Browsing: Hitting

Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan walk off the field on the end of the play of third day of the second test cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) Day three in Rawalpindi was filled with drama, but one moment at the very end drew attention for its unusual circumstances. On the final delivery, South Africa had dominated proceedings, and Pakistanâ€s Mohammad Rizwan drove a ball from Keshav Maharaj toward cover. With no run attempted, Rizwan casually turned and, in a smooth motion, tapped the base stump with his bat, dislodging the bails. South Africa wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne immediately appealed for hit wicket, convinced Rizwan had broken his stumps. However, the ball was technically still in play—the fielder collecting the shot had not yet returned it to the keeper, and the umpires had not called stumps. Umpire Sharfuddoula at the bowlerâ€s end quickly dismissed the appeal with a smile, supported by square-leg umpire Chris Brown. Reports indicate the South African players were not directly told why the appeal was rejected. While it is unusual for a batter to remove bails with their bat, the Laws of Cricket support Rizwanâ€s action. Law 35.1 specifies that a batter can only be out hit wicket during the bowlerâ€s delivery stride, while attempting a shot or taking a run immediately afterward, or while making a second or further stroke to guard the wicket. Rizwanâ€s action did not meet any of these conditions. South Africa appeared to take the incident in stride. Allrounder Senuran Muthusamy later admitted he was too far from the play to notice exactly what happened, suggesting the team was not particularly aggrieved. By stumps, Pakistan held a narrow 23-run lead with six wickets remaining, keeping South Africaâ€s hopes of leveling the series alive.

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The Perfect Game WWBA World Championship is one of the best—if not the best—high school baseball showcases on the circuit each year. The annual event gives scouts one last look at a plethora of top prospects all under the same roof, so to speak, before winter and the heart of the offseason.

As with our previous two pieces, please note that our list is alphabetized and not a ranking. Also, not every player listed is draft eligible this July.

Griffin Boesen, 1B

• Draft Class: 2027
• College Commitment: Uncommitted

From a sheer statistical standpoint, itâ€s hard to argue against Boesen being one of the top performers in the entire event. Across Canes Midwest Nationalâ€s run to the semifinals, Boesen went a video game-like 13-for-18 (.722) with a double, 10 RBIs and five walks against a pair of strikeouts.

A 6-foot-4, 190-pound lefthanded hitter, Boesen has a potential middle-of-the-order frame. He can impact the baseball now, but itâ€s not hard to envision Boesen adding more strength.

For someone of his size, Boesen does a nice job of staying synced up throughout his swing. Heâ€s shown the ability to create leverage by dropping his back knee, and this summer he flashed above-average bat-to-ball skills. Boesenâ€s power is geared more towards extra-base hits than home runs at this point, but look for him to start to put more balls over the fence as he continues to mature physically.

Connor Comeau, INF

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Texas A&M

A member of the loaded USA Prime National/Detroit Tigers Scout Team, Comeau collected four hits—including a double and three-run home run in consecutive games—and drove in eight runs. He has a long, lanky frame—with particular length in his lower half—and plenty of physical projection remaining.

Comeau stands fairly tall in the box with a slightly-open front side and shoulder-high handset. He has a simple operation without a whole lot of moving parts, and he deploys a small leg lift that gives way to a normal stride. Though he’s a bit lacking in the physicality department, he still has solid bat speed and is able to generate quality contact on a regular basis.

Comeau put good swings on the ball all week. As I alluded to earlier, he hammered a backside double in one of my looks and belted a home run a game later. He has present power, but itâ€s not all that difficult to envision him growing into above-average or plus game power down the line.

While his power upside is tantalizing, Comeau also has a feel to hit. He flashed a good feel for the strike zone with polished swing decisions. The swing that perhaps stood out to me the most was a perfectly executed hit-and-run. Comeau let the ball travel, got his barrel to it and shot a hard-hit ground ball through a vacated six hole.

Comeauâ€s defensive profile is somewhat murky. He played both corner infield spots last week and got some run at shortstop over the summer, but I think his overall defensive skill set will profile best in a corner outfield spot when all is said and done. His movement profile and level of athleticism likely fit better on the grass than it does on the dirt.

Comeau will still be 17 years old at the draft, and he has an exciting blend of a body to dream on, “now†tools and plenty of upside.

Trevor Condon, OF

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Tennessee

Condon was one of my favorite position players I saw last week in Jupiter. A sparkplug in every sense of the word, he scattered seven hits—including a double—and four RBIs across five games.

At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Condon has an athletic frame with strength and impact, particularly to the pull side. A prototypical top-of-the-order tablesetter with an explosive and twitchy operation in the box, he shows no-doubt plus bat speed to go along with a feel for the barrel and high-level bat-to-ball skills. Condon controlled the zone well and demonstrated advanced swing decisions in my looks last week.

While he tends to hit the ball on the ground—Iâ€d like to see him turn some of his ground balls into line drives—Condon gets out of the box unbelievably quick and regularly turned in double-plus run times. He projects as a hit-over-power profile whose vast majority of home run power will likely come to the pull side.

Defensively, Condonâ€s tantalizing combination of speed and athleticism translates well to center field. He has plenty of gap-to-gap range and can really go and get the baseball. If he can shore up his routes by taking a more efficient and crisp path to the baseball, he has a chance to become an impact defender.

As a nice cherry on top, Condonâ€s on-field makeup is outstanding. His baseball sense is advanced, and he plays the game with his hair on fire. A prime example of this last week came when he stole second on a great dirt ball read and later swiped third on a well-executed shuffle lead. He has an unbelievably high motor and does not take a single pitch off. It feels like heâ€s always involved in some capacity and, like the Energizer bunny, is always ready to go, go, go. Condonâ€s love for the game is evident, and itâ€s a quality that rubs off on those with whom he shares a dugout.

If youâ€re looking for a couple of players with a similar archetype as Condon, think along the lines of Sal Frelick and Slater de Brun. De Brun was a better defender at this stage with more of a physical, barrel-chested look, but there are still some similarities.

RJ Cope, 1B/LHP

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Vanderbilt

Cope enjoyed one of the best performances of any player in the tournament, going 12-for-20 (.600) with a pair of doubles, a home run, five RBIs and seven walks to three strikeouts. He was a key reason why his East Cobb/San Diego Padres Scout Team club made a run to the championship game, and Cope took his play to another level in bracket play.

A 6-foot-8, 250-pound mountain of a human being, itâ€s hard to miss Cope on the diamond. He has an extra-large, high-waisted frame with plenty of physicality throughout. Cope used to devote most of his time to pitching—and will still toe the rubber—so heâ€s still learning how to hit. You can see it in his swing, as itâ€s not the most rhythmic or aesthetically pleasing operation in the world, but it clearly worked last week. Cope gets a little bar-armed at times and his bat will lag, but last week he was an auto-barrel.

Copeâ€s power upside is immense. He flashes big-time juice already, but there’s a chance he grows into double-plus power if he can clean up his operation and get more into his legs. In what is the case for most players of similar size, it will be important for Cope to keep his long levers connected and in-sync throughout his swing. Defensively, Cope is relegated to first base. Undoubtedly a power-over-hit profile, you are betting on Copeâ€s power upside.Â

All week, Cope brought the juice. He was a vocal leader both on the field and in the dugout, and after every big play you could set your watch to Cope being fired up for his teammates. This is a cold take, but without him, there is zero chance East Cobb would have been playing on Championship Monday.

Sean Dunlap, C

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Tennessee

Of Dunlapâ€s six hits last week, five went for extra bases. Across five games, the 6-foot-3 backstop tallied a pair of doubles, a pair of triples and one home run.

