It’s been a long summer. With each level of the Minor Leagues only weeks away from the end of its regular season, pitchers may be losing steam as they close in on innings limits or face general late-year fatigue.
Some of the Minors’ best arms are still getting warmed up as we close in on Labor Day. These are the hottest pitching prospects from each farm system:
Blue Jays: Gage Stanifer, RHP (No. 6)
The 2022 19th-rounder’s breakout season continues apace, and you could make a strong argument that August has actually been his strongest month of the season, at least as a full-time starter. Entering this week, Stanifer has strung together three straight quality starts for High-A Vancouver, and he owns a 2.00 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in five August starts total. His 34 strikeouts are tied for second-most at High-A this month.
Orioles: Michael Forret, RHP (No. 11)
Forret didn’t allow an earned run in his final four starts with High-A Aberdeen, leading to a promotion to Double-A Chesapeake in the middle of August. He’s kept the zeros going (minus an unearned run allowed) in his first two outings with the Baysox, striking out 12 and walking only two in 10 2/3 innings. He’s dropped his already stellar ERA from 1.99 at the start of this run to its current state of 1.28 through 70 1/3 innings between both stops, second-best in the Minors among 559 pitchers with at least 70 frames.
Rays: Brody Hopkins, RHP (No. 3)
On July 20, Hopkins had his roughest start of the season in which he allowed five runs (all unearned) on six hits and two walks in only 2/3 of an inning for Double-A Montgomery against Biloxi. Two starts later on Aug. 1, he had his best – a 10-strikeout gem over seven scoreless innings against Columbus. He’s continued to impress since then and enters his scheduled start Wednesday with a 1.13 ERA and 20 K’s over his last three outings (16 innings). His 122 strikeouts on the season rank 10th in Double-A.
Red Sox: Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP (No. 25)
The most coveted Venezuelan pitcher on the ‘24 international market, the 18-year-old Fajardo continues to impress this summer in his full-season debut with Single-A Salem. After allowing multiple runs in each of his first three starts, Fajardo allowed only three runs in 34 1/3 innings over his past eight starts. He’s posted scoreless outings in five of his last six starts, and in his most recent, cruised for six scoreless innings of two-hit ball as he punched out eight.
Yankees: Kyle Carr, LHP (No. 13)
Twelve of the Yankees’ top 19 prospects are hurlers, so there is serious competition in this system. Still, no one is throwing the ball as well right now as Carr, the club’s third-round pick from the ‘23 Draft. The 23-year-old southpaw owns a 1.73 ERA in four August starts at High-A, having thrown at least six innings in all of them. He’s allowed one run or fewer in each of his past three, most recently logging 6 1/3 scoreless against Jersey Shore on Aug. 21.
Guardians: Braylon Doughty, RHP (No. 9)
The 36th overall pick from the ‘24 Draft technically doesn’t have a professional win yet, but that doesn’t reflect the promise he’s shown at Single-A during his pro debut. Over the past two months especially he’s really settled in, recording a 1.71 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning since July 1. He’s been particularly effective in three August starts, surrendering only one earned run and striking out 19 across 13 2/3 innings.
Royals: David Shields, LHP (No. 6)
From July 18 to Aug. 19, Shields didn’t allow an earned run over a stretch of six starts for Single-A Columbia. He fanned 33 and walked only three over 26 1/3 innings in that span. Unfortunately, the run of zeros came to an end Tuesday when he gave up two earned runs over four frames against Hickory (still a relatively fine performance for an 18-year-old in full-season ball). Since the start of July, Shields leads Single-A qualifiers with a 0.96 ERA and ranks fourth with a 0.96 WHIP over nine starts.
Tigers: Lucas Elissalt, RHP (No. 26)
The last time Elissalt allowed more than two earned runs in a start was May 7 back with Single-A Lakeland. After debuting with High-A West Michigan on Aug. 7, the 21-year-old right-hander, who stands out most for his 77-80 mph curveball, has a 1.47 ERA through his first four starts with the Whitecaps. He has had to work through some control issues, as he did Sunday with four walks in 3 1/3 innings, but overall, the 2024 13th-rounder has hit the ground running at his second club of his first full season.
Twins: Ty Langenberg, RHP (Not ranked)
The University of Iowa product is certainly feeling comfortable with High-A Cedar Rapids. An 11th-round pick in 2023, Langenberg has achieved quality starts in five of his last seven starts with the Kernels, posting a 2.51 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 12 walks in 43 innings over that span. The 23-year-old right-hander has a deep pitch mix that features a fastball, cutter, slider, changeup and curveball to keep hitters guessing.
White Sox: Peyton Pallette, RHP (No. 14)
Now strictly a reliever, Chicago’s second-round pick from 2022 reached Triple-A this summer and has recorded 72 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings on the season. He got off to a tough start with Charlotte but grew reliable by mid-June, and since, 15 of his past 21 appearances have been scoreless, including four of his last six. He’s been really tough to square up since Aug. 7, especially, with 16 punchouts in 8 2/3 innings over that span.
