Hot Sheet: Baseball’s 20 Hottest Prospects From The Past Week (8/9/22)

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1. Zavier Warren, C, Brewers
Team: High-A Wisconsin (Midwest) 
Age: 23 

Why He’s Here: .480/.552/1.200 (12-for-25), 8 R, 5 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBIs, 4 BB, 4 SO, 0-for-1 SB

The Scoop: A 2020 third-round pick out of Central Michigan, Warren had his most productive stretch of the season last week at Quad Cities. The catcher played in six games, collecting a dozen hits over the series while leaving the park three times. He had a 4-for-5 showing on Wednesday night with a pair of home runs and five runs batted in. Warren has a good combination of contact and approach but has struggled to hit for impact as a professional. (GP)

2. Jordan Wicks, LHP, Cubs
Team: Double-A Tennessee (Southern)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 15 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: The Cubs 2021 first-round pick received a promotion to Double-A in mid-July and struggled in his first two starts at the level. Clearly, he got through the adjustment period just fine. Wicks pitched five scoreless innings with no walks and eight strikeouts in his first start against Rocket City last week and added four more scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to cap the six-game series. He finished off his week in style, striking out the side in his final inning of work. (KG).

3. Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies
Team: High-A Lakewood (South Atlantic)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Painter didn’t live up to his name in his most recent start. The righthander didn’t paint at all against Hudson Valley, rather he mowed down his competition with ruthless efficiency. His start was the second game of a doubleheader, so his seven-inning effort was a complete game. Painter’s two most dominant starts of the season have come against Yankees affiliates. On April 23, the Phillies’ 2021 first-round pick whiffed 14 hitters against Low-A Tampa. And on Aug. 6 he fanned 11 more hitters for his second game of the season with double-digit strikeouts. (JN)

4. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds
Team: Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .429/.484/.821 (12-for-28), 7 R, 5 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 3 BB, 9 SO, 2-for-3 SB

The Scoop: In the annals of minor league baseball, there may never have been a more perfect pairing of player and team than Elly De La Cruz and the Chattanooga Lookouts. Because when De La Cruz is at the plate, or in the field, or on the bases, fans and opponents alike would be wise to look the heck out. That sentiment was never clearer than Aug. 5, when the Reds’ top position player prospect spanked a ball off the base of the center field wall. The relay went to the shortstop, who watched as De La Cruz coasted into third base before a little too casually flipping the ball to the third baseman. Sensing the opposition had let down its guard, De La Cruz bolted for home. In a flash, he was there, sliding face-first across the plate with his first—and most exciting—home run of the week. (JN)

5. Emiliano Teodo, RHP, Rangers
Team: Low-A Down East (Carolina)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Teodo’s fastball is among the best in the Rangers’ organization, and lately he’s used that pitch to great effect. His outing during this Hot Sheet period is tied for his most dominant of the season. On both June 8 and Aug. 4, Teodo went five innings, allowed no hits, walked one and struck out 10. The most recent outing lowered Teodo’s season ERA to 3.13, though the mark is just a scant 2.08 as a starter. (His ERA at the back end of a piggyback is 7.94). During those dozen starts he’s fanned 69 against 17 walks in 52 innings. (JN)

6. Jace Avina, OF, Brewers
Team: Low-A Carolina (Carolina)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .474/.565/1.316 (9-for-19), 7 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 10 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: Avina is the Brewers’ 14th-round selection from the 2021 draft, out of high school in Nevada. His name was quietly starting to bubble in the Arizona Complex League as one of the most tooled-up players on the circuit. After a promotion to Low-A to fill a Jackson Chourio-sized hole in center field, Avina quickly opened on a bigger stage. In his first game, he slammed two home runs. A day later, he hit another one. It seems unlikely that Avina will continue to homer in a third of his at-bats with the Mudcats, but his power and center field defense should thrill fans in Zebulon for the remainder of the summer at the very least. (JN)

7. Connor Norby, 2B, Orioles
Team: Double-A Bowie (Eastern)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .423/.531/.846 (11-for-26), 10 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBIs, 4 BB, 6 SO.

