Prospect Roundup: Games of May 20
Theme of the dayTeens:Juan Soto's Major League debut with the Nationals, making him the youngest player in The Show this season, would have been the prime driver of the news on any other day. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did his best to wrestle back the "Best 19-Year-Old Prospect" belt by
Theme of the day
Teens:Juan Soto's Major League debut with the Nationals, making him the youngest player in The Show this season, would have been the prime driver of the news on any other day. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did his best to wrestle back the "Best 19-Year-Old Prospect" belt by going 4-for-4 and hitting a walk-off homer in Game 1 of a doubleheader for Double-A New Hampshire. He added another hit in the nightcap and ended the day with a .421 average, best in the Minors. More on the top Blue Jays prospect's big day here.
Who stayed hot
Orioles OF Cedric Mullins, Double-A Bowie: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, SB -- This is as locked-in as the No. 6 Orioles prospect has been all season. After missing the cycle by a triple Sunday, Mullins is 11-for-25 (.440) with a homer, three doubles, three steals and a 1/3 K/BB ratio through his last six games. The 23-year-old outfielder started that stretch with a .254/.297/.464 season line but has since pushed it up to .282/.330/.497 through 40 games. That slugging percentage is the highest of his career, and after Mullins (who is typically known for his speed) spent 76 games with Bowie last season, the Orioles might want to see how that power increase plays at Triple-A Norfolk.
Who needed this one
Cubs RHP Jen-Ho Tseng, Triple-A Iowa: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 104 pitches, 72 strikes -- Chicago gave its No. 11 prospect a spot start on May 8, only to see him give up three earned runs on four hits in two innings against the Marlins. He was optioned back to Iowa the next day. If Tseng wants to return for a lengthier period next time, he'll need quite a few more starts like Sunday's. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed his first quality start of the season and allowed fewer than four earned runs in a Triple-A outing for the first time since Opening Day. Tseng now owns a 7.01 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and .301 average-against in eight starts (43 2/3 innings) with the I-Cubs -- a significant change from his 1.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and .245 average-against in nine starts (55 innings) with the same club last season.
The unexpected
Cubs 3B Jason Vosler, Double-A Tennessee: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 K -- The Cubs' No. 30 prospect isn't going to supplant Kris Bryant in Wrigleyville any time soon, but at least for a day, he got to act like the 2016 National League MVP. Vosler, a 2014 16th-round pick out of Northeastern, put himself on the map last season with Tennessee, for whom he hit 21 homers -- up from just three the previous season. But what made Sunday's power show at least surprising was that he hadn't gone deep at all since May 3 -- a stretch of 12 games -- and that he entered the day with just a .187 average. That's now up to .197 with a .311 OBP and .417 slugging percentage. Despite his issues getting hits, Vosler now sits tied for second in the Southern League with seven homers over 37 games, and an improvement on his .212 BABIP should help with the average.
Best matchup
Max Fried vs. Christin Stewart: Fried has bounced all around the Braves system in 2018, opening at Double-A Mississippi for one start, getting a quick jump to Triple-A Gwinnett, moving to the Majors as a reliever, moving back to Gwinnett as a starter. He was even recalled to The Show for a day last week when Mike Soroka went on the disabled list. After all that transaction history, MLB.com's No. 80 overall prospect managed his longest outing of the season Sunday against Toledo, giving up three earned runs on four hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. Along the way the southpaw faced International League home run leader Stewart (11) and had little issue handling the left-handed slugger, getting him to strike out twice and bounce out softly to the catcher. That may say more about Stewart -- that he's not fully ready to face a Major League-level left-hander -- than it does about Fried. The two sides could square off again when Gwinnett hosts Toledo from June 19-21, but it's anyone's guess where Fried will be by then.
Who strengthened their promotion case
Angels INF David Fletcher, Triple-A Salt Lake: 2-for-6, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, K, 2 SB -- There's a temptation to find another teenager for this spot, given the day's theme, but the Angels' No. 21 prospect continued to look like someone who deserves a Major League look. Following Sunday's showing at home against Sacramento, Fletcher now leads the Pacific Coast League with 61 hits, 18 doubles and 104 total bases. He's also posted a .361/.408/.615 line and has walked more (12) than he's struck out through 39 games. All that said, there isn't an obvious route to get the 23-year-old infielder to Anaheim. He's played primarily at shortstop, but Andrelton Simmons is in the midst of his best hitting season in the Majors, not to mention his all-world defensive work. Ian Kinsler is struggling at second base, but the Halos might have a long leash with the 35-year-old after trading for him in the offseason. Still, it's worth noting that Fletcher got the start at second for the Bees on Sunday -- his ninth time there this season.
Others of note
Angels OF Jo Adell, Class A Burlington: 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R, BB, K, CS -- The Angels' top prospect went deep for the fifth time in his last six games. He homered only once in his 19 previous games, though this power surge has come after he took some time off to heal an injured thumb.
D-backs SS Jasrado Chisholm, Class A Kane County: 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R, BB, K -- The D-backs' No. 3 prospect homered twice Saturday and added another dinger a day later. After going deep only once in 29 games with Kane County in 2017, he now has seven homers in his first 28 games back with the Cougars. The 20-year-old shortstop is hitting .277/.352/.580 on the season.
Padres LHP Logan Allen, Double-A San Antonio: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 12 K, 102 pitches, 72 strikes -- San Diego's No. 8 prospect set a new career high his dozen punchouts at Midland. He leads the Texas League with 63 K's in 54 1/3 innings and sports a 3.15 ERA and 1.29 WHIP.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.
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