Hot Sheet: Baseball’s 20 Hottest Prospects From The Past Week (9/6/23)

2. Justyn Henry-Malloy, OF, Tigers 
Team: Triple-A Toledo (International) 
Age: 23 

Why He’s Here: .450/.607/1.250 (9-for-20), 10 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 5 RBIs, 7 BB, 8 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Over the past few months Henry-Malloy has been one of the better performers at the Triple-A level, and that continued last week. Henry-Malloy collected four consecutive multi-hit games to finish the series with Iowa last week. It’s surprising that Henry-Malloy has not debuted yet with the Tigers considering his performance with Toledo this year. He will not be Rule 5-eligible until December of 2024, meaning the Tigers won’t need to add him to the 40-man roster until after next season. (GP)

3. Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Blue Jays 
Team: Double-A New Hampshire (Eastern)
Age: 21 

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 1.35, 6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 16 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: It hasn’t been the season that Tiedemann and the Blue Jays had hoped for in 2023. The talented lefthander dealt with a lengthy stay on the injured list with a biceps injury. After a trio of less than stellar starts with New Hampshire, Tiedemann dominated Reading across a pair of appearances last week. On Tuesday Tiedemann went 3.2 innings, punching out 11 batters on two hits, two walks and an earned run. Across the two appearances Tiedemann racked up 23 swinging strikes, using his mid-to-high-90s fastball, slider and changeup. The lefthander is one of the few pitchers in the minor leagues with ace upside, but he’ll need to prove his durability in the coming years. (GP) 

4. Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays
Team: Double-A Montgomery (Southern)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .385/.500/1.038 (10-for-26) 9 R, 10 H, 1 3B, 5 HR, 7 RBIs, 5 BB, 4 SO.

The Scoop: Caminero’s bat speed is top-tier, and his power is truly all-fields power. Last week, two of his home runs were yanked down the left field line. One was a line drive to straight center that just cleared the fence at the 400-foot mark. Another was a massive opposite field shot that cleared the stands and hit the batting cages beyond right field in Birmingham. But the one that stands out is a pitch where he got jammed on his hands. He fought it off to hit a high fly ball, but Caminero is strong enough that the ball just kept carrying and carrying to clear the right field fence. It was a home run where Caminero didn’t come close to making his best contact, and is a perfect explanation for how he’s hit 28 home runs so far this season. (JC)

5. Gage Workman, SS, Tigers
Team: High-A West Michigan (Midwest)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .400/.400/.700 (12-for-30), 9 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 0 BB, 10 SO

The Scoop: Workman’s season hasn’t been ideal. He started in Double-A Erie, but after hitting .198/.327/.401 in 51 games, the Tigers demoted him to High-A West Michigan. Workman has hit .296/.362/.428 in 40 games since the move, with three of his five home runs there coming over the past week. Still, Workman has struck out in 29% of his plate appearances in High-A, so he’s going to have to rebound in 2024 to bring his prospect stock back up. (BB)

6. Curtis Mead, 2B, Rays
Team: Triple-A Durham (International)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .333/.429/.833 (8-for-24) 5 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 3 BB, 7 SO, 1 SB

The Scoop: Mead doubled his home run total in the span of a week. And they weren’t cheap homers. His first of the week was a 434-foot blast that hit the building overlooking Durham’s blue monster. He yanked a shorter, but equally majestic 402-foot high fly ball down the left field line. And his final home run of the week traveled 435 feet to left-center field. Mead has real power and hits the ball hard, even if it’s hard to see that in his six home runs in 60 games this year. (JC)

7. Julian Aguiar, RHP, Reds
Team: Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 1.29, 1 GS, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 12 SO

The Scoop: Standing out in the Reds farm system this year is hard to do. The big league club has seen nine rookie position players post 40 or more plate appearances and 11 rookie pitchers with 10 or more innings. But Aguiar has managed to stand out because he’s been exceptional over the second half of the season. Aguiar earned a promotion to Double-A Chattanooga by allowing just two earned runs in his final four starts at Dayton. Now he’s on a similar tear for the Lookouts. Aguiar set a career high in strikeouts, but it’s more a continuation of a trend. He’s struck out 25 batters since he last walked one, and he’s filling the zone with regularity. His 73% strike percentage in his most recent start is far beyond the Double-A average of 62% and he has a 66% strike percentage this month. (JC)

8. Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles
Team: High-A Aberdeen (South Atlantic) 
Age: 19 

Why He’s Here: .714/.818/2.143 (5-for-7), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, 4 BB, 1 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: The prodigious power-hitting backstop only needed two games last week to earn his spot on the Hot Sheet. Basallo mashed over the final two games of the series with Jersey Shore, putting four balls in play at 103 mph or above over the two games, including a trio of home runs. On back-to-back days Basallo hit home runs that were clocked at 110 mph, showing off his plus-plus raw power. Basallo is hitting .299/.419/.584 with five home runs over 22 games with High-A Aberdeen. He’s likely to return to the level to begin 2024, but could be in line for a move to Double-A Bowie by midseason. He’s one of the most talented young offensive catchers in the game. (GP) 

9. Trevor McDonald, RHP, Giants
Team: High-A Eugene (Northwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.93, 2 G, 2 GS, 9.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HBP, 2 BB, 12 SO

The Scoop: McDonald hasn’t thrown a lot of innings this year, but he’s been effective when he has pitched. Through eight games with High-A Eugene, McDonald has a tiny 0.53 ERA with a 35-7 K-BB mark in 33.2 innings. (BB)

10. Dominic Hamel, RHP, Mets
Team: Double-A Binghamton (Eastern)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 SO

The Scoop: A third-round pick from Dallas Baptist in 2021, Hamel has spent the entire season with Double-A Binghamton, where he has piled up strikeouts. He has a 4.11 ERA in 116 innings with 147 strikeouts and 46 walks, good for a 30% strikeout rate, matching his strikeout rate from last year between Low-A and High-A. (BB)

11. Peyton Wilson, 2B, Royals
Team: Double-A Northwest Arkansas (Texas)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .483/.531/.552 (14-for-29) 6 R, 2 2B, 4 RBIs, 3 BB, 2 SO, 1 CS.

The last time Wilson homered was on July 3. Power is not his game, but the Alabama star has done an excellent job in the second half of the season at piling up hits. Wilson is hitting .353 since Aug. 1, and he’s also producing acrobatic defensive gems at second base, including a play last week where he ranged well beyond second base on a high chopper. (JC) 

12. Victor Lizarraga, RHP, Padres
Team: High-A Fort Wayne (Midwest)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Lizarraga has had an uneven season at Fort Wayne, but he was on point in his start against South Bend last week. The 19-year-old Mexican righthander pitched six scoreless innings with three hits allowed and a season-high nine strikeouts against the Cubs. He didn’t walk anyone, worked around a pair of errors by his defense and recorded a strikeout in every inning. After allowing a run in each of his first 14 starts, Lizarraga held opponents scoreless in three of his last six outings. (KG)

13. Michael McGreevy, RHP, Cardinals 
Team: Triple-A Memphis (International)
Age: 23 

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: The 2021 first-round pick out of UC Santa Barbara won’t wow you with his raw stuff, but he’s shown advanced pitchability traits dating back to his time on campus with the Gauchos. Last week McGreevy got one turn against Gwinnett and made the most of it, going 6.2 innings and striking out nine. He tied a season high for strikeouts while setting a new season high for swinging strikes with 16. McGreevy boasts a fastball at 92-94 mph with sinker and four-seam shapes, a mid-80s slider, a changeup and a curveball. None of McGreevy’s pitches are better than average but he knows how to sequence and keep hitters off balance. (GP) 

14. Cole Young, 2B, Mariners
Team: High-A Everett (Northwest)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .462/.531/.654 (12-for-26), 5 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 4 BB, 3 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Young hasn’t missed a beat since being promoted to High-A Everett in mid-July. The 2022 first-round pick continued his strong first full season by recording at least one hit in six of seven games last week, including three multi-hit efforts. The sweet-swinging lefthanded hitter reached base in every game and overall has reached base in 32 of his last 33 games. (KG)

15. Gavin Stone, RHP, Dodgers
Team: Triple-A Oklahoma City (Pacific Coast)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO, 0HR

