Welcome to this week’s Big Movers in the weekly update of the RotoProspects Top 500.
The No. 1 riser is Ben Rice, a 24-year-old Double-A catcher of the Yankees who has been on a magic-carpet-ride of a season that just keeps getting better as he is on a 13-for-23 heater with 3 homers and 2 steals over his last 6 games. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder is up to a .340/.396/.701 triple-slash with 14 dingers and 6 bags in 35 games for Somerset. It’s already the third level he’s dominated this season despite missing two months with a back injury as he put up a 1.082 OPS with 2 homers in 15 games in High-A and a .948 OPS with 2 taters in 10 games in Low-A. Just a 12th-rounder out of Dartmouth in 2021, Rice showed signs of a potential breakout last year when he posted an .810 OPS with 9 homers and 4 steals in 68 games as a part-timer for Low-A Tampa. Now he looks like he’ll challenge fellow prospect Austin Wells to be the Yankees’ catcher of the future, possibly even getting a call to New York in September. With a 55-grade hit tool to go with blossoming power and a knack for stealing bases, Rice blasts up our rankings 217 spots to No. 177.
Next up is Justice Bigbie, a 24-year-old Double-A first baseman-turned-corner outfielder of the Tigers who is destroying a second level this season with a .356/.414/560 triple-slash and 11 homers in 59 games for Erie. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder similarly lit up High-A with a .333/400/.543 triple-slash with 6 homers in 37 games for West Michigan. Just a 19th-rounder pick out of Western Carolina in 2021, Bigbie posted just a .697 OPS with 2 homers in Low-A last year. Bigbie’s breakout is eerily similar to Kerry Carpenter, who was also a 19th-rounder and transformed into a prospect in Double-A last year before blowing up for Detroit this season. Bigbie hopes to keep following the path Carpenter laid out and hit his way into the Tigers’ plans. Bigbie skyrocketed up 199 spots to No. 295.
Darius Vines, a 25-year-old Braves right-handed pitcher who had an impressive MLB debut on Wednesday by allowing just 2 earned runs in 6 innings at Coors Field after posting a 2.86 ERA in Triple-A, leading to a 154-spot jump to No. 266.
Alan Roden, a 23-year-old Double-A outfielder of the Blue Jays who has a combined .902 OPS with 10 homers and 20 steals between New Hampshire and High-A Vancouver, so he shoots up 147 spots to No. 309.
Davis Schneider, a 24-year-old Blue Jays second baseman who has been a revelation in Toronto with an insane triple-slash of .426/.526/.894 with 6 homers in 14 games, and he jumps up 139 spots to No. 110.
Mason Barnett, a 22-year-old Double-A right-handed pitcher of the Royals who has turned it up a notch for Northwest Arkansas with a 1.89 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 innings after posting a 3.18 ERA in High-A, so he shoots up 123 spots to No. 373.
Jansel Luis, a 18-year-old Low-A shortstop of the Diamondbacks who has an .810 OPS with 3 homers and 5 steals for Visalia after putting up an .876 OPS in the Arizona Complex League, so he jumps up 122 spots to No. 238.
John Cruz, an 18-year-old Florida Complex League outfielder of the Yankees who has a .294/.376/.531 triple-slash with 10 homers and 9 steals in 48 games in the FCL, so he vaults up 115 spots to No. 301.
Yordanny Monegro, a 20-year-old High-A right-handed pitcher of the Red Sox who was just promoted to Greenville after posting a combined 2.10 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 55.2 IP between the FCL and Low-A, leading to a 113-spot jump to No. 198.
Jose Corniell, a 20-year-old High-A right-handed pitcher of the Rangers who has a combined 3.01 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 98.2 IP between Hickory and Low-A Down East, and he shoots up 88 spots to No. 267.
Jakob Marsee, a 22-year-old Double-A outfielder of the Padres who has a .900 OPS with 2 homers and 3 steals in his first 9 games for San Antonio after putting up an .838 OPS with 13 dingers and 41 bags in High-A, so he vaults up 88 spots to No. 312.
The biggest faller of the week is Drew Romo, a 22-year-old Double-A catcher of the Rockies who is struggling offensively for a second straight season with a .242 average and .298 OBP, and he plummets 109 spots to No. 389.
The biggest risers inside the Top 100 are Parker Meadows, a 23-year-old Tigers outfielder who has a .900 OPS with a homer and 2 steals in his first 10 games for Detroit to jump 64 spots to No. 92, and Hurston Waldrep, a 21-year-old Double-A right-handed pitcher of the Braves who just got promoted to Mississippi after posting a microscopic 0.75 ERA with 17 Ks in 12 innings in High-A to vault up 57 spots to No. 85.
The biggest faller of the week inside the Top 100 is Druw Jones, a 19-year-old Low-A outfielder of the Diamondbacks who has a paltry .548 OPS for Visalia – he drops 15 spots to No. 78.
Check back next week to see who the biggest movers are when our next update for the Top 500 Prospects comes out.