The Daily Dugout Report - July 9, 2026

We are just a few days away from the MLB Draft! New prospects will be injected into the team and overall prospect rankings by next week. Also, starting next Monday, we will be releasing new team top prospect rankings and have all 30 out by the end of July. Buckle up, its going to be a great ride.

First, lets get in on last nights action.

Exit Velocity Leaders(Prospects Only)

Whiff Leaders(Prospects Only)

The Prospect Report

🚀 Standout of The Day

Lucas Braun, RHP, Atlanta Braves (AA)

Stats: 7 IP/6 H/2 ER/0 BB/12 K

Why The Performance Matters:

Braun consistently eats innings and pitches deep into games. He tossed 143.2 innings across 25 starts in 2024, which is close to a six-inning average per start. This trend continued into 2025 as he pitched 149.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. After starting 2026 in Triple-A, Braun was bad and ultiamtely demoted to Double-A, but seems to be bouncing back strong. After eight scoreless innings last week, Braun struck out 12 across seven innings last night.

Braun has always been a plus strike thrower, but it was surprsingly low in Triple-A at 61 percent. In Double-A however, that mark sits at 69 percent. The command and control are strong, which leads to consistently low walk rates, and Braun does a great job keeping the ball on the ground. His release point is consistent, and he repeats the delivery well, which helps with his fastball locations. 

The fastball sits in the 92-95 range, with average ride and horizontal movement. It does play well given the low 5’4” release point and having over 6’9” of extension. The vertical approach angle on the four-seam is strong, and Braun plays off of it well with a sinker. He also added an 87-90 mph cutter has played as one of his best offerings, having seven inches of IVB and one inch of cut.

The slider sits in the low-80s with a good movement profile and advanced location, given the amount of movement it gets. Ten of the strikeouts last night came on that pitch. With a solid two-plane break, Braun misses bats often with the pitch. He drops in an upper-70s curveball with a two-plane break. Braun also has a mid-80s changeup with nearly 15 inches of fading action.

It is a deep arsenal of pitches, and Braun locates well. He should be back in Triple-A after the All Star break and could debut later this year. -CC

Bryce Rainer, SS, Detroit Tigers (A+)

Stats: 5/5 2 2B, HR, SB

Why The Performance Matters:

A rollercoaster ride is a great way to describe what is going on with Bryce Rainer. A stellar day last night saw him collect five hits, including two doubles and a home run. All five batted balls last night were 109 mph or higher, topping out at 113 mph. Thats awesome, but no one has ever questioned the power. In his first pro appearance, Rainer hit a ball 114 mph; he's always had top-end power.

There is much to be studied when it comes to Bryce Rainer and the absurd mechanical changes he made this offseason. The swing got to a terrible place, and the timing has to be impeccable, which has led to quite the up-and-down season for Rainer. The rolling whiff and zone-contact graphs are literally a roller coaster.

Rainer has a 35 percent strikeout rate on the year and while it looked better mid-June its ’s crashed again and is hovering near 40 percent over the last two weeks. The zone contact rate is nearly unplayable, and that is the major concern. Sitting at around 73 percent, there are issues that must be fixed. If he can, the power is upper scale.

The other issue no one talks about is ground balls. Sure, hitting the ball over 110 mph is fun, but you would think having a 111 mph 90th percentile exit velocity would lead to more than 10 home runs in 300 plate apperances. But a 57 percent ground ball rate is always gonna hold him back.

The profile is tough. People are yelling he’s a top 5-10 prospect, but they are missing the bigger picture of who he is as a player. -CC

Join the Dynasty Dugout, Trusted by Thousands