One prospect from each team pushing for a promotion
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It’s moving season across the Minor Leagues.
The 11 full-season circuits are coming up on the end of their first halves, and after two-plus months of the season, organizations are looking for new challenges for their top talents. We’ve already seen Top 100 prospects Noah Schultz, Thomas White and Cam Collier move up a level this week, and fellow big names Roman Anthony, Jac Caglianone, Kyle Teel, Jacob Misiorowski and Brady House have made their Major League debuts this month.
Which prospects could be next to join them in that climb up the ladder? Here is one prospect promotion candidate for each of the 30 farm systems:
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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Johnny King, LHP (No. 11)
After a tough year for arms in 2024, the Blue Jays have seen many more (importantly healthy) successes in that department this season, and last year’s third-rounder King certainly counts as one. The 18-year-old southpaw has opened with a 1.40 ERA, 34 strikeouts and five walks over 19 1/3 innings in the Florida Complex League, thanks to his 93-95 mph fastball and plus curveball. His 43.6 percent K rate is a strong indication he’s ready for Single-A ball.
Orioles: Samuel Basallo, C/1B (No. 1/MLB No. 16)
Still only 20, Basallo got off to a bit of slow start this year in Triple-A, hitting .229/.317/.486 through the end of April and missing three weeks with a hamstring issue. The power started showing up in May (six homers and a .545 SLG) and he really got locked in when the calendar turned to June. In his first 10 games this month, he’s slashed .375/.444/.875 with six homers and he’s now second in the International League in home runs. The Orioles are ninth in the AL in OPS and 11th in runs scored and Basallo looks ready to help.
Rays: Chandler Simpson, OF (No. 7)
Simpson’s return to Triple-A Durham two weeks ago came as a surprise to some but had its merits due to his rough defensive metrics and lack of slugging in the Majors. Since his first game back with the Bulls, the 80-grade speedster continues to hit like a player aching to get back with a .340 average and six steals in 12 games. His 18 hits are tied for sixth-most in the International League since June 3. Simpson will always be a high-contact, high-steal performer, and if the Rays outfield depth takes a hit any time soon, Tampa Bay shouldn’t hesitate to bring the 24-year-old back.
Red Sox: Connelly Early, LHP (No. 10)
The Red Sox have helped Early upgrade his stuff since drafting him in the fifth round out of Virginia in 2023, and he now deals with a 92-95 mph fastball that touches 97 and also misses bats with his low-80s slider and changeup. He's dominating in Double-A with a 2.27 ERA, .205 opponent average and 66 strikeouts through 43 2/3 innings.
Yankees: Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, RHP (No. 6)
Carlos Narvaez has been a revelation for the Red Sox since they acquired him from the Yankees at the Winter Meetings, but the pitching prospect New York received in return also has looked good. A fourth-rounder from a Puerto Rico high school in 2021, Rodriguez-Cruz ranks no worse than fourth in the High-A South Atlantic League in ERA (2.70), strikeouts (74 in 60 innings), opponent average (.172) and WHIP (1.03). His fastball parks at 93-96 mph and peaks at 98, while both his mid-80s slider and upper-70s curveball are effective.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Guardians: C.J. Kayfus, 1B/OF (No. 5/MLB No. 96)
Kayfus already earned one promotion by slashing .364/.475/.591 in three weeks in Double-A, and he's ready for another after batting .320/389/.585 in six weeks in Triple-A. His pure hitting ability got him drafted in 2023's third round out of Miami and he has found more power in pro ball by hunting pitches he can drive early in counts and launching them more frequently to his pull side.
Royals: Carter Jensen, C (No. 3/MLB No. 83)
Kansas City has played it slow with Jensen since he was taken in the third round in 2021, but the 21-year-old backstop is putting some pressure on the organization of late. Entering Wednesday, his 23 hits for Double-A Northwest Arkansas were second-most in the Minors this month, and he’s produced a .411/.460/.554 line over 63 plate appearances, pushing his season line to .302/.369/.424. The Royals will want Jensen to dominate for longer before he sees Omaha, but he’s on the path to get around his 22nd birthday next month.
Tigers: Kevin McGonigle, SS/2B (No. 2/MLB No. 23)
McGonigle was slowed down by a right ankle injury almost right out of the gate with High-A West Michigan, but he returned to the Whitecaps on May 21 and has been white-hot with a .413/.510/.700 line in 20 games since then. He’s been a downright doubles machine with 14 two-baggers in that span; no one else in the Minors has hit more than 11. Oh, he has more doubles than strikeouts (12) too. McGonigle might be in smallish-sample territory, but he’s consistently made ample enough hard contact that it’d be worth the Tigers getting him a challenge with a move to Double-A.
Twins: Gabriel Gonzalez, OF (No. 17)
We don’t want to rush anyone, but it looks like Gonzalez might have figured some things out. He’s already been promoted once, moving from High-A Cedar Rapids to Double-A Wichita after hitting .319/.378/.529 over 138 at-bats with the Kernels. He hasn’t cooled off up a level, putting up a .337/.417/.449 line so far with the Wind Surge. Could a move up to Triple-A St. Paul come soon?