Thereâ€s plenty to like with Dunlap. He has a lean, athletic frame with some length in his lower half to go along with present strength and physical projection remaining. Dunlap moves well in the batterâ€s box and has a minimal load with big-time bat and hand speed. His swing can get long at times, which leaves him susceptible to swing-and-miss, so making enough contact to tap into his power on a regular basis will be key. Dunlap steps in the box with the intent to do damage and does not get cheated.

Though heâ€s slightly tall for the position, Dunlap has a solid defensive skill set behind the dish thatâ€s headlined by his athleticism and arm strength.

Dylan Fairchild, SS

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Cincinnati

Fairchild was the best hitter on the SmarTense/ZT National Prospects team, and he parlayed his solid showing at East Coast Pro into a strong week in Jupiter.

The “how he does it†with Fairchild is unorthodox. He drops his hands a considerable amount in his load and sits a bit deeper in his base, but he was able to make it work and collected a trio of extra-base hits with five RBIs. Fairchild moves well both in the box and on the dirt, and heâ€s a Midwest name on which to keep tabs this spring.Â

Matthew Mansbery, SS

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Michigan

Mansbery was on the barrel all week for Canes Midwest and laced three doubles, a pair of triples and drove in six runs.

A name to follow closely throughout this yearâ€s draft cycle, Mansbery has an athletic frame with room to fill out further. He has a simple setup in the batterâ€s box and an easy, almost effortless, operation featuring minimal load, a small stride and a level head throughout his swing. Mansbery has quickness in his hands with budding power he flashed last week in Jupiter.

Mansbery isnâ€t the twitchiest or most explosive player in the world, but heâ€s shown sound actions on the dirt with arm strength on the left side of the infield. Mansbery is very much an unfinished product physically, and itâ€s exciting to think about what his ceiling might be. He is a potential top five-round pick this July.

Winston Pennant, OF

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Ole Miss

Pennant fits the mold of someone who is more likely to end up on a college campus than not, but Iâ€d be remiss if I didnâ€t highlight his performance in Jupiter. Pennantâ€s 10 RBIs were tied for the most in the tournament, and he also blasted a pair of long balls and tripled.

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Pennant is plenty physical with strength throughout his frame. He flashed all-fields impact last week and was consistently on the barrel. He has a bit of a noisy load and there are some hit tool questions, but thereâ€s no questioning his raw power.Â

Noah Wilson, OF

• Draft Class: 2026
• College Commitment: Vanderbilt

Wilson impressed all week and was one of the more productive hitters in the event. Across four games, he amassed six hits with a triple, a home run and eight RBIs.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Wilson has a pro body with present strength and some projection remaining. He possesses an enticing tool set that was on full display in Jupiter. He has a simple, yet explosive operation in the box, showing plenty of bat speed and taking a direct path to the baseball.

Wilson has an all-fields approach and has shown the ability to drive the baseball to either gap, as evidenced last week by his home run going out to left-center field. On top of the quality contact he was able to generate, Wilson demonstrated a feel for the barrel. While he stayed within the strike zone for the most part, Wilson this summer struggled with swing-and-miss—especially as it pertained to picking up secondaries out of the hand—which is something to monitor.

A plus runner, Wilsonâ€s speed translates well, both on the basepaths and on the grass. His arm is a little light, but his legs and athleticism will give him a chance to prove himself in center field professionally.

An intriguing blend of tools and upside, Wilson has a chance to be a top-three round pick this summer.

Sebastian “Sushi†Wilson, OF

• Draft Class: 2027
• College Commitment: Tennessee

With no relation to Noah, “Sushi†was one of the better underclass hitters in the event. He served as the straw that stirred the drink for Wow Factorâ€s 17U National Team and notched 10 hits with a pair of doubles and four RBIs.

Wilson has strength baked into his 6-foot, 190-pound frame. He has a hitterish look in the box with a fairly upright stance, a slightly-open front side and a medium-high handset. There’s a slight barrel tip in his load and quickness in his hands

Wilson was a high-level performer throughout the summer circuit. According to Synergy Sports, this summer he hit .340/.444/.420 across all major events.

Wilson runs well and has also flashed an above-average arm in center field. With a smattering of tools, Wilson is a high-priority follow in the 2027 class.Â

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LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani showed a bit of pulse at the plate when he led off Game 3 of the National League Championship Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers by lining a triple into the right field corner. He scored moments later on a Mookie Betts double.

Ohtani—the Dodgers’ 10-year, $700 million man—came into the game with one hit in the best-of-seven series against the listless Milwaukee Brewers, who now trail 3-0 after losing, 3-1, at Dodger Stadium Thursday night. Manager Dave Roberts was so concerned about Ohtani’s hitting that he moved him to the back of the NLCS pitching rotation.

Now he has Ohtani in place to close out the series with a mound start in Game 4 on Friday. After a 1-for-4 late afternoon ballgame with two strikeouts at the plate, he’s 2-for-11 in the series with no homers, five whiffs and a .641 OPS. But according to Roberts, he’s working his butt off trying to snap out of the slump.

At the same time, Ohtani’s preparing for a chance to clinch the team’s second consecutive NL pennant, the precursor of repeating as World Series champions.

How does Ohtani manage it? Well, he has 700 million reasons.

“He’s a unicorn,” Roberts said about the two-way Japanese player. “I don’t know how he manages it. Every minute of the day is accounted for.”

Before the series began, Roberts even went as far as saying the Dodgers can’t repeat as World Series champs unless Ohtani snaps out of his offensive funk. But here they are, one win away from putting themselves in position to compete against either Toronto or Seattle.

“He’s a big part of what we’re doing,” Roberts said. “We’re pitching very well. We’re playing great defense. Obviously Shohei is not in the form that we expect. But we have a long way to go.”

The supposition is that the workload for the 31-year-old Ohtani has caught up with him, even though he has made only one pitching start in the playoffs. In Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, Ohtani threw six innings of three-run, three-hit ball with nine strikeouts in a 5-3 win.

Ohtani’s offensive numbers began to slip after he returned to pitching on June 16 after undergoing Sept. 2023 elbow surgery. His batting average dipped 18 points and his OPS slightly declined as the regular season ended. Still, he finished with 55 home runs, third among all players in the regular season.

The playoff drop off his been more severe. He opened just fine with two homers in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds. In the two-game sweep, he hit .333 (3-for-9) with the two homers and four RBIs.

But between a four-game victory over the Phillies in the NLDS   and this NLCS, he’s fallen off the map. He’s gone 3-for-29(.103) with no homers, a pair of RBIs, 14 strikeouts and five walks, three of them intentional.

Ohtani, though, doesn’t believe pitching has anything to do with his extended slump at the plate.

“I don’t necessarily think that the pitching has affected my hitting performance,” he said through his interpreter. ”Just on the pitching side, as long as I control what I can control, I feel pretty good about putting up results. On the hitting side, just the stance, the mechanics, that’s something that I do—it’s a constant work in progress.”

A left-handed hitter and a right-handed pitcher, Ohtani has seen a steady diet of left-handed pitching thrown at him. When the Brewers started left-handed reliever Aaron Ashby Thursday, Ohtani surprisingly fell behind in the count before launching the triple, which had an exit velocity of 82 mph off Ohtani’s bat.

“He’s one of the best hitters in the game,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He [has not been] hitting the way he can. We’re not doing anything very special except we’re pitching him very carefully. Any time we can bring in a lefty to face him, that’s what we’ll do. He’s not barreling the ball like he does, but to us he’s still a dangerous, dangerous hitter.”

To Murphy’s point, Ohtani is a .264 lifetime hitter against left-handed pitching, .282 overall. But while his strategy is working well negating Ohtani, the Brewers have their own problems. They’ve scored three runs and amassed just nine hits in three games against Dodgers pitching.

