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Starlyn Caba, SS, Marlins: As a defender, Low-A Jupiter shortstop Starlyn Caba has few equals in the minors. As a power hitter, he has a long ways to go. But in the final week of the Class A season, Caba ensured on Wednesday that he would not go homerless this year. Caba led off the game by yanking a home run just inside the left field foul pole. The homer was measured at 328 feet. Caba's homer was his first since July 2, 2024. It was his first in full-season ball and only his third as a pro. In 50 games this year, Caba has eight extra-base hits. He's hitting .224/.338/.281.

Kemp Alderman, OF, Marlins: Maybe Triple-A is too easy for newly promoted Triple-A Jacksonville outfielder Kemp Alderman. Alderman homered in both halves of a doubleheader against Charlotte on Wednesday. Alderman has now homered in all four of his Triple-A games. Alderman's first home run of the day off Sean Burke was an opposite-field shot that just barely snuck inside the foul pole. His follow-up homer off Mike Clevinger was much more majestic, as he cleared the fence in center field. Alderman has had an excellent season, but in Double-A this year, he never hit more than five home runs in a month. Now he's hit four in four games. He is hitting .282/.338/.471 overall this season.

Robby Snelling, LHP, Marlins: In the same game, Snelling set a career high with 13 strikeouts in a complete game, one-run outing against Charlotte. The seven-inning game was the first of a doubleheader. Snelling consistently baffled Knights' hitters with his curveball, as he threw it 37 times, equalling the number of fastballs he threw. Doubles by Corey Julks and Andre Lipcius in the sixth inning provided the only blemish on Snelling's scorecard. Snelling has not allowed more than two runs in any of his past 12 starts stretching back to mid June. He's reached double digits in strikeouts three times over that stretch. He's now 7-7, 2.66 with 152 strikeouts in 125 innings this year.

Max Clark, OF, Tigers: Clark homered, singled and walked twice in Double-A Erie's 10-4 win over Portland. Clark scored three runs and drove in two. Clark also walked three times on Tuesday. He's now had almost as many walks (26) as strikeouts (27) since his promotion to Double-A. Overall, he has walked more than he's struck out, as he had 65 walks and 56 strikeouts at High-A West Michigan. He is hitting .273/.410/.435 between High-A and Double-A this season.

James Hicks, RHP, Astros: A fractured forearm cost Astros RHP James Hicks three months this season, but he returned to Double-A Corpus Christi in early August to get back on track. Hicks turned it up on a notch on Wednesday. The 24-year-old struck out a career-high 12 batters over six innings, and his lone blemish was a solo homer by Missions catcher Anthony Vilar. Hicks retired the first 15 batters he faced in order. Ranked No. 21 in Houston's system, Hicks doesn't throw particularly hard but has a wide assortment of offerings to keep hitters guessing: a pair of low-90s fastball shapes, three breaking balls--including a sweeper that averages roughly 15 inches of horizontal break--and a changeup. He's now 1-4, 5.68 with 35 strikeouts to 11 walks in 38 innings.

Braden Nett, RHP, Athletics: In what seems like a theme for pitching prospects on Wednesday, Nett struck out a career-high 11 batters in an impressive outing for Double-A Midland. Nett, 23, allowed two runs over 6.2 innings, pitching into the seventh inning for the first time this season while fanning double-digit batters for only the second time. The righty was one of three pitching prospects acquired by the A's at the deadline alongside Leo De Vries in the Mason Miller trade. Ranked No. 6 in the A's system, Nett has a 4.67 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 27 innings since joining his new system, with Wednesday's outing clearly his best yet.

Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies: Ideally, Andrew Painter would be part of the Phillies' rotation by now. Instead, he is getting hit around in Triple-A.

Painter gave up 10 hits and seven runs (six earned) in 5.1 innings against Toledo on Wednesday. It is the fourth time in the past six starts that Painter has given up five or more runs.

Painter got off to a rocky start, as he walked the first two batters of the game. He managed to settle down to get three fly outs, with only one run scoring on a sac fly. He cruised through the next two innings before Akil Baddoo homered and Jace Jung doubled in the fourth,

But Painter once again escaped without any further damage, and he entered the fifth inning having allowed just two runs. After getting two quick outs to start the fifth, Painter blew his chance to get out of the inning when he couldn't glove a grounder by Parker Meadows. After that error, he gave up back-to-back singles to allow an unearned run to score.

Painter hung curveballs to Thomas Nido (double) and Gage Workman (home run) in the sixth as he allowed hits to the final four hitters he faced.

Painter still shows solid stuff, and he spotted his fastball and slider, but his curveball and changeup were much less consistent on Wednesday.

Painter is now 4-5, 5.62 for Lehigh Valley. He's allowed 109 hits in 97.2 innings and he's struck out just 99.

Editor’s Picks

All-2000s Team: Baseball America presents its All-2000s College Baseball Team, featuring the game’s top sluggers, playmakers and arms of the last quarter century. Read more…

Which Countries Produce The Most Players? J.J. Cooper digs into data on countries that are producing the most MLB plate appearances and innings pitched in 2025. Read more…

Complex Leaguers Of Note: On this week’s Prospect Podcast, Josh Norris and J.J. Cooper break down everything to know from complex leagues and the Dominican Republic. Listen here…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Joey Oakie, RHP, Guardians: It's a shame for Low-A Lynchburg righthander Joey Oakie that the season is about to wrap up. Early this season, Oakie was awful. He didn't lower his ERA below 10.00 until his ninth start of the season. But since July arrived, Oakie has gotten better and better, to the point where he's been the best pitcher in the Carolina League over the final two weeks of the season.

Oakie followed up last week's five hitless innings by striking out 11 of the 16 Delmarva hitters he faced. It was a loaded lineup as well, as Delmarva features Ike Irish, Wehiwa Aloy and Stiven Martinez. Oakie struck all of them out. Oakie's upper-90s fastball and hard slider have proven a devastating combination in recent weeks, and he was able to get a lot of check swings and foul tips as hitters just didn't seem to get a good look at the slider.

Oakie finishes his season 3-4, 5.31, but he struck out 22 of the final 34 batters he faced this year while allowing just one single over that stretch.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Mariners switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje turned in his best outing yet since his promotion to Double-A in early August, striking out seven over six innings of one-run ball.

• Slugging Triple-A Astros prospect Shay Whitcomb homered and doubled twice on Wednesday.

• The Cubs promoted RHP Jaxon Wiggins to Triple-A on Wednesday, per Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network.

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