Fredrick's Week 6 MiLB Review

Taking a look at another week of Minor League Baseball

By Tyler Fredrick · May 10, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

{"template":"baseball-prospect-risers","subtitle":"Taking a look at another week of Minor League Baseball","readTime":"10","intro":"Minor League baseball has been going on for over a month now and it's becoming clear that some guys are way too advanced for the level they were assigned. Guys like Kade Anderson, Seth Hernandez, Mike Sirota, Murf Gray, and more are dominating the level and are ready to move up. Some, like Ronny Cruz, Cole Mathis, Eduardo Rivera, Ben Jacobs and more were promoted early and continue to play well. Seeing how some of these pop guys fare against better competition will really test their mettle and we'll see if they really deserve to fly up some of these prospect rankings. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out, now let's review some players. ","tiers":[{"id":"tier-1","label":"% Owned on Fantrax Despite the strikeouts, Alcantara keeps hitting, smashing two homers last weekend and hitting one again last night. This is his third season in AAA now and the launch angle has improved every year, yet somehow the contact numbers seem to be getting worse, with his contact rate now sitting at 66% to go with a 16% swinging strike. He's chasing at above average rates too so despite impressive power numbers, it's hard for me to see a way that Alcantara succeeds in the bigs without some changes. The Cubs do not have much roster space nor do they seem to want to give him a chance either which makes this all the more frustrating for owners rostering him for some upside. I still recommend holding if you need a high ceiling bat that will be up in the next few months, the Cubs desperately need pitching, especially after the freak Boyd injury, and Alcantara is their top candidate to get sent away in a trade. "},{"name":"Ralphy Velazquez","team":"CLE - AA","position":"1B","age":"20","pctOwned":"39","writeup":"Velazquez is looking like one of the best 1B prospects in the game to begin the season. His .319/.428/.517 slash line is extremely impressive for a 20 year old in AA and even more impressively, he's walked more than he's struck out. The approach is fantastic, he's got power and could be a 30 homer guy one day, what more could you want? If he's still available then grab him quickly as he should be owned in all leagues. "},{"name":"Cole Carrigg","team":"COL - AAA","position":"OF","age":"24","pctOwned":"23","writeup":"Carrigg has been on fire and his .367/.425/.540 slash line has been impressive to begin the season. If we dive a little deeper I have plenty of concerns though. His 87.7 mph average EV is not very impressive and his 6.1 degree launch angle is even more of a problem. His 35% O-Swing and 53% swing% show his free swinging approach which may cause problems in the big leagues. Though his contact numbers have been better than ever this year, I recommend avoiding Carrigg to anyone that has been intrigued by his hot start. Coors is nice but lack of sure power plus his chase tendencies are not my cup of tea. "},{"name":"Felnin Celesten","team":"SEA - A+","position":"SS","age":"20","pctOwned":"30","writeup":"Brendan Gawlowski included Celesten in one of his fangraphs reports a few weeks ago and the write up on Celesten wasn't completely positive. It mentioned a questionable motor despite the obvious athletic tools. Since then, Celesten has been on fire, hitting .361 to go with 7 extra base hits and 5 stolen bases. I highly doubt that the two are related but that's been the story of Celesten's minor league career so far. There's been injuries and last year was not that great overall, but there's also been highs where Celesten shows off his athleticism and potential. I think he can be a very good player down the line but he's a tough guy to evaluate. I wouldn't fault anyone for loving the guy but I don't love the hit tool and the motor concerns have me preferring other players. "},{"name":"Pedro Ramirez","team":"CHC - AAA","position":"3B","age":"22","pctOwned":"23","writeup":"Ramirez hasn't lit up the scoresheet the past week but I wanted to revisit him after talking about him earlier in the season. The EV numbers have still been good, he's currently sitting at a 90.7mph and 110.8 max which would put him in the 71st percentile for average, obviously impressive. I still have a hard time believing that the power is that good though. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up closer to average in the bigs but we're looking at a full time player here even if the fantasy ceiling isn't all that huge. As mentioned with Alcantara, there's no room in the bigs on the Cubs and it might take an injury to get him playing time, but it's nice to see Ramirez continue to play well over a larger sample. "}]},{"id":"tier-2","label":"Lin doesn't turn 21 for another 6 months, which makes his 1.85 ERA in AA even more impressive. His fastball is good even though it sits 93, he's got a complete arsenal with a solid slider, curveball, and changeup. It's not the most overpowering profile, but it's very well rounded and I can see Lin rising up a lot of rankings in the coming months. "},{"name":"Roldy Brito","team":"COL - A","position":"2B/OF","age":"19","pctOwned":"17","writeup":"Roldy has been on fire and now owns an impressive .311/.371/.525 slash line for the season. He's not the biggest guy but has shown some power already and has a projectable frame so there's potential for more down the line. That's exciting for a good athlete like him who already has plus speed. The biggest concern here is the swing and miss that comes with his free swinging approach. Despite that, his contact rates are manageable so if you can look past that there's an exciting, young player here. He's likely to be on my top 100 that will be coming up soon. "},{"name":"Wehiwa Aloy","team":"BAL - A+","position":"SS","age":"22","pctOwned":"17","writeup":"Aloy has hit 2 homers in the past 3 games and is now up to 7 on the season. The hit tool is the reason that he fell to 31st overall in the last draft and while his 30% K rate is a bit high, the 73% contact rate is definitely manageable for a guy with his profile. I'd like to see