2023 Top 100 Prospects: Notable Risers In July Update
Image credit: Ethan Salas (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
With the arrival of our third significant in-season Top 100 Prospects update, we wanted to also post explanations for why prospects moved significantly up the list.
Chase Hampton, RHP, Yankees (NR to No. 61)
When Hampton was selected in the sixth round no one within the game anticipated we’d be talking about one of the best pitching prospects in the minor leagues, but a year later here we are. Hampton’s plus fastball and slider shapes paired with plus power on both pitches have seen the righthander rocket to Double-A Somerset by midseason. His sheer power is the major selling point, with a mid-90s fastball that’s touched 97 mph this season with heavy rise and run. His slider is a mid-80s offering with heavy sweep, while his high-80s cutter and two-plane curveball are both part of his arsenal. Hampton has No. 2 starter upside with a high-leverage relief floor.
Noah Schultz, LHP, White Sox (NR to No. 43)
A low-slot lefty with big stuff and a tall, projectable frame, Schultz has been a must-see prospect since he landed at Low-A Kannapolis in early June. Over his first five appearances, spanning 12 innings, Schultz has allowed just one hit, one walk and zero runs while striking out 41% of the batters he’s faced. His fastball sits 94-95 mph, touching 96 mph at peak, with a low-80s sweeper with over a foot of horizontal break and spin rates in the 2,900-3,000 rpm range. Schultz has the frame to develop into a workhorse with deception, stuff and strike-throwing ability. He’s an exciting young pitching prospect with front-of-the-rotation upside.
Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Brewers (No. 93 to No. 39)
It’s pure power and excitement each time Misiorowski toes the rubber. His Futures Game performance featured 10 100-plus mph fastballs in his inning of work, topping out at 102.4 mph. Misiorowski has an excellent combination of athleticism and stuff, moving well on the mound and creating difficult planes and angles on his fastball and slider combination. His slider might be his best pitch; it’s a high-80s breaking ball with heavy cut. He mixes in a curveball as well, which has generated strong results. All three of his primary pitches have miss rates above 35% with excellent expected outcomes on contact as well. Misiorowski’s command is a question mark, however, as he has been prone to walks and bouts of command. Some of that is expected of a pitcher with Misiorowski’s stuff. Milwaukee is an organization that’s had tremendous success developing pitching prospects with relief risk in recent years.
Junior Caminero, SS, Rays (No. 17 to No. 7)
The Rays acquired Caminero from the Guardians in November 2021 in a 40-man deadline deal for Tobias Myers. Since then Caminero has blossomed into one of the top prospects in all of baseball. The Dominican infielder flashed loud plate skills and power in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 while still with the Guardians and followed that up with a strong stateside debut in 2022. This season Caminero broke out early with High-A Bowling Green, pacing the league by hitting .356/.409/.685 with 11 home runs over 36 games. Caminero earned a promotion to Double-A Montgomery in late May and has continued to find success at the plate, hitting .303/.371/.495 over 30 games. He’s a slugging infielder with at least average plate skills and the ability to stick on the infield even if he moves to third or second base.
Ethan Salas, C, Padres (No. 39 to No. 18)
Salas, the top signing in the 2023 international free agent class, made his full-season debut before his 17th birthday. What he’s done as a 17-year-old is impressive—he’s hit .259/.381/.500 with six home runs through 30 professional games. Salas is more than four years younger than the average Low-A player, but his defensive abilities are well above the standard of a player so young. He’s an excellent receiver and excels in the catch-and-throw elements of the game. The refinement of his plate skills is the true surprise, as Salas is showing advanced swing decisions and the ability to discern balls and strikes without being overly passive. His game power is a welcome addition as well, as his ability to hit for power at a young age portends future power-hitting potential. Salas has the look of a franchise catcher who can impact a team on both sides of the ball.
Adael Amador, SS, Rockies (No. 45 to No. 23)
Arguably the best pure hitter in the minor leagues, Amador has an advanced approach at the plate with elite plate discipline and superb bat-to-ball skills. Amador has fringe-average raw power but he’s shown improved game power this season, perhaps in part due to the friendly High-A Northwest League parks. Amador walks more than he strikes out, hits for average, is a savvy baserunner and knows how to punish mistakes. Amador has enough raw power that his pitch recognition and barrel control allow it to play above his raw grade. He’s a strong all-around player who’s far too advanced for the age-appropriate competition.
Carson Williams, SS, Rays (No. 38 to No. 24)
Williams’ plus defensive ability at shortstop provides a high floor for his profile. The fact that he possesses plus raw power and above-average on-base skills make him a potential star in the making. There’s a healthy amount of swing-and-miss in Williams’ game, with fringe-average contact and in-zone contact rates. Some of these concerns are alleviated by his excellent swing decisions and low chase rate. In many ways Williams shares similar traits to former top overall prospect Gunnar Henderson of the Orioles. They both have a similar plate skills profile with plus raw power and athleticism. Williams is a better defender, while Henderson likely has more impact, but it’s a similar archetype. If Williams can make incremental improvements to his bat-to-ball skills he could catapult into a true star shortstop with a middle-of-the-order bat and gold glove-caliber defense.
