We saw new Cardinal Alexander Frias in action last week, and we were impressed! He consistently hits the ball hard (as he did below) and has fantastic power and discipline. Our one quibble comes from his busy hands in the load phase, but 18-year-olds aren't ever complete!

Baseball America@baseballamerica.com · 2d ago

The Cardinals acquired one of the biggest stars of the 2026 Arizona Complex League ⭐️ Alexander Frias showed off an intriguing combination of physicality, hittability + power before earning an early bump to Low-A. More details: buff.ly/lIYD2Bm

It was a hectic trade deadline for hitting prospects, and we've broken down the biggest moves! First, we briefly evaluated the prospect-involved trades in this week's Weekly Pearls, and then went more in-depth in today's podcast. Check both out in the replies:

Enddy is our 67th-overall hitter, and he's a rare triple threat in contact, power, and K avoidance. His contact rates aren't amazing, though, and are the biggest threat to his road to the show. Also a + OF, a solid acquisition for the @orioles.com! @oriolesontheverge.bsky.social

Alex Speier@alexspeier.bsky.social · 2d ago

Per sources: The Red Sox are getting Rutschman and Jake Rogers as well as cash for Anthony Eyanson, Enddy Azocar, Kyson Witherspoon, and Carlos Narváez.

Bryan Rincon has always been a bag swiper for the @phillies.com, but his pro prospects are on the rise due to a rare combo of improved power and lowered Ks after moving up a level to the @fightinphils.bsky.social! He’s deep in our rankings, but if the trend continues, he’s a hidden 💎

O’s prospect Jaiden Lo Re hits an absolute tank to LF! Smashes like this prove the power is at least present, and he has some of the best bat to ball in the lower minors @oriolesontheverge.bsky.social is a believer, and so are we!

In this week's podcast, we talk about our early takeaways from our Minor League baseball tour of the East and Midwest and highlight a pair of non-top 50 prospects who are putting together dominant seasons. Listen here:

Down on the Farm Podcast 7/28/26: MiLB Tour Thoughts, What Only Eyes Can See, Slugging Sleepers

We talk our early takeaways from our Minor League baseball tour of the East and Midwest and highlight a pair of non-top 50 prospects who are putting together dominant seasons.

api.omarshehata.me

Excited to take in the Dayton Dragons game! High-potential SS Tyson Lewis has had a decent stretch recently! He still has contact struggles, but he’s a player with real upside!

Newly promoted Triantos is a high-floor utility-type player with elite bat-to-ball skills but somewhat poor discipline, with high chase and walk rates. His future success depends on building strength, as he'll likely need more XBH and HR to be successful with his free-swinging ways.

Who's your team's favorite sleeper prospect? As a Pirates fan, Lonnie White Jr. is an intriguing hitter with a big K rate, but also a strong glove with some power. If he can reel it in, he may go from nowhere land to a solid rotational player. Who's your favorite?

Spain may have won the World Cup final, but even with Dodgers standout Emil Morales, they'd need some shocking upsets to win our Prospect World Cup! Check out our recent article where we go through a fictional tourney, share our rosters, and pick a champ!

The Prospect World Cup: Who Comes Out Top Nation in a Battle of Future MLB Stars?

Or: a modest proposal for a way to keep us entertained if there is a work stoppage next Spring

api.omarshehata.me

At the halfway point, the Rays are the org kings, followed closely by the loaded Brewers organization. The Mets and Red Sox are at the bottom, despite the latter having a crop of strong-hitting prospects. Highly ranked prospects don't always translate to good records!

Hassell should be a decent rehab project for the Pirates, who could see some added value as a decent fielding OF given their poor defensive outfield. He flashed good AAA upside last season before struggling in the show (on both O and D), but worth a flyer!

Mark Zuckerman@markzuckerman.bsky.social · 4w ago

Robert Hassell III cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. So he remains in the Nationals organization after getting DFA'd.

This week's pearls are headlined by a crop of players who hopped off the struggle bus, hopefully setting them up for big second halves, while several other players receive yet another write-up to add to their hot 2026s. Check out this week's stars:

Struggle Bus No More and Familiar Faces

The lowdown on the week's top MiLB performances, powered by Oyster projections and streaks modeling

api.omarshehata.me

Gonzalez is now our 68th ranked guy after finally finding the power necessary to utilize his fantastic lift. Playing time is a challenge with the Sox, and the Bucs infield injuries should give him real run. For a comp pick? We love the deal, even if the star odds aren’t massive!

Passanthallich@passanthalbot.bsky.social · 4w ago

@JeffPassan tweeted Trade news: The Pittsburgh Pirates are acquiring infielder Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert from the Chicago White Sox for the 34th pick in tomorrow's draft and left-handed reliever Jaden Woods, sources tell ESPN. Deal is done.

Oyster dandy Christian Cerda has struggled this season, failing to generate the pop that made him a menace at the lower levels. His contact still looks solid, but as a non EV demon, he needs to get back to pulling the ball to find success, unlike he did here.