him continue this at a higher level before getting too excited but he certainly has the tools to be a good fantasy player if the hit tool can hold. "},{"name":"David Shields","team":"KC - A+","position":"SP","age":"19","pctOwned":"16","writeup":"Shields is just 19 years old and has been impressive in A+ to begin the season. He's gone 5 innings or more over the last 4 starts while striking out 7 batters per game, impressive stuff from the youngster on a challenging assignment. The secondaries are good and the command is very good, despite this, it's difficult to get too excited as the fastball only sits in the low 90's. I have him as a solid 4 right now because of it. "},{"name":"Nathan Flewelling","team":"TB - A+","position":"C","age":"19","pctOwned":"13","writeup":"Flewelling was a solid hitter last year but seems to have taken it up a gear in 2026. He only hit 6 homers in 2025 and has already launched 7 to begin the year. His 72% contact rate is actually better than the 70% he showed last season and he's making a strong case to be included in the next top 100 list as a result. It remains to be seen if the catcher defense has improved enough to stick there but the bat is looking like it will play even if he's moved off the position. "}]},{"id":"tier-3","label":"Thompson had a solid 2025 in AAA but a 118 wRC+ and the numbers under the hood weren't all that impressive for a 24 year old in the PCL. He's been even better to begin this year though, and the numbers back it up. His average EV is up, his launch angle is up, and he's walking more and chasing less while maintaining average to above average contact rates, and he's even been better against lefties. It's everything you want to see from a guy repeating AAA. He may earn himself a promotion to the bigs soon and he's got a chance to stick around. The upside might not be huge but he could easily be an average bat and some good depth for anyone in a deeper league. "},{"name":"Caden Bodine","team":"TB - A","position":"C","age":"22","pctOwned":"10","writeup":"Bodine was picked 30th overall pick in last year's draft by Baltimore then sent to Tampa in the Shane Baz trade this offseason. He's done nothing but hit since getting drafted and now owns a ridiculous .411/.456/.652 line for the season. He's another one of those guys that is clearly too advanced for the level. His hit tool was his best asset when getting drafted and it's been as good as advertised. More importantly, he's added 4 homers so far this season. We need to see him do it against better competition but the power is ultimately going to decide how high Bodine can go as a fantasy asset. "},{"name":"Kane Kepley","team":"CHC - A","position":"OF","age":"22","pctOwned":"10","writeup":"Kepley was the Cubs 2nd rounder and has been hot this past week. The 70 grade speedster isn't going to wow anyone with his power (he has 0 homers on the year so far) but the 14 stolen bases and 85% contact rate is what you want to see. He's got a 22.5% walk rate and .453 OBP on the season so he's got the profile to actually take advantage of his speed if he can keep it up as he advances through the minors. With no power, the upside isn't very exciting but he's a good fielder and may be a stolen base asset. "},{"name":"Yophery Rodriguez","team":"BOS - A+","position":"OF","age":"22","pctOwned":"9","writeup":"Rodriguez was traded to Boston in the Quinn Priester deal and was not very good after the move. He hit just .214/.312/.331 in 101 games at Boston's A+ affiliate but has turned it around to start the year. He's already topped last year's home run total and is sporting an impressive .289/.364/.608 line. With so many guys in the lower minors showing huge power breakouts, I want to note that homers are up across the board in most minor leagues. Keep that in the back of your mind when evaluating guys like Rodriguez but don't disregard the numbers either. He's absolutely worth keeping an eye on and I'll be curious to see if he earns himself a promotion in the near future. "}]},{"id":"tier-4","label":"Fajardo has been dominant as a 19 year old in A+, sporting a 1.46 ERA after 24.2 IP. The command he's shown has been the most impressive part to begin the season as he's walking just 2.9% of batters so far. It comes with a fantastic 33.3% K rate thanks to a very good slider and an improving changeup. More importantly, the fastball has been better which will be the key to maintaining this as he advances. He's making a strong case to be a top 100 player. "},{"name":"Handelfry Encarnacion","team":"MIL - A","position":"OF","age":"22","pctOwned":"3","writeup":"Handelfry has been on a power binge, hitting 4 homers in the last 7 games and getting him back on track after a slow start to 2026. Encarnacion did well in the complex league before struggling mightily after a promotion to A ball. It's good to see him get back on track this past week and bring his wRC+ above 100. He's an interesting player as there's definitely some power there so I'll be watching to see if he can build upon this past week of success. "},{"name":"Kyle Lodise","team":"CHW - A+","position":"SS","age":"22","pctOwned":"3","writeup":"The 3rd round pick for the White Sox is sporting a crazy line to begin the season, hitting .181/.398/.349 so far. His 24.8% BB rate and 23.9% K rate are both crazy high and you have to wonder what he's waiting for up there as he's just swinging the bat 27% of the time. The contact rates have been good when he's swung though so I'll be curious to see how he adjusts his approach over time. It may end up being a utility player type of profile but I saw the wild line and had to include him today. "},{"name":"Aidan Cremarosa","team":"TB - A","position":"SP","age":"22","pctOwned":"3","writeup":"Cremarosa threw an impressive no-hitter the other night, going all 9 innings and striking out 11 while only walking 1. The fastball is sitting at 91 mph currently and he pairs that with a changeup that has some nice action, a slider, and a huge curveball. I wish he had a better fastball but as an 8th rounder out of Fresno State, it's nice to see him dominate low A. He's hopefully earned himself a promotion here soon and I will be watching him closely in A+. The Rays do good work so maybe they can do that with Cremarosa. "}]}]}