With days left till 2025 turns into 2026, it is pure to make use of this time for reflection. Trying again on the yr that was and discovering satisfaction in all of the progress that was made, whereas additionally trying forward with hope for even higher issues to return, together with new targets within the new yr.
Bear in mind, it is not at all times the way you begin, however the place you end. And on the ultimate MLB Pipeline Podcast of the yr, host Jason Ratliff and Jim Callis took a while to mirror on just a few prospects who got here a great distance in 2025 and completed their respective campaigns sturdy.
The fellows recognized and broke down 5 prospects — Caleb Bonemer, Edward Florentino, Nate George, Carlos Lagrange and Payton Tolle — who improved their shares essentially the most this yr.
(One fast observe: making it onto the High 100 Prospects listing was not a requirement for this train, though 4 of the 5 did simply that.)
Callis: Up and down highschool profession, by way of the showcase circuit. In the event you noticed him at his greatest, he appeared actually good. And when you noticed him when he wasn’t taking part in nicely, he didn’t look actually good. I assumed he was inconsistent, I didn’t assume he was a shortstop. The White Sox gave him $3 million, minus the $2,500 accounting trick, as a second-round choose in 2024. So, I used to be like, OK, that is fascinating. And he was large this yr. He was MVP within the Carolina League, hit .283, had an OPS of just about .900 with 12 homers, made two Class A stops in his first full yr in professional ball. And, much more so, his protection at shortstop was higher than realized. Appears like he can play shortstop. Now, I don’t know if Caleb Bonemer will truly play shortstop in Chicago, however he’s able to it, and he’s a man who’s a greater hitter and a greater defender than I personally realized. So, my apologies to Caleb Bonemer for not being as bullish on him as I maybe ought to have been.
Callis: He was within the DSL final yr, wasn’t an enormous title man and came to visit right here and simply hit for energy, tore up Rookie ball, tore up Single-A, hit 16 homers in 80 video games, and was a man who … I had by no means heard of Edward Florentino earlier than the season and now he’s on the High 100 Prospects listing. The ability is for actual.
Callis: He was not ranked on the Orioles listing coming into the season, he’s not on the High 100 proper now, however he may be quickly. He was fascinating within the Draft. So, he’s an Illinois highschool product who was on our radar, he didn’t take part in loads of highschool showcase occasions, and so it was a kind of instances the place there weren’t loads of groups on him. However, there have been two or three on him that loved him lots. He was one of many quicker gamers within the Draft. He wound up going within the sixteenth spherical to the Orioles as a result of they knew they may sort of take him wherever they wished to, in order that they signed him for $455,000, and he appeared large.
He went from Rookie ball to Excessive-A, hit .334 with 50 steals in 82 video games. Has a bit little bit of energy, appears like your basic heart area profile. He simply appears actually, actually good. And I’ll be curious to see, we’re simply beginning to do our High 100, however I personally would take Nate George over Enrique Bradfield Jr. fairly simply. They’re each sort of that pace and protection heart area profile. Bradfield is quicker than Nate George, however I feel Nate George has acquired extra affect, and I feel he’s a greater hitter, and I used to be alarmed in a approach in how Bradfield appeared within the Fall League. His stance appeared horrible. So, I feel Nate George is far much less well-known, but when I used to be buying and selling with the Orioles and supplied my choose of these two guys, I’d take Nate George over Bradfield.
Callis: Carlos Lagrange was at all times fascinating, however he didn’t pitch a lot in 2024 due to again irritation. Then he didn’t throw strikes within the Fall League, like, in any respect. So, I ranked him seventeenth, he was sort of your basic wild card. Then his management was higher and his well being was effective this yr and he appeared large. He’s No. 2 on our Yankees listing now, he’s on the High 100. He can push the fastball as much as 102 mph, he’s proven extra carry and life and command with the fastball. His sweeper was extra constant; he did a greater job finding it for strikes. He pounded the strike zone in Excessive-A to start out the yr. The management backed up on him some in Double-A; he was nonetheless efficient there. However, now as a substitute of being a lottery ticket, he appears like a man who would possibly have the ability to assist the Yankees whilst quickly as this yr.
Callis: He’s one other man who, I’ll admit, I used to be low on popping out of the Draft. When he was at TCU, he was the Huge 12 Convention Pitcher of the Yr in 2024 when the Purple Sox took him within the second spherical and I assumed he was sort of a one-trick pony. He’s 6-foot-6, he will get down the mound rather well, will get loopy extension. He averaged 7-foot-4 extension with the Horned Frogs, and we don’t have all of the extension information. However that needed to be nearly as good an extension as there was within the 2024 Draft. However, he threw like 75 p.c fastballs, and at TCU, he sat sort of 90-92 mph and he simply bullied individuals with the extension on his fastball. So, I used to be a bit skeptical, like, OK, he’s a one-trick pony, is that this actually going to play like this, throwing 90-92, topping out at 94-95, possibly touching 96 right here or there, like, is that basically going to work in professional ball? Properly, the Purple Sox have accomplished a very nice job not too long ago with pitchers. And Payton was completely the pitching model of Kristian Campbell. If I keep in mind, he was one of many three finalists for Pitcher of the Yr and [MiLB Debut of the Year] within the Minor League Awards. And it is a man who, I feel, coming into the yr, once more, I used to be skeptical. I ranked him sixteenth and I knew the Purple Sox favored him greater than I did. However I used to be like, ah, I nonetheless simply don’t find out about this man. And I used to be unsuitable as a result of the Purple Sox additionally acquired him sitting at 95 and touching 99, so while you add that sort of velo to his fastball form, it was just about unhittable.
Within the first half of the season he had a 46 p.c swing-and-miss price on his fastball within the Minors. I’ve by no means seen that. They’ve had him dial again his fastball utilization, his slider acquired higher, he added a bit energy to it, his changeup has gotten a bit bit higher. He’s at all times thrown strikes. We noticed him get to the large leagues and pitch within the playoffs. The Purple Sox helped him get higher, and that fastball is so good that when you wished to make the case that he’s the very best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball, I feel you’re arguing him with Thomas White and Kade Anderson, you would make a case for Payton Tolle. Which, a yr in the past, I by no means would have thought I’d have heard myself say.