The Scoop: Bowie is currently 51-50, which may lead you to believe that the Baysox have been a pretty mediocre team this year. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The more accurate way to describe it is Bowie was a pretty poor team for the first two and a half months of the season, but thanks to Norby, Colton Cowser, Joey Ortiz and others, it’s now one of the better teams in the minors. On June 23, Bowie was 16 games under .500. Since then, it is 25-9. Norby was promoted right around the time the Baysox turned their season around, and he’s been one of the big reasons. He’s hit eight home runs in just 30 games with Bowie and is slashing .277/.381/.555. (JC)

 

8. Brenton Doyle, OF, Rockies 
Team: Double-A Hartford (Eastern) 
Age: 24 

Why He’s Here: .346/.370/.846 (9-for-26), 7 R, 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: The Rockies outfielder had a power burst last week in the friendly confines of Reading, as he hit four home runs over a three-game stretch from Thursday to Saturday. His best game of the week came Saturday as he went 2-for-4 with two home runs, both solo shots. It’s been a difficult season for Doyle who’s struggled to make contact and get on base. (GP) 

9. Michael Helman, CF/SS/2B/3B, Twins
Team: Triple-A St. Paul (International)
Age: 26

Why He’s Here: .400/.387/.933 (12-for-30), 8 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 8 RBIs, 7 SO, 1 SB.

The Scoop: Trying to put a position by Helman’s name is like trying to throw a dart at a moving dart board. Whatever he’s playing today, he’s likely to play somewhere else tomorrow. He played four positions this week and he’s played pretty much everywhere this year. But that’s nothing new for him, as he bounced around in college at Texas A&M as well. Helman has grinded his way to prospect status by being willing to play pretty much anywhere. He’s steadily improved his power. In 2019, he slugged .282 at Low-A Cedar Rapids. This year, he’s slugging .500 for St. Paul. (JC)

10. Yonathan Perlaza, OF, Cubs 
Team: Double-A Tennessee Smokies (Southern) 
Age: 23 

Why He’s Here: .417/.500/.1.125 (10-for-24), 6 R, 2 2B, 5 HR, 8 RBIs, 3 BB, 8 SO

The Scoop: The Smokies outfielder hit five home runs over the six-game series at Rocket City last week. You might even say Perlaza’s bat trashed the Pandas, as he got the series off to a bang when he combined to go 7-for-11 with three home runs, six RBIs and four runs. Perlaza has 19 home runs over 91 games this season and has a solid combination of power, on-base ability and bat-to-ball skills. (GP) 

11. Eguy Rosario, 2B, Padres
Team: Triple-A El Paso (Pacific Coast)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .565/.593/.957 (13-for-23), 9 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-2 SB

The Scoop: A high-energy spark plug, Rosario just keeps hitting and hitting some more for El Paso. The stocky, 5-foot-9 Dominican strung together five consecutive multi-hit games against Albuquerque last week and homered on back-to-back days, including a walkoff two-run homer in the 12th inning on Aug. 4. Overall, Rosario is batting .299 with 18 home runs, 70 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .914 OPS this year and is making a compelling case for his first big league callup. (KG).

12. Brett Baty, 3B, Mets
Team: Double-A Binghamton (Eastern)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .391/.517/.826 (9-for-23), 10 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBIs, 5 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: In his last week in Double-A, Baty went out with a bang. Several, actually. On Aug. 4, he clubbed two home runs against Trenton. The effort was his second multi-homer game of the season and came just six games after he first turned the trick. Baty added a third homer of this Hot Sheet period on Sunday, giving him 19 for the season. The total represented a career high and also matched his output for his previous two seasons combined. Now, he’s off to join top Mets prospect Francisco Alvarez in Triple-A Syracuse, where the pair will form one of the fiercest one-two punches in the minors. (JN)

13. Hunter Brown, RHP, Astros
Team: Triple-A Sugar Land (Pacific Coast)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 1.69, 1 GS, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO.

The Scoop: Until this year, Brown’s scouting reports have always included a pretty big “if only” caveat. There’s been little doubt that Brown has exceptional stuff, with a couple of pitches to miss bats. If only he threw enough strikes, he could be a potentially dominant pitcher. Well, recently, he’s started to show that he can throw enough strikes. Brown’s control is still a little shaky at times, but it’s improved from where it was a year ago. And there are few pitchers in the minors who can come close to matching Brown’s stuff. Brown’s slider this year has sat at 91-92 mph. It’s hard for a slider that hard to not be effective. The only big leaguers whose sliders sit 90-plus mph this year are Emmanuel Clase, Edwin Diaz, Zack Wheeler, Brusdar Graterol and Michael Fulmer. That’s a great group of sliders to be compared with. (JC)

14. Heriberto Hernandez, OF, Rays
Team: High-A Bowling Green (Midwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .421/.542/1.105 (8-for-19), 5 R, 1 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBIs, 5 BB, 4 SO.

