RoboScout Top MLB Prospects At Every Level On June 30, 2024

Dominican Summer League Hitters (min 25 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Juneiker Caceres	CLE	100	100
2	Yolfran Castillo	TEX	88	93
3	Luis Pena	MIL	93	92
4	Jesus Made	MIL	84	91
5	Jaset Martinez	CIN	82	90
6	Eduardo Beltre	MIN	82	90
7	Elvin Garcia	BAL	80	87
8	Justin Gonzales	BOS	76	86
9	Jose Anderson	MIL	87	85
10	Adriander Mejia	BAL	73	84
11	Jhonayker Ugarte	KCR	80	84
12	Gabriel Rodriguez	CLE	79	83
13	Cesar Lugo	CHC	70	82
14	Queni Pineda	NYY	72	82
15	Yeiferth Castillo	CLE	68	82
16	Emil Morales	LAD	89	81
17	Saul Gomez	BAL	75	81
18	Wilder Dalis	COL	78	80
19	Stiven Martinez	BAL	73	80
20	Edward Florentino	PIT	68	80

Guardians 16-year-old outfielder Juneiker Caceres is the new No. 1 on the DSL list. The lefthanded-hitting Venezuelan pairs solid swing decisions with impressive exit velocities, especially for one of the youngest hitters in the league. HIs combination of hit tool and underlying power is above league average. Add in that he doesn’t turn 17 for another six weeks, and that puts him at the top of RoboScout’s DSL list. That doesn’t even consider that Caceres has been preventing runs at a better-than-minor-league average rate.

Twins outfielder Eduardo Beltre is an exciting blend of power speed. The Dominican outfielder signed for $1.5 million and slugged two homers in his first 26 plate appearances. The underlying thump is quite good, too. He has the sixth-highest 90th percentile exit velocity among all DSL hitters with at least 20 plate appearances. That’s extremely exciting because his contact rate and his swing decisions are plus compared to the league average. Not quite a concern, but most of his damage has only been against fastballs and he has not really done any damage against secondaries. Nothing to be alarmed about yet, but something that you can be sure that RoboScout will track.

You may wonder why RoboScout has not identified Emil Morales (Dodgers) or Joswa Lugo (Angels) as more desired targets in the DSL despite their loud social media buzz. For Lugo, who signed for $2.3 million, the current wart is that the 17-year old shortstop is a bit too much of a free-swinger with a chase rate that is nearly 40%. The thump in the bat, and the ability to make contact has allowed the surface stats to play up, but RoboScout is exercising caution.

With Morales, the robot is wary of the below league-average contact rate. His performance is still in the top 20, but perhaps not nearly as high as you would expect considering he has four home runs and three stolen bases with a 170 wRC+. Of course, these two have some of the highest ceilings amongst DSL hitters–so RoboScout is taking a cautious approach.

 

Complex League Hitters (min 55 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Eduardo Tait	PHI	98	100
2	Eric Bitonti	MIL	93	100
3	Robert Calaz	COL	96	98
4	Eduardo Quintero	LAD	87	95
5	Franklin Arias	BOS	84	94
6	Yoeilin Cespedes	BOS	88	94
7	Dameury Pena	MIN	87	94
8	Yeremi Cabrera	TEX	100	90
9	Starlyn Caba	PHI	78	89
10	Brailer Guerrero	TBR	78	88
11	Edgleen Perez	NYY	75	88
12	Miguel Rodriguez	BAL	77	87
13	Luis Parababire	ATL	74	86
14	Felnin Celesten	SEA	78	86
15	Abrahan Ramirez	NYY	73	84
16	Pablo Guerrero	TEX	89	83
17	Welbyn Francisca	CLE	71	83
18	Aroon Escobar	PHI	71	82
19	Franyerber Montilla	DET	70	82
20	Julio Zayas	NYM	71	82
21	Carlos Tavares	WSN	73	82
22	Alexander Albertus	LAD	67	81
23	Jhonny Severino	PIT	74	81
24	Andruw Musett	BOS	65	80
25	Demetrio Crisantes	ARI	64	79

The Orioles have an impressive array of catchers throughout their minor league system. We talked about Adriander Mejia in the DSL last week. We are all familiar with Samuel Basallo. Last year, Creed Willems and Aneudis Mordan were on the radar. Add Miguel Rodriguez to this list. He’s a righthanded-hitting catcher with a 146 wRC+, three home runs, and even two stolen bases over 107 plate appearances. With above-average swing decisions and above-average bat-to-ball ability, the 18-year old has really heated up recently. He has the sixth-highest wRC+ in the Florida Complex League over the last five weeks.

