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.
As far as farm systems go, the American League West is a very unique division. The Houston Astros are well known for getting the most out of their prospects, but it feels like it has been a decade since they had a farm system that was considered to be one of the best in the sport. The defending World Series champion Texas Rangers were picking toward the top of drafts as recently as last summer, and have arguably the best prospect in baseball. There aren’t many teams that have drafted as well as the Seattle Mariners in recent years, and the Los Angeles Angels have been more aggressive than just about any other organization when it comes to promoting their young players to the bigs. Then, of course, we have Oakland, who despite not having a strong farm system has produced some exciting young talent.
We are only a few weeks into the minor league season, so there isn’t a ton of movement here, but some players are performing out of the gates while others are still finding their footing.
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
- Shay Whitcomb, 2B/SS/3B, HOU – Not many players in the minor leagues have had a hotter May than Whitcomb. The middle infielder hit .344 with six home runs and four steals in 24 games, good for a 158 wRC+ and a 1.045 OPS. Of course, we are talking about a 25-year-old prospect with a hot month, but this type of production cannot be ignored, and it’s not like Whitcomb hasn’t produced at other levels. He offers a nice combination of power and speed, along with positional versatility, if he can find a path to the Houston MLB roster.
Notable Promotions and News
- Joey Loperfido, OF, HOU – Last month’s article highlighted how Loperfido was finally getting the call to the majors after demolishing Triple-A. And here we are a month later and he’s right back down. Despite the huge success at Triple-A this season, Loperfido always came with a high strikeout risk. That was on full display in the majors, as he posted a strikeout rate near 40% in 14 games. That being said, he made the most of his swings that did make contact, triple slashing .333/.381/.436. It’s unclear what Houston’s plan is with the 25-year-old – they have multiple MLB bats that are struggling, including José Abreu and Chas McCormick, who both just returned to the big league team.
- Jeron Williams, 2B/SS/3B, HOU – Williams very well could be someone to keep an eye on. The Astros selected the infielder with the 284th overall pick in last summer’s draft and he made quick work of High-A, triple slashing .310/.366/.552. Williams also belted five home runs and swiped 12 bags while striking out less than 20% of the time. That performance has earned him a chance to prove himself at Double-A. If he hits there he will really start to pop up on people’s radars, but he is a nice deep-league target for now.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Logan Evans, P, SEA – This is a loaded system, so it was noteworthy that it was Evans who was getting the most helium of any Seattle prospect (outside of maybe Colt Emerson) coming into 2024. The early returns have been…fine. Through five April starts, the right-hander who was taken in the 12th round of last summer’s draft tossed 22.2 innings of 1.99 ERA ball while striking out 14 and walking 11. The run prevention was nice, but the walk and strikeout numbers left a lot to be desired and hinted at some possible regression. Then the calendar flipped to May and the pitcher that was hyped this spring has arrived. Evans made five starts, striking out 33 in 28.2 frames while allowing just two earned runs. He only walked four. His stock arrow is pointing way up, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him in Seattle at some point this season.
- Felnin Celesten, SS, SEA – The dynasty baseball community was robbed a season ago, as one of the most highly anticipated signees from the international class was unable to get into game action due to a hamstring strain. Fortunately for us, it appears that Celesten is more than worth the wait. Through his first 17 professional games, the 18-year-old is slashing .338/.429/.538 with two home runs and three steals. As a reminder, Celesten skipped the DSL, so he’s doing this stateside. He’s one of the biggest risers so far this season.
Notable Promotions and News
- Tyler Locklear, 1B, SEA – Locklear is a power-hitting right-handed bat. The first baseman got off to a scorching start at Double-A, slashing .291/.4001/.532 with eight home runs in 41 games. His .241 ISO was right in line with his .243 ISO in 61 High-A games a season ago. That performance earned him a promotion to Triple-A at the end of May, so Locklear is getting his first taste of the highest level of the minors. The Seattle offense has been sluggish in 2024, so if Locklear performs in Triple-A he may see some MLB opportunities in the near future.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B, TEX – It’s kind of strange to highlight a player hitting .193, but here we are. So much was initially made about Ethan Salas playing (and struggling) at High-A as a 17-year-old that it’s been somewhat forgotten that Walcott is at the same level and only three months older. Walcott is also struggling, triple slashing .193/.331/.314, but there are some encouraging signs here. He’s striking out 27.8% of the time, and while that is a higher number than we’d like to see, it’s a notable improvement over his 32.5% mark in Complex ball a year ago. He’s also increased his walk rate from 6.4% to 16.6%. And given the weird offensive environment this year, Walcott’s performance this year is actually fairly close to the league average (95 wRC+). So yes, the triple slash is ugly, but I’m weirdly more in on Walcott now than two months ago.
