Scoreless streaks and near-perfection on the mound, Top 100 prospects going deep and a duck delay -- Saturday’s Minor League slate had it all. With day and night games across the country, top prospects flashed elite tools, first-round bats teed off and a former second-rounder set a career high in strikeouts. Here’s who stood out:
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Travis Bazzana, 2B, Akron (CLE No. 1/MLB No. 8)
Bazzana got off to a quick start upon making his Double-A debut this season. He notched his first hit in his first game and followed that with his first home run the next day. The Australia native had been relatively quiet at the plate ever since -- until this week. The first overall pick in the 2024 Draft launched Double-A homer No. 2 on Tuesday and No. 3 on Saturday. Bazzana has now knocked in a run in half of his games (24) this season. Gameday
Lazaro Montes, OF, Everett (SEA No. 2/MLB No. 38)
The Havana, Cuba, native has been an extra-base hit machine to begin 2025. Sixteen of his 27 knocks have gone for extra bases -- seven of those being homers, good for tops in the High-A Midwest League. Montes has immense power to all fields, and on Saturday, he finished a double shy of the cycle, highlighted by a three-run moonshot. His 1.083 OPS leads all hitters at High-A, and the 20-year-old looks primed to continue making noise in a loaded Seattle system. Gameday
Joe Whitman, LHP, Richmond (SF No. 7)
The southpaw struggled through his first four starts, but Whitman found his groove Saturday night. Striking out the first two batters, he continued to dominate, ringing up at least one hitter in each inning of his outing. The 2023 second-rounder had hitters off balance all night, particularly displaying his 60-grade slider. His outing was perfect, going 18 up, 18 down for the Flying Squirrels, who came within two outs of finishing a no-hitter. When all was said and done, Whitman racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts. Gameday
Travis Sykora, RHP, FCL Nationals (WSH No. 1/MLB No. 65)
It was Opening Day for the Rookie ball affiliates, and Sykora headlined the Florida Complex League with a short but impressive outing. The 6-foot-6 righthander, who is on a rehab assignment after undergoing hip surgery, pitched two innings and struck out six batters. He allowed one hit and one run on a balk in his return to the mound. Gameday
Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Nashville (MIL No. 4/MLB No. 95)
Misiorowski was promoted to Nashville in August of last season but is getting his first true taste of Triple-A ball as a full-time starter to begin 2025. He has responded by leading the International League in strikeouts (43), including a five-strikeout game on Saturday that featured just one run allowed on five hits. The 6-foot-7 hurler, who can routinely touch triple digits, has allowed one run or fewer in all but one of his outings this season. Gameday
Hunter Barco, LHP, Altoona (PIT No. 7)
Is there a pitcher in the Minors who is more dominant than Barco right now? The 6-foot-4 lefty allowed just two hits across five shutout innings, extending his season-opening scoreless streak to 25 2/3 frames. He’s fanned 34 batters this year and now holds the Altoona franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings. It appears he won't be extending that mark, though, as MLB.com's Alex Stumpf reported Saturday that the 2022 second-rounder has been promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis for his next appearance. Gameday
Khal Stephen, RHP, Dunedin (TOR No. 10)
Stephen is getting his first taste of pro ball at Single-A after being drafted by the Blue Jays in the second round of last year’s Draft. He has had no trouble adjusting. Through six starts, the 22-year-old has a 1.82 ERA and a 36/6 K/BB ratio. The 6-foot-4 righty put up another strong performance on Saturday, racking up eight strikeouts (with no walks) while allowing no runs on four hits over five innings. Stephen’s 36 strikeouts are tied for second in the Florida State League. Gameday
Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Cedar Rapids (MIN No. 4)
After leaving Kansas State as the highest-drafted position player in school history in 2024, Culpepper got his feet wet in pro ball, reaching High-A by season’s end. He started back with Cedar Rapids this year and has been nearly unstoppable at the plate. That included Saturday night when he went 4-for-5 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Over his first 14 games, Culpepper is batting .340 and has nearly as many walks (7) as strikeouts (8). Gameday