Eric Bitonti climbs in the second spot. The Brewers infielder has shown a knack for the barrel against all pitch types with a 154 wRC+ over the season, six home runs and five stolen bases. There is more swing and miss than we’d like–he has a 27% strikeout rate and 67% contact rate–but he also has a plus 90th percentile exit velocity. With his skill at hitting at ideal launch angles, RoboScout thinks he’s capable of hitting 25-30 home runs. Over his last 100 plate appearances, the lefthanded-hitting third baseman has a 164 wRC+.

Complex League Pitchers (min 12 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Trevor Harrison	TBR	94	100
2	Samuel Sanchez	LAD	97	98
3	Jacob Bresnahan	CLE	99	95
4	Christian Zazueta	LAD	88	94
5	Sean Linan	LAD	92	93
6	Keyner Benitez	MIA	100	92
7	Hayden Robinson	MIL	94	92
8	Ovis Portes	BOS	85	92
9	Rafael Gonzalez	HOU	85	91
10	Joseph Yabbour	NYM	83	91
11	Jesus Palacios	BAL	88	89
12	Alix Hernandez	SFG	84	88
13	Yeferson Vargas	BOS	80	88
14	Luis Arestigueta	ATL	82	87
15	Nelfy Ynfante	STL	89	86
16	Adrian Herrera	CIN	79	85
17	Jesus Carrera	HOU	81	84
18	Jordarlin Mendoza	NYY	76	84
19	Juan Nunez	HOU	76	84
20	Jeremy Pilon	TBR	87	83
21	Roberto Medina	TBR	82	83
22	Sandy Ozuna	COL	86	83
23	Luis Gonzalez	PHI	87	83
24	Adrian Bohorquez	MIN	80	82
25	Zander Mueth	PIT	74	82

Mets righty Joseph Yabbour is the biggest climber in the complex league pitcher rankings. The 20-year-old has a 95 mph four seam fastball that has reached 98 mph, which he pairs with a 86-87 mph slider/cutter that gets nearly 60% whiffs. The Venezuelan originally signed with the Twins in 2019, was released in 2022 and signed a one-year minor league deal with the Mariners in 2022. After electing free agency, the Mets signed him this past November. Likely only a bullpen arm, Yabbour does show two above-average pitches that look like they could play at the major league level even now.

Low-A Hitters (min 50 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Lazaro Montes	SEA	100	100
2	Michael Arroyo	SEA	94	97
3	Colt Emerson	SEA	89	96
4	Kevin McGonigle	DET	83	95
5	Blake Mitchell	KCR	83	90
6	Jonny Farmelo	SEA	78	89
7	Ralphy Velazquez	CLE	81	89
8	Jeral Perez	LAD	76	87
9	Josue De Paula	LAD	73	87
10	Aidan Smith	SEA	83	86
11	Jesus Baez	NYM	76	86
12	Jaison Chourio	CLE	72	85
13	Zyhir Hope	LAD	66	82
14	Demetrio Crisantes	ARI	65	81
15	Tai Peete	SEA	72	81
16	Angel Genao	CLE	65	80
17	Yophery Rodriguez	MIL	74	79
18	Josue Briceno	DET	64	79
19	Logan Wagner	LAD	63	79
20	Max Clark	DET	66	78
21	Thomas Sosa	BAL	63	77
22	Leandro Arias	BAL	60	77
23	Bryce Eldridge	SFG	67	77
24	Jordan Viars	PHI	67	76
25	Alfredo Duno	CIN	75	76

