Thanks for reading! You could copy and paste most of Mitchell’s blurb here, as Jensen is a left-handed hitting catcher who’s good on defense and employs an extremely patient approach in the batter’s box. He walked 15.2 percent of the time in 84 Low-A games but swung a little more in Double-A, where he walked […]
Thanks for reading!
You could copy and paste most of Mitchell’s blurb here, as Jensen is a left-handed hitting catcher who’s good on defense and employs an extremely patient approach in the batter’s box. He walked 15.2 percent of the time in 84 Low-A games but swung a little more in Double-A, where he walked at an 8.8 percent clip in 41 games. He hit 18 homers and stole 17 bags in those 125 games across two levels, slashing .259/.359/.450 along the way. Could flip he and Mitchell if proximity is your game, although both players are racing toward a red light as long as Salvador Perez wears the gear.
The 8th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Mitchell is a left-handed power hitter at 6’1” 202 lbs who frames and receives with a steady calm behind the dish. In the box, he brings an all-or-nothing approach of patience and power, which netted him 18 home runs and a 30.5 percent strikeout rate against a 17 percent walk rate in 106 Low-A games. He also stole 25 bases and earned a 141 wRC+. Still, I don’t love the approach from a developmental perspective. I like to see guys take risks with their contact skills, learn and expand their zone by trying new things, surprising themselves with a positive outcome on a pitch a little off the plate. Watching a lot of pitches has compounding benefits as well, I admit, but I’d like to see a guy really learn the fine points of his swing through an accumulation of live reps. TLDR (although I suppose why are you still here R-ing if the paragraph is TL): I think swinging a lot is better than swinging very little for very young hitters, but I can admit there are several paths to the right balance of selective aggression and contact skills.
In 44 games from July 11 through season’s end, Charles slashed .316/.404/.477 with four home runs and 11 stolen bases. He’s a great example of why I like the game logs because even though I remember he came on at season’s end, it’s good to see it in black and white like this after the dust settles. Charles is a plus athlete with easy speed and power at 6’5” 215 lbs, so when he starts to put it together, even over a small sample size, it makes sense to sit up in your chair a little. His full season line was good for a 121 wRC+ anyway, but .257/.353/.386 just doesn’t have the same wow factor to it, and it doesn’t tell the story of a player improving throughout the year and earning his next challenge.
8. C Ramon Ramirez | 19 | CPX | 2029
7. OF Gavin Cross | 22 | AA | 2025
Ramirez was dominant in his debut DSL season, walking (14%) more than he struck out (12%) in 41 games (150 PA) and slashing .344/.440/.615 with eight home runs and six stolen bases. He came back to earth a bit on the complex this season but still slashed .265/.379/.459 with seven home runs in 49 games. A six-foot righty at 180 lbs, he’s got a little room on the frame to add strength and might make himself an attractive trade chip with a hot start.
6. 2B OF Javier Vaz | 23 | AA | 2025
A slightly Altuvian left-handed hitter at 5’6” 151 lbs, Vaz makes a ton of contact. He walked more (14%) than he struck out (11.5%) in 115 Double-A games while hitting eight home runs and stealing 16 bases in 19 attempts, good for a 118 wRC+. If there’s even a tiny uptick in power, Vaz could be a Kwan-esque every day option for Kansas City and fantasy mainstay for us.
Gentry’s prospect stock is low in dynasty leagues, but I’m interested in the streaky 6’0” 210 lb right-handed hitter and think he could do just enough to be serviceable for our purposes if given the chance at the right moment. He’s been a league-average hitter in Triple-A each of the past two seasons with 32 homers and 22 steals in those 260 games.
4. C Carter Jensen | 21 | AA | 2026
Ricardo’s a switch-hitter at 6’1” 180 lbs who signed for .4 million but struggled to get it going through 45 games in the Dominican Summer League, slashing .213/.330/.366 with two home runs and 14 stolen bases. We can forgive a hiccup or two from a switch-hitting shortstop with pedigree and plate skills, and Ricardo struck out just 17.3 percent of the time against a 12.8 percent walk rate.
1. 1B Jac Caglianone | 22 | A+ | 2026
10. OF Asbel Gonzalez | 19 | AA | 2027
2. SS Austin Charles | 21 | A | 2027
Announced as a two-way player on draft night, Caglianone was deployed first in the pros as a full-time hitter after slashing .419/.544/.875 with 35 home runs in 66 games for Florida. The well-developed, left-handed college bat made a nice fit at sixth overall for a Royals team on the rise. With Vinnie P at the slow corner, Caglianone could perhaps fake left field until he figured it out if necessary. The arm would even play in right once he’s accustomed to the angles, but at 6’5” 250 lbs, he may not have the mobility to learn on the fly out there. He didn’t blow the doors off the leagues he’s played as a pro but did pop five homers in 21 games in the Arizona Fall League.
9. OF Tyler Gentry | 26 | MLB | 2024
3. C Blake Mitchell | 20 | A+ | 2027
The 9th overall pick in 2022, Cross bounced back from a slumpy 2023 to post a 115 wRC+ in 101 Double-A games in 2024. Would’ve been nice to see him in Triple-A, but the 6’1” 220 lb lefty should open the 2025 season there with a chance for a mid-season debut in Kansas City.
Despite the name, this is a skinny speedy centerfielder with a boatload of upside. His power is theoretical at this point, but the plate skills and steals are in place already. In 41 games on the complex, Gonzalez slashed .285/.398/.384 with zero home runs and 22 steals. The team liked his work enough to call him up to Double-A when they needed a defensive center fielder, which goes in my book as a pretty big win for his career arc.
Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2025 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
5. SS Yandel Ricardo | 18 | DSL | 2029
