Every week during the minor league season, Baseball America publishes Hot Sheet, which is a rundown of the 20 best-performing prospects of the week. At the end of each Hot Sheet, we also include a “helium” prospect—a player on the rise who might make future Hot Sheets, jump into Top 30s or even crack the Top 100 Prospects list down the line.
And while the 2025 minor league schedule isn’t quite complete, our final Hot Sheet of the regular season is out now. You can find the complete Hot Sheet archives here.
Today, we’ll be reviewing each of the weekly up-arrow helium prospects we selected in 2025. After identifying early up-and-comers like Jesús Made, Jonah Tong and Zyhir Hope last season, this year’s list includes a lefty who vaulted into the middle of the Top 100, a precocious righthander who signed in January and finished in Low-A, a handful of intriguing DSL prospects and a Rangers righty who has strung together two solid seasons in a row.
Each capsule includes a version of what we wrote about the prospect at the time—the original write-ups are edited for brevity and to remove subject matter that has become outdated—and a synopsis of how the player’s season finished.
What We Said: Jump enjoyed a highly-decorated career as a California prep in the most competitive division of the CIF. He then matriculated to UCLA before transferring to LSU. The Athletics drafted Jump in the supplemental second round in 2024, and his combination of movement and premium release traits gives him a chance to find more success as a professional than he did in college.
How He Finished: Jump kept climbing and currently sits at No. 58 on the Top 100, making him one of the finest lefthanded pitching prospects in the game. His efforts helped Double-A Midland reach the Texas League playoffs, and he finished the regular season with 131 strikeouts in 112.2 innings.
What We Said: Chourio’s arsenal features a promising three-pitch mix, led by a fastball that touches 96 mph. His curveball offers tight, late break, and his advanced changeup plays well beyond his years. With that arsenal, he projects as a high-upside starter capable of missing plenty of bats as he climbs the ladder.
How He Finished: Chourio was easily the top pitching prospect in the Dominican Summer League and could find himself in the Top 100 next year. The righthander has the stuff, poise and clean delivery to be a rotation fixture for a long time.
What We Said: After sitting more low-to-mid-90s this spring, Fajardo has found another gear in the FCL. He sits 95-97 mph with two fastball shapes, a gyro slider and a kick changeup. Fajardo is a name to keep an eye on in a deep Red Sox system.
How He Finished: Fajardo, who came over to Boston in a Sox-for-Sox trade with Chicago, left the FCL with a 0.44 ERA. He did not quite live up to those standards in his first taste of full-season ball, but, he was still pretty excellent. In 13 turns with Low-A Salem, Fajardo posted a 2.98 ERA and punched out 59 hitters over 51.1 innings.
What We Said: Sanchez signed with Toronto in the international period that opened on Jan. 15, 2025. So far in his first pro season, he’s established himself as one of the biggest boppers in the Dominican Summer League. He’s already big and physical and sports a powerful, picturesque swing from the right side that’s allowed to bully baseballs early and often this summer.
How He Finished: Sanchez was one of the best offensive prospects in the Dominican Summer League and will be high on the list of players to watch on the west coast of Florida next year. He has the tools to be an offensive force in a few years.
What We Said: Caceres shows strong bat-to-ball skills with promising underlying exit velocity data, hinting at more unrealized power in his profile.
How He Finished: Caceres moved to Low-A after the season concluded in the Arizona Complex League and continued to show off an impressive offensive profile. He more than held his own as one of the Carolina League’s youngest players and helped Lynchburg win the championship.
What We Said: Davalillo has enough of a fastball (93-94 mph) because he spots it well and he has a slider, curve and split-change that he commands with precision. Davalillo doesn’t seem to make mistakes up in the strike zone. If you see him put a pitch in the top third of the zone, it’s almost assuredly a late-count fastball that plays up because hitters are so worried about him pounding the bottom of the zone.
How He Finished: Last year, Davalillo was the minor league ERA champion. He didn’t quite repeat the feat, though he ended the year with a sterling mark of 2.44 across two levels. The figure would be impressive enough in any year, but to do so in a season that included 56 innings in the offense-friendly Texas League is eyebrow-raising.
