The playoff races and the Trade Deadline are heating up, and so are several position prospects. Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones has been the hottest hitter in the Minors over the past month, slashing .427/.477/.987 with 12 homers in 18 Triple-A games entering Wednesday. That performance could get him promoted to the Majors -- or included in a blockbuster deal.
After Jones, Mariners first baseman Tyler Locklear has impressed as much as anyone. He went on a .407/.481/.779 run with nine homers in his last 22 Triple-A contests, leading Seattle to promote him on Wednesday.
In addition to Jones and Locklear, here are the hottest hitters in each farm system:
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AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Juan Sanchez, 3B/SS (No. 27)
A $997,500 signee in January, Sanchez was already on the radar for Jays prospects but has thrust himself into the Top 30 with a vicious start in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. He got even hotter as the season wore on too, with a .333/.447/.548 line and 12 extra-base hits over the past 30 days (21 games). The 6-foot-3 infielder has above-average power projection in that large frame and has calmed some of the hit tool concerns from his amateur days.
Orioles: Samuel Basallo, C/1B (No. 1/MLB No. 9)
Basallo has always hit, so even though he’s very young for his level (age 20, Triple-A), it was a little surprising that he was hitting just .232, albeit with an OPS of .878, through the end of May. He’s been dinged up some this year, most recently with an oblique issue, limiting him to 11 games in July as of Wednesday. But when he’s been in the lineup, he’s been raking to the tune of a .313/.370/.729 line and now leads all Orioles full-season players with a 156 wRC+.
Rays: Dominic Keegan, C (No. 11)
Tampa Bay has made some moves involving its catching depth lately, moving Danny Jansen to Milwaukee and acquiring Nick Fortes from Miami, and Keegan is trying his best to elbow his way into the conversation. The former Vanderbilt backstop has hit .286/.349/.518 with three homers over 16 games for Triple-A Durham in July, backing up the numbers with a 92 mph average exit velocity. He missed much of April and May with an elbow issue and opposing runners have an 86 percent success rate on stolen bases against him since his return, so it’ll be the bat that pushes him toward Tampa ahead of his Rule 5 eligibility this offseason.
Red Sox: Yophery Rodriguez, OF (No. 20)
Acquired in the early April trade that sent Quinn Priester to the Brewers, Rodriguez is a possible 20/20 center fielder but struggled to get going offensively after switching organizations. He hit .191 in his first three months in Boston's system but has batted .338/.373/.549 with 10 extra-base hits in his last 18 games.
Yankees: Spencer Jones, OF (No. 4)
Jones' surge has given him the Minor League lead in homers (29), slugging (.707) and OPS (1.119), and he also has stolen 16 bases in 69 games. Swing-and-miss issues are the biggest knock on his game, though he has sliced his strikeout rate to an acceptable 23 percent during his hot streak.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Guardians: Ralphy Velazquez, 1B (No. 8)
A California prep product selected 23rd overall in the 2023 Draft, Velazquez is starting to realize his considerable power potential with 12 extra-base hits and a .338/.398/.600 line in his last 20 games at High-A. He ranks second in the Midwest League in extra-base knocks (38) and stands tied for third in homers (14) in 83 contests.
Royals: Carter Jensen, C (No. 2/MLB No. 67)
The 2021 third-rounder has made steady gains throughout his career but has absolutely erupted since arriving at Triple-A Omaha on June 24. In July alone, he has a .328/.438/.738 line with seven homers and four doubles in 17 games. That gives him the fourth-highest slugging percentage among all qualified full-season Minor Leaguers this month. With 14 homers already, he is closing in on last year’s career high of 18 and could see Kansas City before the season is out, considering he needs to be added to the 40-man this offseason anyway.
Tigers: Max Clark, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 10)
Clark ended his time with High-A West Michigan on a 12-game hitting streak, batting .420 over that stretch, and hasn’t slowed too much after moving to Double-A Erie on July 8. He’s reached base in 10 of his 12 games with the SeaWolves (also known as the Moon Mammoths) to this point, posting a .298/.370/.553 line with two homers and four steals in four attempts. He’s one of only five players in their age-20 seasons to get more than 50 plate appearances in the Eastern League this season, with teammate Kevin McGonigle (DET No. 1/MLB No. 6) being one of the others.
Twins: Gabriel Gonzalez, OF (No. 6)
What a difference one year makes! After a ho-hum first season with the Twins after coming over from the Mariners, Gonzalez made some adjustments at the plate, with much better swing decisions leading to a hot stick all year. Now at Double-A, Gonzalez has hit .353/.444/.576 with 11 extra-base hits in the past month and his .340 combined average for the year places him fourth in the Minors.
