Minor League Baseball Weekend Recap (Week 9)

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 8)

Ching-Hsien Ko, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers, 18, CPX

Ching-Hsien Ko might be the most intriguing prospect in baseball right now. The Dodgers followed the path they took with Hyun-Seok Jang, signing Ko mid-season as a 17-year-old to a $750k deal. He is half Taiwanese Indigenous and half South African.

Upon signing, the organization sent him straight to the Dominican Summer League. There he slashed .241/.450/.448 with a home run and three doubles in nine games. I probably would not put a ton of stock into Ko’s performance there just given the culture change and the short time to even settle in.

Ko has a quick bat from the left side and plenty of projectable power on his 6’3” frame. Already strong at 215 pounds, Ko has shown the ability to hit some big-time home runs and has the look of a 20-25 home run bat.

His start in the Complex this year has been highly impressive. A four-hit day on Saturday followed a three-hit day on Friday. Ko now is slashing .455/.548/.667 with a homer and two stolen bases. The approach and contact skills are impressive, as Ko has walked as often as he has struck out.

Ko’s prospect stock is moving up, and when the power comes along it could soar.

Tanner McDougal, RHP, Chicago White Sox, 22, A+

I went to Spartanburg on Saturday. Mostly to see Jeral Perez and Braden Montgomery, but McDougal stole the show. I saw him pitch last year, but he has ticked up even further this year with his fastball and showed a solid four-pitch mix.

McDougal tossed seven scoreless innings with just three hits allowed and eight strikeouts. He needed just 83 pitches to complete the seven innings and landed 77 percent of his pitches for strikes.

What impressed me the most about McDougal was the fastball. He sat 97-98 mph for the entire seven innings and even clipped a 100 mph. The curveball was a highly impressive secondary, missing a ton of bats with good depth, sitting in the upper-70s. The spin rates are absurd on the pitch and it is late drop to keep hitters on their toes.

McDougal also featured a firmer slider that worked in the upper-80s to 90 mph with a sharp movement profile. The changeup is not used often, but it is a solid pitch.

If McDougal can throw strikes like he did on Saturday, he is going to be a good starter. The year-long walk rate of 11.9 percent is concerning, but over his last five starts, that mark sits at just 6.8 percent.

Trey Gibson, RHP, Baltimore Orioles, 23, A+

Gibson signed with the Orioles as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Liberty. Despite not pitching during 2023, the Orioles thought enough of Gibson to take a shot on him, which paid off.

The 6’5” righty put up an impressive 2024 season, splitting time between Single-A and High-A. Gibson pitched 92 innings, posting a 3.72 ERA with 118 strikeouts to 39 walks. Throwing strikes at an average clip, Gibson has a strong arsenal of pitches that lead to whiffs.

If you look on the surface, Gibson’s numbers don’t look great. Gibson shoved on Sunday, however, striking out 13 batters without issuing a walk across six innings. He generated 12 whiffs but 21 called strikes against an impressive Brooklyn lineup. The only damage was a Chris Suero home run, but he allowed just two hits.

Having a five-pitch mix, Gibson leads with a fastball that he throws around 40 percent of the time. It grades out at a plus offering, sitting 94 mph with strong characteristics. The pitch plays up thanks to over seven feet of extension.

The slider is around 85 mph with strong sweeping action, while his 80 mph curveball has nice depth. Gibson used a cutter around 15 percent of the time, sitting 90 mph with carry and short horizontal movement. The changeup is Gibson’s least-used offering, mostly against left-handed bats. It is around 90 mph and a bit firm compared to his fastball.

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