Welcome to this week’s Big Movers in the weekly update of the RotoProspects Top 500.
The No. 1 riser is Jacob Misiorowski, a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher of the Brewers who has dominated in two starts since getting promoted to High-A – 8.1 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. The 6-foot-7 flame-thrower had a 3.04 ERA with 46 Ks in 26.2 innings in Low-A. A 2nd-round pick last year out of Crowder JC in Missouri, Misiorowski had a rocky pro debut last season when he walked 7 in 1 2/3 innings for Low-A Carolina. Misiorowski catapulted up 120 spots to No. 108 as him improved control to go with his premium stuff have him emerging as one of the most exciting pitchers in the minors.
Next up is Austin Charles, a 19-year-old shortstop of the Royals who took only 2 games in the Arizona Complex League (where he was 5-for-11 with a homer) to earn a promotion to Low-A. The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder has cooled off for Columbia, going 3-for-22 in his first 6 games. A 20th-round pick last year out of Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, Calif., Charles signed for an above-slot $430,000 to buy him out of a commitment to UC-Santa Barbara. Charles skyrocketed 112 spots to No. 363 and will inevitably draw comparisons to Oneil Cruz and Elly De La Cruz as a tall shortstop with elite athleticism, but he’s raw, so let’s see where this goes before we get ahead of ourselves.
The other biggest risers this week are:
Ivan Herrera, a 23-year-old Triple-A catcher of the Cardinals who has a .969 OPS with 7 homers and shot up 107 spots to No. 211.
Thayron Liranzo, a 19-year-old Low-A catcher of the Dodgers who has a .903 OPS with 14 homers and shot up 95 spots to No. 362.
Luis Baez, a 19-year-old Florida Complex League outfielder of the Astros who already has 5 homers in 9 games with a 1.375 OPS, leading to a 92-spot rise to No. 394.
Chase Hampton, a 21-year-old Double-A right-handed pitcher of the Yankees who debuts today for Somerset after posting a 2.68 ERA with 77 Ks in 47 innings for High-A Hudson Valley, so he jumped up 78 spots to No. 226.
Jared Serna, a 21-year-old Low-A second baseman of the Yankees who has a .911 OPS with 12 homers and 14 steals, leading to a 71-spot rise to No. 403.
Luis Lara, an 18-year-old Low-A outfielder of the Brewers who is batting .309 with a .442 OBP for Carolina and vaulted up 63 spots to No. 283.
Chad Dallas, a 22-year-old Double-A right-handed pitcher of the Blue Jays who has a 2.89 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP and 61 strikeouts in 53 innings, leading to a 63-spot jump to No. 398.
Jackson Wolf, a 24-year-old Double-A left-handed pitcher of the Padres who has a 3.70 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 56 innings, leading to a 61-spot rise to No. 353.
Ethan Wilson, a 23-year-old Double-A outfielder of the Phillies who has a .859 OPS with 10 homers and shot up 59 spots to No. 393.
Chase Meidroth, a 21-year-old Double-A second baseman of the Red Sox who has a .928 OPS in 25 games for Portland after a .954 OPS in 20 games in High-A, leading to a 59-spot jump to No. 291.
Cody Bradford, a 25-year-old Rangers left-handed pitcher who allowed 1 run in 4 1/3 innings for Texas on Tuesday after compiling a 1.82 ERA in Triple-A, leading to a 59-spot rise to No. 401.
The biggest faller of the week is Ryan Kreidler, a 25-year-old Triple-A infielder of the Tigers who had core muscle surgery on the heels of a knee injury after going 2-for-18 earlier in April for Detroit and plummeted over 130 spots out of the top 500.
The biggest riser inside the Top 100 is Orelvis Martinez, a 21-year-old Double-A shortstop of the Blue Jays who has raised his batting average from .089 on May 9 to .212 for New Hampshire with 12 homers in that time – he shot up 34 spots to No. 95.
Luis Matos, a 21-year-old Giants outfielder, hit his 6th homer in 6 Triple-A games on Tuesday, then got called up to replace injured Mitch Haniger in the San Francisco outfield and singled in his MLB debut – he jumped up 24 spots to No. 19.
The biggest faller of the week inside the Top 100 is Miguel Bleis, a 19-year-old outfielder of the Red Sox who will be having season-ending shoulder surgery after struggling with a .607 OPS in Low-A and dropped 35 spots to No. 112.
Check back next week to see who the biggest movers are when are next update for the Top 500 Prospects comes out.