Next year is shaping up to be a great year for prospects in the Carolina League. Prospects that should return at least for the beginning of the year include Andrew Vaughn, Tyler Freeman, Will Benson, Brice Turang, Sherten Apostel, Bubba Thompson, Miguel Amaya, MJ Melendez, Seuly Matias, Brailyn Marquez and Nick Pratto. Top prospects that are likely to debut in the Carolina League in 2020 include Adley Rutschman, George Valera, Hans Crouse, Grayson Rodriguez, Bo Naylor, Ethan Hankins, Brennen Davis, Triston Casas, Freudis Nova, Korey Lee, Brady McConnell, Ethan Small, Cole Winn, Josh Jung, Jackson Rutledge and possibly Bobby Witt Jr.
July Carolina League Top 50 Prospects
The list includes active players in the Carolina League as of July 31st.
. 1. Andrew Vaughn 1B (Winston Salem-White Sox) (NA) The 3rd pick in the 2019 draft, Vaughn is
an advanced hitter with plus power. He should move through the system
quickly. The White Sox projected 2021 line up with Yoan Moncada, Eloy
Jimenez, Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn should be interesting.
Look at where Andrew Vaughn’s first home run with @WSDashBaseball landed pic.twitter.com/geelzKqSpN— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) July 31, 2019
2. Tyler Freeman SS (Lynchburg-Indians) (2) Only 20 years old, Freeman continues to impress since his call up from Lake County on June 20th. Freeman is a good all around player who I think will eventually hit for some power. It was very surprising that Freeman was not in MLB recent update of the top 100 prospects. He would be in my top 50.
Tyler Freeman singles against DL Hall. pic.twitter.com/MDal35gjYs— Michael Schneider -Carolina League Prospects (@league_carolina) July 1, 2019
3. DL Hall LHP
(Frederick-Orioles) (3) Immensely talented southpaw with the potential for four plus pitches. For the second straight year Hall has gotten stronger as the year as gone on. Hall still has work to do on improving his command and becoming more efficient.
Another strikeout on a fastball for DL Hall. This time against Payton Henry. pic.twitter.com/P8C3kEznS1— Michael Schneider -Carolina League Prospects (@league_carolina) July 12, 2019
4. Will Benson RF (Lynchburg-Indians) (4) At 6'5" 225 lbs, Benson was the Indians 1st round pick in 2016. He is a three outcome player with good speed and an excellent throwing arm. Benson is struggling in his first go around at High A. Look for Benson to begin 2020 back in Lynchburg and be much more successful.
#Indians OF prospect Will Benson was 4-5 tonight with 4 HR -- the first 4 HR-game in MiLB since 2014— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) April 19, 2019
his 3rd HR of the night was a grand slam and UH WELL LOOK AT THE BAT FLIPpic.twitter.com/8mvXJioP3B
5. Brice Turang SS (Carolina-Brewers (NA) The Brewers 1st round draft pick in 2018, Turang is the youngest player in Carolina League. He turns 20 in November. Turang was solid for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and got promoted to Carolina on July 8th. Turang is ahead of schedule and getting used to level. He will almost certainly be back on the Mudcats to begin 2020.
#Brewers No. 2 prospect Brice Turang walked it off for Class A Wisconsin … and then kept moving right on to Class A Advanced Carolina.— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 8, 2019
More on his big day: https://t.co/HiqF1ey56p pic.twitter.com/z5JVqf6f1A
6. Kris Bubic LHP (Wilmington-Royals) (10) Bubic was the 40th pick
in the 2018 draft, but the Royals 4th college pitcher. Bubic dominated the
Sally League to start the year and has continued his success in the Carolina
League. He has a delivery that looks like Clayton Kershaw.
Yesterday, the @WilmBlueRocks pulled off the 4-1 win in large part to @KrisBubic and his 11 strikeouts in 6 innings of work. Clutch home runs by @brewerhicklen & Dennicher Carrasco helped secure the victory! #AlwaysRoyal pic.twitter.com/7DVHidi2x0— Kansas City Royals Player Development (@RoyalsPD) July 18, 2019
7. Sherten Apostel (3B) (Down East-Rangers) (NA) Power and patience is a good combination for a hitter. The Rangers stole Apostel from the Pirates in the Keona Kela and were being very aggressive in promoting him to the Woodies after struggling at the beginning of the season in Hickory. Apostel will likely return to Down East in 2020. One question is whether he will be able to stick at third base.
