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Griff McGarry, RHP, Phillies: In an early-season oddity, McGarry has faced 27 batters this season without allowing a hit in his two starts for Double-A Reading. In doing so, he has thrown what is colloquially known as a "hidden no-hitter." Naturally, McGarry leads the minor leagues with an opponent average of .000. The 25-year-old has totaled eight innings this season while allowing three walks and striking out 13 batters. The low walk total for the Phillies' 2021 fifth-rounder is notable. Last year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, McGarry walked 36 batters in 30.2 innings covering 29 relief appearances. This year, the Phillies moved him down a level and back into the rotation. The early results have been eye-opening.

Luisangel Acuña, 2B, Mets: Acuña is one of the fastest runners in MLB this season, according to MLB Statcast. His average sprint speed of 29.5 feet per second is in the same neighborhood as Pete Crow-Armstrong, Trea Turner and Corbin Carroll. On Monday, Acuña put his wheels to good use by recording two hits and stealing a base, and he also walked once for good measure. Acuña’s two hits were aided by his speed. In the fifth inning, he inside-outed a ball to right field and raced to second base for a double. In the seventh, he bunted a ball that forced Twins pitcher Jorge Alcala to range toward third base to field it. When Alcala threw the ball away, Acuña took second and later scored on a Juan Soto home run.

Quinn Mathews, LHP, Cardinals: The Cardinals placed Mathews on the injured list Monday with left shoulder soreness and no immediate timetable for a return, according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Mathews pitched for Triple-A Memphis on April 11th and his velocity was noticeably down a few miles per hour. Even beyond the velocity drop, Mathews has shown uncharacteristic command issues over his first three starts walking 15 batters over 10.1 innings to date. Mathews was a revelation for the Cardinals last year as he climbed four levels in his first professional season, showing significant velocity gains from college. Mathews ranks No. 39 on the current Top 100 Prospects list.

Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox: Few Top 100 Prospects would have benefited from a fast start more than Montgomery. That has not been the case through 13 games this season for the 23-year-old at Triple-A Charlotte. Montgomery has gone 6-for-49 (.122) at the plate while striking out 48% of the time. He hit two balls at 95 mph or harder—including his second home run of the season—in his April 13 game, so perhaps the tide may be beginning to turn. More consistent production would be welcome for Montgomery, who has hit just .206/.318/.369 in 143 total games in the International League the past two seasons.

Thomas Saggese, INF, Cardinals: Saggese started games at second base, third base and shortstop last week, when he led all rookies with a .462 batting average. He went 6-for-13, albeit with zero walks or extra-base hits. The 23-year-old Saggese will be seeing more time at shortstop in the week ahead after Cardinals regular Masyn Winn went on the 10-day injured list with back spasms. Saggese is well-regarded for his hand-eye coordination at the plate and moves fluidly in the field as a reliable defender at any infield position.

Editor’s Picks

Hot Sheet: A pair of Athletics hitting prospects headline this week’s ranking of the 20 hottest prospects in baseball. Read more…

Mock Draft 2.0: Carlos Collazo returns with an updated mock featuring new selections for the first 40 picks of the upcoming draft. Read more…

Minor League Assignments: Here are season-opening assignments for all 900 players on our 2025 Top 30s. Read more…

RoboScout: Here’s a ‘Way Too Early’ look at the top 75 fantasy prospects in baseball, per our robotic friend. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

A.J. Ewing, OF, Mets: Ewing raced to a Low-A Florida State League-leading .448 batting average through his first eight games. A Mets 2023 compensatory fourth-round selection, Ewing played shortstop at Springboro (Ohio) High but has focused on learning center field in pro ball. He is a 20-year-old lefthanded hitter with plus wheels he has used to leg out his share of doubles and triples while also stealing five bases in seven tries this season. Ewing connected for his first home run of the season at Lakeland on April 12 and generally hits the ball with authority. He also does a good job staying within the strike zone, an approach that has yielded a .381 OBP in pro ball.

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