If Ohtani continues that trend on the mound Friday, it won’t matter how he hits. The Brewers will be finished, and the Dodgers will be on to the World Series.

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Manny Ramírez is hoping to return to baseball in a coaching capacity.

“He wants to bring his greatness to teach the young guys,” his agent, Hector Zepeda, told Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who added that the former slugger has reached out to all 30 MLB teams about becoming a hitting coach.

That mirrors comments Ramírez made in late September during an appearance on Foul Territory.

“I just need the opportunity. To be honest, I spoke to Boston last year,” he said at the time. “We were talking a little bit and I know they hired a guy from Driveline Baseball. We were talking, but then we never got back to, like, getting serious about it. So, they never got back to me. So I never went back to them to see if it was really an opportunity.”

His credentials as a hitter are impressive: A .312 career batting average with 555 home runs, 1,831 RBI and a .996 OPS. While some of those numbers were perhaps inflated by PED use, there’s no doubt that Ramírez was born to hit.

Hitting and teaching hitting are not the same, of course. Plenty of amazing athletes aren’t great coaches for that very reason. Having innate gifts doesn’t always translate into understanding the underlying mechanics behind them, not to mention being able to communicate that understanding in a digestible way. But Ramírez is hoping to give it a shot.

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Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has struggled at the plate recently, but he said his hitting slump is not a result of his pitching duties.

“I don’t necessarily think that the pitching has affected my hitting performance,” Ohtani told reporters through an interpreter. “Just on the pitching side, as long as I control what I can control, I feel pretty good about putting up results. On the hitting side, just the stance, the mechanics, that’s something that I do — it’s a constant work in progress. I don’t necessarily think so. It’s hard to say.”

Ohtani played well in the wild-card round but has since gone 2-for-25 with 12 strikeouts. He snapped a 15-at-bat hitless streak with an RBI single in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s Game 2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS.

Ohtani did not pitch in Game 1 of the NLCS as the Dodgers went instead to Blake Snell. Manager Dave Roberts said before the series that Ohtani would pitch at some point, but he wasn’t sure when.

Roberts said before the series that the pitching plan for Ohtani was not related to his hitting struggles.

“No, not at all,” Roberts said. “I think it was just kind of Shohei’s going to pitch one game this series. So, it’s one game and then you have two other guys that potentially can pitch on regular rest.”

Luckily for the Dodgers, Ohtani’s slump hasn’t hurt them too much thanks to outstanding performances from their starters. Snell gave up just one hit in eight innings in the 2-1 win in Game 1, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game in Game 2, allowing just three hits and one run.

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Cora Jade is stepping away from the ring—and straight onto the runway.

The former WWE NXT star, real name Brianna Coda, just announced her next move, and it doesnâ€t involve ropes, titles, or turnbuckles. Instead, sheâ€ll be walking the catwalk at Moxy Los Angeles during a fashion show set for October 17, 2025, at Elysium DTLA. She posted the update on Twitter with a promotional flyer featuring herself as the featured runway model.

“This Friday in LA 🔥,†she captioned the post, confirming her participation in the Moxy Swim showcase alongside sponsors like The Hype House and Fusion Fashion Events.

Doors open at 8:00 PM with the show starting at 9:00 PM—and yes, Cora Jade will be strutting in front of a live crowd once again, just not in wrestling boots.

The modeling gig comes after she publicly revealed she was walking away from wrestling for the rest of 2025 to prioritize her mental health. At the time, she posted a heartfelt message to fans and promoters alike:

“I am going to be taking a break from wrestling for the foreseeable future. Itâ€s no longer good for my mental health and Iâ€ll never know if that love for it I once had will return if I donâ€t step away. Iâ€m gonna take the rest of the year to take care of me and go from there.â€

The former WWE star hasnâ€t ruled out a return to wrestling in the future—but for now, sheâ€s swapping NXT tapings for fashion fittings and live events for runway shows.

Cora Jade is proving she can reinvent herself outside the wrestling bubble—and whether this is a rebrand, a side project, or a full-on career pivot, sheâ€s moving forward on her own terms.

Do you think Cora Jade has found her next calling in fashion, or is this just a break before a big return to wrestling? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know what you think of her transformation.

October 15, 2025 11:50 am

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The New York Mets are remaking their major league staff after they fell short of a postseason berth, naming a new bench coach and lead hitting coach, sources told ESPN.

The Mets are hiring Kai Correa as their bench coach, sources confirmed to ESPN. Correa will be manager Carlos Mendoza’s right-hand man and comes to New York after a previous stint as bench coach and interim manager in San Francisco and serving as an integral part of Cleveland’s coaching staff since 2024.

Jeff Albert, the Mets’ director of hitter development, will serve as the team’s lead hitting coach in 2026 and be in uniform, sources told ESPN.

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While Albert’s title has not been defined, he was formerly the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. Albert, 44, joined the Mets in November 2022 and has worked in a development capacity, helping the team rebuild a system that has its strongest group of hitting prospects in years.

Albert also spent six years with the Houston Astros, where he worked with Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns. The Mets plan to bring in another coach to complement Albert, sources said, after they fired hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez as part of a staff revamp that also included the departures of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, bench coach John Gibbons, third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh and catching coach Glenn Sherlock.

Following a 45-24 start, the Mets cratered over the season’s final 3½ months and finished 83-79, losing a tiebreaker with the Cincinnati Reds for the final National League wild card spot.

The Mets’ offense finished 10th in Major League Baseball in runs scored and returns most of their core, including outfielder Juan Soto, shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Brandon Nimmo. First baseman Pete Alonso said he plans to opt out of his contract and will become a free agent for the second consecutive season.

News of Correa’s hiring was first reported by Pat Ragazzo.

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While the Yankees haven’t conveyed that noticeable changes to their coaching staff are expected this offseason, it appears they’re at least comfortable seeing one of Aaron Boone’s trusted minds pursue a promotion elsewhere.

According to a report from the New York Post, the Yankees have granted the Twins permission to interview hitting coach James Rowson for their open managerial position. Red Sox bench coach Ramon Vazquez and former Pirates skipper Derek Shelton are reportedly in the running as well.

It’s not at all surprising to see Rowson — who assumed the Bronx role ahead of the 2024 season — on the Twins’ radar. The 49-year-old oversaw a Yankees offense that produced league-high marks in home runs (274), runs (849), OPS (.787), and walks (639) during the 2025 campaign.

Rowson also has a history with the Twins, as he worked as their hitting coach for three seasons (2017-19) before serving as Marlins bench coach from 2020-22. The Yankees knew they were receiving a power-centric approach from Rowson — the Twins smacked a league-record 307 homers during his third and final season there.

It remains to be seen whether Rowson emerges as a serious managerial candidate. The Mount Vernon native has a long history with the Yankees, too — he played a few seasons in the Yankees’ farm system (1995-97) and spent seven seasons (2006-11, 2014-16) as their minor league hitting coordinator.

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As mentioned in our 2025 Hit+ leaderboard, Baseball America has measured performance throughout the 2025 season based on underlying metrics via Hawk-Eye data gathered across the minor leagues. The RoboScout model incorporates some of this data to assess the minor league performance of hitters and pitchers and evaluate their future major league performance.

Today, we’ll be ranking how each organizationâ€s collection of minor league hitters performed via these metrics in 2025. You can find our corresponding pitcher rankings here.

Using the same methodology to capture a hitterâ€s true underlying performance, we used weighted on-base average (wOBA) as our baseline and created a Hit+ score that weights each key metric by how strongly it correlates with future wOBA. Like wRC+, Hit+ is centered at 100, so scores above that mark indicate better-than-average underlying performance or vice versa.

