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Guardians OF Juneiker Caceres (Photo by Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)

There are a few different ways that a hitter can be considered underrated as a prospect.

In some cases, projection models like RoboScout forecast stronger future production than industry consensus or traditional rankings may suggest. Players such as Reds infielder Sal Stewart and Royals catcher Carter Jensen fit this mold over the past two years, consistently ranking as RoboScout favorites well before broader lists caught on, providing an opportunity to get ahead of the industry and identify some hidden gems.

Another category of underrated prospect is one whose underlying data indicates more promise than surface-level performance shows. Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, for example, had excellent underlying Statcast hitting data that didnâ€t seem to actualize in minor league games. Those who were leery of taking the plunge on him, because the surface stats werenâ€t all that compelling, could have invested with confidence had they looked at the underlying metrics.

Let’s identify a few hitters that fit either of those profiles below for Baseball America subscribers.

Juneiker Caceres, OF, Guardians

In 2024, RoboScout ranked Caceres near the top of its DSL list after he produced solid underlying data for his age. Despite being only 16 at the time, the Guardians outfielder posted a 90th percentile exit velocity of 101 mph while pairing it with a plus-to-double-plus contact rate (86%) for the level, At 5-foot-10 and likely limited to a corner outfield spot, he received little prospect fanfare, and much of his production was met with skepticism despite the underlying indicators pointing toward more upside.

That upside began to materialize in 2025. Playing the entire season at 17 years old, Caceres raised his 90th percentile exit velocity to 105.1 mph—plus for both his age and level—while maintaining a better-than-plus contact rate and strong in-zone contact ability. Although his swing decisions remain closer to average, and his barrel rate sits right at league norms, showing that his best contact has not yet consistently come at ideal launch angles, he has an excellent hit-power foundation. The fact he produced this profile as such a young age is notable.

Based solely on production, Caceres already projects as a potential .270/.345 hitter with 20 home run power in the majors. After seeing his Statcast data over back-to-back years, RoboScout will take the over.

Wilder Dalis, 3B, Rockies

Although fellow 18-year-old Rockies infielder Roldy Brito gets most of the fanfare, Dalis has solid numbers too. In other words, he’s potentially underrated.

Across 219 plate appearances at the complex, Dalis showed modest power with three home runs, though his .173 ISO was notably higher than Dodgers outfielder Ching-Hsien Ko at the same level. After a promotion to Low-A Fresno, Dalis added another 137 plate appearances, three more home runs and a .138 ISO—again better than Koâ€s mark in Low-A, and even higher than Giants shortstop Jhonny Level, who is the same age and generally more highly regarded as a hitter.

Comparing Brito’s production against Dalis is instructive. Both logged nearly identical sample sizes, first at the complex and then in Low-A.

Complex:

NamePABB%K%wRC+HRSBGB%Brito20910.5%20.1%15932256%Dalis21913.2%20.1%14931039%

At the complex, the two were comparable, with Dalis walking more often and hitting the ball in the air more consistently.

Low-A:

NamePABB%K%wRC+HRSBGB%Brito1569.0%17.3%15611356%Dalis13711.7%19.0%1013645%

Brito maintained essentially the identical wRC+ (and groundball rate) in full-season ball for Low-A Fresno as he had at the complex, while Dalis had more home runs but his wRC+ dropped 48 points.

Under the hood, though, letâ€s compare their Statcast data across the levels:

NameCont%z-Cont%90th EVChase%Barrel%Brito74%81%103.2 mph34%15%Dalis75%85%102.5 mph28%20%

Dalis has better contact rates, with an above-average contact and borderline plus in-zone contact rate, along with a league-average chase rate. In other words, Dalis arguably has a better hit tool than his org-mate.  And while Brito has a slightly higher 90th percentile exit velocity, Dalis’ barrel rate sits more than one standard deviation above the league average. Combined, those inputs yield a HIT+ metric in the 95th percentile for the level—yet he receives little fantasy fanfare.

Ethan Frey, OF, Astros

The indicators are stacking up in Frey’s favor. A few weeks ago, RoboScout tabbed him as an FYPD option with excellent Statcast data. Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo recently ranked his debut seventh best among 2025 draftees.