All season, Blake Mitchell (Royals) has been hanging around the top 10 of Low-A hitters. He has really turned it on in the last five weeks with seven home runs and a 162 wRC+. Mitchell has some of the highest exit velocities at the level. In fact, he has the fifth-highest 90th percentile exit velocity of any teenager in Low-A with at least 50 plate appearances. RoboScout projects for the catcher/designated hitter to get on base at an above-average clip with 20-25 home runs per year. One other note: although Mitchell has a 31% strikeout rate on the season, his league-average contact rate suggests it should be more in the 26% range. Hopefully, he can bring down that strikeout rate, or Mitchell is at risk of being a three-true-outcomes hitter.

Last month’s RoboScout crush Demetrio Crisantes (Diamondbacks) has a 190 wRC+ in his first 52 plate appearances with one home run and two stolen bases since his promotion to Low-A Visalia.

Low-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Matt Wilkinson	CLE	100	100
2	Jonah Tong	NYM	91	95
3	Quinn Mathews	STL	85	94
4	Alejandro Rosario	TEX	84	93
5	Santiago Suarez	TBR	80	91
6	Jarlin Susana	WSN	78	89
7	Grant Taylor	CHW	76	89
8	George Klassen	PHI	77	88
9	Didier Fuentes	ATL	76	85
10	Yujanyer Herrera	MIL	83	84
11	Eliazar Dishmey	MIA	69	82
12	Kohl Drake	TEX	81	81
13	Mavis Graves	PHI	86	81
14	Thomas White	MIA	70	81
15	Travis Sykora	WSN	76	80
16	Gary Gill Hill	TBR	79	79
17	Welinton Herrera	COL	68	79
18	Tyler Gough	SEA	63	77
19	Jace Kaminska	COL	71	77
20	Jose Gonzalez	TEX	70	77
21	Noble Meyer	MIA	65	77
22	Alimber Santa	HOU	65	77
23	Luis Serna	NYY	76	75
24	Adam Serwinowski	CIN	60	74
25	Michael Forret	BAL	70	74

We wrote a week ago to expect the promotion of Kohl Drake (Rangers) and Alejandro Rosario (Rangers) to High-A Hickory “any day now.” They were promptly promoted a day later.

On the season, Jose Gonzalez (Rangers) has struck out 35% of batters and only walked 4% over his 53 innings of work. In his last six starts, spanning over 32 innings, the 22-year-old has really taken a step forward with a 38% strikeout rate and a minuscule 2% walk rate. He also has the fourth-highest swinging strike rate over these last five weeks of any pitcher who has thrown at least 15 innings.

The righthander has a true ‘kitchen sink’ arsenal. He throws two fastballs in the low 90s, a slider, a cutter, a changeup and a splitter. It’s not surprising that a 22-year-old pitcher in Low-A gets whiffs from Low-A hitters with his offspeed and secondaries, and for his fastballs to play up because of the extension he gets. Gonzalez is no exception. The arsenal might be deep, but RoboScout is not convinced it is compelling enough to be more than a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Nationals righty Jarlin Susana is one of the hottest pitchers at the level. He has elicited a 39% strikeout rate and a worm-burning 68% groundball rate over his last six starts. The walk rate has remained elevated in double-digits during this dominant span, but it’s clear that the 99-100 mph fastballs, 88 mph slider, and 90 mph cutter, along with a changeup that gets 50% whiffs, bullies Low-A hitters.  RoboScout still thinks he can make it as a starter. Per the common refrain, it is wholly dependent on his command and control, or he is otherwise destined for a big league bullpen.

