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Minor League teams are celebrating Star Wars Day -- this weekend and beyond

@JoshJacksonMiLB
May 2, 2025

If you're out and about on Sunday, you might notice a slight uptick in Wookies, Jawas, Jedis, Siths, Droids and a slew of other intergalactic characters. May 4 -- or May The Fourth, as in "May the Fourth be with you" -- is known in some circles as Star Wars

14 prospects to follow for as Rookie ball gets underway

@SamDykstraMiLB
May 2, 2025

Who is ready for another Opening Day? The Arizona and Florida Complex Leagues begin play Saturday, officially kicking off the Rookie-level portion of the 2025 Minor League schedule. That might still feel early for those who have been following the Minors for a while. The Complex League schedules were moved

Padres teen phenom De Vries' day: Cycle, 2 HRs, 5 hits, 8 RBIs

@MavalloneMiLB
April 23, 2025

The stars, the planets and everything in between aligned perfectly for Leo De Vries on Tuesday night. "El Mutante" did not disappoint. De Vries put together one of the best single-game performances in club history, made all the more impressive considering he's only 18 years old. MLB Pipeline's No. 17

De Vries, Salas show why they're top prospects at Spring Breakout

March 14, 2025

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It's been precisely one year since the Padres traded for Dylan Cease. Nearly two months later, they landed Luis Arraez. At the ensuing Trade Deadline, they made two major moves to bolster their bullpen. Naturally, those deals depleted the upper levels of their farm system. Still, the

2024 Draft class gets early chance to take center stage at Spring Breakout

March 11, 2025

When players are taken in the early rounds of the MLB Draft, it’s easy to dream about seeing them under the bright lights of the big leagues, but a common refrain has been that fans don't get to see those players for years after they're selected. Thanks to Spring Breakout,

Here are the Top 10 shortstop prospects for 2025

January 21, 2025

MLB Pipeline will reveal its 2025 Top 100 Prospects list at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 24, with a one-hour show on MLB Network and MLB.com. Leading up to the release of the Top 100, we'll examine baseball's top 10 prospects at each position.

In honor of National Hat Day, here are 10 of MiLB's most popular caps of '24

@Kelsie_Heneghan
January 15, 2025

We are celebrating the small yet mighty canvas that is the Minor League cap for National Hat Day. Clubs across the Minors utilize them as a fun way to represent their teams, regions and sometimes even their parent organizations. Not to mention they also look pretty sweet. Here's a close

Here are the Top 10 catching prospects for 2025

@SamDykstraMiLB
January 14, 2025

The Dodgers understand the importance of a top catcher. While superstars Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman grab plenty of headlines, Will Smith remains one of the pillars of Los Angeles’ success. Since he debuted in 2019, Smith ranks second among all Major League catchers with an 18.5 fWAR,

How the Rule 5 Draft impacted teams' Top 30 Prospects lists

@SamDykstraMiLB
December 11, 2024

MLB Pipeline gives our organizational Top 30 prospect rankings complete refreshes twice per calendar year (once in spring, once in-season) and provides other live updates as graduations and other transactions necessitate them. In the latter category, two dates in particular are our busiest for Top 30 updates: the Trade Deadline

From 16 to 26, here is the best prospect at each age

@benweinrib
November 13, 2024

With the World Series over and the Arizona Fall League wrapping up, now is a good time to take stock of an exciting year in prospectdom. In October, MLB Pipeline released its updated Top 100 Prospects list, which featured several big changes at the top, but we're going to take

Vote NOW for the Fall Stars Game Final 2

November 5, 2024

Fans, the Arizona Fall League wants your help. The 18th annual Fall Stars Game is set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at Mesa's Sloan Park, and fans have the last word on the rosters. MLB.com's Fall Stars Final 2 Vote is open now, with one spot on the American

Here are 10 of the top Minor League jerseys in 2024

@Kelsie_Heneghan
November 1, 2024

Fans typically buy a sports jersey because of who's wearing it. But in the Minor Leagues, what’s on a jersey can often mean so much more. Teams have a way of making fans part of franchises by bringing local culture into their jersey and theme nights. “It's taking pride in

Padres' De Vries youngest to homer in Fall League since Harper

@JesseABorek
October 31, 2024

Leodalis De Vries hasn't completed a full year as a professional yet, but he has already amassed an astounding list of firsts and the “youngest-to” designations in 2024. During Peoria’s 12-5 loss to Surprise on Thursday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex, he added another: Youngest player to homer in

