScout views him as a Top 200 fantasy prospect.

Before the season, Geoff identified Jancel Villarroel (Astros) as a prospect with outstanding exit velocities for his age as the then 18-year-old had a 102.8 mph 90th percentile exit velocity with a 108 mph maximum exit velocity. Well, in 2024, the still-teenager has seen his 90th percentile exit velocity rise to 106 mph, having hit already nine tracked balls over 105 mph, setting a new personal high maximum exit velocity of 111 mph in the process. Last week, I mentioned how the Astros target an archetype of hitter of plus or better exit velocities with contact and chase rates average or even slightly lower than average, and Villarroel definitely falls within that taxonomy. Although he is not quite in the Top 30 for the level—and has yet to hit a home run in full season ball—RoboScout has the teenager watch-listed, and will be particularly excited to see his power play in the cozy confines of High-A Asheville.

Low-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Matt Wilkinson CLE 100 100
2 Jonah Tong NYM 91 95
3 Quinn Mathews STL 85 94
4 Alejandro Rosario TEX 84 93
5 Jarlin Susana WSN 80 91
6 Santiago Suarez TBR 79 90
7 Grant Taylor CHW 76 89
8 Didier Fuentes ATL 80 89
9 George Klassen PHI 78 88
10 Eliazar Dishmey MIA 73 86
11 Travis Sykora WSN 81 85
12 Yujanyer Herrera MIL 83 84
13 Sean Linan LAD 85 84
14 Thomas White MIA 71 81
15 Kohl Drake TEX 81 81
16 Mavis Graves PHI 86 81
17 Christian Zazueta LAD 74 80
18 Gary Gill Hill TBR 80 80
19 Welinton Herrera COL 69 80
20 Ovis Portes BOS 70 80
21 Tyler Gough SEA 64 78
22 Adam Serwinowski CIN 65 78
23 Noble Meyer MIA 66 78
24 Alimber Santa HOU 66 77
25 Isaiah Lowe SDP 67 77
Last week we talked about the recent “heater” that Jarlin Susana (Nationals) was on and he got promptly promoted to High-A Wilmington where he can continue to hurl his triple-digit heat.

Another Nationals pitcher ascending the rankings is Travis Sykora who has struck out 38% of batters in his last seven starts while putting up the third-highest swinging strike rate in Low-A during that span. Sykora has a mid 90s four seam fastball, an 83 mph bullet slider that gets above average whiffs for the level, and an above average changeup. The command was the concern coming into the season but Sykora has kept the walk rate below 9% all season, never walking more than three in any game, with RoboScout giving him a good shot at becoming a mid-rotation starter.

Two pitchers who we mentioned in these pages when they were at the Complex League have now qualified for the Low-A rankings and both Ovis Portes (Red Sox) and Christian Zazueta (Dodgers) both find themselves in the Top 20. Despite the poor surface stats so far in full season ball, RoboScout still currently projects them to be back-of-the-rotation starters.

High-A Hitters (min 50 PA)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Luke Keaschall MIN 97 100
2 Xavier Isaac TBR 97 95
3 Luke Adams MIL 92 95
4 Sal Stewart CIN 88 92
5 Carter Jensen KCR 89 92
6 Samuel Zavala CHW 89 92
7 Sebastian Walcott TEX 100 90
8 Alex Freeland LAD 81 87
9 William Bergolla PHI 87 85
10 Brayden Taylor TBR 83 84
11 Ricardo Olivar MIN 77 83
12 Yohendrick Pinango CHC 76 83
13 Angel Genao CLE 76 81
14 Cutter Coffey BOS 85 81
15 Jefferson Rojas CHC 75 81
16 Cam Collier CIN 81 81
17 Jadher Areinamo MIL 83 80
18 Henry Bolte OAK 80 79
19 Jesus Rodriguez NYY 72 79
20 Charles McAdoo PIT 73 79
21 C.J. Kayfus CLE 73 78
22 Cooper Ingle CLE 71 78
23 Leonardo Bernal STL 76 77
24 Hector Rodriguez CIN 70 77
25 Kristian Campbell BOS 68 77
Jadher Areinamo (Brewers) had some early buzz in 2023 as a name to watch as a 19 year old in Low-A who finished second for the Carolina League batting title. Although this year’s statcast data is very similar to that which he generated last year, the 20-year-old middle infielder is currently on a tear, hitting six of his season’s seven home runs over the last six weeks. With his 27 stolen bases on the season—and his above average defense—Areinamo is showing potential to actualize as a utility infielder who could put up a solid power/speed blend but with slightly below average on base percentages.

