On the finish of April, we named the most well liked hitter in every farm system to rejoice the prospect bats off to terrific begins. However pitching can take a little bit longer to judge given the gap between begins and early-season innings caps/pitch counts, amongst different points.
Now that we’re closing in on the top of the second month of the 2025 Minor League season, it’s time to provide the arms their due.
Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 71)The transition from the nice and cozy Florida State League to the a lot cooler Northwest League hasn’t slowed down Toronto’s 2024 first-rounder but. Yesavage ended his spell at Single-A Dunedin with double-digit strikeouts in three of his final 5 begins and has fanned 19 over eight frames in his first two outings with Excessive-A Vancouver. He’s allowed two earned runs on three hits and 6 walks in that span. The 6-foot-4 right-hander leads the Minors with 74 punchouts on the season.
Orioles: Nestor German, RHP (No. 11)That’s three in a row for the Orioles’ right-hander, having made it on our “greatest prospect discover” story, in addition to final week’s take a look at most nice shock for every crew. During the last month, German has posted a 3.47 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, a span that included a promotion to Double-A, the place he’s had one superb and one not-so-good begin as he will get his bearings on the greater degree.
Rays: Ty Johnson, RHP (No. 20)Acquired from the Cubs as a part of final yr’s Isaac Paredes deal, Johnson is settling into his second group in his first transfer to Double-A. He’s fanned 15 over 9 scoreless innings in his two most up-to-date begins for Montgomery, and his most up-to-date five-frame efficiency on Saturday marked his longest outing of the younger season. Using a plus fastball and above-average slider, Johnson owns a 3.62 ERA over 9 appearances (three begins), and his 38.5 % Okay fee is third-best within the Southern League (min. 25 IP) behind High 100 abilities Chase Burns (42.5) and Hagen Smith (39.3).
Pink Sox: Yordanny Monegro, RHP (No. 23)Monegro continues to search out success as a starter who depends closely on an 85-88 mph slider/cutter, posting a 1.62 ERA with a 27/3 Okay/BB ratio over 16 2/3 innings in his final 4 outings. Signed for simply $35,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2020, he backs up his slider/cutter with a 92-96 mph fastball and has original a 2.05 ERA whereas placing out 43.9 % of the hitters he has confronted in Double-A this yr.
Yankees: Griffin Herring, LHP (No. 25)The Yankees loaded up on Southeastern Convention pitchers within the 2024 Draft and most are performing effectively this spring, together with Herring, who signed for a well-over-slot $797,500 within the sixth spherical out of Louisiana State. He has logged a 2.11 ERA with a 30/6 Okay/BB ratio in 21 1/3 innings throughout his final 4 begins, and he leads the Single-A Florida State league in strikeouts (58 in 44 2/3 innings) and opponent common (.153), whereas rating second in ERA (1.21) and WHIP (0.90). His greatest pitch is a sweeping mid-80s slider that he enhances with a low-90s fastball.
Guardians: Austin Peterson, RHP (No. 29)A misleading 6-foot-6 right-hander, Peterson creates good extension to assist his low-90s fastball play up and he will get chases with all of his secondary pitches: low-80s slider, upper-70s curveball, mid-80s changeup. He has compiled a 1.40 ERA with a 20/5 Okay/BB ratio over 25 2/3 innings in his final 5 begins — and that truly made his general stats barely worse. The 2022 ninth-rounder from Connecticut tops the Double-A Japanese League with a 1.18 ERA and ranks second in Okay/BB ratio (5.29) and WHIP (0.79).
Royals: David Shields, LHP (No. 8)Kansas Metropolis tends to play it gradual with their high-school arms, and it was no completely different with its 2024 second-rounder, who opened the season within the Arizona Advanced League. The 18-year-old southpaw lasted just one begin there although earlier than being pushed out to Single-A Columbia, and he’s rewarded that confidence with an 0.69 ERA and 0.54 WHIP over his first three begins since his Could 14 debut with the Fireflies. Much more eye-popping, he’s struck out 22 and walked just one over 17 frames between each stops.