White Sox: Braden Montgomery, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 35)
A big part of the Garrett Crochet trade with the Red Sox at the Winter Meetings, Montgomery was the 12th overall pick last July despite breaking his right ankle on a bad slide late in Texas A&M's season. He has had no trouble adapting to pro ball, hitting a combined .282/.363/.480 with nine homers in 60 games between two Class A levels. A switch-hitter who fits the right-field profile with well above-average raw power and arm strength, he's ready to try Double-A.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Angels: Samy Natera Jr., LHP (No. 16)
The lefty reliever missed nearly all of last year with an elbow sprain, but he opened some eyes with a dozen Arizona Fall League innings last fall. The ERA has been a bit inflated in May and June during his first taste of Double-A, but he’s still striking out 12.8 per nine and keeping Southern League hitters to a .191 batting average. He’s 25 and the Angels like pushing prospects up the ladder, so why not see how his stuff plays at least in Triple-A with an eye towards finishing the season in Los Angeles.
Astros: Brice Matthews, SS/3B (No. 1)
The Astros have gotten little production out of second base this season but may have a solution on a suburban Houston prospect who was their first-round pick in 2023 after starring at Nebraska. He features at least plus raw power with similar speed and is slashing .274/.396/.483 with nine homers and 19 steals in 55 Triple-A games.
A’s: Tommy White, 3B (No. 8)
The A’s took Nick Kurtz in the first round last year and he’s in the big leagues. Now it might be time for their second-rounder, White, to take a step in that direction. He did miss some time, but his .301/.382/.534 line over 38 games with Lansing gives him a .916 OPS that would put him fourth in the Midwest League if he had enough ABs to qualify. Let’s see what Tommy Tanks can do in Double-A.
Mariners: Michael Arroyo 2B/SS (No. 7/MLB No. 78)
The Mariners have an impressive group of prospects with High-A Everett, nearly all of whom could see Double-A at some point this season. But Arroyo would be our first candidate as he leads the Northwest League with his .962 OPS and is tied for the home run lead with 14. He’s been scorching of late, with a 1.347 OPS this month and after a slow start in April, he’s slashed .326/.481/.631 since May 1.
Rangers: Mitch Bratt, LHP (No. 20)
Bratt has average stuff across the board but continues to succeed thanks to his feel for pitching and his competitiveness. A Canadian drafted in the fifth round out of a Georgia high school in 2021, he leads the Double-A Texas League in K/BB ratio (7.3) and walk rate (3.9 percent) while ranking second in ERA (2.18), third in WHIP (1.04) and fourth in strikeouts (66 in 57 2/3 innings).
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: Ian Mejia, RHP (No. 23)
After a solid season in Double-A in 2024, it was a little surprising to see Mejia back at the level to start this year. With a 2.29 ERA (second in the Southern League) and .197 BAA (tied for fourth) over 63 innings, perhaps it’s time for the 25-year-old to get his first taste of Triple-A.
Marlins: Josh Ekness, RHP (No. 26)
The Marlins made Ekness a full-time reliever after selecting him in the 12th round out of Houston in 2023 and the results have been spectacular. Operating with an upper-90s fastball and a lively mid-80s slider, he sports a 2.38 ERA, .165 opponent average and 35/7 K/BB ratio in 22 2/3 Double-A innings.
Mets: Jonah Tong, RHP (No. 4/MLB No. 95)
This one’s pretty simple. Tong has made all 12 of his starts this season with Double-A Binghamton, and he leads full-season Minor Leaguers with 96 strikeouts while ranking second in K% (40.7), average-against (.141), FIP (2.06) and third in K-BB% (28.4). Eastern League batters have proven no match for the rise on his fastball, his plus curveball or his improving changeup. The Mets already have some big names in the Triple-A Syracuse rotation in Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean and Blade Tidwell, but Tong has earned his chance to pitch beside them.
Nationals: Travis Sykora, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 57)
On paper, this feels aggressive. After undergoing offseason hip surgery, Sykora only debuted with High-A Wilmington on May 25 and has made four starts with the Blue Rocks. Then again, he’s struck out 32 of his 63 batters faced, while allowing only two earned runs on seven hits and two walks in 18 innings. That’s a 1.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP and 50.8 percent K rate. With the hip issues behind him, Sykora has found another gear of velocity with his fastball and dominated with his slider and splitter. He’s the type of arm you consistently challenge.