In 2023, Cooper Ingle (Guardians) was taken in the fourth round, ultimately signing for $400,000. In his first full season as a professional, the High-A Lake County catcher has a 171 wRC+ with six home runs. With his league average swing decisions and plus contact rate, Ingle is a prototypical Guardian hitting prospect where thump is less of a priority than precocious bat-to-ball ability. Ingle has been particularly productive in the last six weeks, with five of his six home runs coming in his last 134 plate appearances, where he has also put up a scorching 201 wRC+, the second-highest mark by anyone with at least 80 plate appearances over that span.

High-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Noah Schultz CHW 88 100
2 Matt Wilkinson CLE 100 100
3 Quinn Mathews STL 90 98
4 Luis Perales BOS 85 98
5 Owen Murphy ATL 88 97
6 Chase Dollander COL 84 95
7 Zebby Matthews MIN 80 91
8 K.C. Hunt MIL 87 88
9 George Klassen PHI 78 88
10 Jonah Tong NYM 84 87
11 Jaden Hamm DET 84 86
12 Thomas White MIA 76 85
13 Jedixson Paez BOS 89 83
14 Winston Santos TEX 73 83
15 Alessandro Ercolani PIT 69 82
16 Brandyn Garcia SEA 69 82
17 Edgar Portes BAL 70 81
18 Sean Sullivan COL 85 81
19 Lazaro Estrada TOR 67 80
20 Ben Shields NYY 72 79
21 Nolan McLean NYM 66 78
22 Austin Peterson CLE 76 78
23 Yujanyer Herrera MIL 77 78
24 Jake Bloss HOU 67 77
25 Jean Cabrera PHI 72 77
The hottest pitcher in High-A over the last six weeks—and who is just outside the Top 15 on the season—is Brandyn Garcia (Mariners). The 24-year-old southpaw predominantly throws a 94 mph two-seamer which has over a foot and a half of horizontal run—consequently eliciting weak contact and a ton of groundballs—and a plus 85 mph slider that generates plus whiffs and chases. He also throws a changeup but it needs refinement as he gets promoted to the upper levels. For now, the 11th-round draft pick from 2023 doesn’t seem to need a third pitch—but it will remain to be seen whether he will be able to convince RoboScout that he can transcend his destiny as a likely bullpen arm or spot starter, without one.

On May 19, Lucas Braun (Braves) had a 1.45 WHIP and a 6.35 ERA with an uncompelling strikeout minus rate of 15%. Since then, the 22-year right hander has made six starts across 36 innings, striking out 31% of batters while only walking 4% with a 1.08 WHIP and 2.75 ERA. In 2023 his fastball topped out at 94 mph but this year he’s registered velocities as high as 96 mph, playing up even further with his extension, while still maintaining his trademark control, to wit: his four-seam fastball, slider, and curveball each have a plus CSW% for that pitch-type. The 11th–round 2023 draft pick has turned his season around after a slow start, going deep into games, looking more and more like a solid back-of-the-rotation starter with a chance for more if he can continue to develop even more velocity.

Congratulations to Jean Cabrera (Phillies) who checks in at No. 25 only to be promptly promoted to Double-A Reading where he can deploy his East/West three-pitch mix of a 94 mph fastball, 82 mph sweeper and effective changeup.

