Frederick's Week 3 MiLB Review

Taking a look at notable performances from the third week of minor leagues games

By Tyler Fredrick · April 19, 2026 · Updated October 13, 2026

{"template":"baseball-prospect-risers","subtitle":"Taking a look at notable performances from the third week of minor leagues games","readTime":"","intro":"The minor leagues have been going for a few weeks now and while we're not there yet, some players are approaching legitimate sample sizes and getting some real hype as a result. Hartshorn, Tanner Franklin, Ronny Cruz, and more seem to be the biggest names separating themselves while guys like James Tibbs III that got out to hot starts have come back down to Earth a little bit. I said it in an earlier article that it's always better to grab guys early as you can always let them go for someone new so I want to echo that again. If some of those breakout names are still on the wire, go get them before it's too late. If you have any questions about who to drop or add you can always ask us over at fantasy roundup as well, we're happy to help. Now let's look at some of the guys who have played well over the past week. ","tiers":[{"id":"tier-1","label":"% Owned on Fantrax What a week it's been for Gillen who had back to back two home run days this past weekend. This could be a legitimate breakout for him after a very good year last year. He's got a solid feel to hit and while he may be a bit overly patient, his speed plus power combo gives him a huge ceiling. I'm a fan. "},{"name":"Caleb Bonemer","team":"CHW","position":"3B/SS","age":"20","pctOwned":"39","writeup":"Just like Gillen, Bonemer has impressed with his power so far, having added two more homers this past week. He was number 34 on my top 100 prospect list before the season started and his stock has only risen. There's a strong chance that he's top 20 when the next list comes out mid season, potentially even top 10 thanks to his plus power and hit tool combination. "},{"name":"Hector Rodriguez","team":"CIN","position":"OF","age":"22","pctOwned":"21","writeup":"Rodriguez has had a very good minor league career while consistently being young for each level. He boasts average to above average tools across the board and if there's one knock in his game, it's his propensity to swing the bat often and chase outside of the zone. That blemish is the one thing holding me back. He has been much better to begin this season with a 25% O-Swing as opposed to his 46% last season so it will be one thing to keep an eye on as the season progresses. He could be a very solid hitter if he can rein it in. "},{"name":"Franklin Arias","team":"BOS","position":"SS","age":"20","pctOwned":"40","writeup":"Arias has always been a hit tool and glove first guy as a prospect which is why it's exciting to see him hit a homer in three straight games. He models his game after Francisco Lindor and if he can continue to hit homers then that may not be a crazy comparison after all. Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer have been struggling to start the year for the Red Sox and while it's very unlikely that we see Arias this season, he may have a clear path ahead and could be fast tracked to the big leagues if that continues. He's another one of these 20 year olds that may be in the middle of breaking out. "}]},{"id":"tier-2","label":"% Owned on Fantrax It feels like Watson has been around forever after being picked 16th in the 2021 draft but he's still only 23 years old. He's advanced all the way to AAA and he had a big week, highlighted by a 3 hit, 2 homer day last Saturday that also included a stolen base. The hit tool is very questionable and you have to wonder if he will be able to hit in the bigs with sub 70% contact rates but he's got some legitimate power and speed so he could be someone to keep an eye on or even grab in deeper leagues for a high ceiling lottery ticket. "},{"name":"Daniel Pierce","team":"TB","position":"SS","age":"19","pctOwned":"15","writeup":"It felt like Pierce was often overlooked in a lot of FYPD's this season but the 14th pick in last year's draft is off to a tremendous start to the year. He's currently hitting .267/.353/.489 with 3 homers and 3 stolen bases in 11 games. The contact rates haven't been very good so far but it's still early and he's a well rounded hitter that could quickly rise up fantasy ranks with the tools that he has. "},{"name":"Nestor German","team":"BAL","position":"SP","age":"24","pctOwned":"12","writeup":"German Dominated in his last outing, striking out 10 of the 18 batters he faced while giving up 3 hits, 1 run, and walking 1. His splitter is his most exciting pitch but his stuff won't overwhelm you as a whole which likely makes him a 4 or a 5. The Orioles final rotation spot is currently occupied by Dean Kremer, with Brandon Young and Albert Suarez filling in after losing Zach Eflin to Tommy John surgery. None of them are very exciting so there's a chance that German makes his debut in the next few months which makes him one to watch if you're in a deeper league and in need of pitching help. "},{"name":"Devin