Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers

We'll start this edition of the Minor League Barometer with some players who may not be familiar names, but who should be gaining more notoriety.

• JoJo Parker is only at Low-A in the Toronto system, but the 19-year-old shortstop offers plus-tools across-the-board and has apparently received rave reviews from scouts while notching nine steals and a .370 OBP in 23 games to start his pro career
• The Red Sox have endured a rather ugly start to the season, though Justin Gonzales and Anthony Eyanson are two promising prospects already exceeding expectations. Gonzales, 19, is currently a High-A first baseman with exceptional polish at the dish hitting .302.  Eyanson was a third-round pick out of LSU and posted video game numbers (0.44 ERA and 34:3 K:BB in 20.1 innings) through five starts before moving up to Double-A.
• Miguel Sime was selected last year by the Nationals out of high school during the fourth round and is already dominating the competition at Low-A with 32 strikeouts from only 14.2 innings after adding a slider to his repertoire. The 18-year-old righty is already filled out at 6'4", 235 and should soon be at High-A.

Let's take a look at some other notable phenoms.

See where future major league baseball starts slot into RotoWire's MLB Top Prospects & Rankings for 2026!

UPGRADE

Caleb Bonemer, SS, CWS – Bonemer is more than holding his own at High-A and blossoming into arguably the top prospect in the White Sox system slashing .289/.426/.722 with 11 homers and 27 RBI through 26 contests. The 20-year-old only went deep 12 times last season, most of those at Low-A. Bonemer's power is burgeoning while showing he can hit for average and isn't afraid to take a walk. Add in deceptive speed - or at least the ability to intelligently swipe bases - and he's making a case for a quick promotion to Double-A.

Mike Sirota, OF, LAD – Josue De Paula has also been terrific in the Dodgers' organization while younger and one level ahead of Sirota, though the latter boasts more pop and considered the better fielder. He's also off to a torrid start at High-A producing a .329/.481/.683 line with six home runs, 15 RBI and four steals across 24 appearances with the same amount of walks as strikeouts (21). The Dodgers look to have pulled a fast one on the Reds in the Gavin Lux trade. Once Sirota reaches Double-A, the only question will be when his time will come with the big club in an overcrowded, star-studded outfield.

Henry Bolte, OF, ATH – The early returns for Bolte have been promising at Triple-A. He's a talented, toolsy outfield prospect, but there were questions about his in-game power and the ability to hit for average. Bolte has quieted the detractors so far by going .305/.385/.519 with seven homers, 19 RBI and 13 steals. He's always carried exceptional speed, so it's the power numbers that jump off the page as he only managed nine between Double-A and Triple-A last year. The hitter-friendly confines of the Pacific Coast League have certainly boosted Bolte, though his strikeout numbers continue to be slightly high. The surprising emergence of Carlos Cortes may also hurt his chances of a May/June call-up. Nevertheless, Bolte will advance soon enough if he keeps producing.

Tyler Bremner, P, LAA – Bremner gets dinged due to the track record of being drafted by the Angels along with the higher projected ceilings of fellow 2025 first-round hurlers Kade Anderson and Jamie Arnold. He was still selected second overall and has found little resistance during his first taste of pro ball at High-A with a 1.08 ERA and 25:5 K:BB during 16.2 innings while opposing batters are only hitting .211 against the righty.  Given the penchant of the organization to rush their top prospects through the minors, Bremner could shortly see Double-A and be in the Majors by the official start of the summer as long as things go according to plan.

CHECK STATUS

Liam Doyle, P, STL – Doyle could also quickly move through the ranks, though he's largely struggled with an aggressive assignment at Double-A to start 2026. His ERA was an unsightly 9.26 and batters went .360 against during April, yet he only logged 11.2 innings over four abbreviated outings. The 21-year-old southpaw performed much better in his last start on Saturday where he only allowed one earned run on two hits through a career-high 4.1 frames with one walk and five Ks. Doyle boasts an outstanding fastball, but the remainder of his arsenal is a work in progress and some pundits believe he'll end up in the bullpen. The jury is still out, yet the Cards should give him every chance to make the bigs as a starter based on being picked at No. 5 in 2025 No. 5.

Carlos Lagrange, P, NYY – Lagrange has generated plenty of buzz the last year or so at 6'7" with a blazing fastball. He punched out 168 batters across 120 innings between High-A and Double-A, but has only been above-average through six starts at Triple-A with a 3.75 ERA and 30:14 K:BB through 24 frames with walks still his biggest red flag. Lagrange could be the next Jacob Misiorowski or may end up as Dellin Betances. With Elmer Rodriguez receiving the recent spot start for the Yankees and both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon soon likely to return from injury, the club appear content to let Lagrange work on his control at Triple-A (as a starter) for the time being.

Nathan Flewelling, C, TB – At just 19, Flewelling is a potential helium prospect in the Rays' system. After posting a .393 OBP as an 18-year-old at Low-A, he's now hitting for average and power slashing .321/.407/.641 with seven homers and 16 RBI from 22 High-A contests.  Flewelling has shown polish well beyond his years at the plate and has lifted the ball with far greater frequency during the current campaign. It may not be a stretch to say that he's already in the conversation as potentially being a top-5 catching prospect.

Cole Carrigg, OF, COL – Whenever the Rockies decide to fully embrace the youth movement, Carrigg should be a part of that future. He's an extremely capable defender and has cut down on his strikeouts thus far while also tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A going .378/.435/.546 with two home runs, 25 RBI and 19 stolen bases. Carrigg offers exceptional speed while supplying at least 15 long balls from each of the last two seasons. After fanning 145 times at Double-A, he's only recorded 19 over 31 games.  The PCL also helps his numbers, but so will playing his future matchups in Colorado. If Carrigg's newfound contact skills are for real, he should eventually join the parent club.

DOWNGRADE

Jhostynxon Garcia, OF, PIT – "The Password" was shipped to Pittsburgh in the Johan Oviedo trade. And while Garcia has a much clearer path to at-bats at the big-league level, he's struggled during his initial debut at Triple-A only batting .158 with a 17:2 K:BB in 14 outings before succumbing to a back injury. He's been shelved for over two weeks with the issue, though should be back soon. Garcia holds above-average power, yet has an issue with strikeouts at the higher levels - including a brief stint with Boston late last season. The 23-year-old should be given a shot in right field with the Pirates, though his prospect luster has faded of late.

Harry Ford, C, WSH – Once upon a time, Ford was a first-round pick by the Mariners and their future backstop. Perhaps due to unfair expectations, he was pushed aside with the emergence of Cal Raleigh.  Ford is still only 23 and went to the Nationals as part of the Jose Ferrer deal, though still couldn't grab a roster spot and ended up at Triple-A. He hasn't performed particular well so far slashing .179/.286/.214 with no homers and 28 strikeouts across 22 contests. Ford also hasn't swiped a bag after only seven a season ago and 35 in 2024. It doesn't look like he'll be a fantasy asset at catcher despite being good enough to play at the big-league level.