Here’s what RoboScout is seeing this week. For a quick understanding of what Robo and RoboCast are, see last week’s article where we discussed the implementation of Statcast data.

Complex League Hitting

We can probably have a Complex League board next week. It’s a near lock that Cardinals catcher Rainiel Rodriguez will rank first with his six home runs in fewer than 41 plate appearances.

Brewers outfielder Jose Anderson is also getting significant buzz. He has three home runs and three stolen bases with a 206 wRC+ in 45 plate appearances.

Behind this group is a quintet of 17-year-old prospects who have a wRC+ above 100. Guardians shortstop Johan Rodriguez and Rangers catcher Javier Sanchez posted above-average contact rates last year. Orioles outfielder Stiven Martinez had above-average exit velocities. Guardians outfielder Juneiker Caceres was above-average in both categories, and Brewers catcher Kevin Garcia already has two homers in 25 plate appearances, even if he has below-average exit velocities and a 48% strikeout rate.

Dauri Fernandez (Guardians) and Anderson Fermin (Red Sox) are two 18-year-olds who had above-average 2024 contact rates and are following through so far in 2025 with wRC+ near 200 and single-digit strikeout rates.

Complex Pitching

Just like with the hitters, it’s too early to have any substantive “ranking” of pitchers, but there have been some noteworthy performances. Baseball America identified three pitchers–Ethan Dorchies (Brewers), Argenis Cayama (Giants) and Stharlin Torres (Reds)–who are turning heads in Arizona. From a results perspective, RoboScout ranks Dorchies first, Cayama third, and Torres fourth. All three are probably worth taking fliers on and are likely back end of a top 400 list, though with wide error bars.

Astros RHP Jagger Beck would rank in the top 10. At 6-foot-6, he has big extension on his 90-92 mph fastball, and the 18-year-old has two breaking balls that have been generating whiffs along with a changeup that has nearly 18 inches of armside fade. That combination is giving Low-A hitters fits. It’s extremely early but there are some interesting traits here.

Low-A Hitting

The top hitting performances for Low-A per RoboScout are:

NameTeamAgewRC+HRSBRoboRoboCast1Luis PenaMIL18146221941002Eduardo QuinteroLAD1917071691953Andrew SalasMIA17138014100954A.J. EwingNYM2020111475915Jesus MadeMIL1814531488906Caleb BonemerCHW1914131374827Aroon EscobarPHI201718169828Sam ShawTOR201635367819Slade CaldwellARI1916929728010Konnor GriffinPIT19150717757911Javier MogollonCHW19172311807912Yasmil BucceBAL2017031617813Eduardo TaitPHI1811460747614Brailer GuerreroTBR1916726687615Owen CareyATL1813028737516Bryce RainerDET1913034647317Theo GillenTBR1915028747318Asbel GonzalezKCR19135035707219Marco DingesMIL2119534577220Robert CalazCOL19140406371

Up until yesterday, 17-year-old RoboDarling Andrew Salas had reclaimed the top spot. In fact, the Marlins shortstop/outfielder had a higher wRC+ than buzz collector Luis Peña. That is, until Peña hit a home run to pass Salas in both metrics, and then hit a third home run on Sunday that is not reflected in the chart above. Dodgers outfielder Eduardo Quintero is tied for second. He has seven homers and 16 steals, showing 20-20 major league potential.

Blue Jays second baseman Sam Shaw is an unheralded name near the top of the charts. A ninth-rounder out of the Canadian prep ranks in 2023, Shaw is showing good contact and optimizing his launch angles with high barrel rates and excellent hard hit and pull launch angles. With five home runs in 103 plate appearances, his solid approach is manifesting into 20+ home run pop.

Brailer Guerrero has all the tools but the Rays outfielder has battled injuries in his short professional career. Hopefully he is actualizing his potential in 2025. Guerrero has two home runs and six stolen bases in 71 plate appearances. The most impressive numbers, however, are found in his quality of contact, as he’s hit a ball 111 mph and another at 115 mph this year. Those are extremely impressive figures for an 18-year-old.

Low-A Pitching

The top pitcher performances in Low-A per RoboScout are:

NameTeamAgeIPK%BB%WHIPERAGB%Robo1Sean LinanLAD2029.244.2%8.8%0.841.2141.5%1002Wei-En LinOAK1933.238.2%2.3%0.983.4826.7%993Trey YesavageTOR2133.143.3%6.3%0.812.4348.3%964Christian OpporCHW2022.139.5%8.1%0.852.4221.4%885Tzu-Chen ShaOAK212839.6%2.8%0.891.9350.0%876Braylon DoughtyCLE1927.229.4%6.7%1.344.5554.7%877Jogly GarciaCLE2130.242.9%11.1%1.042.0546.3%868Dasan HillMIN1914.141.1%12.5%0.841.2640.9%849Raimy RodriguezHOU1927.136.3%15.0%1.103.6246.2%8310Liomar MartinezMIA202436.7%13.3%1.043.3852.3%8111Melvin HernandezMIL183421.0%4.9%1.122.3856.7%7912Jose UrbinaTBR192628.6%6.7%1.002.4225.4%7913Rayven AntonioATL1927.124.3%6.1%1.061.9858.9%7814Caden ScarboroughTEX202631.5%8.3%1.154.8531.7%7715Khal StephenTOR2239.131.4%4.6%0.922.0644.8%7716Griffin HerringNYY2238.231.2%9.1%0.981.4051.1%7617John HolobetzMIL222431.3%5.1%0.883.0033.3%7518Kash MayfieldSDP2020.130.3%10.1%1.284.8741.2%7519Bryce MeccageMIL1918.127.4%9.6%0.871.9640.9%7520Boston BatemanSDP1924.123.7%8.2%1.074.4460.9%75

A’s lefty Wei-En Lin threw five more excellent innings and has maintained his incredible 36% strikeout-minus-walk rate.  

The Guardians have a pair of pitchers in the top seven. Braylon Doughty was a supplemental first-rounder last year, so he shouldn’t be much of a surprise. On the other hand, 21-year-old righty Jogly Garcia is far less famous. Garcia used his 92-94 mph fastball and two breaking ball shapes this week to get seven strikeouts over five innings with only one walk. On the season, Garcia has an 11% walk rate but has a strikeout rate above 40%. RoboScout sees a potential midrotation starter.

High-A Hitting

The top hitter performances for High-A per RoboScout are:

NameTeamAgewRC+HRSBRoboRoboCast1Leo De VriesSDP18132431001002Jacob ReimerNYM212047585923Max ClarkDET201513480854Josue De PaulaLAD201516983845Arjun NimmalaTOR191347187836A.J. EwingNYM2017811275837George Lombard Jr.NYY2018411180838Demetrio CrisantesARI201104675829Zyhir HopeLAD2014764808110Josue BricenoDET2012960797911Kyle DeBargeMIN21160420787812Jeral PerezCHW2012393767813Yophery RodriguezBOS1911925767614Jefferson RojasCHC2014446737515Esmerlyn ValdezPIT21170110737316Ryan WaldschmidtARI2215454657317Michael ArroyoSEA2014252667018Rosman VerdugoSDP2012680716919Franklin AriasBOS1912921626920Lazaro MontesSEA20138726967

The top High-A hitters generally remain the same from last week, but with a bit of shuffling. Mets infielder Jacob Reimer is one of the top breakouts of 2025 so far and now ranks behind Leo De Vries at the top of the chart. Reimer has seven home runs and a scintillating 204 wRC+ while maintaining red lollipops across his Statcast profile. He’s a top 100 fantasy prospect.

Cubs shortstop Jefferson Rojas was the big mover of the week after hitting two home runs, stealing five bases and posting a 124 wRC+ last week. The infielder raised his wRC+ 20 points to 144. Rojas is repeating the level, but he’s still two years younger than the average High-A hitter. His aggressive approach is working so far, but likely will be tested in Double-A, which he is likely to reach by midseason.

Pirate slugger Esmerlyn Valdez rose two spots to 15th on the charts after smashing three more home runs, bringing his season total to 11. Last year, the 21-year-old first baseman/corner outfielder had a max exit velocity of 112.5 mph and he’s already exceeded that with a 114 mph this year.

Geoff Pontes identified Mets outfielder Eli Serrano this week for his excellent underlying Statcast traits. Serrano just turned 22, and the second-round pick has five home runs and four stolen bases in a High-A Brooklyn home park that significantly suppresses lefthanded-hitting power to right field. Serrano, however, has hit a few balls harder than 108 mph already and finds himself just outside the top 20.

High-A Pitching

The top pitcher performances in High-A per RoboScout are:

NameTeamAgeIPK%BB%WHIPERAGB%Robo1Sean LinanLAD20420.0%6.7%0.750.0018.2%1002Gage JumpOAK223137.2%4.1%0.842.3233.8%1003Carlos LagrangeNYY2231.140.7%5.7%0.963.4535.9%1004David DavalilloTEX2233.135.7%4.8%0.721.0862.0%965T.J. NicholsTBR2332.235.7%2.4%0.801.9348.0%946Juaron Watts-BrownTOR2332.139.4%7.3%1.243.9042.0%947Bishop LetsonMIL202730.0%7.0%0.851.3354.1%928Anderson BritoHOU2022.233.3%12.1%1.324.3750.0%909Michael ForretBAL2121.236.7%8.9%0.691.6642.5%8910Antwone KellyPIT2128.135.4%8.8%1.094.1332.8%8911Tyson HardinMIL2338.227.8%2.8%0.851.1646.9%8912Brandon ClarkeBOS22743.3%3.3%0.432.5763.6%8813Christian OpporCHW203.216.7%22.2%2.189.8236.4%8714Manuel RodriguezMIL192525.5%5.1%1.001.8035.8%8715Jackson KentWSN2237.229.9%6.4%1.123.5842.1%8616Hayden MullinsBOS241742.9%4.8%0.821.0644.0%8617Adam SerwinowskiCIN2127.133.3%9.4%1.324.6133.9%8618Santiago SuarezTBR2025.128.3%5.1%0.831.7836.5%8619Thomas WhiteMIA202534.3%14.8%1.323.2447.2%8520Zach ThorntonNYM2320.232.1%2.6%0.680.4451.1%85

Note that Ben Hess (Yankees), Charlee Soto (Twins) and Payton Tolle (Red Sox) are all tied with Zach Thornton at 20th on the High-A rankings.

Beginning this week, we decided to apply Sean Liñan’s 29 Low-A innings (while adjusting for level) to allow him to qualify for the High-A list. We’ll handle pitchers like this moving forward. So Liñan is now in a three-way tie with A’s lefty Gage Jump, who is now in Double-A, and Yankees fireballer Carlos Lagrange. RoboScout sees each of the trio as a midrotation starter at peak.

RoboScout also thinks Rangers RHP David Davalillo will be an above-average big league pitcher at peak. Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper identified him as a sleeper last month.

Rays RHP T.J. Nichols ranks fifth. He struck out 12 batters in a six-inning start this past week. He has a mid-to-upper-90s fastball with big extension, a mid-80s slider that generates whiffs and a solid changeup that has nearly 10 inches of vertical and velocity separation. He seems like another pitching success story in the Rays system.

The season is still young enough where one strong outing can catapult a pitcher up the rankings. Blue Jays RHP Juaron Watts-Brown is a great example. He now ranks sixth after ranking 20th just a week ago on the heels of a 10-strikeout outing and no walks. Watts-Brown will be joined in High-A Vancouver by Khal Stephen, Trey Yesavage and Gage Stanifer who were all promoted, creating one of the most feared rotations in the minor leagues.

Double-A Hitting

The top hitter performances in Double-A per RoboScout are:

NameTeamAgewRC+HRSBRoboRoboCast1Jett WilliamsNYM2115648951002Bryce EldridgeSFG201695098993Sebastian WalcottTEX1910858100984Yohendrick PinangoTOR232057387965Luke AdamsMIL211466689926Brock WilkenMIL2317410185917George Lombard Jr.NYY20880386908Hector RodriguezCIN211435484899Cooper PrattMIL20118410898810Jac CaglianoneKCR2215692858711Ryan CliffordNYM2113371808512Dylan JassoNYY2214570798513Nelson RadaLAA19127016898314Ethan WorkingerATL2316192818315Termarr JohnsonPIT2112857818316Travis BazzanaCLE2213548748217Henry BolteOAK21153514878218Mikey RomeroBOS2113253798219JJ WetherholtSTL2212523678120Sal StewartCIN211362107380

Jett Williams and Luke Adams hit two home runs last week, but Sebastian Walcott, Bryce Eldridge, and Brock Wilken hit three. Interestingly, because Walcott’s wRC+ actually decreased on the week despite also chipping in a stolen base, Williams and Eldridge both passed him in the rankings.

Blue Jays outfielder Yohendrick Pinango was the biggest mover this week. Geoff Pontes likes the former Cubs prospect, and so does RoboScout. The Blue Jays acquired Pinango in exchange for Nate Pearson and last year he looked like a hitter with underlying data that suggested more production to come. After a week in which he hit four home runs, stole two bases and raised his wRC+ by 30 points, Pinango finds himself in the top five among Double-A hitters.

Athletics outfielder Henry Bolte has always had the tools, but his swing-and-miss held him back despite his solid approach. This week, the 21-year-old hit a home run, stole two bases and raised his wRC+ by 13 points to 153. His 26.5% strikeout rate suggests there’s still some whiff in his game, but he has significantly improved his contact rate, which is now just below-average after clocking in at 60% last year. Interestingly, he’s chasing more while making more contact. Bolte is still hitting the ball on the ground quite a lot, but RoboScout thinks the hard contact and speed still has him as a 20-20 type if he can carve out a regular big league role.

Double-A Pitching

The top pitcher performances in Double-A per RoboScout are:

NameTeamAgeIPK%BB%WHIPERAGB%Robo1Chase BurnsCIN221939.4%2.8%0.951.8942.5%1002Jonah TongNYM223443.4%11.8%1.002.1262.1%983Gage JumpOAK22626.1%4.3%1.000.0062.5%924Yordanny MonegroBOS2221.142.0%6.8%1.222.5352.3%925Hayden MullinsBOS245.241.7%16.7%1.241.5930.0%886Mitch BrattTEX2136.231.8%4.1%1.012.2132.6%867Hunter BarcoPIT2425.236.2%7.4%0.700.0049.0%858Braxton BraggBAL2417.139.2%6.8%1.151.5651.4%839Blake AdamsCOL2423.234.4%5.2%1.146.4636.2%7910Jackson WolfSDP262532.6%3.2%0.803.2439.3%7911Luis MoralesOAK2242.131.7%9.0%1.022.9846.4%7912Duncan DavittTBR253628.1%2.7%1.063.2549.0%7913Jack WenningerNYM2336.229.7%5.5%0.983.1951.7%7914Wilber DotelPIT2235.130.7%8.5%1.303.3132.2%7815Connelly EarlyBOS2318.240.0%12.0%1.022.4133.3%7816Kohl DrakeTEX2427.136.7%10.1%0.952.9629.6%7817Hagen SmithCHW2125.239.3%18.7%1.212.1045.0%7718Zach ThorntonNYM231421.4%1.8%1.143.8641.9%7719Alex PhamBAL2523.235.0%9.0%1.183.4233.3%7620Robby SnellingMIA213229.4%11.2%1.534.7850.0%76

Note that Angels righty George Klassen and 2024 Robo-popup Nestor German (Orioles) are tied for 20th.

After getting the call to Double-A Midland, A’s lefty Gage Jump shows up right behind the scintillating pair of Chase Burns and Jonah Tong, the latter who struck out another eight over six innings of work this week.

Red Sox RHP Yordanny Monegro joins Tong in the cohort of Double-A pitchers 22 years old or younger who have struck out more than 40% of batters since 2006 over a minimum of 20 innings. Monegro added another seven strikeouts to his season total after thrown 5.1 innings with only one walk. He hasn’t gone very deep into games, but his deep arsenal should turn over lineups multiple times.

Fellow Red Sox pitching prospect Hayden Mullins struck out 10 batters over 5.2 innings last week and now ranks in the top five after folding in his 17 High-A innings. Mullins has big extension and his east-west arsenal features both a foot of armside and gloveside movement. He looks like a solid back-of-the-rotation starter, but RoboScout thinks there might be even more there, although Mullins just went on the IL with shoulder fatigue. He’s expected to return to action shortly.

