The Daily Dugout Report - April 17, 2026

All feels right in the world, having a ton of Minor League baseball action every day. Sure, there are a million names to track, but that’s the fun of it. Who is breaking out, and which performances are legit? It is still too early to tell, but we can watch and look at the data to figure out which performances might be legit and we will do our best to break down everything you need to know about the prospects who are standing out.

Let’s dive into the top performers from yesterday’s action.

Exit Velocity Leaders(Prospects Only)

Whiff Leaders(Prospects Only)

The Prospect Report

🚀 Standout of The Day

Pedro Ramirez, 2B, Chicago Cubs (AAA)

Stats: 4/6 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB

Why The Performance Matters:

The dominant performance just keeps going for Ramriez. Collecting four hits, Ramirez blasted his fifth home run of the season, and he even stole two more bases. Ramirez is not hitting .328 on the season with an OPS north of 1.026. This followed his 2025 season, when Ramirez slashed .280/.346/.386 with eight home runs, 21 doubles, and four triples.

While the surface numbers have looked good so far, the underlying data is what continues to impress. The power gains are real and Ramirez had two balls hit over 102 mph on Thursday, including a 108 mph shot that ended in a lineout.

Already hitting a ball as hard as 111 mph, Ramírez is averaging 92 mph on his 53 batted balls, and even though it means very little due to the sample, the 90th percentile is an impressive 107 mph.

One thing to note is Ramirez seems to be getting a bit more aggressive, which isnt necessarily a bad thing. The chase rate has climbed a little, up to 24.5 percent, but the zone swing rate has also risen to 66 percent. Ramirez swung and missed just once on Thursday and the zone contact rate is still hovering around 95 percent.

Fantasy Spin:

While it is not a perfect profile, Ramirez has made legitimate gains. The hit tool, or at least contact skills are arguably 70-grade. But that is not new. The approach is also quite strong, and Ramirez runs good walk rates.

The jump in power and exit velocities are what matter. Ramirez hit just eight home runs in 563 plate appearances last season, and the fact he is already up to five in just over 70 plate appearances is encouraging.

The inconsistent launch angles do give some concern that the power might not fully translate into game power, but the ground ball rate is down three percentage points from last season.

The biggest question is, how does Ramirez fit in Chicago’s plans? He plays second and third base and the Cubs have Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner locked in those spots. Honestly, Ramirez seems like a mid-season trade candidate to a team that can fit him in their plans. -CC

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