Angels: Trey Gregory-Alford, RHP (No. 11)
An 11th-round pick who signed for second-round money ($1.96 million) last year, Gregory-Alford was eased into pro ball in the Arizona Complex League, as many high-school arms are. The 6-foot-5 right-hander moved to Single-A Inland Empire at the beginning of this month and has had no trouble transitioning to full-season ball with a 0.53 ERA and 0.76 WHIP through his first four starts (17 innings) with the 66ers. He’s been extremely fastball-dominant in the early going but has gotten six whiffs on nine swings against his slider, per Synergy.
Astros: Alonzo Tredwell, RHP (No. 28)
The 6-foot-8 Tredwell’s significant injury history kept him off the mound for long stretches, but he’s healthy this year and showing why he was an over-slot second-rounder back in 2023. He’s thrived since an Aug. 5 promotion to Double-A Corpus Christi, pitching to a 2.81 ERA with 26 strikeouts over his first 216 innings for the Hooks, both in starting and multi-inning relief roles. Tredwell’s prime performance came two starts ago, when he racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts across four innings of long relief, without walking a batter.
A’s: Cole Miller, RHP (No. 27)
The 2023 fourth-round pick is finally enjoying a sustained workload in the Minors after Tommy John surgery wiped out what should have been his first full season, and he’s hitting his stride of late with Single-A Stockton. In four starts this month, Miller owns a 0.57 ERA with 18 strikeouts and only two walks in 15 2/3 innings. The 6-foot-6 righty has yet to throw more than four innings or 58 pitches in any of his nine starts with the Ports, but the mixture of health and success has been ideal for the player and organization.
Mariners: Adam Seminaris, LHP (Not ranked)
After stints in the Angels and Brewers systems, Seminaris signed with the Mariners as a Minor League free agent back in January and has proven to be a solid Double-A piece in Arkansas, especially of late. Since July 19, Seminaris leads the Texas League with a 1.85 ERA and ranks fourth with his 1.06 WHIP over six starts (34 innings) with the Travelers. The southpaw has allowed only one homer in 109 2/3 innings on the season and relies a ton on generating groundball contact with a 48.7 percent GB rate in ‘25.
Rangers: Caden Scarborough, RHP (No. 8)
The 20-year-old Scarborough earned a promotion to High-A Hub City on August 21 on the heels of a string of strong outings, and then fired five innings of one-hit ball, with nine strikeouts, in his fiery debut at the new level. Scarborough had allowed one run or fewer in seven of his last eight starts at Single-A before the promotion. Now, he’s gone his last 16 innings since permitting an earned run, the last coming all the way back in July. The right-hander owns a 2.70 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 80 total innings this season across the two levels.
Braves: Hayden Harris, LHP (No. 27)
Atlanta may have a dependable left-handed reliever in the making in Harris, a 26-year-old southpaw who’s spent this season pitching like one of the Minors’ top relief aces. Harris owns a miniscule 0.59 ERA across 37 appearances this season, including a 0.39 mark in 19 games for Triple-A Gwinnett, and he’s racked up 70 strikeouts in 46 total innings. But he’s really been automatic this month, yet to allow a run in six August appearances. Harris’ last 10 outings – and 20 of his past 21 dating back to June 4 – have been scoreless.
Marlins: Robby Snelling, LHP (No. 4/MLB No. 79)
What a difference a year makes. One year ago, Snelling’s prospect shine was wearing, as he slumped terribly before a midseason trade to the Marlins. This year, he’s at Triple-A pitching as well as he ever has. Snelling owns a 0.88 ERA and quite ridiculous 46-6 K/BB ratio over his past five starts dating back to July 26. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his past three starts, racking up 28 strikeouts in that span. Snelling’s most impressive gem came on August 7, when he punched out 11 across six innings of one-hit ball against Nashville.
Mets: Jonah Tong, RHP (No. 4/MLB No. 44)
Could this be anyone else? “It’s all about him dominating the Minor Leagues,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday when discussing Tong’s ascent to the Majors. There’s no doubt the 22-year-old right-hander accomplished that in recent weeks. Since appearing in the All-Star Futures Game on July 12, Tong posted a 0.51 ERA with 54 strikeouts over his seven starts (35 innings) between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse. He fanned 17 batters over 11 2/3 scoreless innings at the higher level, and that’s all the Mets needed to see ahead of his MLB debut Friday.
Nationals: Jarlin Susana, RHP (No. 3/MLB No. 72)
Susana missed two months with a Grade 1 UCL sprain, made three rehab appearances with High-A Wilmington, returned to the Double-A Harrisburg rotation on Aug. 7 and has been near-lights-out ever since. He’s fanned 38 batters in his last four starts with the Senators, including 13 on Aug. 19 and 10 on Sunday (both times against a loaded Erie lineup). The 6-foot-6 righty has shown his trademark velocity by revving his fastball up to 103, but his 86-88 mph slider could be an even better pitch with the way it generates wicked whiff rates.
