10 MLB Prospects Who Caught Our Attention In August
Image credit: Brandon Winokur (Photo by Tom DiPace)
All season long, Baseball America correspondents deliver insight, updates and new developments in player development via monthly organization reports.
Because it’s impossible for one person to know all things, reading all 30 org reports always enhances my understanding of prospects. Here are the top 10 things I learned from August’s batch of reports. Consider these my “a-ha” moments.
You can find the complete collection of monthly organization reports here.
Top 10 August Takeaways
1. The Twins believe 2023 third-rounder Brandon Winokur has the athleticism to shorten his swing and leverage the obvious power in his 6-foot-6 frame. The shortstop has seven home runs in 30 games for Low-A Fort Myers since the All-Star break.
2. Mariners scouting director Scott Hunter knew he had to draft Campbell two-way player Grant Knipp when he saw him at the MLB Draft Combine this year. The hard-hitting catcher slammed 18 home runs in 29 Colonial Athletic Association games this spring and hit 98 mph off the mound after having not pitched in more than half a decade.
3. Alabama third baseman Gage Miller wasn’t recruited out of high school and spent two years at a small junior college. But he caught the Marlins’ attention in the third round this year after ranking third in the Southeastern Conference batting race. He quickly hit his way to High-A in his pro debut.
4. The fact that he slipped to round three of the 2023 draft motivates Nationals righthander Travis Sykora to succeed. He also wasn’t thrilled with spending April this year in extended spring training before making his pro debut.
5. Giants lefthander Joe Whitman didn’t pitch much in two seasons at Purdue. After transferring to Kent State, he won Mid-American Conference pitcher of the year honors in 2023 and now has a chance to develop into a three-pitch starter.
6. After spending two seasons at Cal as an outfielder/righthander, Steven Zobac focused on pitching in 2022, when the Royals drafted him in the fourth round. He has used a “pitching-dominant perspective” and his athleticism to shine this season.
7. Drafted by the Guardians out of Clemson in the fourth round in 2023, catcher Cooper Ingle has improved his power production and defensive reliability in pro ball. His swing decisions remain top notch.
8. Angels first-round pick Christian Moore learned he had an astigmatism in his eye while at Tennessee and was fitted for a contact lens. Angels 2023 first-rounder Nolan Schanuel had a similar experience at Florida Atlantic.
9. The Dodgers had catcher Dalton Rushing play left field every day when he reached Triple-A Oklahoma City in August. This opens a path for his “special” bat to play every day in Los Angeles, where all-star Will Smith has catcher locked down.
10. The White Sox fielded a Midwest entry at the 2023 Area Code Games that included nine high school players who would be drafted in the top five rounds in 2024. That includes their own second-rounder Caleb Bonemer from Michigan, who is already hard at work trying to level his swing to decrease vulnerability to high fastballs.