High-A Hitters (min 50 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Luke Keaschall	MIN	100	100
2	Xavier Isaac	TBR	100	97
3	Sal Stewart	CIN	90	92
4	Luke Adams	MIL	90	90
5	Carter Jensen	KCR	89	90
6	Samuel Zavala	CHW	87	89
7	Alex Freeland	LAD	82	86
8	Sebastian Walcott	TEX	99	85
9	William Bergolla	PHI	90	85
10	Cam Collier	CIN	88	85
11	Cutter Coffey	BOS	90	84
12	Henry Bolte	OAK	83	82
13	Yohendrick Pinango	CHC	77	82
14	Mike Boeve	MIL	77	82
15	Angel Genao	CLE	78	82
16	Jefferson Rojas	CHC	76	80
17	Charles McAdoo	PIT	75	79
18	Brayden Taylor	TBR	82	79
19	Hector Rodriguez	CIN	76	79
20	Jesus Rodriguez	NYY	73	78
21	Ricardo Olivar	MIN	73	77
22	Joe Mack	MIA	77	77
23	C.J. Kayfus	CLE	75	77
24	Jadher Areinamo	MIL	81	76
25	Aidan Miller	PHI	74	76

In his first 100 plate appearances since being promoted to High-A Greenville, Jhostynxon Garcia (Red Sox) has slugged nine home runs with a 177 wRC+, the fifth-highest mark of the last five weeks of anyone at High-A with at least 90 plate appearances. The thump in the bat is real, but the 21-year old outfielder does have a lot of chase in his game despite maintaining an average contact rate. Interestingly, he has yet to successfully steal a base–he has been caught three times–after stealing 13 in 104 plate appearances in Low-A. Garcia’s performance projects for him to be a 20-25 home run bat with 12-15 stolen bases but with OBPs in the .300 range.

After hitting eight home runs, stealing nine bases and putting up a 150 wRC+ over his last 134 plate appearances, Alejandro Osuna (Rangers) earned a promotion to Double-A Frisco. The center fielder has been playing above-average defense but needs to work on improving his swing decisions in order to be a fantasy-relevant bat.

High-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Matt Wilkinson	CLE	100	100
2	Noah Schultz	CHW	87	100
3	Quinn Mathews	STL	89	98
4	Luis Perales	BOS	85	97
5	Owen Murphy	ATL	87	97
6	Chase Dollander	COL	80	92
7	Zebby Matthews	MIN	79	91
8	Jonah Tong	NYM	83	87
9	Thomas White	MIA	77	86
10	K.C. Hunt	MIL	82	84
11	Jaden Hamm	DET	81	83
12	Winston Santos	TEX	73	83
13	Alessandro Ercolani	PIT	69	82
14	Jedixson Paez	BOS	87	82
15	Brandyn Garcia	SEA	68	82
16	Sean Sullivan	COL	84	81
17	Edgar Portes	BAL	69	81
18	Ben Shields	NYY	71	79
19	Luis Morales	OAK	66	79
20	Nolan McLean	NYM	65	79
21	Austin Peterson	CLE	75	78
22	Jake Bloss	HOU	66	78
23	Owen Wild	TBR	72	77
24	Moises Chace	BAL	63	77
25	Andrew Morris	MIN	75	77

Phillies lefty Samuel Aldegheri is just inside the top 30. The 22-year-old has a 0.97 WHIP and 2.75 ERA over his 59 innings this season. The 36% strikeout rate is great, but is tarnished by the 10% walk rate. Over his last five starts, however, he only has a 7% walk rate, while striking out a remarkable  42% of batters. That leads to a strikeout minus walk rate that is essentially tied for the highest among pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings over that span, with last week’s highlighted pitcher Jedixson Paez (Red Sox).

The four-pitch mix isn’t dominant, but his three main secondaries–an 84 mph bullet slider, two-plane 77 mph curveball, and 83 mph changeup that has over a foot of armside run–all get over 42% whiffs, in support of his 92 mph four-seamer. If the season started on May 19, RoboScout would have him, the aforementioned Paez, and Thomas White (Marlins) as the top pitchers at the level. In other words, this might just be a hot streak for Aldegheri, but he’s been scorching hot.

