The Southeastern Conference isn't just known for football, since its baseball teams seem to routinely rule the College World Series. In terms of SEC schools, Arkansas may not be the first one that jumps to mind -- though it has produced boppers like Brett Eibner, Kevin McReynolds and Red Sox standout Andrew Benintendi.

So in May, when Chad Spanberger went to the SEC tournament and hit three home runs for the Razorbacks against Auburn -- then hit two more against eventual national champion Florida a couple games later -- scouts took notice.

It's already been an active trade season, and it's not yet the final week of July. Since July 13, the Yankees, Nationals, Cubs, D-backs and Mariners have swung big deals in attempts to improve their Major League clubs before the stretch playoff runs in August and September. Meanwhile, the White Sox, Tigers and A's have dealt away big-league talent to beef up their Minor League farm systems.

It's those clubs, and those like them, that we'll focus on in this week's Toolshed. While the rest of the baseball world keeps its eye on what Major League contenders will be doing before July 31, we'll look at which farm systems could be in line for big improvements.

With about six weeks remaining in the Minor League regular season, members of the MiLB.com staff hand out grades to all 30 farm systems based on their prospect and team performance so far. The American and National League East Division made up the first installment in the series, followed by the Central Divisions on Thursday and the West today. Josh Jackson provides the grades here for the AL West, while Tyler Maun breaks out his red pen for the NL West.

American League West

Houston Astros
Grade: B+
The Astros have graduated two pitchers to the big leagues who are ranked among MLB.com's top-100 prospects. Francis Martes (No. 15) has been used primarily out of the bullpen of late and is finding success there, allowing two earned runs in his last four appearances. David Paulino (No. 44), on the other hand, hit a wall in his development after nine big league games. The 6-foot-7 fireballer has been banned for the rest of the season due to a positive PED test. But in the Minors, things are sunny. The organization ranks seventh with a collective .534 winning percentage as Class A Quad Cities and Class A Advanced Buies Creek -- thanks in part to prized pitching duo Forrest Whitley and Franklin Perez -- each hold second-half division leads. Kyle Tucker, the club's top position playing prospect, is more than holding his own at age 20 for Double-A Corpus Christi. Up at the Triple-A level, fellow Futures Game participant Derek Fisher has batted .314/.381/.589 with 21 homers and 16 steals over 81 games. He also had a five-game stint in the Majors in June and went 5-for-18 with two homers. There's individual talent and team success to be found throughout the system.

Every pitcher on the Orem Owlz roster was born in the 1990s -- and so was their pitching coach.

That youthful developer of even younger talent is Jonathan Van Eaton, who turned 26 a month prior to the start of the 2017 Pioneer League season. Injuries derailed Van Eaton's own pitching career almost before it began, but he appears to have a long future ahead of him within the game he loves. As he puts it, simply and succinctly, "I'm in love with the grind."

At first glance, Khalil Lee doesn't appear to be the most imposing player on the field.

However, watch the Royals No. 12 prospect turn on a fastball with his lightning-quick bat speed or make a throw on the fly from the outfield to home plate and it becomes apparent that his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame generates impressive explosiveness -- and that's generated some solid numbers.

A rash of injuries derailed most of the season for outfielder Steven Duggar, but San Francisco's No. 4 prospect has come on strong for the Class A Advanced Giants.

Duggar belted his first professional grand slam as San Jose outslugged Rancho Cucamonga, 12-7, on Thursday night at Municipal Stadium. The 2015 sixth-round pick also drove in four runs Tuesday against Lake Elsinore, and five of the six hits in his abbreviated season have gone for extra bases.

Pavin Smith hails from Florida and went to the University of Virginia, but he's fitting right in on the West Coast.

Arizona's top pick in June's First-Year Player Draft doubled twice on a four-hit night, scored four times and added an RBI as Class A Short Season Hillsboro rallied in the bottom of the ninth inning to sink Spokane, 6-5.

After a tough start his last time out, Mitch Keller got back on the right track with a stellar performance Thursday night. But then he took a liner off his shin. 

Pittsburgh's No. 2 prospect yielded an unearned run on one hit and two walks over six innings and exited after taking a hard liner off his shin as Class A Advanced Bradenton topped Fort Myers, 4-1, at LECOM Park.

Eloy Jimenez doesn't look like he needed much time to get used to being a member of the White Sox organization. 

In his sixth game with his new club and making his home debut with Class A Advanced Winston-Salem, Chicago's No. 2 prospect hit his first homer since being acquired from the Cubs and added two doubles in the Dash's 7-6 loss to the Salem Red Sox on Thursday night.

Earlier in July, Class A Loons manager Jeremy Rodriguez noticed Oneil Cruz was using a heavier bat. The coaching staff gave the Dodgers No. 20 prospect a lighter piece of lumber and the move is paying off. 

"He's young, he's going to make those little mistakes," Rodriguez said. "But I think, for him, going back to the bat that he used early in the season and just staying with it is helping him."

Cruz collected a career-high five hits, including a homer, and drove in three runs to power Great Lakes to a 10-0 win over Cedar Rapids at Perfect Game Field. The 18-year-old also doubled, singled three times and scored three runs.