Fitz-Gerald","team":"WSH","position":"2B/3B/SS","age":"20","pctOwned":"13","writeup":"It's obvious that the Nationals were believers in Fitz-Gerald after sending Gore to Texas for a package headlined by he and Gavin Fien. Fien has struggled in to start the year but Fitz-Gerald certainly has not. After only 43 PA's in A ball last year, Washington gave him an aggressive assignment by sending him to A+ and he has hit the ground running by walking as much as he's striking out while adding 2 homers and 8 SB's. This is a very good all around profile with an above average hit tool and power and speed to go along with it. There's a very good chance that Fitz-Gerald will be on a lot of top 100 lists very soon if he keeps this up. "}]},{"id":"tier-3","label":"% Owned on Fantrax Shores got most of his chances as a reliever at LSU but is getting a chance to start for the Angels. The 6'8\" righty looks to be taking advantage of the opportunity and has been dominant in his two starts to begin the season in high A. He's a good athlete with a big fastball and a slider, sweeper, and changeup to go with it. It's a good arsenal that will play if he can continue to limit the walks like he's done in his first two appearances. He's a good athlete with great size and limited experience so he's the type that could break out as he continues to get more experience. I want to be in on him. "},{"name":"Wyatt Sanford","team":"PIT","position":"2B","age":"20","pctOwned":"8","writeup":"Sanford was known as a glove first prospect but he's been impressive with the bat to begin the season. After hitting only 5 homers last year, he's already hit 4 in 60 PA's and has a .304/.458/.652 slashline to go along with it. He won't continue running a .500 BABIP or 44.4% HR/FB of course, but his glove will likely give him opportunities. While his hit tool isn't anything special, if he continues to show an increase in power then he could be a lot more intriguing in deep leagues. "},{"name":"JT Quinn","team":"BAL","position":"SP","age":"21","pctOwned":"8","writeup":"Quinn was the 69th pick out of Georgia this past draft and may be one of the biggest helium guys to begin the season. He's come out and dominated in his first three starts, striking out 23 of the 51 batters he's faced while only giving up one run. The walks were a bit of a problem in college but that hasn't been an issue so far as he's only walked three batters. The fastball reaches the upper 90's and he has two good breaking balls as well. Get in on him before it's too late. "}]},{"id":"tier-4","label":"% Owned on Fantrax I had to include Murf Gray here after mentioning him as one of my favorite FYPD targets before the season started. He's clearly too advanced for A ball and has been dominating the level with 3 homers and a .380/.466/.640 slash line in 11 games. Please get this man to A+ ball ASAP Pittsburgh. "},{"name":"Cole Mathis","team":"CHC","position":"1B","age":"22","pctOwned":"4","writeup":"With 5 homers in the past week, Mathis has been one of the hottest bats in the minors. The former two way player and 2nd round pick was limited to just 29 games last year with elbow issues that have continually plagued his career. He seems healthy now though, and is demolishing the baseball with good power and above average contact rates to go with it. We really need to see someone his age doing it at higher levels but it's nice to see him healthy and playing well. He's certainly one to watch and hopefully we'll see him at a higher level soon. "},{"name":"Felix Reyes","team":"PHI","position":"1B","age":"25","pctOwned":"2","writeup":"Reyes had been a below average hitter for the majority of his minor league career before putting up very good numbers last year as a 24 year old in AA. He's a huge dude that has already hit four homers this season while also putting up a 115 MPH exit velocity so there's some legitimate power there. His 50% O-Swing and 64% Swing% that he's shown this season give me concerns that he'll get eaten alive by big league pitching though. Still, he's basically free so if you need a bat in a 30 team league then there are worse fliers to take. Edit - I wrote this yesterday before Reyes was called up. He debuted and hit a homer in his first career at bat. A fantastic day for the 25 year old. The power is real so if you need immediate help in that category then he could certainly help but I'm still concerned about the overall approach. "},{"name":"Justin Lamkin","team":"KC","position":"SP","age":"21","pctOwned":"2","writeup":"Our other writer Justin has been tweeting about Lamkin a lot so it's only natural that I add him to this review. The 71st pick in last year's draft has been impressive to start the season, only giving up 2 runs while striking out 14. The low 90's fastball isn't going to blow anyone away velocity wise, but the lefty delivery is deceptive enough that it still misses bats. He's got a good slider and a changeup to go along with it as well. It's a solid arsenal that seems to be too much for A+ ball so I'm not sold yet but I'll be very interested to see how he does as he rises up through the minors. "}]}]}