Category	California (LoA)	Carolina (LoA)	Florida State (LoA)
Best Batting Prospect	Ethan Salas	Samuel Basallo	Termarr Johnson
	Lake Elsinore (Padres)	Delmarva (Orioles)	Bradenton (Pirates)
Best Power Prospect	Ryan Ritter	Xavier Isaac	Termarr Johnson
	Fresno (Rockies)	Charleston (Rays)	Bradenton (Pirates)
Best Strike-Zone Judgment	Cole Young	Ahbram Liendo	Jett Williams
	Modesto (Mariners)	Salem (Red Sox)	St. Lucie (Mets)
Best Baserunner	Nelson Rada	Chandler Simpson	Seth Stephenson
	Inland Empire (Angels)	Charleston (Rays)	Lakeland (Tigers)
Fastest Baserunner	Nelson Rada	Chandler Simpson	Justin Crawford
	Inland Empire (Angels)	Charleston (Rays)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Best Pitching Prospect	Payton Martin	Jacob Misiorowski	Karson Milbrandt
	Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers)	Carolina (Brewers)	Jupiter (Marlins)
Best Fastball	Livan Reinoso	Jacob Misiorowski	Orion Kerkering
	Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers)	Carolina (Brewers)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Best Breaking Pitch	Ricardo Yan	Jacob Misiorowski	Orion Kerkering
	Visalia (D-backs)	Carolina (Brewers)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Best Changeup	Carson Whisenhunt	Jake Bennett	Estibenzon Jimenez
	San Jose (Giants)	Fredericksburg (Nationals)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Best Control	Mason Albright	Marcus Johnson	Hansel Rincon
	Fresno (Rockies)	Charleston (Rays)	Palm Beach (Cardinals)
Best Reliever	Zach Agnos	Adrian Rodriguez	Orion Kerkering
	Fresno (Rockies)	Down East (Rangers)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Best Defensive C	Kody Huff	Jhon Garcia	Logan Tanner
	Fresno (Rockies)	Salem (Red Sox)	Daytona (Reds)
Best Defensive 1B	Matt Coutney	Branden Boissiere	Peyton Williams
	Inland Empire (Angels)	Fredericksburg (Nationals)	Dunedin (Blue Jays)
Best Defensive 2B	Diego Velazquez	Jadher Areinamo	Jared Serna
	San Jose (Giants)	Carolina (Brewers)	Tampa (Yankees)
Best Defensive 3B	Skyler Messinger	Brady House	Jack Brannigan
	Modesto (Mariners)	Fredericksburg (Nationals)	Bradenton (Pirates)
Best Defensive SS	Jose Izarra	Gregory Barrios	Bryan Rincon
	Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers)	Carolina (Brewers)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Best Infield Arm	Jose Fernandez	Cam Cauley	Bryan Rincon
	Visalia (D-backs)	Down East (Rangers)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Best Defensive OF	Nelson Rada	Luis Lara	Justin Crawford
	Inland Empire (Angels)	Carolina (Brewers)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Best OF Arm	Gabriel Gonzalez	Elijah Green	Cade Fergus
	Modesto (Mariners)	Fredericksburg (Nationals)	Clearwater (Phillies)
Most Exciting Player	Ethan Salas	Chandler Simpson	Jared Serna
	Lake Elsinore (Padres)	Charleston (Rays)	Tampa (Yankees)
Best Manager Prospect	Jeremiah Knackstedt	Jake Lowery	Andrew Graham
	San Jose (Giants)	Fredericksburg (Nationals)	Lakeland (Tigers)

Salas Could Be Special

When Ethan Salas arrived in the California League on May 30, he immediately displayed talent well beyond his years.

The Padres assigned Salas to Low-A Lake Elsinore this season when he was just 16 years old, making him the first player that age to appear in the full-season minor leagues since Julio Urias in 2013.

Salas, who signed in January and bypassed Rookie ball entirely, reached base in seven of his first eight plate appearances, turned 17 two days after his arrival and never slowed down.

Salas hit .267/.350/.487 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 48 games for Lake Elsinore before earning a promotion to High-A Fort Wayne—and eventually Double-A San Antonio in late August.

Beyond the numbers, the Venezuelan catcher showed an uncanny knowledge of the strike zone and remarkable poise in the batter’s box that belied his youth.

Salas laid off tantalizingly close pitches, worked counts like a season veteran and made consistent contact with a direct, fluid, lefthanded swing.

After hitting into some bad luck early, Salas hit .312/.359/.633 with eight home runs in his final 26 games with the Storm before being promoted.

“At 17 you’re usually writing a high school follow report on a guy,” one rival evaluator said. “I haven’t seen a newly-turned 17-year-old in full-season who really looks like he belongs.

“He’s taking 97 (mph) up in the zone and just crushed it for a home run. He’s got a chance to be pretty damn good.”

Salas understandably still needs to add strength, especially to withstand the rigors of catching. But for a player his age to excel as he did in the California League, he showed he’s already on the path to becoming a special player.

