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JJ Wetherholt, SS, Cardinals: Wetherholt started the season hot, but his first home run with Double-A Springfield proved elusive. That changed Wednesday night when the Cardinals' 2024 first-rounder went yard as part of a three-hit night. Wetherholt took a high pitch on the outer half of the plate the opposite way in the third inning as the homer kicked off the scoring for Springfield. Wetherholt had an RBI single with the bases loaded in the sixth before following with a double in the seventh. He's hitting .341/.429/.512 over the first 10 games of the season.

Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers: The Dodgers' Great Lakes duo of Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula has put the High-A Midwest League on notice. It was De Paula's turn on Wednesday night when he slugged an eighth-inning grand slam against Dayton. He reached base three times, adding a double and a walk. The Dodgers outfielder is one of the most talented hitters in the lower minors with advanced plate discipline, strong bat-to-ball ability and developing power. De Paula and Hope have some of the highest upside of any minor league outfield prospects.

Josue Briceño, C/1B, Tigers: Briceño is riding the momentum from his MVP-worthy performance in the Arizona Fall League into 2025. The Tigers slugger hit a grand slam on Wednesday night as a part of a 17-3 High-A West Michigan route. Briceño stepped to plate with the bases loaded in the eighth and hit a 3-2 pitch to right center field for the grand slam. Briceño has a rare blend of contact skills, approach and power. Despite a lack of positional value, his bat might be enough to carry him to the major leagues.

Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies: Miller is hitting just .189 so far in 2025. But the Phillies prospect registered his best game this season on Wednesday, going 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs for Double-A Reading. The Phillies showed supreme belief in the 20-year-old with the tough assignment, but he has yet to find his groove in the upper minors--albeit in a small sample--after strong performances across both Class A levels last year. Perhaps Wednesday night's game can be the catalyst for the rest of his season.

Hunter Barco, LHP, Pirates: Scoring off Barco has been impossible so far this season. He ran his scoreless streak up to 13 innings on Wednesday, tossing five more shutout frames for Double-A Altoona. Barco allowed one hit, one walk and struck out six in the process. The Florida grad rose to No. 10 in the Pirates system entering 2025 and mixes a 93-95 mph fastball with heavy armside run, a slider and a splitter. Despite dealing with injuries early in his professional career, he owns a productive 2.87 ERA over 97.1 innings.

Xavier Isaac, 1B, Rays: Isaac started the season on the injured list and returned to action on Tuesday for Double-A Montgomery. After a hitless performance in his season debut, Isaac hit a pair of doubles in his second game. The Rays slugger ranks No. 82 on the current Top 100 list and he's one of the premier power prospects currently in the minors leagues. The questions around Isaac’s profile are a product of higher swing and miss, particularly in the strike zone.

Edgar Quero, C, White Sox: The White Sox are expected to call up Quero for Thursday's series finale against the A's, as first reported by Francys Romero. Quero, the No. 98 prospect on the Baseball America Top 100, hit .333/.444/.412 for Triple-A Charlotte in 15 games. With Korey Lee injured with a sprained ankle, Omar Narvaez has been getting playing time along with Matt Thaiss, but Quero's arrival likely means he'll get regular playing time.

Editor’s Picks

Potential First-Rounder? Florida State’s Alex Lodise is in the midst of a career year. Here’s how he has played his way up draft boards. Read more…

Doyle’s Elite Fastball: Tennessee has become a velocity factory in recent years. Lefthander Liam Doyle is the latest standout. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

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

Braxton Bragg, RHP, Orioles: Bragg was a hot name this spring among scouts and he has looked sharp so far this season. Bragg tossed seven scoreless innings on Wednesday for High-A Aberdeen, allowing three hits, no walks and striking out seven. Bragg has opened the year with 16.1 scoreless innings over three starts. Drafted out of Dallas Baptist in the eighth round in 2023, Bragg looks like a rising prospect for the Orioles in 2025. Bragg mixes two fastball shapes, a slider, a changeup and a cutter.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• Braves C Drake Baldwin hit his first career big league homer yesterday, although he also struck out three times.

• Red Sox RHP Yordanny Monegro is off to a nice start. Their No. 19 prospect has 15 strikeouts in 7.1 innings after a nine-strikeout outing yesterday.

• So is Yankees RHP Ben Hess. Their No. 4 prospect also struck out nine batters yesterday for High-A Hudson Valley and is up to 18 strikeouts over 9.2 innings without allowing an earned run.

• Cubs catcher Moises Ballesteros belted a pair of home runs for Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday

• Angels 3B Christian Moore is off to a slow start. He went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts yesterday and is now hitting just .167 through his first nine games with Double-A Rocket City.

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