Double-A Hitters (min 55 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Emmanuel Rodriguez	MIN	100	100
2	Agustin Ramirez	NYY	89	92
3	Moises Ballesteros	CHC	89	90
4	Luke Keaschall	MIN	85	89
5	Roman Anthony	BOS	81	86
6	Cole Young	SEA	85	85
7	Hao-Yu Lee	DET	83	85
8	Samuel Basallo	BAL	84	85
9	Matthew Lugo	BOS	79	83
10	Alex Freeland	LAD	77	83
11	James Triantos	CHC	77	81
12	Edgar Quero	CHW	74	79
13	Carson Williams	TBR	82	77
14	Kristian Campbell	BOS	70	77
15	Colby Thomas	OAK	71	76
16	C.J. Kayfus	CLE	72	74
17	Jacob Wilson	OAK	68	73
18	Deyvison De Los Santos	ARI	83	73
19	Harry Ford	SEA	72	73
20	Tyler Locklear	SEA	67	72
21	Ryan Clifford	NYM	75	71
22	Dalton Rushing	LAD	62	71
23	Joe Mack	MIA	70	71
24	Marcelo Mayer	BOS	66	71
25	Yohendrick Pinango	CHC	60	69

A catcher has the most home runs in Double-A over the last five weeks, but it’s not Orioles backstop Samuel Basallo. Instead, it’s Marlins catcher Joe Mack, who has hit 11 home runs with a 168 wRC+ since May 19. The No. 51 pick in 2021, Mack has been putting up plus exit velocities and barrel rates all season, with essentially league-average contact and chase rates. The level has seen some great season performances this year from catchers. Basallo, Edgar Quero (White Sox), Dalton Rushing (Dodgers) and Harry Ford (Mariners) along with recent Triple-A graduates Agustin Ramirez (Yankees) and Moises Ballesteros (Cubs) have all impressed. He may not be in the same tier, but from a production standpoint, both on and under the surface, Mack is not too far behind them.

Last year, Kala’i Rosario (Twins) received a lot of RoboScout’s attention. The outfielder had outstanding exit velocities and subsequent home run output. The knocks against the Hawaiian were limited defensive value and below-average contact rates. In 2024, the 21-year old has raised his contact rate by 7% to be essentially league-average, reduced his chase rate, and also added more thump with bat speed essentially on par with the aforementioned Ramirez. Almost more impressively, Rosario has improved his defense, preventing more runs than average. For the season on a whole, he is just outside the top 35 but has performed much better in the last five weeks. If he can reduce his groundball rate, Rosario has a chance to be a league-average corner outfielder.

Double-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Noah Schultz	CHW	100	100
2	Zebby Matthews	MIN	95	95
3	Logan Henderson	MIL	88	85
4	Bubba Chandler	PIT	79	83
5	Braxton Ashcraft	PIT	84	81
6	Tink Hence	STL	89	81
7	Nolan McLean	NYM	75	78
8	Chandler Champlain	KCR	89	78
9	Ben Casparius	LAD	74	77
10	Blade Tidwell	NYM	72	76
11	Thomas Harrington	PIT	76	76
12	Zach Penrod	BOS	80	73
13	Brandon Young	BAL	82	73
14	Jacob Misiorowski	MIL	68	73
15	Miguel Ullola	HOU	71	73
16	Jackson Jobe	DET	68	73
17	Yilber Diaz	ARI	77	73
18	Kyle McGowin	CHC	75	73
19	Troy Melton	DET	69	72
20	Justin Jarvis	NYM	71	72
21	Justin Wrobleski	LAD	69	72
22	Caden Dana	LAA	75	72
23	Andrew Morris	MIN	78	72
24	Shane Smith	MIL	77	71
25	Ty Madden	DET	76	71

Brewers righty Logan Henderson has only pitched 21 innings for Double-A Biloxi and already ranks as the third-highest pitcher for the level. In fact, of all starting pitchers in Double-A with at least 15 innings pitched, he has the second-highest strikeout minus walk rate, behind only Brandon Young (Orioles) who is now plying his wares for Triple-A Norfolk.