—Kyle Glaser

Massive Power Helps Isaac Stand Out

The Rays surprised the industry in 2022 by taking hulking high school first baseman Xavier Isaac in the first round.

So far, the 19-year-old has rewarded their hunch.

The winner of the Best Power category in the Carolina League, Isaac is a big, physical lefthanded hitter with the thump to match. At the time of his promotion to High-A, Isaac ranked third in the CL in home runs (13), second in slugging (.462) and second in OPS (.462).

More than simply power, Isaac has impressed scouts with an advanced approach that led to a walk rate of nearly 15% in the Carolina League.

Isaac’s raw power showed up in his exit velocity numbers, with a 90th percentile mark that hovered around 108 mph and a maximum of better than 114 mph.

As a first base-only prospect, Isaac is going to have to continue to mash like he did in the Carolina League to keep climbing the ladder. The biggest hole scouts see right now is in his platoon splits. He departed Low-A hitting just .192/.337/.288 against southpaws and hadn’t connected for a home run against a lefty all season.

Isaac’s strikeout rate against lefties in the CL was high but not outlandish at 26.8% and he still worked plenty of walks (nearly an 18% rate), but there’s still plenty of work to be done to make Isaac a threat against both righties and lefties.

Nonetheless, Isaac’s massive power should make him an asset as he rises through the minor leagues.

—Josh Norris

Basallo’s Bat Dominates Older Competition

After years of absence in the international market, the Orioles under Mike Elias have begun to reestablish themselves in the space in recent years.

Their first hit looks to be 19-year-old catcher Samuel Basallo. Signed for $1.3 million out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021, Basallo was assigned to Low-A Delmarva out of spring training after a solid U.S. debut in the Florida Complex League last year.  

In 83 games with the Shorebirds Basallo hit .299/.384/.503 with 12 home runs. At the time of Basallo’s promotion to High-A Aberdeen, he ranked third in the Carolina League in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage, first in slugging and fourth in home runs.

The biggest difference year over year in Basallo’s game is his ability to impact the ball. While the lefthanded hitter hinted at his plus-plus raw power at times in complex ball, he didn’t consistently channel his strength into hard contact.

Compared with last year, Basallo added 5 mph to his average exit velocity and 3 mph to his 90th percentile exit velocity. This shows a real increase in not only high end contact quality but also consistency of quality contact.

Basallo still has some swing-and-miss, particularly in-zone, and will get overly aggressive and expand the zone. Despite these warts, Basallo dominated older competition in his first experience at the full-season level with plus power that may grow into double-plus and feel to hit.

Basallo has a strong combination of elite power and skills. His future behind the plate might be a question, but his bat carries enough weight to fit around the diamond.

—Geoff Pontes

Player Spotlight: Jacob Misiorowski

Jacob Misiorowski won Best Tools categories in three leagues this season.

Not bad for a Brewers 2022 second-round pick who walked seven of the 14 batters he faced in his pro debut last summer.

The 6-foot-7 Misiorowski still struggles with control, but his stuff is undeniable. He might have the best two-pitch combo in the minor leagues.

His high-90s fastball gets on hitters quickly from an unorthodox low arm slot and generates a high rate of swings and misses. The pitch is a 70 or 80 on the 20-80 scale for scouts.

Because Misiorowski can touch 101 mph, batters often look foolish when they’re gearing up for heat and get his high-80s slider.

He also throws a low-80s curveball that he can often locate to both sides of the plate and make up for a subpar changeup.

Locating pitches in the strike zone is often a 50/50 proposition for Misiorowski, and more advanced hitters will go out of the zone less often than young ones.

Combined with Misiorowski’s long arm action, that leads many scouts to project the 21-year-old to the bullpen, where he could quickly become a premier closer.

—Matt Eddy

Prospect Showdown: Cole Young vs. Jett Williams

The 2022 draft was rich in high school shortstop talent. Jackson Holliday and Termarr Johnson were the first and fourth players selected. The Mets followed with Jett Williams at No. 14 and the Mariners with Cole Young at No. 21.

Both Williams and Young have the potential to become plus hitters, thanks in large part to discerning batting eyes. Each won Best Strike-Zone Judgment in his league.

While Williams and Young were in Low-A, they had nearly identical chase rates of roughly 17.5%. Young swung much more frequently (40% to 32%) and whiffed more often on pitches in the zone (18% to 14%). Williams, whose league used an ABS strike zone, worked deeper counts and had higher walk and strikeout rates.

Young   Williams

    60    HIT    60

    45    POWER    40

    55    RUN    60

    50    FIELD    50

    55    ARM    50

What They’re Saying: Termarr Johnson, 2B, Pirates

“I think he’s gonna stay at second base. His lower half is getting really thick, but he has very good bat speed. Patient with a good eye. Ball jumps off his bat. He’s still really young, so that has to come into play.

“He has severe bat speed. Everyday player. You can tell he loves to play the game. Excellent enthusiasm. Defense is still a question. Thick frame but quick twitch.”

