Welcome to the #25 installment of our Weekly Hot Prospects Report ranking the top minor-league performances from the week ending September 13. We’re back with this week’s top performers making waves across the minors—and this week’s trio at the top is stacked with rising stars who are soaring up the fantasy baseball rankings.
This week’s board is a Double-A showcase from top to bottom — nine of our Top 10 spots belong to the level, headlined by a Cardinals catching prospect who hit over .500 and backed up by a trio of near-perfect starts on the mound.
The Top Five
1. Rainiel Rodriguez (C, STL, AA, Age 19) — Rodriguez (pictured above) hit .524 on the week, going 11-for-21 with 3 homers and 5 RBIs for a 1.565 OPS. Elite contact skills paired with real power — and doing it as a 19-year-old catcher — make this the headline performance of the week.
2. Jack Gurevitch (1B, STL, AA, Age 22) — Gurevitch hit 4 homers and drove in 9 runs for a 1.555 OPS, going 9-for-20. A power-driven week from one of the deepest systems on this list, and a second Cardinals farmhand in the top two.
3. Arjun Nimmala (SS, LAA, AA, Age 20) — Nimmala went 10-for-24 with 4 homers and 6 RBIs for a 1.523 OPS, doing it all without needing a single walk. Power production from a shortstop this age is exactly the profile dynasty rankings get built on.
4. Brett Sears (SP, ATL, AAA, Age 26) — Sears struck out 10 over 6 innings while allowing just 1 hit and issuing a single walk, good for a 0.33 WHIP. Dominance at the highest level of the minors carries extra weight, even for an older arm.
5. Rory Fox (SP, NYY, AA, Age 22) — Fox was nearly untouchable, tossing 7.2 shutout innings with a 6-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and allowing just a single hit. A 0.26 WHIP over that many innings is about as good as pitching gets at any level.
Other pitchers who were lights-out
The zeroes kept coming behind the top five. Drue Hackenberg (SP, ATL, AA) went a full 8 innings, striking out 9 while allowing just 4 hits for a 1.13 ERA — the longest outing of the week by any arm. Bishop Letson (SP, MIL, AA) wasn’t far behind, striking out 9 over 6.1 innings with a 0.79 WHIP.
Michael Arias (RP, NYY, AA) and Alex Clemmey (SP, WAS, AA) each posted 0.00 ERAs with WHIPs under 0.45, while Bryce Cunningham (SP, NYY, AA) and Mason Molina (SP, STL, AAA) combined for 15 strikeouts and just 5 hits allowed across their outings. Jacob Bresnahan (SP, SF, AA) threw 7 shutout innings of his own, and Jackson Baumeister (SP, TB, AA) struck out 10 over 7.2 innings despite a bit more traffic on the bases.
Rounding out a very deep week on the mound: Boston Bateman (SP, BAL, High-A) struck out 7 in just 5 innings; David Davalillo (SP, TEX, AA) and Steven Echavarria (SP, ATH, AA) each kept WHIPs at or below 0.80; and Patrick Copen (SPRP, LAD, AA), Brandon Clarke (SPRP, STL, AA), and Anthony Eyanson (SP, BAL, AA) all missed bats at a high level despite slightly bumpier lines.
Other hitters who dominated
The bats didn’t slow down outside the top three, either. Jake Gelof (3B, LAD, AA) walked 9 times in just 19 at-bats for a 1.485 OPS, while Bryan Rincon (SS, PHI, AA) and Aroon Escobar (2B/3B, PHI, AA) both cleared a 1.430 OPS — giving the Phillies system two of the week’s best performances.
Max Williams (OF, MIA, AA) and Kala’i Rosario (OF, MIN, AAA) each hit 3 homers on the week, and Devin Fitz-Gerald (SS, WAS, AA) and Ben McLaughlin (1B, ARI, AA) rounded out a group of infielders all north of a 1.300 OPS.
Further down the board: Jesus Baez (SS/3B, STL, AA) hit his 38th and 39th homers this week to give the Cardinals a third hitter on this list, while Austin Hendrick (OF, CIN, AA) drove in a team-high 10 runs. Andrew Fischer (3B, MIL, AA) and Braylon Payne (OF, MIL, AAA) closed out the group, giving the Brewers system two hitters worth tracking heading into next week.
The Top 10 in the Weekly Hot Prospects Report
From dominant arms to scorching-hot bats, here are the Top 10 prospects below who turned heads and boosted their stock. CLICK HERE to check out the full list, with ETAs and updated statistics (subscription required).
| Rank | Player | Pos | Team | B/T | Level | Age |
| 1 | Rainiel Rodriguez | C | STL | R/R | AA | 19 |
| 2 | Jack Gurevitch | 1B | STL | L/R | AA | 22 |
| 3 | Arjun Nimmala | SS | LAA | R/R | AA | 20 |
| 4 | Brett Sears | SP | ATL | R/R | AAA | 26 |
| 5 | Rory Fox | SP | NYY | L/R | AA | 22 |
| 6 | Drue Hackenberg | SP | ATL | R/R | AA | 24 |
| 7 | Jake Gelof | 3B | LAD | R/R | AA | 24 |
| 8 | Bryan Rincon | SS | PHI | S/R | AA | 22 |
| 9 | Aroon Escobar | 2B/3B | PHI | R/R | AA | 21 |
| 10 | Bishop Letson | SP | MIL | R/R | AA | 21 |