From a stuff perspective, Henderson has an ultra-flat (-3.9 VAA) 93 mph four-seamer that added a tick of velocity from last year. The 22-year-old also has his trademark changeup that has a CSW% of 47%, 13% higher than last year. With an 84 mph bullet slider as his third pitch, I’m not entirely convinced that Henderson has an arsenal that is guaranteed to succeed at the major league level. But RoboScout sees him as a midrotation starter and projects his major league performance to be, albeit without as much fanfare, within the same “ballpark” as Tink Hence (Cardinals) and Young.

Triple-A Hitters (min 50 PA)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	James Wood	WSN	100	100
2	Coby Mayo	BAL	92	95
3	Jose Fermin	STL	87	92
4	Jackson Holliday	BAL	88	89
5	Kyle Manzardo	CLE	81	87
6	Miguel Vargas	LAD	78	83
7	Andy Pages	LAD	74	79
8	Adrian Del Castillo	ARI	71	79
9	Javier Sanoja	MIA	72	78
10	Matthew Lugo	BOS	71	77
11	Chase Meidroth	BOS	68	76
12	Luis Matos	SFG	66	75
13	Angel Martinez	CLE	71	75
14	Heston Kjerstad	BAL	69	74
15	Shay Whitcomb	HOU	78	73
16	Colby Thomas	OAK	66	73
17	Brett Baty	NYM	63	72
18	Jhonkensy Noel	CLE	78	72
19	Heliot Ramos	SFG	62	71
20	Tyler Black	MIL	65	71
21	Johnathan Rodriguez	CLE	66	71
22	Junior Caminero	TBR	69	71
23	Jordan Beck	COL	64	71
24	Jace Jung	DET	67	71
25	Spencer Horwitz	TOR	59	71

Since his demotion, Brett Baty (Mets) has hit eight home runs over 81 plate appearances while also playing second base for Syracuse. He has always had groundball rates higher than league average at both Triple-A and the majors. His career groundball rate in Flushing is north of 50%. It’s potentially noteworthy that he has put up a far more palatable 38% rate in his latest minor league stint. Whether this indicates a “launch angle change” or not, RoboScout still believes the 24-year old infielder can hit 20+ home runs per year with a league-average hit tool.

Astros infielder Shay Whitcomb flies into the top 15. The 25-year-old has hit 18 home runs, stolen 18 bases with a 138 wRC+ and excellent infield defense at shortstop, second base, and third base. Since May 19, Whitcomb has the most home runs plus stolen bases with 10 bombs and 13 bags, while putting up a 147 wRC+ in those five weeks. Whitcomb is emblematic of the recent archetype of hitters the Astros target in the draft. Joey Loperfido, Trey Cabbage, Pedro Leon, David Hensley, Zach Cole, Jacob Melton, Luis Baez, Nehomar Ochoa Jr., and Brice Matthews are all players with average or slightly below-average contact rates but with 90th percentile exit velocities well above league average. According to RoboScout, even without considering that he is also an asset with his better-than-average infield defense, Whitcomb is a top 75 prospect in 2024.

Triple-A Pitchers (min 15 IP)

Rank	Name	Team	Robo	RoboCast
1	Paul Skenes	PIT	100	100
2	Christian Scott	NYM	91	92
3	David Festa	MIN	91	84
4	Jack Leiter	TEX	77	80
5	Chayce McDermott	BAL	80	80
6	Cade Povich	BAL	88	79
7	Braxton Ashcraft	PIT	78	77
8	Carson Spiers	CIN	75	77
9	Tobias Myers	MIL	73	77
10	Slade Cecconi	ARI	82	76
11	Elieser Hernandez	LAD	73	75
12	Louie Varland	MIN	77	74
13	Will Warren	NYY	71	74
14	Chad Patrick	MIL	73	74
15	Matt Manning	DET	71	74
16	Alek Manoah	TOR	75	73
17	Cristian Mena	ARI	80	72
18	Albert Suarez	BAL	75	71
19	Yilber Diaz	ARI	73	71
20	Gerson Garabito	TEX	72	70
21	Brandon Young	BAL	77	70
22	AJ Smith-Shawver	ATL	69	70
23	Jake Woodford	PIT	72	69
24	Quinn Priester	PIT	79	68
25	Bryce Elder	ATL	85	68

Happy bidding!