Rangers 3B Sherten Apostel – Impressive young bat. Well-proportioned, strong frame; hard to believe he is only 19. Very athletic. Strong hands. Smashed HR to dead CF, easy 400+ feet. Generates power w/little effort. Fluid swing. Advanced approach for age. Defense BA at 3B. A DUDE pic.twitter.com/L5KsJWE8Bt— Jason Pennini (@JasonPennini) October 15, 2018
8. Mario Feliciano C (Carolina-Brewers) (6) There are four catchers in the Carolina League that are in the same ranking tier. When combining offense and defense, Feliciano is the most advanced.
With 4 HR in his last 3 games for the @CarolinaMudcats, catcher Mario Feliciano now leads the Carolina League in HR (13) and total bases (111). pic.twitter.com/Kzgdfl16du— Brewers Player Dev (@BrewersPD) June 7, 2019
9. Miguel
Amaya C (Myrtle Beach-Cubs) (5) Has had a quiet, steady, unspectacular year. So far Amaya has avoided the second half slump that hurt his 2018 season. The strikeout to walk ratio (57/40) has been impressive and throwing out 36% of base stealers is solid.
Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Lynn@SRL590
10. Sam Huff C (Down East-Rangers) (8) Began the year as the least heralded of the four catchers and is now the highest ranked on the MLB's prospect rankings. While Huff is not homering at the rate he was in the Sally to begin the season, he still averaging an extra base hit for less that 10 at bats and throwing out 38% of base stealers.
Sam Huff ties the #FuturesGame! Down 2 in the bottom of the 7th with a man on, the #Rangers' prospect goes yard to level things up for the American League. Watch live: https://t.co/eys4mNSXZ9 pic.twitter.com/vBuC0mGOxL— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 8, 2019
11. Jeremy Pena SS (Fayetteville-Astros) (38) A 2018 3rd round draft
pick out of University of Maine, Pena has been extremely impressive
in 26 games since getting promoted from Quad Cities on June 27th. Pena is
hitting .343/.377.933 with 14 extra base hits in 99 at bats. Pena was
placed on the IL on August 1st.
Photo Courtesy of Joe Dwyer@bullpen_joe
12.
Bubba Thompson CF (Down East-Rangers) (NA) Down
East was a challenging assignment for Thompson at the beginning of
the year. He was the Rangers 1st round pick in 2017 out of high
school, where he was also a highly recruited football player.
Thompson has missed most of the season with a broken hamate and leg
injury. However, since returning on July 14th, Thompson is
showing the skills that make him a top prospect.
13. Kyle Isbel CF (Wilmington-Royals) (NA) Returned on July 13th after going on the injured list on April 18th. Isbel was the 2nd best position player in the Carolina League prior to his injury. He broke his hamate bone and had it removed. Isbel has struggled since returning.
KCR OF Kyle Isbel - Great use of lower 1/2. Mod LK w/torque. Quiet hands slot at shoulder height. Swings hard. Made Faustian Bargain: bat path geared for loft, yet still short to ball?? Works deep into counts, may border on passive. At times, expds zone up. Handles premo velo. pic.twitter.com/81efeesnFY— Jason Pennini (@JasonPennini) October 18, 2018
14. Tristen
Lutz RF (Carolina-Brewers) (9) Turns 21 in a few weeks and has held his own all year in the Carolina League. Solid defensively with the potential to develop much more power.
He can do it all. Tristen Lutz goes yard to give the Mudcats a 3-0 lead. He has three runs batted in across two games today and a highlight reel outfield assist.#GoMudcats pic.twitter.com/DnVNHUIbQe— Carolina Mudcats (@CarolinaMudcats) July 6, 2019
15. MJ
Melendez C (Wilmington-Royals) (11) Has showed some signs of improvement offensively in June but only hit .155 in July. Outstanding defensively including throwing out 59% of base stealers. I believe Melendez will be a major league starting catcher, it is just going to take him a while.