Phillies: Aroon Escobar, 2B/3B (No. 13)
Shin splints limited him to just 24 games in the Florida Complex League a year ago, but even so, we had the sense that we might quickly be light on his ranking following his .976 OPS in the FCL. He’s kept on raking during his full-season debut, sitting in second in the Florida State League in both OPS (.880) and average (.309) while topping it with 10 homers. He’ll make a nice jump up the Phillies list when we re-rank post-Draft.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers: Brock Wilken, 3B (No. 18)
Wilken’s first trip to Double-A in 2024 was mired by an early hit-by-pitch, and he never quite recovered. Back with Biloxi for 2025, he leads Double-A batters with 18 homers (while no one else has more than 12) and 34 extra-base hits. He also ranks fourth with a .550 slugging percentage and third with a .944 OPS over 64 games. The Brewers have had trouble finding consistency at third base, and it might be worth seeing how Wilken handles Triple-A Nashville before considering him for that spot down the stretch.
Cardinals: JJ Wetherholt, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 18)
Last year’s seventh overall pick entered pro ball with tons of hype around his hit tool, and he’s backing that up lately with a .475/.588/.700 line over his last 11 games for Double-A Springfield. That pushes his season average up to .322, fourth-best in all of Double-A, and his OBP to .443, tops among qualifiers at the level. We’ve seen other 2024 first-rounders already reach the Majors, and with the way Wetherholt is handling Texas League arms, he’s worth moving to Triple-A Memphis at least soon.
Cubs: Jefferson Rojas, 2B/SS (No. 5/MLB No. 73)
The Cubs aren't afraid to push advanced young hitters and Rojas is begging to be pushed some more while batting .287/.390/.461 with four homers in 45 games as a 20-year-old in High-A. Signed for $1 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, he has better bat-to-ball skills and pitch recognition than most players his age, and he could grow into 20-homer power.
Pirates: Edward Florentino, OF/1B (No. 23)
When the Pirates signed Florentino for $395,000 in January 2024, the hope was he’d fill out his 6-foot-4 athletic frame and become an impact hitter. The underlying data during his debut in the DSL was better than the standard numbers and now, in the FCL, he’s putting it all together. He’s second in the complex league in SLG (.674), OPS (1.122) and homers (6) while playing better-than-expected in center field. He’s going to force his way to the FSL soon enough.
Reds: Tyson Lewis, SS (No. 9)
In 2023, the Reds took high school shortstop Sammy Stafura, went over slot to sign him and waited a beat to start him in the Arizona Complex League in early May of his first full season last year before promoting him to Single-A Daytona at the end of that month. Now it’s Lewis’ turn after being a similarly signed prep shortstop in 2024. He’s got 21 games in the ACL on his resume, hitting a robust .348/.392/.461 and making it clear he’d like to continue on the Stafura trajectory to full-season ball at some point this season.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-backs: JD Dix, 2B/SS (No. 12)
Fellow 2024 picks Ryan Waldschmidt and Daniel Eagen are equally worthy of moves up a level, but we’ll focus on 35th overall selection Dix here. Given his cold-state background as a Wisconsin high-schooler, the switch-hitting middle infielder opened the year in the Arizona Complex League but doesn’t look long for the level with a .341/.415/.476 line, 11 extra-base hits and a modest 19.0 K percentage through 32 games. Entering Wednesday, he’s riding a 24-game on-base streak as well, adding consistency into the equation.
Dodgers: Josue De Paula, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 30)
The Dodgers have a slew of talented outfielders deserving of promotions, and De Paula has the most offensive upside of all of them. Few prospects can match his combination of swing decisions and exit velocities, especially at his age (20). Signed for $397,500 out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, he's hitting .278/.423/.448 with eight homers, 18 steals and 52 walks (second in the High-A Midwest League) in 61 games.
Giants: Jhonny Level, SS (No. 4)
Level is just 18 years old so there's no need to rush him out of the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, but he's also a potentially special player who needs more of a challenge. He's batting .286/.376/.473 with four homers and nine steals in 30 games, showing off a quick, fluid swing with loft from both sides of the plate and advanced feel for the barrel and the strike zone. He signed for $997,500 out of Venezuela last year and looks like a steal.
Padres: Braden Nett, RHP (No. 9)
The 23-year-old is finding his stride with Double-A San Antonio and has allowed more than three earned runs only once in his last six starts, posting a 2.67 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 30 ⅓ innings over that span. His 94-97 mph fastball continues to look solid, while he generates whiffs with an 82-85 mph slider, 89-91 mph cutter, upper-70s curveball and upper-80s changeup. It’s a deep mix, and given the Padres’ typical aggression and Nett’s upcoming Rule 5 eligibility in the offseason, it wouldn’t shock if he jumps quickly to San Diego at some point this summer.
Rockies: Charlie Condon, OF/3B (No. 1/MLB No. 24)
A fractured left wrist delayed the No. 3 pick in last year’s Draft until early May, but Condon quickly started showing just why he was a top of the first round talent, especially since he’s well past the hand injury he tried to play through last summer. After a half-dozen games in the ACL, Condon’s been raking with High-A Spokane, with a .364/.500/.477 line through 24 games. The power hasn’t come just yet, but it will, and he needs to be challenged with a move to Double-A Hartford.