The future appears to be closer than ever after some top prospects put on a show, particularly at Triple-A. We saw Aviators take flight with some soaring home runs and a Space Cowboy slammed the door in emphatic fashion. Add in a walk-off grand slam from a Top 100 prospect and another look at a switch-pitching phenom and you've got a blockbuster set of top performers:
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Sal Stewart, 2B/3B, Chattanooga (CIN No. 3/MLB No. 80)
Stewart has been making his presence known at Double-A; this time it came in grand fashion. With the Lookouts down to their final out, the 21-year-old clobbered a walk-off grand slam to end the first game of a doubleheader. In seven games this season, Stewart is 11-for-28, slashing .393/.469/.750 and sporting a 1.219 OPS. Gameday
Jurrangelo Cijntje, SWP, Everett (SEA No. 9)
Switch-hitting is cool. But switch-pitching, now that¡¯s the new craze. In his second start (third appearance) of the season for the AquaSox, Cijntje dazzled over three scoreless frames, racking up four punchouts and allowing just three baserunners. Despite pitching predominantly from the right side, Cijntje did notch a strikeout against the only batter he faced left-handed. Full story | Gameday
Carson Williams, SS, Durham (TB No. 1/MLB No. 8)
In his age-21 season, Williams excelled at Double-A, slashing .256/.352/.469 with 20 home runs and 33 steals on his way to being named the Southern League¡¯s top prospect. Following seeing time in big league camp this spring, Williams started the 2025 season with Durham. He hit a benchmark Saturday with his first Triple-A homer, a 421-foot rocket with an 111.3 mph exit velocity. Gameday
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Las Vegas (ATH No. 1/MLB No. 35); Colby Thomas, OF, Las Vegas (ATH No. 2)
Just like how Kurtz and Thomas neighbor each other in the Athletics¡¯ prospect rankings, they bat back-to-back in the Las Vegas order. From their third and fourth spots, respectively, they provided some serious offensive power on Saturday night. Thomas crushed his third home run of the season and finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Kurtz (.386 average, 1.277 OPS) chipped in two hits as well, including a solo shot. His seven homers this season lead all Minor and Major League players. Gameday
Jordan Lawlar, SS, Reno (AZ No. 1/MLB No. 10)
Lawlar was hampered by thumb and hamstring injuries in 2024, appearing in only 23 games in the Minors. To make up for lost time, he participated in winter ball in the Dominican Republic, where he got 108 plate appearances. The reps seem to have paid off, as Lawlar continued a recent stretch of seeing the ball well, collecting three hits and three walks Saturday. It¡¯s the first time in the 2021 first-rounder's pro career that he reached base safely six times in a game. Gameday
Noah Schultz, LHP, Birmingham (CWS No. 1/MLB No. 15)
After a bumpy start to the 2025 season, Schultz looked true to form in his second outing for the Barons. In the first game of a doubleheader, the southpaw spun five scoreless innings and struck out six batters. The 2022 first-rounder generated 15 swings-and-misses, buoyed by his 70-grade slider. Gameday
Brandon Sproat, RHP, Syracuse (NYM No. 1/MLB No. 43)
Sproat¡¯s repertoire shined in his third start for Syracuse, where over 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball, the righty tallied six strikeouts on four different offerings. Sproat's electric stuff has helped him amass 11 punchouts over 10 1/3 innings to open the year (with a .162 average-against in that span), a significant jump from the seven starts he made at Triple-A last season (21 strikeouts total). Gameday
Kemp Alderman, OF, Pensacola (MIA No. 11)
A second-round pick of the Marlins in 2023, Alderman traversed four levels in his first full season of pro ball last year, ultimately winding up at Double-A and struggling in a very small sample size. This season has been a different story, as he has had a hit in six of his eight games, culminating in a four-hit performance on Saturday. Two of the four hits were home runs, marking Alderman¡¯s first multihomer game of his career. He also matched a career high with five RBIs. Gameday
A.J. Blubaugh, RHP, Sugar Land (HOU No. 10)
Typically a starter, Blubaugh played an unfamiliar role in Triple-A Sugar Land¡¯s win on Saturday. After rehabbing Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. took the game through four innings and was relieved by Forrest Whitley, Blubaugh took the mound as a piggyback end-of-game arm. In what marked his first relief appearance since July 19 of last year, he allowed just one hit while striking out eight to earn a four-inning save, the second of his career. Gameday