MJ Melendez lines a RBI single to make it 3 to 1. pic.twitter.com/tf7Puf4elB— Michael Schneider -Carolina League Prospects (@league_carolina) June 29, 2019
16. Jonathan Stiever (Winston Salem-White Sox) (NR) There are a number of college pitchers that were in the 2018 draft and were promoted to the Carolina League after the start of the year. Aside from Kris Bubic who was a much higher draft pick, Stiever might be the most impressive. He seems to have had an uptick in velocity, throwing up to 97. In 32 innings in July, Stiever only allowed 21 hits and 3 walks while striking out 38.
White Sox pitching prospect Jonathan Stiever is sitting 95-96 mph, throwing a ton of strikes, has K’d three in two perfect innings and works quickly. A four-pitch strikeout with two foul tips takes 45 seconds pic.twitter.com/Me10EfQtvz— James Fegan (@JRFegan) August 4, 2019
17. Steele Walker CF (Winston Salem-White Sox) (14) A good all around player, Walker was the White Sox 2nd round draft pick out of University of Oklahoma in 2018. Walker was promoted to Winston Salem when Luis Robert was promoted to Birmingham on April 30th. He struggled for the first couple weeks, but has been solid since.
I declare Steele Walker's mini-slump over. He clears the bases with this three-run double, extending the lead to 9-2 with two outs in the eighth @FutureSox pic.twitter.com/JIGpQkyxjJ— Julie Brady (@DestroyBaseball) July 20, 2019
18. Nick Pratto 1B (Wilmington-Royals) (12) Struggled mightily the first
half of the year (.167/.262./.492), but has shown improvement in July
(.241/.308/.753). Pratto who turns 21 in October was the Royals 1st round
in the 2017 draft and will likely return to Wilmington for 2020.
Nick Pratto (1-2, 0 outs) 1st AB. Single @n_pratto @RoyalsFarm @WilmBlueRocks pic.twitter.com/57U4Aj3SjG— Nick Vitolano (@nvitolano) April 21, 2019
19. Aaron Ashby
LHP (Carolina-Brewers) (7) After dominating his first couple of Carolina League starts, Ashby has come back to earth. He is still a very talented pitcher with a plus slider. Ashby is a 4th round pick from the 2018 draft and is a nephew of Andy Ashby who won 98 games in the major in the 1990s and 2000s.
It didn’t take Aaron Ashby long to get acclimated with his new club. The 2018 4th-rounder shined in his High-A debut yesterday for the @CarolinaMudcats pic.twitter.com/NC6255fHS0— Brewers Player Dev (@BrewersPD) June 14, 2019
20. Julio Pablo
Martinez CF (Down East-Rangers) (16) Has developed slower than some expected when the Rangers signed Martinez out of Cuba in March 2018. He still has a nice speed and power combination. Martinez was called up from Hickory to the Woodies when Bubba Thompson got hurt in April. He has shown steady improvement.
OF Julio Pablo Martinez BP round. Just moved up to High-A earlier this week #Rangers pic.twitter.com/pvW2dRTIzY— Brent Hershey (@BrentHQ) April 18, 2019
21. Jonathan Arauz INF(Fayetteville-Astros) (15) The Astros has been
very aggressive with Arauz who was promoted to AA Corpus Christi on
August 1st. The switch hitting Arauz was much improved over 2018 when he
struggled in the Carolina League, but was not excelling (.252/.322/ .710). Arauz
just turned 21 and profiles as a utility player.
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Photo Courtesy of Joe Dwyer@bullpen_joe |
22. Brewer Hicklen LF (Wilmington-Royals)
(32) Another nice speed and power combination, Hicken is 23 but played a lot of football in high school and was relatively late to go to baseball full time. Hicklen hit 18 homers in 2018 and has the size to hit for more power than he has shown this year. Hicklen has a good eye and is leading the Carolina in stolen bases.
