AL East Farm System Report for Dynasty Baseball v6.0

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.

August was a fascinating month for prospect movement in the AL East. It started with the Red Sox promoting their “Big 3” to Triple-A, as the trio of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel moved one step closer to Fenway. Another player heading to AAA was Orioles’ catcher Samuel Basallo, who will now test his skills in Norfolk. After several months of waiting, the Orioles gave Coby Mayo a shot in the Big Leagues, but the 24-year-old third baseman struggled in seven games (2-for-17) and returned to AAA. In addition, several 2024 Draft Class members made their pro debuts at various levels. Here is a recap of the past month in the AL East Farm Report.

 

AL East

Baltimore Orioles

 

Notable Promotions

• Samuel Basallo is joining Triple-A after dominating at AA Bowie. In 106 games, Basallo slashed .289/355/.465 with 16 home runs and 22 doubles. He had a 132 wRC+ and .820 OPS, which ranked 8th in the Eastern League. Basallo is among the game’s elite catching prospects and figures to make his way to Baltimore early next season, albeit at a different position (some guy named Rutschman).
• Venezuelan-born infielder Aron Estrada jumped to High-A Aberdeen this month. The 19-year-old made his domestic debut last season but struggled in 23 games at the Complex. Estrada started this year at Low-A and hit .296 with eight homers and 31 steals in 91 games. Estrada has a small frame (5’8″-140) but has above-average bat-to-ball skills and steals plenty of bases.

 

Notable Performances

• Right-hander Alex Pham was unhittable this month for Double-A Bowie. The 24-year-old finished 4-0 with a 0.99 ERA and 0.73 WHIP in five starts. Pham had 23 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings, allowing just 3 ER, and was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Month. Pham has battled inconsistent control throughout his career but has stabilized this season, dropping his walk rate below 10%.
• Let’s continue the love fest for Samuel Basallo, who hit .363 with three homers, seven doubles, and 15 RBI in Double-A before the promotion. Basallo also had nine walks to 13 strikeouts, posting a .419 OBP and .923 OPS.

 

Boston Red Sox

 

Notable Promotions

• As the great Eric Cross would say, “The big three is now the big four.” The fourth is Kristian Campbell, the red-hot infielder who has joined Anthony, Mayer, and Teel at Triple-A Worcester. Campbell has risen the most this season, starting at High-A Greenville and now pushing to one step from the Majors. Across three levels, he’s slashing .339/.442/.577 with 18 homers and 21 steals. His 185 wRC+ and 1.019 OPS lead all non-complex minor leaguers this season, and Campbell has climbed from a relatively unknown to a consensus Top-75 prospect.
• Mikey Romero, a first-round pick in 2022, has joined Double-A Portland. Romero fills the void left by fellow first-rounder Marcelo Mayer. After an injury-plagued season in 2023, Romero has rebounded to post a .278 average with ten homers and 25 extra-base hits this season. At his best, Romero is a doubles hitter with minimal power and no speed. Romero should settle in at second base in the long run due to average arm strength and athleticism.

 

Notable Performances

• Despite playing in just 12 games, newly promoted outfielder Roman Anthony is scorching Triple-A pitching. In 50 at-bats, Anthony has three homers and three doubles and has posted a .382 on-base percentage. Across two levels in August, the Red Sox’s top prospect had five homers and 17 RBIs. At this rate, Anthony figures to push for the Opening Day roster in 2025.
• Isaac Coffey put together an incredible month, tossing 15 innings of one-run baseball with 31 strikeouts to one walk. Coffey has been stellar throughout the season with a 10-2 record, posting a 3.34 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He has 123 strikeouts in 79 innings, mostly as a starter.

 

New York Yankees

 

Notable Promotions

• 2023 first-round pick George Lombard Jr. leaped to High-A this month. The 19-year-old shortstop is very talented, but his first professional season has been tough. Lombard improved a bit in July, hitting four homers. Throughout the season, Lombard has struggled with making consistent contact and has a 28% strikeout rate.

 

Notable Performances

• Josh Grosz is pushing toward promotion following a terrific August for High-A Hudson Valley. Grosz, a 21-year-old right-hander selected in the 11th round in 2023, finished 3-0 with a 0.51 ERA in his three starts. Grosz tossed 17 1/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits with 12 strikeouts. Control has been a problem for Grosz this season, but he shows strikeout potential with 113 punchouts in 104 innings.
• Roderick Arias has looked much better this month playing for Low-A Tampa. The Florida State League is not the ultimate proving ground, but any progress from Arias is encouraging. Since the start of June, Arias has nine homers with a .245 batting average. Strikeouts remain problematic (37.3%), but Arias has a ton of talent if he can figure out his swing-and-miss issues.

 

Tampa Bay Rays

 

Notable Promotions

• Tre’ Morgan has made his second jump of the season, joining Double-A Montgomery. The third-rounder in last year’s draft has been incredibly consistent across his two previous stops this summer, hitting .361 with nine homers and 19 steals this season. Morgan has incredible contact skills, evidenced by a 9% strikeout rate this season and an 83.9% contact rate. In addition to his offensive prowess, Morgan plays high-level defense at first base and could be their best Minor League defender.
• Yoniel Curet is joining Morgan at Double-A. Curet is a 6’2″ right-hander with a high-powered arsenal headlined by an upper-90s fastball, with two distinct off-speed pitches, a slider, and a changeup. He has 134 strikeouts in 104 innings this season but has an 11.6% walk rate. Curet has a career strikeout rate of 30%, and his future outcome hinges solely on his command and control.

 

Notable Performances

• Logan Workman, a 25-year-old right-hander, went 3-0 in August with a 1.35 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, striking out 25 hitters in his three starts. Workman has been solid this season in the hitter-friendly Texas League, pitching to a 3.73 ERA with 112 strikeouts in 123 innings pitched. Workman is likely a career Minor Leaguer, but if he continues to pitch well, he may earn his way to a cup of coffee in the Majors.

 

Toronto Blue Jays

 

Notable Promotions

• Josh Kasevich, a second-round pick in 2022, made his way to Triple-A Buffalo. The former Oregon Duck is a third-year pro and has experienced success at each of his three lower-level stops. Playing this season in New Hampshire (AA), he batted .284 with three homers and ten steals. Kasevich is a defensive-minded shortstop with solid bat-to-ball skills and an advanced plate approach. In his three professional seasons, Kasevich has just 103 strikeouts to 79 walks with a career OBP of .346.

 

Notable Performances

• In last month’s AL East Report, we discussed the possible turnaround of 2023 first-round pick Arjun Nimmala. The 19-year-old is on a tear at Class-A Dunedin and posted a .321/.360/.607 slash this month with five home runs and eight extra-base hits. Most importantly, Nimmala has improved his strikeout rate over the past 30 days. With his most recent surge, Nimmala is now batting .234 with 16 homers and seven steals on the season.
• Newcomer RJ Schreck has made a nice first impression since being acquired from Seattle. The 24-year-old was one of the prospects added in the Yimi García trade and had a fantastic August. Schreck batted .294 with five homers, six doubles, and five steals in the month. His 1.039 OPS led his team and since joining the Toronto organization, Schreck has reached base safely in 19 of his 20 games. Schreck played his college ball at Vanderbilt and should get an extended look next Spring to join the Major League club.