We don’t solely deal in instruments round right here. Efficiency (i.e. what gamers do with these instruments) issues, too.
Stats kind a lot of baseball’s vocabulary. It’s a part of how we inform the tales of the sport. Look no additional than the 2024 Main League season, when Shohei Ohtani recorded the primary 50-50 marketing campaign in MLB historical past. Everybody who noticed the three-time MVP play this summer time is aware of how dominant he will be, however attaching these numbers subsequent to his title within the report books illustrates the purpose all of the extra.
Though there weren’t any 50-50 seasons within the Minor Leagues in ‘24, we did see loads of dominance within the decrease ranges all year long, dominance value remembering earlier than we flip towards 2025. Right here is one standout prospect statistic from every farm system in ’24:
Blue Jays: .406 OBPAlan Roden, OF (No. 12)That is particularly referencing the 24-year-old outfielder’s OBP over 71 video games with Triple-A Buffalo. Roden was strong in his season-opening flip with Double-A New Hampshire however kicked issues up a notch on the Minors’ prime degree, because of his means to make tons of contact on swings within the zone and maintain whiffs low in opposition to fastballs and breaking pitches. The lefty slugger can increase the zone at occasions, however he nonetheless runs wholesome stroll charges that might make him a high-OBP possibility for the Jays by subsequent summer time.
Orioles: .964 OPSCoby Mayo, 3B/1B (No. 1/MLB No. 8)Amongst all hitters within the Minors with at the least 400 plate appearances, Mayo completed fourth with that .964 OPS. He additionally completed second in slugging proportion (.592) and ISO (.299) whereas making his massive league debut at age 22 and cementing himself as top-of-the-line power-hitting prospects within the recreation.
Rays: 104 SBChandler Simpson, OF (No. 4)The No. 70 total decide within the 2022 Draft turned the primary Minor Leaguer to eclipse the century mark in steals since 2012 together with his efficiency at Excessive-A Bowling Inexperienced and Double-A Montgomery. In contrast to in 2023, when Simpson tied his pal Victor Scott II atop the MiLB leaderboard with 94 every, nobody was all that near him this yr. Orioles No. 4 prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. completed second with 74. Simpson might put 110 in play if he spends one other full season within the Minors in ‘25, however it’s likelier he finally ends up with Tampa Bay by then if this pattern continues.
Pink Sox: 180 wRC+Kristian Campbell (No. 3/MLB No. 10)Our decide for Hitting Prospect and Breakout Prospect of the 12 months, Campbell produced a .330/.439/.558 slash line in 115 video games throughout Excessive-A Greenville, Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester in his first full season. That line doesn’t take into consideration run environments, so whereas he didn’t lead the Minors in any of the three classes, he did publish the very best wRC+ amongst Minor League full-season qualifiers, comfortably beating out second-place finisher Cooper Ingle (160).
Yankees: 24 HRBen Rice, C (Graduated High 30)The Dartmouth product’s breakout got here in ’23, when he went deep 20 occasions in 73 video games throughout three ranges. He beat that mark by 4 on his option to the Bronx this summer time, main Yankees Minor Leaguers within the course of regardless of enjoying solely 79 video games at Double-A and Triple-A. He was at his greatest with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the place he produced 12 homers and a .661 slugging proportion in 30 contests.
Guardians: 37.6 KpercentMatt Wilkinson, LHP (unranked)Bounce on board the Tugboat hype practice. (For those who don’t know, Wilkinson has top-of-the-line nicknames in baseball.) The ’23 Tenth-rounder confronted 463 batters between Single-A and Excessive-A in his first full season and struck out 174, inserting him in second within the Minors regardless of throwing “solely” 118 2/3 innings. His 37.6 p.c Ok charge was greatest amongst all qualifiers, together with these with smaller samples in short-season ball, and compelled his method into High 30 consideration regardless of his standing as a mid-round decide.
Royals: 18 HR/26 SBBlake Mitchell, C (No. 2/MLB No. 51)Mitchell’s energy helped make him the eighth total decide within the ’23 Draft, and he confirmed it off together with his 18 homers in 111 video games, largely at Single-A Columbia. However with below-average pace, he wasn’t anticipated to steal bases like he did in his first full season. Actually, his 26 baggage have been third-most amongst Minor League catchers behind Harry Ford (30) and Bryan Lavastida (27). Mix the facility and pace, and Mitchell was considered one of solely two 18-18 backstops within the Minors alongside fellow High 100 prospect Agustin Ramirez (25 HR, 22 SB).
Tigers: 1.6 BB/Ok ratioKevin McGonigle, SS/2B (No. 3/MLB No. 31)The Tigers have been enthused so as to add McGonigle with the No. 37 total decide in ’23 and over-the-moon together with his early ends in the Minors, significantly when it got here to his plate self-discipline. The left-handed-hitting center infielder walked 46 occasions whereas hanging out solely 28 in 74 video games between Single-A and Excessive-A earlier than struggling a season-ending proper hamate fracture. His Ok/BB ratio was greatest amongst 1,081 Minor Leaguers who acquired at the least 300 plate appearances in ’24.
