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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Checking in on Big-name Prospects:
Thomas White, 20, Miami Marlins
MiLB Season Stats: 20 GS | 85.0 IP | 2.33 ERA | 38.5% K% | 13.1% BB% | 1.20 WHIP
Weekly Stats: 1 GS | 4.2 IP | 5.79 ERA | 45.5% K% | 27.3% BB% | 1.93 WHIP
When left-handed pitcher Thomas White looked for his final out, it wasn’t his first time loading the bases in his Triple-A debut. The 20-year-old had been put through his paces in his first game with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, and what had started with two strikeouts in the fifth saw the bases loaded with a walk and two singles. White had gotten out of a similar jam in the second inning, seeing Dru Baker swing at a high fastball for an easy flyout to right field. This time, White would not be so lucky. Andre Lipcius would not miss a middle-middle sweeper, putting the ball up the left field line for a bases-clearing double. That would be the period on White’s Triple-A debut, an outing that showcased both the southpaw’s best while having enough flaws to keep it from being a positive start.
That feels odd to say after a starter picks up 10 strikeouts in only 4.2 innings of work. That is a wild rate, with nearly half of the total batters White faced returning to the dugout from whence they came. But it was the walks, the six free baserunners that White allowed, that were the cloud blotting out an otherwise sunny sky. That was the case in the second inning for sure. The Charlotte Knights didn’t have a hit that inning, but one hit batter and two walks gave Baker the bases loaded with two outs. In fact, White had at least one walk in each inning following the first, where he struck out the top of Charlotte’s lineup. It was an odd outing for White, where he seemed to nibble at the zone and rarely challenged batters in the zone.
“I could tell what they were trying to do,” White said following the game to Baseball America. “I think I also wasn’t exactly where I wanted to be last night. So, if I had my command and control the way I wanted it to be, I think it would have been a little more fun to go at them a second time instead of trying to work out my own issues. You could tell that they weren’t going to let me beat them the same way.”
I think it is wild that White threw his fastball more than half the time, had 53.1% of them register as balls, and still had a 34.7% CSW% on that pitch in his debut. It speaks to how effective the pitch can be when it is on and White is locating it well, but also shows where White needs to develop the most in his arsenal. That pitch was the offering that put White on the map, just like so many of his prep peers, in the scouting and evaluation process. He averaged 95.4 MPH while throwing 49 fastballs, with seven exceeding 97 MPH or higher. All of those aforementioned higher-velocity pitches came in the first or second innings, and most of them went for balls rather than strikes. It isn’t a perfect outing by any stretch, needing to find both the stamina and consistency that lead to success, but the velocity speaks to the potential White has. He still registered four of his 10 strikeouts with the fastball and they accounted for half of his whiffs as well. The life will always help this fastball play up, and the velocity from a southpaw is notably coveted. Control, control, control is the bane of White’s Triple-A outing, and it is a shame.
White’s ability to bury the changeup after pounding the fastball high in the zone can make even seasoned Triple-A hitters look foolish. Early movement metrics draw loose comps to Houston’s Framber Valdez and Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez—a wide range of outcomes, but one that frames Valdez as a sturdy floor and Sánchez as a promising ceiling. On September 6th, that changeup was his most effective weapon, holding batters to a .229 xwOBA. Still, Charlotte found a way to capitalize, with just five balls in play but six walks issued and an unsustainably high .600 BABIP pushing runs across while driving up White’s pitch count.
Was it perfect? Not at all. But there’s value in focusing on the positives from his Triple-A debut. Control has always been the question mark, and it was rougher than expected here. Sequencing is the next big hurdle: in Double-A, hitters chased his breaking stuff more often in late counts, but Charlotte’s more experienced lineup didn’t bite. That’s the adjustment: getting sweepers closer to the black and keeping the changeup away from the heart of the plate. White is undoubtedly a good pitcher. Great, even, when you consider his age and résumé. He just needs refinement. If he irons out those fine details, there’s every chance we see him competing for a rotation spot in Miami by this time next year.
Baseball America had good insight into “Why Thomas White is Eyeing a Mechanics Overhaul”, and the pitcher’s reasoning seems sound. It takes a good coaching staff to identify problems, but White seems fairly self aware and willing to change for his MLB ceiling to be reached.