Emmet Sheehan, RHP, Dodgers (No. 61 to No. 25)
The Dodgers churn out interesting pitching prospects annually and Sheehan rocketed onto and up the Top 100 this season. After a strong showing in the 2022 regular season and the Arizona Fall League, Sheehan dominated early with Double-A Tulsa. He earned a promotion to the major leagues by mid-June, skipping Triple-A entirely. After four starts with the Dodgers Sheehan looks locked into a rotation spot as the organization deals with a rash of injuries to its rotation. Sheehan’s unique low release height and flat vertical approach angle allow his mid-90s fastball to play as an above-average major league pitch. His slider and changeup have played as average pitches, giving Sheehan a trio of offerings to find equal success against righthanded and lefthanded hitters. Sheehan looks the part of a ready-made mid-rotation starter.
Luis Matos, OF, Giants (No. 77 to No. 26)
It’s been a comeback season for Matos’ prospect status. After a down season in 2022, Matos bounced back in a big way in 2023. He hit .304/.398/.443 with Double-A Richmond to open the season before taking flight with Triple-A Sacramento, where he hit .398/.435/.685 with seven home runs over 24 games. This earned Matos the call-up to the major leagues, where he’s seen regular playing time over the last month. At just 21 years old, Matos has shown growth year over year as a hitter. Not only has Matos added power, he’s shown a more refined approach, which has allowed his plus-plus bat-to-ball skills to play up. An excellent defender in the outfield, Matos is a potential everyday center fielder with well-rounded and consistent hitting.
Bryan Woo, RHP, Mariners (No. 82 to No. 27)
It can be argued that Woo has performed as well as any rookie pitcher this season. After a nightmare debut against the Rangers where Woo allowed six runs over two innings of work, he’s been excellent. Over his last six starts Woo sports a 2.20 ERA, a 3.44 xFIP, a 30.7% strikeout rate to a 6.3% walk rate and a 12.5% swinging strike rate. Despite throwing over 70% fastballs Woo has seen success. His fastball grades out as an easy plus pitch due to his mid-90s velocity and flat vertical approach angle. Woo has mixed in a slider, cutter and changeup and all have been effective in small doses. How long Woo can keep up his fastball-heavy approach remains to be seen but the pitch is good enough to dominate now.
Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs (No. 63 to No. 31)
The reports from opposing evaluators on Horton have been strong all season and that didn’t change during this round of feedback. Horton has been excellent across both levels of Class A in 2023. His plus fastball and slider combination have led the charge, as both pitches boast plus miss rates. His changeup is a good swing-and-miss pitch, but mostly as a chase offering as he still struggles to land it in the zone consistently. Horton possesses real power in his pitch mix as his fastball sits 95-97 mph and his sweepy slider ranges from 83-86 mph with heavy horizontal break. With limited time on the mound as a full-time pitcher, there’s belief that we’re just scratching the surface of Horton’s potential.
Coby Mayo, 3B, Orioles (No. 98 to No. 34)
The Orioles landed Mayo in the fourth round of the 2020 five-round draft. While that class featured two other Top 100 Prospects in Jordan Westburg and Heston Kjerstad, Mayo might be the best prospect of the trio. He reached Triple-A as a 21-year-old and was the best hitter in Double-A this season, per his 176 wRC+. His combination of plus power, plate discipline and average or better bat-to-ball skills allow him to control at-bats, work deep into counts and find pitches to do damage on. The biggest question mark for Mayo is whether or not he sticks at third base long term. His defense has been up and down at third base this year with 12 errors over 63 games at the position. His bat will carry the profile and is likely enough to handle the offensive demands of first base.
Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox (No. 100 to No. 35)
According to the underlying data there are few hitters better in minor league baseball than Anthony. His bat-to-ball skills are plus, his plate approach is elite and he has strong underlying exit velocity data that points to plus raw power in-game. While the stat line was underwhelming at Low-A Salem, with a promotion to High-A Greenville Anthony has taken off, hitting .362/.486/.845 with seven home runs over 16 games. Even more impressive, Anthony has 14 walks to 16 strikeouts and has seen an increase in his flyball and line drive rates. Anthony has the ability to handle all three outfield positions now but could move to a corner full-time. His well-rounded plate skills and developing plus game power make him one of the most exciting hitters in the lower minors.
Other Names That Moved Up: Andrew Abbott, LHP, Reds (No. 74 to No. 36); Dalton Rushing, C, Dodgers (No. 56 to No. 37); Robby Snelling, LHP, Padres (No. 67 to No. 44); Yanquiel Fernandez, OF, Rockies (No. 98 to No. 49); Bo Naylor, C, Guardians (No. 68 to No. 51); Orelvis Martinez, SS, Blue Jays (No. 99 to No. 68); Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers (NR to No. 69); Jared Jones, RHP, Pirates (No. 87 to No. 75).
