The elite separates from the pack during the dog days of summer, or in Minor League Baseball parlance, when the top prospects come out to play. There was plenty of that across the country as top Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong’s once-in-a-decade run continued on the hill while some of the most power-packed prospects from the Orioles (Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers) and Giants (Bryce Eldridge, Dakota Jordan) organizations put on their now-traditional fireworks displays.
Jonah Tong, RHP, Binghamton (NYM No. 2/MLB No. 52)
The Minors’ strikeout leader was back at it again. Tong stacked up eight strikeouts across five scoreless frames, giving him at least eight K’s in 12 of his 19 starts this season for Double-A Binghamton. The 22-year-old is up to 154 punchouts in 97 frames (14.3 K/9), but it hasn’t just been the glamorous numbers that have impressed -- the Mets’ 2022 seventh-rounder is also limiting opponents to a .431 OPS with just two homers allowed. Of his 380 batters faced, only 10 have collected an extra-base hit, leading to a .186 slugging percentage against. His 1.58 ERA also leads the Minors as he has yet to allow more than three runs in a single outing during 2025. Gameday
Luis Peña, SS/3B, Wisconsin (MIL No. 2/MLB No. 32)/Jesús Made, SS/3B, Wisconsin (MIL No. 1/MLB No. 7)
From the moment the Brewers’ top-ranked prospects dug into the batter’s box at High-A, they became the youngest hitters at the level. And then they put on a show. Peña demolished a pulllside solo homer off a lefty in his first at-bat for the Timber Rattlers. The 18-year-old has crushed southpaws in his first season stateside, slashing .390/.431/.661 in 65 plate appearances. Made waited until later in the contest to put his electric skill set on display, roping a go-ahead RBI triple to knock out a pair of Wisconsin firsts with one swing. More on the duo | Gameday
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Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Norfolk (BAL No. 1/MLB No. 9)/Dylan Beavers, OF, Norfolk (BAL No. 3)
Just two days after Basallo and Beavers combined to homer three times in a Triple-A Norfolk victory, they did it again. Basallo -- whose 22nd homer gives him the organizational lead and the most among primary catchers in the Minors -- showed off his plus power tool by clobbering a down-and-away changeup 441 feet at 106.8 mph off the bat over the fence in right-center field. The 23-year-old Beavers is as locked in as they come, sizzling a pair of homers for the second consecutive game. When the second half of the 2025 Minor League campaign began, Beavers had three multihomer games to his credit as a pro. In the 15 contests since, he has matched that number. Four of his past five -- and eight of his past 16 -- hits have gone for home runs as his OPS is on pace for a new career high at .962 across 86 games at the Minors’ highest level. Full story | Gameday
Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Wichita (MIN No. 5/MLB No. 84)/Walker Jenkins, OF, Wichita (MIN No. 1/MLB No. 12)
Twins fans looking to get a one-stop shopping experience at what the future of the club’s heart of the order might look like need only to turn to Double-A Wichita. Culpepper (Minnesota’s 2024 first-rounder) and Jenkins (‘23 first-rounder) are hitting back-to-back atop the lineup, quite the fearsome duo to face, even for rehabbing big leaguers. Royals righty Michael Lorenzen found that out the hard way as Culpepper clubbed a three-run homer in the second inning, followed by Jenkins drilling a solo shot off the former All-Star two pitches later. Culpepper is hitting .346 with a .968 OPS in 31 games since his bump to Double-A, while Jenkins, recovered from an ankle injury that cost him nearly two months, has raised his OPS north of .900 on the back of a seven-game stint that includes six multihit efforts. Gameday
Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Sacramento (SF No. 1/MLB No. 17)
There are heaters, and then there’s what Eldridge has been on since July 22 at Triple-A. MLB’s top-ranked first base prospect went deep for the third straight contest, this one a game-tying ninth-inning roundtripper to the opposite field that came off the bat at 106.2 mph. Over the past 13 games, Eldridge has mashed eight homers and plated 23 runs, putting his 70-grade power tool on full display. His 18 roundtrippers this season are bested within the organization only by Sacramento teammate Marco Luciano (20), despite Eldridge having missed over a month of combined action due to injuries. Gameday
Aidan Miller, SS, Reading (PHI No. 2/MLB No. 18)
After spending this season as one of the youngest players in the Double-A Eastern League, Miller is now emerging as one of the hottest hitters at the level. The 21-year-old delivered his fourth three-hit contest of the year, and the defining knock was a resounding solo homer, his ninth of the year. During his current seven-game hit streak, the Phillies’ 2023 first-rounder has delivered a 1.131 OPS and reached base 16 times. Gameday
Nolan McLean, RHP, Syracuse (NYM No. 3/MLB No. 64)
On the night that he tied his career high in innings (109 2/3), McLean continued to display that he has an ample amount of zeros left in the tank. There has been plenty of dominance on the hill this season for the Mets’ 2023 third-round pick, but in his latest Triple-A Syracuse outing, McLean allowed just one hit across 5 2/3 frames while collecting 15 swings-and-misses, including on all seven of his strikeouts. The 24-year-old lowered his ERA at the Minors’ highest level to 2.81, and he continues to excel in the biggest spots with batters having an OPS more than 200 points lower with runners on base, while hitting just .151 with runners in scoring position vs. McLean. Gameday
Dakota Jordan, OF, San Jose (SF No. 6)
The final swing Jordan took during a five-hit game Sunday resulted in a home run. But an off day clearly didn’t affect him because he returned to the Single-A San Jose lineup and promptly went deep in his first two plate appearances, marking the first multihomer outing of his pro career. The 2024 fourth-round pick has clobbered California League pitching dating back to June 1, hitting .333 with a 1.012 OPS with 46 RBIs across 38 games. Gameday
Abimelec Ortiz, 1B/OF, Round Rock (TEX No. 13)
They say you only get one chance at a first impression in life. Ortiz certainly capitalized on his in his Triple-A debut. The left-handed hitter known for his ability to mash racked up a career-high eight RBIs during his first night in the offensively inclined Pacific Coast League, swatting a pair of three-run home runs -- both off southpaws. The two-homer performance marked the fifth of the 23-year-old’s pro career and perpetuated a hot stretch at Double-A at the end of July that led to his promotion. His 18 roundtrippers and 64 RBIs this year lead all current members of the Rangers’ organization. Gameday