Toolshed: Prospects pushing for playoffs
Most fans know the impact that players like Manny Machado, Chris Archer and Kevin Gausman -- all dealt before last month's Trade Deadline -- could have on the Major League postseason picture. The hope in all three cases (and many others) is that these additions will provide that extra push
Most fans know the impact that players like Manny Machado, Chris Archer and Kevin Gausman -- all dealt before last month's Trade Deadline -- could have on the Major League postseason picture. The hope in all three cases (and many others) is that these additions will provide that extra push to get teams over the line in their division and/or Wild Card races.
But while the playoff picture across Minor League circuits may not receive nearly the same level of attention, some of the game's top prospects can still fill similar roles as their MLB counterparts this time of year. This week's Toolshed presents one prospect from each of the 10 full-season leagues who's joined the circuit in the last month and should provide his new team with a big boost before the regular season closes on Labor Day.
International: Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Durham -- The Bulls hold a 3 1/2-game lead over Norfolk in the South Division as they attempt to defend last year's Triple-A National Championship crown, and they picked up a pretty big ringer Wednesday in the form of the Rays' No. 12 prospect. Lowe has been one of the Minors' best hitters this year, ranking in the top five among full-season Minor Leaguers in all three slash-line categories (.352/.442/.601) and leading the same group in average and OPS (1.043). He's shown good power with 23 homers in 102 games between Class A Advanced Charlotte, Double-A Montgomery and Durham (yes, he went deep in his second Triple-A game). Lowe, who started for the U.S. in the Futures Game, has taken over for the graduated Jake Bauers as the best first-base prospect in the Tampa Bay system, and it might not take long into 2019 before the 6-foot-4 left-handed slugger joins Bauers in St. Petersburg. But first, he'll provide plenty of thump in the middle of Durham's offense.
Pacific Coast: Will Smith, C, Oklahoma City -- There's a tight race happening in the PCL American Northern Division, where Oklahoma City has a one-game advantage over Colorado Springs. The Dodgers' No. 3 prospect left Double-A Tulsa -- where he split time behind the plate with No. 2 prospect Keibert Ruiz -- for OKC on Aug. 1 and is now on a roster with two much more veteran backstops in Kyle Farmer and Rocky Gale. Luckily, Smith also spent plenty of time at third base during his Texas League tenure, and he's already gotten a start at the hot corner with his new club. Offensively, the 23-year-old right-handed slugger is in the midst of a power breakout with a career-high 19 homers in 77 games this season, eight more than he hit last year in the California League. He should provide much-needed pop and versatility for OKC as he also tries to prove to the Dodgers that he could be ready for a full-time Major League role in 2019.
Eastern: Forrest Wall, CF, New Hampshire -- The Fisher Cats have had one of the most talented rosters in Double-A, and perhaps all of the Minors, since Opening Day and have a three-game lead in the Eastern Division to show for it. They may have lost top overall prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. -- and there's no replacing him -- but they did pick up a good amount of speed with Wall, the No. 26 Blue Jays prospect. The 22-year-old has seen his stock slip in recent years as injuries caused him to stall at Class A Advanced, but with 29 steals already this season, Wall should help New Hampshire replace the speed it lost when No. 22 prospect Jonathan Davis shuffled up to Buffalo.
Southern: Jesús Sánchez, OF, Montgomery -- The Biscuits have started to pull away from Birmingham in the North Division with a 4 1/2-game lead and have only gotten stronger with the addition of MLB.com's No. 31 overall prospect. Sanchez has the ability to be above-average across the board with all five of his tools, and that's something he showed in some measure with Class A Advanced Charlotte, where he hit .301/.331/.462 with 10 homers and six steals in 90 games before receiving a promotion last Friday. The 20-year-old right fielder could face plenty of challenges in his first jump to Double-A, but the middle of every lineup could use a player with Sanchez's ceiling.
Texas: Taylor Hearn, LHP, Frisco -- On last week's podcast, the native of Royse City, Texas, talked about growing up going to Frisco RoughRiders games. Now, he gets a chance to put on their jersey and help the Double-A club battle Corpus Christi in a tight South Division second-half race (the two teams are currently in a first-place tie). The 23-year-old southpaw was in the midst of a breakout season at Double-A Altoona when he got moved from the Pirates to the Rangers before the deadline for reliever Keone Kela. Including his debut with RoughRiders, Hearn has a 3.05 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 115 strikeouts in 109 1/3 Double-A innings this season, and he's got the stuff to back up the numbers with a plus-plus heater, an above-average changeup and an improving breaking ball. Being a starting pitcher, his opportunities to make an impact will be limited to every fifth day, of course, but with the South Division race being as close as it is, Frisco will need every quality outing Hearn can deliver down the stretch.