One important note: Due to data availability, each hitterâ€s performance was compared to the overall minor league average rather than level-specific averages. As a result, a Double-A and Low-A hitter with the same contact rate against breaking balls, for example, are evaluated equally in that category.

Please note Hit+ scores do not reflect a playerâ€s defensive or running ability.

For the organization scores, the metric (Hit+, Contact rate, barrel rate, etc.) of each player in the organization was “weighted†by the number of plate appearances they had. So, if one hitter had a Hit+ of 200 but with only 10 plate appearances, his influence on the organizationâ€s aggregate Hit+ would be 10% of someone who had 100 plate appearances.

Below are the weighted scores (where 100.0 is average) and rankings for each organization. Note that “Swing Dec†is represented by Swing%-minus-Chase%.

Statcast Scores For All 30 Organizations

orghit+swingdeccont%zcon%90evbrl%xwobaconLos Angeles Dodgers103.3100.9100.999.7100.8101.8102.4Detroit Tigers102.2102.399.399.4102.1103.1101.4San Francisco Giants102.2100.4101.6101.4101.0101.1101.8Houston Astros101.899.298.398.9102.5101.7101.1Minnesota Twins101.898.9101.0100.9100.6101.5101.5New York Yankees101.4102.197.997.6101.6102.6101.7Toronto Blue Jays101.1100.7100.8100.6100.1100.999.0Seattle Mariners100.7101.399.299.6101.0100.7101.6Arizona Diamondbacks100.698.5101.6101.598.498.8102.5Chicago White Sox100.4102.299.299.3100.3100.5101.4New York Mets100.399.2100.4100.7101.7100.798.8Pittsburgh Pirates100.399.698.899.2101.5101.099.6Chicago Cubs100.1100.5100.0100.2100.499.999.5St. Louis Cardinals99.998.3101.7101.4100.099.799.0Cincinnati Reds99.899.199.199.3101.0100.4100.7Athletics99.799.6102.3101.997.898.399.8Los Angeles Angels99.7101.097.697.799.5100.6102.5Milwaukee Brewers99.7101.4100.299.899.498.799.1Philadelphia Phillies99.799.9100.099.9100.4100.399.0Baltimore Orioles99.6101.199.098.1100.1100.698.8Miami Marlins99.599.9100.3100.3100.299.698.4San Diego Padres99.3100.0100.3100.397.899.1100.0Boston Red Sox99.298.298.999.5100.699.699.1Cleveland Guardians99.2101.0102.0101.697.698.598.3Colorado Rockies98.696.5100.2101.298.898.2101.5Texas Rangers98.697.5102.1102.297.398.298.7Tampa Bay Rays98.299.5100.6100.598.797.898.4Washington Nationals98.1100.897.697.6102.199.598.9Kansas City Royals97.898.799.199.898.698.598.8Atlanta Braves97.6101.9100.7100.597.997.697.4

Statcast Rankings For All 30 Organizations

orghit+swingdeccont%zcon%90evbrl%xwobaconLos Angeles Dodgers1st10th8th19th10th3rd3rdDetroit Tigers2nd1st19th22nd3rd1st9thSan Francisco Giants2nd14th6th6th8th6th4thHouston Astros4th22nd27th26th1st4th11thMinnesota Twins4th24th7th8th12th5th8thNew York Yankees6th3rd28th30th5th2nd5thToronto Blue Jays7th12th9th10th17th8th19thSeattle Mariners8th6th21st20th9th10th6thArizona Diamondbacks9th26th5th4th25th22nd1stChicago White Sox10th2nd20th24th15th13th10thNew York Mets11th21st12th9th4th9th23rdPittsburgh Pirates11th19th26th25th6th7th15thChicago Cubs13th13th17th15th13th16th16thSt. Louis Cardinals14th27th4th5th19th17th20thCincinnati Reds15th23rd22nd23rd7th14th12thAthletics16th18th1st2nd28th26th14thLos Angeles Angels16th8th29th28th20th12th2ndMilwaukee Brewers16th5th15th18th21st23rd18thPhiladelphia Phillies16th17th18th16th14th15th21stBaltimore Orioles20th7th24th27th18th11th25thMiami Marlins21st16th13th14th16th19th27thSan Diego Padres22nd15th14th13th27th21st13thBoston Red Sox23rd28th25th21st11th18th17thCleveland Guardians23rd9th3rd3rd29th24th29thColorado Rockies25th30th16th7th22nd27th7thTexas Rangers25th29th2nd1st30th28th26thTampa Bay Rays27th20th11th11th23rd29th28thWashington Nationals28th11th30th29th2nd20th22ndKansas City Royals29th25th23rd17th24th25th24thAtlanta Braves30th4th10th12th26th30th30th

Top Seven Organizations (Hit+)

Dodgers

The Dodgers are pretty much universally acclaimed as player development behemoths and, unsurprisingly, rank at the top of the list. Some of their hitters of note include Mike Sirota (Hit+ of 122), Charles Davalan (116), Josue De Paula (114), Emil Morales (114), Eduardo Quintero (113), Zyhir Hope(112) and Ching-Hsien Ko (112).

Interestingly, the Dodgers rank in the top 10 of every facet of Hit+ except for in-zone contact rate.

Tigers

The Tigers have Baseball America’s No. 2 prospect, Kevin McGonigle (118), plus other Top 100 Prospects like Max Clark (114), Josue Briceño (112) and Bryce Rainer (112), so it isn’t surprising that the Tigers rank highly in this metric. The Tigers flirted with best record in the American League for much of the season and made it Game 5 of the ALDS. Their future at the plate looks bright, too.

The Tigers really excel in swing decisions—where they rank No. 1—and in their ability to damage upon contact based on their exit velocity, barrel rate, and xwOBAcon.

Giants

To be honest, I was a bit surprised that the Giants graded so highly. But they ranked in the top 10 for contact rates and on damage-on-contact.

Voracious Baseball America readers are aware that Parks Harber (121) has excellent Statcast data (here and here). Other hitters with compelling data are Bryce Eldridge (121), Josuar Gonzalez(110), Bo Davidson (110), Drew Gilbert (112) and Dakota Jordan (111).

Astros

In RoboScout articles, I often talk about how the Astros have a hitter type preference that highly emphasizes ‘quality of contact.†That shows up in the data again here, as Houston hitters rank first in 90th percentile exit velocity. That comes at the expense of swing decisions and contact rate, however. Still, as quality of contact supersedes the other facets, and Houston ranks highly overall, though there may be a high accompanying strikeout rate.

From a Statcast point of view, the Astros have a number of hitters grading out well in Hit+ who weâ€ve identified over the last couple months. Ethan Frey (120), Zach Cole (117), Will Bush (117), Anthony Huezo (114) and Lucas Spence (113) have all been written about or podcasted about as hitters with surprisingly good Statcast data. With their contributions—and from others like Drew Brutcher (109) or 17-year-old DSL hitter Sami Manzueta (109)—the Astros grade as the organization with the fifth highest Hit+.

Twins

RoboScout has vouched for Luke Keaschall and Emmanuel Rodriguez (112) in the past, and 2025 is no exception. Some other noteworthy hitters include Kalaâ€I Rosario (115), Walker Jenkins (113), Hendry Mendez (112), who was talked about here, Gabriel Gonzalez (108) and Kaelen Culpepper (106).

Yankees

With his outrageous power, Spencer Jones still has a Hit+ of 117 even with extreme swing-and-miss. Dax Kilby (120), Richard Matic (113), Dillon Lewis (110), Brian Sanchez (109) and George Lombard Jr. (108) also contributed to New York ranking near the top of the league.

The Yankees rank in the top five for swing decisions and exit velocity, but are near the bottom of the league for contact rate. Their in-zone contact rate ranks dead last.

