Ranking The 20 Hottest MLB Prospects | Hot Sheet (9/3/24)

1. Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Giants

Team: High-A Eugene (Northwest)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .550/.600/1.500 (11-for-20), 10 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 8 RBIs, 4 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: Eugene and Everett held a six-day fireworks show at PK Park this past week, and Eldridge was responsible for some of the series’ most awe-inspiring blasts. The teenage slugger crushed five home runs—all of them no-doubters—bringing his season total to 22, the second-most for a player in his age-19 season in the minor leagues. (JN)

2. Gino Groover, 3B, Diamondbacks

Team: High-A Hillsboro (Northwest)/Double-A Amarillo (Texas)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .550/.591/1.200 (11-for-20) 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBIs, 2 BB, 1 SO

The Scoop: It was quite the week for Groover. He found his power stroke, hitting more home runs in a four-game stretch than he hit in his first 43 games this year. And he celebrated by getting a promotion to Double-A Amarillo. Groover needs to regain the power he showed in college to fit as a future big leaguer, but a broken wrist early this season has understandably kept him from showing what he can do, until now. (JC)

3. Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners

Team: High-A Everett (Northwest)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .381/.500/1.000 (8-for-21), 9 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 10 RBIs, 6 BB, 7 SO, 1-for-3 SB

The Scoop: Since moving to High-A, Montes has hit eight home runs. Half of that total came within a period of roughly 26 hours this past week, when he posted back-to-back multi-homer games against Eugene. The massive Montes also took away a home run with a leaping catch in the right field corner at PK Park. His 21 homers this year are third behind just Michael Arroyo and Bryce Eldridge among players who are still younger than 20 years old. (JN)

4. Michael Arroyo, 2B, Mariners

Team: High-A Everett (Northwest)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .440/.533/.960 (11-for-25), 10 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 BB, 6 SO, 3-for-4 SB

The Scoop: Quietly, Arroyo has had one of the best seasons in the lower minors. With three long balls this past week, he bumped his season total to 23, the most among qualified teenage hitters. In addition to the home runs, Arroyo has 15 stolen bases and 72 walks. Drilling down even deeper, those totals put him in rare air. There are just three hitters with 20 or more home runs and 70 or more walks in all the minor leagues. Two of them—Arroyo and Lazaro Montes—are on the same team. (JN)

5. Moises Ballesteros, C, Cubs

Team: Triple-A Iowa (International) 
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .588/.650/.882 (10-for-17), 2 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 3 BB, 2 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Ballesteros is one of the best young hitting catchers in the minor leagues and proved it once again last week. Over the five games Ballesteros featured in Iowa’s series versus Memphis, he tallied four multi-hit games. He struck out just twice over 20 plate appearances while collecting 10 hits. Few players reach Triple-A at age 20, but Ballesteros is showing he’s more than capable of handling advanced competition. Entering September Ballesteros is hitting .280/.345/.470 with nine home runs over 53 games with Triple-A Iowa. (GP) 

6. A.J. Blubaugh, RHP, Astros

Team: Triple-A Sugar Land (Pacific Coast)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 2-0, 0.87, 10.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 16 SO, 2 HR

The Scoop: Blubaugh did the two-step last week, making a pair of starts for Sugar Land in their series against Salt Lake. The righthander emerged victorious in both games, allowing just one earned run across the two starts. In an unusual twist, his own throwing error in the third inning resulted in his three run home run to Willie Calhoun being scored as unearned. Blubaugh has been a solid performer in Triple-A in 2024 making 22 starts for Sugar Land and pitching to a 3.82 ERA. (GP)

7. Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins

Team: High-A Cedar Rapids (Midwest)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .381/.458/.810 (8-for-21), 3 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 3 BB, 5 SO, 1-for-2 SB

The Scoop: Jenkins missed the early portion of the season with an injury, but now he’s cooking with gas. Minnesota’s 2023 first-rounder was one of the most talented prep players available in the draft, and he’s spent his tenure in High-A showing his upside. The two home runs this past week give him three in 28 games in the Midwest League and a total of six for the season. Moreover, he’s struck out just 39 times in 312 plate appearances, good for a rate of roughly 12.5%. With a full bill of health, he could break out in a big way down the stretch and into the 2025 season. (JN)

8. Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees

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

Why He’s Here: .428/.448/.857 (12-for-28) 4 R, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 0 BB, 11 SO, 2 SB

The Scoop: Jones’ season is almost a Xerox copy of last year’s numbers. He hit .267/.336/.444 last year. This year he’s hitting .260/.337/.445. He needs one home run to equal last year’s 16, and he’s three extra-base hits away from matching last year’s 49, as well. He won’t steal 43 this year, but his 24 steals in 32 attempts are a solid performance. There’s only one number that doesn’t match last year’s that’s a concern. In 537 plate appearances last year, Jones struck out 155 times (28.9%). This year, Jones has struck out 184 times in 495 plate appearances (37.2%). (JC)

9. Moises Chace, RHP, Phillies

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

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 13 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: The Phillies acquired Chace from the Orioles alongside Seth Johnson in exchange for Gregory Soto at the trade deadline. Chace has been very strong since joining the Phillies organization and threw his best start to date on Saturday. Chace tossed six scoreless innings allowing one hit, striking out 13 of 19 batters. After Chace allowed a hit to Rafael Flores with two outs in the bottom of the first he retired 16 consecutive batters to close his outing. Mixing a four-seam fastball at 94-96 mph, a low-80s sweeper and a low-80s changeup, Chace has three above-average shapes that all rate as above-average pitches per stuff+. (GP) 

10. Thomas Saggese, SS, Cardinals

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

Why He’s Here: .417/.481/.708 (10-for-24), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 BB, 6 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: After a mediocre first half of the season where Saggese’s power had seemed to have gone missing, the infielder has recovered big time in the second half. Since July 1st, Saggese is slugging .550 while hitting .302, showing his signature contact and power combination. Saggese had three multi-hit games last week and capped off the series against Iowa with a four-hit effort on Sunday. The infielder has shown a knack for finding the barrel and has strong bat-to-ball skills that help him overcome aggressive swing decisions. (GP) 

11. Sabin Ceballos, 3B, Giants

Team: High-A Eugene (Northwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .333/.417/.762 (7-for-21), 7 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: As it turns out, it doesn’t matter whether he’s playing for the Ducks or the Emeralds: Ceballos flat-out rakes at PK Park. The former Braves prospect was acquired by the Giants earlier this summer and has quite enjoyed the homecoming to Eugene. The righty swinger crushed a pair of home runs this past week, double the total he’d hit in his previous home park—at High-A Rome—in 44 games pre-trade. If he can continue to show that power stroke, the Giants will have an interesting prospect to monitor at the lower levels of their system. (JN)

12. Chase Petty, RHP, Reds

Team: Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 1.29, 2 GS, 14 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 13 SO

The Scoop: As impressive as Petty’s numbers are this week, it’s a more subtle stat that may be worth paying attention to: Petty has now pitched seven innings in three of his past four starts and is up to 120 innings pitched this year. By 2010 standards, that would seem to be a modest number, but nowadays, it’s a heavy workload for a 21-year-old. It’s fifth most in the Southern League, and it ranks in the top 50 overall in the minors for innings pitched. Petty’s ability to stretch out and work deep into games regularly this year makes a mid-2025 arrival in Cincinnati seem plausible. (JC)

13. Jackson Baumeister, RHP, Rays

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

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

The Scoop: The Rays were two games above .500 at the end of July, but their decision to trade away big league talent seems like a reasonable one with a month of hindsight. Tampa Bay has slid to three games under .500, but they would need to have made a significant step forward to be contending for a wild card spot in a league where being 11 games above .500 earns the final spot. And picking up talents like Baumeister are a potentially useful payoff. Since becoming a Ray, Baumeister is 2-0, 1.13 with a 35-to-4 strikeout ratio in six appearances and 24 innings. (JC)

