RoboScout Top MLB Prospects At Every Level On Aug. 25, 2024

Dominican Summer League Hitters (FINAL, min 25 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Emil Morales	LAD	100	100
2	Rainiel Rodriguez	STL	91	94
3	Eduardo Beltre	MIN	85	90
4	Jesus Made	MIL	80	88
5	Juneiker Caceres	CLE	83	85
6	Stiven Martinez	BAL	77	84
7	Jose Anderson	MIL	74	80
8	Luis Pena	MIL	74	80
9	Edward Florentino	PIT	69	79
10	Yolfran Castillo	TEX	69	79
11	Juan Ortuno	MIL	71	77
12	Santiago Camacho	SFG	69	77
13	Arnaldo Lantigua	LAD	63	77
14	Queni Pineda	NYY	64	76
15	Javier Sanchez	TEX	79	76
16	Jirvin Morillo	CIN	66	76
17	Justin Gonzales	BOS	66	76
18	Jhonny Level	SFG	75	75
19	Adriander Mejia	BAL	63	75
20	Sebastian Baquera	TEX	66	74

With the regular DSL season now completed – and it being unlikely that any of the players will be brought over stateside into organized games with the Complex Leagues also being finished – we can dig into the players in more detail over the coming weeks. For now though, the top prospects from the DSL this year per RoboScout – with Statcast data considered in the analysis – are Emil Morales (Dodgers), Eduardo Beltre (Twins), and Jesus Made (Brewers). Each are likely Top 100 fantasy prospects.

Emil Morales had the highest wRC+ of any 17-year old, while also leading the league in home runs with 14. Under the hood, he showed an xwOBA of .447 which was nearly 3 standard deviations better than the league average.

Eduardo Beltre finished second in home runs behind Morales with 11 and himself had a reasonable approximation of Morales’ statcast metrics:

Name	Contact%	90th EV	Chase%	Barrel%	xwOBAcon
E Morales	68%	102.6 mph	20%	27%	.447
E Beltre	69%	102.6 mph	24%	21%	.498

Rainiel Rodriguez (Cardinals) was just behind the two sluggers in home runs with 10 on the season. He, however, is a catcher – and even with the reports on his framing being excellent, from a fantasy perspective, investing in a teenage catcher who has not yet made it stateside is risky and I consider him a tier below the big three.

That leaves Jesus Made who had the third highest contact rate amongst all hitters with at least 25 plate appearances but also the fourth highest 90th percentile exit velocity of a 17-year old at 104 mph. Despite the high exit velocities, he only hit six home runs on the season – in no small part because he had a 50% groundball rate. Still, his xwOBAcon – which is derived from exit velocity and launch angle – was still .361, which would grade out as a 65 on the 20 to 80 scale for the DSL. Add in the fact that he stole 28 bases and he has arguably the highest fantasy ceiling of any hitter in the DSL in 2024.

Low-A Hitters (min 25 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Leodalis De Vries	SDP	100	100
2	Colt Emerson	SEA	86	93
3	Michael Arroyo	SEA	86	90
4	Aidan Smith	SEA	85	89
5	Blake Mitchell	KCR	82	88
6	Eric Bitonti	MIL	81	87
7	Kevin McGonigle	DET	82	86
8	Franklin Arias	BOS	81	85
9	Demetrio Crisantes	ARI	78	85
10	Zyhir Hope	LAD	77	85
11	Robert Calaz	COL	83	84
12	Jaison Chourio	CLE	80	84
13	Lazaro Montes	SEA	89	82
14	Arjun Nimmala	TOR	84	81
15	Jonny Farmelo	SEA	76	81
16	Walker Jenkins	MIN	76	81
17	Luis Merejo	CLE	76	80
18	Josue De Paula	LAD	73	80
19	Pablo Guerrero	TEX	79	80
20	Yeremi Cabrera	TEX	77	79
21	Welbyn Francisca	CLE	78	77
22	Eduardo Quintero	LAD	72	76
23	Max Clark	DET	76	76
24	Jeral Perez	CHW	72	76
25	Alfredo Duno	CIN	75	75

Eric Bitonti (Brewers) and Franklin Arias (Red Sox) have cooled since their torrid introduction to Low-A but are still in the Top 10. As a reminder, RoboScout regresses as part of the model, therefore, it should reduce some of the volatility associated with small sample size performance is attenuated.

