Is it safe to say we are out of small-sample-size territory yet? Many MLB clubs’ seasons are more than a third of the way over, with some early-season slumps seeming more like just down seasons and hot starts becoming harder and harder to ignore. These are also the times when minor-league promotions are more equally products of a prospect’s achievements and the big-league club’s immediate needs. Despite clubs making things harder on themselves than they need to (looking at you, Pittsburgh Pirates), the next man up from the farm is only valuable until a team needs them the most.
Here is another check-in on PLV and Fan4+ darlings around the minors. Instead of looking at the biggest names, let’s look at some of the best recent performers who may not have the prospect profile to earn dynasty respect, but could make their real-life value known soon.
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Checking in on Big-name Prospects:
Kumar Rocker, 25, Texas Rangers
Season Stats: MLB: 5 GS/ 20.0 IP/8.10 ERA/16.8% K%/5.3% BB%/1.75 WHIP
Weekly Stats: MilB: 1 GS/ 4.0 IP/ 0.00 ERA/34.8% K%/4.3% BB%/0.43 WHIP
Nick Pollack wasn’t wrong when he called Texas Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker a “highly focused and scrutinized pitcher.” The Vanderbilt product has seemed destined for stardom ever since the New York Mets drafted him in the 2021 MLB Draft, only for the Rangers to take him third overall the following year. Rocker’s collegiate resume dazzled fans, and his shutdown performances on the sport’s biggest stage sparked imaginations about what he could bring to the majors. Unfortunately, that wait has been longer than anyone expected.
Tommy John surgery in early 2023 sidelined Rocker, but he returned to form, dominating lower-level competition and making his MLB debut in late 2024. He posted respectable numbers in three big-league starts, with a 3.86 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings. With veterans Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom anchoring Texas’ rotation in 2025, Rocker seemed poised to be the final piece in the puzzle Texas couldn’t quite solve last year.
But once again, the wait has been longer than expected.
Rocker’s season got off to a rocky start, as he allowed six earned runs and two home runs in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds. That outing set the tone for a frustrating pattern: a solid start followed by a blowup. His April 17 start against the Angels was easily his best of 2025, where he struck out eight over seven innings, allowing just three earned runs on five hits. He seemed to turn a corner with his pitch deployment — but the Athletics roughed him up in his next outing, and he landed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement. After a month on the shelf, Rocker returned with a smooth Double-A rehab start, which led to a May 29 appearance at Triple-A. The key question was how his time off would shape his MLB arsenal — and fans got some answers during his four innings of work.
Everyone already knows about Rocker’s elite slider — it’s been his bread-and-butter pitch since his Vanderbilt days and boasts a consensus 70 grade from MLB Pipeline. But questionable sequencing and reduced velocity dulled its impact earlier this season. Thankfully, Rocker’s slider seemed back to form in his latest start, earning a stellar 6.48 PLV. Whether it was velocity, extension, or HAVAA, he posted above-average marks on the pitch. His sinker and four-seam fastballs showed their usual mid-to-high-90s velocity and were located effectively, though his four-seamer was used mostly against lefties and sparingly against righties.
Overall, Rocker still appears a step away from the front-line starter ceiling many envisioned. How the Rangers handle his development this season will be worth watching. Will they push him into the MLB rotation and let him sink or swim? Or would it be wiser to let him refine a few key aspects of his game in the minors, aiming for another late-season promotion? Either way, Rocker is reportedly slated to start this Wednesday, stepping in for Eovaldi, who landed on the IL. A red-hot Tampa Bay Rays lineup will put him to the test immediately.
Look under the PLV hood:
Bubba Chandler, 22, Pittsburgh Pirates
Season Stats: 11 GS/48.2IP/2.03 ERA/35.0% K%/10.7% BB%/1.07 WHIP
Weekly Stats: 1 GS/5.0 IP/0.00 ERA/40.0% K%/5.0% BB%/1.00 WHIP
There will be a generation of moviegoers who considers Josh Brolin’s Thanos one of cinema’s greatest villains. The purple, imperial monster who loomed over Marvel movies for nearly a decade had a quote about loss that applies just as well to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ handling of their top prospect: “Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same.”
That destiny is right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler’s MLB debut — a pivotal moment that the struggling NL Central club continues to kick down the road. I’ve even mirrored that hesitancy in bringing him up in these PLV recaps, because Chandler’s stuff and ceiling feel almost unfair, even when stacked against the game’s best young arms.
Pittsburgh’s approach to Chandler’s service time feels all too familiar, echoing the delays they imposed on ace Paul Skenes last year. It’s a disservice to both the Pirates’ fans and the broader baseball world. But Chandler is dominating in the areas he can control: on the mound. The Georgia native leads all of Triple-A in ERA (2.03) and strikeout rate (35%), while ranking top-five in WHIP (1.07), FIP (2.88), and strikeout-minus-walk rate (24.4%). He’s been absurdly consistent, never allowing more than three earned runs in a start and pitching fewer than four innings just once. Pittsburgh’s strict workload limits at least suggest the franchise sees Chandler as highly as they viewed Skenes — and outings like his most recent only make the case stronger.
