Ranking The 20 Hottest MLB Prospects | Hot Sheet (8/13/24)

Baseball America’s Hot Sheet ranks the 20 hottest prospects from the previous week. This installment of the Prospect Hot Sheet considers how minor league players performed through Aug.12 . Contributing this week were Baseball America staffers Josh Norris, Geoff Pontes, Matt Eddy and J.J. Cooper .

This simply recognizes how the hottest prospects in the minors did in the past week—it’s not a re-ranking of the B aseball America Top 100 Prospects .

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1. Christian Moore , 2B, Angels

Team: Double-A Rocket City (Southern)

Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .550/.591/1.150 (11-for-20), 7 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: It’s hard to envision a much better start to a pro career than the one Moore has authored so far. Less than a month after being drafted, the Tennessee alum has already reached Double-A, to smashing results. Moore crushed four home runs this past week, giving him six in just 35 at-bats. The week’s high point came on Aug. 8, when he homered to left field in the first inning, then capped the night with a walk-off opposite-field blast. (JN).

2. Quinn Mathews , LHP, Cardinals

Team: Double-A Springfield (Texas)

Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.82, 11 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 17 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: After years of producing more starters than any organization in the game, the Cardinals haven’t developed a viable starting pitching prospect in years. Quinn Mathews might change that in the very near future. Mathews’ dream season continued this week as he turned in two good starts for Springfield against San Antonio. In his first start of the week Mathews struck out 11 while allowing four baserunners and no runs. He followed that up with five innings of one run ball on Sunday, striking out six. Mathews can’t be far off from a promotion to Triple-A and should be a part of the Cardinals’ rotation picture in 2025.  (GP)

3. Gabriel Rincones Jr. , OF, Phillies

Team: Double-A Reading (Eastern)

Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .375/.423/.875 (9-for-24), 7 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 2 BB, 8 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Rincones Jr. missed a chunk of the year recovering from thumb surgery. Now, he’s back in the swing of things. The lefty slugger entered the week with five homers at Double-A Reading and exited it with eight, giving him more than half the total he reached in 2023. … in 89 fewer games. Moreover, his power hasn’t been a product of his hitter-friendly environment at Reading. Six of his big flies have come on the road, including the trio he hit in consecutive games at Akron this past week. (JN)

4. Tre’ Morgan , 1B, Rays

Team: High-A Bowling Green (Midwest)

Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .455/.478/.909 (10-for-22), 6 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1 SB.

The Scoop: Morgan has been the epitome of consistency this year. He’s hitting .394 so far this month, which means it’s likely he’ll finish August hitting .300 or better this month. He also did so in July (.368), and June (.306) and May (.408) and April (.303). He currently sits second in the minors at .356, five points behind fellow Ray Chandler Simpson. (JC)

5. Steven Zobac , RHP, Royals

Team: Double-A Northwest Arkansas (Texas)

Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: The Royals system is on the rise, which helped them make upgrades at the deadline and has allowed them to place three prospects on the midseason Top 100 prospects. Zobac is another of the organization’s up-arrow prospects, and he’s been outstanding since moving to Double-A. He’s punched out 36 hitters in 24.1 frames over five outings with Northwest Arkansas. An even third of that total came in his last outing, which featured seven two-hit frames without a walk. All told, he has 95 strikeouts across 94 innings between High-A and Double-A. (JN)

6. Jhancarlos Lara , RHP, Braves

Team: High-A Rome (South Atlantic)

Age: 21

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Last season, Lara was an up-arrow prospect simmering at the lower levels of Atlanta’s system. Now, he’s one of the organization’s best prospects, period. The righthander finished his time in High-A with a flourish, striking out a dozen Greensboro hitters in six hitless frames. The outing tied a career best for strikeouts, which he established in a 4.2 inning outing against Asheville last September. Now, he takes his live arm to Double-A Mississippi Since July 1, Lara has gone 1-1, 2.00 with 36 strikeouts and just 15 hits allowed in 27 innings. (JN)

7. Travis Sykora , RHP, Nationals

Team: Low-A Fredericksburg (Carolina)

Age: 20

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: The pitching prospect with the most helium in the second half of the season might be Sykora. The 6-foot-6 giant left a trail of destruction in his wake this week, as he tossed six perfect innings against Carolina. Sykora struck out ten in the start generating 21 swinging strikes. Sykora sits 95-96 mph with nearly seven feet of extension mixing in a low-to-mid-80s slider and a splitter. He clusters everything closely from a similar release height and that plays up the deception on his arsenal. Sykora has a chance for three above-average or better pitches and is an integral part of the Nationals new look pitching crop. (GP)