White Sox: Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B (No. 5/MLB No. 100)
The White Sox invested a 2024 second-round pick and an over-slot $2,997,500 bonus in Bonemer, a Michigan prepster, and that decision looks like it may pay huge dividends. His bat has been everything they expected. His defense has been better than realized and he has batted .261/.363/.493 with 10 extra-base hits in his last 18 games at Single-A. He ranks fourth in the Carolina League in slugging (.428) and OPS (.816), as well as eighth in on-base percentage (.388).
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Angels: Denzer Guzman, SS (No. 11)
Hat tip to Matthew Lugo, who has had a fine month at Triple-A Salt Lake, but we’ll give Guzman the nod since he’s three years younger and only a level lower. The 21-year-old shortstop really appears to be figuring some things out, hitting .351/.458/.610 over the past 30 days with a ton of walks, not that many strikeouts and 13 extra-base hits. His 131 wRC+ for the season is second-best in the system.
Astros: Zach Cole, OF (No. 25)
Cole has some of the best tools in the Astros system -- his raw power, speed, arm and defense in center field all grade as plus or better -- but he's struggled to make consistent contact. That hasn't been an issue the past month as the 2022 10th-rounder from Ball State has slashed .282/.400/.628 with seven homers in 22 games at Double-A. He sits in the top five in the Texas League in slugging (.489, third), OPS (.842, fourth) and homers (13, tied fifth).
A’s: Edgar Montero, SS (No. 23)
The A’s gave Montero $1.2 million to sign in 2024 and then had him repeat the DSL this year in an attempt to fight their tendency to rush guys up the ladder. It seems to be working as the infielder has a .314/.497/.645 line for the season. He really found his power stroke in the past month, hitting five of his nine homers and half (10) of his 20 extra-base hits while continuing to draw a ton of walks.
Mariners: Tyler Locklear, 1B (No. 9)
This guy needs another big league opportunity. Trade Deadline target, maybe? He certainly helped his profile over the past 30 days, hitting .407/.481/.779, with his 1.260 OPS trailing only Spencer Jones among ranked prospects. He has hit .316/.401/.542 with 19 homers for the year for Triple-A Tacoma and is surprisingly just the one home run and two steals away from a 20/20 season. (Note: MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported late Wednesday night that Locklear was headed to the D-backs in a four-player deal involving Arizona third baseman Eugenio Suárez.)
Rangers: Elorky Rodriguez, OF (No. 22)
Rodriguez's bat and high baseball IQ earned him the largest bonus ($1,097,500) in the Rangers' 2025 international class, and they've been evident during his pro debut in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League. He has raked at a .410/.556/.574 clip over his last 17 games, boosting his overall line to .343/.486/.507.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: David McCabe, 3B (No. 16)
McCabe had a largely lost 2024 season because of Tommy John surgery but seems to have shaken the rust off completely this year in a repeat at the Double-A level. He’s hit .405/.457/.512 this past month and raised his wRC+ to a system-leading 133.
Marlins: Joe Mack, C (No. 3/MLB No. 83)
A 2021 supplemental first-rounder from a New York high school, Mack has developed into one of the best all-around catching prospects in the Minors. He figured out things offensively last year and is pushing for his first big league callup by hitting .292/.333/.631 with seven homers in his last 17 Triple-A games.
Mets: Carson Benge, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 68)
The 2024 first-rounder has gone deep four times in his last three games for Double-A Binghamton, but this hot streak extends well beyond that. Benge has hits in 10 straight for the Rumble Ponies with a .435/.500/.783 line and five dingers in that span. Since he arrived in the Eastern League on June 24, he leads the circuit with 33 hits, a .652 slugging percentage and a 1.124 OPS while ranking second with a .371 average, 472 OBP, seven homers and 58 total bases.
Nationals: Sam Petersen, OF (No. 27)
An eighth-round pick out of Iowa this time last year, Petersen continues to boost his stock. Over the past 30 days for High-A Wilmington, the former Hawkeye sports a .344/.462/.641 line with four homers and six steals in 21 games. His 161 wRC+ on the season ranks fifth-best in the South Atlantic League among 124 batters with at least 150 plate appearances on the circuit. A plus runner, Petersen entered the year with a speed-glove profile but has shown enough bat to strengthen his standing in Washington's system.
