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- Roman Anthony Continues To Destroy Minor League Pitching
Roman Anthony Continues To Destroy Minor League Pitching
Plus: Spencer Jones' two-homer day, an encouraging outing from Hagen Smith and a 12-strikeout performance from an interesting D-backs arm.
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Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox: Anthony’s early work with Triple-A Worcester is only cementing his status as baseball’s best hitting prospect. Anthony hit two homers on Thursday, including an opposite-field grand slam, and might be liable for a replacement outfield camera, too. In his first at-bat, the 20-year-old launched a 410-foot leadoff solo homer with a 107.9 mph exit velocity to center field. He took it up a notch in the third inning by hitting a grand slam to help the WooSox go up by eight runs. After finishing with five RBIs, Anthony is hitting .283 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 15 games this year. One has to wonder how long until Anthony finds himself playing in Boston, and whether he’s a candidate to soon sign an extension like fellow prospect Kristian Campbell. It’s worth noting that Anthony has been limited to DH duties while dealing with right shoulder soreness, according to MassLive.
Roman Anthony hit this so far he might’ve taken out the camera 😳
(🎥 @WooSox)
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica)
7:50 PM • Apr 17, 2025
Caden Dana, RHP, Angels: Dana continues to be a silver lining in an otherwise weak farm system. The 21-year-old strung together his best outing of the season Thursday, delivering seven scoreless innings while allowing just four hits on seven strikeouts for Triple-A Salt Lake. The righthander threw 59 of his 89 pitches (66%) for strikes and has a 1.13 ERA through three Pacific Coast League starts. Dana, who made his big league debut last September, pitched for the Angels on April 4, going three innings and allowing two earned runs. Dana’s fastball sits 93-96 mph and his slider has developed into an impressive secondary. He’d benefit from establishing a third reliable pitch.
Luis Morales, RHP, Athletics: Morales turned in one of the most impressive outings of his career Thursday for Double-A Midland. The 22-year-old matched a career-high eight strikeouts over six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and issuing zero walks. Morales is one of the hardest throwers in the A's system at 97 mph and he generated 14 swings and misses. Morales' pure stuff and high ceiling is a beacon of hope for an A's organization that has floundered recently on the international market.
Hagen Smith, LHP, White Sox: Last year’s fifth overall pick was one of the top arms in his draft class, and Friday was a promising step forward in his development. Smith went five innings and struck out five batters for Double-A Birmingham, representing the deepest outing of his short career. Smith didn’t walk a batter, which is an encouraging sign after he fought his command early this spring and threw 33 pitches over just 0.2 innings in his last outing. The 21-year-old has two potentially double-plus pitches in his fastball and slider, although he needs to establish a more consistent third offering. Smith has 17 strikeouts and has allowed just five hits through 9.2 innings.
Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees: Through just 12 games this season, Jones already has two separate two-homer games for Double-A Somerset. The 23-year-old hit a pair of homers off Pirates righthander Wilber Dotel on Thursday, first sending a deep fly ball to left field in the top of the first inning and then again to center field in the third inning. The towering 6-foot-7 outfielder is up to five homers this season. The one-time Top 100 Prospect has always produced impressive exit velocities, albeit with considering strikeout issues that led to his return to Double-A to start this season. Jones' strikeout rate is hovering just under 33% to start 2025.
Luke Keaschall, 2B, Twins: Dealing with a rash of injuries, the Twins called infielder Luke Keaschall up to the big leagues on Thursday, per The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman. He’s expected to join the team Friday in Atlanta. Keaschall was drafted out of Arizona State in the second round of the 2023 draft and provides the Twins an MLB-ready bat. In his first full season Keaschall hit .303/.420/.483 across 102 games reaching Double-A by late May. Keaschall’s season ended in early August when he had Tommy John surgery. Keaschall has returned to playing the field with Triple-A St. Paul this season, as he started seven games at second base. Keaschall is an advanced hitter with average home run power and good base stealing instincts.
Editor’s Picks
Stock Rising: The Future Projection pod dives into prospects off to hot — and not-so-hot — starts this year. Listen here…
Next Dodgers Sleeper? Backed by a revamped arsenal and the Dodgers’ track record with pitching, Jakob Wright is a name to watch. Read more…
Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day
Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.
Daniel Eagen, RHP, D-backs: Eagen was one of the more intriguing arms in the D-backs system entering 2025 after experiencing a jump in stuff last year that led to Arizona drafting him in the third round and making him the highest-drafted player in Presbyterian history. He scuffled in his season debut against Eugene, but has now strung together two consecutive double-digit strikeout performances. The 22-year-old righthander punched out 12 Spokane batters on Thursday over six innings, scattering three hits and one unearned run. Eagen led all High-A pitchers with 21 swings and misses. Eagen attacks hitters with a mid-90s fastball and two above-average breaking balls, and added a split-change once turning pro.
Quick Hits
Prospect news and notes from around baseball…
Kumar Rocker earned his first big league win yesterday by completing seven innings for the first time as a professional
Nationals RHP Jarlin Susana struck out 10 batters (and walked three) over 4.2 innings yesterday for Double-A Harrisburg
Cole Mathis (Cubs) and Rosman Verdugo (Padres) each turned in two-homer performances yesterday
Recent Top 100 addition Joe Mack went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles.
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