California: Jasrado Chisholm, SS, Visalia -- The D-backs' No. 2 prospect moved up to Class A Advanced on July 19, and there hasn't been much of a transition period. The 20-year-old shortstop has homered four times in 17 games with the Rawhide and has produced a .314/.368/.557 line. While this is the hitter-friendly Cal League, it's worth noting that Chisholm ranks 10th in the circuit in total bases since debuting, despite being the relatively new guy in town. A native of the Bahamas, he's helped his stock big time with his offensive growth after missing much of 2017 with a torn meniscus, and he has the tools to make it work defensively at shortstop. Visalia will definitely rely on him if it's going to overtake Stockton in the North Division -- a division in which all four clubs have losing records in the second half.
Carolina: Nick Madrigal, 2B, Winston-Salem -- How's this for a late-season ringer? The Dash added the No. 4 overall pick, perhaps the best pure hitter in this year's Draft class, on Aug. 2 -- just in time for the White Sox affiliate to try and hold off Buies Creek and add a second-half Southern Division title to the first-half crown it already won. The Oregon State product has lived up to his scouting report with a .303 average in 22 pro games, despite missing some time with a lingering hamstring injury from his college days, and it wasn't until his 73rd career plate appearance that he finally struck out. The Dash have batted Madrigal in the top three spots of the order since his arrival, and he's certainly got the bat to keep the carousel moving from the top of a lower-level lineup. Madrigal led Oregon State to a College World Series title earlier this summer. Could a Carolina League championship be next?
Florida State: Royce Lewis, SS, Fort Myers -- The Twins' top prospect joined the organization's Class A Advanced affiliate on July 14, so he just barely fits the parameters for this column. When he debuted that day, the Miracle were 10-12 to open the FSL's second half. Since Lewis stepped into the lineup, the club has gone 18-7 and now sits just 1 1/2 games behind Charlotte in the South Division second-half standings. While that type of turnaround can't be solely credited to Lewis, he's surely played his part, hitting .327/.416/.500 with 10 extra-base hits and six steals in 24 games. As he's done at every level at which he's played as a pro, the 19-year-old has shown an advanced bat for his age to go with plus-plus speed. He still might be an average defender at short, but his offensive impact has been huge. It'll be interesting to see if FSL pitchers can start adjusting to him down the stretch; otherwise, Lewis, along with No. 30 overall prospect Alex Kirilloff, could very well push Fort Myers straight into the postseason.
Midwest: Nolan Gorman, 3B, Peoria -- In 2017, Lewis rode a hot stretch with a Rookie-level affiliate to climb straight to a Midwest League playoff-bound club in Cedar Rapids. Now, fellow first-rounder Nolan Gorman could very well be on a similar path in his Draft year, albeit one he's forging with considerably more power. This year's 19th overall pick hit 11 home runs and had 21 extra-base hits total while producing a .345/.440/.662 slash line in 37 games with Rookie-level Johnson City before moving to Class A earlier this week. The 18-year-old left-handed slugger will face considerably better pitching during his initial MWL stop -- something he already learned in his debut Wednesday when he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts -- but he still has the strength to run into more than a few balls at his new level. The Chiefs will need his pop as they try to close a one-game difference between them and first-place Cedar Rapids in the Western Division.
South Atlantic: Hans Crouse, RHP, Hickory -- Each start for the No. 5 Rangers prospect was already bordering on a must-follow because of the potential attached to his high-90s fastball and plus slider. Add a new level with postseason ramifications on the line? Yeah, they may have officially crossed that line. Crouse, a second-round pick in 2017, made quick work of the Northwest League, posting a 2.37 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 11 walks in 38 innings for Class A Short Season Spokane before his promotion Thursday. He'll likely get a handful of starts over the final three-plus weeks with the Crawdads, and despite the jump, they'll need him to be as sharp as possible. Hickory has to make up a 2 1/2-game deficit to Lakewood in the Northern Division to claim the second-half crown.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between
Prospect Peña quietly drawing raves in Brewers' farm system
PHOENIX – Jesús Made was at the top of the Brewers’ lineup for Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Reds in the finale of MLB’s four-day Spring Breakout, a fitting perch when you consider that the 17-year-old infielder is under a bright spotlight as MLB Pipeline’s No. 55 prospect. Made could
Brecht -- in 1st outing since '24 Draft -- wows at Spring Breakout
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sunday's Spring Breakout showcase was the perfect unveiling for Rockies No. 5 prospect Brody Brecht. A right-handed pitcher from the University of Iowa whom the Rockies selected 38th overall last summer, Brecht had a nice collegiate resume, an interesting backstory as a former wide receiver for the
Braves prospects show promise in Spring Breakout
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As Terry Pendleton prepared to serve as the manager of the Braves prospect team that played the Tigers prospect team in a Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon, he said fans should be patient with John Gil and Luis Guanipa, a pair of teenagers who have
Yanks' Lagrange flashes triple-digit heat in Spring Breakout
SARASOTA, Fla. -- There was an audible “Ooh” from the crowd at Ed Smith Stadium, and Carlos Lagrange quickly glanced beyond the right-field wall, checking the velocity of the pitch he’d just thrown in Saturday’s 5-4 Spring Breakout loss to the Orioles. It had registered in the triple digits, and
Bradfield dedicates Spring Breakout performance to late friend
SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game. As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring