Hot Sheet: Baseball’s 20 Hottest Prospects From The Past Week (5/2/23)

The Hot Sheet is back! Baseball America’s staff ranks the 20 hottest prospects from the previous week. This installment of the Prospect Hot Sheet considers what minor league players did through May 1. Contributing this week were Ben Badler, Geoff Pontes, J.J. Cooper and Kyle Glaser.

This simply recognizes what the hottest prospects in the minors did in the past week—it’s not a re-ranking of the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects.

Kyle Glaser hosted a chat to discuss today’s Hot Sheet. You can read the transcript here.

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1. Jeremiah Jackson, 3B/OF, Angels
Team: Double-A Rocket City (Southern)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .611/.636/.889 (11-for-18), 6 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO, 3-for-4 SB

The Scoop: Jackson operates at two extremes as a hitter. When he’s cold, he’s ice cold. Jackson began the season that way with 12 strikeouts in his first 19 at-bats, including five straight games with multiple strikeouts. But when he’s hot, he’s scorching. Jackson got hot last week and was a one-man wrecking crew at the plate for Rocket City, batting .611 and reaching base in 14 of his 22 plate appearances in the Trash Pandas’ series against Chattanooga. He recorded four multi-hit games, showed off his power-speed combination with three extra-base hits and three stolen bases and did it all while playing four different positions (second base, third base, left field and center field). The 23-year-old has begun his transition from shortstop to multi-positional player, and if he can maintain any semblance of consistency at the plate, his power, athleticism and versatility give him a chance to rise. (KG)

2. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 1B, Reds
Team: Triple-A Louisville (International)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .458/.519/1.000 (11-for-24), 7 R, 1 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBIs, 1 BB, 4 SO

The Scoop: A back injury kept Encarnacion-Strand on the sidelines until just a week ago. He’s already posted a five-hit, two-home run game since then, and he added a three-hit game and a pair of two-hit games. It’s a pretty amazing first seven games back in Triple-A. His four home runs are second most on the Bats team, even though he has just seven games played. The Reds have moved him to first base full time so far this year, and while that is a waste of a great arm, it does make a lot of sense, as Encarnacion-Strand’s combination of power and ability to hit for average despite a very aggressive approach fits as Joey Votto’s replacement. (JC)

3. Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, Giants
Team: Low-A San Jose (California)/High-A Eugene (Northwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 2 GS, 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 13 SO

The Scoop: The Giants sent Whisenhunt to Low-A to start the season, which was a pretty modest assignment for a 22-year-old with college experience. They rectified that this week with a promotion to High-A Eugene. If he keeps this up, his stay in the Northwest League may be just as brief, as it’s logical to assume that the polished lefty could handle a jump to Double-A Richmond. (JC)

4. Alberto Rodriguez, OF, Mariners
Team: High-A Everett (Northwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .550/.609/.850 (11-for-20), 6 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO,0 -for-0 SB

The Scoop: Rodriguez struggled so badly last year that the Mariners outrighted him off the 40-man roster and no one claimed him off waivers. He’s rebounded nicely this season and had his best showing yet last week. Rodriguez reached base in all five games he played in against Spokane and delivered four straight multi-hit games, including going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homer and four RBIs on April 26 in his best performance of the week. The 22-year-old Dominican is now batting .343/.476/.537 with more walks (15) than strikeouts (13) to start the season and has put himself back on the prospect track. (KG)

5. Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Cardinals 
Team: Triple-A Memphis (International)
Age: 23 

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: The lefthander capped off a superb April with six scoreless innings on Saturday. Liberatore’s fastball sat 94 mph, and he used four-seam and two-seam variations of it. His primary secondary was again his high-spin curveball, which generated seven swings and misses. Liberatore is showing the ability to generate whiffs and go deep into games while using a deep arsenal of offerings he can land for strikes. As soon as an opportunity opens up in the Cardinals rotation, Liberatore should be the next man up. (GP) 

6. Darell Hernaiz, SS, Athletics
Team: Double-A Midland (Texas)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .476/.500/.810 (10-for-21), 6 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBIs, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: After strong stints at Low-A Delmarva and High-A Aberdeen last year, Hernaiz reached Double-A as a 20-year-old but hit just .113/.186/.189 in 13 games there. Traded to the Athletics in the offseason in exchange for lefthander Cole Irvin and righthander Kyle Virbitsky, Hernaiz is having better results in his second small sample of Double-A exposure, hitting .313/.366/.453 through 16 games. He continues to be a good fastball hitter, and while his swing has typically produced a lot of low line drives and ground balls this year, he did flash some lift and power this week with a pair of home runs. (BB)