Twins: 0.6 BB/9Zebby Matthews, RHP (Graduated Twins High 30)There are strike-throwers, after which there’s Matthews. Amongst pitchers within the Minors with at the least 90 innings, nobody was extra frugal in giving up free passes. His absurd 16.3 Ok/BB ratio additionally led the Minors (114/7 Ok/BB), and he reached the Majors in August.
White Sox: 2.24 ERANoah Schultz, LHP (No. 1/MLB No. 16)Schultz allowed 4 earned runs in 4 innings in his second begin of ’24, on April 13. He didn’t give up greater than two earned runs in a single outing for the rest of the common season, a stretch of 21 begins (5 with Excessive-A Winston-Salem, 16 with Double-A Birmingham). Thoughts you, the White Sox capped Schultz at 4 innings per begin to get him by means of the entire season wholesome, however he was nonetheless mighty efficient with these guardrails in place, resulting in the low ERA.
Angels: .184 BAACaden Dana, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 68)Not solely did Dana lead the Double-A Southern League together with his .184 opponent common, he additionally topped the circuit in ERA (2.52), WHIP (0.94) and strikeouts (147) earlier than making his massive league debut at age 20. The .184 BAA positioned him sixth amongst all Minor League pitchers with 100 or extra innings pitched.
Astros: .161 BAAMiguel Ullola, RHP (No. 8)The 22-year-old right-hander’s 92-95 mph fastball is downright unhittable with its flat method angle and particular carry up within the zone. How unhittable? Ullola held opposing hitters to a .161 common in 28 appearances (27 with Double-A Corpus Christi), the bottom opponent common by a professional pitcher in ’24. General management stays a problem (14.0 BB%), however when Ullola is hitting his spots, there’s little opposing batters can do.
A’s: 6.6 KpercentJacob Wilson, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 24)After he left Grand Canyon College with a profession 4.4 p.c strikeout charge, we knew Wilson, the A’s first-round decide in ’23, wasn’t going to swing and miss a lot as a professional. And whereas accidents saved him off the sphere greater than he would have appreciated, he nonetheless struck out simply 15 occasions in 226 plate appearances within the Minors for a 6.6 p.c charge that led all Minor Leaguers with 200 or extra plate appearances. That quantity “skyrocketed” to 9.7 over 28 massive league video games.
Mariners: 105 RBIsLazaro Montes, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 47)Montes continues to solidify himself as top-of-the-line future run producers within the recreation. He reached Excessive-A as a young person and that RBI complete put him tied for third amongst all Minor Leaguers, behind solely Deyvison De Los Santos and non-prospect Jason Vosler (tied with 32-year-old Kyle Garlick). Montes posted a .309/.411/.527 line in Single-A to earn the promotion whereas reducing his strikeout charge and drawing loads of walks.
Rangers: 35.4 KpercentKohl Drake, LHP (No. 20)Drake struggled throughout his professional debut in ’23, however got here again stronger and extra athletic. That led to him ending third within the Minors in strikeout charge, with a 148/31 Ok/BB ratio over 106 innings. His 2.29 ERA was eighth within the Minors and he held hitters to a .196 common whereas going from Single-A to Double-A this yr.
Braves: 162 SOLucas Braun, RHP (No. 21)Proof that you would be able to miss bats with out plus stuff, Braun used his four-pitch combine to guide Braves group hurlers with 162 Ok’s whereas splitting the yr between Excessive-A Rome and Double-A Mississippi. He additionally topped the system together with his 3.25 xFIP and 20.5 Ok-BB proportion, whereas his 1.14 WHIP was second.
Marlins: 24 HRJoe Mack, C (No. 9)It took some time, however it seems just like the 2021 draftee is figuring issues out. Mack attacked fastballs way more successfully this yr and led Marlins prospects in homers, extra-base hits (54), complete bases and RBIs. His 24 homers have been fifth amongst all catchers within the Minors.
Mets: 34.2 KpercentJonah Tong, RHP (No. 10)The 21-year-old righty loved a breakout season that noticed him climb from Single-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton, because of a 92-94 mph fastball with elite induced vertical break and an above-average mid-80s curveball. Tong struck out 160 of the 468 batters he confronted in these three ranges and even fanned as many as 52.9 p.c of his opponents throughout a four-appearance run within the Florida State League.
Nationals: 39.2 KpercentTravis Sykora, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 79)Washington had excessive hopes for its ’23 third spherical decide, given his 6-foot-6 dimension, promising velocity and good splitter. However Sykora might have already put himself forward of schedule together with his large ’24. The 20-year-old struck out 129 batters in 85 innings with Single-A Fredericksburg, and his 39.2 p.c Ok charge topped the 551 Minor League pitchers with at the least 80 innings this season.
