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Zyhir Hope, OF, Dodgers: Hope, one of the two Cubs prospects the Dodgers acquired in the Michael Busch trade, has made an excellent impression with his new organization. Hope homered as part of a two-hit game on Opening Day, doubled on Saturday, then hit two home runs on Sunday. One of Hope’s two home runs on Sunday was a 113 mph line drive that managed to clear the massive wall that stands over right field at Lake Elsinore’s The Diamond. Hope is hitting .417/.533/1.250 after three games.

Lazaro Montes, DH/OF, Mariners: The wind was blowing out which meant the ball was flying at Stockton’s Banner Island Ballpark. Aidan Smith hit a pair of home runs, Colt Emerson hit his second home run of the season, as did Johnny Farmelo. And Montes came a triple short of hitting for the cycle in a 3-for-5 day in which he drove in three and also drew a walk. Modesto finished with 17 hits and 14 runs in an easy 14-5 win over Stockton.

Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Braves: Braves righthander Hurston Waldrep had a very rough 2024 debut. The Braves’ 2023 first-round pick struck out four, but he gave up 11 hits in just 2.2 innings. Only one of the 11 hits he gave up went for extra bases (a third inning Diego Infante solo home run), but Waldrep was dinked and dunked for seven earned runs, which leaves him with a 23.63 ERA for now.

Hector Rodriguez, OF, Reds: Rodriguez is one of the most aggressive hitters in the minors. The good thing for him is he has some of the best bat-to-ball skills as well. Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with a double and his first home run of the young season on Sunday. In his first two games at the plate, Rodriguez has only swung and missed at a pitch once in 18 swings.

Jackson Merrill, OF, Padres: The rookie center fielder had the first four-hit game of his young MLB career when he strung together four singles and a stolen base against the Giants on Sunday afternoon. Merrill came into the game with a .724 OPS and left it with an .866 OPS. He’s now hitting .324/.395/.866. The lefty hitter is playing every day against righthanded pitchers, but so far, he’s only had four at-bats against lefties and he didn’t start when the Padres faced lefthanders Kyle Harrison and Zach Thompson.

Brendan McKay, LHP, Rays: Brendan McKay returned to the mound for the first time since 2022 on Sunday. He threw three scoreless innings for Double-A Montgomery against Biloxi. He allowed only one hit and walked no one while striking out three. McKay sat at 90 mph and maxed out at 91 on Sunday, which is a few ticks below his 89-93 range he showed before the injuries. The fourth pick in the 2017 draft, McKay has had to endure multiple lengthy rehabs just to get back on the mound. He’s had shoulder surgery, thoracic outlet surgery and then Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.

Landen Maroudis, RHP, Blue Jays: The Blue Jays’ prep fourth-rounder dominated in his professional debut Sunday. Originally the scheduled starter for Low-A Dunedin, Maroudis was bumped into a bulk role as a rehabbing Alek Manoah got the start. Maroudis came on in the sixth with the Blue Jays down 7-4 and provided four perfect innings of work, as Dunedin came back to walk off Lakeland in the ninth. Maroudis struck out five and showed all four of his pitches in a four-seam fastball that sat 94.5 mph, a mid-80s slider that generated four whiffs, a low-80s curveball that generated three whiffs and a changeup. It was an impressive outing for the Clearwater, Fla product.

We updated the Prospect Wire all weekend. Check out the link below to see updates on rising Tigers and Phillies righties, a nearly perfect debut for a Top 100 prospect and a return to action for one of the top bats in the 2024 draft. 

10 Statcast Standouts (April 8)

Each Monday, we’re taking a look at 10 standouts with impressive data from the previous week of action. This week, Coby Mayo and Paul Skenes bring some starpower to the top of the list, plus a look at several under-the-radar arms, including two from the Cardinals system. Baseball America subscribers can see the standouts, plus analysis from Eli Ben-Porat, below.

Want to get ahead? Each day we’ll surface one prospect from recent Baseball America coverage who could be on the rise.

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

George Klassen, RHP, Phillies: Those keeping an eye on the Prospect Wire over the weekend saw Klassen dominated in his debut, striking out nine over five scoreless innings. Geoff Pontes included the righty in his 20 breakout pitchers to watch prior to games starting on Friday. Klassen looks to be the latest high-octane Phillies pitching prospect with plus stuff and improving execution. Baseball America subscribers can read why, plus see the 19 other names, below.

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