Bo Davidson (Giants) has been getting a lot of warranted buzz recently as the 21-year old outfielder has a 172 wRC+ with nine home runs and six stolen bases in 217 plate appearances. But it’s been recently that the sweet-swinging undrafted free agent has really been on fire with five home runs and three stolen bases in his last 76 plate appearances where he’s put up an absurd 271 wRC+, the second highest weighted runs created plus of anyone with at least 20 plate appearances since July 29th – behind only Nick Kurtz (Athletics)…more on that later.

Under the hood, Davidson has shown improvements in the last month too. Coming into August, he had a 68% contact rate which would grade as a 45 in Low-A, his chase rate was league average at 25%, but his xwOBAcon was plus at .364. In August, his contact rate has been much better at 74%, his chase rate has been 18%, and his xwOBAcon has been a preposterous .618. With his 90th percentile exit velocity sitting at 106 mph on the season with a maximum exit velocity of 110 mph, the bat speed is clearly above average. The main concern is the below average contact rate. leading to a 24% strikeout rate, which will put pressure on the batting average as he rises through the levels – though, the fact that he is playing an above-average defense in the outfield will raise his floor. Essentially, his statcast hitting profile looks a lot like Zyhir Hope (Dodgers) or Yeremi Cabrera (Rangers), but of course he is two years and three years older than those other names, lowering his ceiling.

Luis Merejo (Guardians) has hit three home runs and has a 182 wRC+ across 75 plate appearances in his time at Low-A. Unlike the archetypical Guardian infield prospect, the 18-year old has “only” an average contact rate and, again, off-brand, tremendous bat speed. With a 106 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and a 113 mph maximum exit velocity, Merejo actually bests fellow 18-year old Eric Bitonti (Brewers) on both measures. To put what Merejo is doing in context with another formerly antithetical Guardian prospect, Junior Caminero (Rays) who also reached Low-A as an 18-year old in 2022, check out their Statcast data comparison in their age 18 seasons:

Name (18yrs at CPX & A)	Contact%	90th EV	Hard Hit%	Barrel%	Chase%
L Merejo (2024, 275 PAs)	70%	106.1 mph	52%	21%	21%
J Caminero (2022, 271 PAs)	77%	106.6 mph	44%	14%	31%

It’s a clumsy comparison but Caminero was rightfully lauded for his quality of contact at such a young age – paired with better-than-average ability to make contact. Luis Merejo has arguably better quality-of-contact metrics than Caminero had at the same age, with better swing decisions – though only fringe average contact ability. Expect Merejo to be a popular off-season helium prospect name.

The highest ranked 2024 draftees at Low-A (minimum 25 plate appearances), per RoboScout – in an extremely small sample – but with Statcast data included are:

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Nick Kurtz	OAK	65	75
2	Cam Smith	CHC	64	73
3	Ethan Anderson	BAL	62	71
4	Callan Moss	KCR	60	68
5	Brendan Jones	NYY	59	68
6	Jared Thomas	COL	60	66
7	Sam Antonacci	CHW	57	66
7	Ian Petrutz	STL	58	66
8	Robert Hipwell	SFG	55	65
9	Aaron Parker	TOR	59	65
10	Duce Gourson	PIT	56	65

Low-A Pitchers (min 12 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Matt Wilkinson	CLE	100	100
2	Travis Sykora	WSN	94	98
3	Jonah Tong	NYM	91	96
4	Quinn Mathews	STL	86	96
5	Jarlin Susana	WSN	81	93
6	Didier Fuentes	ATL	83	93
7	Alejandro Rosario	TEX	85	93
8	George Klassen	LAA	81	92
9	Santiago Suarez	TBR	79	91
10	Grant Taylor	CHW	77	90
11	Trevor Harrison	TBR	79	88
12	Yujanyer Herrera	COL	82	86
13	Anderson Brito	HOU	71	84
14	Eliazar Dishmey	MIA	70	83
15	Thomas White	MIA	72	82
16	Rafael Gonzalez	HOU	74	82
17	Kohl Drake	TEX	82	82
18	Jace Kaminska	COL	77	82
19	Gary Gill Hill	TBR	80	81
20	Welinton Herrera	COL	70	81
21	Josh Knoth	MIL	75	80
22	Adam Serwinowski	CIN	67	79
23	Sean Linan	LAD	80	79
24	Jackson Nezuh	HOU	68	79
25	Noble Meyer	MIA	68	78

