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Jac Caglianone, 1B, Royals: Caglianone doesn’t have to send balls out of the park to show off his immense raw power. On Thursday night for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, he smoked a 120.9 mph opposite-field single. To put that into perspective, Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz holds the Statcast era record at 122.4 mph. Caglianone finished the night with two hits, raising his batting average to .346 with a 1.022 OPS.

Jimmy Crooks, C, Cardinals: Crooks was quite busy Thursday night with Triple-A Memphis. After striking and flying out in his first two at-bats, Crooks made his last three count. He doubled in the sixth inning by driving in Michael Helman. Crooks drove in two more runs on a single in the seventh inning. To end his night, the 23-year-old slugged a three-run homer, finishing just a triple shy of the cycle. Crooks displayed solid underlying data in 2024 and is now hitting .286/.333/.536 with a pair of home runs through seven games in Memphis.

Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Brewers: Through three games, Misiorowski is showing why he is Milwaukee’s top-ranked pitching prospect. The righthander used his high-octane stuff to cruise through five innings on Thursday, striking out five batters and allowing just two hits. Misiorowski’s fastball sat 96-98 mph and touched 99 mph, the fifth-fastest pitch in Triple-A Thursday, and also generated 13 whiffs. Misiorowski has 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings and has allowed just one run this season, which came in his latest outing.

Alex Clemmey, LHP, Nationals: Clemmey had one of the best performances in the minor leagues on Thursday for High-A Wilmington. The 19-year-old punched out the first seven batters he retired, then finished hit outing by striking out the side, all of them swinging. Over five innings, he threw 70 pitches (43 for strikes) and allowed just one hit. Clemmey was one of three players the Guardians traded to acquire Lane Thomas last summer. He was one of the hardest-throwing prep pitchers in the 2023 draft, as his fastball sits in the mid 90s and touched 98 mph in 2024. He has the potential to reach 100 mph as he progresses in his career.

Jordan Lawlar, SS, D-backs: Despite an injury to Ketel Marte that opened a slot in Arizona's crammed infield, Lawlar didn't get the call. Instead, Tim Tawa joined the major league roster. Regardless, Lawlar continues to excel with Triple-A Reno. Three pitches into Thursday night’s game, Lawlar hit a two-run homer off lefthander Jake Eder with a 102.3 mph exit velocity. He also added a double, his fourth of the season, in the fourth inning. The 22-year-old is hitting .271 with nine RBIs.

Slade Caldwell, OF, D-backs: Caldwell accomplished two impressive feats just six games into his professional career. Arizona’s 2024 No. 29 overall draft pick slugged his first professional homer, which went the opposite way, for Low-A Visalia on Thursday night. The 18-year-old also had a pair of doubles to accompany his big fly, marking his first multi-hit game in his short career. Caldwell was a two-time Gatorade player of the year in Arkansas and was also the first prep player from the state taken in the first round of the draft since 1995.

Editor’s Picks

Nick Kurtz Surges: Drafted fourth overall in 2024, Nick Kurtz’s sweet swing has long had him climbing towards potential MLB stardom. Read more…

Seth Hernandez’s Dominant Day: Hernandez took the NHSI mound Thursday in front of MLB scouts and didn’t disappoint. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Brandon Clarke, LHP, Red Sox: The Red Sox signed lefthander Brandon Clarke out of the State JC of Florida for $400,000 in the fifth round of last July's draft. The early returns look like the team might have found an underrated gem, as the lefthander tossed four perfect innings on Thursday night. Clarke took the mound in Fredericksburg to make his official professional debut in cold and rainy conditions. The weather didn't seem to impact his pristine command of his fastball and slider combination. Clarke's fastball sat 97-98 mph with late bite, and he showed the ability to command it to both sides of the plate. Clarke's slider sat 87-88 mph with late sweep and he showed the ability to land the pitch to the backfoot of righthanders. The biggest development was Clarke's command on the day as he threw 30 of his 40 pitches for strikes. Clarke's stuff likely overwhelmed Low-A competition, but he's a name to follow this season.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• The White Sox called up No. 8 prospect Chase Meidroth

• Orioles outfield prospect Enrique Bradfield exited his Double-A game early with hamstring discomfort

• The Pirates optioned Thomas Harrington back to Triple-A

• Blue Jays RHP Khal Stephen was impressive once again in Low-A, striking out nine batters over six innings.

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