—Anonymous pro scout

Category	Midwest (HiA)	Northwest (HiA)	South Atlantic (HiA)
Best Batting Prospect	Jackson Merrill	Sterlin Thompson	Jackson Holliday
	Fort Wayne (Padres)	Spokane (Rockies)	Aberdeen (Orioles)
Best Power Prospect	Nathan Martorella	Yanquiel Fernandez	Abimelec Ortiz
	Fort Wayne (Padres)	Spokane (Rockies)	Hickory (Rangers)
Best Strike-Zone Judgment	Jakob Marsee	Harry Ford	Jackson Holliday
	Fort Wayne (Padres)	Everett (Mariners)	Aberdeen (Orioles)
Best Baserunner	Victor Scott	Joe Stewart	Jacob Melton
	Peoria (Cardinals)	Tri-City (Angels)	Asheville (Astros)
Fastest Baserunner	Victor Scott	Jonatan Clase	Luis Valdez
	Peoria (Cardinals)	Everett (Mariners)	Aberdeen (Orioles)
Best Pitching Prospect	Jacob Misiorowski	Yu-Min Lin	Chase Hampton
	Wisconsin (Brewers)	Hillsboro (D-backs)	Hudson Valley (Yankees)
Best Fastball	Zach Maxwell	Yilber Diaz	Bubba Chandler
	Dayton (Reds)	Hillsboro (D-backs)	Greensboro (Pirates)
Best Breaking Pitch	Jackson Jobe	Yu-Min Lin	Orion Kerkering
	West Michigan (Tigers)	Hillsboro (D-backs)	Jersey Shore (Phillies)
Best Changeup	Julian Aguiar	Carson Whisenhunt	Drew Thorpe
	Dayton (Reds)	Eugene (Giants)	Hudson Valley (Yankees)
Best Control	Trent Baker	Yu-Min Lin	Drew Thorpe
	Peoria (Cardinals)	Hillsboro (D-backs)	Hudson Valley (Yankees)
Best Reliever	Jake Pilarski	Angel Chivilli	Orion Kerkering
	Great Lakes (Dodgers)	Spokane (Rockies)	Jersey Shore (Phillies)
Best Defensive C	Mat Nelson	Adrian Sugastey	Silas Ardoin
	Dayton (Reds)	Eugene (Giants)	Aberdeen (Orioles)
Best Defensive 1B	Ruben Ibarra	Tyler Locklear	Rixon Wingrove
	Dayton (Reds)	Everett (Mariners)	Jersey Shore (Phillies)
Best Defensive 2B	Jace Jung	Nic Kent	Tsung-Che Cheng
	West Michigan (Tigers)	Spokane (Rockies)	Greensboro (Pirates)
Best Defensive 3B	Dayan Frias	Ben Ramirez	Junior Caminero
	Lake County (Guardians)	Everett (Mariners)	Bowling Green (Rays)
Best Defensive SS	Edwin Arroyo	Aeverson Arteaga	Marcelo Mayer
	Dayton (Reds)	Eugene (Giants)	Greenville (Red Sox)
Best Infield Arm	Yiddi Cappe	Arol Vera	Carson Williams
	Beloit (Marlins)	Tri-City (Angels)	Bowling Green (Rays)
Best Defensive OF	Kevin Alcantara	Grant McCray	James Wood
	South Bend (Cubs)	Eugene (Giants)	Wilmington (Nationals)
Best OF Arm	Emmanuel Rodriguez	Yanquiel Fernandez	Stanley Consuegra
	Cedar Rapids (Twins)	Spokane (Rockies)	Brooklyn (Mets)
Most Exciting Player	Jackson Merrill	Yanquiel Fernandez	Jackson Holliday
	Fort Wayne (Padres)	Spokane (Rockies)	Aberdeen (Orioles)
Best Manager Prospect	Daniel Nava	Brent Lavallee	Greg Brodzinski
	Great Lakes (Dodgers)	Vancouver (Blue Jays)	Jersey Shore (Phillies)

Holliday Takes Flight

Jackson Holliday began the season at Low-A Delmarva. He began the second half of the season at Double-A Bowie.

In the process, the 19-year-old Orioles shortstop became one of the major storylines of the 2023 minor league season.

Holliday won Best Tools categories in the High-A South Atlantic and Double-A Eastern leagues, including Best Batting Prospect and Most Exciting Player in both.

What makes Holliday stand out is his ability to hit for a high batting average and reach base at a high clip. His plate skills are plus-plus, and he shows innate bat-to-ball skills and the ability to hit a variety of pitches.

Holliday’s contact skills proved too much for pitchers in the lower minors. He hit .331/.466/.523 in 71 games at two Class A stops. He then handled Double-A pitchers with similar mastery.

The Orioles chose Holliday, the 2022 High School Player of the Year, with the first overall pick last year. His ability to adjust his barrel to take a variety of swings on the ball gives him the look of a contact-only hitter, but his power swing is capable of unleashing the occasional towering shot.

Holliday’s plate discipline is exceptional and likely the best of his many above-average to plus tools. He discerns balls and strikes as well as any player in the minors despite being a teenager.

His ability to get on base in a variety of ways and then steal bases earned him Most Exciting Player votes across multiple leagues.

