The Minor League season ain’t over yet.
The month of August represents for some the opportunity to establish momentum heading into the offseason and for others at the upper levels a final chance to push for a Major League spot when rosters expand to 28 in September. Some of the game’s best prospects have taken the bull by the horns in these last weeks and are bumping up their stocks while there’s still time left on pitch clocks across all levels.
Here is each team’s hottest-hitting prospect over the last 30 days:
Blue Jays: Spencer Horwitz, 1B (No. 17)
Horwitz got a three-game cup of coffee in the bigs back in June, and he’s certainly playing like someone who should be an option for Toronto again sometime in the remaining weeks of the season. The 25-year-old ranks second among International League qualifiers in both average (.410) and on-base percentage (.515) in August, and he’s managed 18 walks and only eight strikeouts over 103 plate appearances for Triple-A Buffalo in the month. Horwitz lacks the power of a typical first-base/outfield prospect, but his discipline is certainly Major League-ready.
Orioles: Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF (No. 8)
The Orioles’ 2023 first-round pick came into pro ball known for his 80-grade speed and he’s certainly used his carrying tool well. The Vanderbilt product has gone 18-for-20 on stolen-base attempts thus far in his pro debut. (He started on Aug. 4, within this 30-day period.) He also has a nifty .360/.554/.420 line with more walks (20) than strikeouts (11).
Rays: Junior Caminero, 3B/SS (No. 1/MLB No. 6)
Caminero pulverizes baseballs, and that has perhaps never been more true than it has been this August. The Rays’ top prospect has collected 10 extra-base hits over 22 games for Double-A Montgomery this month, and nine of them have left the yard. That’s a new career high for homers in a month, aided by his three-dinger game on Aug. 12 and his current streak of homers in three straight contests entering Wednesday. The 20-year-old is slashing .357/.415/.702 this month, solidifying his status as one of the game’s best hitting prospects.
Red Sox: Wilyer Abreu, OF (No. 17)
Abreu’s altered swing path has unlocked his power, never more so than in mid-August when he hit seven homers in as many days. That helped boost his OPS to 1.366 over the past month — and earn a promotion to the Majors. Abreu has only played in five big league games so far because of a stint on the paternity list, but he’s continuing to rake there, going 6-for-17 with a homer, two doubles and two walks.
Yankees: Jasson Domínguez, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 78)
The Martian moved up to Triple-A on Aug. 22, and the 20-year-old somehow hit even better (.444/.531/.593), prompting an anticipated arrival to the big league lineup, which reportedly will come this weekend in Houston. Not only is Domínguez hitting the ball hard — his 91.6 mph average exit velocity ranks 21st in the International League among hitters with at least 30 plate appearances — he also has nearly as many walks (14) as strikeouts (19) over the past month.
Guardians: Johnathan Rodriguez, OF (No. 24)
Rodriguez has been white-hot all summer, posting an OPS over 1.000 in each of the last three months. He’s struck out slightly more in August (37 percent), but it’s hard to complain too much when 15 of his 28 hits go for extra bases, including seven homers. Rodriguez’s average exit velocity since his promotion to Triple-A in late July (90.7) backs up his above-average power grade.
Royals: Tyler Gentry, OF (No. 8)
Gentry was hitting just .230 with a .703 OPS entering the month of July. Those numbers are up to .246 and .774 now, respectively, after much hotter stretches over his last two months for Triple-A Omaha. During this most recent 30-day stretch, he is slashing .303/.447/.500 with three homers over 85 plate appearances. Gentry is Rule 5-eligible this offseason, and the Royals might want to consider giving him a look before the season is up before he likely joins the 40-man anyways.
Tigers: Colt Keith, 3B/2B (No. 2/MLB No. 26)
There has been some speculation around Detroit that Keith could get a Major League look in September, and he’s certainly doing his part to force the issue, slashing .460/.511/.919 with four homers, five doubles and only four strikeouts during a nine-game hitting streak for Triple-A Toledo. August (.670) marks the third month this season that he has slugged higher than .650, while his 18 extra-base hits (out of 30 knocks total) represent a new season high for a single month. Keith continues to rotate between third and second base and DH as Detroit assesses its infield options.
Twins: Austin Martin, SS/2B/OF (No. 20)
It’s been tough sledding for Martin for much of his pro career as he’s fought injuries, throwing issues and lack of production. But it looks like maybe he’s getting back to who he is at his core, a guy who makes a ton of contact and gets on base. Over the last month with Triple-A St. Paul, Martin has a 1.084 OPS (.365/.489/.595). He’s even impacting the ball more consistently, with nine extra-base hits in 94 plate appearances to go along with 11 steals in 13 attempts and a 16/11 BB/K ratio.