Padres' prospect Salas providing exciting spring preview in Fall League

@JesseABorek
October 29, 2024

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When the Padres break spring camp at the Peoria Sports Complex in February, Ethan Salas will be among the Major League group for the second time, an astounding feat considering he’ll be just 18 years old. While it would be a significant development if Salas were to

'Mastermind' catcher Salas leads Padres' AFL squad

@JesseABorek
October 22, 2024

The first thing you hear about Ethan Salas the ballplayer is how incredibly advanced he is for his age. There seldom are 18-year-olds in big league Spring Training camp or at the Arizona Fall League, but San Diego has handled Salas’ development with one ethos in mind: Push the gifted.

Padres teen prospects Salas and De Vries coming of age this fall

@JesseABorek
October 17, 2024

MESA, Ariz. – Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries have been inextricably linked to begin their pro careers, having been the respective No. 1 overall international prospects in 2023 and ‘24, both choosing to sign with the Padres. Top prospects of rebuilding clubs who come with extreme promise and impact

'I'm just getting back to me': Salas finding footing in Fall League

@SamDykstraMiLB
October 14, 2024

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The season is meant to be measured in growth. In many ways, Ethan Salas has been just trying to get back to equilibrium. He appears to be getting there. Need proof? Look at one statistic in particular. “I’ve been like that my whole life ever since I

Padres' De Vries excited for Fall League experience after first pro season

October 12, 2024

MESA, Ariz. -- The Padres aren't afraid to challenge elite young prospects. They sent Ethan Salas , the top player in the 2023 international class, to Double-A at age 17 last summer. They had Leodalis De Vries, the best player in this year's international crop, spend all of this season

Shoulder injury sidelines Lake Elsinore's De Vries

Padres' No. 2 prospect could miss remainder of his debut season
August 19, 2024

SAN DIEGO -- Leodalis De Vries' breakout first professional season may be coming to an early end. The Padres' 17-year-old shortstop prospect -- MLB Pipeline's top-ranked international signing in the current class -- suffered a strained right shoulder while diving for a ball on Sunday. Per team sources, De Vries'

The weirdest, wackiest stats from the past month

Covering all the MiLB bases, from the ridiculous to the sublime
@BensBiz
August 11, 2024

Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The edition, rounding up the month of July, features intra-organizational no-nos, wild romps, unexpected mound dominance and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get

All-Star Futures Game, Skills Showcase FAQs

A need-to-know guide for this weekend's prospect-laden events
@brendan_samson
July 11, 2024

Forty-nine of MLB’s top prospects will compete at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday in the All-Star Futures Game. This year’s iteration, which marks the 25th anniversary of the contest, will feature the first-ever Futures Skills Showcase, a three-challenge event that will test participants’ precision and power at

The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from June

The bizarre and bombastic happenings from around the Minors
@BensBiz
July 11, 2024

Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The June edition features a doubles deluge, oppositional surnames, way too many walks and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get in touch if

Storm coming: De Vries flashes pop, tees off twice

Padres' No. 4 prospect, just 17, posts career-best night at Single-A
@allisonmast13
July 6, 2024

Leo De Vries has perhaps never deserved his nickname of “El Mutante” more than on Friday night when he left the yard twice for the first multihomer game of his very young pro career. But that’s not where his otherworldly abilities end -- the 17-year-old homered from both the right

Stormy weather: De Vries swats first pro homer

Youngest player in full-season affiliated ball goes yard in 36th game
@thevandalorian
June 26, 2024

It took 36 games, but Leodalis De Vries connected on his first professional home run at age 17. MLB’s No. 78 prospect received an aggressive assignment to Single-A Lake Elsinore after signing with the Padres in January as the top-ranked international free agent. He racked up a four-RBI performance in

Player of the Week Spotlight: Padres' Mondou

29-year-old farmhand posted a 1.400 OPS in 5 games with El Paso
@RobTnova24
June 13, 2024

Nate Mondou is a grinder. The eight-year pro vet has suited up for three different organizations since being selected by the Athletics in the 13th round of the 2016 Draft, but while the threads have changed over the years his mentality has not: grind every at-bat, every game and do