A’s righty Luis Morales was the biggest mover this week. He wasn’t ranked last week, but now he’s just outside the top 10 after striking out 19 batters over 13 innings. The fireballer has great stuff, sitting in the upper 90s with his fastball and his secondaries have over a foot of horizontal movement. The 22-year-old’s command has always been more of a question. So far this year, Morales has limited his walk rate to 9%, though RoboScout still sees him as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Triple-A Hitting

The top hitter performances for Triple-A per RoboScout are:

NameTeamAgewRC+HRSBRoboRoboCast1Roman AnthonyBOS2115453981002Samuel BasalloBAL2012870100983Moises BallesterosCHC211474394964Jordan LawlarARI2214361392955Luis CampusanoSDP2616710183946Matt ShawCHC231516590927Nick KurtzOAK221437082888Nick LoftinKCR261514974849Anthony SeiglerMIL26157610788310Marcelo MayerBOS2211582758111Jorbit VivasNYY2413826718112Otto KempPHI25175108848013Jonathon LongCHC2315242728014Cole YoungSEA2110541737815Dalton RushingLAD2414551717816Shay WhitcombHOU26133134767817Jose FerminSTL26136311687718Dylan BeaversBAL23127315717619Ryan WardLAD2714895677520Buddy KennedyPHI26157616975

After a less-than-auspicious start to this major league career, Matt Shaw has turned it on in Triple-A as of late with five home runs and two stolen bases last week to raise his wRC+ by 48 points. He should be back up with the parent club sooner rather than later.

Former Yankees first-round draft pick Anthony Seigler hit three home runs, chipping in a stolen base too, while raising his wRC+ by 25 points to 157 on the season. Now with the Brewers, Seigler has been playing more second base, with some catcher, and is showing 20-20 potential.

The biggest performance of the week came from 2024 RoboDarling Shay Whitcomb of the Astros. He hit five home runs, stole two bases and raised his wRC+ to 133 on the season. There will be swing and miss in his profile, but he can more-than-adequately play several defensive positions and has 25-homer power in his bat.

Triple-A Pitching

The top pitcher performances in Triple-A per RoboScout are:

NameTeamAgeIPK%BB%WHIPERAGB%Robo1J.T. GinnOAK2614.147.1%7.8%0.841.2650.0%1002Logan HendersonMIL233034.8%9.6%0.972.4032.8%963Bubba ChandlerPIT223337.4%10.7%1.001.9147.6%964Jacob MisiorowskiMIL2349.131.4%10.1%0.891.4637.4%935Jacob LopezOAK272736.5%7.7%0.892.3340.0%896Carson WhisenhuntSFG244426.6%3.4%1.093.4849.2%887Ian SeymourTBR264531.4%6.3%1.202.4034.8%888Cristian MenaARI223527.0%8.8%1.344.8944.6%879David FestaMIN252027.8%2.5%1.053.6050.9%8610Cooper CriswellBOS2822.234.8%7.9%0.971.9945.8%8611Nathan WilesATL2636.129.2%6.9%0.992.2344.0%8612Jackson WolfSDP2610.229.5%4.5%1.123.3735.7%8613Caden DanaLAA213327.1%8.6%1.274.0940.9%8514Michael McGreevySTL2438.224.7%5.1%1.273.2654.1%8415Blade TidwellNYM2435.131.6%9.2%1.304.0838.8%8416Chase PettyCIN222928.9%9.9%1.142.7945.1%8417Parker MessickCLE2437.233.3%11.3%1.222.6339.8%8418Mick AbelPHI2346.126.6%9.9%1.212.5349.2%8319Kyle HarrisonSFG232633.3%7.0%1.313.4629.7%8320Noah CameronKCR2532.228.6%9.8%1.133.3151.9%82

Note that I set the minimum number of innings such that Spencer Strider would not qualify.

As expected, Twins righty Zebby Matthews–who is tied with Noah Cameron in 20th–got the call to start this weekend after Simeon Woods-Richardson was demoted. RoboScout expects something like a 1.25 WHIP and 4.04 ERA.

As we’ve written many times in these pages, the top Triple-A hitters and pitchers almost universally get called up to the major leagues. Looking at the list, it’s not going out on a limb to say that Pirates righty Bubba Chandler and Brewers righty Jacob Misiorowski will debut soon. There has been a clamor for their callups for some time. However, Carson Whisenhunt (Giants), Ian Seymour (Rays), and Parker Messick (Guardians) look like they will be pitching in the major leagues soon too purely on the basis of their presence on this list.

Happy bidding!