There is no hotter pitcher in all of the minor leagues than Travis Sykora (Nationals) who has now clawed his way to the No. 2 spot on the Low-A robo-rankings. Every week, we lavish new accolades upon him – such as a 42% strikeout minus walk rate since July 29th which is the highest amongst Low-A pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched, where the next highest pitcher has a distant 36%. Or the fact that he has a 0.45 WHIP and 24.5% swinging strike rate during that span – again, the best marks by far amongst his Low-A cohort. The 2023 third round draft pick has a starter’s mix of a 95 mph fastball that has kissed 99 mph, an 83 mph slider that gets nearly 50% whiffs and a changeup/splitter that has 10 mph separation from his heater. He’s a top 20 fantasy pitching prospect.

A few weeks ago, we highlighted Anderson Brito (Astros) as the premier DSL name and, fast forward a month or so, and the righthander finds himself in the Top 15 on the Low-A robo-rankings. Although the 16.5% walk rate is too high, RoboScout likes the teenager’s 35% strikeout rate and especially loves the stuff. The righthander has a 96 mph fastball that touches 99 mph and has a super-flat -4.2 vertical approach angle, an 82 mph slider that has over a foot of glove-side sweep, and a changeup that has over a foot of arm-side fade. As suspected, the arsenal we saw in the DSL has been able to play Stateside and was not just a scenario of Brito bullying hapless teenagers in the Dominican Republic who aren’t old enough to watch Deadpool vs Wolverine without a parent’s permission. Even if Brito can’t improve his command, he has the stuff that would suit a bullpen.

Another pitcher who has been on fire over the last month has been Braxton Bragg (Orioles) who has struck out 34% of batters he’s faced over his last four starts while only walking 4%, with a 0.42 ERA over that span. Although older for the level, his stuff is above average with his primary pitch being an 81 mph slider, an ultra-flat 94 mph four seam fastball, a 93 mph two-seamer that has over 17 inches of horizontal tail from his low 5-foot release height, a change-up with nearly a foot-and-a-half of arm-side fade, and even an 87 mph cutter. Looks like another Oriole pitching developmental success as the 2023 eighth round pick out of Dallas Baptist, who signed for only $100,000, has been showing the ingredients for a back-of-the-rotation starter. Of course, we will feel a lot better about his performance once he gets to High-A Aberdeen seeing as he is already 23-years old.

High-A Hitters (min 25 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Michael Arroyo	SEA	100	100
2	Colt Emerson	SEA	96	98
3	Luke Adams	MIL	96	98
4	Luke Keaschall	MIN	95	98
5	Cam Collier	CIN	96	96
6	Kevin McGonigle	DET	91	93
7	Sebastian Walcott	TEX	100	93
8	Lazaro Montes	SEA	98	92
9	Sal Stewart	CIN	87	91
10	Thayron Liranzo	DET	86	89
11	Xavier Isaac	TBR	93	89
12	Bryce Eldridge	SFG	87	89
13	Josue De Paula	LAD	83	88
14	Walker Jenkins	MIN	85	88
15	Carter Jensen	KCR	89	88
16	Jhostynxon Garcia	BOS	82	86
17	Alex Freeland	LAD	79	85
18	Max Clark	DET	85	85
19	Jesus Baez	NYM	83	83
20	Ralphy Velazquez	CLE	82	83
21	Cooper Ingle	CLE	76	82
22	William Bergolla	PHI	83	82
23	Brayden Taylor	TBR	82	82
24	Tre’ Morgan	TBR	79	82
25	Mike Boeve	MIL	73	81

Colt Emerson (Mariners) sits at No. 4 on the High-A list now that he has accumulated 76 plate appearances at the level, despite being 2 for his last 34 with no home runs. The shortstop just turned 19-years old a month ago and, despite the recent slump, still projects to be a high batting average, high OBP bat, averaging around 20 home runs per season.