7. Dominic Fletcher, OF, D-backs
Team: Triple-A Reno (Pacific Coast)
Age: 25

Why He’s Here: .474/.546/.790 (9-for-19), 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Whatever questions have existed about Fletcher’s stature or the environments he’s played in, he’s kept hitting until it can no longer be ignored. Fletcher delivered four straight multi-hit games for Reno against Sugar Land last week, extending his hitting streak to seven games and pushing his season line to .323/.417/.599. The D-backs rewarded him with his first big league callup, and he recorded a hit in his first big league at-bat with a pinch-hit double off Rockies reliever Brad Hand. (KG)

8. Nick Frasso, RHP, Dodgers 
Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 1.00, 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 12 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: The Dodgers acquired Frasso from the Blue Jays for Mitch White and Alex De Jesus last August. Frasso is blossoming in 2023 under the Dodgers’ tutelage. Last week Frasso had a two-start week and he dominated, allowing just one earned run across nine innings. Frasso struck out eight in his five-inning turn on Tuesday and struck out four over four scoreless innings of work on Sunday. So far in 2023 Frasso has sat in the mid-to-high 90s, touching 99 mph at peak. Frasso pairs his high-octane fastball with an upper-80s slider and a changeup with plenty of arm-side run. (GP) 

9. DJ Gladney, OF, White Sox
Team: High-A Winston-Salem (South Atlantic)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .450/.476/1.000 (9-for-20), 4 R, 1 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBIs, 1 BB, 4 SO

The Scoop: Gladney’s power has never been a question. He can match exit velocities with almost anyone, but so far this year, he’s stringing together better at-bats to go with that pop. Gladney’s strength allows him to drive balls to the opposite field even when he doesn’t square them up, but he does his biggest damage when he gets a pitch low in the zone and he can drop the bat head. His sixth home run of the season easily cleared the batter’s eye in center field at Winston-Salem, and he’s already homered to left, left-center, center and right field this year. It’s true all-fields power. (JC)

10. Junior Caminero, SS/3B, Rays
Team: High-A Bowling Green (South Atlantic)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .435/.458/.957 (10-for-23), 8 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 9 RBIs, 0 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: The Rays look like they have swiped yet another talented lower-level prospect from another club via trade, with Caminero in the midst of a breakout campaign. Caminero signed with the Guardians out of the Dominican Republic and hit .295/.380/.534 in 43 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2021, showing big power with nine home runs without having to sell out to generate that power and striking out just 28 times. After the season, the Rays acquired Caminero for righthander Tobias Myers, and Caminero played well enough in 2022 to enter the season as the Rays’ No. 8 prospect. He’s moving up even more now, hitting .392/.438/.743 with seven home runs in just 18 games. Caminero isn’t a long-term shortstop, but he profiles well at third base with his feel for the barrel and the power to hit 30-plus home runs. (BB)

11. Sterlin Thompson, OF, Rockies
Team: High-A Spokane (Northwest)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .435/.500/.870 (10-for-23), 7 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBIs, 3 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-2 SB

The Scoop: Thompson’s first month of full-season ball couldn’t have gone much better. The 2022 supplemental first-round pick finished the month with a hit in five straight games against Everett last week to push his batting average to .463, tied for highest in the minor leagues. Thompson has multiple hits in 11 of 18 games, more walks (seven) than strikeouts (six) and five stolen bases to begin the year. He’s proving too advanced for High-A already and is making a strong push for a promotion to Double-A. (KG)

12. Kyle Harrison, LHP, Giants 
Team: Triple-A Sacramento (Pacific Coast)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 2.70, 6.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 BB, 15 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Harrison has had an unusual start to the season, limited to three- or four-inning starts with Sacramento due in large part to his lack of command. Last week Harrison showed his upside, striking out 51.7% of the batters he faced. Unfortunately, that came with a 27.6% walk rate and limited how deep Harrison could go in either of his turns. Across the two starts he generated 15 whiffs, nine against his fastball and six against his slider. Harrison’s difficult angle from the left side makes him hard to barrel and allows his fastball and slider combination to keep hitters off balance. It’s just a matter of Harrison finding the strike zone with greater frequency. (GP) 

13. Luken Baker, 1B, Cardinals
Team: Triple-A Memphis (International) 
Age: 26

Why He’s Here: .364/.462/.909 (8-for-22), 6 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 6 RBIs, 4 BB, 6  SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: The powerful slugging first baseman homered in four consecutive games to begin the week and collected a hit in five out of six games. He had three multi-hits games on the week and scored a run in five out of six games. Baker is hitting .318/.450/.716 with 10 home runs to begin the 2023 season and is showing advanced on-base ability at a level he had not previously. With a logjam of options and no spot on the 40-man roster, Baker may need an injury in the majors to open up regular playing time with the Cardinals. (GP) 