Against the Nashville Sounds, Chandler threw five innings of shutout ball, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out eight. His entire arsenal was working, but — as usual — his fastball shone brightest. He threw the pitch 58 times, yet still registered a 51.6% whiff rate and held opponents to a .212 xwOBA. He even topped 100 mph a handful of times, including with his final fastball of the day.
What else is there to say about Chandler? There’s still so much we don’t know because he’s still in the minors. But the next step in his development, his evolution, must come in a major-league clubhouse. While pitching for the Pirates in 2025 might not be the most glamorous assignment, Chandler has earned the right to make this team better — and to prove he’s more than just a prospect.
Look under the PLV hood:
Weekly Four-Seam Standouts
This section could be a combination of Chandler (148 on May 24), Jacob Misiorowski (148 on May 20), or Andrew Painter (120 on May 21), week in and week out. Those pitchers are among the cream of the prospect crop, and their fastballs are a large part of their success. Instead of honing in on the player’s managers many already know, here are some other above-average offerings and what makes them worth noting.
Griff McGary, 25, Philadelphia Phillies
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 133 Fan 4+ on May 29, 2025, start
MiLB Season Stats: 4 GS/14.0 IP/0.00 ERA/38.5% K%/13.5% BB%/0.64 WHIP
The Philadelphia Phillies have some intriguing pitching prospects, and right-hander Griff McGarry is one of them. The 25-year-old is currently buried behind a stacked big-league rotation, but his 2025 campaign was derailed early by a stint on the 7-day injured list. Now back in action, McGarry made a strong return with a rehab start for the Clearwater Threshers, and he was magnificent. He threw two perfect innings, striking out four batters in the abbreviated start. It’s just more of the same for McGarry, who has yet to allow an earned run this season and has surrendered only two hits across his four starts. His velocity sat comfortably in the mid-90s, and he located his fastball well in the upper third of the zone while keeping hitters off balance with his sharp slider and curveball.
Kenya Huggins, 22, Cincinnati Reds
Weekly Four-Seam Grade: 114 Fan4+ in May 29, 2025, start
Season Stats: 10 GS/39.0 IP/3.00 ERA/25.0% K%/10.5% BB%/0.97 WHIP
Another lower-level start, Cincinnati Reds prospect Kenya Huggins is prospect on the rise in early 2025. After a full offseason removed from Tommy John surgery, the former fourth-round pick looks every bit of a workhorse pitcher and should be getting the call to the next level soon. Huggins has elite extension from the mound, sitting at 7.4′ on his May 29 start. His velocity is low-to-mid 90s but touches 98 at times early in starts. Huggins is one of those players that will fly under the radar, but has some foundational traits and markers to be a riser in the Reds system later this year.
Welcome to the Bigs
Bradgley Rodriguez, 21, San Diego Padres
Season Stats: 7 G (6 GS)/24.0IP/6.00 ERA/25.2% K%/2.8% BB%/1.42 WHIP
Debut: 1.2 IP/0.00 ERA/16.7% K%/16.7% BB%/0.60 WHIP
San Diego Padres right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez wasted no time making an impact in his MLB debut on May 31. The 21-year-old entered a high-pressure situation in the seventh inning, with runners on first and third and only one out. After missing high with his first pitch, Rodriguez delivered a 98 mph sinker that jammed Alexander Canario into a comebacker, sparking a 1-4-3 double play to escape the jam.
Rodriguez returned for the eighth, working around a leadoff walk and a hit-by-pitch. He notched his first Major League strikeout by freezing Oneil Cruz with a knee-high fastball, finishing with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless, hitless relief.
Signed out of Venezuela in 2021, Rodriguez battled through early career challenges, including elbow injuries that sidelined him in 2022 and 2023. He bounced back impressively in 2024, posting a 2.64 ERA with 75 strikeouts over 61.1 innings across three minor league levels. Before his promotion, he was dominant at Double-A San Antonio, logging a 3.22 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP over 22 1/3 innings. Rodriguez’s debut showcased his electric stuff and calm under pressure, signaling a promising new weapon for the Padres’ bullpen.
“One thing I love about our group is we pull for each other, they care about each other and pull like heck for each other,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “Everybody’s really happy for him, it’s quite an accomplishment.”
Pitchers that made their MLB debuts this past week:
Braxton Ashcraft, 25, Pittsburgh Pirates
David Morgan, 25, San Diego Padres
Yaramil Hiraldo, 29, Baltimore Orioles
Blas Castano, 26, Seattle Mariners
Andrew Hoffman, 25, Kansas City Royals
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