Prospects Who Stood Out on Wednesday Across the Minors!

More live looks are on tap in Greenville as Justin Gonzales has made his way to High-A and is scheduled to face off against some really good arms from Bowling Green over the next few days!

Across the minors, we had a ton of double-digit strikeout performances and multi-home run games. I've broken down some top prospects and lesser-known names that are standing out in a big way.

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Each day, I will pick a hitter and pitcher who stand out and deserve the top spot on the sheet. Those players’ reports will be free for all to read. The rest will be paywalled for Dynasty Dugout Subscribers. The article is around 3000 words, giving you detailed player reports to encapsulate everything you need to know.

Andres Valor, OF, Miami Marlins, 19, A

Valor was a major breakout pick for me entering the 2024 season after a strong DSL season and being a bigger name in the 2023 international class. While the complex results were fine, Valor, who was known for power, hit just two home runs and wound up stealing 35 bases.

So far this year, Valor has been fine, but not great in his age-19 season in Single-A. Putting up a .232/.342/.374 slash with nine home runs and 42 stolen bases. Last night, Valor had one of the better games of his career as he collected four hits, including two home runs. With four hard-hit balls, the hardest hit ball was 104.4 mph, which traveled 379 feet.

Valor has an average exit velocity just shy of 85 mph, but his 102.2 mph 90th percentile exit velocity is a better view of the higher-end power. The approach is respectable as Valor has a 25 percent chase rate, and his zone swing rate of 78 percent is highly impressive. The contact skills are still below average, but with the bigger frame and long levers, it is not overly surprising.

Still, if it clicks for Valor, the power and speed upside is pretty intriguing. He is still a very deep league play, but the potential is there if he hits enough.

JR Ritchie, RHP, Atlanta Braves, 22, AAA

Ritchie has been great all year, but Wednesday’s start might have been the best yet as he tossed six innings of one-run ball with 11 strikeouts and just two walks. While he generated just 14 whiffs, Ritchie still had an impressive 37 percent whiff rate and a 38 percent CSW. The strike rate sat at 67 percent.

In 2024, the velocity did not return fully after Tommy John, sitting in the low 90s, often closer to 91 mph. Last night, Ritchie worked consistently at 93 mph and topped at 95 mph several times. Between the sinker and four-seam, Ritchie generated nine of his 14 whiffs.

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.

The curveball has been a strong offering, but Ritchie’s development of his cutter has given him an impressive arsenal of pitches. Considering he just turned 22 years old, Ritchie has everything you want to see from a future MLB starter, and it would not be surprising to see him in Atlanta soon.

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