Double-A Hitters (min 55 PA)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Emmanuel Rodriguez MIN 100 100
2 Agustin Ramirez NYY 88 91
3 Moises Ballesteros CHC 88 90
4 Luke Keaschall MIN 82 87
5 Roman Anthony BOS 79 85
6 Carson Williams TBR 87 84
7 Samuel Basallo BAL 84 84
8 Hao-Yu Lee DET 81 84
9 Matthew Lugo BOS 79 83
10 Cole Young SEA 81 83
11 Alex Freeland LAD 75 81
12 James Triantos CHC 73 80
13 Edgar Quero CHW 75 79
14 Kristian Campbell BOS 71 78
15 Ryan Clifford NYM 79 77
16 Colby Thomas OAK 70 75
17 C.J. Kayfus CLE 72 75
18 Charles McAdoo PIT 70 75
19 Jacob Wilson OAK 67 75
20 Deyvison De Los Santos ARI 83 74
21 Harry Ford SEA 71 73
22 Marcelo Mayer BOS 68 73
23 Tyler Locklear SEA 66 72
24 Yohendrick Pinango CHC 61 71
25 Dalton Rushing LAD 59 70
Coming into 2024, we had Matt Shaw (Cubs) to be a power/speed blend, likely ending up at third base, but also potentially manning the hot corner for the parent club at some point during the season. Unfortunately, the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft came out of the gate slowly, potentially putting in jeopardy the chance for him to debut in the major leagues this year. Well, in the last six weeks, the 22 year old has raked with a 154 wRC+, knocking seven bombs and stealing ten bases over his last 141 plate appearances, reinforcing RoboScout’s projection of a better-than-league average bat and potential for 20/20 seasons. There are still some flaws in his game – his defense has not been great in 2024 – and his exit velocities have not been as high as his numbers in 2023 would have predicted. Still, it’s been a solid season for the Cubs future infielder and he is currently just off the list at No. 27.

Congratulations to Edgar Quero (White Sox) who was promoted last week to Triple-A Charlotte. Regular readers of this space know that RoboScout is a big fan of the switch-hitting catcher, and projects him to be an above average bat with above average in-game power. In fantasy, that’s a boon for the catching position, and Quero is easily ranked in the Top 50 for fantasy accordingly.

In 2022, Rainer Nunez (Blue Jays) raised some eyebrows when he had a 140 wRC+ as a 21 year old. Unfortunately, he was unable to follow through on that promise, by being 30% worse than the average Double-A hitter. In 2024, Rainer’s bat has mounted a comeback: improving his 90th percentile exit velocity from 105 mph to 109 mph – the eighth-highest mark in Double-A, paired with a better contact rate than Roman Anthony (Red Sox), Agustin Ramirez (Yankees) and Zach Dezenzo (Astros). He does have a fair bit of chase in his profile, and there’s little defensive value, but it’s been a nice recent bounce back with the bat for the Blue Jay first baseman.

Double-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
1 Noah Schultz CHW 100 100
2 Zebby Matthews MIN 98 97
3 Logan Henderson MIL 93 89
4 Bubba Chandler PIT 86 89
5 Braxton Ashcraft PIT 87 84
6 Tink Hence STL 91 84
7 Jackson Jobe DET 79 83
8 Jacob Misiorowski MIL 76 81
9 Chandler Champlain KCR 92 81
10 Nolan McLean NYM 76 79
11 Ben Casparius LAD 76 79
12 Blade Tidwell NYM 74 78
13 Thomas Harrington PIT 77 77
14 Carson Palmquist COL 78 77
15 Zach Penrod BOS 83 76
16 Emiliano Teodo TEX 78 76
17 Brandon Young BAL 85 76
18 Yilber Diaz ARI 80 76
19 Andrew Morris MIN 82 75
20 Kyle McGowin CHC 77 75
21 Troy Melton DET 72 75
22 Justin Jarvis NYM 74 75
23 Brandon Sproat NYM 76 74
24 Justin Wrobleski LAD 72 74
25 Mason Adams CHW 83 74
In 85 innings in High-A, Austin Peterson (Guardians) has walked batters at a microscopic 1.9% rate. Although he has been in the back end of the High-A Top 25, RoboScout hasn’t been too enthused because of the fact that he is a bit older at 24-years old and his 91 mph doesn’t light up the internal “stuff” model. This attitude, however, is what led to Matt Wilkinson (Guardians) being initially dismissed this season and Zebby Matthews (Twins) himself was a victim to this robotic snobbism last year. Speaking of Zebby, since being promoted to Double-A Akron, Peterson has followed in Matthews’ footsteps by refusing to issue a free pass in his first 13 innings of work. It would behoove RoboScout to adjust his priors and concede that the ninth-round pick from the 2022 draft may not throw flames, but his ability to command his above average slider, curveball and change up are pointing to another Guardian pitching development success story – and what looks like a back-of-the-rotation innings eater.

