Ranking The 20 Hottest MLB Prospects | Hot Sheet (6/29/26)

1. Henry Lalane, LHP, Yankees

• Team: Low-A Tampa (Florida State)
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: After a long period of rehab and recovery from a shoulder injury that plagued him for the better part of two seasons, Lalane appears to be all the way back. Back to full health, back on track to achieve the ceiling scouts saw in him when he was dominating the Florida Complex League in 2023 and back to his perch near the top of the Yankees’ prospect pecking order. His turn last week was the best of his career. Facing Dunedin, he used a four-pitch mix to spin seven one-hit shutout innings with 12 strikeouts. The innings and strikeout totals were the highest of his career. (JN)

2. Charlie Condon, 1B/OF, Rockies

• Team: Triple-A Albuquerque (Pacific Coast)
• Age: 23 
• Why He’s Here: .500/.583/1.200 (10-for-20), 9 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 3 BB, 6 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Condon has exceeded 325 plate appearances in Triple-A this year, and if he has a few more weeks like this one, he could find himself in the majors in short order. Condon had at least one hit in each of the five games he played last week and three multi-hit games. He saved his best for last, homering twice and driving in five on Sunday as part of a three-hit game. Condon has been dominant in June, slashing .321/.455/.778 with nine home runs. Those nine home runs are more than the rest of his season combined. Overall, Condon is now hitting .280/.411/.564 with a career-high 17 home runs. (IC)

3. Mike Sirota, OF, Dodgers

• Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas)
• Age: 23
• Why He’s Here: .357/.571/.786 (5-for-14), 3 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 2 RBIs, 6 BB, 4 SO

The Scoop: For all the headlines the Dodgers get for throwing their weight around on the free agent market, they should also get praise for continually employing talented evaluators to help them bolster their farm system. Those scouts helped them identify and acquire Sirota from Cincinnati before the 2025 season. Now, after a bit of a bump in the road from a knee injury last summer, Sirota has blossomed into one of the best prospects in the sport. He put together another fabulous week and ran his on-base streak to 63 games, just three shy of the mark current Dodger Mookie Betts amassed a dozen years ago as a Red Sox prospect. (JN)

4. Xavier Neyens, SS, Astros 

• Team: Low-A Fayetteville (Carolina)
• Age: 19
• Why He’s Here: .400/.714/1.400 (4-for-10), 7 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, 9 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: It’s been a successful debut season for Neyens so far, as he’s shown excellent on-base skills and double-plus game power. This past week, Neyens showed all his skills, walking nine times while slugging four extra-base hits. In fact, all of Neyens’ hits went for extra bases to help him slug an absurd 1.400. He had a walk in all five games in which he played and multiple walks in three out of five. Neyens has some of the best power in the lower minors and elite on-base skills. The question now is if he makes enough contact to develop into a star. (GP) 

5. Bo Davidson, OF, Giants

• Team: Double-A Richmond (Eastern)
• Age: 23
• Why He’s Here: .350/.517/.800 (7-for-20), 6 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBIs, 8 BB, 9 SO, 4-for-5 SB

The Scoop: After a lull in May, Davidson has owned the month of June. Another home run on Sunday brought his season total to 17, one behind the high-water mark he set last year in 114 games between High-A Eugene and Double-A Richmond. He also stole a bag in the Flying Squirrels’ series finale with Akron. In doing so, he joined fellow Top 100 Prospects Caleb Bonemer, Eric Hartman, Joshua Báez and Braylon Payne in the 15-homer, 10-steal club. It’s not a stretch to predict a 20-20 season for a player who stands as a testament to the importance of in-person scouting. (JN)

6. Thatcher Hurd, RHP, Yankees

• Team: Low-A Tampa (Florida State)
• Age: 23
• Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: After Tommy John surgery delayed the start of his career, Hurd appears to have kicked off any and all remaining rust. Facing Dunedin, the 2024 first-rounder racked up a career-best 10 strikeouts over 4.2 innings, which was tied for the longest outing of his young career. His fastball averaged 94 mph and touched 96, and he racked up 15 whiffs on 34 swings, good for a 44.1% clip. It shouldn’t be long before he’s moved to High-A Hudson Valley. (JN) 

7. Josiah Ragsdale, OF, Brewers

• Team: High-A Wisconsin (Midwest)
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: .417/.533/.875 (10-for-24), 9 R, 5 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 5 BB, 4 SO, 2 SB

The Scoop: The Brewers have enough prospects stringing together excellent seasons that it can be hard to keep track of all of them. Ragsdale needs to be among that list of 2026 standouts, as he’s wrapping up a June in which he’s hit .418/.524/.761. Among MiLB hitters with 20 or more games played, that’s second only to Owen Ayers (more on him below) in batting average and slugging percentage. Overall, Ragsdale is now hitting .327/.447/.528, and he’s one of three Wisconsin outfielders to post an OPS better than .950 along with Braylon Payne and Josh Adamczewski. Adamczewski has already gotten a promotion to Double-A Biloxi. The way Payne and Ragsdale are hitting, they shouldn’t be too far behind him. (JJ)