Notable Promotions and News
- Brock Porter, P, TEX – The lack of news is the news here with Porter. Coming into 2024, Porter was in the discussion for the top pitching prospect in the organization. The 20-year-old made three starts with High-A, totaling 8.1 innings and eight strikeouts while allowing four runs. Perhaps most concerning, he issued 13 walks. Texas wanted him to work on his issues and assigned him to the Arizona Complex League back in late April, but he hasn’t appeared in game action since.
- Jack Leiter, P, TEX- Leiter was highlighted in the May edition of this update and we will note him again this month. After making his MLB debut back in April, Leiter got the call again in May and made two starts. They didn’t go well. The righty allowed four earned runs in four frames against Oakland and then surrendered six runs in 1.2 frames against Cleveland. He’s back in Triple-A, and he’s had one good start and one horrific one since then. Leiter’s 2024 has been inconsistent, to say the least.
Oakland A’s
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Henry Bolte, OF, OAK – What a May it has been for Henry Bolte. The 20-year-old outfielder triple slashed .292/.457/.539 in 25 High-A games, belting four home runs and swiping 11 bags. But perhaps more impressive were the gains he made in his plate approach. In those 25 games, Bolte walked 19% of the time while striking out at a 25.9% rate. While that strikeout rate may be high at first glance, it’s a significant improvement over what we saw in April, when Bolte struck out at a 38.7% clip while walking just 8.6% of the time. If Bolte has truly turned a corner in this department then he is a true breakout prospect – one that has tallied seven home runs and 20 steals in just 45 games so far.
- Will Simpson, 1B/3B, OAK – Oakland took Simpson in the 15th round of last summer’s draft and all he has done is rake since then. The righty bat spent the majority of his time post-draft at Single-A in 2023, slashing .322/.373/.522 with four home runs and three steals in 29 games. Now at High-A in his age-22 season, he’s putting up similar numbers – through 44 games, Simpson is slashing .307/.432/.410 with four home runs and three steals. That’s good for a 163 wRC+. Simpson is getting the majority of his playing time at first base, but Oakland has also run him out at third for a handful of games. Either way, his bat will have a high bar to clear, and the fact that he’s produced this well as a 15th-rounder is already a win for Oakland.
Notable Promotions and News
- Jacob Wilson, SS, OAK – Wilson absolutely tore through Double-A, hitting a ridiculous .455 with three home runs and two steals in 22 games. The sixth overall pick in last summer’s draft earned a promotion to Triple-A in mid-May but has only appeared in six games due to a knee injury. He hasn’t played in a game since sustaining the injury on May 15th, and Oakland has no reason to rush him back, so it’s doubtful that we see Wilson with the big-league club anytime this season, especially since his average at Triple-A cratered all the way down to .375 in the small sample.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances
- Nelson Rada, OF, LAA – Rada is someone worth keeping tabs on all year just given the absurdly aggressive assignment he received. As a refresher, the Angels were aggressive with Rada last year. As a 17-year-old, the outfielder spent the entire season at Single-A and more than held his own, slashing .276/.395/.346 with 55 steals in 115 games. This year, the Angels had Rada skip High-A entirely and start 2024 in Double-A. Unsurprisingly, he’s been overmatched. Through 46 games, the 18-year-old has slashed .225/.289/.247. He does have 19 steals, but he only has four extra-base hits. Again, he’s only 18, so I’m not sure what to make of all of this other than that it is looking like a completely unnecessarily aggressive path.
Notable Promotions and News
- Ben Joyce, P, LAA – Joyce is a flame-throwing relief-only prospect that you may recognize from his college days at the University of Tennessee. The Angels took Joyce in the third round of the 2022 draft and unsurprisingly, Joyce saw some MLB time last season. He struggled, posting a 5.40 ERA with 10 strikeouts and nine walks in 10 frames. The results have been better at Double-A so far in 2024, as he’s striking out 43% of the batters he faces. He’s always going to walk people, so his 13.9% walk rate is not surprising, but a K-BB rate at that level will certainly play.
- Dario Laverde, C, LAA – Laverde started the season at Single-A and struggled at the dish, hitting just .211 with a 30.6% strikeout rate. Once Complex League started up, the 19-year-old catcher was sent down a level, presumably as a way to make sure he gets optimal at-bats and playing time. He’s hitting better there, triple slashing .316/.372/.421, and it’s likely Laverde will be back in full-season ball once the Complex League wraps up play.
How does Colby Thomas not make the A’s top 10?