Blue Jays

Toronto has the No. 1 seed in the American League and some reinforcements percolating in the minors, as the Blue Jays rank seventh in Hit+. RJ Schreck (117) and Yohendrick Pinango (116) had high Hit+ data in 2024 and they sustained it into 2025. Other noteworthy and possibly underrated hitters include Sean Keys (114), Sam Shaw (110), Juan Sanchez (107) and Victor Arias (106).

Bottom Five Organizations (Hit+)

Braves

The Braves had a year to forget, and their minor league hitting corps didn’t have the aggregate strength from a Hit+ point of view, either. Some hitters of note, though, are David McCabe (114), Cody Miller (107) and DSL youngster Diego Tornes (105).

Atlanta ranks in the top five for swing decisions and top 10 in contact rate. The Braves system doesn’t have much thump, though, ranking at the bottom in barrel rate and expected damage on contact.

Royals

Despite perennial RoboDarling Carter Jensenâ€s 119 Hit+ and Jac Caglianoneâ€s 114, the organization as a whole is lagging behind other systems. They do have some solid contributions from Blake Mitchell (107), Gavin Cross (105), Warren Calcano (104) and Ramon Ramirez (105).

The Royals sit in the bottom quartile of the league in swing decisions, contact rate and 90th percentile exit velocity.

Nationals

Daylen Lile (113), Andres Chaparro (115), Brady House (111), Jose Tena (111) and Robert Hassell III (105) all earned meaningful plate appearances in the major leagues this year. Unfortunately, behind them, itâ€s a bit thin. Still, Washington has players like Yohandy Morales (106), Nauris De La Cruz (105), Ethan Petry (106), Luke Dickerson (104) and Eli Willits (104) all showing above-average skills.

Interestingly, the Nationals rank second in 90th percentile exit velocity but are in the bottom third in barrel rate and expected wOBAcon. So. while Washington is hitting it hard, it’s doing it straight into the dirt. The Nationals rank dead last in both in-zone contact and contact rate, which might be an artifact of a philosophy or the unintended consequences of their player development.

Rays

I was a bit surprised to see the Rays in the lower tier. Although they do have some individual standouts like Theo Gillen (112), Nathan Flewelling (109), Xavier Isaac (109) and Brailer Guerrero (106), they also had somewhat disappointing seasons from Tre†Morgan(100), Maykel Coret (98) and Adrian Santana (97).

Rangers

The Rangers are near the bottom in swing decisions and also in their ability to do damage on contact. They are a team of extremes—they are at the top for contact rate—implying this might be a drafting and scouting philosophy.

Some of their better standouts are Abimelec Ortiz (114), Devin Fitz-Gerald (112), Dylan Dreiling (112), Elorky Rodriguez (110), Cody Freeman (109, Keith Jones II (107) and Sebastian Walcott (106).

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With a few exceptions, the first stop for nearly every Latin American prospect these days is the Dominican Summer League.

So, who are the prospects from the 2025 international class who could be the next Top 100 Prospects or players who will become more prominent names in their organization’s Top 30 prospects in the coming years?

Million-Dollar Signings Who Delivered

Josuar Gonzalez, SS, Giants

For some evaluators, Gonzalez was the best Latin American prospect in the 2025 class when the Giants signed him out of the Dominican Republic for $2,997,500. Since then, he has looked as advertised— if not better—and has already become a Top 100 Prospect. Heâ€s a bouncy, quick-twitch athlete with explosiveness to his tools at the plate and in the field.

At 6 feet, 170 pounds, Gonzalez is a switch-hitter with fast hands and big bat speed from both sides of the plate, and he produces hard contact for his age with what projects to be average-or-better raw power. The maturity of Gonzalezâ€s at-bats have been impressive, with the 17-year-old showing a good sense of the strike zone and an accurate barrel. He hit .288/.404/.455 with four home runs, 37 walks and 36 strikeouts, with another level of power he could unlock if heâ€s able to drive the ball in the air with more frequency.

Heâ€s a plus-plus runner who stole 33 bases in 38 attempts and has the quickness, hands, range and above-average arm strength to stick at shortstop.Â

Elian Peña, SS, Mets

Peña signed out of the Dominican Republic for $5 million—the largest bonus for any Latin American prospect this year—but his season started horribly. Through his first nine games, Peña hit .000/.182/.000 in 34 plate appearances. It was a small sample but still a worrisome sign for a player of Peñaâ€s pedigree to be hitless that deep into the season.

After that, Peña rebounded to finish at .292/.421/.528 with 36 walks, 36 strikeouts and nine home runs in 242 plate appearances, looking more like the hitter the Mets were projecting him to be.

Peña has an impressive mix of hitting ability and power. Itâ€s a compact lefthanded swing, and he has been a high-contact hitter. hHs swing can get steep at times, though, which is something that could cut into his bat-to-ball skills at higher levels.

Peña is an offensive-minded shortstop who could continue to get a chance to develop at the position but much more likely is a third baseman in the majors.

Kevin Alvarez, OF, Astros

The Astros paid $2 million to sign Alvarez, a lefthanded outfielder from Cuba who drew praise as an amateur for his offensive polish. His advanced skill set in the batterâ€s box showed in the DSL, where he hit .301/.419/.455 in 192 plate appearances with more walks (23) than strikeouts (19).

At 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, Alvarez has strong bat-to-ball skills and, while itâ€s a hit-over-power game right now, thereâ€s lots of room left to fill out to project bigger power to come.

Gabriel Davalillo, C, Angels

Davalilloâ€s $2 million bonus was the highest among international catchers in 2025, and he looks like the top catcher in the 2025 class after he hit .302/.408/.518 with seven homers, 23 walks and 21 strikeouts in 169 plate appearances in the DSL.

Davalillo is an aggressive hitter with plenty of strength and righthanded bat speed coming out of his 5-foot-11, 210-pound build. He has the hand-eye coordination to deliver both high contact and high impact and grow into being a 20-plus home run threat.

Davalillo has the arm strength, hands and game awareness to catch, but he will need to clean up his blocking and improve his mobility to stay behind the plate.Â

Juan Sanchez, SS, Blue Jays

While technically not a seven-figure signing—Sanchez signed for $997,500—weâ€re going to cheat and count him in this group. Sanchez sticks out right away for his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame at shortstop. As an amateur, he drew praise for his raw power and defensive skill set—especially for a bigger player—though it came with questions about how much contact he would make against live pitching.

The early returns with the bat have been excellent, however, as Sanchez hit .341/.439/.565 in 253 plate appearances with eight home runs, 26 walks and 41 strikeouts. While Sanchez will expand the zone at times, he doesnâ€t miss much when heâ€s swinging at strikes, and he drives the ball with impact, showing the potential to be a 20-25 home run hitter.Â

Diego Tornes, OF, Braves

The headliner of the Braves†international signing class, Tornes signed for $2,497,500—the highest bonus of the year for a Cuban player. On the surface, Tornes†numbers donâ€t look like a top tier prospect in the DSL. He hit .279/.395/.402 in 147 plate appearances and didnâ€t hit any home runs.

From a scouting perspective in projecting Tornes long term, though, he was one of the leagueâ€s most talented prospects. He turned 17 on July 3, so he was one of the younger players in the DSL, and despite not hitting any home runs, his 90th percentile exit velocity of 105.4 mph ranked fourth in the league among 2025 signings.

Between his bat speed, youth and room left to fill out his 6-foot-2 frame, the switch-hitting Tornes could grow into plus-plus raw power. Thereâ€s some risk his swing-and-miss rate could elevate against better pitching, but he does recognize spin and has a solid sense of the strike zone for his age.

