Here is another check-in on PLV and Fan4+ darlings around the minors. Instead of looking at the biggest names, let’s look at some of the best recent performers who may not have the prospect profile to earn dynasty respect, but could make their real-life value known soon.
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Sorry for the abbreviated version this week. My wife and I have become fixtures at our local emergency room, apparently. If there is a prospect you would like to know more about or that warrants highlighting, leave a comment!
Checking in on (A) Big-name Prospects:
Chayce McDermott, 26, Baltimore Orioles
Season Stats: 6 GS/19.1 IP/9.31 ERA/22.9% K%/21.9% BB%/2.07 WHIP
Weekly Stats: 2 GS/6.1 IP/19.89 ERA/12.8% K%/25.6% BB%/3.32 WHIP
Chayce McDermott’s 2025 season has mirrored the Baltimore Orioles‘ biggest frustrations—high expectations met with repeated letdowns. Once viewed as arguably the team’s top pitching prospect, the 26-year-old righty has failed to deliver in a year when the big-league rotation desperately needed support.
In two MLB starts, McDermott allowed more baserunners (via hits or walks) than innings pitched and couldn’t keep the ball in the yard. It’s fair to cut a young arm some slack for debut jitters—he admitted to being “nervous before every start”—but nerves can’t explain away consistent implosions. Baltimore optioned McDermott back to Triple-A Norfolk in late May, hoping he could recalibrate. So far, the opposite has happened.
Through two June starts, he’s walked twice as many as he’s struck out, surrendered 14 earned runs in just 6.1 innings, and been tagged for 11 hits. There’s no spin zone here—McDermott looks lost. After missing nearly a month with a right lat strain, maybe he’s still working back into rhythm. But his inability to command the zone is a rhythm-killer every single outing.
McDermott’s game was never built on pristine control. It was his raw stuff that made him a fringe Top 100 prospect and gave Baltimore hope he could carve out a role in the back end of the rotation. Now, even that seems in question. According to PLV, none of his primary pitches grade out as league average, and his top three offerings all fall under a 4.00 PLV, well below viable MLB standards.
Whether it’s mechanical, mental, or both, something’s broken. The window of opportunity is still open for McDermott to earn a long-term spot in Baltimore’s rotation. But even a contending team in need of arms can’t afford what he’s offering right now. If there’s a turnaround coming, it has to start soon—and it’ll take more than potential to get there.
Look under the PLV hood:
Weekly Four-Seam Standouts
This section could be a combination of Bubba Chandler (141 on June 5), Jacob Misiorowski (154 on June 7), or Andrew Painter (122 on June 4), week in and week out. Those pitchers are among the cream of the prospect crop, and their fastballs are a large part of their success. Instead of honing in on the player’s managers many already know, here are some other above-average offerings and what makes them worth noting.
Ryan Degges, 22, Philadelphia Phillies
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 115 Fan 4+ on June 4, 2025, start
MiLB Season Stats: 10 G (6 GS)/38.0 IP/1.42 ERA/25.8% K%/12.6% BB%/1.21 WHIP
Even with the MLB Draft cutting in half from 40 rounds to 20 rounds, those later rounds will always be where a solid organization can glean value. Even the worst drafting teams can luck into one or two late-round flyers turning into something, but those that can increase that hit rate are the franchises we strive to work for. The Philadelphia Phillies are still going through some ideological draft changes, and 17th-round pick Ryan Degges could be the latest product of that change. The former Charlotte pitcher had a forgettable season in 2024, posting a 5.53 ERA in 42.1 innings of work as a reliever. But the Trackman loved the righty’s fastball/slider combo, and Degges’ two-way-player history suggested there was more untapped potential on the mound.
Lo and behold, it seems there was.
.@ryandegges goes scoreless through 3.2 innings with 7 K’s 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4NRlh8mZIL
— Clearwater Threshers (@Threshers) May 4, 2025
The 22-year-old has four seven-strikeout games in six starts, all while allowing only six earned runs on the season. Degges is still being stretched out as a starter, but his pitch count has steadily grown and the results have held true. Sure, the walks are an issue, but Degges is starting off the season stronger than anticipated.
Cade Cavalli, 26, Washington Nationals
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 112 Fan4+ in June 8, 2025, start
Season Stats: 9 GS/37.1 IP/2.89 ERA/26.8% K%/8.5% BB%/1.13 WHIP
The 2020 MLB Draft feels like one of the more blemished iterations of the annual amateur selection, with plenty of careers lost to injury or just never quite meeting expectations. Twenty-one other players went off the board before the Washington Nationals picked Oklahoma product Cade Cavalli 22nd overall. He looked like a surefire steal at that slot, entering 202 as one of the draft’s top pitching prospects, and was the Big 12 Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Unfortunately, since making a forgettable 2022 debut with the Nationals, Cavalli has been talent unrealized thanks to injury and bouncing back from Tommy John surgery in early 2023. Now, looking healthy in 2025, Cavalli could be close to the big leagues once again.
The Nationals’ rotation has a few aberrations right now, and as the small-sample-size excuses fall off, even the fringiest minor-league producers will enter the replacement conversation. Thankfully, Cavalli is leading that conversation with solid production rather than just being the best of the worst. His fastball will be a big reason in deciding if he can stick in an MLB rotation or not, and his ability to locate it consistently is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Cavalli’s latest outing, a June 8 start, saw him go five innings while only allowing two hits, no runs, and fanning four. His stuff isn’t going to turn many heads, but it is efficient enough at the Triple-A level that it warrants another look in Washington. MASN Sports’ Mark Zuckerman named Cavalli as a prime call-up candidate, so he is certainly on the club’s radar.
Welcome to the Bigs
Alan Rangel, 27, Philadelphia Phillies
Season Stats: 12 GS/57.1 IP/5.02 ERA/25.4% K%/8.7% BB%/1.47 WHIP
Debut: 3.0 IP/6.00 ERA/8.3% K%/16.7% BB%/1.67 WHIP
Alan Rangel’s major league debut on June 6, 2025, was far from ordinary, but the 27-year-old right-hander made the most after his “welcome to The Show” moment. Recalled that same day from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Rangel entered in the fourth inning of a bullpen game at PNC Park with the Phillies clinging to a two-run lead over the Pirates. His debut began on shaky ground, walking Alexander Canario on four pitches, then serving up a game-tying two-run homer to Henry Davis. But after a timely mound visit, Rangel settled in like a veteran, inducing a double play and a flyout to escape further damage.
From there, he gave the Phillies exactly what they needed: three full innings of relief, including clean fifth and sixth frames. He allowed three hits, two walks, and two earned runs, while notching his first MLB strikeout. His poise showed in key moments, like calmly working through Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales with a well-placed changeup to start a crucial double play. On a night when the Phillies’ bullpen had to carry the load following Jesús Luzardo’s 2.1-inning outing the night before, Rangel provided unexpected stability.
His debut performance capped off a long and winding road. Signed by the Atlanta Braves as an international free agent in 2014, Rangel toiled across multiple minor-league levels and even endured a “phantom call-up” in 2022 without seeing game action. After stints in the Braves and Angels organizations, he finally found his break with the Phillies. Reflecting on the moment, Rangel called it a “dream come true”—a sentiment echoed by manager Rob Thomson and shortstop Trea Turner, who praised the righty’s composure under pressure. It wasn’t perfect, but Rangel’s debut proved he can hold his own on an MLB mound.
Pitchers that made their MLB debuts this past week:
Dylan Smith, 25, Detroit Tigers