In 122 plate appearances for Low-A Fayetteville, Frey had a 165 wRC+ with three home runs and nine stolen bases. Although he had a 20.5% strikeout percentage, his swinging strike rate was only 6.2% which is more indicative of a lower strikeout rate.

On the surface, a 21-year-old posting this line in Low-A projects to a modest peak: roughly a .240/.315 hitter with 15 homers and 15 steals, good for about a 90 wRC+.

Under the hood, however, he has plus contact and in-zone contact rates. He chases at a rate one standard deviation less than the rest of the league, while putting up a 90th percentile exit velocity of 108.3 mph. That’s higher than Dodger outfielder Mike Sirota, who is one year older. The 6-foot-6 outfielder is someone I would target inside the top 50 of FYPD drafts.

Deniel Ortiz, 3B, Cardinals

Ortiz made a strong impression in 2025, splitting time between two levels while showing impact across the board. In 320 plate appearances at Low-A Palm Beach, the 20-year-old posted a 145 wRC+ with 10 home runs and 31 stolen bases. Promoted to High-A Peoria, he continued to produce, recording a 169 wRC+ with three home runs and eight steals in 130 plate appearances.

This performance corresponds to a major league projection of a .245 batting average and .325 on-base percentage with 20-25 homers and 15-20 stolen bases. Considering he projects as an average or better major league hitter with 20/20 potential, he falls into the bucket of underrated fantasy prospects despitethe production.

There aren’t any under-the-hood indicators that suggest regression is coming. His power output is backed by plus exit velocities and strong barrel rates, while his contact rates are fringe-average but playable. He chases one standard deviation less than league average, adding a layer of plate discipline to his offensive game. Put it altogether and Ortiz has been a nice breakout for the Cardinals in 2025.

Nathan Flewelling, C, Rays

In his first pro season, the 2024 third-rounder produced a 124 wRC+ with six homers and nine steals of 439 plate appearances for Low-A Charleston, then added 22 more plate appearances at High-A Bowling Green. That corresponds to a MLB projection of .255/.345 with a 110 wRC+ and 20 home runs. With that type of projection, based solely on his surface stats, he already seems underrated.

But itâ€s under the hood where we see the potential for a significant breakout in 2026. Flewelling rarely chases at all (18% chase rate) and it’s not as a byproduct of passivity: his Swing%-minus-O-Swing% is essentially average. His average exit velocity, 90th percentile exit velocity, barrel rate and xwOBA are all plus. Only his contact rate is below-average, and it’s more of a 45 closing in on a 50 grade compared to a 40.

Last month, RoboScout compared Flewelling’s Statcast data with Reds backstop Alfredo Duno, who is a year older than the Rays backstop. Here are the updated numbers for the season:

NameAgeCon%z-Con%90th EVChase%xwOBAconNathan Flewelling18.669%77%105.1 mph18%.357Alfredo Duno19.569%73%105.5 mph15%.382

Considering Duno’s age and lack of Statcast data advantage over Flewelling, the wide disparity in their perceived value as fantasy prospects provides a potential investment opportunity.

Anthony Huezo, OF, Astros

A few weeks ago, Baseball America’s Geoff Pontes explained why the 19-year-old Astros center fielder is a scouting and development win for the Astros, who drafted Huezo in the 12th round in 2023. RoboScout doesn’t have much to add, except maybe a gif nodding approvingly.

In 160 plate appearances at the complex, Huezo produced a 143 wRC+ with six home runs and 12 stolen bases. After his promotion to Low-A Fayetteville, he added a 128 wRC+ with two more homers and six steals over 91 plate appearances.

Combined, his performance projects to a 96 wRC+ at the major league level with 21 home runs and 13 stolen bases. The trade-off is clear: his 30% strikeout rate limits the projection to a .236 batting average and .305 on-base percentage at peak.

Still, Huezo fits the mold of a prototypical Astros prospect. The contact rates are below average, but he has double-plus thump with a 107 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and a 24% barrel rate. With average swing decisions and the ability to impact the ball as consistently as he does, Huezo has all the ingredients for a high ceiling if he can continue improving his bat-to-ball skills.