White Sox: Colson Montgomery, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 17)
Montgomery got a late start to the season due to oblique and back injuries, but he’s made up for lost time, especially over the last month in his return to Double-A, where he ended the 2022 season. The lefty-swinging shortstop is slashing .274/.436/.479 in 96 plate appearances for Birmingham, where he has nearly as many walks (16) as strikeouts (21). The 22nd overall pick in the 2021 Draft rose in our midseason Top 100 re-rank and should continue to climb the rankings.
Angels: Nolan Schanuel, 1B (No. 2)
We knew he was an advanced college hitter and that the Angels like to move guys quickly, but no one could have predicted this, right? He’s slashed .352/.496/.455 during this time period with an astounding 20.4 percent walk rate (vs. just an 8.8 percent K rate). That includes him hitting .344 with a .488 OBP over his first nine games in the big leagues.
Astros: Joey Loperfido, OF/2B/1B (No. 6)
Loperfido has been a model of consistency in his breakout 2023 season and earned a promotion to Triple-A in mid-August, where he’s slashing .270/.417/.432. The 2021 seventh-rounder homered in three straight games at the start of the month — the second time he’s done that this year — and reached base in all but four games. Interestingly, the lefty-swinging batter is hitting better against fellow southpaws (.317/.411/.585) than righties (.284/.380/.522) this season.
A’s: Colby Thomas, OF (No. 18)
The A’s third-round pick in the 2022 Draft is having a fine first full season across both levels of A ball, and he’s performing better in High-A than he was down a level (though he still needs to refine his approach). Over his last 112 plate appearances, he has a .297/.351/.564 line with six homers and 14 extra-base hits. For the year, that’s lifted his OPS to .858 and he’s four homers shy of a 20-20 season.
Mariners: Lazaro Montes, OF (No. 12)
Montes’ United States debut has gone so well that he hit his way from the Arizona Complex League to full-season Modesto. Over the last month, he’s posted a .317/.415/.604 line, showing an advanced approach, especially given he’s only 18, to go along with plenty of thump (six homers and 16 XBH). For the year, the young outfielder has a 1.016 OPS over his first 59 games.
Rangers: Wyatt Langford, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 13)
The fourth overall pick from July’s Draft has shown just how complete his offensive profile is during his first month in pro ball. He’s slashing .346/.474/.679 with more walks (18) than strikeouts (16) and seven steals in eight attempts in the last 30 days — and reached base multiple times in 15 contests. The way he’s hitting, he could end the season in Double-A like fellow SEC standouts Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes.
Braves: Drake Baldwin, C (No. 28)
The Braves took Baldwin in the third round of the 2022 Draft because they liked his skill set behind the plate and hoped he could find his power stroke at it. He’s done that with High-A Rome this year, with 14 homers in 92 games while providing solid defense and leadership at his position. He’s been super hot during the dog days of summer, with a .409/.500/.758 line over the last 30 days.
Marlins: Troy Johnston, 1B (No. 23)
After slashing .412/.467/.773 in July, Johnston followed it up with a 1.005 OPS in the past 30 days, which has him on the brink of a 20-20 season. The first baseman has well-below-average speed, but he’s continuing to use his baserunning acumen to nab extra bases, swiping three more bags without getting caught in August. The 26-year-old’s bat continues to carry most of his value, which works just fine since he’s reached base every day this month and leads Marlins prospects with 55 total bases.
Mets: Jett Williams, SS/OF (No. 3/MLB No. 82)
His first name might indicate speed — and he certainly has that — but one thing is true about the 2022 first-rounder: Jett is going to walk. Since being promoted to High-A Brooklyn at the start of the month, Williams leads the South Atlantic League with 24 free passes and sports a .318/.469/.580 line over 25 games. As that slugging percentage indicates, he is making impact when he does swing the bat, with his five homers tied for sixth-most clubbed in the High-A circuit in August.
Nationals: Yohandy Morales, 3B (No. 7)
Washington’s second-rounder this year has come firing out of the gate as a doubles machine, picking up 12 two-baggers over 25 games between Single-A Fredericksburg and High-A Wilmington this month. He owns a .365/.442/.539 line and 173 wRC+ over that stretch. It also comes with zero homers — though Wilmington is a ballpark where dingers go to die — and an unsustainable .469 BABIP, but the way the Miami product’s plus power is already playing in the gaps gives him a solid foundation on which to start his budding career.
Phillies: Justin Crawford, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 81)
Crawford hit so well with Single-A Clearwater he earned a bump up to High-A in his first full season of pro ball at age 19. The Phils’ first-rounder from last year continues to make a ton of contact and get on base, while making some encouraging strides in terms of driving the ball, to the tune of a .375/.446/.578 line over the past month. For the year, he’s hit .336/.393/.466 with 44 steals.