We didn't have a chance to post this last night, but I tried to get that @SamShazam_ angle to this @brewerhicklen highlight!! pic.twitter.com/K7oa1PgtbM— Ryan Griffith (@ryanrgriffith) June 10, 2019
23. Tim Cate LHP
(Potomac-Nationals) (23) A 2018 2nd round pick from UConn, Cate has a plus curveball. Cate has been solid in 8 starts since being promoted from Hagerstown (42 innings, 40 hits, 12 walks and 43 strikeouts).
Tim Cate’s gameplan against RHH...fastball in on hands (89-91 so needs to locate), curve in dirt pic.twitter.com/noogA8XbNX— Ben Spanier (@b_span2) April 6, 2019
24. Jojanse Torres RHP (Fayetteville-Astros) (45) The hardest thrower in the Carolina League, Torres just turned 24 but did not
sign with the Astros until 2018 and spent the whole year in the DSL. A pop up prospect and mystery player who could move up rapidly.
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Photo Courtesy of Joe Dwyer@bullpen_joe |
25. Paul Richan RHP (Myrtle Beach-Cubs) (21) Traded to the Tigers as part of the Nick Castellanos trade at the deadline. Richan was the Cubs 2nd round pick in 2018 and was an asset the Cubs were able to use to help them get better for this year. Richan had a very strong five game stretch from June 25th to July 21st.
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Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Lynn@SRL590 |
26. Payton Henry C (Carolina-Brewers) (22) Projects as a solid back up catcher. Henry is going to
strikeout a lot and hit with some power. He has done a good job throwing
out 38% of base stealers.
SEE YA! Payton Henry breaks a 1-1 tie in the fourth with his second home run in as many days. Los Pescados de Carolina lead Potomac 2-1. #VivaPescados pic.twitter.com/fBCnmDgNtC— Carolina Mudcats (@CarolinaMudcats) June 29, 2019
27. Jonathan Bowlan RHP (Wilmington-Royals) (40) Has been very strong for the Blue Rocks since his call up on June
23rd highlighted by a 9 inning no hitter on July 15th. Yet another Royals
college pitcher from the 2018 draft.
9 K, 0 BB, 0 H (!) for @Royals' Jonathan Bowlan last night!— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 16, 2019
📰 https://t.co/F1Gx2p6wUR
And the reaction! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OIghRBBixP
28. Juan
Hillman LHP (Lynchburg-Indians) (17) Talented but very inconsistent.
Check out Juan Hillman, one of the players from your Lynchburg Hillcats who was chosen to play in the All-Star Game! #ClawsUp pic.twitter.com/xZw3nCO1bK— Lynchburg Hillcats (@LynHillcats) June 12, 2019
29. Jack Patterson LHP (Myrtle Beach-Cubs) (NA) A pop up prospect
that has yet to give up a run in the Carolina League. In 23.2 innings,
Patterson has only allowed 8 hits and 8 walks while striking out 24. Patterson
is a prototypical crafty lefty who was the Cubs 32nd round pick out of Bryant
University in 2018. He is already 24. Patterson was promoted to AA Tennessee on August 6th.
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Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Lynn@SRL590 |
30. Thad Ward RHP (Salem-Red Sox) (33) Another good looking
pitcher from the 2018 draft (5th round) that was recently called up to the
Carolina League. When Ward has struggled, control has typically been the
issue (21 walks in 38.1 innings).
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Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Lynn@SRL590 |
31. Noah Zavolas
RHP (Carolina-Brewers) (25) Has been the most
consistent pitcher in the Carolina League in 2019. Zavolas was the
Mariners 18th round draft pick in 2018 out of Harvard. He was traded to
the Brewers as part of the Domingo Santana trade and got assigned to a higher
level and been more successful than many pitchers that were picked well before
him.
Noah Zavolas threw a complete game shutout against the Nationals last Sunday, tonight he tosses seven innings of one-run ball against them.— Carolina Mudcats (@CarolinaMudcats) June 29, 2019
Not too shabby for the Pescados righty. #VivaPescados pic.twitter.com/mezSDNvX8K
32. Oscar
Gonzalez LF (Lynchburg-Indians) (19) A productive player at a young age (turns 22 in January). His projections are limited by his selectivity issues (3% walk percentage) and already being a corner outfielder. Promoted to AA Akron on August 2nd.
