Welcome to the 19th installment of our Weekly Hot Prospects Report ranking the top minor-league performances from the week of Aug. 21st through 26th:
1. Hunter Goodman, C/1B, Rockies (MLB)
Goodman (pictured above) was so hot in Triple-A last week that he earned a call-up to Colorado and went 2-for-4 in his MLB debut on Sunday. The 23-year-old had taken the minors lead in homers with 34 by crushing 2 dingers on Friday at Oklahoma City. On the week for Albuquerque, Goodman put up a 2.003 OPS with 4 homers and 11 RBIs. The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder had a 1.321 OPS with 9 taters in 15 games in Triple-A after posting an .848 OPS with 25 homers in 91 games in Double-A. Just a fourth-round pick out of Memphis in 2021, the consensus was that Goodman had plus power but that his swing was too long and would get exploited by upper-level pitching. So after belting 34 homers between Low- and High-A last year, when Goodman struggled with a .641 OPS in 12 games in Double-A, it was generally assumed the critics were right. Now we’ll see if the swing is too long to hit MLB pitching. The question for fantasy owners is whether Goodman will play enough catcher to qualify there, as the defensively-challenged slugger has played just 13 games at backstop this year compared to 24 at first base and 35 in the outfield. He started at first base in his debut, so we may not get to use Goodman at catcher, but we’re still dreaming of a 35-homer middle-of-the-order thumper playing half his games at Coors Field, even if he’s just a first baseman.
2. Zach Dezenzo, OF, Astros (Double-A Corpus Christi)
Dezenzo started the week 0-for-9 before going 9-for-19 in his next four games, including two two-homer games. The 23-year-old wound up the week with a 1.244 OPS, 4 homers and 2 steals. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder is up to an .834 OPS with 11 homers and 16 steals in 51 games for Corpus Christi after posting a 1.102 OPS with 4 dingers and 6 bags in 31 games in High-A. Just a 12th-round pick last year out of Ohio State, Dezenzo is becoming one of this season’s biggest pop-up prospects.
3. Ronny Mauricio, 2B/OF, Mets (Triple-A Syracuse)
Mauricio stuffed the stat sheet last week by going 10-for-23 with 7 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 5 walks, 3 steals and a 1.406 OPS. The 22-year-old is in line for a September call-up to New York, putting up a .292/.347/.504 triple-slash with 22 homers and 24 steals for Syracuse.
4. Blake Dunn, OF, Reds (Double-A Chattanooga)
Dunn has been a fixture on this list all season, coming up with another big performance last week – putting up a 1.324 OPS with 9 runs, 3 homers and 2 steals. The 24-year-old is demolishing Double-A with a 1.003 OPS, 12 homers and 28 steals in 63 games after breaking out in High-A with an .871 OPS, 8 dingers and 19 bags in 47 contests.
5. Alexander Canario, OF, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa)
Canario entered last week on a 9-game hitting streak and kept rolling by putting up a 1.587 OPS with 4 homers in his next 6 games. The 23-year-old suffered a fractured ankle and dislocated shoulder after landing on first base awkwardly while trying to beat out a grounder in the Dominican winter league. Canario had surgeries on both his ankle and shoulder, so by the time he returned to action in mid-June, it was understandable that he take some time to round back into form. Coming off a monster 2022 season where he combined for 37 homers and 23 steals over 3 levels, Canario is up to a .899 OPS with 8 dingers and 2 bags in 34 games in Triple-A.
6. Colt Keith, 3B, Tigers (Triple-A Toledo)
Keith is getting the hang of Triple-A, going off last week for a 1.489 OPS, 3 homers and 10 runs while drawing 6 walks against just 1 strikeout. The 22-year-old is up to an .888 OPS with 9 dingers and 1 steal in 44 games for Toledo after posting a .976 OPS with 14 homers and 2 steals in 59 contests in Double-A.
7. Drew Thorpe, SP, Yankees (Double-A Somerset)
Thorpe isn’t skipping a beat in Double-A, striking out 9 in 6 1/3 innings against Hartford on Friday, allowing just 2 hits, 1 run and 1 walk. The 22-year-old right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 30 strikeouts to just 2 walks in 21 innings over 3 starts for Somerset after striking out 138 in 109 frames with a 2.81 ERA in High-A.
8. Chandler Redmond, 1B, Cardinals (Double-A Springfield)
Redmond rode a 3-homer outburst on Wednesday to a big week – a 1.902 OPS with 4 dingers and 6 walks. The 26-year-old is up to 28 homers on the season to go with a .374 OBP, enough so that he will be making his debut in the next weekly-updated Top 500 prospects.
9. Ben Rice, C/1B, Yankees (Double-A Somerset)
Rice just kept on raking last week, putting up a 1.167 OPS with 3 homers and a steal. The 24-year-old is becoming one of the best stories of the 2023 minor-league season, playing just 30 games in his Dartmouth career due to the pandemic, going in the 12th round in 2021, then spending 2022 as just a part-time player in Low-A. He started this season hot with a 1.082 OPS, 2 homers and 3 steals in 15 games in High-A before missing the next two months with a back injury. Rice stayed hot upon returning with a .948 OPS and 2 homers in a 10-game rehab stint in Low-A, then jumping to Double-A and not skipping a beat with a 1.063 OPS, 12 dingers and 5 bags in 32 games for Somerset. Rice is now on the map as a prospect for a team that doesn’t have long-term answers at catcher or first base.
10. Wyatt Langford, OF, Rangers (High-A Hickory)
Langford posted a 1.291 OPS with a homer, 3 steals and 5 walks last week. The 21-year-old has a 1.041 OPS with 3 dingers and 6 bags in 20 games for Hickory and could get a taste of Double-A very soon.
Honorable Mentions
11. Victor Scott II, OF, Cardinals (Double-A Springfield): 12-for-27 (.444), 7 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SO, 3 SB, .483 OBP, .704 SLG, 1.187 OPS
12. Jett Williams, SS, Mets (High-A Brooklyn): 9-for-25 (.360), 8 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 6 BB, 5 SO, 2 SB, .484 OBP, .640 SLG, 1.124 OPS
13. Matt Shaw, SS, Cubs (High-A South Bend): 10-for-21 (.475), 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2 SB, .522 OBP, .905 SLG, 1.427 OPS
14. Hurston Waldrep, SP, Braves (High-A Rome): 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 0.64 WHIP
15. Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays (Double-A Montgomery): 8-for-19 (.421), 5 R, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 SB, .455 OBP, .842 SLG, 1.297 OPS
16. Thomas Saggese, 2B/3B, Cardinals (Double-A Springfield): 9-for-23 (.391), 5 R, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 4 BB, 6 SO, 0 SB, .464 OBP, .783 SLG, 1.247 OPS
17. Gunnar Hoglund, SP, Athletics (High-A Lansing): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO, 0.00 WHIP, 1 HBP
18. Tai Peete, SS, Mariners (Low-A Modesto): 8-for-21 (.381), 3 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBIs, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB, .409 OBP, .762 SLG, 1.271 OPS
19. Bubba Chandler, SP, Pirates (High-A Greensboro): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0.57 WHIP
20. DJ Herz, SP, Nationals (Double-A Harrisburg): 0-0, 2.00 ERA, 9 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 13 SO, 1.00 WHIP