Cam Collier (Reds) started off 2024 extremely hot but then cooled considerably. In August, the 19-year old is once again scorching the ball with a 259 wRC+ – the second highest mark at the level, behind only Thayron Liranzo (Dodgers) amongst hitters with at least 20 plate appearances in the month. After hitting four home runs in his last two games, Collier now has 19 home runs and a 134 wRC+ on the season over 458 plate appearances, which projects to be 25+ home runs at peak in the major leagues. After an extremely quiet mid-summer, Collier has re-emerged as a top 100 fantasy prospect per RoboScout.

Speaking of Liranzo (Tigers), the catcher has hit four home runs in his last 64 plate appearances in August. Liranzo is once again showing that he projects to be a 20 home run bat in the major leagues.

The hitter with the most home runs in High-A since July 29th – with 11 over 105 plate appearances – is Spencer Nivens (Royals) who also has a 215 wRC+ over that time. On the season, the 22-year old outfielder has a 28% strikeout rate which puts a huge damper on his prospect value. Even during his ungodly hot streak, Nivens has a 26% strikeout rate. Even with the ability to hit 25 to 30 home runs in the major leagues, it might not be sufficient to overcome a sub-.300 OBP.  RoboScout thinks he is only worth rostering in the deepest of leagues.

The highest ranked 2024 draftees at High-A (minimum 25 plate appearances), per RoboScout – in an extremely small sample – but with statcast data included are:

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Travis Bazzana	CLE	57	64
2	Dylan Dreiling	TEX	55	63
3	Jac Caglianone	KCR	47	56
4	Zach Ehrhard	BOS	45	50
5	Gage Miller	MIA	50	49

High-A Pitchers (min 12 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Alejandro Rosario	TEX	100	100
2	Noah Schultz	CHW	92	98
3	Quinn Mathews	STL	95	98
4	Luis Perales	BOS	90	97
5	Owen Murphy	ATL	92	96
6	Chase Dollander	COL	90	96
7	Jarlin Susana	WSN	90	96
8	Matt Wilkinson	CLE	100	93
9	Zebby Matthews	MIN	85	90
10	George Klassen	LAA	86	90
11	Alessandro Ercolani	PIT	81	89
12	K.C. Hunt	MIL	92	88
13	Jonah Tong	NYM	88	86
14	Thomas White	MIA	82	86
15	Sean Sullivan	COL	95	85
16	Kohl Drake	TEX	92	85
17	Brett Wichrowski	MIL	82	85
18	Ryan Lobus	TEX	82	84
19	Winston Santos	TEX	78	83
20	Owen Wild	TBR	81	82
21	Jedixson Paez	BOS	93	81
22	Yoniel Curet	TBR	72	80
23	Brandyn Garcia	SEA	72	79
24	Ethan Pecko	HOU	82	79
25	Yujanyer Herrera	COL	83	79

It’s only taken 35 innings but Alejandro Rosario (Rangers) now sits atop the High-A robo-rankings. The righthander has been a stalwart name in these pages for months now and has been one of the biggest breakouts of 2024 with his fastball, slider, and changeup mix. Amongst all pitchers in High-A who have thrown a minimum of 12 innings and average over 4 innings per appearance, Rosario trails only major league pitcher Zebby Matthews (Twins) in strikeout-minus-walk rate. He’s a top 10 fantasy pitching prospect per RoboScout.

The most dominant performance of the last month has belonged to Ryan Lobus (Rangers) who has had 56 strikeouts and only 5 walks since July 1 as both a long-man out of the bullpen or starter, averaging four innings per appearance. Over the last four weeks though, the righthanded side-armer has been even more dominant, with a preposterous 53% strikeout rate and 23% swinging strike rate over that period, with a sub-1.00 WHIP and sub 2.00 ERA. Although the fastball only sits 91 mph, it is a tough look – especially for righthanded batters – especially when considering that there is over 29 inches of East-West movement variance amongst his pitches. With his low 90s fastball, he may not have the stuff to play in a rotation but his unique look and profile would complement a modern bullpen.