Holliday stands as the top prospect in baseball and is a polished gem who may grow into more power as his body matures. He is a potential superstar in the making with bloodlines—father Matt was an MLB all-star; brother Ethan is one of the top draft prospects for 2025—to one of the game’s great baseball families.

—Geoff Pontes

Merrill Recovers From Slow Start To Shine

Jackson Merrill’s season got off to an inauspicious start in the Midwest League when he was sidelined by the flu and then again by a stomach bug shortly after. The 1-2 punch of illnesses sapped the Padres shortstop’s strength and energy so much that he struggled to get through games and even caused him to be pulled mid-game due to fatigue and nausea.

Once Merrill finally got healthy, the 20-year-old showed the extraordinary hitting talents that have come to define him. He hit .177 in April as he battled his illnesses and .309/.339/.475 the rest of the way at High-A Fort Wayne before being promoted to Double-A San Antonio.

Merrill hit lefties as well as righties, struck out just 12.3% of the time—the fifth-lowest rate in the MWL among batters who batted at least 300 times—and earned raves from coaches and evaluators alike for his mature demeanor and smooth, balanced lefthanded swing.

“He’s pretty damn good,” one American League pro scout said. “Very controlled, mellow presence. He has a smoothness to the game. He makes it look easy and hits the ball hard.”

Merrill’s bat alone makes him an excellent prospect, but that same smoothness and ease translates to his defense at shortstop. His steady glove, efficient movements and advanced instincts will give him every opportunity to remain at the position. If it all comes together, he has a chance to be the rare everyday shortstop who has a chance to compete for batting titles.

—Kyle Glaser

Small Changes Unlock Big Power For Ortiz

Abimelec Ortiz is one of a handful of nondrafted free agents who are already paying big dividends for the Rangers.

The physical, 6-foot first baseman signed out of Florida Southwestern State JC in 2021 and led the Dominican Summer League in home runs (11) and slugging percentage (.581) in his first professional season.

He equaled that home run total a year later with Low-A Down East, but he played in 53 additional games, making his power in the DSL look like a complex league mirage.

Between 2022 and 2023, however, things changed.

Most importantly, the 21-year-old Puerto Rico native was fitted for corrective lenses to improve his vision. He also cut down on his pre-pitch movement and exchanged a leg kick for a toe-tap. The results were striking.

Through Aug. 23 Ortiz was tied for the South Atlantic League lead with 23 home runs for Hickory—or one more than his total in the previous two seasons combined. That earned him the nod as Best Power Prospect in the SAL.

That total, plus the eight he hit in a return to Low-A to begin the year, gave him 30 homers, placing him four off the minor league lead and one off the lead among players without time in Triple-A, which began a week earlier than the other three full-season levels.

Scouts who saw Ortiz noted that the quality of his contact was much improved.

The lefthanded hitter is still vulnerable to elevated velocity, which contributed to his 29% strikeout rate, but a few changes have helped make him into one of Texas’ top power brokers.

—Josh Norris

Player Spotlight: Yanquiel Fernandez

Yanquiel Fernandez has some of the most exciting raw power in the minor leagues.

The 20-year-old Cuban showed out in the Northwest League this spring, hitting .319/.355/.605 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs in 58 games. That earned him a quick promotion to Double-A Hartford.

Few players hit the ball as hard as often as Fernandez, who showed a near 91 mph average exit velocity in the Northwest Leauge, with max readings to match.

That helped make him one of the rare players to win Most Exciting Player based mostly on his power production—and also arm strength.

Most Exciting Player category winners typically combine plus offensive attributes with speed and defensive value.

But the 6-foot, 198-pound Fernandez is a below-average runner and below-average defender in right field whose lefthanded bat will have to carry him to major league relevancy.

Fernandez likes to swing the bat and has a tendency to chase out of the zone. If he can become more selectively aggressive, he has the potential to become an above-average hitter with at least plus power.

That would make him one of the more exciting hitters in MLB.

—Matt Eddy

Prospect Showdown: Zach Maxwell vs. Yilber Diaz

Two of the best fastballs in High-A belong to fireballing righthanders with very different body types in different roles. The Reds’ Zach Maxwell is a 6-foot-6, 275-pound behemoth who has worked as a reliever since he was at Georgia Tech. The D-backs’ Yilber Diaz is an undersized starter, so opponents get more looks at his fastball.

Each generates mid-to-high-90s velocity with above-average to plus ride. Maxwell’s fastball sits 96-97 mph with 19-20 inches of induced vertical break, generating whiffs at an elite rate. Diaz’s fastball doesn’t generate as much ride and it’s a few miles per hour slower but does have a flatter approach angle and more unique release characteristics than Maxwell’s.

Maxwell   Diaz

    70    FB    60

    45    CB    45

    55    SL    50

    —    CHG    —

    40    CTL    40

What They’re Saying: Yu-Min Lin, LHP, D-backs

“He was delayed in his buildup out of spring training but has come out and looked great. The command, arsenal—he’s got like eight pitches. As he gets stronger and continues to develop, he could be special. His fastball is 90-92 (mph). You’ll see a 93. Changeup is his best pitch. Can manipulate and do different things with it.”