Izaac Pacheco, 3B, Tigers

Pacheco is 22 years old, the average age for a High-A hitter, and has yet to reach the upper minors despite spending parts of the last four seasons at the level. So it would require undeniably excellent minor league production to consider Pacheco a notable prospect.

He delivered exactly that in 2025. Across 425 plate appearances for High-A West Michigan, he posted a 155 wRC+ with 17 home runs. Translated to the major leagues, that line projects to a 105 wRC+ with 25-28 homers and a .240 batting average, which is limited by his 29% strikeout rate. For perspective, Blue Jays slugger Addison Barger has been a 2025 major league breakout with a .241 batting average and 20 home runs. For that very reason, I think that makes Pacheco underrated.

The underlying data supports the performance. Pacheco produced double-plus exit velocities and barrel rates, and in 2025 those gains were optimized. His sweet-spot percentage and damage-launch-angle contact both graded as plus, and his air pull rate also sat in the plus range. This level of damage-on-contact helps overcome his slightly below-average contact rate.

Like with Huezo, this is a prototypical Astros profile where the quality of contact is above-average or plus, at the expense of contact rates. But Pacheco makes league-average swing decisions, and he should be an above-average big league hitter who plays adequate third base with a strong arm.

Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B, White Sox

The early read on Antonacci entering 2024 first-year player drafts was straightforward: he had a great hit tool and little power. His 100.1 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in his brief pro debut last year supported that outlook.

In 2025, Antonacci continued to demonstrate elite plate skills. His contact, in-zone contact, chase rate, and swing%-minus-chase% all graded as plus over a full season. The more exciting development was in his power. His 90th percentile exit velocity jumped to 103.1 mph, with a max of 110 mph and an above-average barrel rate. Even more encouraging, his exit velocities actually ticked up after his promotion to Double-A Birmingham.

Across 288 plate appearances with High-A Winston-Salem and another 217 in Double-A, Antonacci projects to a .265/.340 line with a 108 wRC+, 10 home runs and 23 steals at peak. But given the gains in exit velocity and barrel rate, his true ceiling could be higher—potentially pushing into 20/20 territory if the power continues to play.

His statcast actually looks quite similar to JJ Wetherholt, though Wetherholt did have 221 plate appearances in Triple-A, arguably better pitching against which he put up these numbers:

NameAgeCon%z-Con%90EVChase%xwOBASam Antonacci2285%89%103.1 mph17%.355JJ Wetherholt2279%84%103.6 mph17%.365

Geoff Pontes recently explored how Antonacci’s numbers stack up relative to his level. Spoiler alert: he described 70-grade plate skills.

Hendry Mendez, OF, Twins

At 21 years old, Mendez isn’t quite on the same level of the other candidates here because he has a clear flaw he must overcome. Long known for his excellent bat-to-ball skills, the lefthanded-hitting outfielder has battled a career groundball rate around 60%, limiting his ability to translate raw strength into in-game power.

In 2025, however, he reached double-digit home runs for the first time in his career while walking more than he struck out, finishing his Double-A season with a .299/.399/.439 line over 491 plate appearances. And while his launch angle still averaged 3.5 degrees, he did improve his ground ball rate significantly in the first half of the year (53%) before he was traded to the Twins by the Phillies. Unfortunately, the regression monster struck again, his groundball rate became closer to his career average of 58% once he joined his new organization.

The launch angle is a key hurdle. That said, his Statcast data is otherwise quite good. Here’s how it compared to Tigers outfielder Max Clark who, granted, is one year younger than Mendez:

NameAgeCon%z-Con%90th EVMax EVChase%xwOBAHendry Mendez2185%91%104.8 mph113 mph19%.332Max Clark2082%88%104.8 mph112 mph19%.339

What’s not depicted above—though it’s indirectly captured within xwOBA—is that Mendez’s league-average 13.6% barrel rate trails behind Clark’s 18.1% rate. Even so, with one of the best pure hit tools in the minors, Mendez projects as a .280/.360 hitter with a 120 wRC+ at peak. To fully unlock that ceiling—and sustain a long major league career—heâ€ll need to elevate the ball more consistently.

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