Top Minor League Prospects to Watch: Rising Stars and Potential Breakouts

The White Sox have been forced to find silver linings the past two seasons, especially following last year's abysmal 41-121 campaign. Though their current record is still subpar (7-21), help could finally be on the way. Edgar Quero is off to a sizzling start to his MLB career at catcher while Shane Smith has been a pleasant surprise in the rotation. The real crown jewels of the system could be mainstays as early as 2026 with Noah Schultz (18 strikeouts in 17.2 innings and listed at 6'10") and Hagen Smith (25 Ks through 13.2) both putting on a show at Double-A. Grant Taylor is the oft-forgotten piece who could prove pivotal as he missed all of 2023 at LSU following Tommy John surgery and nearly all of last season with a lat issue. He looks healthy now and potentially offers at least three above-average offerings while compiling a 0.79 ERA with opposing batters hitting .111 against and 14 strikeouts across 11.1 innings alongside the aforementioned duo. As long as Taylor can stay on the mound and throw strikes, the White Sox could eventually find themselves back to relevance with this trio.

Here are some players in the headlines in this week's edition of the Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Trey Yesavage, P, TOR – A first-round pick in 2024, Yesavage has predictably made quick work of the opposition at Low-A so far with a 28:8 K:BB in 17.1 innings while the opposition is batting .153 against and has fanned 10 batters in back-to-back outings. A promotion looks to be in order for the East Carolina product, where the competition will become a better indicator of his future path.  The 21-year-old righty immediately becomes the Jays' top pitching prospect within a system that hasn't done particularly well in developing pitching talent through the pipeline.

Bryce Cunningham, P, NYY – The Yankees were a bit more aggressive in terms of placement with Cunningham after being taken in the second round of last year's Draft. And they've been rewarded as the 6'5" hurler has more than held his own at High-A by posting a 2.63 ERA and 30:4 K:BB through 24 innings. Cunningham carries an impressive fastball/changeup combination while the effectiveness of a third pitch - a slider - will go a long way to determine his trajectory.

Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, ARI – Waldschmidt has been dynamite at High-A to start the year as he's slashing .318/.483/.561 alongside four homers, 16 RBI and one steal through 19 contests with almost as many walks (18) as strikeouts (19). The 22-year-old has already suffered through a few injuries, including an ACL tear and hamstring strain that limited his appearances following his selection at 31st overall in 2024. When Waldschmidt has been on the field over the last season, he's been superb, so now may be the time to buy in before others catch on.

Logan Evans, P, SEA – Evans was solid in his MLB debut for the Mariners on Sunday as he allowed two earned runs on two hits across five innings while picking up the win. He did walk three, but also fanned three. With Logan Gilbert joining George Kirby on the Injured List, Evans should receive at least a few more starts for the big club. When on, he induces plenty of grounders and pounds the strike zone. Despite the lack of an overpowering fastball, it still sits in the low-90s and Evans has almost a strikeout per inning since entering the minors. If he shines, he could stick in the rotation especially with the recent absences.

CHECK STATUS

Cooper Kinney, 2B, TB – Kinney is off to a fast start at Double-A having produced a .353/.405/.676 line in 17 outings. Perhaps the most intriguing part to this success has been the five home runs after recording 10 in each of the last two seasons. Kinney appeared to be the usual Rays prospect with above-average tools across the board with no one standout asset. But if the 22-year-old can continue to tap into his power stroke, he could become a more prominent figure in prospect circles.

Robby Snelling, P, MIA – It seems like Snelling has been talked about forever, yet he's still just 21.  After a stellar first pro season in 2023, he largely scuffled the following year with an unsightly 6.01 ERA across 16 starts at Double-A in the Padres organization. Snelling was shopped to the Marlins in the Tanner Scott deal last summer. Now at Double-A, Snelling is primed for a bounceback campaign having so far registered a 1.61 ERA and 29:3 K:BB through 22.1 innings and remains one of the younger hurlers at this level. He'll continue to refine his fastball/slurve/changeup combo to try and vault back up the prospect charts.

Brett Callahan, OF, DET – Callahan is an overlooked up-and-comer who could start to gain some notoriety. A 13th-round pick out of St. Joseph's in 2023, he's hit for average at every level. In 71 games across three stops last season, Callahan notched seven homers and 21 steals. And he's hit the ground running at High-A slashing .300/.367/.543 with four home runs, 17 RBI and one stolen base over 18 appearances. Callahan is slightly old for this level as he'll turn 24 in November. The production has still been solid regardless and he could see a quick promotion to Double-A if his power stroke continues, and that would provide a terrific test toward his future path.

DOWNGRADE

Jack Perkins, P, ATH – Perkins is currently on the IL with a lat injury, the same one that delayed the start to his 2024 campaign. After coming back, he showed out with a 2.96 ERA and 100:35 K:BB in 76 innings at Double-A. Perkins boasts a complete arsenal, but has experienced some difficulty throwing strikes. And given his advanced age for a prospect (25) may be beyond saving at this point, at least in terms of command/control.  If healthy, Perkins should have no trouble cracking the big league rotation later this year, yet he's never pitched more than 107.2 innings in a season since entering the minors while both his age and injury history should be red flags.

Moises Chace, P, PHI – The strikeout stuff has always been there for Chace, though he lacks consistent command of his pitches and could ultimately end up as a high-leverage reliever. The former Baltimore farmhand came over to the Phillies in the Gregory Soto trade and has continued to pitch out of the rotation. Chace's control was better down the stretch of 2024, but his wildness has returned with nine strikeouts and eight walks from 7.1 innings. He's also never logged over 80.1 innings and is about as far from stretched out as a starter can be through three outings this season. Chace has also been slightly more hittable during a small sample size as well, so the question marks remain despite his considerable upside.

For more information regarding MLB prospects, check out James Anderson's MLB Top Prospects & Rankings for 2025!