After another week of action, a spate of strikeouts has cost his spot atop the hitter leaderboards. has slipped in above him. Top pitcher status is harder to judge. , , , and all have a case. Lets see who else merits a look. Five Big Hype Prospects , 25, SP, CWS (A/AA) 56.2 IP, 11.1 K/9, 5.7 BB/9, 6.99 ERA A southpaw pitching prospect who was once as blue chip as they come, Eder hasnt recovered well from Tommy John surgery. While his elbow is healthy, hes lost velocity, movement, and command since his prospect peak. The White Sox dealt for Eder at the trade deadline and likely wish they could ctrl-z that decision. Following Ryan Bliss Jersey the swap, Eder coughed up an 11.42 ERA in five starts for the Sox Double-A affiliate. On a positive note, Eder has a 3.24 ERA in 8.1 AFL innings good for ninth-best in the league. Hes coughed up a pair of home runs to go with eight walks and 10 strikeouts. The book isnt closed on Eder, but he needs to take an active role in writing the next chapter. The current chapter is titled TINSTAAPP. , 22, SP/RP, WSH (AA) 94.1 IP, 12.7 K/9, 5.4 BB/9, 4.01 ERA Another southpaw traded at the deadline, Herz is widely seen as a future reliever due to a below-average fastball and breaking ball. His command is also poor. Where he stands out is his changeup. Its a carrying pitch that should yield a Major League future. Herz continues to work as a starter in the AFL where hes posted 18 strikeouts in 11 innings. Alas, his command woes (six walks) continue to limit his ability to pitch deep into outings. We await to see if his stuff plays up out of the bullpen. Jr., 22, OF, PHI (A/A+) 533 PA, 15 HR, 32 SB, .248/.351/.427 A third-rounder in the 2022 draft, Rincones Jr. is best known for high-caliber exit velocities. Hes expected to wind up at first base due to suspect corner outfield defense and poor speed. Despite a lack of wheels, Rincones has shown aptitude on the bases a trait that can sometimes portend a gamers mentality. His bat should carry him to the Majors without any major adjustments. At the very highest levels, he might prove too susceptible to breaking stuff. With players of this profile, breaking ball recognition is usually the difference between a big leaguer and a Quad-A guy. Rincones is among the top 10 AFL hitters with a .327/.462/.577 triple-slash. , 21, OF, COL (A+) 497 PA, 10 HR, 18 SB, .251/.336/.370 A former eighth-overall pick, Montgomery has seen his prospect status rapidly erode since draft day. Speed remains his best trait, though he also demonstrates above-average power. His contact is held back by funky mechanics. Most organizations the Rockies among them arent adept at developing players with a non-standard approach. Theyre often left to sink or swim on their own. Encouragingly, Montgomery has cut down on his swinging strike rate at every level. He needs to continue that growth while doing something about the extreme 62.6 percent ground ball rate he posted this season. He also needs to improve his outfield defense where his double-plus speed helps him to recover from poor jumps and routes. Hes slashing .373/.468/.510 in the AFL, albeit with 17 strikeouts in 60 plate appearances. , 23, 1B, NYM (AA) 277 PA, 4 HR, 4 SB, .302/.383/.437 Schwartz doesnt have much of a shot with the Mets. Hes likely in the AFL to showcase him in front of other teams. He has the look of a future big leaguer the sort who helps rebuilding teams trudge through another season. While Schwartz has the physical size to hit for power, his current approach is built around batting average and OBP. Hed draw more attention in the pre-Moneyball era. In 45 plate appearances, he has six doubles and two home runs along with a 1.011 OPS. Three More , TEX (24) : Hicks has low-key paced the league on the hitting side including a six-hit day. Despite the heady results, hes not particularly impactful with the bat. His catching is of the third-string variety hes struggled to control the running game throughout his entire career. Other aspects of his defense draw critiques. Without an obvious position, Hicks looks like a tweener whose plus discipline and contact rate could hide his shortcomings. , CLE (23) : Manzardo, who weve already discu sed ad nauseam in past episodes, leads the league with five home runs and 11 extra base hits. The power adjustment he showed upon joining the Guardians remains in evidence. , PHI (26) : A Rule 5-eligible second baseman, Dunn is making a case for consideration. He popped 21 home runs with 16 steals this summer while showing plus plate discipline. Hes strikeout-prone, but the power breakout renders that more forgivable. In 46 AFL plate appearances, hes swiped nine bases to go with a 1.076 OPS, three doubles, three triples, and a dinger. Did I mi s a detail or nuance? DM me on Twitter @BaseballATeam to suggest corrections. Logan Gilbert Jersey
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