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How the Rule 5 Draft impacted teams' Top 30 Prospects lists

@SamDykstraMiLB
December 11, 2024

MLB Pipeline gives our organizational Top 30 prospect rankings complete refreshes twice per calendar year (once in spring, once in-season) and provides other live updates as graduations and other transactions necessitate them. In the latter category, two dates in particular are our busiest for Top 30 updates: the Trade Deadline

From 16 to 26, here is the best prospect at each age

@benweinrib
November 13, 2024

With the World Series over and the Arizona Fall League wrapping up, now is a good time to take stock of an exciting year in prospectdom. In October, MLB Pipeline released its updated Top 100 Prospects list, which featured several big changes at the top, but we're going to take

Vote NOW for the Fall Stars Game Final 2

November 5, 2024

Fans, the Arizona Fall League wants your help. The 18th annual Fall Stars Game is set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at Mesa's Sloan Park, and fans have the last word on the rosters. MLB.com's Fall Stars Final 2 Vote is open now, with one spot on the American

Here are 10 of the top Minor League jerseys in 2024

@Kelsie_Heneghan
November 1, 2024

Fans typically buy a sports jersey because of who's wearing it. But in the Minor Leagues, what’s on a jersey can often mean so much more. Teams have a way of making fans part of franchises by bringing local culture into their jersey and theme nights. “It's taking pride in

Padres' De Vries youngest to homer in Fall League since Harper

@JesseABorek
October 31, 2024

Leodalis De Vries hasn't completed a full year as a professional yet, but he has already amassed an astounding list of firsts and the “youngest-to” designations in 2024. During Peoria’s 12-5 loss to Surprise on Thursday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex, he added another: Youngest player to homer in

Padres' prospect Salas providing exciting spring preview in Fall League

@JesseABorek
October 29, 2024

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When the Padres break spring camp at the Peoria Sports Complex in February, Ethan Salas will be among the Major League group for the second time, an astounding feat considering he’ll be just 18 years old. While it would be a significant development if Salas were to

'Mastermind' catcher Salas leads Padres' AFL squad

@JesseABorek
October 22, 2024

The first thing you hear about Ethan Salas the ballplayer is how incredibly advanced he is for his age. There seldom are 18-year-olds in big league Spring Training camp or at the Arizona Fall League, but San Diego has handled Salas’ development with one ethos in mind: Push the gifted.

Padres teen prospects Salas and De Vries coming of age this fall

@JesseABorek
October 17, 2024

MESA, Ariz. – Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries have been inextricably linked to begin their pro careers, having been the respective No. 1 overall international prospects in 2023 and ‘24, both choosing to sign with the Padres. Top prospects of rebuilding clubs who come with extreme promise and impact

'I'm just getting back to me': Salas finding footing in Fall League

@SamDykstraMiLB
October 14, 2024

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The season is meant to be measured in growth. In many ways, Ethan Salas has been just trying to get back to equilibrium. He appears to be getting there. Need proof? Look at one statistic in particular. “I’ve been like that my whole life ever since I

Padres' De Vries excited for Fall League experience after first pro season

October 12, 2024

MESA, Ariz. -- The Padres aren't afraid to challenge elite young prospects. They sent Ethan Salas , the top player in the 2023 international class, to Double-A at age 17 last summer. They had Leodalis De Vries, the best player in this year's international crop, spend all of this season

Shoulder injury sidelines Lake Elsinore's De Vries

Padres' No. 2 prospect could miss remainder of his debut season
August 19, 2024

SAN DIEGO -- Leodalis De Vries' breakout first professional season may be coming to an early end. The Padres' 17-year-old shortstop prospect -- MLB Pipeline's top-ranked international signing in the current class -- suffered a strained right shoulder while diving for a ball on Sunday. Per team sources, De Vries'

The weirdest, wackiest stats from the past month

Covering all the MiLB bases, from the ridiculous to the sublime
@BensBiz
August 11, 2024

Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The edition, rounding up the month of July, features intra-organizational no-nos, wild romps, unexpected mound dominance and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get

All-Star Futures Game, Skills Showcase FAQs

A need-to-know guide for this weekend's prospect-laden events
@brendan_samson
July 11, 2024

Forty-nine of MLB’s top prospects will compete at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday in the All-Star Futures Game. This year’s iteration, which marks the 25th anniversary of the contest, will feature the first-ever Futures Skills Showcase, a three-challenge event that will test participants’ precision and power at