Another pitcher who has eschewed walks in the summer, is Justin Jarvis (Mets) who has only allowed 3% of batters over his last 31 innings to reach base by way of a base on balls. With a 30% strikeout rate over that span, it seems that hitters have had trouble with his fastball/cutter mix – which, together, make up over 83% of the pitches he’s thrown. It’s a starter’s mix and he has shown good pitchability – but it might not be enough to get him much further than the back of a rotation.

Triple-A Hitters (min 55 PA)
Rank Name Team Robo RoboCast
5 Kyle Manzardo CLE 85 90
12 Angel Martinez CLE 75 77
21 Johnathan Rodriguez CLE 65 72
24 Jhonkensy Noel CLE 78 71

The one level where we're deficient is AAA Pitchers. None listed.

None of ours make the Hot Prospects List this week.
One outstanding performance of the week was by our highest rated pitcher, Alex Clemmey, who pitched 4 no hit innings walking 2 and striking out 7
Over his last 8 starts his cumulative stats are impressive:
30 1/3 innings
19 hits
6 runs
18 walks
44 strikeouts

Command is his biggest challenge, but he won't turn 19 until next week. He's a big 6-6 lefty signed out of Rhode Island high school.

SP: Austin Peterson, RHP, CLE, 24, A+

There are always pitchers that for some reason don’t get love. Whether it be name or age, pitching prospects slip through the cracks all the time, but we should have learned at this point, development is not linear for prospects, especially arms. One tweak can put a player over the top.

I feel as if we have discussed Austin Peterson as much as any pitcher here at the Dynasty Dugout this year. Hopefully, you have gotten in on him, but he still remains just two percent rostered on Fantrax.

After a stellar 85 innings in High-A in which Peterson posted a 2.44 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, a 27 percent strikeout rate, and a microscopic 1.9 percent walk rate, he made the jump to Double-A and has continued to perform. In two Double-A starts, Peterson has pitched 13 innings, allowing just two earned runs, with 15 strikeouts and two walks.

One of the most important things I want to note is that he is averaging over 6 innings per start. He also has thrown strikes at an impressive 70 percent clip this year. Peterson’s fastball sits 92 mph which is up from last year and he has a true four-pitch mix. The changeup checks in at 88 mph with a slider in the low-80s. Peterson will mix in a curve in the upper-70s.

Sure, its not the flashiest profile. But Peterson can pitch and is a high-probability Major League starter.

SP: Jacob Bresnahan, LHP, CLE, 19, ACL

Bresnahan has been one of the more impressive arms at the complex this year. Even though there have been some starts where he does not walk batters, he also has shown the ability to throw strikes and is coming off a recent start in which he walked just one batter in five scoreless innings.

Across 42 innings, Bresnahan has just a 2.14 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 13 walks. Over his last six starts, an impressive 0.67 ERA with 36 strikeouts to ten walks. Over the last four starts, he has not allowed a run to score.

Bresnahan pounds the zone with a high strike rate and has a low-90s fastball. He just turned 19 and has room to fill out his 6’4” frame, so I would not be shocked to see him add velocity. He pairs the fastball with a mid-80s changeup and slider. It is not the flashiest of profiles right now, but this feels like the perfect arm for Cleveland to develop. I am in.