Tigers: RJ Petit, RHP (No. 28)Pitching out of the Double-A Erie bullpen, Petit hasn’t allowed a run since April 25, a stretch of seven appearances. He has fanned 16 and scattered three hits and two walks over that stretch of 12 1/3 innings. The 6-foot-8 right-hander has usually thrived off his 83-85 mph gyro slider, and that’s been no completely different in 2025 with a whiff fee of 49 % in tracked pitches, per Synergy. At 25 years previous, he ought to be pushing for Triple-A Toledo someday quickly.
Twins: Connor Prielipp, LHP (No. 5)Prielipp’s stuff is simple and the Twins are hoping he can keep wholesome all yr for the primary time. His workload is being monitored very intently — he’s but to go greater than 4 innings in any outing, and he’s solely hit that degree as soon as — and he’s presently shut down on the event checklist for a deliberate skipped begin. However the stuff performs in Double-A, with a ten.6 Okay/9 fee over the past 30 days, whereas strolling solely 2.3 per 9.
White Sox: Grant Taylor, RHP (No. 7)For the reason that White Sox moved Taylor to the bullpen in mid-Could, Double-A hitters have gone 1-for-14 with 9 strikeouts in opposition to him. He has a 1.38 ERA with a 15/2 Okay/BB ratio in 13 innings over the past month and an general 1.27 ERA with 28 whiffs in 21 1/3 frames. A 2023 second-rounder from Louisiana State, he options a few of the greatest stuff within the system with a fastball that sits within the higher 90s and touches 101, a low-90s cutter and an upper-80s slider.
Angels: Chris Cortez, RHP (No. 8)Many thought Cortez had the stuff and supply to begin, however perhaps not the command. And nobody would have been shocked to see him shortened up, particularly after his dominant postseason run out of Texas A&M’s bullpen final yr, earlier than the Angels took him within the second spherical within the Draft. We’ll must see concerning the strike-throwing long-term, however the stuff is enjoying as a starter, with a 2.00 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over his final 5 begins. He’s additionally held Excessive-A Northwest League hitters to a .204 batting common in opposition to in that span.
Astros: Miguel Ullola, RHP (No. 4)After getting rocked for 10 runs in 10 innings in April, Ullola has been on a roll with a 1.00 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 18 Triple-A innings. The Astros’ greatest pitching prospect, he signed for $75,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2021 and has developed an explosive mid-90s fastball with carry and a pointy mid-80s slider.
A’s: Gage Leap, LHP (No. 13)He’s been pretty much as good as any lefty prospect within the sport, and sure, we all know he’s under-ranked. (We’ll be wanting so as to add him to the High 10 LHP Prospects checklist when we’ve got the chance.) Within the final month, all of the 2024 draftee has performed is put up a miniscule 0.84 ERA and 0.66 WHIP whereas transferring seamlessly from Excessive-A to Double-A. He has an absurd 7.4 Okay/BB ratio throughout this time span, whereas hitters have managed a measly .147 BAA.
Rangers: David Davalillo, RHP (No. 29)After main the Minors with a 1.88 ERA final yr, Davalillo is doing so once more with a 0.92 mark, in addition to rating first with a 0.71 WHIP. He has allowed simply two runs with a 29/2 Okay/BB ratio in his final 23 innings in Excessive-A, persevering with to confound hitters together with his low-80s splitter. Signed for simply $10,000 out of Venezuela in 2022, he comes from a giant baseball household that features a grandfather (Pompeyo) and great-uncle (Vic) who performed within the massive leagues, a father (David) who made it to Double-A and a youthful brother (Gabriel) who turned professional with the Angels for $2 million in January.