The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from June

The bizarre and bombastic happenings from around the Minors
@BensBiz
July 11, 2024

Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The June edition features a doubles deluge, oppositional surnames, way too many walks and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get in touch if

Storm coming: De Vries flashes pop, tees off twice

Padres' No. 4 prospect, just 17, posts career-best night at Single-A
@allisonmast13
July 6, 2024

Leo De Vries has perhaps never deserved his nickname of “El Mutante” more than on Friday night when he left the yard twice for the first multihomer game of his very young pro career. But that’s not where his otherworldly abilities end -- the 17-year-old homered from both the right

Stormy weather: De Vries swats first pro homer

Youngest player in full-season affiliated ball goes yard in 36th game
@thevandalorian
June 26, 2024

It took 36 games, but Leodalis De Vries connected on his first professional home run at age 17. MLB’s No. 78 prospect received an aggressive assignment to Single-A Lake Elsinore after signing with the Padres in January as the top-ranked international free agent. He racked up a four-RBI performance in

Player of the Week Spotlight: Padres' Mondou

29-year-old farmhand posted a 1.400 OPS in 5 games with El Paso
@RobTnova24
June 13, 2024

Nate Mondou is a grinder. The eight-year pro vet has suited up for three different organizations since being selected by the Athletics in the 13th round of the 2016 Draft, but while the threads have changed over the years his mentality has not: grind every at-bat, every game and do

Trevor Hoffman's son gets thisclose to closer status

Padres prospect finishes up Single-A Storm's rout on the mound
@JesseABorek
June 13, 2024

When Trevor Hoffman used to jog in from the bullpen ahead of the ninth inning at home, AC/DC's “Hells Bells” boomed out of the speakers and batters knew they had a tall task ahead of them. When Wyatt Hoffman, son of the Hall of Famer, took the mound Wednesday night

Bark for chaos: El Paso completes 14-run comeback

Chihuahuas embrace PCL madness, erase 15-1 deficit in epic win
@thevandalorian
June 9, 2024

The Pacific Coast League has been characterized as different compared to its Minor League Baseball counterparts, and the El Paso Chihuahuas’ victory Saturday is a prime example why. El Paso accomplished a feat that seemingly looked impossible at Southwest University Park. Trailing by 14 runs in the fourth inning, the

These are the best June ballpark promos

Steamed Cheeseburgers, a night at 'The Office' on tap in MiLB
@BensBiz
June 3, 2024

Welcome to Promo Preview, a monthly round-up of Minor League Baseball promotions to look forward to. June highlights include iconic socks, bipedal cows, regional food battles and, of course, much more. Dive in.

Road to The Show™: Padres’ Lesko

No. 71 overall prospect showing his talent was worth the wait
@Gerard_Gilberto
May 28, 2024

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at third-ranked Padres prospect Dylan Lesko. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. Dylan Lesko seems to finding his footing in professional

TinCaps shine a light on mental health issues

Fort Wayne focuses on 'striking out the stigma' in annual promotion
@JoeTrezz
May 22, 2024

Back in 2022, the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps front office posted a sign on the clubhouse wall. It featured a simple, but unusual request: Would any players want to speak publicly about mental health? The front office was not obligating anyone to do anything, and couldn’t predict what kind of

Salas 'rewarded' with first homer for TinCaps

Top Padres prospect, 17, working hard as youngest High-A player
@JoeTrezz
May 21, 2024

Since signing Ethan Salas for $5.6 million out of Venezuela as the prize of the 2023 international signing period, the Padres have had no problem challenging him with aggressive assignments. It's been a challenge at times this year for the game’s No. 6 overall prospect in High-A Fort Wayne, where

Here are the top switch-hitters in the Minors

Check out these 11 handy prospects (with one more to grow on)
@benweinrib
May 14, 2024

In an era that places a premium on platoon advantages, switch-hitters can be the most versatile members of a lineup -- even if they've become increasingly hard to find. Over the past four seasons, the number of switch-hitting batters in the Majors has slowly ticked down from 10.7 percent in

The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from the past month

Triple-A seems to have monopoly on wackiness early in '24 season
@BensBiz
May 7, 2024

After a multi-season hiatus, Crooked Numbers returns with a heaping portion of Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. This edition, covering the start of the season through the end of April, has a disproportionate number of items from the Triple-A level. As for why that is, who knows? Maybe