Which MLB Prospects Made The Most Hot Sheet Appearances This Season?

Image credit: Lazaro Montes (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

Each week, Baseball America’s Hot Sheet ranks the 20 hottest prospects in baseball for the previous week. With the 2024 MiLB regular season now complete, we’ll be taking a look back at which prospects made the most appearances on the Hot Sheet this year.

1. Quinn Mathews, LHP, Cardinals

Hot Sheet Appearances: 6
Age: 23

The Scoop: As was the case in 2023, the Hot Sheet high-water mark is six appearances. Last year, the winner was Rays infielder Junior Caminero. This year, it’s Mathews, who also took home Baseball America’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year award. This should come as no surprise considering Mathews led the minors in strikeouts (202) and placed among the top 10 in several other categories, including average against (.179) and WHIP (0.98).

2. Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners

Hot Sheet Appearances: 5
Age: 19

The Scoop: The Hot Sheet hit king for 2024 is Montes, the Mariners’ monster masher who crushed the competition at Low-A Modesto before moving to High-A Everett. It took him a little while to adjust, and there’s still plenty of questions surrounding his defense and overall hittability, but there’s zero doubt about his ability to put a jolt into a baseball. He finished with 21 doubles and 21 homers across both Class A levels.

3. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 22

The Scoop: The Pirates’ top prospect was outstanding all season long, carving up the competition at both of his upper-level stops. Using a nasty pitch mix, Chandler, a former two-way player who has blossomed since focusing solely on pitching, finished his year with 148 strikeouts over 119.2 innings. He notched four games with double-digit strikeouts, including a pair of 11-punch out starts.

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4. Jack Leiter, RHP, Rangers

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 24

The Scoop: Though he struggled in the big leagues, Leiter showed enough progress in the minor leagues to make himself an option in Arlington, something that seemed far away after last year. Tweaks to his mechanics and pitch mix helped him find more consistency, and he finished his 2024 minor league campaign with 110 strikeouts in 77 innings at Triple-A Round Rock.

5. Jackson Ferris, LHP, Dodgers

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 20

The Scoop: Throughout his time with the Cubs and the Dodgers, Ferris has flashed tremendous upside. His stuff is excellent, but there were questions about whether his command and control would limit his effectiveness. Those warts absolutely still remain—he walked 16 in 26.1 August innings—but he could also put together dazzlers like his start on July 6, when he K’d 11 hitters over seven two-hit shutout frames.

6. Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 22

The Scoop: As an amateur, Wilson was known for one of the purest hit tools around. In pro ball, nothing has changed. The big league progeny and Grand Canyon alum fricasseed the competition in the minor leagues, finishing with an eye-popping line of .433/.473/.668 line in 208 minor league at-bats. Those numbers helped him earn his first big league callup on July 19.

7. Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 19

The Scoop: Despite playing most of the 2023 season at the same level, De Paula still opened 2024 as one of the youngest players in the Low-A California League. He was promoted to High-A Great Lakes in mid-June and continued to show extreme command of the strike zone. De Paula finished his time in the Midwest League with more walks (50) than strikeouts (38) over the course of 230 plate appearances. He was the only teenager in the minor leagues with 350 or more at-bats, a strikeout rate lower than 20% and 10 or more home runs.

8. Kristian Campbell, 2B/OF, Red Sox

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 22

The Scoop: Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year produced a superlative season that not only jolted him into the upper echelon of the Top 100, but also to the cusp of Fenway Park. The Georgia Tech alum’s .330 average was fourth in the minor leagues, his .439 on-base percentage was second-best and his .558 slugging percentage with eighth. Boston’s system has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year, and Campbell is at the front of the Beantown revolution.

9. Matt Shaw, 2B, Cubs

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 22

The Scoop: Shaw is one of the Cubs’ best prospects, and he performed as such at two upper-level stops this summer. The Maryland alum finished the year with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases, making him one of just four minor leaguers to accomplish the feat. He was the only player in that quartet to do so while striking out fewer than 100 times.

10. Michael Arroyo, 2B, Mariners

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 19

The Scoop: Few players were as quietly dominant this season as Arroyo, who took the competition’s lunch money at both Class A levels. The Colombian native packed a tremendous punch from a smaller frame and finished the year with 26 doubles, seven triples, 23 home runs and 18 stolen bases. Arroyo’s 56 extra-base hits placed him in a tie for 11th place in the minor leagues, sharing the space with former top prospect Albert Almora Jr.

11. Mikey Romero, 2B, Red Sox

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 20

The Scoop: Romero, Boston’s first-round pick from 2022, had a resurgent season in the minor leagues. He also more than doubled his games played from a year ago, rising from 34 to 78. In that time, he rang up 24 doubles, four triples and 16 home runs. The long ball total tied Romero with Matthew Lugo for the system lead among players with 80 or fewer games on their ledger.

12. Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 23

The Scoop: By now, the book is out on Spencer Jones. Big-time impact potential muted by overly high strikeout totals. Though his 200 strikeouts in the regular season were an all-time Yankees minor league record, his 53 extra-base hits were tied with Erie’s Gage Workman for the most in all of Double-A. His 218 total bases were second to Workman, his six triples were third-most in the classification, as were his 78 RBIs.

13. Yilber Diaz, RHP, Diamondbacks

Hot Sheet Appearances: 4
Age: 24

The Scoop: For pitchers, the upper levels of Arizona’s minor league system can be as treacherous to traverse as a floor full of rakes is for Sideshow Bob. The most effective way to conquer hitters in those environs is to simply throw the ball past their bats. Diaz did this quite often. The righthander, who found his way to the big leagues on July 8, punched out 140 hitters in 104.1 innings between the levels, including a pair of 13-strikeout masterpieces at Triple-A

Players with three Hot Sheet appearances: Abimelec Ortiz, Adrian Del Castillo, Alan Roden, Austin Charles, Brandon Birdsell, Caden Dana, Carson Palmquist, Chase Davis, Coby Mayo, Colby Thomas, Dalton Rushing, George Klassen, Harry Ford, Heston Kjerstad, Jackson Baumeister, Jarlin Susana, Jasson Dominguez, Joey Loperfido, Jonah Tong, Kyle Manzardo, Mason Barnett, Max Anderson, Owen Murphy, Paul Skenes, Roman Anthony, Tink Hence, Travis Sykora, Xavier Isaac.

Players with two Hot Sheet appearances: Aidan Miller, Aidan Smith, Alan Roden, Alejandro Rosario, Angel Genao, Ben Kudrna, Ben Rice, Brady House, Brandon Sproat, Brice Matthews, Bryce Eldridge, Cade Povich, Cam Collier, Carson McCusker, Carson Williams, Chandler Simpson, Chase Petty, Christian Scott, Cole Carrigg, Cole Young, Connor Norby, Cooper Bowman, Denzel Clarke, Deyvison De Los Santos, Dustin Harris, Edgar Quero, Franklin Arias, Gage Workman, George Wolkow, Henry Bolte, Jackson Holliday, Jackson Jobe, Jacob Misiorowski, James Wood, Jean Cabrera, Jhonkensy Noel, Johnathan Rodriguez, Jordan Beck, Jose Tena, KC Hunt, Kevin McGonigle, Kyle Teel, Leodalis De Vries, Logan Evans, Luis Perales, Luke Keaschall, Max Clark, Moises Ballesteros, Moises Chace, Noah Cameron, Rhett Lowder, Ryan Clifford, Samuel Aldegheri, Sean Sullivan, Shay Whitcomb, Spencer Giesting, Thomas Saggese, Yoniel Curet, Zach Dezenzo, Zebby Matthews.