The divisional reports are a new series put out by the Pitcher List dynasty team. These reports provide a list of the top ten prospects on each team in the division and highlight two players from each organization. Each division will be updated once per month by our divisional experts. You can look for these reports every Thursday and Friday during the first three weeks of each month.
The AL East has been incredibly inconsistent with promotions this season, with most of the activity isolated to the Red Sox, who made seven promotions in June alone. The rest of the division continues to lag, although a few notable promotions did happen in June. Speaking of the Red Sox, their organization has some of the hottest hitters on the MiLB landscape right now, headlined by Kristian Campbell and a player that Chris Clegg has dubbed “The Password” Jhostynxon Garcia. Campbell and Garcia are both trending toward massive jumps in the latest prospect rankings.
AL East
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Promotions:
- Ok, fine. It technically happened on August 1st, but Coby Mayo has arrived!! As fantasy owners, we’ve anticipated Mayo’s arrival with every IL stint or struggle for Ramón Urías, Jorge Mateo, or Jackson Holliday along the way. While Mayo’s arrival is exciting, it comes at the cost of Jordan Westburg, who suffered a broken hand in late July. In any event, the 22-year-old Mayo has dominated at the Triple-A level, batting .287 with 32 homers and 116 RBI in 139 games over two seasons. If you want more about what Mayo brings, check out my Prospect Spotlight on Mayo from last summer.
- Mayo is not alone in Baltimore, as top-prospect Jackson Holliday rejoined the O’s on July 31st. After a dreadful 2-for-34 in his MLB debut in April, Holliday returns to Baltimore seeking revenge. Following his initial demotion, Holliday struggled at Triple-A Norfolk but returned nicely with a good May and a strong July. In total, Holliday has a .271/.431/.477 slash line with ten homers, 25 doubles, and eight steals this season.
Notable Performances:
- 2023 first-round pick Enrique Bradfield Jr. is finding his stride at High-A Aberdeen. In July, the 22-year-old outfielder slashed .324/.388/.423 with four doubles and 14 steals. After hitting .234 in April, Bradfield has improved each month and has an overall line of .281 with three homers and 53 steals. Bradfield is a game-changer on the bases but offers minimal offensive upside.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Promotions:
- Get used to the name Franklin Arias. The 18-year-old shortstop joined Low-A Salem on July 23rd. Arias is a hot name in prospect circles, and for good reason. He completely dominated the Complex League in his stateside debut, slashing .355/.471/.584 with six homers and 30 steals. Arias also nearly had as many walks (34) as strikeouts (36). The Red Sox signed him as an international free agent in January 2023, and he’s already paying huge dividends.
Notable Performances:
- Right-hander Yordanny Monegro has rebounded from a rough debut in the South Atlantic League and has been nearly unhittable in his last four starts. Monegro was promoted in early June, pitching to a 7.00 ERA in his first month plus at Greenville. Since then, Monegro has thrown 19 scoreless innings, allowing eight hits with 21 strikeouts to five walks. Monegro was the starting pitcher on August 1st when Greenville no-hit Wilmington, throwing five innings with six strikeouts. Monegro is among the top arms in the Red Sox’ system.
- Isaac Coffey has pitched well all season long for Double-A Portland. He’s 8-2 on the season with a 3.84 ERA. Of late, Coffey has been unbeatable, going 4-0 with a 3.00 ERA and holding hitters to a .228 average over five July starts. While Coffey isn’t an overly exciting name in prospect circles, as he relies on deception and keeping hitters off balance rather than a power arm, he should get a cup of coffee at Triple-A shortly.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Promotions:
- There were no notable promotions this month, but outfielder Jasson Domínguez returned to Triple-A after completing rehab in the low Minors. Since returning, the Martian is hitting .340 with two homers, three doubles, and three steals over 13 games. Inevitably, Domínguez will return to the big leagues, but after the Yankees acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton returned from the IL, there is no clear path to playing time in the Bronx for their top prospect.
Notable Performances:
- Will Warren made a spot start for the Yankees on July 30th, but his performance at Triple-A landed him on this report. In five July starts, Warren struck out 36 hitters over 27 innings, finishing the month with a 3.67 ERA. Despite his stellar July, the 2024 season has been a huge disappointment. Warren has an ERA north of 6 on the season and has allowed 18 home runs in 95 2/3 innings. He remains among the organization’s top options in the Minors, but Warren must find a way to limit hard contact.
- Right-hander Cade Smith was nearly unhittable in July, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.35 ERA and 0.70 WHIP for Low-A Tampa. Smith struck out 28 batters in 20 innings, allowing just six hits and limiting them to a .094 average against. The 2023 6th-round pick has 111 strikeouts this season to just 40 walks over 85 2/3 innings and should be in line for a promotion shortly.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Promotions:
- After destroying the South Atlantic League, 2023 1st-round pick Brayden Taylor has climbed to Double-A Montgomery. Taylor has been outstanding in his rookie campaign, batting .271 with 14 homers, 44 extra-base hits, and 26 steals. There are some concerns over his 30% strikeout rate, but Taylor has one of the higher floors in the Minors. He is a consensus Top-100 prospect and should continue to be a fast mover in the Rays’ system.
- Xavier Isaac has escaped Class A and will join Taylor and many of the Rays’ top prospects at Double-A Montgomery. Much like Taylor, Isaac has dominated in High-A and has been worthy of a promotion for a long time. In 70 games, the 20-year-old has a .288 average, with 15 homers and 14 steals. He too has strikeout woes (35%), but Isaac is one of the most talented prospects in the Minors and has elite-level tools. If Isaac can perform well over the last month of the 2024 season, he may get a shot to compete for the Opening Day roster next Spring.
Notable Performances:
- Chandler Simpson is running wild at Double-A, literally. The 23-year-old has 80-grade speed and parlayed that into 16 stolen bases in July. Much like Bradfield, Simpson offers very little on the offensive front, but his elite speed has accounted for 72 steals already this season after finishing with 94 last year.
- Second baseman Cooper Kinney, a 21-year-old playing at High-A, had a hot July. The third-year pro hit .359 with four homers, 11 doubles, and added two steals. Kinney is not a stranger to being an above-average hitter, boasting a .284 career average in the Minors, although his hit-over-power profile is mostly empty batting average.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Promotions:
- Shortstop Leo Jiménez made his MLB debut on July 4th after six seasons in the Jays’ organization. Jiménez signed as a 16-year-old in 2017 and has relied on his stellar defense to work his way to the Majors. Jiménez is hit-over-power with a .278 career batting average with just 22 homers and while it’s unlikely that he offers enough offense to sustain a long career in the big leagues, Jiménez may suffice as a utility infielder.
Notable Performances:
- Could things be turning around for Arjun Nimmala? The 2023 First Round pick had a power surge in July, belting six home runs in 22 games for Class A Dunedin. With the power came another month of an ugly strikeout rate (42%), which has plagued the youngster all season. Ultimately, Nimmala was one of the younger players in the 2023 class and won’t turn 19 until October.