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Photo Courtesy of Patrick Cavey@PatrickCavey |
33.
Shawn Dubin RHP (Fayetteville-Astros) (30) Another
college pitcher from the 2018 draft, like a lot of pitchers in the
Astros organization, Dubin is putting up some eye popping strikeout
numbers. In his last 49.2 innings, Dubin has struck out 76.
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Photo Courtesy of Joe Dwyer@bullpen_joe |
34. Pedro
Castellanos 1B (Salem-Red
Sox) (37) Limited to 1st base, Castellanos has a solid hit tool but will
have to develop power to make the majors.
He has good size but has hit for very little power in his career
previously (he only had 8 career homers in over 1,100 at bats before a recent hot stretch where Castellanos hit 4 homers).
35. Aramis Ademan SS (Myrtle Beach-Cubs) (18) I have learned to be patient with players that are among the youngest players in the league with the expectation that they are learning on the job. However, it is very different story during the 2nd year in the league. Ademan start to the year was encouraging, but he slumped badly in July.If you need something to cheer you up after the Sox blew the lead in the ninth. Here's first base prospect Pedro Castellanos hitting his first homer of the year tonight.— Hunter Noll (@HNoll21) May 23, 2019
He's hitting .293 and is tied for the Sox MiLB RBI lead with 33 (Triston Casas).
I'm all-in on Cas. pic.twitter.com/qCy0b5ArAD
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Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Lynn@SRL590 |
36. Brett
Conine RHP (Fayetteville-Astros) (20) Nearly identical to Dubin, Conine is another college pitcher
from the 2018 draft who like most Astros pitchers has gotten a lot of
strikeouts. On the year, between Quad Cities and Fayetteville, Conine has pitched 91.1 innings allowing 67 hits and 21 walks while striking out 116.
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Photo Courtesy of Joe Dwyer@bullpen_joe |
37.
Kade McClure RHP (Winston Salem-White Sox) (29)
A
massive man (6'7"
230 lb) who was the White Sox 6th round draft pick in 2017 out of
Louisville. McClure has pitched well since getting promoted to
the Dash on June 1st (2.60 ERA and 1.16 WHIP), but only has 45
strikeouts in 62.1 innings.
38. Austin Cox LHP (Wilmington-Royals) (39) A 2018 5th round pick out of Mercer, Cox has been solid since his promotion from Lexington on June 23rd. Cox has pitched 36.1 innings allowing 35 hits, 11 walking while striking out 36.
39. Jakson Reetz C (Potomac-Nationals) (35) A 3rd round out of high school in 2014, Reetz is still only 23. He is having by far his best offensive season (.278/.392/.859). Reetz has thrown out an impressive 41% of base stealers.
40. Brenan Hanifee RHP (Frederick-Orioles) (48) Has gotten better as the year as gone on, Hanifee struggled with his command early in the year. Hanifee is 21 and his bread and butter is his sinking fastball.
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Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Lynn@SRL590 |
41. Gage Canning CF (Potomac-Nationals) (43) A 2018 5th round pick out of Arizona State, Canning is a good all around player that profiles as a 4th outfielder.
It was another big night for @gagecanning, who capped a three-hit, five-RBI night with this game-breaking three-run homer in the seventh! pic.twitter.com/wo0o7q2soW— Potomac Nationals (@PNats42) June 14, 2019
42. Cody Morris RHP (Lynchburg-Indians) (NR) Yet another college pitcher from the 2018 draft (7th round out of South Carolina). Morris is big (6'5" 222). He spent the middle of July on the IL. Morris has made six starts since being promoted from Lake County and has 28 strikeouts in in 27.2 innings.