After being a part of the Isaac Paredes trade with the Cubs, Ty Johnson (Rays) has made four appearances for High-A Bowling Green, including one as a starter, and the 22-year old righthander has struck out 45% of the batters he’s faced with a sub 1.00 WHIP and sub 1.00 ERA over 14 innings. The 2023 15th rounder has a 94 mph fastball that has touched 98 mph, along with an 84 mph slider and 82 mph changeup, all thrown with above-average extension leading them to play up. On the Cubs, his pitch mix was 55% four-seamer, 33% slider, 8% changeup, and 4% two-seamer. Since the trade to the Rays, it’s 39% four-seamer, 31% two-seamer, 28% slider and the changeup only 2%. In other words, it’s been a big increase in his sinker usage and reduction in changeup usage, possibly because the cambio was his only pitch that had a CSW% that was below league average.

Another pitcher who joined the Rays after the trade deadline was Brody Hopkins. Since July 29th, the 22-year old right hander has a solid 1.05 WHIP and 3.32 ERA with a 31% strikeout rate. The Rays again seem to be encouraging more use of his two-seamer, as his primary mix for the Mariners was 24% usage of his 96 mph, ultra-flat four-seamer and 23% usage of his 95 mph sinker, with his 87 mph slider being thrown 40% of the time. Now with High-A Bowling Green, the slider usage has decreased to only 27% of the time with his two-seamer being increased to 32%. Another bump has been more usage of his cutter, up from 5% to 12%, while his changeup has been essentially abandoned – similar to Ty Johnson above – after arriving in the Tampa Bay organization. Perhaps it is a new philosophical position for the Rays, or perhaps it is just specific to these two pitcher’s off-speed pitches themselves that is being mistaken for a trend – but it is an interesting observation nonetheless.

Double-A Hitters (min 25 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Emmanuel Rodriguez	MIN	100	100
2	Roman Anthony	BOS	90	90
3	Agustin Ramirez	NYY	89	89
4	Luke Keaschall	MIN	85	88
5	Moises Ballesteros	CHC	89	86
6	Kristian Campbell	BOS	79	84
7	Matthew Lugo	LAA	80	84
8	Cole Young	SEA	83	82
9	Samuel Basallo	BAL	88	81
10	Deyvison De Los Santos	ARI	83	80
11	Alex Freeland	LAD	73	79
12	Edgar Quero	CHW	77	79
13	Dalton Rushing	LAD	71	78
14	Ryan Clifford	NYM	79	78
15	Carter Jensen	KCR	79	77
16	Jhostynxon Garcia	BOS	74	77
17	Jimmy Crooks	STL	72	77
18	Matt Shaw	CHC	76	77
19	Hao-Yu Lee	DET	78	76
20	Xavier Isaac	TBR	81	76
21	Cooper Ingle	CLE	70	75
22	Colby Thomas	OAK	72	74
23	Jacob Wilson	OAK	68	74
24	Carson Williams	TBR	76	74
25	Alejandro Osuna	TEX	69	73

The type of start that Christian Moore (Angels) had in Double-A was always unsustainable. Now that he has accrued 70 plate appearances for Rocket City, we can view his performance in a more dispassionate light. He still has a 180 wRC+ and five home runs – but with a contact rate of 64%, there is a bit more swing-and-miss to his game than we would like – situating him currently at No. 30 on the overall Double-A robo-rankings. The quality-of-contact – his xwOBAcon is still at an outrageously lofty .564 – is at the top of the charts and he is still projected to hit 25 home runs in the major leagues. If his strikeout rate hovers at 34%, he may only be a .240/.320 type hitter. With this two week slump, Moore drops to the 100 to 125 area amongst fantasy prospects.

