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Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics: Suddenly, the A's have one of MLB's most exciting young lineups. First baseman and 2024 first-round pick Nick Kurtz made his MLB debut on Wednesday, batting seventh and starting at first base. In conjunction, A's breakout slugger Tyler Soderstrom made his first MLB start in left field. Kurtz wasted little time making an impact, as he drove a Kumar Rocker 96 mph inside fastball past a diving Marcus Semien for an RBI single in his first at bat. Kurtz went 1-for-4 on the night with a strikeout, but looked the part of one of the top prospects in the game. After a tumultuous few seasons for Athletics fans off the field, Kurtz and company are a welcome sign.

Aroon Escobar, 2B/3B, Phillies: Escobar was a name that caught our attention this spring. The Phillies infielder performed well in front of scouts throughout backfield play and has carried that momentum over with Low-A Clearwater. Escobar went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk on Wednesday as he continued his hot hitting. He's now hitting .393/.477/.696 with 17 RBIs, 16 runs and nine extra-base hits over 14 games played. The 20-year-old infielder is looking like he might be ready for High-A sometime over the next month, as he's been one of the best players in Low-A in the early going. While Escobar is undersized, he plays aggressive, high-energy baseball and has knack for finding the barrel often.

Felnin Celesten, SS, Mariners: Celesten has been on fire to begin 2025 after a couple of injury-plagued campaigns. The Mariners shortstop hit an opposite-field shot for his second home run of the season on Wednesday for Low-A Modesto. Celesten went 3-for-5 on the day with four RBIs, including a double. Celesten’s home run was the first allowed by the Athletics prospect Wei-En Lin and the first runs Lin has allowed as a professional. After the big game, Celesten is now hitting .370/.452/.519 and is looking like a huge up-arrow prospect early in 2025.

C.J. Kayfus, 1B, Guardians: The Guardians 2023 third-rounder enjoyed one of the biggest breakout seasons of 2024 when he hit .291/.393/.512 with 17 home runs over 107 games at two levels. Kayfus returned to Double-A to begin 2025 and entered Wednesday night's game hitting .434/.524/.698 with a 14-game hitting streak to open his season. He got it out of the way early on Wednesday, hitting a double in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 15 games -- and it actually runs to 17 if you include the final two games of 2024 with Akron. Kayfus has an advanced hit tool, average raw power and a knack for finding good angles off the bat. He’s one of the best first base prospects in the minors and one of the hottest hitters to begin 2025.

Tommy Troy, 2B, D-backs: After a disastrous full-season debut in 2024, the D-backs believed in Tommy Troy enough to move him up to Double-A to begin the season. The belief has paid off, as Troy is off to a hot start with Double-A Amarillo. On Wednesday night Troy went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch. Troy is now hitting .318/.471/.470 with two home runs and a Texas League-leading 17 runs. Troy looks to have found his footing in his second full season as a professional and the results should keep coming.

Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners: The Mariners’ 20-year-old outfield prospect is one of the best young sluggers in the minors, and he's flashing his prodigious power on a nightly basis so far this season. Montes hit his fifth home run of the season on Wednesday and is slugging .623 with a 1.033 OPS while walking nearly as much as he has struck out. He's showing improved patience at the plate and it’s resulting in less swing-and-miss and more advantageous counts. So far, Montes is taking advantage.

Editor’s Picks

Slot Values: MLB informed clubs of both the 2025 MLB Draft bonus pools and slot values, which you can find here, as well as 2026 international signing bonus pools for every team, which you can find here.

Off The Radar Prospects: Geoff Pontes digs deep into the prospect landscape to highlight nine lesser-known names whose traits make them worth keeping an eye on. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Owen Carey, OF, Braves: A 15th-round pick out of Londonderry HS (N.H.), Carey is a classic under-the-radar, cold-weather bat. The Braves signed him for $150,000 last July, and he made his professional debut in 2025 with Low-A Augusta. The early results have been strong, as Carey has hit .286/.355/.446 over his first 14 games while showing strong bat-to-ball skills and solid swing decisions at the plate. There’s some power projection and athleticism in his six-foot frame, and he has a knack for hitting the ball to his pull side. He’s split time between all three outfield positions so far, showing the ability to play some center field. As a projectable lefthanded hitting outfielder from a cold-weather prep background, Carey is an intriguing name to follow this summer.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• The Cubs DFA’d Rule 5 pick Gage Workman

• The Phillies are moving RHP Seth Johnson to the bullpen

• With one A’s prospect arriving, another heads back to Triple-A, as the club optioned Max Muncy back down to the minors.

• Reds RHP Rhett Lowder is expected to throw a bullpen on Saturday, per MLB.com

• Marlins lefty Robby Snelling struck out nine batters over six scoreless innings last night. He now has a 1.61 ERA over 22.1 Double-A innings.

• An under-the-radar breakout arm last year, Rangers LHP Kohl Drake had 10 strikeouts over 4.1 innings with Double-A Frisco

• Rockies outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez hit two more home runs last night

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