14. Denzel Clarke, OF, Athletics
Team: Double-A Midland (Texas)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .500/.579/1.438 (8-for-16), 9 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 9 RBIs, 3 BB, 5 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Clarke began the season on the injured list with a shoulder strain and didn’t debut until last week, but he made his presence felt very, very quickly. Clarke introduced himself to the Texas League with two home runs and five RBIs in his season debut against Corpus Christi on April 25. He followed with two doubles and a homer the next night, doubled again in his third game and finished the series by going 3-for-5 with a double and a homer in the finale. The uber-athletic outfielder showed signs of offensive progress in the Arizona Fall League, and his hot start at Double-A is certainly an encouraging development. (KG)

15. Jordan Beck, OF, Rockies
Team: High-A Spokane (Northwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .381/.381/.905 (8-for-21), 6 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 0 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: Drafted 38th overall in 2022 out of Tennessee, Beck hasn’t gotten off to a great start, but he has flashed the tools that persuaded the Rockies to draft him. Beck is strong, explosive and has plus raw power with the ability to annihilate a fastball. He showed off that power this week with five extra-base hits, including his first three home runs of the season. That only brings his season line to .220/.270/.424 through 15 games, as Beck will likely have to make a swing adjustment and improve his pitch recognition to have success against more advanced pitching. (BB)

16. Bubba Chandler, RHP, Pirates
Team: High-A Greensboro (South Atlantic)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 1 GS, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO

The Scoop: Greensboro is never an easy park to pitch in, thanks to its ability to turn routine fly balls into home runs, but after a rough pair of starts on the road to start the season, Chandler has settled in nicely to his new home. This was easily his best start of the season. High-A Rome hitters on Wednesday couldn’t catch up to his fastball above the top of the zone, but when they tried to be more selective, he dotted the edges of the zone glove side and arm side, generating four of his nine strikeouts on called strike threes. (JC)

17. Ben Brown, RHP, Cubs 
Team: Double-A Tennessee (Southern)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Acquired from the Phillies in the David Robertson trade, Brown has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the Southern League to start the year. His impressive performance earned Brown a promotion to Triple-A Iowa this week. He generated 15 swinging strikes and 22 called strikes, landing 68% of his pitches for strikes Thursday in his last start at Double-A. Brown uses a mid-90s four-seam fastball with ride, a mid-to-high-80s slider and a curveball. He’ll throw a changeup but it’s used sparingly. After having the help of pre-tacked baseballs in the Southern League, it will be worth monitoring how his above-average vertical break translates in Triple-A. (GP) 

18. Jonatan Clase, OF, Mariners
Team: High-A Everett (Northwest)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .393/.469/.964 (11-for-28), 9 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 BB, 8 SO, 4-for-5 SB

The Scoop: Clase’s explosiveness has long been apparent as a plus-plus runner who stole 55 bases last year. Now the 5-foot-9 switch-hitter is showing that explosion with his ability to impact the ball as well. Clase started to flash more power last year when he hit 13 home runs in 107 games. Through 20 games, he’s already past the halfway mark of last year’s home run total with seven homers, hitting .337/.455/.723. He has also drawn 17 walks, though with 27 strikeouts for a 27% strikeout rate, there’s still some swing-and-miss to his game. The speed is still there, too, with Clase 16-for-19 in stolen base attempts. (BB)

19. Dillon Dingler, C, Tigers
Team: Low-A Lakeland (Florida State)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: .526/.591/1.105 in 22 PA (10-for-19), 6 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 4 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2-for-2 SB

The Scoop: A second-round pick out of Ohio State in 2020, Dingler repeated Double-A last year and will return there this week after spending last week on a rehab assignment at Low-A. After obliterating much younger pitching to start the season, now it’s time for Dingler to prove he can master the upper levels. (BB)

20. Landon Knack, RHP, Dodgers
Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas)
Age: 25

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 SO

The Scoop: Knack’s previous start lasted just two-thirds of an inning, as the Dodgers pulled him once he reached 31 pitches in an inning that saw him give up two doubles and a home run, along with an error. The short stint seemed to fuel him for his return to the mound. Knack struck out the side in the first, as Arkansas’ hitters struggled to catch up to elevated fastballs. He danced around trouble in the second inning, as he struck out Tanner Kirwer after loading the bases on a single and two walks. With that, he was free to dominate again. He struck out the side again in the fourth and set a career high with 11 strikeouts. Knack’s career has somewhat stalled at Double-A, but so far this year, he’s showing signs that he has regained his plus control and his hoppy fastball, slider and changeup could help him carve out a big league role. (JC)

Helium

David Sandlin, RHP, Royals
Team: Low-A Columbia (Carolina)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 3.60, 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 SO, 1 HR

The Scoop: A 2022 11th-round pick out of Oklahoma, Sandlin has impressed early and often for Columbia this spring. He uses four-pitches led by his mid-90s fastball, mid-80s slider with some sweep, two-plane curveball and split changeup. Sandlin has struck out 41.3% of the batters he’s faced in 2023, collecting 31 strikeouts over 18.1 innings. Sandlin’s premium stuff and average command has proven to be too much for Low-A hitters. The 2022 draftee is a name to watch this summer. (GP)