Hot Sheet: Baseball’s 20 Hottest Prospects From The Past Week (8/16/22)

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 from Aug. 7-14. Contributing this week were Josh Norris, 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.

1. Chandler Redmond, 1B, Cardinals
Team: Double-A Springfield (Texas)
Age: 25
Why He’s Here: .438/.526/1.438 (7-for-19), 7 R, 1 2B, 5 HR, 14 RBIs, 3 BB, 5 SO.

The Scoop: If you want to accuse us of putting Redmond on the Hot Sheet this week because of one game, we plead guilty. But what a game it was. Redmond actually singled to begin his night in the greatest game he will ever play. Then he hit a two-run homer to left field, an opposite field shot that he popped up that barely found a spot inside the left field foul pole. The grand slam that followed was a no-doubter to left center field. The solo home run he hit to center field in the seventh was one of four home runs Springfield hit that inning. At that point, any fan in attendance knew they were attending a game they’d remember for quite a while. But an inning later, Redmond made it the game no one in attendance should ever forget. He yanked his two run home run to right field to complete the can-you-believe-this-happening home run cycle. Four home runs. A solo shot, a two-run homer, a three-run clout, and a grand slam. Redmond only had two other hits last week. It doesn’t matter. When you create a moment like this, it needs to be honored. (JC)

2. Prelander Berroa, RHP, Mariners
Team: Double-A Arkansas (Texas)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 SO

The Scoop: Acquired by the Mariners from the Giants for Donovan Walton back in mid-May, Berroa has had a strong 2022 season highlighted by big strikeouts numbers. Last week, Berroa may have reached the pinnacle of his season as he tossed five hitless innings on Friday combining with four other pitchers for a no-hitter. Berroa walked just two and struckout 11, generating 21 swinging strikes over his five innings of work. With such gaudy swing and miss numbers it should come as no surprise that Berroa has excellent stuff. His four-seam fastball sits 96-97 mph touching 102 mph with plus vertical break and a difficult approach plane to barrel. His slider is his primary pitch, a tight high-80s slider that generates whiffs at a near-60% rate this season. Without much of a third pitch Berroa has the look of a two-pitch power reliever long term. (GP)

No. 3 Cade Cavalli, RHP, Nationals
Team: Triple-A Rochester (International)
Age: 24
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 1.29, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Cavalli has not only turned a corner, he’s back on the road to the big leagues. His last six starts have been tremendous. Since July 1, the top pitching prospect in Washington’s revamped system is 2-1, 1.42 with 35 strikeouts and nine walks in 31.2 innings. He’s also done a great job keeping the ball in the park, having gone eight straight starts without allowing a home run. The Nationals have a long way back to contention, and Cavalli might play a big role in that process. (JN)

No. 4 Clarke Schmidt, RHP, Yankees
Team: Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (International)
Age: 26
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: In his trips to the big leagues, Schmidt has been used mostly as a reliever. When he’s gone back to the minors, though, he’s been a starter. In his most recent turn, he was magnificent. His 11 strikeouts were all swinging, establishing a new career-best for the Yankees’ first-round choice from 2017. It’s unclear when or in what role he’ll return to the big leagues, but his most recent start showed he has the stuff to dominate. (JN)

5. Edouard Julien, 2B, Twins
Team: Double-A Wichita (Texas)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .478/.571/.913 (11-for-23), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 5 BB, 6 SO, 1 SB, 2 CS.

The Scoop: Throughout his young pro career, Julien has found plenty of success by treating pitchers and pitches extremely skeptically. He makes a pitcher prove he can throw strikes, and if they can’t, he is happy to take all the walks they will offer. Julien has walked in more than 20% of his career plate appearances. Add in strikeouts and hit-by-pitches and 48% of the time, Julien doesn’t put a ball in play. But Julien has made a strange development this month. He’s swinging a lot more. It’s seen his walk rate plunge to 10% this month, while his strikeout rate remains at around 27%. But it’s also helped him produce one of the best stretches of his career at the plate. Julien is hitting .408/.473/.673 this month, having produced six multi-hit games already. (JC)

6. Jordan Lawlar, SS, D-backs
Team: High-A Hillsboro
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: .500/.619/.714 (7-for-14), 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBIs, 6 BB, 3 SO, 4-for-4 SB

The Scoop: After tearing through the Low-A California League, Lawlar is acquitting himself just fine after a promotion to High-A Hillsboro. Lawlar ripped off multiple hits in three of five games last week and showed off his dynamic power-speed combination with a .714 slugging percentage and four stolen bases in as many attempts against Spokane. The dynamic young shortstop is now batting .338/.415/.535 for Hillsboro since returning from the Futures Game and is solidifying that the D-backs got a steal when he fell to them at the No. 6 pick in last year’s draft. (KG)