The Scoop: Stone’s stuff backed up at the start of the year, but he’s rediscovered his peak form in the second half. Stone earned his first major league win against the Red Sox on Aug. 27 and dominated in his first outing back at Triple-A last week. The 24-year-old righthander followed rehabbing righthander Walker Buehler with six scoreless innings of relief against Round Rock to pick up the win. Stone is undefeated since June 23—including a pair of starts in the majors—and has a 2.95 ERA and .189 opponent average in that time. (KG)

16. Jonny DeLuca, OF, Dodgers
Team: Triple-A Oklahoma City (Pacific Coast)
Age: 25

Why He’s Here: .412/.546/1.059 (7-for-17), 6 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBIs, 5 BB, 1 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: DeLuca’s first major league stint was cut short by a right hamstring strain, but he returned at the end of August with Oklahoma City and hit the ground running. DeLuca reached base in all five games he played against Round Rock last week and put together three multi-hit games. He tripled and homered in the series opener, doubled and homered on Sept. 2 and ripped a three-run, bases-clearing double in the series finale. (KG)

17. Connor Norby, 2B, Orioles
Team: Triple-A Norfolk (International) 
Age: 23 

Why He’s Here: .346/.452/.731 (9-for-26), 7 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 4 BB, 6 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: In most organizations Norby would already be up with the major league team. Even most playoff teams could utilize Norby as an everyday player right now. Unfortunately for the East Carolina product he’s yet to make his major league debut. That, however, has not stopped Norby from producing big numbers at Triple-A Norfolk. Last week Norby filled up the box score during the series with Worcester. He showed advanced bat-to-ball skills, approach and average or better power. It’s just a matter of too many mouths to feed in the Orioles middle infield. (GP)

18. Juan Carela, RHP, White Sox
Team: Winston-Salem (Carolina)
Age: 21

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

The Scoop: Carela has thrown well since the White Sox acquired him at the trade deadline by sending righthander Keynan Middleton to the Yankees. Through Carela’s five starts with High-A Winston-Salem, his ERA sits at 2.57, while overall he has 131 strikeouts and 41 walks over 111.1 innings this season between his two organizations. (BB).

19. Blake Dunn, OF, Reds
Team: Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: .286/.464/.952 (6-for-21) 8 R, 1 3B, 4 HR, 7 RBIs, 6 BB, 7 SO, 3 SB, 1 CS.

The Scoop: Jonathan Clase needs one home run to join him, but for now, Dunn is the only minor league member of the 20-50 club this year. It’s a pretty hard club to join, as Anthony Volpe’s 2022 season (21 home runs and 50 steals) is the only other time it’s been reached in the minors in the 21st century. Dunn has also managed to get plunked 31 times this year, which is a big part of his .428 on-base percentage. Last week saw him get hit by a pitch twice in the same game for the sixth time this year. (JC)

20. Luis De Avila, LHP, Braves
Team: Double-A Mississippi (Southern)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

The Scoop: The No. 28 prospect in the Braves system, De Avila has taken an unconventional path. De Avila signed out of Colombia in 2017 with the Rockies, who released him after the 2019 season. De Avila didn’t make it out of the Dominican Summer League with the Rockies, but the Royals signed him a couple months after his release. He reached Low-A with the Royals in 2021, then after the season the Braves picked him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. De Avila—who has a 3.49 ERA with 113 strikeouts and 56 walks in 113.1 innings this year in Double-A—now has the chance to become the rare big leaguer who was both a released DSL player and a minor league Rule 5 pick. (BB)

Helium

Darren Bowen, RHP, Mariners
Age: 22

A 13th-round pick in 2022 out of North Carolina-Pembroke, Bowen has emerged as a breakout pitcher in the Mariners system this year with Low-A Modesto. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound righthander showed intriguing stuff in the Nuts bullpen before moving to the rotation and had his best outing of the year on Aug. 30. He pitched six innings, allowed one hit and one run (unearned), walked one and struck out a career-high eight batters against Inland Empire. Bowen features a lively 93-96 mph fastball and a sweepy, mid-80s slider as his primary pitches. He also mixes in a 79-80 mph curveball and a firm, upper-80s changeup. He still has to get better at repeating his delivery in order to improve his control, but he’s a good athlete with a loud stuff and is showing early signs of being another Mariners’ pitching development success story. (KG)