Braves: JR Ritchie, RHP (No. 6)When the Braves took Ritchie No. 35 general in 2022 and went a little bit over slot to signal him, they hoped the Pacific Northwest prepster may develop right into a future massive league starter. Tommy John surgical procedure in 2023 slowed him, however he began placing that behind him final yr and has continued to throw effectively in 2025. Nonetheless solely 21, he lately acquired bumped to Double-A and he’s made two strong begins there after tossing 20 1/3 innings with only one unearned run allowed over three begins in Excessive-A to earn the callup. That included a nine-inning, one-hit shutout in his last begin with Rome and he has a mixed 1.16 ERA and 0.74 WHIP within the final month.
Marlins: Josh Ekness, RHP (No. 27)A Twelfth-round select of Houston in 2023, Ekness has thrived since turning into a full-time reliever in professional ball. He has a 1.93 ERA and has struck out 12 of the 37 Double-A hitters he has encountered in Could — however he was even higher within the season’s opening month, with a spotless 0.00 ERA and whiffs in opposition to 13 of 29 batters confronted. He works with an upper-90s fastball and a full of life mid-80s slider.
Mets: Jonah Tong, RHP (No. 4)Tong has been one of the crucial Okay-heavy pitchers in the entire Minors, and that’s definitely been true of his final 30 days with Double-A Binghamton. Over that point, the 6-foot-1 righty — recognized for his driving fastball and Tim Lincecum-esque supply — has fanned 45 batters in 24 2/3 innings, posting a 1.09 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in that span. His 42.7 % Okay fee is tops in Double-A; no different qualifiers has a strikeout share above 32. Tong will be a part of our High 100 on the subsequent commencement.
Nationals: Travis Sykora, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 62)Offseason hip surgical procedure delayed Sykora’s begin to the season, however he’s definitely pitching like somebody who hasn’t skipped a beat. Since making his first rehab begin within the Florida Advanced League on Could 3, the 21-year-old has fanned 32 of the 51 batters he’s confronted throughout 5 begins, together with 9 of 13 in his Excessive-A Wilmington debut on Sunday. He’s allowed only one earned run on three hits and 4 walks in 15 frames. In fact, the South Atlantic League will current extra of a problem because the pattern expands, however Sykora’s fastball-slider-splitter combine has been too downright dominant as he eases into 2025.
Phillies: Mick Abel, RHP (No. 8)Is he lastly figuring issues out? A former first-rounder who has spent appreciable time on our High 100 prior to now, Abel’s struggles with command had dented his prospect standing. However he’s been pitching effectively all yr, and significantly over the past month, with a mixed 1.20 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Sure, that features his six innings of shutout ball throughout his spot-start MLB debut earlier this month. The three.6 BB/9 fee over his final 5 begins is especially encouraging (5.0 BB/9 profession fee in any respect ranges), whereas persevering with to overlook numerous bats (11.4 Okay/9).
Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski, RHP (No. 4/MLB No. 72)Logan Henderson can be right here if his most up-to-date dominance wasn’t so MLB-heavy, however Misiorowski is a superb choice in his personal proper. The 6-foot-7 righty continues to flash triple-digit warmth, alongside together with his spectacular breakers and enhancing changeup, to nice impact with a 1.14 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 42 strikeouts over 31 2/3 innings for Triple-A Nashville within the final 30 days. Most notably, he’s walked solely 9 over that six-start span, quieting a few of the issues that he was destined for the bullpen.
Cardinals: Michael McGreevy, RHP (No. 10)Anticipated to be a part of the Cardinals’ rotation dialogue this season, McGreevy has made just one MLB look, a 5 2/3-inning scoreless aid outing in opposition to the Mets on Could 4. Again with Triple-A Memphis since then, he’s definitely pitching like a man who needs to be again in The Present. McGreevy has a 1.69 ERA with 20 strikeouts and solely three walks over his final three begins (16 innings) with the Redbirds whereas relying totally on his sinker, sweeper, four-seam and cutter.
Cubs: Jaxon Wiggins, RHP (No. 10)Wiggins earned a promotion to Double-A in mid-Could and has added some polish to his high-octane stuff (mid-90s fastball, mid-80s slider and changeup) this yr. A 2023 supplemental second-rounder out of Arkansas, he has logged a 3.50 ERA with a 22/6 Okay/BB ratio in his final 4 begins (18 innings). He has posted an general 2.36 ERA with a .177 opponent common and 44 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings between Excessive-A and Double-A.
Pirates: Bubba Chandler, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 2)By his standard requirements, the final month was comparatively pedestrian for Chandler, particularly with an elevated stroll fee. However he nonetheless posted a 3.09 ERA over his final 5 begins, placing out 13.1 per 9. He may need been extra hittable than in April, however he nonetheless held Worldwide League opponents to a .685 OPS.
Reds: Chase Burns, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 11)The transfer to Double-A for the 2024 No. 2 general decide within the Draft has not been a tough one. Burns has a 1.86 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in six begins over this time interval, with a completely ridiculous 45/3 Okay/BB ratio over his 29 innings of labor. For these of you who like ratios per 9 innings, that’s 14 Okay/9 and 0.93 BB per 9, whereas Southern League hitters have a .204/.226/.330 line in opposition to him.
D-backs: Cristian Mena, RHP (No. 13)As with McGreevy above, Mena put up zeros over 3 2/3 innings in his MLB season debut on Could 9 and is pushing for a return with continued dominance at Triple-A Reno. The 22-year-old hasn’t allowed an earned run in both of his final two begins with the Aces, placing out 13 and strolling one over 10 1/3 innings in that span. His curveball and sweeper are driving the success; every registered whiff charges above 45 % over these two begins.
Dodgers: Patrick Copen, RHP (No. 29)Copen misplaced the imaginative and prescient in his proper eye when a line drive struck him within the face final August, however he has returned to dominate Excessive-A hitters this spring, together with compiling a 2.57 ERA with 45 strikeouts in his final 28 innings over 5 begins in Excessive-A. A 2023 seventh-rounder from Marshall, he owns a few of the greatest stuff within the Dodgers’ system: a mid-90s four-seamer with high quality metrics, a mid-80s slider and a low-90s cutter. He ranks second within the Minors with 73 strikeouts and a .140 opponent common, in addition to fourth with a 39.7 % Okay fee.
Giants: Carson Whisenhunt, LHP (No. 2)Whisenhunt has among the finest changeups within the Minors and it has helped him file a 2.14 ERA with a 30/7 Okay/BB ratio in his most up-to-date 33 2/3 innings over 5 Triple-A begins. Identical to he did a yr in the past, the 2022 second-rounder from East Carolina ranks second within the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts (54 in 56 2/3 innings) and his 3.34 ERA locations third.
Padres: Tyson Neighbors, RHP (No. 15)The Kansas State product was drafted within the fourth spherical final yr as a straight reliever, and his Wildcats dominance has transferred on to professional ball. During the last 30 days, Neighbors owns an 0.87 ERA and 0.41 WHIP, whereas placing out 17 and strolling just one in 10 1/3 innings for Excessive-A Fort Wayne. He’s fanned 33 batters in 18 frames on the season general. His mid-90s fastball, mid-80s slider, 89-91 mph cutter and low-80s curveball are all whiff-heavy choices, and given San Diego’s aggressive nature, it’s potential Neighbors sees The Present sooner or later this summer time.
Rockies: Sean Sullivan, LHP (No. 9)Sullivan was a little bit behind this yr after getting a hip labrum concern fastened, however he’s again to confounding hitters at Double-A. Together with one cease within the Arizona Advanced League and one in Single-A for rehab, the artful lefty has a 1.27 ERA and 0.84 WHIP over 21 1/3 innings of labor. It wasn’t till his fourth begin that he allowed an earned run (all three of his earned runs this yr got here in that outing), and he rebounded with 5 2/3 shutout frames in his most up-to-date begin.
