2 The Bigs

By Sal Corso: April 22, 2024

Ahh yes, minor league baseball is truly underway. All levels (A-AAA) have begun outside of DSL leagues, and some big names are off to big starts. Instead of a full hit sheet this week, I want to cover five prospects who are raking the ball to start the season. For the Bowman collector, I added an age filter to this report (21). You may have seen two of these names right here on 2 The Bigs, you know, since we told you a few months ago to keep an eye on them. Let’s take a look at the full list.

Five Steaming Prospects at the Plate

The hottest hitter in (minor league) baseball, Edgar Quero. White Sox fans have to be licking their chops right about now, given the pro-club may be one of the worst hitting lineups of the decade. MLB.com scouts were concerned that his power would be topped-out at 12-15 HR per year. He’s on an 162-game pace for a 58 (he won’t come close to that, but added to be dramatic). A switch hitter with a smooth swing from both sides, but most power coming from the left. Quero has done what we wish every prospect would do, make more contact as he ages. His K-rate has dropped from high-20% in 2021, down to 16% in 2023 and 2024. White Sox fans may start rioting if Quero and Montgomery aren’t up by mid-summer.

EDGAR QUERO WALKOFF BOMB!!

The 21 year old has hit 5 homers in 14 games, an OPS of 1.124.

He’s getting back to destroying baseballs, just like he did as a 19 year old in Single-A. pic.twitter.com/PzWQBYsvvw

— Dylan (@NotCease) April 21, 2024

No, not Jackson. But if you’re a Bowman collector, you’ve heard of Jaison almost as much as his brother. A young 19-year-old who is crushing the ball at Lynchburg for the Guardians organization (Single-A). Jaison isn’t just starting to hit in 2024, last year he had a very similar split as the one above. The best part? He has a 24% BB-rate compared to t a 15% K-rate. At that age, most prospects don’t have that discipline, even at the DSL level. A switch-hitter with a 60-grade hit tool that’s starting to develop his power early on? Get in now.

Jaison Chourio sizzles his 3rd extra-base hit of the day for the @LynHillcats, a roundtripper to straightaway center.

The @CleGuardians' No. 5 prospect ups his Single-A slash line to .333/.490/.615: pic.twitter.com/quvAP4I970

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 21, 2024

Ricardo was one of my favorite sleepers going into 2024. So much so, that he made my All-Undervalued Prospect Team going into the season. We loved his ability to get on base, and he’s continued to show off that talent (14% BB-Rate and .471 OBP). My mindset hasn’t changed on Cabrera, if anything, the positivity has grown. It’ll be interesting to see how the Reds manage their infield prospects, given it’s where most of their organizational talent is.

Mack. Similar to Quero, is another catcher in an organization that is struggling at the major league level (Miami Marlins). He’s a bit further down the list of top prospects, but he’s impressing non-the-less. The 1:1 BB to K ratio is great, the 39% hard-hit-rate is even better. There is absolutely zero competition at Catcher in the entire organization, so if Mack can continue to show strength at the plate, it’s only a matter of time before the Marlins give him a chance. The problem is that he has generally struggled throughout his minor league career before 2024. Is this development or just a hot stretch. Let’s see.

We covered Keaschall in our 2023 Bowman Draft Checklist Report. Still one of my least favorite sets in market, but Keaschall may add some depth to it. He can do it all. 15 hits (6 XBH), 12 walks and 6 stolen bases in 14 games. The Twins just called up Bowman legend Austin Martin from the depths of their top prospect list. We’ll see if Keaschall can show strength as me moves up to Double-A. Check out our full review on Luke in our previous article.