It's mid-August, the dog days of summer. But players are acting like the season just began, still motivated and energized. On Sunday, the best performances from across the Minor Leagues came from familiar faces excelling at higher levels, both at the plate and on the mound. Here is a sampling of the top prospect performances from around MiLB:
JJ Wetherholt, SS, Memphis (STL No. 1/MLB No. 6)
Wetherholt was a menace from the leadoff spot, posting his second three-hit game in five weeks since arriving at Triple-A Memphis, where the seventh overall pick from the 2024 Draft has done nothing but hit. Wetherholt was among the Texas League leaders in hitting at the time of his promotion. Since, he's batting .310 with a 1.073 OPS, nine homers and three steals in 26 games for the Redbirds. It's all adding up to a banner year for the 22-year-old. He's one of only five MiLB players with at least a .300 average, .500 slugging percentage, 15 homers and 15 steals on the season. Gameday
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Jesús Made, SS, Wisconsin (MIL No. 1/MLB No. 5)
Seems the Brewers' top prospect was up for the challenge. Less than two weeks after being promoted to High-A Wisconsin, Made is rolling for the Timber Rattlers. He doubled twice, reached base three times and scored a run out of the No. 2 hole in the lineup, finishing the day with 17 hits in his first 11 games at the new level. The 18-year-old has been on a tear since arriving at High-A, slashing .356/.460/.636. Gameday
Charlie Condon, 1B, Hartford (COL No. 2/MLB No. 60)
Condon really clubbed this latest one. The No. 3 overall pick in the '24 Draft crushed his seventh homer of the year, fourth at Double-A: a reported 406 feet, 111 mph off the bat. Condon got off to a slow start due to injury and had to adjust to the level, but his production has increased as the summer has worn on. He's hitting .282/.391/.419 overall through 77 games in his first full season. Gameday
Carson Williams, SS, Durham (TB No. 1/MLB No. 47)
The Rays' top prospect made a habit of homering on Sundays earlier in the season, and now that it's persisted through the summer, the numbers are incredible. Williams launched his eighth Sunday homer, finishing a double shy of the cycle in his fifth game with at least three hits this season at Triple-A. The latest was Williams' 22nd homer of the season, meaning more than one-third have occurred in series finales. He's homered on consecutive Sundays and went deep on five straight back in June. Gameday
Slade Caldwell, OF, Hillsboro (AZ No. 3)
Twice as nice, or three times the fun? Caldwell had a day racking up two-baggers, roping three doubles as part of a four-hit game at High-A, the second four-hit game of his career. He also scored twice out of the No. 2 hole in the lineup. It was the kind of make-things-happen performance many envisioned from Caldwell since the D-backs made him the 29th overall pick in the 2024 Draft, and the 19-year-old seems to be finding his footing after a midseason promotion to Hillsboro. He sports a .364 on-base-percentage and 11 steals in 50 games at the level. Gameday
Ben Hess, RHP, Somerset (NYY No. 7)
Hess had his good stuff, striking out five across six scoreless innings in his third start since reaching Double-A. The 22-year-old hasn't always pitched deep into games during his pro debut, this was the second time he completed at least six innings as a pro. He's put up a respectable 15-5 K/BB ratio during his first three starts for the Patriots and is holding batters to a .181 average this year overall across two levels. Gameday
Michael Forret, RHP, Chesapeake (BAL No. 11)
The 21-year-old held Double-A Erie's formidable lineup in check during a dazzling debut for Chesapeake, racking up seven strikeouts over six strong innings, surrendering only an unearned run on two hits. A 14th-round pick in 2023, the righty emerged as one of the Orioles' top pitching prospects late last year, and he's been even better this season with a 1.37 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings, mostly at High-A. Gameday
Victor Lizarraga, RHP, San Antonio (SD No. 27)
The 21-year-old Mexico native enjoyed the game of his career, twirling 6 2/3 hitless innings at Double-A. The innings were a season high for Lizarraga, who issued five walks and was lifted after 91 pitches in the seventh inning. The Missions kept his no-hit bid alive until surrendering a one-out double in the ninth. Gameday