Phillies: Dante Nori, OF (No. 7)
The Phillies’ '24 first-rounder, Nori has shaken off a rough start to his first full pro season with back-to-back solid months. Over his last 30 days, he’s hit .282/.409/.507 with 10 steals and he’s had a very strong .858 OPS since June 1. He draws a ton of walks and rarely strikes out, has 28 steals on the season and has nudged his wRC+ up to 108.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers: Josh Adamczewski, 2B (No. 14)
The 2023 15th-rounder missed two months with joint irritation in his back but looks like he’s back to his typical self this month. He opened by going 10-for-30 (.333) with six walks in nine rehab games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and returned to Single-A Carolina on July 18. Since then, he’s hitting .303/.395/.485 with a homer and three doubles. Adamczewski has above-average power potential from the left side and continues to hold his own in a lineup featuring Jesús Made (MIL No. 1/MLB No. 7) and Luis Peña (MIL No. 2/MLB No. 32).
Cardinals: JJ Wetherholt, SS/2B (No. 1/MLB No. 16)
The 2024 seventh overall pick left Double-A Springfield with two homers in his final Texas League game on July 6 and introduced himself to Triple-A Memphis with a bang (another homer and a triple) three days later. His .787 slugging percentage in his first 12 games ranks fourth at Triple-A since his arrival, and he has more extra-base hits (10) than strikeouts (eight) in that span. Wetherholt is blocked by Brendan Donovan and Masyn Winn at St. Louis’ two middle-infield spots but continues to push for a potential debut in his first full season all the same.
Cubs: Owen Caissie, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 36)
Caissie is a prime trade target and his .329/.388/.753 tear with eight homers in his last 17 Triple-A games only reinforces his value as one of the best power prospects in the Minors. Acquired from the Padres in the Yu Darvish trade in December 2020, he ranks second in the International League with 47 extra-base hits, third with 20 homers and sixth with a .562 slugging percentage and a .938 OPS.
Pirates: Edward Florentino, OF (No. 6)
Fresh off a huge leap up the Pirates’ Top 30, Florentino continues to make himself very comfortable in full-season ball after tearing up the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. Not only has the big outfielder slashed .296/.426/.617 over the past month, he’s hit seven homers (12 XBH total) and swiped 16 bags. He’s carrying an OPS of 1.017 and wRC+ of 176 for the season.
Reds: Tyson Lewis, SS (No. 7)
Lewis’ .330/.410/.557 line over the past 30 days only tells part of the story. The Reds’ 2024 second-round pick had a .975 OPS in 70 Rookie-level Arizona Complex League at-bats to kick off the past month and earn a promotion to full-season Daytona. He homered and doubled in his first game at the new level and has hit in three of his first four games with the Tortugas.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-backs: Druw Jones, OF (No. 13)
Jones’ speed and defense have well outpaced his bat since he was the second overall pick three years ago. Could it be catching up? The 21-year-old outfielder has found his power stroke of late with four homers in the last 30 days (21 games) for High-A Hillsboro. Yes, one was of the inside-the-park variety, but even still, that comes after Jones hadn’t gone deep at all in his previous 71 games this season with the Hops. This recent stretch has bumped his season average from .230 to .254 and his slugging percentage from .288 to .363.
Dodgers: Zyhir Hope, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 30)
Part of the Michael Busch trade with the Cubs in January 2024, Hope has the potential for solid or better tools across the board and was the most dynamic player in the Arizona Fall League last offseason. He has batted .299/.392/.612 with five homers and four steals in his last 18 games at High-A and now fits in the Midwest League top five in hitting (.296, fourth), on-base percentage (.399, fifth), slugging (.495, third) and OPS (.894, second).
Giants: Dakota Jordan, OF (No. 6)
A former Mississippi State star, Jordan offered some of the best athleticism in the 2024 Draft, which is why the Giants paid him a well-over-slot $1,997,500 bonus in the fourth round. He has strafed Single-A pitching for a .314/.368/.686 line with five homers in his last 12 games, though he hasn't played since the All-Star break because of an oblique injury. He could return this weekend.
Padres: Leo De Vries, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 3)
De Vries has run hot and cold with Fort Wayne this season -- perhaps that’s to be expected of an 18-year-old at High-A -- but he’s had the heater on blast of late. Over the last 30 days with the TinCaps, he’s posted a .360 OBP and .466 slugging percentage with an equal 12/12 K/BB ratio over 19 games. He’s up to a 115 wRC+ on the season, and that would rank eighth-best among 18-year-old qualifiers at High-A since 2006.
Rockies: Zac Veen, OF (No. 10)
Shaking off an ankle injury that cost him time in late May and into June, Veen has been raking with Triple-A Albuquerque since his return. Over the past 30 days, he’s compiled a .333/.405/.547 line with eight extra-base hits and five steals. He’s hit .309/.377/.491 for the year with the Isotopes, putting him in line to get another shot at Coors Field before the year is over.