8. Agustin Ramirez , C, Marlins

Team: Triple-A Jacksonville (International)

Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .500/.609/1.000 (9-for-18), 5 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 4 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Ramirez was one of the key pieces the Yankees sent to the Marlins in the deal that brought Jazz Chisholm to New York. The burly backstop was one of the best ball-strikers in his old system, and he’s continued that trend in his new organization. Beyond the two home runs he slammed this past week, Ramirez has been a man on fire since moving to Jacksonville. Overall, he’s gotten 12 hits in his first 10 games, which is half of the number of hits he compiled with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre while playing in roughly a third of the games. (JN)

9. Michael Arroyo , 2B, Mariners

Team: High-A Everett (Northwest)

Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .417/.448/.792 (10-for-24), 6 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBIs, 3 BB, 5 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Arroyo often gets lost in the cache of exciting prospect names in the Mariners system. Promoted to High-A Everett in late June, Arroyo has seen his strikeout rate tick up but he continues to get on base at a high clip while hitting for power. Last week Arroyo put together three multi-hit games while reaching base in all six games. Arroyo’s standout game of the week came on Saturday when he homered, as part of a three hit night as he scored three times and drove in two runs. Arroyo is a bat first prospect with questionable skills in the field, but looks to have enough plate skills and power to be a solid regular. (GP)

10. Tanner Schobel , 2B, Twins

Team: Double-A Wichita (Texas)

Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .304/.360/.826 (7-for-23), 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 4 SO, 2 SB, 1 CS

The Scoop: Schobel’s 2024 season hasn’t gone as he or the Twins would have hoped. He hasn’t posted a .750 OPS any month this year as he’s struggled to hit for average or power. Schobel’s 2023 season started well, but dropped off after he was promoted to the Texas League. But this late-season spark is providing some hope. His four home runs this week in six games is one less than he hit in the first 87 games this year. (JC)

11. Parker Messick , LHP, Guardians

Team: Double-A Akron (Eastern)

Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 2 GS, 11 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 HBP, 2 BB, 15 SO.

The Scoop: Jumping from High-A to Double-A is supposed to mean that a pitcher is taking on a bigger challenge. Don’t tell Messick, as he’s nearly halved his ERA (3.57 to 1.83), slashed his opponents average by nearly 100 points (.245 to .165). He’s throwing more strikes (his walk percentage had dipped from 8.1% to 7.1%) and he’s striking out more hitters (his strikeout percentage has climbed from 28.2% to 34.8%. Messick’s fastball hasn’t gained any velocity since he’s moved up to Double-A, but it is keeping it in the top of the zone more often, which is paying off. (JC)

12. Jagger Haynes , LHP, Padres

Team: High-A Fort Wayne (Midwest)

Age: 21

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 1.80, 10 IP, 10 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO, 1 HR

The Scoop: A high school pick back in 2020 it’s been a slow burn with Haynes, but he’s finally starting to turn a corner. Haynes missed his first two professional seasons due to injury, debuting in 2023, and has made 19 appearances this year totaling 90 IP. Haynes sits 90-92 mph, mixing in a low-80s gyro slider, a changeup and a curveball. Haynes misses bats with his changeup but the rest of his arsenal is fairly pedestrian. Haynes made two solid starts against South Bend this week allowing a pair of runs across ten innings. Haynes has backend of the rotation projection until he adds more power or improves his pitch shape. (GP)

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

Team: Double-A Portland (Eastern)

Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .444/.600/.944 (8-for-18), 6 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBIs, 6 BB, 3 SO, 5-for-5 SB

The Scoop: The Red Sox big three may have been promoted to Worcester but Portland retains Kristian Campbell for at least another few weeks. Campbell has been arguably the best hitter in the minors this season hitting .347/.455/.577 with a 20% strikeout rate to a 14.5% walk rate. Last week Campbell hit three home runs and stole five bases, pushing his 2024 totals to 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Campbell has a real shot for a 20 home run and 20 stolen base season and has done so while hitting for average and walking at a high rate. Last week Campbell had a hit in all five games, while reaching base at least twice in all five games. Campbell continues to show a well rounded profile at the plate despite an unusual swing. (GP)

14. Dylan Crews , OF, Nationals

Team: Triple-A Rochester (International)

Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .391/.500/.783 (9-for-23), 7 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2-for-2 SB

The Scoop: With James Wood in Washington, Crews is waiting for his chance in Triple-A. The No. 2 overall pick from the 2023 draft has been a steady performer in his first full year as a pro. This past week, he continued to show the offensive upside that made him the most coveted hitter in last year’s amateur class. His two home runs this past week were his 10th and 11th of the year and upped his Triple-A total to a half-dozen. Crews is a vital piece of the next generation of Nationals, and his debut might be coming soon. (JN)

15. Joe Boyle , RHP, A’s

Team: Triple-A Las Vegas (Pacific Coast)

Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 SO.