“I’m just flying open and my stride’s way shorter than I want it to be,” White said. “My extension’s not really there, so I’m just pulling out of it and not finishing through. It’s been pretty much a season-long thing. It’s tough to make the adjustments that I want to make during the season, so I kind of just have to work through it the best I can.”
Thomas White, best pitching prospect currently in the minors?
The @Marlins player dev is on fire this year. pic.twitter.com/qIQ7bAvJVQ
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) September 8, 2025
Weekly Four-Seam Standouts
As the season wears on, watching how fastballs improve or change down on the farm has been interesting. As new faces break into rotations or minor tweaks turn from blips to consistent factors, it is important to keep an eye on pitch shapes. Pitcher List’s Fan 4+ is a model based on the “Fan-Tastic 4” stats: velocity, extension, induced vertical break (iVB), and height-adjusted vertical approach angle (HAVAA), compared to the average four-seam fastball. What are some marks from Triple-A and Low-A’s Florida State League that jumped off the page this week?
Jaxon Wiggins, 23, Chicago Cubs
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 126 Fan4+ in Sept. 6, 2025, start
MiLB Season Stats: 17 G (16 GS) | 71.1 IP | 1.89 ERA | 30.9% K% | 11.0% BB% | 0.95 WHIP
While the leap from Triple-A to MLB is often seen as the steepest in today’s game, the jump from Double-A to Triple-A can be just as daunting. Promotions usually come with some grace, a bit of understanding if a pitcher struggles against sharper competition. But what happens when they actually look better than expected? That’s exactly what Jaxson Wiggins showed in his Triple-A debut with the Iowa Cubs.
A top prospect since the Cubs drafted him out of Arkansas in 2023, Wiggins has battled some missed time this year but still logged a career-high 71.1 innings across 17 appearances. Strikeouts have always been his calling card, but his growth in limiting walks and homers has fueled his rise from High-A to the cusp of the majors. His post–Tommy John command still wavers, yet his stuff more than covers for it: a 60-grade fastball and slider that miss bats at best and pound the dirt at worst. Sure, Wiggins is a bit of a velocity merchant, but with elite extension and vertical break, his fastball plays above the raw number. That pitch was locked in during his debut against Omaha, and if the Cubs give him another start or two before the season ends, the Oklahoma native could end 2025 on a serious high note.
Cubs’ top rated pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins first Triple-A outing is over, he exits after 3 innings and Iowa leading 3-1.
Wiggins’ line: 3.0 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 1 BB | 4 K (46 pitches – 25 strikes)
Watch: https://t.co/BOp9DrBnf9 pic.twitter.com/yGcRXGX21F
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 7, 2025
Jhancarlos Lara, 22, Atlanta Braves
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 129 Fan4+ in Sept. 3, 2025, start
MiLB Season Stats: 32 G (12 GS) | 62.2 IP | 7.04 ERA | 32.5% K% | 19.3% BB% | 1.68 WHIP
The last month hasn’t been the finish right-hander Jhancarlos Lara hoped for in 2025. After rocketing to Triple-A Gwinnett earlier this year, struggles pushed him into the bullpen, and his return to the rotation hasn’t quieted concerns. In five starts since, he’s carrying a 6.27 ERA with 18 walks across 18.2 innings, marking more of the same from the Dominican righty. Still, the Braves will keep investing in him, because few arms in their system flash the raw electricity of Lara’s, and his fastball keeps earning him strong Fan4+ marks.
His latest start saw him hitting 100 mph for the first time in his career earlier this season. That velocity will always pop in scouting reports, but it’s actually been his secondaries doing most of the damage. His slider has sharpened, and his cutter has been nearly unhittable, generating an obscene 53.6% whiff rate in Triple-A this season. The issue remains sequencing and approach: too many at-bats start 1-0, and he often finds himself behind before hitters even have to swing. The raw materials are tantalizing. Lara’s delivery is smooth and repeatable, enough to suggest his command issues are more mental than mechanical at this stage. If he can learn to stay ahead and trust his stuff, that triple-digit fastball paired with his cutter-slider mix still has the makings of a big-league weapon.
Jhancarlos Lara needs 13 pitches to extend his scoreless streak.
His last 5 appearances:
6IP 1H 1BB 10K
15 K/9
1.5 BB/9His slider has become a truly elite pitch and he pairs it with 102. pic.twitter.com/EQUihvRTBi
— Gaurav (@gvedak) July 2, 2025
Truman Pauley, 21, New York Mets
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 117 Fan4+ in Sept. 5, 2025, start
MiLB Season Stats: 3 GS | 4.1 IP | 2.08 ERA | 17.6% K% | 23.5% BB% | 0.92 WHIP
The Mets’ top pitching prospects, guys like Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean, deserve all the hype they’re getting right now. But digging into so many New York arms this year has me paying attention to the names further down the ladder, the ones who might not have the polish yet but flash enough to make you circle them. One of those is right-hander Truman Pauley, the Mets’ 12th-round pick in the 2025 draft out of Harvard. He’s the kind of late-round flyer who doesn’t have the game-level results yet, but the ingredients are there.
Pauley is certainly erratic, but his Sept. 5 start showed both the frustration and the promise. After breezing through the first inning, he opened the second with back-to-back walks, then promptly buckled down and got two grounders to escape unscathed. That’s Pauley in a nutshell: his own worst enemy at times, but with flashes that make you want to see more. The control needs serious work, but the fastball is legit, and his slider has already produced a wild 38.1% CSW% in the early going. Baseball Savant even credits him with a four-seamer, sinker, splitter, and cutter, giving him an unusually wide mix for such an arm. It’s the classic “if he could just throw strikes” profile, one dynasty managers know all too well. Nine times out of ten, those bets don’t pan out. But that one time they do, it makes the chase worth it — Pauley has enough raw tools to keep him firmly on the watchlist.
With their 12th round pick, the Mets select Harvard pitcher Truman Pauley.
He set an Ivy League record with 13 strikeouts in a game earlier this year.
His concentration was medical engineering.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 14, 2025
Welcome to the Bigs
Andrew Alvarez, 26, Washington Nationals
MiLB Season Stats: 25 GS | 123.0 IP | 4.10 ERA | 21.5% K% | 9.8% BB% | 1.35 WHIP
Debut: 5.0 IP | 0.00 ERA | 21.1% K% | 10.5% BB% | 0.60 WHIP
While the Colorado Rockies prove that even losing teams can draw bloated attendance, that’s more the exception than the rule. For most clubs, if you’re out of the playoff hunt by late July, the fans are already thinning out. The Washington Nationals are living that reality, with emptying stands and moral victories piling up. That kind of season opens the door for high-performing minor leaguers to get their shot. With little left to lose, the Nationals handed the ball to southpaw Andrew Alvarez, and he rewarded them with five scoreless innings in his debut.
“Warming up out there, I was getting a little emotional,” said Alvarez. “You work so hard for that opportunity, and I’m just so grateful. To be out there and to represent the Nationals is an honor, and I’m very thankful.”
Alvarez silenced the divisional rival Marlins, holding them hitless through four innings before Victor Mesa Jr. finally dropped a soft liner into the outfield for Miami’s first knock. Even with traffic in the fifth, Alvarez buckled down, ending his outing with a foul-tip strikeout of Joey Wiemer to keep the goose egg intact. For a pitcher who never sniffed top-prospect lists, it was a solid performance and a real win for a Nationals team desperate for positives.
“He was very composed,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said of Alvarez. “He was throwing strikes — that’s something that we love — [and] mixing his pitches really good. … [Stubbs] knows what [Alvarez] likes to throw, and they followed the plan that they had and they did a really good job.”
The star of the day was his spike curveball, a beautiful weapon at the bottom of the zone that graded out at a 5.66 PLV. He paired it with a slider he threw a third of the time, posting a 37.0% CSW%. Even when it didn’t find the zone, it masked a below-average four-seamer and gave Miami hitters a legitimate three-pitch mix to respect. Alvarez, a Cal Poly product, still profiles more as a soft-tossing lefty depth option than a future rotation cornerstone. But first impressions matter, and even if his second outing against a stronger Cubs lineup brought him back to earth, his debut showed he can give Washington quality innings when they need them most.
Pitchers that made their MLB debuts this past week:
Mitch Farris, 24, Los Angeles Angels
Rolddy Muñoz, 25, Atlanta Braves
Hayden Harris, 26, Atlanta Braves