What We Said: Castellanos’ fastball sits comfortably between 93-95 mph and can touch a few ticks hotter. He backs it with a changeup and curveball and both pitches have plus potential. The biggest question in Castellanos’ game involves his durability. He’s a smaller pitcher and tired a bit down the stretch. If he can gain strength and stamina, he has the upside of a midrotation starter.
How He Finished: Castellanos ended the year as one of the top pitching talents in the Dominican Summer League. His 36 strikeouts were the most on the Twins’ staff, and his 2.79 ERA ranked third on his squad.
What We Said: A $30,000 bargain signing, Arana has been one of the best table-setters in the Dominican Summer League. There are plenty of DSL pitchers who simply cannot throw strikes, so Arana’s plate discipline will take a hit when he faces better pitching, but he’s been a revelation so far.
How He Finished: Arana was one of the DSL’s premier contact merchants. He finished with a .297 average and struck out no more than nine times in any of the season’s three months. If he can add some impact, his prospect stock will soar.
What We Said: Torres fronts a three-pitch mix with a riding fastball that sits in the 94-97 mph range and backs it with a changeup and a slider. He fanned 51 against 13 walks a year ago in the Dominican Summer League.
How He Finished: Torres was one of the better pitching prospects in the Arizona Complex League and among the leaders on an ACL Reds staff chock full of intriguing arms. He struck out 44 hitters in 38.1 innings while issuing just seven walks. He’ll be one to watch with Low-A Daytona next spring.
What We Said: Huezo has impressed this season, showing a combination of on-base skills and plus raw power that’s yet to fully show up in games. Huezo’s 107.2 mph 90th percentile exit velocity stands out for a 19-year-old, and he’s consistently hitting the ball at good angles. His bat-to-ball skills are currently below-average, but incremental improvements in that area could yield big results.
How He Finished: Huezo got better after leaving the Florida Complex League, though he’ll need to make more contact for his tools to play to their potential. If he does, he has enough power and speed to make for an interesting profile.
What We Said: Murphy, the younger brother of big league pitcher Patrick Murphy, doesn’t light up a radar gun. He maxes out at 91-92 mph, generally sits in the 89-90 mph range and throws a little of everything. He mixes four-seamers, sinkers, changeups, cutters, sliders, sweepers and a curveball. The mix managed to keep hitters off-balance all season.
How He Finished: With one start remaining, Murphy’s 1.58 ERA is second in the full-season minor leagues. He’s behind only Jonah Tong, who is currently in the Mets’ rotation. Murphy ascended three levels and is on the precipice of the big leagues.
What We Said: Salio was signed for $500,000 in January 2025 and, despite an elbow injury as an amateur, he’s been playing in the left side of the infield. Salio has size, athleticism, feel to hit and remaining projection to dream on. He’ll be a name to follow as he comes stateside in 2026.
How He Finished: In his first season as a pro, Salio was excellent. He finished year with a .909 OPS, seven triples and 14 stolen bases in 15 tries. Arizona is on the docket for next summer.
What We Said: On Aug. 17, Cox was tremendous. The 2022 second-rounder disassembled Stockton over five shutout innings, striking out seven while throwing just 59 pitches. He brought his fastball up to 98 mph and backed it with a nasty curveball he could land for strikes or bury for chases. He at times also mixed in a high-80s changeup that slid away from lefties at the last moment. If he can carry that kind of momentum into next year, the months he was away from the mound might be well worth the wait.
How He Finished: Cox was dreadful in April but masterful thereafter. He allowed 12 earned runs in the season’s first month and just 20 the rest of the way. From May 1 on, he went 4-3, 2.31 with 84 strikeouts and 19 walks over 78 innings.