Phillies: 130 wRC+Justin Crawford, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 53)Crawford made it to Double-A for the primary time and completed with a .313/.360/.444 line. There’s concern about how usually he hits the ball on the bottom however that 130 wRC+ is an indication that he’s doing extra than simply legging out singles. His ground-ball proportion dropped almost 10 factors from ’23 and he tripled his house run complete (3 in ’23 to 9 in ’24).
Brewers: 0.94 ERACraig Yoho, RHP (No. 21)From June 18 to Aug. 24, Yoho didn’t enable an earned run over 19 straight reduction appearances (21 2/3 innings) for Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville, hanging out 41 in that span. When that streak ended on Aug. 27, the ’23 eighth-rounder began a brand new one with eight straight scoreless outings to finish his season. The All-MiLB Prospect First Teamer completed first within the Minors (min. 50 IP) in ERA in addition to together with his 42.4 p.c strikeout charge and 1.43 FIP.
Cardinals: 202 SOQuinn Mathews, LHP (No. 3/MLB No. 77)The Stanford star noticed his velocity decide up in his first full season after going within the third spherical in ’23, and the outcomes adopted. His 202 strikeouts throughout all 4 full-season St. Louis associates have been most within the Minor Leagues and made him solely the second pitcher within the Minors to eclipse the 200-Ok mark since 2011. The plurality of these got here at Double-A Springfield, the place Mathews fanned 70 in 52 ⅓ frames.
Cubs: 20 HR/30 SBMatt Shaw, INF (No. 1/MLB No. 22)The obvious inheritor to Chicago’s massive league third-base job, Shaw was considered one of solely 4 gamers within the Minors to complete with a 20/30 season, slashing .284/.379/.488 with 21 homers and 31 steals. He earned Double-A Southern League MVP honors in consequence and was extra productive in 35 Triple-A video games (.929 OPS) than in 86 Double-A contests (.841 OPS).
Pirates: 22.3 Ok-BBpercentBubba Chandler, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 15)Chandler simply saved getting higher and higher because the season wore on, ending in Triple-A and clearly knocking on the large league door for ’25. His 22.3 Ok-BB proportion was considered one of many classes he led all Pirates arms in (amongst pitchers with 100 or extra IP). He additionally topped the group in strikeouts (148), Ok/9 (11.1) and xFIP (3.37).
Reds: 0.88 BB-KpercentSal Stewart, 2B (No. 4/MLB No. 76)A wrist damage lower brief what may need been a very extraordinary season for Stewart as a 20-year previous within the Excessive-A Midwest League. Stewart’s really feel for hitting actually stood out and that 0.88 BB/Ok ratio topped all Reds hitters with at the least 250 plate appearances, as did his 144 wRC+.
D-backs: .603 SLGAdrian Del Castillo, C (No. 14)Often known as an offensive catcher out of Miami when he was the No. 67 total decide in ’21, Del Castillo took till his fourth season to really dominate the Minors. However dominate he did. His .603 slugging proportion – aided by 26 homers and 65 complete extra-base hits – in 105 video games at Triple-A Reno was tops amongst Minor League full-season qualifiers. He confirmed promising pop within the Majors, too, with a .525 SLG and he must be part of Arizona’s catching dialog once more in ‘25.
Dodgers: 142 wRC+Dalton Speeding, C (No. 1/MLB No. 39)The Dodgers named Speeding their organizational participant of the yr and he was additionally singled out as the highest prospect within the Double-A Texas League. Between Double-A and Triple-A, his 26 homers tied for second amongst all Minor League catchers and his 142 wRC+, which was fourth-best amongst backstops with at the least 400 PA, topped all Dodgers Minor League hitters.
Giants: 19 and 23Bryce Eldridge, 1B (No. 1/MLB No. 35)That’s the Giants ’23 first-round decide’s age and residential run complete from ’24. He led all full-season youngsters in homers and SLG, whereas rating second in OPS (.890) and fifth in wRC+ (137) whereas going from Single-A to Triple-A in his first full season. He was simply considered one of three teenagers to have extra homers than his age (Montes, Cam Collier).
Padres: .996 OPSLeodalis De Vries, SS (No. 2/MLB No. 28)To be clear, this was De Vries’ OPS in his closing 35 video games from July 1 onward with Single-A Lake Elsinore earlier than a strained proper shoulder ended his common season early. However that stretch – throughout which he owned a .284/.407/.589 line – would have been good for anyone, by no means thoughts a 17-year-old who omitted two complicated leagues to go straight to full-season ball. The run – adopted by De Vries’ strong efficiency within the Arizona Fall League – strengthened his place as one of many recreation’s greatest shortstop prospects.
Rockies: 1.17 BB/9Sean Sullivan, LHP (No. 10)Sullivan matches the mould of pitchability lefties completely and he confirmed why in his first full season. He completed the yr with a 125/15 Ok/BB ratio over 115 complete innings between Excessive-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford. That 1.17 BB/9 led all Minor League pitchers (min: 100 IP) and he additionally topped the checklist together with his 8.33 Ok/BB ratio.