Brewers: Jadher Areinamo, INF (No. 22)
Milwaukee is loaded with infield prospects at the lower levels, and Areinamo is doing his best to avoid getting lost in the shuffle. The 19-year-old is riding a seven-game hitting streak in which he’s gone 12-for-26 (.462) with a homer, four doubles and only two strikeouts. His .352 average, .534 slugging percentage, .917 OPS and 13 doubles over 24 games in August all represent seasonal monthly highs. Areinamo remains aggressive as ever at the plate (only four walks this month), but he still has the bat control to pepper the ball around the park efficiently.
Cardinals: Thomas Saggese, INF (No. 9)
How’s this for a first impression? Since Saggese joined the Cardinals from the Rangers in the Trade Deadline deal for Jordan Montgomery, the 21-year-old leads the Texas League in homers (nine), extra-base hits (15), total bases (69) and slugging (.719) and ranks second in OPS (1.153) for Springfield. Saggese never hit more than seven homers in a month for Frisco in the same circuit before the trade and doesn’t have much left to prove offensively at the Double-A level.
Cubs: Matt Shaw, SS (No. 6)
Although Alexander Canario’s power display (seven homers) has been impressive, Shaw gets the edge for a well-rounded performance at High-A. The 13th overall pick in the 2023 Draft slashed .393/.427/.655 with four home runs and seven steals in eight chances at High-A and picked up multiple hits in 11 of his 20 games before getting the call to Double-A. The shortstop is knocking on the door of a Top 100 ranking and is quickly justifying the Cubs’ $4.8 million investment.
Pirates: Jack Brannigan, 3B (No. 25)
Brannigan hit well enough in Bradenton (.849 OPS), but he has really turned it up a notch since moving up to High-A Greensboro. He has a .976 OPS with nine homers and 55 total bases over the last 30 days and he’s just two homers shy of a 20-20 season overall.
Reds: Blake Dunn, OF (No. 22)
Dunn has had a huge breakout season, one that has seen him not only get to Double-A, but absolutely rake there (1.012 OPS in 64 games) en route to a 20-40 season. He certainly didn’t slow down over the last 30 days, slashing .323/.406/.613 with seven homers and six steals in 106 plate appearances.
D-backs: Ruben Santana, 3B (No. 23)
Arizona’s ACL Red affiliate fell to the Brewers in that league’s Championship Series, but before then, Santana kicked it hard in the final stretch of his first stateside season. The 18-year-old third baseman slashed .356/.415/.610 with three homers over his final 17 regular-season games in August, resulting in a 166 wRC+ in that stretch. He ended the season with a .316/.389/.487 line over 52 games in Complex League play, and interestingly enough, that marked his second straight campaign with a .316 average.
Dodgers: Michael Busch, 3B/2B (No. 2/MLB No. 47)
Busch continued to rake at Triple-A Oklahoma City (.343/.432/.686) to start the month and earned his second trip to the big leagues. Results have been harder to come by against Major League pitching, but he did slug his first MLB homer against recent Top 100 prospect Gavin Williams. And despite going just 2-for-18 since the promotion, Busch still leads Dodgers prospects over the past 30 days in hits (29), homers (nine) and RBIs (21).
Giants: Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP (No. 4)
The Giants drafted the prep star as a two-way player, but they’re only having him hit in his first professional season. That seems to be paying off, as Eldridge is slashing .292/.388/.542 with five homers between the ACL and Single-A. Time will tell how his performance will be affected by pitching as well next year, but his plus power from the left side is immediately apparent.
Padres: Jakob Marsee, OF (No. 12)
Marsee opened August with a .400/.530/.677 line to go along with four homers and 15 walks through 18 games for High-A Fort Wayne, leading to his easy inclusion in the mass group of promoted prospects headed to Double-A San Antonio last week. He’s continued his walking ways with the Missions, working seven free passes while establishing a .444 OBP through his first seven games in the Texas League. The 2022 sixth-rounder clearly has an approach that has already made him a breakout name in the San Diego system and will fuel his rise toward the Majors.
Rockies: Hunter Goodman, 1B (No. 12)
After Goodman hit 36 homers and drove in 106 runs in 2022, mostly at the lower levels, we wanted to see if he could keep it going as he moved up. While he didn’t hit for average in Double-A this year, he did hit 25 homers, then raked (and hit nine more dingers) in Triple-A en route to making his big league debut. Over the last 30 days combined, he’s slashed .356/.402/.800 with 10 homers, 19 extra-base hits and 72 total bases.