Ranking The 20 Hottest MLB Prospects | Hot Sheet (6/25/24)

1. Brooks Lee, SS, Twins

Team: Triple-A St. Paul (International)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .455/.500/1.000 (10-for-22), 7 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBIs, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Since being activated at Triple-A on June 4, Lee has been a man on fire. The 2022 first-rounder took it up a notch this past week, especially in the power categories. Lee racked up six extra-base hits against Toledo, including three doubles and three home runs. The longball total included a multi-homer day on June 20 as part of a five-RBI effort. It was also the first game of his career with two or more home runs. (JN)

2. Matt Shaw, SS, Cubs 

Team: Double-A Tennessee (Southern) 
Age: 22 

Why He’s Here: .429/.519/1.048 (9-for-21), 8 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 9 RBIs, 5 BB, 5 SO, 0-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Shaw has taken a little while to get going, but last week the Cubs’ 2023 first-rounder kicked his bat into high gear. Shaw recorded four multi-hit games against Mississippi, including a two-home run game to close the series. Shaw hit four home runs over the six-game series, nearly doubling his season total. He has now has reached base in 10 consecutive games. Blessed with a well-rounded skill set, Shaw has shown strong approach all season and is beginning to show his above-average in-game pop. (GP) 

3. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates

Team: Double-A Altoona (Eastern)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: In 2023, Chandler took a while to round into form. By the time the season had ended, he was spinning five one-hit innings in his first turn at the upper levels. He returned to Double-A in 2024 and has been inconsistent from month to month. After posting a 3.63 ERA in April, that figure ballooned to 8.74 in May, largely thanks to a disaster outing that saw him allowed five runs (all earned) in 0.2 innings. Now, with the calendar flipped to June, he’s (mostly) found his dominant self. His last start, in fact, was the best of his career. The 10 strikeouts he racked up were the most he’s had since turning pro, and his seven innings tied his high-water mark from a season ago. (JN)

4. Felnin Celesten, SS, Mariners

Team: ACL Mariners
Age: 18

Why He’s Here: .692/.714/1.308 (9-for-13), 5 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 BB, 0 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Another week in the Arizona Complex League meant more domination for Celesten, who continues to pound pitching in the desert. The 18-year-old Seattle shortstop prospect made outs in just four of his at-bats and five of his nine hits went for extra bases. His 17 extra-base hits and 69 total bases are each second in the league, both behind Rockies outfielder Robert Calaz. With Low-A Modesto having clinched a playoff spot, Celesten should get a long look at the level by season’s end. (JN)

5. Kristian Campbell, 2B/OF, Red Sox 

Team: Double-A Portland (Eastern) 
Age: 21 

Why He’s Here: .571/.714/.786 (8-for-14), 6 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 6 BB, 3 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Campbell has regularly ranked inside the top five of the Hot Sheet since the Red Sox promoted him to Double-A. Nothing changed last week, as Campbell recorded at least one hit and one walk in all five games he played in last week. Campbell put together a three-hit night on Tuesday and reached base four time in Sunday’s series finale. Campbell has shown a significant increase in power compared to his collegiate days at Georgia Tech while maintaining a strong approach and bat-to-ball skills. Over 17 games with Double-A Portland, Campbell is hitting a ludicrous .431/.526/.692 with 13 strikeouts to 11 walks. (GP) 

6. Simon Juan, OF, Mets

Team: Rookie-level FCL Mets (Florida Complex)
Age: 18

Why He’s Here: .529/.571/1.177 (9-for-17), 6 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO, 2-for-3 SB

The Scoop: Juan blasted three home runs in five games last week to take over the Florida Complex League lead with seven bombs. He has found his power stroke this season, his third as a pro after the Mets signed him for nearly $2 million in 2022. Juan didn’t hit much in two previous tries at Rookie ball, but he is making more contact and hitting it optimally more often. (ME)

7. C.J. Kayfus, 1B, Guardians 

Team: Double-A Akron (Eastern) 
Age: 22 

Why He’s Here: .389/.476/.944 (7-for-18), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Signed for $700,000 out of Miami in the third round of last July’s draft, Kayfus is without a doubt some of the best money the Guardians have spent in years. After hitting .338/.437/.578 for High-A Lake County, Kayfus has hardly slowed down over 16 games with Double-A Akron. Kayfus is up to 11 home runs on the season and is hitting .385/.500/.712 since his promotion to Akron. He is a hit-over-power first baseman, but he’s showing a knack for finding the sweet spot on a consistent basis getting the most out of his contact. (GP) 

8. Denzel Clarke, OF, Athletics

Team: Double-A Midland (Texas)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: .400/.429/.900 (8-for-20) 5 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR,6 RBIs, 0, BB,4 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS

The Scoop: If you want to be a skeptic, Clarke’s approach will feed your fears. His last walk was 21 games ago. He has struck out 24 times since that last walk. If a pitcher gets ahead of him, he can be beaten by quality velocity up or sliders away. But then, there’s also the moments where he connects. If you want to be an optimist, Clarke has all-fields power, as he showed this week with three opposite-field home runs. The tools could still be special, but there’s work to be done. (JC)

9. Aron Estrada, 2B, Orioles

Team: Low-A Delmarva (Carolina)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .375/.464/.750 (9-for-24), 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 4 BB, 2 SO, 4-for-4 SB

The Scoop: Estrada isn’t a household name yet, but the Orioles infielder packs a sizable punch. The switch-hitter ran roughshod over Fayetteville during Delmarva’s road trip last week, slamming two home runs in the process. The 19-year-old’s 66 hits and 101 total bases each rank fourth in the Carolina League, and he also places among the circuit’s top 10 in batting average (.282) and home runs (7). He is the only teenaged minor leaguer with 10 or more doubles, five or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases. (JN)

10. Brayden Taylor, SS, Rays

Team: High-A Bowling Green (South Atlantic)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .440/.533/.680 (11-for-25) 7 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR,3 RBIs, 5, BB,7 SO, 4 SB, 1 CS

The Scoop: Taylor’s first half in Bowling Green has been excellent, even if it isn’t always noticed because he shared the spotlight with Xavier Isaac. He leads the Sally League with 21 doubles, 34 extra-base hits, 125 total bases and 52 runs. He is also second in the Sally League in on-base percentage (.409) and third in slugging percentage (.539). Defensively, Taylor is bouncing back and forth between shortstop and third base, but so far his defense is matching his draft scouting report. He’ll likely be moved off shortstop by someone rangier and with a better arm eventually. (JC)

11. Jack Leiter, RHP, Rangers

Team: Triple-A Round Rock (Pacific Coast)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 1.04, 2 GS, 8.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 12 SO

The Scoop: This week was another example of how Leiter’s pitching manages to mix innings where he is in complete control with others where everything falls apart. In his first start of the week, Leiter dominated. He held Sacramento to five singles and no extra-base hits in seven scoreless innings. He walked no one and struck out eight. Everything worked for Leiter. He was landing everything for strikes and avoided the miss in the middle of the zone that often gets crushed. In his second start, he couldn’t command his slider or his curveball. He struggled to put hitters away and ended up having to be pulled after just 1.2 innings, having thrown 59 pitches. But that was a start marred by a throwing error, which meant two of the three runs ere unearned. (JC)

12. Jackson Ferris, LHP, Dodgers

Team: High-A Great Lakes (Midwest)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 3.18, 11.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 16 SO, 1 HR

The Scoop: Ferris was half of the return the Dodgers got from the Cubs in exchange for infielder Michael Busch over the offseason. As ever, the lefty combines high upside with a bit of rawness into a highly intriguing package. He punched out 16 hitters over the course of two starts this past week, bringing his season total to 81, which is second in the Midwest League. His .218 average against is also among the MWL’s lowest. His 32 walks, however, also rank sixth in the league. (JN).

13. Joe Lampe, OF, Guardians 

Team: Double-A Akron (Eastern) 
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .474/.474/.632 (9-for-19), 2 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBIs, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Lampe’s game is predicated on contact and speed. He had the bat-to-ball skills on full display last week. Lampe recorded hits in all five games including multi-hit efforts on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. An easy plus-plus runner, Lampe was noticeably quiet on the basepaths this week, as he was caught on his only steal attempt. Lampe doesn’t possess the ability to really impact the ball with consistency but he takes good at-bats and consistently puts pressure on opposing fielders. (GP) 

14. Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers

Team: Low-A Rancho Cucamonga (California)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .458/.517/.458 (11-for-24), 4 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 9 RBIs, 3 BB, 4 SO, 4-for-4 SB

The Scoop: De Paula is one of the most gifted hitting prospects in a Dodgers system loaded with talent. After skipping the Arizona Complex League in 2023, De Paula returned to the California League in 2024 for more seasoning. His last two months have been excellent, although his impact has come and gone. All of his hits this past week were singles, but he has nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (15). He showed more thump in May, when he swatted five home runs in 25 games. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him head to High-A soon, especially with a cadre of players in the ACL knocking on the door. (JN)

15. Jhonkensy Noel, 1B, Guardians

Team: Triple-A Columbus (International)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .308/.357/.731 (8-for-26 4 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR,8 RBIs, 1, BB,4 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS

The Scoop: Eli-Ben Porat did an excellent job of breaking down Noel’s improvements in this week’s Statcast Standouts piece. Noel can destroy fastballs at the bottom of the zone and he’s not helpless against breaking balls. But he’s still over-aggressive and can be eaten up by quality fastballs at the top of the zone. There’s a lot of improvements this year in Noel’s game. Now he just needs to continue to make further steady improvement, as there is still work to be done. He’s a 22-year-old repeating Triple-A, so time is somewhat on his side. (JC)

16. Patrick Reilly, RHP, Pirates 

Team: High-A Greensboro (South Atlantic)
Age: 22 

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 2.79, 9.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 15 SO, 2 HR

The Scoop: In the summer of 2021, Patrick Reilly dominated over two starts for Orleans on the Cape and looked like a potential day one pick in 2023. Unfortunately Reilly’s inconsistency and inability to land his big stuff in the strike zone saw him spend most of the next two seasons in Vanderbilt’s pen. Fast forward to last week and Reilly showed both flashes of brilliance and moments of inconsistency. In his Tuesday start, Reilly went six scoreless, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out 10 batters. On Sunday. Reilly didn’t get out of the fourth innings allowing two home runs. Reilly’s fastball sits 93-95 mph with nearly 20 inches of induced vertical break on average with a mid-80s cutter slider hybrid, a splitter and a curveball. (GP) 

17. Noah Cameron, LHP, Royals

Team: Double-A Northwest Arkansas (Texas)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 0-1, 3.60, 10 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 13 SO, 1 HR

The Scoop: Cameron missed much of May with an injury but rounded into form in June. In two home starts last week versus Tulsa, he struck out 13 in 10 innings while continuing to throw harder than he had in the past. Cameron was hitting 94-95 mph more regularly this season and had topped out at 96. His changeup is still his go-to secondary, but he had upped the velocity and strike rate on his curveball to round out his repertoire. (ME)

18. Thomas Sosa, OF, Orioles 

Team: Low-A Delmarva (Carolina) 
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .370/.414/.630 (10-for-27), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 8 SO, 3-for-5 SB

The Scoop: Earlier this year we pegged Sosa as a potential breakout candidate and he’s proven that a wise prediction as he’s hit .283/.361/.453 in June. Last week Sosa showed off his contact and power skills, collecting hits in all six games while hitting four extra-base hits. Sosa’s signature game of the week came on Friday when he went 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs and three RBIs. Sosa has a balance of approach, contact and power, and is part of the next wave of Orioles top prospects. (GP) 

19. Ian Seymour, LHP, Rays

Team: Double-A Montgomery (Southern)
Age: 25

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 1.29, 1 GS, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO.

The Scoop: Seymour’s velocity hasn’t fully come back after Tommy John surgery. He’s a soft-tosser now as a lefty with a 90 mph fastball that rarely tops 91. But his changeup remains the same baffling bat-misser it was pre-surgery. Hitters just swing over it time after time. Hitters hit .156/.230/.236 against him, and thanks to this changeup, he’s actually better against righties (.132/.189/.220) than he is lefties (.210/.316/.272). (JC)

20. Gary Gill Hill, RHP, Rays

Team: Low-A Charleston (Carolina)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: After adding roughly 20 pounds of good weight, Gill Hill has begun to capitalize on his projection and potential. All season long, he’s been one of the biggest up-arrow prospects in the low minors, and he put another exclamation point on his first half with his latest outing. After six more shutout innings, the righthander has a 2.11 ERA, which is good for second in the Carolina League. His 0.97 WHIP is also second in the league. Since May 1, Gill Hill has gone 2-0, 1.94 with 43 strikeouts and just five walks in 41.2 innings. (JN)

Helium

Jesus Made, SS, Brewers

The Brewers paid $950,000 to sign Made on Jan. 15, giving him their second-highest bonus of this year’s international signing period. The early returns have been exciting, with Made batting .367/.475/.694 in 59 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League, drawing more walks (9) than strikeouts (8) and blasting three home runs in 14 games.

He’s a 17-year-old switch-hitter with a strong, physical 6-foot-2 frame and big bat speed, showing flashes of above-average power to go with his above-average athleticism. Made’s bat speed and power stood out as an amateur, with some questions as to how polished his pure hitting ability would be, but so far he has shown good bat-to-ball skills and swing decisions to go with that power. Made is a plus runner with a plus arm who has mostly played shortstop, though he has gotten time at third base and second as well while splitting shortstop reps with fellow big-ticket 2024 signing Luis Peña. Made’s offensive game stands out more than his defense, with a chance he could continue to develop at shortstop, but the tools to handle either third base or potentially center field as well. (BB)