—D-backs farm director Josh Barfield

Category	Eastern (AA)	Southern (AA)	Texas (AA)
Best Batting Prospect	Jackson Holliday	Jackson Chourio	Evan Carter
	Bowie (Orioles)	Biloxi (Brewers)	Frisco (Rangers)
Best Power Prospect	James Wood	Owen Caissie	Joey Loperfido
	Harrisburg (Nationals)	Tennessee (Cubs)	Corpus Christi (Astros)
Best Strike-Zone Judgment	Jasson Dominguez	Tyler Black	Evan Carter
	Somerset (Yankees)	Biloxi (Brewers)	Frisco (Rangers)
Best Baserunner	Ceddanne Rafaela	Nasim Nuñez	Luisangel Acuña
	Portland (Red Sox)	Pensacola (Marlins)	Frisco (Rangers)
Fastest Baserunner	Johan Rojas	Mason Auer	Jonatan Clase
	Reading (Phillies)	Montgomery (Rays)	Arkansas (Mariners)
Best Pitching Prospect	Ricky Tiedemann	Eury Perez	Emmet Sheehan
	New Hampshire (Blue Jays)	Pensacola (Marlins)	Tulsa (Dodgers)
Best Fastball	Ricky Tiedemann	Jacob Misiorowski	Emmet Sheehan
	New Hampshire (Blue Jays)	Biloxi (Brewers)	Tulsa (Dodgers)
Best Breaking Pitch	Orion Kerkering	Connor Phillips	Prelander Berroa
	Reading (Phillies)	Chattanooga (Reds)	Arkansas (Mariners)
Best Changeup	Carson Whisenhunt	Patrick Monteverde	Devin Sweet
	Richmond (Giants)	Pensacola (Marlins)	Arkansas (Mariners)
Best Control	Richard Fitts	Sean Hunley	Landon Knack
	Somerset (Yankees)	Montgomery (Rays)	Tulsa (Dodgers)
Best Reliever	Luis Guerrero	Jefry Yan	Devin Sweet
	Portland (Red Sox)	Pensacola (Marlins)	Arkansas (Mariners)
Best Defensive C	Drew Romo	Will Banfield	Pedro Pages
	Hartford (Rockies)	Pensacola (Marlins)	Springfield (Cardinals)
Best Defensive 1B	Grant Lavigne	Haydn McGeary	Robbie Tenerowicz
	Hartford (Rockies)	Tennessee (Cubs)	Arkansas (Mariners)
Best Defensive 2B	Nick Yorke	Nasim Nuñez	Ryan Bliss
	Portland (Red Sox)	Pensacola (Marlins)	Amarillo (D-backs)
Best Defensive 3B	Chase Meidroth	BJ Murray Jr.	Kody Hoese
	Portland (Red Sox)	Tennessee (Cubs)	Tulsa (Dodgers)
Best Defensive SS	Marcelo Mayer	Luis Vazquez	Jordan Lawlar
	Portland (Red Sox)	Tennessee (Cubs)	Amarillo (D-backs)
Best Infield Arm	Julio Carreras	Nasim Nuñez	Luisangel Acuña
	Hartford (Rockies)	Pensacola (Marlins)	Frisco (Rangers)
Best Defensive OF	Johan Rojas	Pete Crow-Armstrong	Victor Scott II
	Reading (Phillies)	Tennessee (Cubs)	Springfield (Cardinals)
Best OF Arm	Matt Gorski	Yoelqui Cespedes	Jose Ramos
	Altoona (Pirates)	Birmingham (White Sox)	Tulsa (Dodgers)
Most Exciting Player	Jackson Holliday	Jackson Chourio	Jordan Lawlar
	Bowie (Orioles)	Biloxi (Brewers)	Amarillo (D-backs)
Best Manager Prospect	Callix Crabbe	Kevin Randel	Mike Freeman
	Altoona (Pirates)	Pensacola (Marlins)	Arkansas (Mariners)

Chourio Gets In The Swing

The Brewers’ Jackson Chourio finished his breakthrough 2022 season at Double-A as an 18-year-old. No hitter that young had reached that high since Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2017 or Bryce Harper in 2011.

Chourio returned to Biloxi on Opening Day this year as the only 19-year-old at Double-A. The center fielder did not light the world on fire in the first half, hitting .249/.304/.410 with 11 home runs and a 21% strikeout rate in 71 games.

But not everything is as it seems.

The Southern League experimented with a pre-tacked baseball in the first half that gave pitchers a consistent grip on the ball. It had the effect of improving spin rate and command of breaking pitches and fastballs, especially riding four-seamers up in the zone.

The SL ditched the pre-tacked baseball when the second half began on July 14. In his first 30 games coming out of the break, Chourio batted .346/.401/.554 with six homers and 15% strikeouts.

Chourio’s batted-ball data was equally bullish. According to Synergy, he improved his swinging-strike and chase rates when the SL moved to a standard baseball in the second half. He also swung much less frequently overall.

