2 The Bigs

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Pirates

Favorites: Seth Hernandez (SP), Jhostynxon Garcia (OF), Murf Gray (OF), Jared Jones (OF)

Sleepers:

Easton Carmichael (C)

First off, he’s going to stay at catcher, which is a plus. The concern from many scouts is his power upside because he doesn’t get much loft on the ball. But he’s hitting really well to start the year. A .300 average, .850 OPS, and 11 HR in 58 games exceeds the low power expectations many have had for him. But as we know, I like a good hit tool with the chance to turn into some in-game power, which he’s doing this year. The floor isn’t the risk — he’s likely to be a pro catcher one day with the elite fielding, framing and arm. It’s the ceiling: can the hit tool stay consistent enough for him to be more? I like the value to find out.

Edgleen Perez (C)

How about another catcher? He came over from the Yankees in the David Bednar deal last offseason. I liked him then, and I still like him now. The Yankees haven’t scouted or developed hitters very well this century, except for the catcher position. Perez struggled after arriving in the Pirates organization in 2025, but he’s found his stride this year: a .300 average, a 1:1 BB:K ratio (15% K-rate), and 34 RBI across 59 games. The power isn’t there yet, but he just turned 20 years old and is still getting comfortable in A-ball. If he can make harder contact, he could be a fast riser up to A+/AA for this organization.

Johan De Los Santos (SS)

The 17-year-old international signing was a BUY on Episode 6’s Bowman BHS segment. Check out my thoughts:

Reds

Favorites: Alfredo Duno (C), Steele Hall (SS), Hector Rodriguez (OF)

Sleepers:

Leo Balcazar (SS)

Leo projects as a utility guy by many scouts. His defense is great (50-grade field and arm), and he can play every infield position except first base. Many consider that his ceiling because he’s a bit small with slower exit velocities. However, he’s got a ton of experience and has seen a 40-point jump in SLG this year (up to .380). Like others on this list, the tools will keep him in the mix, but it’s a question of whether he can take that leap and generate some real, consistent power. The good thing is that his contact and swing rates have all trended positively as he’s moved up levels, and so has the power (slightly). He’ll have the summer to work through some early struggles in AA.

Ryjeteri Merite (SP)

When you’re looking for sleeper pitchers, most come with projected-starter tools but poor in-game performance. Merite has the tools (tall, lanky, high velocity), and he dominated the complex league in 2025. In 2026, he’s struggling a bit, but he’s only thrown 5 GS and 28 IP so far. In those 28 IP, he’s got a whopping 49 K’s. That’s a near 16 K/9 average. I’d like to see him move up to A-ball and begin facing tougher hitters, which would give me a real look at whether he’s a long-term projectable starter.

Cardinals

Favorites: Rainiel Rodriguez (C), Liam Doyle (SP), Blaze Jordan (1B/3B), Ryan Mitchell (OF)

Sleepers:

Sebastian Dos Santos (2B)

He just got promoted from complex league to A-ball, so it’s out of the norm for me to jump in before seeing significant stateside performance. But this is a really patient hitter, and for a young international kid, that’s exactly what I want to see. He’s walked 11 times in his first 10 games in A-ball and has a 21% walk rate overall this year. He hits a ton of line drives (27%) and has a nearly 90% contact rate on balls in the zone. He waits for his pitch, then attacks. Where it gets exciting is the raw power — it’s pretty insane. He was top five in SLG across the DSL last year, and if that translates to stateside pitching, he could be a fast-rising international prospect. He doesn’t have a Bowman yet, but he will be a favorite chase of mine in the upcoming Bowman Chrome setlist (most likely).

Royals

Favorites: David Shields (SP), Justin Lamkin (SP)

Sleepers:

Michael Lombardi (SP)

A two-way player out of Tulane, he’s now only pitching in the pros. At 6’3″, he has the tools: a good mid-90s fastball and a deadly 12-6 curve. But that could also be a flaw. Yes, that two-pitch combo worked well in college, and it’s working again in A-ball, but higher-level hitters will be able to handle that combination, meaning Lombardi needs to develop a true third pitch (some say it could be a slider). On top of that, there are some command issues. Still, he was electric in college, and if things fall into place with his development, he projects as a rotation piece. It’s hard to call a pitcher a sleeper in this organization when David Shields is one of my favorite pitching prospects in the sport, but Lombardi absolutely has the upside. If he develops that 3rd pitch early on in his career, he can shoot up ranks.

Rangers

Favorites: Caden Scarborough (SP), David Davilillo (SP)

Sleepers:

Hector Osario (OF)

I called him out in Episode 8. Osario is smacking the ball. Even after his promotion to A+, his average dropped a bit, but he’s not striking out at all. He hasn’t seen a contact rate below 83% since 2024 (across two A stints and one A+ stint). His best tool is his hit tool, so of course he was going to make this list. His name is starting to show up on other outlets, but it’s still early. This is a sleeper, who’s hit tool is SO GOOD, that he has the potential to move fast. Another likely 1st bowman candidate for 2026 Bowman Chrome.

Malcolm Moore (C)

Moore dealt with a finger injury last year, which as you can imagine, was challenging for a still-developing catcher. Not just behind the plate, but for a college hitter trying to adjust to wood bats. Now he’s showing that his performance issues in 2025 were likely due to that injury. That’s because he’s raking in 2026: a .930 OPS across A+/AA, with no drastic drop-off in his first 10 Double-A games. The risk? He’s got a long, lefty swing that he’ll almost certainly need to tighten up before reaching AA. But he’s attacking the zone and driving the ball with the best of them this summer.