Not all prospects are trending in the right direction this season! Today's article is devoted to those who are struggling in 2026. We break down their issues, how they can improve, and whether we think they're primed to get there. Check it out below!

Predicting the Fates of Five Prospects on the Struggle Bus

We take a look at five hitters who have struggled to put it all together this year and opine on how (and if) they can turn things around

api.omarshehata.me

We were high on Lara heading into 2026 (#31 overall), but even we did not anticipate his gains! His power went from poor to respectable, his walk skills still look good in AAA, and his defense remains strong. We have him as a high-floor, decent-ceiling regular and a CF anchor!

Milwaukee Brewers@brewersbot.bsky.social · 4w ago

At just 21 years old, Luis Lara brings some serious pedigree to his debut

Both of us (Max and Owen) have spoken together about the Walcott sleep effect. Age for level is so important, and even some seemingly tempered performances are signs of elite-ness when you're playing against players 5 years older than you (on average). We'd rank him 5th too, but the upside is real!

Kirk Snyder@dynastyinfo411.bsky.social · last mo.

Shortstop Prospect Rankings (Prospects in the majors weren’t included) 1. Jesus Made (19, MIL, AA) 2. Leo De Vries (19, ATH, AA) 3. Franklin Arias (20, BOS, AA) 4. Eli Willits (18, WAS, A+) 5. Sebastian Walcott (20, TEX, AA) 6-25 rankings are available at the link in my bio

This week's article is centered on lift rates, a forgotten tool in a prospect's repertoire. Does lift matter? Can prospects reliably improve lift? Can big power, high ground ball players (like thumbnail model Hendry Mendez) find the lift to reach their HR ceilings? Read on to find out!

Can You Take Me Higher: Lift Rates, Why They Matter, and How They Change

Are worm-burner mashing prospects doomed to a life of grounders, or can they find the lift to raise their game?

downonthefarm.substack.com

JKG hits the bigs! His newfound power has brought him up our rankings, giving us more reason to believe in his high-chase, high-contact profile. If he can keep powering the ball, his good, versatile infield play gives him a utility floor with a shot at more. Congrats!

All XBH aren’t created equal! James Tibbs has had it all go right this season in Triple-A, and this double is no exception. The power is pretty easy though!

In this month's Hot Streaks that Matter article, we highlight Eli Willits' power surge, a pair of Complex mashers, and a few prospects who've found their stride after slow 2025s. Check out our write-ups and why we think these surges are legit!

The Hot Streaks That Matter: June Edition

Oyster projections + streaks model + video analysis = an obsessively rigorous guide to May MiLB hot streaks

downonthefarm.substack.com

Frias is shooting up our models, a rarity for a player with only Rookie Ball experience (until this week)! He has the Luis Peña-style profile: elite contact with respectable power, traits that play up extremely well. If he tears up Single-A, the top 40 is imminent!

Spencer Michaelis@smichaelis234.bsky.social · last mo.

Alexander Frias just crushed his first Low-A homer off of MLB pitcher Max Kranick in a rehab appearance. 420 FT

Ben Malgeri finally gets a well-deserved promotion! While the model has soured a bit on the aging prospect, he's still producing as a solid contact, versatile outfield option. We spoke about him with @tigersmlreport.bsky.social in the preseason, and we're pumped for his debut!

This week's hottest prospects have high-end strengths but also apparent weaknesses that keep them out of the mainstream. From Indy Ball ascenders to field-first guys with sneaky pop, this week’s Weekly Pearls has it all!

The Underdogs and the Underrated: Don't Sleep on this Week's Hottest Bats

The lowdown on the week's top MiLB performances, powered by Oyster projections and streaks modeling

downonthefarm.substack.com

Thanks to @oriolesontheverge.bsky.social for having us on the pod again! We talked about Orioles prospects, how their fortunes have changed since the start of the season, and how we prioritize contact vs. power skills at the lowest levels. Check it out:

O'ster Analytics Strikes Back

YouTube video by Orioles On the Verge

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We're excited for Fedko's debut! He's broken out in a big way this season, and despite being an older prospect, he offers well-rounded hitting upside. His slightly improved contact has made the difference this year, and we give him a 25% shot to be an impact player.

This week's pearls consist of guys who came out of nowhere to have red-hot weeks (and seasons). Most of these standouts possess a hybrid of contact and power skills that get us (and our model) excited for their future. Check out the full article with the link in bio!

From Nowhere to the Mainstream: Breakouts and Gems Own the Week

The lowdown on the week's top MiLB performances, powered by Oyster projections and streaks modeling

downonthefarm.substack.com

We've been huge Blaze Jordan fans for the past two seasons, and his #56 preseason rank seemed a bit absurd at the time. He's been elite in AAA this year, showing off the full potential of his contact + power game (.313/ 11 HR). LA and EV are up, and we're excited for his debut!

Rodríguez is an Oyster model darling, as he's young for the level, has both power and contact skills, and has demonstrated improved patience in 2026. There's platoon risk here (vs. LHP), but so few hitters have the boom to complement bat-to-ball. Yesterday's cycle showcases it all!