Chourio saw his greatest gains against fastballs. His chase rate against them dropped from 33% to 21%. His swinging-strike rate improved slightly 18% to 17%. Most dramatic was his change in swing rate versus fastballs, which fell from 53% to 39%.

Most of Chourio’s improvement against fastballs occurred with heaters high in the zone—the pitch type on which pitchers received the biggest performance boost with the pre-tacked ball.

That’s great news for Chourio, whose five-tool center fielder projection looks better today than it did in the spring.

—Matt Eddy

Tiedemann Balances Risk With Tantalizing Upside

Injuries annually rob fans of great performances. Blue Jays lefthander Ricky Tiedemann’s season falls within that category this season.

The 21-year-old flamethrower impressed Eastern League managers so much that he earned Best Pitching Prospect and Best Fastball despite missing all of May, June and July while sidelined with a biceps injury

No other pitcher flashed the moments of dominance that Tiedemann did when he was on the mound. While his results were up and down—he ran a 6.75 ERA through 18.2 innings for New Hampshire—no pitcher in the league could match his pure power.

Tiedemann sits 95-97 mph and mixes in a devastating plus-plus changeup and a plus sweeping slider. He can overpower hitters while controlling both sides of the plate when his command is locked in.

His ability to land three pitch shapes with unique traits and good separation off of his fastball makes Tiedemann a unique pitcher—but especially so as a lower-slot lefthander. Tiedemann possesses a premium mix of pure stuff, pitchability and deception that places him among the elite pitching prospects.

The concerns regarding his viability as a starter are very real. Tiedemann had not exceeded 70 pitches or four innings since July 8, 2022. His health and durability are major concerns, and he struggled with command this season upon returning from a biceps injury.

Still, Tiedemann’s potential as a high-risk, high-reward lefthander with ace upside is clear.

—Geoff Pontes

Precocious Perez Shoots To The Top

Marlins righthander Eury Perez began the season as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. He eventually moved into the top spot and then spent two stints in MLB showing that the hype was very, very real.

As ever, the massive, 20-year-old Perez showcased a combination of high-end stuff and precocious athleticism. In concert, both of those traits added up to a pitcher able to dominate some of the finest hitters in the big leagues.

Perez made his big league debut on May 12 after six starts for Pensacola. He earned his first win a week later by spinning five one-run innings against the Nationals.

After electrifying the majors for 11 starts, Perez was sent back to Double-A for a month. Once he returned to Miami, he took two starts to find his groove again before he turned in the best outing of his career on Aug. 19.

Facing the Dodgers, Perez struck out 10 over six innings of two-hit, no-walk ball. The outing was his first as a big leaguer with double-digit strikeouts.

Perez is one of just 17 pitchers age 20 or younger to make at least 10 starts in a season in the past 30 years.

For the last two seasons, Perez has been lauded as one of the highest ceiling pitching prospects in baseball.

He proved it in 2022 with a standout turn as the youngest pitcher in the Southern League, then reaffirmed his stock with two more stints in Double-A in 2023. In both seasons, he was SL managers’ pick as Best Pitching Prospect.

Based on the results, hitters in the Southern League should be breathing a sigh of relief with the knowledge that Perez is finally gone for good.

—Josh Norris

Player Spotlight: Jordan Lawlar

D-backs shortstop Jordan Lawlar is one of the finest power-speed prospects in baseball.

In his time with Double-A Amarillo he hit .263/.366/.474 with 15 home runs and 33 stolen bases in 89 games.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing in the Texas League. Lawlar hit just .168 with 30% strikeouts through his first 34 games for Amarillo. His swing got out of whack and he tended to chase high fastballs

That adversity may have paid off in the long run for the 21-year-old Lawlar.

In his final 55 games in the Texas League he put up a .957 OPS with a strikeout rate just shy of 17%.

That made Lawlar a prime candidate for Most Exciting Player in the Texas League, which he won in Best Tools voting.

More surprising was Lawlar’s win for Best Defensive Shortstop.

He was a bit error-prone in his 2022 full-season debut—.912 fielding percentage—but shoring up his defensive work was a primary goal for Lawlar in 2023.

Mission accomplished.

Lawlar’s athletic ability and plus arm help him make highlight-reel plays. Now he has improved the consistency of his fundamentals to make routine plays with much greater frequency.

—Matt Eddy

Prospect Showdown: James Wood vs. Owen Caissie

The Padres hit big on consecutive second-round picks, drafting Owen Caissie in 2020 and James Wood in 2021. Both were traded for marquee players—Caissie to the Cubs in the Yu Darvish deal and Wood to the Nationals in the Juan Soto deal—and have emerged as premier power prospects in their age-20 seasons at Double-A.

As for who has more power, Wood can hit balls farther, but Caissie gets to his power more frequently against better pitching. Both hit towering drives to the opposite field and center in addition to their pull side, and both regularly clear elite markers for exit velocity and home run distance.

From a pure tools standpoint, their power is roughly even. From a productivity standpoint, Caissie gets the edge. Either way, both Caissie and Wood are two of the best young power hitters in the minor leagues and are capable of hitting mesmerizing blasts at any time.

