- With over 200 teams spanning three countries and two continents, Minor League Baseball is bigger and better than ever. Assuming ~25 players on each team, that’s over 5000 players playing the greatest game in the world at the professional level! These athletes work hard daily to achieve one goal: to become a major leaguer. While each player is worthy of recognition for their ongoing commitment to greatness, only a select few can be Prospects Of The Month!
With a few weeks left in the MiLB regular season, this will be the final monthly edition of the Prospects of the Month! We will wrap up the series with a Prospects of the Year piece late in September, which will highlight the most outstanding performers in what was another tremendous year of Minor League Baseball. But before we get there, August was great. The weather is hot across the country, with playoff races shaping up and pitchers wearing down after a long season. The offensive outputs were really impressive this month, including several players who had double-digit homers over the last 30 days. Here are August’s Prospects of the Month!
Stats entering play on 8/30/2026
C: Rainiel Rodriguez, STL
Simply put, Rodriguez is one of the best prospects in baseball, not just at the catcher position. The 19-year-old has obliterated every level he’s been at, including Double-A, where he currently owns a 143 wRC+ over his 76 games there. Rodriguez was very hot in August, slashing .400/.448/.800 with eight homers, ten doubles, and 41 combined runs and RBI in just 20 games. That pushes his season-long total to 23 homers and 10 steals with a 144 wRC+ over two levels. Offensively, he does almost everything well, showcasing an advanced hit tool with above-average plate discipline and some of the best raw power in the minors. Even though Rodriguez doesn’t turn 20 until January, there’s a decent chance he breaks camp with the Cardinals as their primary catcher next spring.
1B: Ralphy Velazquez, CLE
There’s no doubt who the player of the month is for August; it’s Ralphy Velazquez of the Guardians. In his best month since moving to Triple-A, the 21-year-old hit an astounding 15 home runs with 32 RBI in just 21 games. His 1.320 August OPS was the best of any player in the International League, and he also had more RBI than any player in the minors. Velazquez had a bit of a slow start with Triple-A Columbus, but has clearly figured it out. Over 73 games at the level, he’s slashing .280/.356/.556 with 21 homers, giving him a total of 28 long balls in 2026. It’s a bit of a surprise that the Guardians have not promoted Ralphy at this point, but he’s clearly ready when the time comes.
2B: Echedry Vargas, MIA
Middle infield prospects in the Marlins’ system had a terrific month, starting with Echedry Vargas, a shortstop playing at Class-A Jupiter. The former Rangers’ prospect has been on a power surge of late, mashing eight homers in July and then 11 more this month. In addition to his power output, Vargas added six doubles and four steals, en route to a 1.330 OPS. That’s now three consecutive months with an OPS of over .900 for Vargas, a 21-year-old in his fourth pro season. This performance is a great sign for Vargas, who debuted as a 16-year-old in the DSL and has struggled throughout his career until finally breaking out this season.
SS: Jordan Groshans, ATL
Despite debuting in the majors back in 2022, Jordan Groshans has yet to exhaust his prospect eligibility in his age-26 season. Age aside, Groshans had a monster month in August, batting .347 with 16 extra-base hits, including ten homers, 25 RBI, and a 1.119 OPS at Double-A Columbus. That makes 29 homers and 79 RBI on the year for the former first-round pick from 2018. Ultimately, Groshans may never see MLB again, but it’s hard to ignore this level of production.
3B: Kyle Lodise, CHW
You’re probably familiar with the Lodise name in the prospect world. After all, Kyle’s cousin Alex was Atlanta’s second-round pick back in 2025. The older of the Lodises had his best month as a pro in August, slashing .312/.440/.591, tallying 13 extra-base hits (6 HR), drawing 21 walks, and stealing nine bases. Lodise’s overall body of work is still a bit underwhelming, as he’s batting just .232 with a near-28% strikeout rate in his first full season. The underlying issue in the profile is that he’s far too passive at the dish, swinging just 34% of the time, one of the lowest rates in the minor leagues.
OF: Walker Jenkins, MIN
As a baseball fan and a prospect writer, I can speak for everyone when I say we’ve been waiting for a month like this from Walker Jenkins since he debuted in 2023. The Twins’ top prospect did his usual Walker Jenkins thing, getting on base at a high clip, hitting for average, and stealing bases at will. But Jenkins also found his power stroke, posting a career-best eight home runs in August. Hitting the ball hard has never been an issue for Jenkins; it’s been lifting it and getting the ball over the fence. Now that he found that power stroke, the Twins decided it was time and promoted the 21-year-old for his MLB debut on August 28th. As expected, Jenkins made an immediate impact, recording a hit in each of his first two games and stealing his first base as a big leaguer. Now that he’s been promoted, the key is simple: stay healthy. If he can, Jenkins is an easy top-100 dynasty asset and a guy you’ll regret not having on your roster.
UTIL: Lazaro Montes, OF, SEA
It doesn’t matter if Lazaro Montes is playing on the moon or in the Grand Canyon; his power will play. That power showed up in a big way this month, as Montes launched nine homers and added four doubles in his first full month at Triple-A Tacoma. With his nine homers this month, Montes now has a career-high 37 homers in 2026, easily surpassing his previous high of 32 last season. We talk a lot about plus raw power and how impactful it can be in fantasy. Montes is the poster child. With back-to-back 30-homer seasons, including hitting 25 at pitcher-friendly Double-A Arkansas, you can argue that nobody in the minors has more power than the 21-year-old Mariners’ slugger.
SP: Austin Gordon, LAA
With Kade Anderson on to the major leagues, someone had to win the Kade Anderson Pitching Prospect of the Month Award. This month’s winner is Austin Gordon, a 23-year-old right-hander in the Angels’ system. Gordon shoved this month, going 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and just five walks in 25 innings at Double-A Rocket City. The ace of the Trash Pandas and former Clemson Tiger improved his season-long ERA to 4.12 over 115 2/3 innings, while also winning seven straight decisions. Gordon still has quite a bit of work to do before he becomes fantasy-relevant, but if he continues to strike out 36% of the hitters he faces, his name will be a lot more visible in fantasy circles.
