Head of the Class: Double-A
With All-Star Games approaching across the Minor Leagues, members of the MiLB.com staff are looking back at some of the most notable performers from the first half of each of the four full-season levels and who could take off in the months to come. After looking at the Class A and Class
With All-Star Games approaching across the Minor Leagues, members of the MiLB.com staff are looking back at some of the most notable performers from the first half of each of the four full-season levels and who could take off in the months to come. After looking at the Class A and Class A Advanced levels, here, we look at players in the Double-A Eastern, Southern and Texas Leagues.
Most exciting hitter
Braves OF Drew Waters, Mississippi: The No. 44 overall prospect and No. 4 Braves prospect led the Southern League in batting average (.338), slugging percentage (.535), on-base plus slugging percentage (.917), hits (93), doubles (23), triples (eight), extra-base hits (36), total bases (147) and runs scored (42). His total bases led all Double-A circuits, and only the Eastern League's Wilson Garcia (Akron) matched his double tally, despite the SL's first half officially ending two days before the EL's and one day before the Texas League's. Considering Waters entered the year with a mere 30 games of experience at the Class A Advanced level and won't turn 21 until December, that's a darn-near historic first three months of his second full season of professional baseball. His age and experience also mean it'd be reasonable to see how he fares in the SL into the dog days of summer rather than promote him right away.
Most exciting pitcher:
Tigers RHP Casey Mize, Erie: The No. 1 overall pick of last year's Draft only pitched 52 innings across nine EL starts, but it was must-watch MiLB.TV every time he was on the bump for the SeaWolves. His status as the top-ranked pitcher in baseball may have made that true no matter what, but it sure didn't hurt that Mize appeared to be in almost total control of every one of his outings, from his complete-game, nine-inning no-hitter in his Double-A debut on April 29 right up until he exited his June 13 start after 2 1/3 innings. That turned out to be due to right shoulder inflammation, which has kept him on the injured list unfortunately. Nonetheless, he finished the half at 6-0 with an eye-popping 1.21 ERA, a .191 opponents' batting average and 50 strikeouts and 11 walks over 52 innings.
Best team
Arkansas Travelers (Mariners): The Travelers were a well-oiled machine -- they went 21-14 at home and 22-11 on the road to lead all Double-A teams in winning percentage (.632) -- and had multiple players stand out as exceptional individual performers. No. 14 Mariners prospect Jake Fraley hit .313/.384/.537 (the highest slugging percentage in the TL) with 11 homers, 14 doubles, 47 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Donnie Walton (No. 28 in the M's system) was second in the league with a .398 OBP and matched Fraley with 71 hits. Evan White (No. 5) had 16 extra-base hits in 50 games, and Kyle Lewis (No. 7) was a consistent asset, posting a .367 OBP. Pitching-wise, No. 67 overall prospect Justin Dunn was 5-3 with a 3.46 ERA and 81 strikeouts over 65 innings before the All-Star break, and right-hander Darren McCaughan led the loop with a 2.60 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 79 2/3 innings pitched.
Second-half breakout
Nationals shortstop Luis Garcia, Harrisburg: Garcia's hit tool is too good for the left-handed hitting shortstop to not catch up to the EL in the near future. His pre-All-Star break .260/.293/.310 slash line is likely the product of a 19-year-old kid being exposed to Double-A ball in his second full professional season; all but the most freakish teenagers are up against a steep learning curve in that scenario. The second-ranked Nationals prospect (and No. 61 overall prospect) batted .298 between Class A Hagerstown and Class A Advanced Potomac last season, and he has the natural ability to hit much closer to .300 the rest of the way. In fact, after laboring to a .239 average in April and suffering to a .198 mark in May, Garcia hit .312 with six doubles (which gave him 11 on the year) in June. He also opened July with a four-hit performance.
Coming soon
Padres LHP MacKenzie Gore, Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore: Well, one would certainly hope so. Gore, the No. 3 prospect in baseball, has been all but unbeatable in the California League while enjoying perhaps the most dominant first half of any Minor Leaguer this year. The 20-year-old southpaw entered the Futures Game at 7-1 with a 1.02 ERA through 15 starts for the Storm. He's fanned 110 in 79 1/3 innings and held opponents to a .137 batting average. Seven -- that's almost half -- of his starts have been scoreless. In another seven, he gave up one run. In one, on a rough day, he gave up two runs. If he's not in an Amarillo Sod Poodles uniform and ready to torment Texas League hitters by the end of the week, consider starting a letter-writing campaign.
Josh Jackson is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @JoshJacksonMiLB.
How clubs across Minor League Baseball are celebrating PLAY BALL Weekend
PLAY BALL Weekend is almost here, and Minor League clubs have put together an exciting calendar of events to celebrate MLB’s youth engagement initiative. Some clubs are hosting youth clinics or other events in their home ballparks while others are bringing the joy of baseball and softball into the local
Here are the weirdest plays and stats from MiLB in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Podcast features first-base promotions for Caglianone, Eldridge
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Cubs' Rojas, Mets' Tong headline May's Minor League Players of the Month
Minor League Baseball announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for May in Major League Baseball’s player development system.
Minor League Baseball, Joe Torre Safe At Home partnership enters ninth year
For the ninth year, Minor League Baseball and Joe Torre Safe At Home have teamed up to raise awareness about violence and abuse and to inspire fans of all ages to join them in SAH’s critical work. This year, 63 MiLB teams will participate in an in-ballpark initiative from May
MiLB podcast discusses Anthony, Caglianone at Triple-A
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
These are the greatest Minor League promos happening in June
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
New playoff format coming to 2025 Dominican Summer League
Minor League Baseball announced the 2025 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season will begin June 2 with Opening Day festivities taking place at the Boston Red Sox Academy in Guerra. The 2025 campaign will also see the introduction of the DSL Cup, a new playoff format that will see 16 DSL
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other