Minor League Baseball Weekend Recap (Week 6)

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 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 6)

JR Ritchie, RHP, Atlanta Braves 21, AA(Just Promoted)

Ritchie’s final start in High-A was a thing of beauty. He completed “the Maddux,” which is a complete game with fewer than 100 pitches. It was more than just a complete game, though; it was a shutout that was nearly perfect, as Ritchie allowed just one hit and walk a piece. Ritchie finished his time in High-A Rome in 2025 with a 1.30 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched. Over his last four starts, Ritchie has 26 strikeouts to just two walks.

In 2024, the velocity did not return fully after Tommy John, sitting in the low 90s, often closer to 91 mph. Ritchie has worked closer to the mid-90s in 2025 and has topped north of 96 mph. His velocity held in the 91-93 mph range even deep into the start on Saturday.

His slider sits between 83-85, with nice sweeping action, missing plenty of bats. Ritchie does an excellent job landing it for strikes in strong locations and getting chase out of the zone. The changeup played well, sitting 85-88 mph.

Ritchie locates his pitches well, and that was a big key to success in High-A. Landing 68 percent of your pitches for strikes will absolutely play, but it was more where Ritchie commanded his pitches that did most of the damage.

Double-A hitters will be a new challenge for Ritchie, but he should be up for it. Don’t be surprised if Ritchie pitches in Atlanta by season’s end.

Jonah Tong, RHP, New York Mets, 21, AA

As good as JR Ritchie was, you could argue Jonah Tong was better. On Saturday, Tong was perfect across 6.2 innings with 13 strikeouts. He generated an impressive 18 whiffs while landing 17 more for called strikes, good for a 35 percent CSW.

The fastball has ticked up two straight seasons, and he is now working in the 94-96 range after sitting 92-93 mph last year. Tong regularly touches 20 inches of IVB from a sub-six-foot release height. He has gotten up to 98 mph with highly impressive traits on the fastball.

Tong utilizes a mid-to-upper 80s cutter with above-average horizontal movement for a cutter. The curveball is a hammer, with a shape near 12-6 and an over negative 18 inches of IVB. For those who are unsure, that is an absurd 67 inches of vertical drop. The pitch sits in the upper-70s with high spin rates.

The changeup rounds out the arsenal, sitting around 85 mph with good carry and horizontal movement. The pitch has lagged behind the rest of his arsenal in the past, but not on Saturday. Between the fastball and changeup, Tong struck out nine of the 13 batters.

I have done enough questioning of his delivery and whether it can work. Tong can pitch, and we need to see him in Triple-A.

Jonny Farmelo, OF, Seattle Mariners, 20, A+

Returning to form as fast as Farmelo did from an ACL tear is usually unheard of. Offseason reports were that Farmelo would likely be out until after the All Star break, but instead Farmelo completed his rehab and returned to full-season ball before the calendar turned to May.

Farmelo jumped straight to High-A out of the complex and has done nothing but hit. He has been on base in every game played and has 10 hits in 37 trips to the plate. Over the weekend, Farmelo blasted three home runs to push his total to five, pushing past his total last season, which he hit in 221 plate appearances.

There has been no denying the skills. Farmelo ranked as my second-best Mariners prospect entering the 2025 season due to the underlying data he posted last year. The performance was good, but it would likely have gotten better if it had not been for the ACL tear.

Farmelo is a true five-tool upside-type player. He has 70-grade speed, which shows in the field and on the bases. His feel to hit is quite strong, as shown by his 79 percent contact rate and nearly 93 percent in-zone mark from 2024. The power potential is there, and Farmelo posted a 90th percentile exit velocity that was just shy of 103 mph. He did all this while putting the ball in the air at a 66 percent clip.

This season, upon return, Farmelo has gotten stronger and is lifting the ball to the pull-side more often. Watch out, folks, Farmelo might be a top 10 prospect before we know it.

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