RoboScout mentioned RJ Schreck (Blue Jays) a month ago as a potentially under-the-radar outfielder in a loaded Mariners system who was showing plus swing decisions, above average contact, above average outfield defense, and a 20% barrel rate. After being traded for Justin Turner, Schreck has hit five home runs, with a 197 wRC+, over 77 plate appearances, and impressed Geoff Pontes a few days ago. He’s an underrated prospect.

Double-A Pitchers (min 12 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Zebby Matthews	MIN	100	100
2	Noah Schultz	CHW	95	97
3	Kumar Rocker	TEX	96	94
4	Quinn Mathews	STL	95	93
5	Bubba Chandler	PIT	90	92
6	Logan Henderson	MIL	98	92
7	Chase Dollander	COL	89	91
8	K.C. Hunt	MIL	99	90
9	Tink Hence	STL	97	89
10	Braxton Ashcraft	PIT	91	88
11	Thomas Harrington	PIT	90	86
12	David Sandlin	BOS	85	86
13	Troy Melton	DET	84	85
14	Brandon Sproat	NYM	89	85
15	Ben Shields	NYY	87	84
16	Ben Casparius	LAD	81	84
17	Blade Tidwell	NYM	80	83
18	Peter Van Loon	BAL	85	82
19	Jacob Misiorowski	MIL	78	82
20	Chandler Champlain	KCR	95	82
21	Winston Santos	TEX	81	81
22	Tyler Stuart	WSN	83	81
23	Spencer Schwellenbach	ATL	84	80
24	Sean Sullivan	COL	93	80
25	Caden Dana	LAA	85	80

How often has this happened to you? You leave town for a couple weeks and return to see that Kumar Rocker (Rangers) has popped into third place on the Double-A pitchers robo-rankings. The resume is impressive: in four starts for Double-A Frisco, Rocker has struck out 41% of batters whilst only walking 5% – and his swinging strike rate of 24% leads all Double-A starting pitchers who have thrown at least 12 innings, trailing only relief aces Ben Joyce (Angels) and Andrew Walters (Guardians). Under the hood, the stuff heralds Kumar’s resurgence with his main offerings being a four-seam fastball sitting 98 mph and his tight bullet slider averaging 87 mph and which elicits above average whiffs and chases, with each pitch in his arsenal grading above average per Stuff+. There is some inconsistency in the mechanics thus far though with some release height variance amongst the pitch types of up to 3 inches – and, interestingly, extension variance too, between the fastballs and the secondaries. Not sure what all of that means yet –will astute hitters pick up on the discrepancies? – but as of now, it doesn’t seem to be hurting him in this small sample size. And it’s great to see the 2022 first round draft pick excelling in 2024. His next start is earmarked for Triple-A Round Rock.

It’s been a disappointing 2024 season for Robby Snelling (Marlins) but ever since he was the main part of the Tanner Scott trade with the Padres, the southpaw has had a 41% strikeout rate with a swinging strike rate just shy of 20% for his new club. Bienvenido a Miami, indeed. In terms of pitch mix, nothing has really changed in his three starts with the Double-A Pensacola: it’s still 59% usage of his 92 mph four-seam fastball, 25% usage of his 80 mph slider/curveball, and 16% usage of his 85 mph changeup. It’s too early to conclude anything, but perhaps Snelling just needed a change of scenery.

Triple-A Hitters (min 25 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	James Wood	WSN	100	100
2	Jackson Holliday	BAL	93	92
3	Coby Mayo	BAL	88	91
4	Adrian Del Castillo	ARI	79	86
5	Kyle Manzardo	CLE	82	86
6	Miguel Vargas	CHW	78	86
7	Andy Pages	LAD	76	85
8	Chase Meidroth	BOS	77	84
9	Roman Anthony	BOS	80	83
10	Jose Fermin	STL	71	80
11	Jacob Wilson	OAK	71	79
12	Elehuris Montero	COL	70	79
13	Dillon Dingler	DET	69	78
14	Shay Whitcomb	HOU	75	77
15	Nacho Alvarez Jr.	ATL	68	75
16	Andres Chaparro	WSN	68	74
17	Matthew Lugo	LAA	66	74
18	Moises Ballesteros	CHC	73	74
19	Luis Matos	SFG	67	74
20	Junior Caminero	TBR	70	74
21	Deyvison De Los Santos	ARI	78	73
22	Joey Loperfido	HOU	65	73
23	Jerar Encarnacion	SFG	66	73
24	Agustin Ramirez	MIA	69	73
25	Jasson Dominguez	NYY	65	73