43. Cole Freeman 2B ((Potomac-Nationals) (NR) Like Gage Canning, Freeman is an undersized player from a major college program (LSU). Freeman was the Nats 4th round pick in 2017 and has a strong season (.306/.394/.791 with 25 steals in 31 attempts). Freeman will be 25 in September and it is surprising that he has not been promoted in AA yet.Lynchburg Hillcats RHP Cody Morris over his last 5 starts.— Indians Prospective (@indiansPro) August 5, 2019
- 22.1(IP) 20H 6R 6ER 6BB 26SO 2.42 ERA 10.49 SO/9#Indians #RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/Iu6n9Xwllp
Curtis Terry is really an interesting bat for Hickory. Big kid, very strong here he rips a breaking ball down the line to his pull side for a double. First AB he hit an oppo bomb on a 96 mph FB. pic.twitter.com/pS1kcMflTm— Dan Victor (@slydanno70) April 28, 2019
45. Javier Assad RHP (Myrtle Beach-Cubs) (27) After a stretch in May when he had three consecutive scoreless starts, Assad has struggled with consistency.
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Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Lynn@SRL590 |
46. Nivaldo Rodriguez RHP (Fayetteville-Astros) (46) A 22 year from Venezuela. Rodriguez has held hitters to a .185 BAA in 59 innings since getting promoted to the Woodpeckers on May 16th.
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Photo Courtesy of Joe Dwyer@bullpen_joe |
47. Konnor Pilkington LHP (Winston Salem-White Sox) (34) Has followed an incredibly similar path to Frederick's Blaine Knight. Both were SEC pitchers, picked in the 3rd round of the 2018 draft and promoted from the Sally League to the Carolina League within a day of each other in May. Unfortunately both have struggled in the Carolina League more than expected.
48. Blaine Knight RHP (Frederick-Orioles) (49) Of all the pitchers from the 2018 draft who got promoted for full season A, Knight might have been the most dominant in full season A (26.2 innings allowing just 11 hits with 4 walks while striking out 33). However, Knight has surprisingly struggled in the Carolina League (5.54 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and just 39 strikeouts in 63.1 innings).Konnor Pilkington (@KPilk44) strikes out Brice Turang to begin the game. @WSDashBaseball #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/j0v9wubFde— Bailey Srebnik (@FsuBailey12) August 3, 2019
Blaine Knight has the best stuff I’ve seen from him all year tonight. FB 93-94 t95 with riding armside life. Curveball sharp. Slider and changeup with flashes as well. Command below average, but this is encouraging, he’s missing bats with the fastball. #Orioles pic.twitter.com/RgMpcQ5Fzr— Luke_Siler (@The_Luke_Siler) August 1, 2019
49. Luis Garcia
RHP (Fayetteville-Astros) (28) After a spectacular June (18.1 innings, 9 hits
and 28 strikeouts) Garcia came back to earth in July (6.75 ERA and 1.90 WHIP).
Garcia is averaging 13.02 strikeouts per 9 innings, but needs to reduce the
5.12 walks per 9 innings.
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Photo Courtesy of Joe Dwyer@bullpen_joe |
50. Noah Bremer RHP (Down East-Rangers) (NR) Missed a large chunk of the season with an injury, but has been impressive when healthy (52.2 innings, allowing 38 hits, 14 walks while striking out 48). Bremer is a 23 year old 2017 6th round pick out of University of Washington.
Honorable Mention
Telmito Agustin LF (Potomac - Nationals)
Diosbel Arias INF (Down East - Rangers)
Cam Balego 1B (Myrtle Beach - Cubs)
Tim Brennan RHP (Down East - Rangers)
Jhonathan Diaz LHP (Salem - Red Sox)
Daniel Gonzalez RHP (Salem - Red Sox)
Austin Hansen RHP (Fayetteville - Astros)
Zach Jarrett RF RF (Frederick - Orioles)
John King LHP (Down East - Rangers)
Steven Kwan CF (Lynchburg - Indians)
Gilbert Lara 3B ((Potomac - Nationals)
Malvin Pena RHP (Potomac - Nationals)
Gilbert Lara 3B ((Potomac - Nationals)
Malvin Pena RHP (Potomac - Nationals)
Ofelky Peralta RHP (Frederick - Orioles)
Carlos Sepulveda 2B (Myrtle Beach - Cubs)
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