If you waited all offseason for that one blissful day where the game's top prospects would once again be running rampant all across the Minors, tallying professional firsts and setting career bests, well, you've come to the right roundup. How does a 464-foot moonshot from Jac Caglianone sound? A 10-strikeout no-hit Double-A debut for Hagen Smith, who went one pick before him in the 2024 Draft? And we can't forget the first overall pick, Travis Bazzana, who had a night you have to check out.
Did we mention there's a switch-pitcher? Because there's a switch-pitcher.
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SATURDAY'S TOP PERFORMERS
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Akron (CLE No. 1/MLB No. 9)
Bazzana has burst onto the Double-A scene, clubbing his first home run at the level on a night that also marked his first four-hit game as a pro. After making Australian baseball history when he was selected first overall in last summer's Draft, the former Oregon State standout concluded his year with a 27-game spell that saw him win a High-A Midwest League title. He then arrived in Spring Training and quickly made an impression with Cleveland brass. Full story | Gameday
Jac Caglianone, 1B, Northwest Arkansas (KC No. 1/MLB No. 21)
In just his second game for Northwest Arkansas, the 2024 Draft's No. 6 pick launched his first Double-A homer onto the street outside the ballpark in Tulsa. The towering long ball landed at a reported 464 feet and was scorched at 116 mph off the bat. That makes it back-to-back days with an RBI knock as MLB's top-ranked first base prospect gets his first taste of the upper Minors underway. Full story | Gameday
Hagen Smith, LHP, Birmingham (CWS No. 3/MLB No. 32)
Smith¡¯s Double-A debut with Birmingham was short but extremely sweet, not to mention dominant. The fifth overall pick in last year¡¯s Draft allowed one run on four walks but struck out a career-high 10 over four hitless innings, tossing 43 of his 73 pitches for strikes. Smith struck out six consecutive batters to close out his start. Gameday
Braden Montgomery, OF, Kannapolis (CWS No. 5/MLB No. 52)
Three hundred and one days removed from a gruesome ankle injury, Montgomery drilled his first pro homer, a no-doubt shot that cleared the left-field berm at Atrium Health Ballpark. Acquired in the Garrett Crochet deal this offseason, the former Texas A&M standout has gone from starring on campus to impressing in spring camp and Spring Breakout as he acclimates to his new organization after having been the 12th overall pick in last July's Draft. Full story | Gameday
Zyhir Hope, OF, Great Lakes (LAD No. 6/MLB No. 72)
Hope¡¯s first stateside campaign in 2024 looks to be a stepping stone to bigger and better things. The 20-year-old is off to a roaring start in the High-A Midwest League after launching his first homer, collecting three hits and swiping a base for the Loons. Hope is 4-for-7 through his first two games with two stolen bases. Gameday
Sal Stewart, 2B/3B, Chattanooga (CIN No. 3/MLB No. 81)
Stewart's claim to fame hasn't always been power -- he hit just eight home runs in 80 games at High-A last season, after all. But it took only two games into his Double-A tenure for him to hit his first homer at the level. He added a single and a double to fall a triple shy of the cycle in Saturday¡¯s performance. He rounded out the evening with a walk and a stolen base, flashing the all-around skill set that lifted him onto the Top 100 overall prospects list at the start of the year. Gameday
Zac Veen, OF, Albuquerque (COL No. 8)
Veen¡¯s hot start to 2025 continued with one of the best offensive performances of his career. The 23-year-old shook off his first 0-fer of the year, tallying a homer and two doubles among his career-high five hits for Triple-A Albuquerque. Veen drove in four runs for the first time in nearly a year and is slashing .444/.516/.778 with six extra-base hits, eight RBIs and six runs in his first seven games of the season. Gameday
Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP/LHP, Everett (SEA No. 9)
One of the more highly anticipated pro debuts was a smashing success as Cijntje polished off four scoreless frames for High-A Everett. The 21-year-old ambidextrous pitcher struck out six and allowed three baserunners during his 58-pitch outing for the AquaSox. Facing a predominantly right-handed lineup, all of Cijntje¡¯s K¡¯s came as a righty. Full story | Gameday