Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers

Some of the selections in the 2024 Draft are already impressing on the diamond. No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana is 5-for-15 (.333) with one homer, five RBI and a stolen base through four games at High-A in the Guardians organization. Seventh selection JJ Wetherholt is 4-for-14 (.286) with more walks (three) than strikeouts (two) through four outings at Low-A in the Cardinals system. Angels' first-rounder Christian Moore is already at Double-A after going 6-for-11 in A-Ball. And while we have yet to see power prospects Charlie Condon and Jac Caglianone in action, both phenoms are sure to generate plenty of buzz soon enough.

As we hit the dog days of August, let's take a look at some other prospects in the news in this edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Bryce Eldridge, 1B, SF – A 6'7" lefty taken straight out of high school in the first round of 2023, Eldridge is still a teenager holding his own at Low-A slashing .263/.323/.478 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI through 51 games. The power potential is already evident, though he does have some swing-and-miss in his profile fanning 61 times while only drawing 17 walks. The Giants had enough faith to promote Eldridge to High-A, where he's surprisingly made more consistent contact and shown better patience at the dish hitting .283 with a .395 OBP over 25 contests. While he's yet to get his pop going at this level, that's likely the least of his concerns given his size. If Eldridge continues to show progress at the plate, he'll vault up the ranks with already immense raw power.

Edgar Quero, C, CHW – Acquired by the White Sox last year in the Lucas Giolito deal, Quero has proceded to shine despite being in a new organization. Still only 21, the switch-hitting backstop produced a .275/.360/.463 line with 12 homers and 53 RBI from 72 games at Double-A Birmingham. Quero was recently sent to Triple-A, where he's been surging going .309/.433/.491 with two home runs and 13 RBI through 16 appearances while recording almost as many walks (11) as strikeouts (13). He remains one of the better catching prospects and the White Sox have no reason to rush him to the big leagues, yet there is a real chance he could be the starting catcher in Chicago next season.

Alejandro Rosario, P, TEX – The defending champs have struggled this campaign, but a couple of their pitching prospects have broken out in their system. Emiliano Teodo has made the biggest jump while former No. 2 selection Jack Leiter finally appears to be living up to his lofty potential.  Rosario has also made quite a leap starting at Low-A, where he posted a 69:5 K:BB in only 47 innings while opposing batters went .200 against with only two homers allowed from 10 starts.  That success resulted in a bump to High-A as the 2023 fifth-round pick out of the University of Miami has been almost as impressive carrying a 3.04 ERA and 39:7 K:BB from 23.2 frames. Texas revamped Rosario's delivery to increase deception, but he still boasts a triple-digit heater alongside a nasty splitter and slider. He's shown the unique ability to miss bats while also pounding the strike zone and has firmly placed himself on the phenom map.

Tre' Morgan, 1B, TB – No club did more for its farm system at the trade deadline than Tampa, though Morgan is a homegrown prospect who's already exceeding expectations. Taken in the third round last year out of LSU, he slashed .320/.398/.440 over 26 games at Low-A to go with nine steals and showcasing his exceptional and perhaps unusual athleticism for his position. Morgan's elite skills in the batter's box have followed him to High-A as the lefty has managed a .358/.441/.517 line through 46 outings with more walks (21) than strikeouts (15) and another nine swipes. While only at three homers, he's also notched 13 doubles and the Rays hope some of those will go further as he continues to ascend. Morgan remains a hit-over-power prospect, though the superb contact skills and high average are difficult to ignore while his energy, speed and defense should only help his cause.

CHECK STATUS

Cooper Pratt, SS, MIL – A teenage shortstop prospect selected in the sixth round by the Brew Crew last year, Pratt showed polish beyond his years to start the season at Low-A batting .295 with a .394 OBP across 73 contests while producing 38 walks and 57 strikeouts and swiping 25 bags and only getting caught twice. While he's only managed four home runs in 2024, he boasts the size potential to believe he'll fill out his 6'4" frame and develop significant pop. While Pratt is still a few years away from making a big-league impact, there's the exciting possibility of him becoming a five-tool player.

George Klassen, P, LAA – The Halos picked up a pair of breakout phenoms from the Phillies in exchange for Carlos Estevez. Along with Samuel Aldegheri, Klassen comes over in the midst of a terrific campaign having posted an amazing 0.71 ERA and 57:12 K:BB from 38 innings at Low-A. The University of Minnesota product had been slightly more hittable in five outings at High-A following a promotion, but was still averaging more than a strikeout per inning. In Klassen's first start with the Angels at Low-A Inland Empire, he fanned 10 over five innings. He and Aldegheri provide the organization two high-upside arms alongside Caden Dana.

Welbyn Francisca, SS, CLE – Francisca took the Arizona Complex League by storm slashing .328/.418/.523 through 45 contests with six homers and 11 steals while matching his walk and K count, resulting in a move up to Low-A. The knock on him is his size at 5'8" and 150lb, so he's always going to have his doubters. That being said, Francisca represents a polished switch-hitter at only 18 and project double-digit home run power despite his stature. The Guardians seem to hoard these types of middle-infield prospects, though he boasts plenty of upside.

Miguel Bleis, OF, BOS – Bleis is known for his bat speed and impressive raw power, yet he's still a work in progress at High-A. The 20-year-old may never hit for average and has struggled in 34 games at High-A since being promoted slashing .208/.272/.354. Bleis has registered five homers and 16 stolen bases during that stretch, with the latter a welcome addition to his profile. There's always going to be swing-and-miss in his game and he'll have to harness his all-out approach as he ascends to the higher levels. On the plus side, Bleis has picked up a career-high 32 walks between Low-A and High-A.

DOWNGRADE

Sterlin Thompson, OF, COL – Thompson has lost some of his luster since starting Double-A last year hitting under .240 across 121 appearances. He's produced 16 home runs and 13 steals over that stretch, but that's a far cry from the exceptional average he recorded at the lower levels. Thompson was considered one of the better pure bats coming out of college, so his struggles at Double-A raise a red flag. With mediocre power, speed and plate discipline, he needs to maintain his high average to keep his prominent prospect status.

Jakob Marsee, OF, MIA – Marsee came over from the Padres as part of the Luis Arraez deal in May. While he continues to flash speed on the basepaths and the ability to take a walk, his average has left much to be desired going a combined .187 at Double-A between the two organizations. Marsee is also striking out too much for a potential leadoff hitter with 91 Ks. While he's accumulated eight homers, power certainly isn't his calling card. Marsee takes pitches and will post a rather high OBP, but he may become a better real-life player than fantasy asset given the remainder of his skills and he'll certainly need to hit above .200 to be anything more than a fourth outfielder.