Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Orioles: The Orioles drafted Aloy in the supplemental first round out of Arkansas last July due to his impressive power. The 2025 Golden Spikes winner entered the season among the Orioles' top 10 prospects and has been excellent to begin 2026. He hit his sixth home run of the season on Wednesday, going 4-for-4 with a walk and driving in four runs to lift his slash line to .298/.352/.543 over 23 games with High-A Frederick. Aloy and teammate Ike Irish have formed an impressive duo at the top of the Keys' lineup.

Ike Irish, 1B/OF, Orioles: Over the first month of the season, the High-A Frederick Keys have been one of the most exciting teams in minor league baseball. One reason why? The power-hitting duo of Irish and Aloy has struck fear into South Atlantic League opposition. On Wednesday, Irish went 3-for-4 with a home run, four runs, two RBIs and a walk. The 22-year-old 1B/OF continues to impress at the plate, where he’s hit .338/.442/.613 across 23 games to help him climb nearly 20 spots in the latest Top 100 Prospects update.

Wyatt Sanford, SS, Pirates: The power surge for Sanford continued on Wednesday, as he hit his sixth home run of the season for High-A Greensboro. This has been an exciting development for the 20-year-old infielder, as he’s already eclipsed his 2025 home run total in less than half the at-bats. Sanford went 3-for-5 against Greenville, driving in five runs and stealing a base for good measure. His season line is up to .305/.416/.552, and he's now 12-for-13 on the basepaths. The contact rates have dropped significantly with the uptick in power, but so far it seems to be a worthwhile trade for the Pirates' No. 12 prospect.

David Shields, LHP, Royals: The Royals drafted Shields in the second round of the 2024 draft out of a Pittsburgh-area high school. A little under two years into his professional career, the 19-year-old has consistently kept runs off the board with good old fashioned pitching acumen, helping him to crack the top five in the Royals' system. On Wednesday, Shields tossed another gem, going 5.2 innings while allowing one run on three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. Shields is off to an excellent start with High-A Quad-Cities, posting a 2.70 ERA over 26.2 innings with 35 strikeouts and nine walks.

Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers: It’s been a rocky beginning to the season for the No. 3 Tigers prospect. After shoulder surgery robbed the 20-year-old shortstop of the majority of his 2025, he has struggled to return to form early in 2026. On Wednesday, Rainer hit his first home run since being promoted to High-A West Michigan. After making some alterations to his swing this offseason, Rainer could be finding his timing at the plate.

Editor’s Picks

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Taitn Gray, 1B, Rays: Just last month, Geoff Pontes identified Gray as a prospect ready to climb rankings. The Rays’ third-round pick in 2025 out of high school in Iowa, he jumped to Low-A for his pro debut, and so far is proving the confidence was warranted. Gray looks every bit of a classic masher who is capable of losing baseballs to all fields. He hits the ball hard, often and in the air, and has walked more than he’s struck out in the early going at Charleston. He’s moved off the catcher position he occupied as a prep, but his bat should be more than enough to profile anywhere on the diamond.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Marlins LHP Robby Snelling is expected to make his MLB debut on Friday. He ranks 26th on our latest Top 100 update.

• Red Sox RHP Juan Valera, who briefly cracked our Top 100 earlier this season, had Tommy John surgery on Tuesday.

• The Mets promoted LHP Zach Thornton to Triple-A. 

• Dodgers Triple-A outfielder James Tibbs went 4-for-5 with two more doubles yesterday. He was one of 10 hitting prospects who stood out in April.

• Tigers LHP Ben Jacobs struck out seven over four innings of one-run ball for High-A West Michigan. He’s an early standout from the 2025 draft class, and was tabbed as an under-the-radar pitching prospect off to an impressive start.

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