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Braden Montgomery, OF, White Sox: Since his promotion to High-A a few weeks ago, Montgomery has hit .367/.457/.800. After hitting two home runs on Tuesday, Montgomery hit a walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth with two on the following evening. The switch-hitting Montgomery has shown plus power in his short professional career with a 106.4 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and strong swing decisions to match. Montgomery has 30-homer upside if he continues to manage his whiffs, which have plagued him at times in the past.

Gage Jump, LHP, Athletics: Jump has been a revelation this season for the Athletics. On Wednesday, Jump continued a string of strong starts going eight innings, allowing one run while striking out eight. Jump didn’t walk a batter in the outing and scattered four hits. Jump exhibited his bat-missing abilities by generating 16 swinging strikes. His combination of a low release height, mid-90s velocity and multiple breaking ball shapes has overwhelmed High-A hitters. He now owns a 2.32 ERA and 45 strikeouts to just five walks over 31 innings in Lansing.

Kohl Drake, LHP, Rangers: Drake combined with Ryan Lobus and Skyler Hales to no-hit Double-A San Antonio on Wednesday. Drake did the heavy lifting by throwing six innings, walking two and striking out six. He generated seven swinging strikes in the outing and retired 18 of the 20 batters he faced. Drake has been excellent to begin the season with Double-A Frisco and looks like he could pitch his way to Triple-A before long.

Hector Rodriguez, OF, Reds: The 21-year-old Hector Rodriguez often gets lost in the shuffle in a deep Reds system, but early in 2025 Rodriguez has been outstanding. On Wednesday, Rodriguez hit his fifth double and fourth home run of the season in a 2-for-4 effort. Over 27 games, Rodriguez is hitting .343/.407/.529 while striking out around 15% of the time. Rodriguez displays above-average raw power with a 112.6 mph max exit velocity this season and advanced bat-to-ball skills.

Adrian Pinto, 2B, Blue Jays: After the Blue Jays left him unprotected for the Rule 5 draft last offseason, Pinto’s career was at a crossroads entering 2025. So far, so good, as Pinto is showing a significant jump in power this season as he hit his sixth and seventh home runs of the season on Wednesday. He’s now tied with the Mariners' Lazaro Montes for the most home runs in the High-A Northwest League this season. Pinto shows strong plate skills, average exit velocity data and the ability to elevate on his hardest contact.

Franklin Arias, SS, Red Sox: Boston's No. 4 prospect was promoted to High-A Greenville last week, and so far he's picked up where he left off in Low-A. On Wednesday, Arias recorded his third three-hit game over his last five games as he raised his High-A batting average to .324 with six walks to just five strikeouts across eight games. Arias is lauded for his advanced feel for the strike zone, plus bat-to-ball ability and middle infield defense. How his power develops in the coming years will determine his future ceiling.

Kyle DeBarge, SS, Twins: The Twins' supplemental first-round pick has been hot to begin 2025 hitting .284/.402/.477 with four home runs and 16 stolen bases for High-A Cedar Rapids. On Wednesday, DeBarge went 2-for-5, with two runs and two stolen bases to run his on-base streak to 17 games. DeBarge shows advanced bat-to-ball skills with a patient approach and good angles on contact. He has below-average raw power but shows the ability to consistently hit the ball in the air to the pull side.

Editor’s Picks

Yesterday was a fun day at BA following our first significant in-season Top 100 update of the season. In case you missed it, find all of our Top 100-related content below.

• Top 100 Ranking

• Risers, Fallers & New Additions

• 5 Prospects Who Just Missed The List

  • Subscriber bonus: Aroon Escobar shows newfound power

• How Payton Tolle Became A Top 100 Prospect

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Juan Valera, RHP, Red Sox: It's been a messy start for Red Sox RHP Juan Valera, as the righthander had allowed home runs in four of his five starts entering the day on Wednesday. In a matinee matchup with the Braves' High-A affiliate Rome, Valera spun 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing four hits, a walk and striking out eight. The effort dropped Valera's ERA over a run as it was the righthander's first scoreless outing of the season. Valera boasts as much upside as any pitcher in the now loaded Red Sox pitching corps in the minor leagues. He blends plus stuff and elite fastball velocity with advanced strike-throwing, but it's control over command profile at present, leading to some hard contact.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Reds RHP Rhett Lowder is expected to make a rehab start on May 11 with High-A Dayton, according to MLB.com.

• The Blue Jays sent Alan Roden back to Triple-A. He hit .178/.262/.260 in 73 big league at-bats.

• Yankees RHP Carlos Lagrange led all Top 30 prospects with nine strikeouts over 5.2 innings yesterday. His 21 whiffs led all High-A pitchers, and he now has 41 strikeouts to just seven walks over 25.1 innings.

• A pair of Top 100 prospects — Demetrio Crisantes and Carson Williams — both had two-homer games yesterday.

• While he’s no longer a prospect, A’s rookie Jacob Wilson went 4-for-5 yesterday and is now hitting .357/.383/.476 in 143 at-bats.

In Case You Missed It