Heâ€s an above-average runner with an average arm who played exclusively in center field this year, showing improvements from early in his amateur days when he looked more like a left fielder.Â

Up-Arrow Signings

Luis Arana, SS, Marlins

We tabbed Arana as a sleeper of Miamiâ€s signing class coming into the season, and his stock has continued to climb after he hit .297/.419/.476 in 227 plate appearances with 30 walks, 18 strikeouts and stole 28 bases in 37 attempts.

Signed from Venezuela for just $30,000, Arana is a switch-hitter who packs a lot of tools and explosive athleticism into his 5-foot-10 frame with plus speed and a plus-plus arm. He showed some sneaky power with five home runs, though his offensive game is more about his high-end contact skills.Â

Hector Ramos, SS, Red Sox

Ramos does a lot of things well. A switch-hitter, he batted .254/.384/.441 in 151 trips to the plate after signing out of the Dominican Republic for $500,000. Heâ€s 6-foot-1, 175-pound with a knack for being on time at the plate to make contact at a high clip and shows a sound sense of the strike zone for his age. He hit four home runs in his pro debut and could grow into average power.

Ramos has the actions, body control and above-average arm strength that give him a good chance to stick at shortstop.Â

Angel De Los Santos, SS, Tigers

De Los Santos, signed out of the Dominican Republic for $387,500, checks a lot of boxes teams look for in a young shortstop. He has the tools to stick at the position with his athleticism, range and arm strength. He was also one of the strongest offensive performers among 2025 signings in the DSL, hitting .370/.465/.543 in 99 plate appearances.

De Los Santos has a promising foundation of strike-zone judgment and bat-to-ball skills from the right side of the plate. He generates good bat speed from his wiry 6-foot-1 frame, and while heâ€s not a huge slugger right now, he drives the ball with surprising authority with a chance for bigger power to come once he layers on more strength.Â

Miguel Hernandez, SS, Cardinals

In 2024, the Cardinals signed Yairo Padilla, who quickly became one of the top prospects in their system and one of the better shortstops they had signed out of Latin America in several years. Hernandez might end up a better prospect.

Signed out of Venezuela for $500,000, Hernandez is young for the 2025 class—he turned 17 on June 2—and hit .281/.408/.444 with five home runs, 25 walks and 35 strikeouts in 169 plate appearances. Heâ€s an athletic shortstop with plus speed, good footwork and soft hands at shortstop, projecting to stick in the middle infield. Arm strength is the biggest question when it comes to whether that will be at shortstop or second base.

A wiry 6-foot righthanded hitter, Hernandez showed some sneaky pop in the DSL but will need to get stronger. That said, he already has a strong offensive foundation between his swing, plate discipline and plate coverage.Â

Teilon Serrano, OF, Twins

After signing for $847,500 out of the Dominican Republic, Serrano looks like a player who would fit comfortably with the seven-figure signings of the 2025 class. Serrano generates whippy, explosive bat speed from the left side of the plate. Itâ€s a strong, athletic 6-foot, 200-pound build that should continue to get bulkier, giving him the look of a future 25-plus home run threat.

Thereâ€s swing-and-miss to Serranoâ€s game—he ran a 25% strikeout rate while hitting .258/.386/.426 in 189 plate appearances—but heâ€s not a free swinger. Heâ€s a plus runner who mostly played center field but could ultimately slide to a corner.Â

Prospects To Watch

Elorky Rodriguez, CF/2B, Rangers

The Rangers†top bonus ($1,097,500) for a Latin American signing this year went to Rodriguez, who hit .337/.473/.506 with six home runs, 39 walks and 38 strikeouts in 226 plate appearances.

Rodriguez has a medium build (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) and a short lefthanded stroke. His ability to recognize pitches, make good swing decisions and maneuver the barrel to make frequent contact are all advanced for his age. While he doesnâ€t project to be a big home run threat, he showed surprising juice in the DSL and could end up a 15-plus home run hitter.

Heâ€s an average runner to a tick better underway. While he doesnâ€t have typical speed for center field, the Rangers also got him exposure at second base, so he could move between second and multiple outfield spots at higher levels.Â

Cris Rodriguez, OF, Tigers

Rodriguez has massive strengths that come with significant holes he will have to address.

The recipient of a $3,197,500 bonus—third-highest among Latin American signings this year—Rodriguez is 6-foot-4, 205 pounds with electric bat speed and raw power that stack up with any hitter in the DSL, including a 90th percentile exit velocity of 108 mph that was higher than any 17-year-old in the league. It translated in games, with Rodriguez hitting .308/.340/.564 in 188 plate appearances with 10 home runs, the most among 2025 signings. Rodriguez can annihilate fastballs and he didnâ€t strike out excessively, but he is a free-swinger who walked at just a 6% clip and will need to improve his pitch recognition and strike-zone discipline to continue his success at higher levels.

Heâ€s a center fielder who has plus speed and an average arm, good enough to stay in the middle of the field for now but with a chance he could slide to a corner given how big he projects to get.Â

Harold Rivas, OF, Red Sox

The Red Sox signed Rivas for $950,000 and got one of the best defensive center fielders in Venezuela. Heâ€s a lean, lively 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with plus speed, a plus arm and the mix of first-step quickness, instincts and range that make him a potentially plus to plus-plus defender.

Rivas had a solid offensive campaign in the DSL, hitting .258/.393/.384 with 35 walks and 35 strikeouts in 196 plate appearances. While his slash line doesnâ€t jump out as much as some other players listed here, he registered consistent quality at-bats without much swing-and-miss and has the space on his frame to grow into more power.Â

Ramcell Medina, SS, Royals

While righthander Kendry Chourio was the star of Kansas Cityâ€s 2025 class on the mound, Medina led the way for their position players, signing out of the Dominican Republic for $947,500 and showing an advanced offensive foundation in his pro debut.

Medina hit .260/.398/.404 with 31 walks and 26 strikeouts in 186 plate appearances, consistently stringing together quality at-bats with good swing decisions and a knack for finding the sweet spot. Medina didnâ€t show much power this year, but his lean 6-foot-2 frame has lots of space left to fill out.Â

Marconi German, SS, Nationals

Signed for $400,000 out of the Dominican Republic, German had the most exciting debut of any Nationals signing this year. He batted .283/.479/.513 with 43 walks and 42 strikeouts in 213 plate appearances, along with 16 hit by pitches that helped bolster his OBP.

From the same program (El Niche) where the Nationals signed Juan Soto, Marconi is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound switch-hitter. He doesnâ€t have one standout carrying tool but shows advanced instincts and a high baseball IQ on both sides of the ball. Itâ€s solid, though not elite contact skills from both sides of the plate with a line-drive approach and mostly gap power. He did, however, show sneaky pop with eight home runs and exit velocities up to 107 mph.

German is an above-average runner with an above-average arm who split time between shortstop and second base.

Liberts Aponte, SS, Reds

Aponte signed for $1.9 million after impressing scouts in Venezuela for his quick-twitch, fluid actions at shortstop and ability to make acrobatic, highlight-reel plays. Aponte projects as a true shortstop who is light on his feet with soft hands, a quick release—albeit without elite arm strength—and a good internal clock.

Aponte’s potentially plus defense was his calling card as an amateur, but there were concerns about his bat coming into the season. He helped answer some of those questions after batting .247/.368/.461 in 193 plate appearances without excessive swing-and-miss and hitting a surprising seven home runs for a player with a slender 6-foot frame.

Juan Cabada, 2B/3B, Cubs

The Cubs signed Cabada out of the Dominican Republic for $1.5 million because of their belief in his bat. He showed a knack for barreling balls to all fields in his pro debut, batting .287/.429/.426 with 20 walks and 31 strikeouts in 170 trips to the plate, including 14 hit by pitches that helped boost his OBP.