Wood   Caissie

    55    HIT    50

    65    POWER    55

    55    RUN    50

    50    FIELD    45

    55    ARM    55

What They’re Saying: Evan Carter, OF, Rangers

“He’s obviously very interesting. Plus athlete. Plus runner. Can definitely stay in center field . . . He’s not quite physically mature yet and has strength gains to come.

“His swing is good. It’s just not coming off the bat real hot yet. He knows the strike zone and can manage an at-bat. It’s hit over power. He’s a good player.

A good leadoff profile.”

—Anonymous pro scout

Category	International (AAA)	Pacific Coast (AAA)
Best Batting Prospect	Elly De La Cruz	Michael Busch
	Louisville (Reds)	Oklahoma City (Dodgers)
Best Power Prospect	Elly De La Cruz	Jo Adell
	Louisville (Reds)	Salt Lake (Angels)
Best Strike-Zone Judgment	Wilyer Abreu	Michael Stefanic
	Worcester (Red Sox)	Salt Lake (Angels)
Best Baserunner	Cam Eden	Matthew Batten
	Buffalo (Blue Jays)	El Paso (Padres)
Fastest Baserunner	Elly De La Cruz	Bubba Thompson
	Louisville (Reds)	Round Rock (Rangers)
Best Pitching Prospect	Gavin Williams	Kyle Harrison
	Columbus (Guardians)	Sacramento (Giants)
Best Fastball	Gavin Williams	Kyle Harrison
	Columbus (Guardians)	Sacramento (Giants)
Best Breaking Pitch	Will Warren	J.P. France
	Scranton/WB (Yankees)	Sugar Land (Astros)
Best Changeup	Grayson Rodriguez	Gavin Stone
	Norfolk (Orioles)	Oklahoma City (Dodgers)
Best Control	Mitch Spence	Cody Bradford
	Scranton/WB (Yankees)	Round Rock (Rangers)
Best Reliever	Gerson Moreno	Matt Festa
	Rochester (Nationals)	Tacoma (Mariners)
Best Defensive C	Chuckie Robinson	Korey Lee
	Louisville (Reds)	Sugar Land (Astros)
Best Defensive 1B	Spencer Horwitz	Michael Toglia
	Buffalo (Blue Jays)	Albuquerque (Rockies)
Best Defensive 2B	Nick Sogard	Michael Stefanic
	Worcester (Red Sox)	Salt Lake (Angels)
Best Defensive 3B	Jordan Westburg	Aaron Schunk
	Norfolk (Orioles)	Albuquerque (Rockies)
Best Defensive SS	Oswald Peraza	Blaze Alexander
	Scranton/WB (Yankees)	Reno (D-backs)
Best Infield Arm	Elly De La Cruz	Casey Schmitt
	Louisville (Reds)	Sacramento (Giants)
Best Defensive OF	Ceddanne Rafaela	Drew Avans
	Worcester (Red Sox)	Oklahoma City (Dodgers)
Best OF Arm	Wilyer Abreu	Nolan Jones
	Worcester (Red Sox)	Albuquerque (Rockies)
Most Exciting Player	Elly De La Cruz	Luis Matos
	Louisville (Reds)	Sacramento (Giants)
Best Manager Prospect	Chad Tracy	Travis Barbary
	Worcester (Red Sox)	Oklahoma City (Dodgers)

De La Cruz Electrifies IL

International League fans got an extended look at Elly De La Cruz before the 21-year-old Reds shortstop ever stepped foot on a major league field.

They saw why De La Cruz was going to become one of the most exciting players the minute he arrived in MLB.

De La Cruz showed off his speed by turning in the fastest home-to-third time (10.97 seconds) of any Triple-A player. He also swiped 11 bags to go with three triples in just 38 games for Louisville.

It was a big hint of how he would quickly turn in the three fastest home-to-third times on triples in the majors after receiving his callup on June 6.

At Triple-A he hit .298/.398/.633 with 12 home runs, while reining in his strikeout rate to 23% in his final 23 games, compared with 33% in his first 15.

De La Cruz’s power also was apparent. As of mid August, the hardest-hit ball in Triple-A or the majors was his 118.8 mph scorcher of a double on May 9 against Columbus. He also has the hardest-hit home run in Triple-A, a 450-foot blast that traveled at 117.7 mph.

And his arm was just as obvious. De La Cruz had a pair of 99 mph throws on infield assists—one as a shortstop and one as a third baseman—that remain the hardest throws tracked by Statcast on an infield out this season.

De La Cruz has shown 80-grade speed and arm strength—his raw power also has a case for 80—since he arrived in the majors. Triple-A fans can say they got to see it all first.

—JJ Cooper

Williams’ Power Arsenal Leads The Way

In the opening months of the International League season, the Columbus rotation provided a window to some of the top rookie pitchers 2023 would have to offer.

By the end of April, the Clippers had already received starts from righthanders Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee and lefthander Logan T. Allen.

Bibee and Allen made their MLB debuts in April. Williams followed in June after making nine starts for Columbus.