The most exciting trio of hitters on a team in Triple-A right now has to be Roman Anthony, Chase Meidroth and Kristian Campbell on the Worcester Red Sox. With seven home runs amongst them since July 29 and with each of them being 22-years old or younger, the future looks very bright for Beantown – even without including Marcelo Mayer.

Max Muncy (Athletics) and Nick Allen (Athletics) have been quite hot for Triple-A Las Vegas as they’ve both hit five home runs each in August. Muncy, at just 21-years old, projects to be an above average hitter in the major leagues with 20+ home run power. Although athletic enough to play shortstop now, he seems a bit out of position there defensively and may end up at second base on account of his average arm strength.

Congratulations to Shay Whitcomb (Astros) who has been a mainstay in the Triple-A robo-rankings and finally earned a major league call up after 25 home runs, 26 stolen bases, and excellent infield defense.

Triple-A Pitchers (min 12 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Paul Skenes	PIT	100	100
2	Christian Scott	NYM	91	91
3	Zebby Matthews	MIN	88	88
4	Tylor Megill	NYM	88	86
5	Bubba Chandler	PIT	85	86
6	Jack Leiter	TEX	82	84
7	David Festa	MIN	88	81
8	Will Warren	NYY	80	81
9	Logan Henderson	MIL	85	80
10	Chayce McDermott	BAL	81	79
11	Thomas Harrington	PIT	80	77
12	Carson Spiers	CIN	76	77
13	Tobias Myers	MIL	74	77
14	Yilber Diaz	ARI	80	75
15	AJ Smith-Shawver	ATL	77	75
16	Elieser Hernandez	LAD	74	75
17	Braxton Ashcraft	PIT	76	74
18	Louie Varland	MIN	77	74
19	Robert Gasser	MIL	71	74
20	Cade Povich	BAL	83	74
21	Blake Snell	SFG	74	73
22	Alek Manoah	TOR	76	72
23	Chad Patrick	MIL	73	72
24	Reid Detmers	LAA	86	71
25	Alec Marsh	KCR	78	71

Back on July 15, Eli Ben-Porat highlighted the improvements that Sean Burke (White Sox) made to his arsenal, essentially adding two mph to each of his four pitches. In his last five starts, the results have started catching up to the improvement in Stuff as he has struck out 38% of batters with a swinging strike rate of 15.5%. The command continues to be the main concern as, even during this dominant streak, the walk rate is still a bit high at 9%. All in all, the results point to a starting pitcher with the potential for No. 3 potential in his peak years. With Ky Bush and Jonathan Cannon seemingly given free rein in the White Sox rotation, don’t be surprised if we see Burke debut in the final month of the season. The Sox would have to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate.

Congratulations to Ben Casparius (Dodgers) who was written about in these pages a few months ago when he was still in Double-A. Although he didn’t make an appearance, the 2021 fifth round pick did get called up and was on the major league roster for three games.

Bubba Chandler (Pirates) keeps putting in his bid for a late season call-up as well, as the 21-year old right hander has struck out 23 batters and only walked five in his three Triple-A starts totalling 18 innings. In last week’s RoboScout Top 100 of non-debuted prospects, Chandler appeared at No. 11. The Pirates are putting together a formidable rotation.

In his most recent four starts for Triple-A Toledo, Ty Madden (Tigers) has a swinging strike rate of 20%, the highest for a starting pitcher since July 29th. As a result, he got a call-up to the big leagues this weekend. RoboScout sees a No. 3 or No. 4 starting pitcher with a 94-mph four-seam fastball, 83-mph bullet slider, an 87-mph cutter, a changeup, and even a curveball with all four secondaries getting better-than-league-average whiffs.

Happy bidding!