Minor League Baseball Weekend Recap: Top 15 Dominant Performances (Week 14)

At the beginning of each week, I will provide a comprehensive breakdown of everything that happened across the landscape of Minor League Baseball. It might be a little overkill as I wrote far too much on the players that stood out on the weekend, but I hope it helps you better understand why a player performed as they did.

This report, each Monday, will feature the top 15-20 standouts beyond just the box score. I will dive into non-public pitch data and hitters’ statcast data as well. The goal is to help you find prospects that are breaking out early that you should be getting in on in your dynasty leagues.

Minor League Baseball Weekend Recap(Week 14)

JJ Wetherholt, SS, St. Louis Cardinals, 22, AA

Wetherholt has not been spectacular this year, looking like a future number one prospect, but one thing that has stood out is his consistency. Sunday saw Wetherholt blast two home runs, with his first traveling 103 mph and 376 feet. The second may have been a bit of a misread, registering 381 feet, but traveling over the 400-foot sign in dead center. Regardless, it was Wetherholt’s first multi-homer game of his career and gives him seven on the season.

When you talk about consistency, Wetherholt is who comes to mind. Wetherholt has hits in two-thirds of his games and has not been on base in only eight of his 62 games this year. The feel for the barrel is fantastic and his approach is so sound. Currently, Wetherholt has an 84 percent overall contact with an in-zone contact rate that jumps near 90 percent. He does not expand the zone and has walked more often than he has struck out.

The contact rates alone may give you the idea that Wetherholt is a plus hitter, but his barrel accuracy and angles may raise that grade to a 70. I don’t give out 70s often, but I genuinely think Wetherholt has a 70-grade hit tool. Running a 27 percent line drive rate, Wetherholt sprays the ball to all fields with authority. The air rate of 60 percent is also strong, but more home runs will come when he begins to pull fly balls at a higher rate than 29 percent.

Wetherholt will likely be heading to Triple-A after the All-Star break, and he could be in the Majors before seasons end.

Edward Florentino, OF/1B, Pittsburgh Pirates, 18, A

I flagged Florentino in March after seeing him on the backfields as a potential breakout, but now it feels like it is time to sound the alarm. The 18-year-old moved to Single-A Bradenton and has hit his stride. Two home runs on Sunday pushes his total up to nine on the year in just 170 plate appearances.

Florentino might have been the player who caught my eye the most during my trip to Florida this spring, possibly because I saw him play on four different occasions. Regardless, Florentino was impressive. Considering he just turned 18 years old, Florentino has an impressive 6’4” frame with a strong lower half. He runs well and shows impressive pop.

I thought it was a pretty clean approach overall; he didn’t chase a lot of balls in my looks and picked up breaking balls pretty well. Florentino fought off some tough pitches to hit and made a lot of contact, especially considering on the backfields, he was in Double-A and Triple-A lineups multiple times.

Now, Florentino is one of the younger players in Single-A and is dominating. His 90th percentile exit velocity of 104.4 is eight mph above the average for his age, and the angles are good, creating barrels. He gets to the pull-side with authority and also runs quite well.

There is a reason Florentino was a top 100 fantasy prospect for me in our most recent update.

Owen Caissie, OF, Chicago Cubs, 22, AAA

Prospect fatigue has hit Caissie hard at this point, but it is important to remember that he is still just 22 years old. Sure, on the surface, you see a 30 percent strikeout rate. But you also see a strong .280/.388/.556 slash line. So, what to make of Owen Caissie’s performance to this point? Especially after blasting two more home runs on Saturday.

From an exit velocity standpoint, Caissie stands out. His 91.5 mph average exit velocity pairs well with an impressive 113.3 max exit velocity and a 107.5 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. The 16 percent barrel rate is tops among Triple-A hitters.

While the strikeout rate is up, Caissie’s contact rates are not all that different from what we are used to seeing. A 69 percent overall mark and a 79 percent zone-contact rate are fine. Caissie even has a respectable 24.5 percent chase rate.

The biggest problem is, Caissie is unlikely to find playing time given the Cubs' outfield situation. When Suzuki is locked in the designated hitter spot, Caissie has a big hill to climb. The Cubs are active in the trade market for a starting pitcher, and Caissie could be an attractive chip.

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