A thicker 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, Cabada doesnâ€t have a plus tool or anything that jumps out defensively—heâ€s an offensive-minded player who split time between second and third base—but his bat control and ability to produce consistent quality contact is advanced for his age.Â

Darell Morel, SS, Pirates

Morel is easy to dream on at 6-foot-5, 190 pounds. He’s an ultra-long, lean shortstop with broad shoulders, plus speed underway and the potential to grow into 60 or 70 raw power from the left side once heâ€s physically mature. His pro debut was more solid than spectacular, as he hit .287/.425/.414 in 202 plate appearances with 37 walks, 45 strikeouts and only one home run. He showed a good sense of the strike zone for his age, but he can be susceptible to spin that led to swing-and-miss—something that will probably always be part of his game given his length.

Morel spent all of his time at shortstop. While some scouts look at a player his size and think heâ€s destined for either third base or the outfield, his athleticism and body control give him a chance to continue at shortstop.Â

Dorian Soto, SS, Red Sox

Sotoâ€s $1.4 million bonus was the highest for a Red Sox international signing this year. He hit .307/.362/.428 in 186 plate appearances in the DSL, drawing 16 walks with 28 strikeouts and two home runs.

Soto has significant physical upside at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, and he can whistle the barrel through the zone with impressive bat speed, giving him a chance to grow into big power. He is a switch-hitter who uses his hands well and is able to keep his long limbs under control to limit his swing-and-miss, though he is also an aggressive hitter who will have to reign his approach and make better swing decisions.

Soto mostly played shortstop this season, but third base or an outfield corner seem more likely landing spots as he gets closer to the majors.Â

Wilfri De La Cruz, SS, Orioles

The Cubs signed De La Cruz out of the Dominican Republic for $2.3 million—their biggest bonus of 2025—then sent him to the Orioles at the trade deadline for righthander Andrew Kittredge. He hit a combined .258/.465/.400 with more walks (46) than strikeouts (36) in 170 plate appearances.

At 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, De La Cruz stands out for his broad-shouldered frame with lots of room left to add good weight. While he didnâ€t hit any home runs in his pro debut, thereâ€s obvious projection to grow into big power to complement his already-sharp eye for recognizing spin and patient approach, which allows him to draw walks and work himself into favorable counts. A switch-hitter who is more advanced from the left side, De La Cruz also swung and missed less than some scouts had expected for a young, long-limbed hitter.

Heâ€s an above-average runner with a plus arm who mostly played shortstop, though third base could be a landing spot for him higher up.Â

Maykel Coret, OF, Rays

Coret has standout athleticism, tools and physical upside that drew the Rays to sign him out of the Dominican Republic for $1.6 million. He hit .273/.394/.370 in 188 plate appearances with 24 walks, 42 strikeouts and two home runs. It was a debut that wasnâ€t as loud as some of the other players listed here, but thereâ€s still big potential if everything clicks.

Coret is 6-foot-4, 190 pounds with plus speed and strong defensive instincts for his age in center field. His reads, routes and range all give him a good chance to stay in center field, where his plus arm is another weapon.

Heâ€s a potential power/speed threat who makes hard contact—his exit velocities have already been up to 111 mph—and he could end up with plus or plus-plus raw power. Coret did a better job of managing the strike zone than some scouts were expecting, but heâ€s still a long-levered hitter who can still get fooled by breaking stuff. He struck out in 22% of his trips to the plate—an elevated but not egregious rate.Â

Jostin Ogando, 1B/OF, Red Sox

Ogando was a late addition to Bostonâ€s class a couple weeks before the DSL season opened. He ended up one of the more impressive power bats in the league, producing exit velocities up to 114 mph as a 17-year-old.

Ogando is a hulking physical presence at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and while he doesnâ€t swing and miss much for a player with his power, the lack of loft in his swing limits his game power. When he does get off his “A” swing, he can obliterate baseballs, finishing at .283/.433/.427 with four home runs, 25 walks and 26 strikeouts in 134 plate appearances.

Ogando mostly played first base with some exposure to the outfield corners, so itâ€s his offensive game that will have to carry him.Â

Sami Manzueta, INF, Astros

Manzueta was a later addition to Houstonâ€s 2025 class when they signed him for $847,500 in April. One of the youngest players in the league—he turned 17 on Aug. 21—Manzueta hit .224/.405/.392 in 195 plate appearances. The slash line doesnâ€t leap out, but he walked (42) more than he struck out (36), hit five home runs and put together quality at-bats throughout the season even when hits werenâ€t always falling.

Manzueta isnâ€t that big (5-foot-10, 165 pounds), but he makes good swing decisions and is consistently on the barrel from a simple, balanced righthanded swing. His offensive game will likely lean more on his on-base skills than his power, but he showed some surprising juice in his pro debut, especially for a player who was 16 all season.

Manzueta is a below-average runner with an above-average arm. He played a little bit of shortstop but got most of his reps at second and third base, which are the positions heâ€s most likely to play at higher levels.Â

Kenly Hunter, OF, Cardinals

Hunter was the top prospect out of Nicaragua this year when the Cardinals signed him for $700,000. A former shortstop, he moved to center field before signing and has the tools to stick there with plus speed, a plus arm and good range.

While Hunter didnâ€t face the same level of pitching in Nicaragua prior to signing compared to his peers in the Dominican Republic, he looked comfortable at the plate in the DSL, where he hit .314/.442/.400 in 173 plate appearances with 24 walks and 20 strikeouts.

A lean 6-foot, 175-pound righthanded hitter, Hunter is the best pure contact hitter among the teamâ€s 2025 signings with little swing-and-miss to his game and a good sense of the strike zone. He will need to add significant strength to start driving the ball with any impact after delivering just nine extra-base hits without any home runs this season.

Anthony Millan, OF, Astros

When the Astros signed Millan out of Venezuela for $472,500, he had hit well in games and shown strong defensive attributes. Heâ€s an athletic center fielder who gets quick reads off the bat, moves around with ease, good range and an above-average arm.

Millan hit .279/.409/.419 in 167 plate appearances with 26 walks and 34 strikeouts, using a quick righthanded stroke and typically staying within the strike zone to get on base at a high clip. At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Millan isnâ€t that big. However, while he hit just two home runs, he made consistent hard, quality contact with the highest average exit velocity among Houstonâ€s 2025 signings.Â

Breyson Guedez, OF, Athletics

Guedez, signed out of Venezuela for $1.5 million, has a bit of a tweener profile, but he had a strong track record of being able to put the ball in play as an amateur and that continued in the DSL.

Guedez hit .359/.395/.490 in 210 plate appearances with 14 walks and 20 strikeouts. He struck out in just 9.5% of his plate appearances thanks to his compact lefthanded swing and excellent hand-eye coordination. He showed the ability to make contact at pitches both in and out of the zone, a skill thatâ€s both an asset and a potential liability at higher levels because of how often he will swing at pitches off the plate.

Guedez walked in just 6.7% of his trips to the plate, and for a 5-foot-11, 170-pound hitter who doesnâ€t have huge power and is an average runner who spent all of his time in the outfield corners this year, making better swing decisions will be key for his development.Â

Jhon Simon, 3B/OF, Rangers

At 5-foot-11, 210 pounds, Simon has a blocky, physically-mature frame without much projection remaining. He is getting a chance to develop at third base, though he also played left field this season and could end up a left fielder long term. Thatâ€s not typically the most exciting profile for a 17-year-old righthanded hitter, but Simonâ€s combination of hitting ability and power make him a prospect.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $497,500, Simon packs a lot of strength and bat speed into a short swing. That mix produced some of the better raw power of any hitter in the DSL. It came without much swing-and-miss, though because of Simonâ€s swing path, he hit just one home run in 105 plate appearances while slashing .315/.419/.427 with 14 walks and 18 strikeouts.

