The divisional reports are a new series put out by the PitcherList 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.
The AL West is filled with exciting prospects, as most of the teams in the division do a good job of finding young talent.
As we enter July, there’s enough data to take a look at the players who have earned moves up or down on the lists. We’ll dive into any major promotions to let you know what to expect from those who might be getting their first chances at the big leagues and what can be expected of them, as well as an update on the need-to-know results from the rest of the names.
For the purposes of these articles, players currently in the MLB will not be included on the prospect lists.
AL West
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Luis Baez, OF – Baez, now the top rated prospect on the list, holds on to his spot with a scorching hot June under his belt. He slashed .317/.333/.610 in the month, with six home runs and 22 RBIs to go along with the the impressive performance. He’s the type of player that will threaten 30 homers per season with his 60-grade power, but has struggled to keep his weight at outfield levels and carries a risk of moving to first base, or even designated hitter, as his career progresses. Nonetheless, he is one of the most exciting international prospects and at just 20 years old, has plenty more time to develop before he makes it to the majors in the next two to three years.
- Waner Luciano, SS – Luciano takes a trip down the list this month. Why? Well he started the season with an OPS that hovered right above .600 for the first 40 games he played at Single-A, but June has largely been forgettable for the youngster. He finished the month with a slash line of .058/.167/.077 in 16 games. You have to play absolutely terribly for numbers to look that bad, Luciano registered just three hits on 54 at bats with a single RBI and a single XBH. Cold streaks happen, but these types of runs can handicap the upwards mobility of young players like Luciano and easily add a year to his expected arrival. At 19 years old he does have time, but the jump from Rookie Ball to Single-A has certainly not gone as well as we might want.
Notable Promotions and News
- Joey Loperfido, OF, HOU – Up, down, up, down… up? That’s where we currently are with Loperfido, who returned to the big league level as of June 21st, but it has not been pretty. The high strikeout rate continues to be a worry, he is 2 for his last 16 with sic strikeouts, with a pinch hit 2RBI single in the 10-5 drubbing of the New York Mets on Saturday June 30th, but other than that has really only had one other impactful game on this big league stint, which came on the day of this most recent call up where he went 3-of-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. It appears like he may stay around for a bit longer this time, but time will tell and I wouldn’t be rushing to get him into lineups just yet.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Harry Ford, C – Ford hard a bad month, with a shocking drop in power. He’s slugging just .256 over the last 31 days and went from two months near or at above an .800 OPS, to falling to .596 in this troublesome span. His speed at the catcher position remains unchanged, which is 4th in the Texas League and drives value in some dynasty builds. He should break out of this slump and is an exciting prospect. If anything, the cold spell might create a good time to acquire him.
- Felnin Celesten, SS – Celesten had his best stretch of the year and posted a 1.093 OPS on a .385/.439/.654 tear with five doubles, three triples and a home run. He’s known as one of the fastest prospects in the organization and certainly shows it with his play style. He’s 18 years old and there’s high expectations that he will climb prospect lists as he gets into the next levels of the farm system.
Notable Promotions and News
- Lazaro Montes, OF – Montes earned a promotion from Single-A to High-A this month by slashing .309/.411/.527 with 13 home runs and 72 RBI over 65 games. This is one of those players that people are interested in paying for now from fantasy owners who may not have truly realized the potential that the 19 year old carries. There’s little reason to think that he won’t continue to perform at an accelerated pace for his age, he’s actually hitting to a better OPS in his first six games with High-A Everett, than he did in those 65-games a Single-A Modesto. There are concerns of him struggling to stay in the outfield, and he could profile as a career designated hitter, but with a 65-grade power tool, you’ll accept that and a higher strikeout rate. We’ll hope that improves for the youngster. He’s arguably one of the fastest rising and exciting prospects for his age.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Abimelec Ortiz, 1B – Ortiz has had a rough two months that probably requires some cause for concern. The 22 year old is at Double-A and struggling to keep his batting average above .200 for the last two months. Since the start of May he is 16-for-132. May was worse than June, where his on base percentage was 100 points worse than this most recent month’s .263 mark. He’s still an intriguing prospect that deserves attention for his bat, but given his 30-grade run and subpar auxiliary skills – he needs to be an amazing hitter and hasn’t shown that in the last 40 games. While it perhaps warrants a move down in our list, he is coming off a Minor League Player of the Year awarded season and has a lot of potential. His career OPS is still above .800 in the minors and had 55 home runs in his first 800 at bats compared to just 5 this season with 200 at bats. It will be interesting to see if he returns to form, and most who play dynasty likely have a long term horizon on Ortiz, but nonetheless, it’s something to be aware of and look out for as either a warning, or an opportunity.
Notable Promotions and News
- Justin Foscue, 2B – was activated and sent to Triple-A on June 26th, the highly regarded prospect has been sidelined since early April with an oblique injury. It’ll be difficult for any Rangers infield prospect to see major contributions this season without an injury, but there’s thought that Foscue could play a utility role later in the year as he continues to work back into playing every day.
Oakland A’s
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Denzel Clarke, OF – Clarke had an electric month, he hit five home runs in just 22 games along with five doubles and 17 RBI. More than doubling his RBI total on the season in the period. He also cut his strikeouts down to just 21 in 79 at bats, and is producing numbers that look a lot more like last years performance than the slow start he was dealing with.
- Will Simpson, 1B – After an electric April, where he slashed .382/.511/.603 in High-A ball, Will Simpson has cooled off dramatically. He drove in 20 RBI’s in his first 20 games this season but has driven in 25 over the last 46 contests while seeing his OPS fall 350 points. This is still a serviceable floor if hot streaks like that opening run come often enough. He’s expected to be in the majors in two years.
Notable Promotions and News
- Darell Hernaiz, SS – was promoted to the Majors and injured, so while he’s technically not supposed to be on the list, he might return to the minors for a rehab with no real promise of being promoted back up when healthy. He had 66 at bats with just a .425 OPS over the span of about 6 weeks.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Caden Dana, P – The top rated prospect in the Los Angeles Angeles system, Dana threw six starts in the month and saw his strikeout rate trend up and his averages fall back towards his season averages. On the year he’s at a 3.09 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP with 88Ks in 84.1 IP. He profiles to be a strong starter and his 6’4″ frame gives a bit more difficulty to hitters when trying to hit his fastball slider combo. He will likely top out as a mid-rotation starter, but a consistent can with good strikeouts are always valuable.
Notable Promotions and News
- Davis Daniel, P – Daniel was called up on June 27th to start against the Tigers and looks to be staying in the rotation after a strong performance. The eight scoreless innings he pitched are not characteristic of the 5.33 ERA and 1.50 WHIP that he has posted in his Triple-A career. However, with a start scheduled against the A’s this week, he could deliver more results and be a potential sell high. He only threw three starts with the Angels last season and José Soriano is due to come back soon. Daniel’s time is most likely short-lived.
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurtwasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)
As stated in the discord at least 3 times by now, the Angels AAA is in Salt Lake City at very high altitude 4,300 feet.
2, Davis Daniel’s peripherals are decent in that stupid park and other PCL hitter friendly places.
And 3, Davis hasn’t made a start before in MLB before this. He made 3 relief appearances in 2023.