No. 7 Jordan Walker, 3B/OF, Cardinals
Team: Double-A Springfield (Texas)
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: .444/.464/.630 (12-for-27), 7 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Walker is one of the brightest prospects and most prolific brokers of raw power in the minor leagues. At the beginning of the month, he was also the youngest player in the Texas League. His exit velocities in the Florida State League in 2021 were the stuff of legend, and evaluators believe he’s just beginning to tap into his game power. He added another longball to his ledger this past week, giving him 13 for the season, one short of his total last year in 82 games between both levels of Class A. A third baseman by trade, Walker has begun dabbling in the outfield, too. If he can add more defensive value, his prospect stock will rise even higher. (JN)

8. Shay Whitcomb, INF, Astros
Team: Double-A Corpus Christi (Texas)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .450/.542/.850 (9-for-20), 7 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 4 BB, 3 SO, 3-for-3 SB

The Scoop: After a solid debut season in 2021, it’s been a rough year for Whitcomb at Double-A as he’s hit just .214/.284/.374 over 91 games. The infielder has begun to turn a corner in August and his scorching hot stretch last week is a big reason why. Whitcomb had three multi-hit games last week including a two home run game on Friday. He was also busy on the basepaths, swiping three bags and reaching base in five out of six contests. A power-first infielder with a little speed and a lot of swing and miss. (GP)

No. 9 Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies
Team: High-A Jersey Shore (South Atlantic)
Age: 19
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Painter has separated himself from the pack. The first-rounder from 2021 has simply obliterated the competition this season at both levels of Class A. He’s allowed more than one earned run in just two of his 17 starts this year, none of which have come since June 12, his High-A debut. His last start was a master class in pitching with both poise and power, a thorough dissection of Greensboro over the course of seven innings and 93 pitches. His fastball sat in the mid 90s for the entire outing, with hints of 97 and 98 when he needed a little extra. His slider was a wipeout pitch, and his changeup and curveball were infrequent but effective nonetheless. Couple the raw stuff with the obvious athleticism and stellar mound presence, and you get one of the sport’s finest pitching prospects. He was promoted to Double-A Reading, where he’ll become the first teenager to pitch in the Eastern League this season. (JN)

No. 10 Jackson Chourio, OF, Brewers
Team: High-A Wisconsin (Midwest)
Age: 18
Why He’s Here: .348/.407/.783 (8-for-23), 6 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO, 2-for-2 SB

The Scoop: After a stunning two-month stint in Low-A, the Brewers promoted Chourio—who now ranks as the game’s No. 2 prospect—and he hasn’t missed a beat. The 18-year-old wunderkind slammed three home runs this week, including one with a 107 mph exit velocity and another when he redirected a 99 mph heater from South Bend righty Daniel Palencia. The cherry on top came on Sunday, when he went 4-for-4. The effort was his fourth four-hit game of the season, tied with Alex Ramirez (Mets) and Jonathan Aranda (Rays) for the second most games of four-plus hits among Top 100 prospects. (JN)

11. Diego Cartaya, C, Dodgers
Team: High-A Great Lakes
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: .412/.476/1.000 (7-for-17), 6 R, 1 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBIs, 3 BB, 4 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Cartaya’s defense has regressed this year, but his bat remains among the best of any prospect. Cartaya homered in three consecutive games last week, including one blast that traveled out of Great Lakes’ stadium entirely. He now has 20 home runs and 61 RBIs in only 78 games this season and owns a .283/.410/.548 slash line since his promotion to High-A, good for a .956 OPS that ranks third in the Midwest League. (KG)

No. 12 Oswaldo Cabrera, SS, Yankees
Team: Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (International)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .478/.538/.826 (11-for-23), 4 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Cabrera missed much of the season with a shoulder impingement. Since his return, he’s looked a lot like the player who put together a breakout season in 2021. His home run this week gave him nine for the season (one of which came during a rehab at Low-A), roughly a third of the total he hit last year. The Yankees have a host of options up the middle in the upper levels of their system, including top prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza, and Cabrera fits in that realm as well. (JN)

13. Oscar Colas, OF, White Sox
Team: Double-A Birmingham (Southern)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .391/.481/.783 (9-for-23), 5 R, 3 HR, 5 RBIs, 3 BB, 9 SO

The Scoop: Since his promotion to Double-A Birmingham Colas has continued to mash Southern League pitching as he hits .353/.439/.694 with nine home runs across 22 games. This week Colas homered in three different games, highlighted by a 106.3 mph home run in the 7th inning of Sunday’s contest. Colas hit seven balls 95+ mph last week, including five balls in play above 100 mph. The Cuban outfielder’s combination of plus-plus power and average contact allow him to navigate upper-level pitching despite a very aggressive approach at the plate. Armed with two plus to plus-plus tools in his power and outfield throwing arm, Colas fits the mold of a corner outfield masher. (GP)

14. Bobby Miller, RHP, Dodgers
Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: 1-1, 2.03, 13.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 20 SO, 1 HR

The Scoop: After slowly building Miller’s durability, the Dodgers finally turned him loose last week. Miller started off with six innings and 11 strikeouts against Midland on Aug. 9 and capped the week with a career-high 7.1 innings, four hits and no runs allowed, two walks and nine strikeouts to beat the Rockhounds in the series finale Sunday. One day later, in light of Miller proving he could hold his stuff and dominate deep into the late innings, the Dodgers promoted him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. (KG)

15. Baron Radcliff, OF, Phillies
Team: High-A Jersey Shore (South Atlantic)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .412/.474/1.118 (7-for-17), 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO.