Thereâ€s another level of game power in there for Simon to unlock if he can add more loft to his swing.Â

Sebastian Dos Santos, SS, Cardinals

We labeled Dos Santos as the sleeper of the Cardinals†2025 class coming into the year after he signed for $75,000. He ended up leading their DSL team in OPS by hitting .313/.452/.570 with four home runs, 30 walks and 29 strikeouts in 166 plate appearances.

Part of what made Dos Santos stand out coming into the season was his glove—heâ€s not fast, but heâ€s quick and instinctive with good hands and a knack for playing under control. His offensive game proved to be advanced, as well, with Dos Santos showing excellent plate discipline, recognizing spin well and showing good bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the plate.

There isnâ€t much weight yet on his skinny 6-foot frame, so packing on more strength will be key for his development.Â

Warel Solano, 3B, Rays

There are a wide range of outcomes for Solano, who got $1.05 million out of the Dominican Republic. Heâ€s 6-foot-2, 165 pounds with a lean, high-waist build and wide shoulders. He works with good bat speed to drive the ball with raw power that rivals Maykel Coret for the best among the teamâ€s 2025 signing class.

Solano hit .319/.391/.418 in 207 plate appearances, and while he logged just one home run, he has more present power than the surface-level numbers suggest because heâ€s still learning to maintain his balance and make consistent quality contact. Solano doesnâ€t swing and miss that much—he had a 16.4% strikeout rate—and given how much room he has left to fill out, he could grow into plus raw power.

Solano signed as a shortstop but moved to third base this season. While his offense is ahead of his defense, he has the tools to potentially stick either there or at second base.Â

Haritzon Castillo, SS, Twins

Castillo was a big signing ($947,500) for the Twins out of Venezuela, and he showed excellent barrel accuracy from both sides of the plate in his pro debut. He slashed .283/.395/.428 in 167 plate appearances with 24 walks, 22 strikeouts and had a minute 5.4% swinging strike rate on pitches in the zone—one of the lowest marks in the league.

Castillo is 5-foot-10, 175 pounds with a hit-over-power profile and an offensive game that will lean more on his on-base skills. He spent most of his time at shortstop at second base, with a chance he could move all around the infield at higher levels.Â

Nauris De La Cruz, OF, Nationals

De La Cruz, a $500,000 signing out of the Dominican Republic, batted .294/.448/.450 with nearly twice as many walks (30) as strikeouts (17) in 143 plate appearances.

As an amateur, De La Cruz stood out for his quick-twitch actions in the batterâ€s box and ability to drive the ball well from his 6-foot, 160-pound frame thanks to his bat speed. But in his pro debut, it was his discerning approach and contact skills that stood out more than his power.

Heâ€s an average runner who spent most of his time in center field but likely gravitates to a corner at higher levels.Â

Angel Salio, 3B/SS, Reds

Salio netted a $500,000 bonus from the Reds out of the Dominican Republic and led his team in OPS, hitting .331/.402/.507 in 169 plate appearances with 19 walks and 17 strikeouts.

A lean 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Salio has a fluid lefthanded swing, an aggressive approach and power that ticked up this year. He has more strength projection left for the potential to start driving the ball with more authority once he fills out.

Salio did get some time at shortstop but mostly played third base, which could end up his long-term home, though he could move around the infield and outfield down the road.Â

Skills & Instincts… But Will Power Come?

Elaineiker Coronado, INF, Blue Jays

Coronado impressed scouts more with his game savvy than his raw tools when the Blue Jays signed him out of Venezuela for $797,500. He regularly registered quality at-bats in the DSL, batting .346/.504/.383 with 57 walks and 27 strikeouts in 248 plate appearances.

Coronado is 5-foot-10, 160 pounds with excellent strike-zone discipline and an accurate barrel from the left side, albeit with minimal power. Heâ€s an instinctive defender who primarily played second base but got time at shortstop and third base too. Second or a utility role are his most likely fits at higher levels.Â

Emmanuel Cedeño, INF, Rays

Cedeño drew four times as many walks (48) as strikeouts (12) in the DSL, hitting .304/.466/.361 in 212 plate appearances after signing for $500,000 out of the Dominican Republic.

At 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, Cedeño has a small strike zone, and he uses it to his advantage by rarely swinging at pitches off the plate. He has a patient approach and a high-contact bat from both sides of the plate, though he will have to get stronger to start to deliver any extra-base impact.

He spent most of his time at second base with a bit of exposure to shortstop and third base long term, likely fitting best at second base, where he has easy actions, good hands and a quick first step.Â

Brayan Cortesia, SS, Nationals

Cortesia isnâ€t a sleeper—the Nationals paid him $1.92 million, their highest bonus of the year—but he fits into this group of high-contact, skillful players who havenâ€t shown the ability to drive the ball with any impact yet.

A righthanded hitter from Venezuela, Cortesia is 6-foot-1, 165 pounds with a short, quick, simple swing and the ability to manipulate the barrel to get to pitches throughout the strike zone. He hit .317/.440/.358 with 25 walks and 25 strikeouts in 150 plate appearances.

Cortesia is a plus runner with the hands, feet and arm strength to handle shortstop, but he will need to get stronger to develop enough power to play at higher levels.Â

Sebastian Blanco, SS, Rockies

Signed out of Venezuela for $600,000, Blanco doesnâ€t have one plus tool, but his instincts both offensively and defensively are advanced for a 17-year-old shortstop. Heâ€s 6-foot-1, 180 pounds with a short righthanded stroke that produced an in-zone swinging strike rate of 6.9% that ranked among the best in the league. Overall, Blanco hit .345/.449/.453 in 248 plate appearances with 33 walks, 34 strikeouts and three home runs.

An average runner and a good athlete, Blanco got nearly all of his playing time at shortstop, where he has a chance to stick, though he could fit at either middle infield spot.Â

Dayber Cruceta, OF, Phillies

At 6-foot-1, 150 pounds, Cruceta has a skinny frame without much power, but he controls the strike zone and makes frequent contact with good bat-to-ball skills from a handsy lefthanded stroke. Cruceta routinely registers quality at-bats, though he lacks the strength to drive the ball with much impact, finishing the DSL with a .291/.438/.373 line with 30 walks and 32 strikeouts.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $300,000, Cruceta is an above-average runner who spent most of his time in center field but got exposure to right field, as well.Â

Eybert Sanchez, SS, Diamondbacks

Sanchez showed a high baseball IQ with instincts and savvy both at the plate and in the field when the D-backs signed him out of Venezuela for $300,000. Heâ€s a fundamentally-sound defender at shortstop—he made just six errors in 54 games—and combines impressive athleticism and quickness with a good internal clock, along with above-average speed and arm strength.

Sanchez is 6 foot, 160 pounds without much strength—he delivered just four extra-base hits all season—but his hand-eye coordination leads to a low swing-and-miss rate from the left side of the plate. He finished at .287/.432/.316 in 221 plate appearances with 43 walks and 27 strikeouts.Â

Ricardo Romero, INF, Guardians

Is there a more fun player in the league than Romero?

At 5-foot-5, 160 pounds, he’s a Ronald Torreyes-type player as a smaller Venezuelan infielder who raked in the DSL, batting .312/.415/.476 with more walks (28) than strikeouts (21) in 205 plate appearances after signing for $110,000.

Romero has a sound lefthanded swing with a knack for barreling balls for consistent quality contact in games. He doesnâ€t project to ever hit for big power, but his pitch recognition and contact skills are both advanced for his age.

Romero mostly played second and third base this season with a bit of exposure to left field and shortstop, as well, to get him into the lineup every day. Second is likely his best defensive fit.

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