Welcome to the #8 installment of our Weekly Hot Prospects Report ranking the top minor-league performances from the week ending May 17. 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 thunderous bats and rising stars knocking on the MLB door.
Fantasy baseball owners, take note. CLICK HERE to check out the full list, with ETAs and updated statistics (subscription required).
A quick look at the Top Three
1. Devin Fitz-Gerald (SS, Washington Nationals)
The Verdict: Switch-hitting royalty in the making.
Fitz-Gerald (pictured above) is putting the entire developmental circuit on notice. The 20-year-old switch-hitter put on an absolute clinic this week, hitting 5 home runs and driving in 10 to post an elite 1.234 OPS. Scouts have long raved about his advanced approach and pure hit tool, but his raw power has exploded since his aggressive assignment to High-A. He even homered from both sides of the plate in the same game last week—a majestic feat that is forcing his name heavily into the Double-A promotion conversation.
2. Luke Hill (2B/3B, Cleveland Guardians)
The Verdict: From Ole Miss straight to the history books.
Cleveland’s 2025 fourth-round pick completely dominated the Midwest League last week, officially taking home Player of the Week honors. Hill led all of minor league baseball with a 1.880 OPS, blasting 4 home runs with 11 RBIs and showing incredible discipline via 7 walks. The definitive highlight of his week was a historic 4-for-5 performance where he smoked two long balls and drove in five runs. The data doesn’t lie: Hill’s power profile is developing far quicker than initial draft reports anticipated.
3. Caden Hunter (SP, Baltimore Orioles)
The Verdict: The Baltimore pitching factory does it again.
It is getting unfair how many dominant arms the Orioles are churning out. Hunter blew through his competition across two starts this week, logging 8.2 innings of one-hit baseball. He registered a cartoonish 18-to-3 K-BB ratio and a microscopic 0.46 WHIP. Opponents spent the week guessing wildly at his sweeping slider, proving that Hunter is completely outgrowing Single-A bats.
The “0 ER” Club: Dominance on the mound
The bats were loud this week, but these three pitching prospects built a literal brick wall around home plate:
- Cade Kuehler (ATL): Kuehler gave up just one hit over 12 scoreless innings this week. Paired with 12 strikeouts and a tiny 0.25 WHIP, the Braves’ righty is showing exactly why his 2026 ETA is highly realistic.
- Karson Milbrandt (MIA): Milbrandt was the epitome of precision in Double-A. He fired 6 shutout innings, giving up just 3 hits while striking out 11 and walking absolutely no one.
- Zach Thornton (NYM): Making life miserable for Triple-A hitters, Thornton put up 6 clean, scoreless frames with 9 strikeouts and a 0.67 WHIP, putting himself firmly on the radar for a Queens call-up.
Notable risers & others to watch
- Kane Kepley (CHC) turned in one of the most unique stat lines of the year. He only hit 1 home run, but he crossed the plate 14 times and swiped 8 stolen bases while drawing 7 walks. He is pure chaos on the basepaths.
- Luke Hanson (TEX) and Jacob Gonzalez (PIT) went on absolute run-producing tears, driving in 16 and 12 RBIs respectively while each hitting 4 home runs.
- Rangers prospect Malcolm Moore (TEX) matched Hanson’s pop, logging a 1.731 OPS with 4 home runs of his own in High-A.
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 | Devin Fitz-Gerald | SS | WAS | S/R | High-A | 20 |
| 2 | Luke Hill | 2B/3B | CLE | R/R | Single-A | 22 |
| 3 | Caden Hunter | SP | BAL | R/L | Single-A | 22 |
| 4 | Luke Hanson | SS | TEX | R/R | High-A | 22 |
| 5 | Malcolm Moore | C | TEX | L/R | High-A | 22 |
| 6 | Jackson Kent | SP | WAS | L/L | AA | 23 |
| 7 | Cade Kuehler | SPRP | ATL | R/R | High-A | 22 |
| 8 | Garrett Baumann | SPRP | ATL | L/R | High-A | 20 |
| 9 | Karson Milbrandt | SP | MIA | R/R | AA | 22 |
| 10 | Jackson Lovich | SS | NYY | R/R | Single-A | 22 |