MLB prospect stock watch: How the top 10 fared in April, plus other notable performances

With the calendar changing from April to May, we are starting to inch out of the “it’s still early” portion of the calendar and into “these numbers look real” territory. As such, it’s the perfect time to check-in with the top prospects in baseball to see how they fared during the month of April. Before the season, The Athletic’s MLB prospect and draft expert Keith Law ranked the top 100 prospects in baseball. Below is a look at how the top 10 on his list have started their seasons, as well as notable performances from the rest of the top 100 list, and some performances to track from players outside the top 100 ranking.

April performances for the top 10 prospects

Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox (Triple-A Worcester): Anthony, 20, has blistered Triple-A pitching to start the season despite battling shoulder tendinitis and a foot bruise. In 25 games, he’s hit .292/.423/.539. Perhaps more impressive has been the quality of his contact. He leads Triple-A hitters in barrels (20), according to Statcast. He’s also walked (21) nearly as much as he’s struck out (23) and is hitting .303 against lefties and .286 vs. righties. His OPS at home (1.092) is significantly higher than his OPS away from Worcester (.812), a park that has typically favored hitters, but that’s a small nit to pick. The calls from Boston fans for Anthony to join the Red Sox are increasing.

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers (Double-A Frisco): Only 19, Walcott hasn’t been phased by the jump to Double A thus far, posting a solid .766 OPS. He’s still striking out a lot (23 in his first 22 games), but his walk rate is up to 15.8 percent (16 walks) after posting a 10.6 percent walk rate last year. He’s homered twice and already has six doubles and five stolen bases. He’s more than held his own against competition on average five years older than him.

Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles (Triple-A Norfolk): Injuries continue to be an issue for Basallo, who still isn’t catching yet as he completes his recovery from right elbow inflammation he battled during spring training. He’s also missed time with a left hamstring strain. The 20-year-old has played just 12 games (all at DH) and is batting .229/.317/.486 with three home runs in 41 PAs.

Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins (Double-A Wichita): A left ankle sprain all but wiped out Jenkins’ April, as he played in just two games and has been on the injured list since April 9. He isn’t expected to return until at least the end of May after receiving a cortisone shot in the ailing ankle this week. Jenkins, 20, missed much of the first half of last season with a strained hamstring he suffered on Opening Day, so April wasn’t kind to the 2023 No. 5 pick.

Colt Emerson, SS, Mariners (High-A Everett): Emerson, 19, is starting his season where he finished 2024 and is hitting a little better (.700 OPS) in 2025 at the level than he did in a 29-game stint there last year (.648 OPS). He’s still looking for his first home run of the season but he has five extra-base hits and is dealing with the cold and damp weather that dominates the early-season schedule in the Northwest League.

Max Clark, OF, Tigers (High-A West Michigan): Clark, 20, currently leads the Midwest League in walks (24), has an .815 OPS and sports an impressive .450 OBP. He’s maintained a solid K% (15 percent), as well. Clark has hit only one homer thus far and has only two stolen bases, but both numbers are likely to climb as the weather warms.

Dylan Crews, OF, Nationals (MLB): Few hitters in MLB got off to a slower start than Crews, who had five hits in his first 45 at-bats. He then hit safely in 12 of 13 games with four home runs before going 0-for-8 over his last two games. Overall, the 23-year-old has a .212/.241/.356 line in 28 games. Dating back to last year, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft has a .621 OPS over his first 240 MLB PAs.

Carson Williams, SS, Rays (Triple-A Durham): It’s been a disappointing start for Williams, who is hitting just .169/.288/.315 in 104 PAs. Strikeouts have been an issue for the 21-year-old throughout his career, and that’s continued this April with a nearly 40 percent K%. In the past, his power and speed have made up for the swing-and-miss somewhat, but he’s managed just seven extra-base hits and three stolen bases thus far. His average exit velocity has been 93 mph, which ranks as the 62nd highest among the 505 Triple-A hitters tracked by Statcast. He’s still playing excellent defense at short, however.