Phillies: Mavis Graves, LHP (No. 25)
The 6-foot-6 Graves made big strides in 2024, and after a few tough outings at Single-A at the start of the year, is really settling in at High-A Jersey Shore as the summer wears on. Graves pitched to a 1.72 ERA over four starts in July, following that up with a 0.92 ERA in four August starts – he’s allowed only two earned runs total in his last seven starts, a stretch of 32 2/3 innings. As such, he’s logged scoreless outings in six of those seven starts, with opponents batting merely .159 against him this month.
Brewers: Jaron DeBerry (Not ranked)
Taken in the third round last year out of Dallas Baptist, DeBerry is now on his third Minor League club of the season, having ascended from Single-A to High-A to Double-A and debuting at the latter spot on Aug. 6. He’s been lights-out in his first four starts with Biloxi, posting a 1.50 ERA with 26 strikeouts and five walks in 24 innings. DeBerry, whose best pitch is a low-80s sweeper, has 94 punchouts in 87 1/3 innings in his first full season.
Cardinals: Brycen Mautz, LHP (No. 21)
Mautz had a slight hiccup on Aug. 20 when he allowed five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings, but outside of that, he’s been arguably the Texas League’s best starter this month. His 2.08 ERA over five starts (26 innings) for Springfield is the circuit’s lowest this month, while his 1.00 WHIP and 27 strikeouts rank second and third, respectively. His 27.7 percent K rate for the season is sixth-best among all Double-A qualifiers.
Cubs: Tyler Schlaffer, RHP (No. 30)
It’s been a long road for the 24-year-old Schlaffer, whom the Cubs took in the ninth round all the way back in 2019. He’s battled injuries but is managing a career-high workload this season and reached Double-A in early July. He’s been nails since the promotion, permitting just 15 runs over his first nine starts there. He’s allowed two runs or fewer in seven of those outings.
Pirates: Connor Wietgrefe, RHP (Not ranked)
Pittsburgh’s seventh-round pick in ‘24 is starting every fifth day this season at High-A, though if he keeps pitching like this he might not be there for long. Wietgrefe is riding a 20-inning scoreless streak over the entire month of August, a span of four starts. He’s completed six scoreless innings in two of those outings, and his 0.69 ERA over the past 30 days is best among Pirates farmhands.
Reds: Simon Miller, RHP (Not ranked)
The 24-year-old former 12th-round pick has helped turn the back end of Double-A Chattanooga’s bullpen into one of the more fearsome units, developing into a reliable setup man alongside closer Trevor Kunci. Miller has only allowed earned runs in four of his past 17 appearances, and once in his last seven outings this month. That’s translated to a 2.20 ERA dating back to the beginning of July, and 19 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. He’s only allowed one home run in that stretch, too.
D-backs: Daniel Eagen, RHP (No. 14)
The 2024 third-rounder was certainly pushing for a promotion out of High-A Hillsboro when he fanned 10 over six no-hit innings on Aug. 8 and followed that up with 11 K’s in seven scoreless on Aug. 15. He made his long-awaited Double-A Amarillo debut last Friday and kept the good times rolling with eight strikeouts, two hits and only one walk allowed in 7 2/3 zero-laden frames. His 0.61 WHIP and .110 average-against are both tops in the Minors in August.
Dodgers: Marlon Nieves, RHP (Not ranked)
The always pitching-rich Dodgers have several prospects throwing well, but let’s give the nod to the 20-year-old Nieves at Single-A. He’s been lights-out since arriving in Rancho Cucamonga, registering a 1.95 ERA across his first six starts and striking out more than a batter per inning. He’s been consistent, too, holding opponents to one run or fewer in four of his first six starts at the level.
Giants: Jacob Bresnahan, LHP (No. 12)
Acquired at the 2024 Deadline for Alex Cobb, the left-handed Bresnahan didn’t look like himself down the stretch in his first go in the Giants’ system. That’s not the case this season, as he’s asserted himself as one of the better pitching prospects in the Single-A California League, where his 2.69 ERA is the best among pitchers who’ve made at least 20 starts. The 20-year-old is on an especially nice run in August, allowing one run or fewer in each of his four outings, compiling 26 punchouts in 18 2/3 innings and pitching to a 0.96 ERA.
Padres: Kash Mayfield, LHP (No. 4)
Mayfield was limited at Single-A Lake Elsinore in the middle of the season and didn’t throw more than three innings or 55 pitches in his eight starts between May 7 and July 29. He’s ramping that workload back up of late while maintaining his effectiveness for the Storm with a 2.50 ERA and 22 strikeouts in his last four starts (18 innings). The 2024 first-rounder has found the most effectiveness with his changeup, recording a 55 percent whiff rate on recorded cambios this season per Synergy.
Rockies: LHP Griffin Herring (No. 9)
The ‘24 sixth-round pick has been aces since arriving in the Rockies organization as part of the Trade Deadline deal for Ryan McMahon, running a 1.71 ERA over his first five starts (21 IP) for High-A Spokane. Opponents are hitting only .132 in that span against Herring, who’s logged five innings while allowing one run or fewer in each of his past two starts, and piled up nine strikeouts over four innings in the start prior.
