The Daily Dugout Report - May 20, 2026

We are flying through the season. Memorial Day is quickly approaching and the summer heat is arriving. Balls will be flying out of the yard, and hopefully, soon, the Midwest League will have good weather for baseball.

It now feels like we have solid samples for all full-season affiliates, and the complex league has now given us several weeks worth of data. Check out the first Complex League Risers article here:

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

Sam Petersen, OF, Washington Nationals (AA)

Stats: 2/3 2 HR, SB, BB

Why The Performance Matters:

A personal cheese ball player of mine since seeing him in person for the first time early last season, Petersen has done nothing but improve and raise his stock. Petersen checks a lot of boxes of what I look for when scouting a player. There is 110 percent effort every play, a great first step, good bat-to-ball skills, and a strong athlete who has added power. Drafted in the eighth round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Petersen did not receive much fanfare, but this year, he has done nothing but hit.

Getting a late start to the season, Petersen spent a few games at the complex and Single-A before landing in High-A Wilmington, where I saw him. His first step and reads in centerfield are impressive, and he uses his plus foot speed to just glide and make plays many would not.

Last season, Petersen got just 222 plate appearances in which he hit seven homers and stole 23 bases on 24 attempts. The slash line was highly impressive at .310/.416/.489. This year, Petersen has just gotten better and already is up to seven home runs after a two-homer effort on Tuesday and has 12 of 13 on stolen base attempts. While the .234 batting average might concern you, Petersen is running a .367 OPS with an .827 OPS.

The contact rates are one thing to keep an eye on, but Petersen can swing it. He is such a fun player to watch. -CC

Jacob Odle, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (A)

Stats: 5.1 IP/3 H/0 ER/1 BB/8 K

Why The Performance Matters:

A 2023 14th-round pick out of Orange Coast College, Odle missed the entire 2024 season and got just 51 innings last season in Single-A, where he struggled mightily with command. The stuff was there as he struck out 30 percent of batters, but Odle posted a 5.92 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. This year, he looks like a different arm.

Striking out eight batters across 5.1 scoreless innings on Tuesday, Odle has now allowed just one earned run in his last three starts and has 23 strikeouts to five walks over that span. The season-long ERA is down to 1.80 to pair with a 34 percent strikeout rate and a walk rate just under 11 percent.

The four-seam fastball sits north of 97 mph and has touched near triple-digits. It has a rather flat VAA and over 17 inches of IVB from a six-foot release height. Odle also mixes is a sinker with 15 inches of run.

The mid-80s curveball misses a ton of bats as does the 89 mph cutter. Odle also features a changeup and slider at times. It is a deep arsenal of pitches with great stuff. The strike rate of 65 percent is also impressive compared to the 11 percent walk rate.

Odle will be 22 years old all season, and we need to see him at High-A soon, but the stuff is there for him to really rise up the rankings. Right now, I would value him as a top 350 prospect until we see him in High-A. -CC

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