Kristian Campbell, 2B/OF, Red Sox (MLB): Campbell made the Red Sox roster out of camp and has been one of the team’s most consistent performers since Opening Day. In his first 29 MLB games, he’s batting .301/.407/.495 with four homers and eight doubles. The strikeouts have been high (32 in 123 PAs) but he’s walking a good amount (19 walks) and he’s been worth +7 in Batting Run Value, according to Statcast. He’s currently out-pacing the league average in BB%, HardHit%, xwOBA, xSLG and xBA. His defense has been a tick below average but given the offensive production, the Red Sox will live with the growing pains at second.

Jordan Lawlar, SS, Diamondbacks (Triple-A Reno): What a difference a year makes for Lawlar, who missed all of April last season with injury and was able to appear in just 23 games total all season. He’s already surpassed that games played total (27) and is tearing up the Pacific Coast League to the tune of a .364/.460/.682 line — tops in the league. He’s also been impressive on the base paths with 12 stolen bases already. Basic caveats about his offensive performance apply, as Lawlar plays in an extreme offensive environment and a league that favors hitters. But he’s healthy, hitting the ball well and running wild, exactly what the Diamondbacks hoped to see from their No. 1 prospect.

Other notable top-100 prospect performances

Like Crews and Campbell, Tigers right-hander Jackson Jobe (No. 11) began the season on the MLB roster. Jobe has been solid for Detroit, posting a 3.38 ERA with a 18:14 K:BB through five starts. The Tigers are being careful with the 22-year-old’s workload. They already skipped his turn in the rotation once and figure to do so from time to time throughout the season. His career-high in innings pitched is 111 2/3.

Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Bubba Chandler (No. 19) could be nearing his MLB debut. In five April starts, he had a 1.33 ERA, led the International League in batting average against (.106 BAA) and posted a 27:6 K:BB in 20 1/3 innings. The 22-year-old has walked just once over his last 13 2/3 innings.

Brewers hard-throwing right-handed pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski (No. 87) leads the Triple-A International League in strikeouts with 38. Through 29 2/3 innings, he’s posted a 2.19 ERA and allowed just two home runs. He’s walked 13 but only three over his last 16 innings.

Anthony isn’t the only top Red Sox prospect performing well for Triple-A Worcester. Shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 28) has followed up a strong spring training with a solid month of April that has included an .844 OPS and seven home runs, just one fewer than he hit all of last season.

Nineteen-year-old Franklin Arias, another talented Red Sox infield prospect, has already earned a promotion from Low A to High A. The No. 42 prospect on Law’s list hit .346/.407/.397 with four stolen bases in 19 games for Low-A Salem before getting the call-up this week to High-A Greensboro.

Braden Montgomery, the Red Sox’s top pick last season who was traded to the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet deal and is No. 38 on Law’s list, has also earned an early-season promotion from Low A to High A after hitting .304/.393/.493 in 18 Low-A games. Montgomery, 22, is making his pro debut this year after missing the summer season last year recovering from a broken ankle he suffered during the College World Series.

Royals first base prospect Jac Caglianone (No. 60) got off to a fast start for Double-A Wichita, homering three times in his first nine games. He’s cooled some since then, homering just one more time and posting an overall line of .282/.360/.494 for the month. His strikeouts have crept up from his pro debut last year (20.6 percent last year versus 24 percent this year), but his walk rate has also gone up and he’s hitting the ball harder. He’s destroying right-handed pitching (.998 OPS) and has a .766 OPS versus lefties.

Padres prospect Leo De Vries (No. 31) made a little bit of history on April 22 when he hit for the cycle and added another home run for good measure for High-A Fort Wayne. The 18-year-old shortstop drove in eight in the game. He’s hitting .306/.378/.625 with four homers in 19 games and is the youngest player in the High-A level.

Dodgers prospect Zyhir Hope (No. 58) is tied for seventh in the Midwest League with four home runs and the 20-year-old outfielder has a .879 OPS. His teammate, outfielder Josue De Paula (No. 26), has walked (19) more than he’s struck out (15) while posting an .854 OPS. He’s only 19.