14. Chase Dollander, RHP, Rockies 

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

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Dollander is the highest-rated Rockies pitching prospect in the history of the franchise and has front-of-the-rotation potential. The righthander dominated again this week, striking out ten over 5.2 innings for the second consecutive outing. Dollander was tremendous in August, allowing three earned runs over 29.1 innings while racking up 41 strikeouts to 10 walks. It’s not only his ability to generate strikeouts, but his ability to hold his stuff deep into games that’s impressive. (GP) 

15. Kumar Rocker, RHP, Rangers

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

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

The Scoop: We’ve written a lot about Rocker this week, and if he keeps this up, we’ll be writing a lot more about him in the upcoming weeks. At his best, Rocker can blow away hitters with his fastball/slider combo and, recently, he’s been at his best a lot. A 47-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio is absurd, as is his .119 opponents average since he reached Double-A. (JC)

16. Max Anderson, 2B, Tigers

Team: High-A West Michigan (Midwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .462/.483/.692 (12-for-26) 7 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 2 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: Anderson’s profile is as a bat-first second baseman, so coming into August, his numbers at West Michigan seemed a little modest, even if his home park is a tough one for hitters. But Anderson is finishing strong. He has nine multi-hit games since Aug. 14. Anderson’s power has been sapped by West Michigan’s park as eight of his 11 home runs have come on the road. (JC)

17. George Lombard Jr., SS, Yankees

Team: High-A Hudson Valley (South Atlantic)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .462/.517/.615 (12-for-26) 3 R, 4 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO, 3 CS

The Scoop: Lombard’s first full pro season has been somewhat of a mixed bag. He’s shown his athleticism, and he hits the ball hard, but he’s also got some work to do in terms of pitch recognition and improving his contact skills. He’s extremely young and his late-season stint in High-A should give him a solid head start for 2025, especially with an excellent finishing flourish like this. (JC)

18. Chase Davis, OF, Cardinals 

Team: High-A Peoria (Midwest) 
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .360/.448/.680 (9-for-25), 4 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 4 BB, 7 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Davis took some time to acclimate to some swing changes, but since the midpoint of the season, he’s been posting excellent numbers. Last week, Davis had hits in all six games in Peoria’s series against Beloit, including three multi-hit outings. Davis had extra base hits in five out of the six games and reached base three or more times in three separate games. Davis is showing improved bat-to-ball skills to go alongside on-base skills and power. (GP)

19. Mikey Romero, SS, Red Sox 

Team: Double-A Portland (Eastern) 
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .360/.360/.760 (9-for-25), 6 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: The Red Sox hitting development deserves a lot of credit for success up and down the farm system in 2024. Outside of Kristian Campbell, it might be Mikey Romero who is arguably their best development story. Romero hit .271/.319/.498 with 10 home runs over 59 games with High-A Greenville, earning promotion to Double-A Portland last week. Over Romero’s first week with the Sea Dogs, he had hits in all five games in which he played, hitting home runs on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It’s Romero’s combination of above-average contact with power that makes him such an interesting middle infield prospect. (GP) 

20. Jarlin Susana, RHP, Nationals

Team: High-A Wilmington (South Atlantic)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: 0-1, 3.60, 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: When the Nationals acquired Susana from the Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster, it was with the knowledge that his development would be a slower burn. Now, it appears the fuse has been lit. The fireballing righty has been mostly outstanding in the second half of the summer, first at Low-A Frederick and now at High-A Wilmington. His 10-strikeout outing to close August was the first game of his career with double-digit strikeouts. Overall, Susana punched out 46 hitters in 27.1 frames in August, the third-most in the minors since Aug. 1, just two behind leader and system-mate Travis Sykora. (JN)

Helium

Bo Davidson, OF, Giants

San Francisco signed Davidson as an undrafted minor league free agent in 2023 and got him a quick tuneup in the Arizona Complex League before unleashing him on full-season ball in 2024. Now, he’s opened the eyes of evaluators with his combination of physicality, athleticism and production. Though he’s currently on the injured list, he racked up 26 extra-base hits—including nine home runs—in 51 games before hitting the IL on Aug. 29. His tools and skills give him an intriguing ceiling and make him a prospect worth monitoring. (JN)