All three pitched so effectively for Cleveland that club was able to weather the trade of Aaron Civale and injuries to Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill. Guardians starters had a 3.98 ERA that ranked seventh-best in MLB.

The 24-year-old Williams, Cleveland’s first-round pick in 2021, entered the season as the top prospect of the bunch and has an impressive arsenal built on firepower and a variety of pitch shapes.

His four-seam fastball sits 94-97 mph with heavy bore and generates average ride and above-average run, making it a truly gnarly bat-missing weapon. It generated an above-average whiff rate almost immediately.

In an IL season that boasted some strong Best Fastball candidates, Williams stood above the rest. It’s not just shape and velocity, but his ability to hold his stuff and locate with consistency.

Aside from his fastball, Williams can turn to two breaking pitches—a mid-70s curveball and a tighter, mid-80s slider—as well as a changeup.

An imposing 6-foot-6, Williams gets down the mound with power and force while mixing a variety of pitch shapes at different velocities. He has the body, pitch mix and power of a potential front-of-the-rotation starter and as a rookie  had begun to show signs of future dominance.

—Geoff Pontes

Harrison Has The Stuff, Now He Needs Cohesion

“Divisive” might be the perfect word to encapsulate the prospect status of Giants lefthander Kyle Harrison.

For those appreciative of big stuff and swing-and-miss abilities, Harrison rates highly.

For those who favor efficiency and command, the 22-year-old might seem overrated.

Harrison spent most of the season with Sacramento, reaching MLB for his debut on Aug. 22, when he went 3.2 innings against the Phillies. He made good progress for a 2020 third-rounder out of high school.

While in the Pacific Coast League, Harrison struck out nearly 35.6% of batters, the highest rate in the league at 50 innings. But his command was an issue.

Harrison walked 16.3% of batters—the third-worst mark in the PCL—and reached five innings only once in 20 starts. He topped 80 pitches three times.

Harrison’s fastball isn’t elite in terms of velocity. It sits 93-96 mph, which is now slightly above-average for a major league starter. Instead, his combination of a low, deceptive release from a low arm slot and fastball movement makes it a truly special bat-missing pitch.

Harrison pairs his sneaky fastball with a newly revamped slider. He ditched his sweeper for a mid-80s cut-slider. He also will show a changeup that will flash above-average.

Harrison has all the ingredients to be a frontline pitcher but none of the cohesive glue, which may come with time and experience.

Harrison is one of the most electric lefthanders in the minors. He is one of the most erratic as well. His raw stuff and unique deceptive traits are undeniable.

And also divisive.

—Geoff Pontes

Player Spotlight: Grayson Rodriguez

A lot can change in the course of a season.

Grayson Rodriguez entered 2023 ranked as the No. 6 prospect in baseball and a presumptive member of the Orioles’ Opening Day rotation.

But the 23-year-old righthander pitched his way out of Baltimore’s immediate plans by running up a 7.04 ERA in 15.1 spring training innings.

Rodriguez opened with Triple-A Norfolk, but his time there didn’t last long.

Called up on April 5, Rodriguez produced mostly rocky results but remained in Baltimore’s rotation through May. He posted a 7.35 ERA in 45.1 innings, undone by a 1.74 WHIP and 13 home runs allowed in 10 starts.

That earned him a ticket to Triple-A. He righted the ship and returned to Baltimore in mid July.

In his first seven starts back in MLB, Rodriguez was much sharper. He had a 3.24 ERA in 41.2 innings to go with a 1.08 WHIP and just two home runs allowed.

What changed?

Rodriguez dropped his cutter usage from 12% in his first stint to 1% in his second. Most of those cutters turned into 95-97 mph four-seam fastballs and changeups, his two strongest pitches.

Rodriguez’s changeup was one of the best in MLB via Statcast run value, and before that it was the finest in the International League, according to Best Tools voting.

—Matt Eddy

Prospect Showdown: Jordan Westburg vs. Casey Schmitt

Athletic, versatile infielder? Check.

Drafted out of college in the five-round 2020 draft? Check.

Made MLB debut this season after a productive run through Triple-A? Check.

Jordan Westburg and Casey Schmitt share many commonalities and should be fixtures for competitive Orioles and Giants teams in the years to come. They contribute value in different ways.

Westburg has shown stronger on-base and power skills in the minor leagues and was off to a stronger start in MLB. He was getting an extended look at third base in Baltimore.

Schmitt is the stronger defensive player with more questions about offensive impact. He served as a two-way player in college and has one of the strongest infield arms in MLB at shortstop or third base.

Westburg   Schmitt

    50    HIT    55

    55    POWER    50

    55    RUN    50

    55    FIELD    65

    50    ARM    70

What They’re Saying: Luis Matos, OF, Giants

“I was on him when he first came stateside (in the 2019 Arizona League). He looks good. He just looks like he’s slowing everything down in the box.

“He’s still very aggressive, which will likely get exploited (at higher levels). He can really run and really play center field. He’s a classic up-the-middle guy.

    —Anonymous pro scout