The Scoop: Radcliff has long subscribed to the theory that if you swing really hard, good things can happen. The 6-foot-4, 228-pound outfielder posts max exit velocities that compare favorably with anyone in the minors or majors. But it also has meant that Radcliff strikes out at unsustainable rates. His 39% strikeout rate this year, would be too much if he was leading the minors in home runs. Instead, he has 12 doubles and 11 home runs. But Radcliff is finishing the season on a high note. (JC)

16. Emerson Hancock, RHP, Mariners
Team: Double-A Arkansas (Texas)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: 2-0, 0.00, 12 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: After going on the IL with shoulder ailments multiple times last season and beginning this year on the IL with shoulder fatigue, Hancock has quietly stayed healthy and had a bounceback season for Double-A Arkansas. The 6-foot-4 righthander pitched 12 innings without allowing an earned run over two starts against Northwest Arkansas last week, lowering his ERA to 2.19 in 15 starts with the Travelers. Beyond just his pure results, most encouraging has been his durability. He has pitched at least five innings in each of his last seven starts, including completing seven innings twice in his last four starts (KG).

17 Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers

Team: Triple-A Round Rock (Pacific Coast)
Age: 24
Why He’s Here: .350/.435/.800 (7-for-20), 5 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: When Jung is on the field, he hits. It’s as simple as that. The problem is, he hasn’t been on the field nearly often enough. He had shoulder surgery before this season that kept him out until a rehab assignment on July 28. He moved to Triple-A on Aug. 9 and immediately resumed being Josh Jung. He’s the purest hitter in the system and could push his way to his big league debut if he keeps punishing the ball in Round Rock. (JN)

18. Shane Sasaki, OF, Rays

Team: Low-A Charleston (Carolina)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .478/.538/.913 (11-for-23), 5 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1 SB.

The Rays have moved Sasaki very slowly. But the 2019 third round pick out of Honolulu has gotten a chance to show his impressive speed, and on-base skills at Charleston this year. The RiverDogs center fielder/leadoff hitter has very modest power, but he hits for average, draws walks and once he gets on first, he knows how to steal second. This year, he’s 35-of-37 on stolen bases. (JC)

19. Alex Call, OF, Nationals
Team: Triple-A Rochester (International)
Age: 27
Why He’s Here: .444/.500/.889 (8-for-18) 6 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO, 3-4 SB.

The Scoop: Call has just 16 MLB at-bats, so he’s still a prospect by definition, but as a 27-year-old, he’s at the point in his career where he needs to make the most of any and all opportunities. The best opportunity he’s likely to ever get just arrived. Dropped from Cleveland’s 40-man roster because of the team’s roster crunch, Call was claimed by the Nationals. We can safely say that the Nationals’ roster does not have the Guardians’ numbers problem. In his first week at Triple-A Rochester, Call did a little bit of everything. Hopefully for Call, it will be his only week in Rochester. He earned a promotion to the Nationals for Sunday’s game. As a outfielder who can play all three outfield spots and get on-base, this is his chance. He is hitting .292/.423/.521 between his two Triple-A stops, and he’s walked nearly as much as he’s struck out in 2021 and 2022. (JC)

20. Mason Englert, RHP, Rangers
Team: High-A Hickory (South Atlantic)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

The Scoop: It took three years for Englert to make his professional debut after being drafted due to Tommy John Surgery and the pandemic. Since then Englert has performed fairly well, with a 3.95 ERA and 198 strikeouts over 173.1 professional innings. Last week Englert had arguably the best start of his career tossing seven hitless innings on Thursday combining with reliever Theo McDowell to no-hit Greenville. He generated 15 swinging strikes, as he sat 92-93 mph on his fastball touching 94 mph, mixing in his mid-70s curveball with two plane break, a vicious mid-80s changeup with tumble and fade, and slider in the low-80s. Englert’s ability to miss bats with the entirety of his arsenal was on display in this one, as he generated four or more whiffs on his fastball, curveball and changeup individually. (GP)

HELIUM

Johnathan Rodriguez, OF, Guardians

Rodriguez was Cleveland’s third-round pick way back in 2017. Many of his contemporaries from that round have either reached the majors or been released, but Rodriguez is still slowly moving through the Guardians system. The 22-year-old didn’t make his full-season debut until last year. This year, he leads the High-A Midwest League with 21 home runs. Since July 1, Rodriguez has hit 15 home runs in just 32 games. The Guardians have noticed and Rodriguez received a promotion to Double-A after Sunday’s game. (JC)