What We Said: Garcia signed with Cleveland out of Venezuela in 2024 and put forth a ho-hum pro debut in the Dominican Summer League. He returned to the level in 2025 and has been one of the best pitchers on the Guardians’ two DSL clubs. He got a chance to showcase his talent in the DSL all-star game and didn’t disappoint. In the league’s midsummer classic, Garcia showed a lively fastball up to 96 mph and complemented it with a sweeping breaking ball and a hard-dropping changeup. Together, the repertoire has helped Garcia strike out 48 hitters in 34.2 innings.
How He Finished: Garcia’s 48 strikeouts were the most on his team, and he held hitters to a .135 average. He’ll need to limit the walks as he moves through the system.
What We Said: In the Florida Complex League, Payne is already showing signs of scratching at his upside. Armed with a four-pitch mix fronted by a low-90s fastball and backed by a kick-changeup, a slicing slider and an inconsistent curveball.
How He Finished: After an excellent turn in the Florida Complex League, Payne found the sledding in full-season ball a bit tougher. Though he allowed just six earned runs over as many starts with Low-A Jupiter, he also issued 14 walks in just 16.2 innings.
What We Said: Scouts go as high as double-plus on Lewis’ raw power and give him plus grades for his speed as well. That combination alone is enough to raise eyebrows, but there’s plenty of room for improvement as he moves up the ladder. The Yankees are working with Lewis to raise the trajectories of his batted balls, and in doing so his miss rates are elevated.
How He Finished: Lewis has plenty of boom and bust in his profile, but the end results left plenty of reasons for optimism. He is one of nine minor leaguers with 20 or more home runs, doubles and stolen bases.
What We Said: At 22 years old, Figueroa was one of the older players in the desert. The new level didn’t seem to faze him either. Figueroa slugged two homers in his first week at Low-A and looked like he belonged. An 18th-round pick out of Florida SouthWestern State College, he’s showing the same mix of power, speed and contact that made him successful in the junior college ranks.
How He Finished: Figueroa was included in the trade with Baltimore that brought Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano to San Diego. The first baseman was excellent at both stops with the Padres but scuffled once he got to High-A Aberdeen with the Orioles. There, Figueroa hit just .182 and struck out nearly 30% of the time.
What We Said: Tunink was an overslot signing for $412,500 at pick 250 overall, and was an athletic testing standout. Tunink comes from a cold weather background and has less experience than other preps in his signing class.
How He Finished: Tunink showed flashes of his upside in the ACL, but his season was uneven. He finished with .300 average and .967 OPS but also struck out at a clip of nearly 30%. Instead of heading to Low-A Rancho Cucamonga at the conclusion of the ACL season, he ended his year in the Dodgers’ bridge league camp.
What We Said: The White Sox selected Oppor out of Gulf Coast State (Fla.) JC in the fifth round during the 2023 draft. The lefthander spent parts of two seasons on the complex before being assigned to Low-A Kannapolis to begin 2025. His fastball sits 94-95 mph and touches 98 mph at peak, mixing a upper-70s sweeper and an upper-70s changeup with good vertical separation off his fastball.
How He Finished: Oppor did a solid job across both levels of Class A, finishing with 116 punch outs over 87.2 frames between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem. The figure placed him third in the system behind Riley Gowens and Tanner McDougal.
What We Said: In the partner league American Association, Torres just hit and hit until he earned Baseball America’s Independent Leagues/Partner Leagues Player of the Year. Torres was out of affiliated baseball two years ago. Now, it’s not crazy to think he could eventually get to the big leagues.
How He Finished: Torres continued his track record of hitting throughout the Triple-A season. Through games of Sept. 17, his line was a sparkling .328/.441/.464 with 16 doubles, nine home runs and 26 stolen bases.
What We Said: The 19-year-old burner put together a strong first stateside season—which was spent mostly in the Arizona Complex League but also included a cameo at Double-A Northwest Arkansas—finishing with 23 stolen bases in 45 games. This year, he’s kicked it into hyperdrive.
How He Finished: Gonzalez cooled significantly after the season’s first month. From May 1 on, he hit .199/.327/.256. He stole 48 bases in 68 tries during that span, as well, and finished the year with 78 swipes.
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