The Scoop: When Hernandez connects, he can post sometimes jaw-dropping exit velocities. But Hernandez’s massive power has generally come with plenty of swing-and-miss issues as well. Against tougher pitchers, Hernandez struggles with strikeouts. He has 15 games this year with three or more strikeouts. Hernandez is finishing strong, however. His four home runs last week are only one less than the five he hit in his best month (July) this year. (JC)

 

15. Ryan Ward, OF, Dodgers
Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: .393/.433/.786 (11-for-28), 7 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBIs, 2 BB, 6 SO, 2-for-2 SB

The Scoop: The Dodgers latest draft steal as an eighth-rounder out of Bryant in 2019, Ward has hit at every level and is continuing to crush this year at Double-A. He homered in three straight games against Northwest Arkansas last week and recorded an extra-base hit in five out of six games in the series. After hitting 27 home runs in his first full season a year ago, Ward now leads the Dodgers system with 27 homers again this year and is on pace to reach 30 bombs with ease. (KG)

16. Joseph Hernandez, RHP, Mariners
Team: Low-A Modesto (California)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Hernandez continued his breakout season with arguably his best start of the season last week. The 22-year-old Dominican took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Stockton and finished with a season-high 6.2 innings and one hit allowed to pick up the win. On paper, Hernandez doesn’t jump out, with a fastball that tops out at 94 mph and a slider hampered by an inconsistent release point. At the same time, he’s found a way to be successful with a 2.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts per nine innings this year and has put himself on the Mariners prospect radar. (KG).

Overall, Hernandez is 6-4, 2.86 in 18 appearances (16 starts) and ranks third in the Mariners organization with 104 strikeouts this season. (KG)

17. Jermaine Palacios, SS, Twins
Team: Triple-A St Paul (International)
Age: 26

Why He’s Here: .357/.400/.750 (10-for-28), 11 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 SB.

The Scoop: Palacios is an unusual prospect. He signed his first pro contract in 2013. He’s on his second stint with the Twins, having been traded to the Rays in 2018 for Jake Odorizzi. He returned to the Twins as a minor league free agent in 2021, and he was added to the 40-man roster this year. And now Palacios could find himself in the right place at the right time. Carlos Correa can opt out after the season, Royce Lewis is recovering from another knee injury and Austin Martin has not proven that he can play shortstop at the major league level. That could make Palacios a fall-back option for the Twins in 2023. He’s making a case to at least be a backup plan with his .294/.355/.487 season for St. Paul. (JC)

18. Edgar Quero, C, Angels
Team: Low-A Inland Empire (California)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .400/.500/.840 (10-for-25), 8 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 5 BB, 8 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: The Angels haven’t developed a successful homegrown catcher since Mike Napoli, but Quero looks like he may end that drought. The switch-hitting 19-year-old continued his scorching second half with seven extra-base hits in six games against Rancho Cucamonga last week and now has 40 extra-base hits in only 85 games this season. He is hitting from both the left side (.970 OPS) and the right (.839), at home (.839) and on the road (1.032) and is emerging as one of the top offensive catching prospects in the minors. (KG).

19. Adrian Chaidez, RHP, Astros 
Team: Double-A Corpus Christi (Texas)
Age: 23 

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO

The Scoop: A 2021 15th-rounder out of UCLA, Chaidez has some of the best stuff in the Astros system with a four-seam fastball that sits 93-94 mph with ride, touching 97 mph at peak. He has two distinctive breaking ball shapes and a changeup that he can land for strikes and generate chases with. Chaidez made two appearances last week totaling nine scoreless innings of work, allowing just three hits and four walks while striking out eight. (GP) 

20. Jairo Pomares, OF, Giants
Team: High-A Eugene (Northwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .480/.536/.840 (12-for-25), 5 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 3 BB, 7 SO

The Scoop: After a rough July, Pomares has started August on a hot streak. His two home runs this month already eclipsed his total from July, when he hit just one longball in 20 games. Pomares still has some of the most raw power in San Francisco’s system, but he’ll need to greatly increase his plate discipline in order to tap into it more often. His strikeout rate at Eugene is at an alarming 34.6%. (JN)

Helium

Yunior Garcia, 1B/OF, Dodgers

Garcia has been hampered by injuries the last few years, but now that he’s healthy, he’s raking. After a slow start to the season, Garcia is batting .351/.418/.578 with 37 extra-base hits in 47 games since the start of June for Low-A Rancho Cucamonga. That includes four multi-hit games in the Quakes’ series against Inland Empire last week and a current eight-game hit streak overall. Garcia has big raw power that is easily plus and has improved his approach at the plate to make more contact. He moves surprisingly well for a big-bodied player and will flash above-average run times to go with a plus arm. Garcia is still a well below-average defender at first base and both corner outfield spots and will have to put in the work to improve, but with the way his bat is trending, he may hit enough to rise regardless. (KG)