8. Max Anderson, 2B, Tigers

• Team: Triple-A Toledo (International)
• Age: 24 
• Why He’s Here: .481/.500/.852 (13-for-27), 8 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Anderson missed most of April with a quad strain, and since he returned, he’s been inconsistent. His line entering the week was a respectable .277/.325/.465, but after going 13-for-27 against Worcester, he finds himself hitting .308/.350/.522. Anderson did most of his damage in three games, recording three hits in each of them, headlined by a 5-for-6 performance with two home runs on Saturday. He had 12 total bases in this one game, one more than he had in the other five games combined. Anderson’s lack of defensive value puts a lot of pressure on his bat, but with a few more weeks like this, the Tigers could look to Anderson as a way to bolster their offense, which ranks in the bottom third in all of baseball in runs scored. (IC)

9. Lazaro Montes, OF, Mariners

• Team: Double-A Arkansas (Texas) 
• Age: 21
• Why He’s Here: .353/.577/.824 (6-for-17), 9 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 8 BB, 7 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: There are few power hitters in the minors who show the type of light-tower power that Montes possesses. The Cuban slugger is up to 23 home runs after this past week. Both homers came in a four-hit game on Thursday in which Montes went 4-for-5 with a double, drove in six runs and scored four runs. Montes is Rule 5-eligible this winter and could make his debut with Seattle in September, but he more than likely will debut in 2027. (GP) 

10. Dylan Brown, LHP, Red Sox

• Team: High-A Greenville (South Atlantic)
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO

The Scoop: Brown had the best start of his professional career this past week, throwing seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out 11 without walking anyone for High-A Greenville. He only needed 75 pitches, throwing 53 for strikes and generating 19 swinging strikes, to tie a season high. Brown impressed early in the season in Low-A, earning a promotion to Greenville in early May. Since then, he hasn’t been as dominant, but he’s still missing bats at a high rate with 49 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. Brown has good size at 6-foot-5 and a diverse arsenal he can land for strikes. His fastball and changeup combination is especially intriguing as both miss bats at a high rate and allow him to be extremely effective against righthanded hitters. Brown looks like a really nice find by the Red Sox in the eighth round, and someone their pitching group has already been able to elevate. (IC)

11. Brady Smith, RHP, Dodgers

• Team: Low-A Ontario (California)
• Age: 21
• Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO

The Scoop: Several Dodgers pitchers have been Hot Sheet regulars this year, but Smith is a new name. The 21-year-old righthander was selected in the third round of the 2023 draft but didn’t make his professional debut until late 2025. This year marks his first fully healthy season, and this past week, he had the best start of his professional career. Smith threw six shutout innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 11 without a walk. He only needed 66 pitches, throwing 51 for strikes and generating 18 swinging strikes. Overall, Smith now has 81 strikeouts in 48 innings on the back of a fastball that sits in the mid 90s with intriguing shape and a changeup that’s his best pitch with easy plus potential. (IC)

12. Ty Johnson, RHP, Rays

• Team: Triple-A Durham (International)
• Age: 24
• Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 SO

The Scoop: In some ways, what Johnson does makes zero sense. He is a funky, near-sidearm two-pitch righthander who throws fastballs and sliders in equal doses. As a reliever, it would make sense. But as a starter, it’s baffling. And yet, it just keeps working. Johnson has a 2.64 ERA and a .174 opponent in nine starts this season at Triple-A after dominating Double-A last year. He has a 2.68 ERA for his career. Normally a pitcher with this profile would carve up righthanders (they are hitting .146 against him) but struggle against lefties. That’s not a problem for Johnson, as lefties have no extra-base hits and a .231 average against him this season. (JJ)

13. Briggs McKenzie, LHP, Braves

• Team: High-A Rome (South Atlantic)
• Age: 19
• Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

The Scoop: McKenzie had his best start since his promotion to High-A, striking out eight in 4.2 innings. He allowed only three hits and one unearned run, walking two. He threw 53 of his 79 pitches for strikes and generated 13 swinging strikes. McKenzie is one of the youngest pitchers in the South Atlantic League, but the Braves are confident he can handle an aggressive assignment. He’s one of the higher-ceiling arms in their system, and he might just be scratching the surface of his potential, as his velocity is trending up and his secondaries continue to improve. (IC)

14. Christian Zazueta, RHP, Dodgers

• Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas)
• Age: 21
• Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Like Mike Sirota, Zazueta stands as another shrewd trade acquisition by the Dodgers. Plucked from the Yankees farm system in 2024, the athletic righthander has matured into one of the sport’s best pitching prospects. After wrecking shop in the Midwest League, the 21-year-old earned a bump to Double-A and didn’t miss a beat. In his Texas League debut, Zazueta spun five one-hit innings with eight strikeouts and no walks (though he did plunk a pair of hitters). The strikeout total was one shy of his season high, bringing his season mark to 66 punchouts against just a dozen walks. (JN)

15. Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers

• Team: High-A West Michigan (Midwest)
• Age: 20
• Why He’s Here: .395/.619/.923 (5-for-13), 1 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 8 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: When Rainer was striking out more than one-third of the time in April and early May, his problem was thankfully apparent and fixable. Now, his swing looks more consistent and more like the form he showed pre-injury in 2025. And the results have followed. Rainer has hit .348/.476/.682 this month with six home runs. His power is almost entirely to the opposite field for now. Of his six home runs this month, just one was hit to right field. That’s a trait reminiscent of Sal Stewart, who showed opposite-field power long before he started turning on inside pitches. (JJ)

16. Carlos Sanchez, SS, Reds

• Team: High-A Dayton (Midwest)
• Age: 21
• Why He’s Here: .522/.560/.826 (12-for-23), 8 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBIs, 2 BB, 5 SO, 3 SB, 1 CS

The Scoop: Sanchez has been one of the brightest developments in the Reds’ system in 2026. He’s improved both at the plate and defensively, as he’s shown he can capably handle shortstop after he bounced between third base and shortstop in past seasons. At the plate, he’s showing power that wasn’t always there in the past. His nine home runs are already a career high. He’s making a very compelling case to join Double-A Chattanooga before too long. (JJ)

17. Owen Ayers, C, Cubs

• Team: Double-A Knoxville (Southern)
• Age: 25 
• Why He’s Here: .529/.652/.941 (9-for-17), 7 R, 1 2B,  0 3B, 2 HR, 2 RBIs, 6 BB, 3 SO, 0-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Over the past nine months, perhaps no prospect has done more to raise their status than Ayers. A 2024 19th-round pick that made his professional debut at 23 years old, Ayers has developed into one of the best catching prospects in the minors. After a rough opening few weeks in Double-A, he’s been scorching hot for the past five weeks. After topping the Sheet a couple weeks ago, he had three multi-hit games this past week and topped things off by going 4-for-4 on Sunday with a walk. Ayers is showing power, on-base ability and contact with the skills to stick behind the plate. (GP) 

18. Braylon Doughty, RHP, Guardians

• Team: Lake County (Midwest)
• Age: 20 
• Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: For some reason, Doughty seems to get overlooked on a national level despite being one of the most naturally talented pitchers in the lower minors. The Guardians’ 2024 supplemental first-round pick has had a successful first season at High-A, boasting a 24.9% strikeout-to-walk ratio over 59.2 innings. This past week, he threw a gem, spinning six scoreless innings and striking out seven, while allowing two hits and no walks. He had 10 swinging strikes and got another 15 looking as he kept the Fort Wayne bats off balance all night. Doughty has preternatural feel for spin that allows him to create multiple shapes in different velocity bands. (GP) 

19. Luke Dickerson, SS, Nationals

• Team: Low-A Fredericksburg (Carolina)
• Age: 20
• Why He’s Here: .385/.667/.615 (5-for-13), 9 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 11 BB, 3 SO, 4-for-4 SB

The Scoop: A historic high school player in the state of New Jersey, Dickerson struggled in his first experience at a full-season level in 2025. He returned to Low-A Fredericksburg to begin 2026 and looks like he’s figured out the level the second time around. This past week, Dickerson walked a jaw-dropping 11 times to reach base at a nearly 70% clip. He also showed good speed on the base paths, stealing four bases on four attempts. Dickerson has a robust set of tools, but it’s taken more time to hone his hitting ability than many anticipated. In 2026, however, he’s turned a corner. (GP) 

20. Ryan Weingartner, SS, Cardinals

• Team: Low-A Palm Beach (Florida State)
• Age: 21
• Why He’s Here: .391/.417/1.087 (9-for-23), 8 R, 1 2B, 5 HR, 14 RBIs, 1 BB, 7 SO, 1 SB

The Scoop: Weingartner was an eighth-round pick out of Penn State last year. His first full pro season has been a struggle, as he’s seen his batting average hover in the low .200s for much of the time. A week like this can help fix that. None of Weingartner’s home runs was particularly loud—his max exit velocity was 104.1 mph and most of the five measured between 340-360 feet in distance—but Weingartner was the Bradenton staff’s worst nightmare this week. (JJ)

Helium

Wilberson De Peña, OF, Yankees

De Peña came to the Yankees in a small deal last summer that sent infielder and former top prospect Oswald Peraza to the Angels. In his first season stateside, he’s raised his stock considerably and has been one of the best hitters in the Florida Complex League. Scouts praise De Peña for his combination of hittability, power and remaining projection, which will help him fit wherever he lands in the outfield. More than his on-field gifts, it’s impossible to ignore De Peña’s leadership qualities during a game. He shows outstanding situational awareness, is relentlessly upbeat and is engaged from the first pitch to the last. Put it all together, and you have one of the system’s faster risers. (JN)