The Daily Dugout Report - June 17, 2026

A new week of ball is underway. Tuesdays are some of the best days because we get Minor League ball back across all levels, and there is plenty to watch and discuss.

Today’s article features a ton of fun prospects. Some with big performances that we may not be buying into. Others may be on the verge of breaking out. But all reports today are worth a read!

In the meantime, go check out our latest prospect and dynasty rankings.

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

Joshua Baez, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (AAA)

Stats: 4/5 4 HR

Why The Performance Matters:

Have a day, Joshua Baez! Four home runs in five trips to the plate with all of the home runs being hit at 102 mph or harder. Two of the blasts left the bat north of 108 mph in a standout day.

Baez was selected in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft, and after flashing strong tools at points in his career, the breakout finally came in 2025. In 499 plate appearances, Baez hit 20 home runs and stole 54 bases while posting a slash of .287/.384/.500. He saw his strikeout rate drop to a career low 20.6 percent, which was a substantial improvement on the 35.5 percent mark we saw in 2024.

The strikeout rate sits at 31.5 percent for Baez right now, but despite that, he has 23 home runs and 12 stolen bases while slashing .282/.345/.631. After showing improvements in 2025 and having an overall contact rate of 74 percent and an in-zone contact of 80 percent, we are looking at a substantial drop. Currently, Baez has a 75 percent in-zone contact rate and a 66 percent overall mark.

While people have destroyed Baez in rankings and feel hes not ready for MLB, I would like to counter that. Over the last 17 games and 82 plate appearances, Baez has an 85 percent zone contact rate and a 72 percent overall contact rate. He has struck out in just 24 percent of plate appearances over that span. Don’t miss that.

Baez is chasing way more, up to 36 percent. Last year, that number was an impressive 22 percent. On the positive, Baez has a 109 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and a 20 percent barrel rate. The power and speed combo is awesome, but we need to see the contact rates be more consistent. The good news is, this is trending in a positive direction. -CC

Austin Peterson, RHP, Cleveland Guardians (AAA)

Stats: 5.2 IP/2 H/0 ER/0 BB/12 K

Why The Performance Matters:

Austin Peterson really jumped on my radar in 2024 when he tossed 160 innings in the minors with a 2.64 ERA. He never had flashy stuff, but he just got the job done. That continued into last year when he pitched 145 innings with a 3.21 ERA in Triple-A.

A triceps injury caused Peterson to miss a decent chunk of time this year, but he has returned and looks the part, and that was the case on Tuesday as he struck out 12 batters across an impressive 5.2 scoreless innings.

Peterson ran a 41 percent whiff rate while landing 66 percent of his pitches for strikes. He does not overpower anyone with his 94 mph fastball, but he does dominate with a sweeper that sits in the low-80s with 13 inches of sweeping action.

Known for his strong command, Peterson has seen some major regression there coming back from the triceps injury. But, knowing the history of how good the strike throwing has been, I would look at the bigger picture.

Sure, he is 26 years old in Triple-A, but Peterson could get a shot to start in Cleveland soon. -CC

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