Brewers third base prospect Cooper Pratt (No. 44) has a .256/.343/.407 line in 22 games, but what’s been most notable is that the 20-year-old has struck out just 10 times in 99 PAs for Double-A Biloxi (10.1 percent).

Cardinals shortstop prospect JJ Wetherholt (No. 32) missed about a week with an illness but the 22-year-old has otherwise raked in the Double-A Texas League, batting .333/.431/.479 in 13 games with as many walks (six) as strikeouts.

Yankees 2023 first-round pick George Lombard Jr. (No. 98) is showing impressive plate discipline at the outset of the season. He’s walked (22) more than he’s struck out (19), reaching base in half of his plate appearances thus far. The 19-year-old has hit .309/.500/.456 in 21 games for High-A Hudson Valley.

Mariners outfield prospect Lazaro Montes (No. 66) and Diamondbacks outfield prospect Ryan Waldschmidt (No. 65) haven’t been fazed by the cold and wet Northwest spring thus far. Montes has five homers and Waldschmidt has hit four, while both are among the High-A Northwest League leaders in OPS (.998 and 1.018, respectively).

Blue Jays shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala (No. 71) is also swinging a hot bat in the NWL. He’s hit five homers and has an .903 OPS while playing as one of the youngest players (19) in the league.

Jesús Made (No. 78) is the youngest player in Low A and is making it look easy thus far. In 17 games for Carolina, the 17-year-old shortstop has hit .329/.420/.529 with seven extra-base hits and eight stolen bases.

There were questions about Konnor Griffin’s hit tool after he went at No. 9 in the draft to the Pirates last season. However, the 19-year-old is off to a solid start in Low A, batting .265/.333/.518 in 20 games for Bradenton. The No. 84 prospect on Law’s list has 11 stolen bases already this season and has homered five times.

Other notable unranked prospect performances

Pirates left-handed pitching prospect Hunter Barco, 24, didn’t allow a run in five April outings totaling 20 2/3 innings. The 2022 second-round pick out of Florida struck out 30 and walked just four while allowing nine hits. Barco had Tommy John surgery in May 2022 and threw a career-high 66 innings last season.

Marlins left-handed pitching prospect Robby Snelling, 21, is off to an excellent start for Double-A Pensacola. Traded by the Padres at the deadline last season, the No. 39 pick in the 2022 draft has a 2.42 ERA in 26 innings. He’s struck out 33 and walked seven.

Rays infield prospect Cooper Kinney, 22, leads the Southern League with a 1.055 OPS in 19 games. The No. 34 pick in the 2021 draft has already homered six times after hitting 10 last season in 87 games.

Bryce Cunningham, the Yankees 2024 second-round pick, has a 30:4 K:BB and a 2.63 ERA in 24 innings for High-A Hudson Valley. The 22-year-old right-hander is making his pro debut.

Pirates outfield prospect Esmerlyn Valdez, 21, hit 22 homers in 107 games in Low A last season but batted just .226. He’s still hitting for power (six homers in 22 games), but is also hitting for average (.338) while getting on base at an impressive clip (.418).

Phillies infield prospect Aroon Escobar is off to a strong start in his first taste of full-season ball. The 20-year-old has a .360/.461/.627 line in 19 Low-A games. His five home runs are already a career high.

Sean Linan, 20, and Wei-En Lin, 19, are opening eyes with hot starts on the mound in the Low-A California League. Linan, a Dodgers right-handed pitching prospect, has an absurd 40 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings, fueled by a plus changeup. He’s allowed just eight hits and two runs. Lin, an Athletics left-handed pitching prospect, is making his pro debut after signing with the A’s out of Taiwan last year. He has 31 strikeouts in 20 innings and has yet to allow a walk while giving up just six runs.

Mike Sirota, acquired by the Dodgers from the Reds in the Gavin Lux deal, is currently leading the Cal League in OPS with a 1.042 mark. The 2024 third-round pick out of Northeastern has 12 extra-base hits in 76 PAs.

(Top photo illustration: Roman Anthony (left) and Jordan Lawlar (right): WooSox Photo / Ashley Green and Michael Chow / The Republic / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)