The Scoop: If Boyle throws strikes, he succeeds. It seems simple, but that hasn’t made it easy for Boyle to throw strikes. Boyle has thrown a league-average (62%) or better strike percentage in his past five starts, which is why he’s slashed his ERA from 11.15 to 5.63 over that stretch. Boyle has walked nine and struck out 45 in 23 innings in those five outings. In his previous 11 outings this year, he’d never had a 62% or better strike percentage, and he’d struggled because of it. (JC)

16. Tyler Stuart , RHP, Nationals

Team: Double-A Harrisburg (Eastern)

Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 13 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: The Nationals added Stuart when they traded Jesse Winker to the Mets in late July. The 6-foot-9 righthander is a slider-forward starter with a chance to develop three average-to-above pitches into a role as a No. 4 or 5 starter. In a start at Bowie last week, Stuart struck out a career-high 13 batters. Since joining the Nationals, he has 27 strikeouts against four walks in 16.2 innings over three starts. (ME)

17. Roman Anthony , OF, Red Sox

Team: Double-A Portland (Eastern)

Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .435/.480/.739 (10-for-23), 9 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Anthony finished his Double-A tenure in fantastic fashion by blasting a game-winning home run in a back-and-forth affair against Altoona. Now, he heads to Triple-A along with shortstop Marcelo Mayer and catcher Kyle Teel. Together, the trio is one of the most enviable in the game. Anthony knows the zone and hits the ball exceptionally hard, traits that have helped him club 15 home runs and draw 48 walks during his 84 games at Double-A Portland. (JN)

18. Logan Evans , RHP, Mariners

Team: Double-A Arkansas (Texas)

Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Evans’ name was one of the first mentioned by scouts this spring as a potential breakout candidate. So far, so good. The Pittsburgh alum was perfect in his latest outing, literally. He retired all 18 hitters he faced, including six strikeouts. In a season spent entirely at Double-A, Evans has been excellent. He’s let up just 61 hits—just five of which are home runs—all year long and has been adept at getting grounders. He’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in all but three of his 26 outings. (JN)

19. Dustin Harris , OF, Rangers

Team: Triple-A Round Rock (Pacific Coast)

Age: 25

Why He’s Here: .348/.464/.696 (8-for-23), 5 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 4 BB, 1 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Harris’ bat has come alive in his past 35 games. He is hitting .343/.416/.485 at Triple-A in that time. Last week he hit .348 with four extra-base hits and only one strikeout in six games. Harris continues to see a lot of time in center field as he chases a big league callup. (ME)

20. Mickey Gasper , C/1B, Red Sox

Team: Triple-A Worcester (International)

Age: 28

Why He’s Here: .579/.636/.947 (11-for-19), 10 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB

The Scoop: Gasper is one of the most surprising stories of the 2024 season. It’s not all that unusual for a pitcher to go from deep down a MiLB depth chart, or even out of baseball, to being a big leaguer, as a jump in velocity, or a new pitch can rocket a one-time org player to a big league role. It doesn’t happen nearly as often with a position player, but that’s exactly what’s happened with Gasper, as he’s gone from being left unprotected in the MiLB Rule 5 draft in 2023 (which means he wasn’t viewed as one of the Yankees’ top 70+ players) to making his MLB debut this week. Gasper earned the promotion, as he’s been one of the best hitters in the upper minors this year, thanks to an encyclopedic knowledge of the strike zone and bat-to-ball skills to make it count. Can Gasper be more than an up-and-down big leaguer? It’s tough to predict, but even if this is a cup of coffee, it’s a well-earned MLB reward for a player who grinded through seven seasons as an org player. (JC)

HELIUM

Keeler Morfe , RHP, Orioles

Morfe signed with the Orioles in 2023, when his fastball was already bumping 95 mph as a 16-year-old. Until this past week, he’d spent his entire career in the Dominican Summer League. This year, he was one of the best pitching prospects on the circuit, having struck out 38 hitters in 22 innings. In that span, he allowed just 11 hits and walked eight. This past week, Baltimore moved Morfe to Low-A for his debut. It was spectacular. Facing Salem, the righthander struck out seven and allowed just one hit over three innings. He pounds the zone with three pitches that flash plus. There are questions about whether his smaller frame will hold up to the rigors of a starter’s workload, but his pure stuff is undeniable. (JN)

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