Several AL East Prospects Enjoy Big Performances

Yankees catcher Agustin Ramirez reaches double-digit homers, a fireballing Rays righty spins a gem & more.

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Prospect Standouts

Yoniel Curet, RHP, Rays: Curet is one of the organization’s best pitching prospects. On Tuesday, he showed why. The fireballer spun five one-hit innings while allowing one run (unearned), walking two and striking out nine. Moreover, he got 17 swings and misses during the course of his outing, tied for the most in High-A on the evening. It was also Curet’s first win of the season and brought his ERA down to 1.93. He now has 34 strikeouts in 28 innings in 2024.

Agustin Ramirez, C, Yankees: After being added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, Ramirez has started the 2024 season strong. The Yankees prospect continued that trend on Tuesday against Altoona by reaching base five times. The 22-year-old catcher collected three hits—including his Eastern League-best 10th home run—and two walks in his team’s win. He also stole his sixth base of the season and finished a triple shy of the cycle.

Manuel Rodriguez, RHP, Brewers: At 18 years old, Rodriguez is one of the youngest players in the Carolina League. He’s the second-youngest pitcher on his own team, just two days older than fellow righty Josh Knoth. On Tuesday, he looked experienced beyond his years. Facing Fayetteville (also a youthful club), Rodriguez pounded the zone with high-80s fastballs that scraped 91 mph, low-80s changeups and slicing sliders in the high 70s. For seven innings, he mixed, matched, changed speeds and eye levels and generally flummoxed the opposition. He made one mistake, a home run allowed to his penultimate hitter, but otherwise was the picture of efficiency. Rodriguez needed just 64 pitches to complete his outing, which included six strikeouts and eight swings and misses. The effort was his longest of the season, lowered his ERA to 2.67 and upped his strike rate to a whopping 70%.

Jud Fabian, OF, Orioles: The Bowie Baysox roughed up the Akron RubberDucks on Tuesday, and Jud Fabian was at the center of it all. The Florida product went 4-for-5 with two home runs (a three-run and a two-run blast) and added a walk for good measure. He also stole a base, his second of the season. The home runs were Fabian’s fifth and sixth of the season, a quarter of the total he amassed in 2023 between High-A and Double-A.

Brailer Guerrero, OF, Rays: Guerrero is one of the most intriguing prospects in the Florida Complex League, which got underway on May 4. Three days later, the outfielder put together an outburst for the ages. Facing the Orioles, Guerrero, 17, went 4-for-5 with two singles, a triple, a home run and five RBIs. He also stole a bag and threw out a runner at home. He’s 5-for-11 to start the season.

Jose Perdomo, SS, Braves: Perdomo is technically on the Braves roster in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, but Atlanta’s big-ticket international signing from this year is slated to make his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League. Perdomo, who on Jan. 15 signed for $5 million (a record for a player born in Venezuela), has a hamstring injury that he’s rehabbing in Florida. Once he’s healthy, he’s expected to play in the DSL, which starts at the beginning of June. Since Perdomo is on the 60-day injured list, he doesn’t count as part of the organization’s 165-player domestic roster limit.

Royals Righty Bounces Back In 2024

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

Ben Kudrna, RHP, Royals: Kudrna reached High-A Quad Cities for the first time last summer. He ran up a 5.36 ERA in eight starts, but those negative results yielded positive development. The 21-year-old Kudrna returned to Quad Cities this season and recorded a 2.45 ERA with 32 strikeouts and nine walks through 25.2 innings. Our Royals correspondent Bill Mitchell details the changes Kudrna made over the offseason to modify his pitch mix and bounce back so far this season.

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