Tibbs showcases elite power, while Antonacci's versatility opens the door to a possible call-up
By Scott White Apr 8, 2026 at 10:27 am ET • 10 min read 
Spencer Arrighetti isn't a prospect. He threw 145 innings in 2024.
But he is a minor leaguer, having failed to secure a spot in the Astros rotation following a season wrecked by injuries.
It sounds like that could change, though, with the revelation that Hunter Brown's shoulder strain will sideline him for months rather than weeks, which makes now a good time to revisit the reasons why there was so much enthusiasm for Arrighetti at this point a year ago.
During that 2024 season in which he threw 145 innings, he turned a big corner over the final two months, putting together a 2.72 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 11.4 K/9 across 10 appearances. He began emphasizing his secondary offerings more and threw strikes at a high enough rate for them to play up. Last year went askew from the start, but so far at Triple-A this year, he's allowed just one hit while registering 13 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings. The walks (five) are too high -- the walks have always been too high -- but the stuff is good enough to generate new enthusiasm now that he's at the precipice of another opportunity.
If Arrighetti did qualify as a prospect, he'd place second in my ...
FIVE ON THE VERGE
(Here are the prospects most worth stashing in redraft leagues.)
Bryce Eldridge, DH, Giants
2025 minors: .260 BA (384 AB), 25 HR, .843 OPS, 42 BB, 127 K 2025 majors: .107 BA (28 AB), 2 2B, .476 OPS, 7 BB, 13 K 2026 minors: .250 BA (36 AB), 0 HR, 3 2B, .771 OPS, 9 BB, 16 K
Nothing much has changed for Eldridge over the past week. His arrival is just a matter of the Giants deciding he's accomplished whatever he needs to accomplish at Triple-A Sacramento, which is tied in part to how quickly they tire of Casey Schmitt taking up at-bats at first base. Eldridge hasn't done anything to shorten his timetable, though, having yet to hit a home run while continuing to strike out at a near 30 percent rate. The strikeouts are one hurdle he may never overcome due to the massive strike zone presented by his 6-foot-7 frame, but players who impact the ball like he does can afford to strike out at such a rate. His first home run binge (of which there should be several) likely propels him to the majors, particularly with only Schmitt standing in his way.
James Tibbs, OF, Dodgers
2025 minors: .243 BA (457 AB), 20 HR, 10 SB, .802 OPS, 90 BB, 120 K 2026 minors: .439 BA (41 AB), 7 HR, 1.609 OPS, 5 BB, 10 K
Tibbs was the hottest hitter in the minors, and then he had a three-homer game. That feat, which happened Saturday, brought him to seven home runs on the young season, and if you factor in the four he hit in spring training, he's up to 11 for 2026. If that's not evidence enough that the power is legit, note also that he's hitting the ball 95.3 mph on average. This level of production may come as a shock given that the Giants and Red Sox both saw fit to trade him last year, but he is a former first-round pick and, well, the Dodgers know what they're doing.
James Tibbs III is off to an INSANE start to 2026 at Triple-A for the Dodgers 😳 🔵 .474 AVG 🔵 7 HR 🔵 1.179 OPS 🔵 A 2-homer game 🔵 A 3-homer game pic.twitter.com/ukuR0H8Ovz
— MLB (@MLB) April 6, 2026
They so know what they're doing, in fact, that they've left no open lane for Tibbs, with Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernandez, and Andy Pages all occupying spots in the outfield while Shohei Ohtani, naturally, mans DH. So why have I placed Tibbs so high among stashes? It's partly a reflection of there being so few sure stashes and partly a recognition that these things tend to work themselves out. Rarely do prospects making these kinds of waves at the highest level have to bide their time for months on end.
Payton Tolle, SP, Red Sox
2025 minors: 3-5, 3.04 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 91 2/3 IP, 23 BB, 133 K 2025 majors: 0-1, 6.06 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 16 2/3 IP, 8 BB, 19 K 2026 minors: 10 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 13 K
Tolle's second start at Triple-A went much better than his first, seeing him allow one earned run in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts, but we already knew he could dominate minor leaguers with his 70-grade fastball. It's what got him to the majors last August. The bigger reason why Tolle is two spots higher here than a week ago is because there's one fewer hurdle on his path back to the big leagues. Johan Oviedo, who was working out of the bullpen for the Red Sox but remained stretched out to start, has an elbow injury that's likely to keep him out for some time. With him out of the picture, Tolle immediately becomes the next in line, presuming he wasn't already. No rotation makes it more than a few weeks without having to fill an opening, and again, Tolle's fastball is enough of a weapon on its own that he should have a significant impact when he gets the call.
Sam Antonacci, 2B, White Sox
2025 minors: .291 BA (406 AB), 5 HR, 48 SB, .842 OPS, 69 BB, 73 K 2026 minors: .367 BA (30 AB), 2 HR, 4 SB, 1.137 OPS, 9 BB, 4 K
I wrote about Antonacci a week ago in my Five on the Periphery -- about his high baseball IQ that was the talk of the World Baseball Classic, his base-stealing ability, his burgeoning power, and his .433 on-base percentage in the minors last year. I wrote about him as if his promotion wasn't imminent, but the truth is, he deserves to be in the majors already. An opportunity may have presented itself Tuesday with left fielder Austin Hays being lost to a hamstring injury. Ah, but isn't Antonacci a second baseman? Primarily, yes, but in the interest of expanding his utility, six of his eight starts at Triple-A this year have come in left field.
For now, the White Sox have called up Rangers retread Dustin Harris to fill their outfield opening, saying that Antonacci has "got to continue to be exposed to the outfield," in the words of manager Will Venable. But where there's smoke, there's fire. Reporters have begun to press the issue on Antonacci, and if Hays' absence continues long enough -- or, really, if anything else goes wrong with the White Sox lineup -- there may be no holding him back. Whether he has enough power to factor in Fantasy remains to be seen, but he should be a prolific enough base stealer to matter in most formats.
Charlie Condon, 1B, Rockies
2025 minors: .268 BA (365 AB), 14 HR, .820 OPS, 52 BB, 112 K 2026 minors: .318 BA (22 AB), 2 HR, 1.080 OPS, 4 BB, 9 K
Condon was third on this list a week ago, but has slipped to fifth for two reasons:
- He's hardly played since then, only returning to the lineup Tuesday after having a cyst removed from his back.
- TJ Rumfield has further entrenched himself in the majors.
Rumfield was Condon's primary competition in spring training. The 25-year-old killed it then and has continued to kill it in the games that count, slashing .389/.450/.639 with two homers. But Condon had a good spring as well, finally impacting the ball in the way that made him a record-setting home run hitter in college, and has continued to deliver premium exit velocities at Triple-A with a 93.6 mph average and 112.6 mph max. He'll need to mind the strikeout creep, but provided he does, he should be able to wriggle his way into a bottom-feeder Rockies lineup sooner than later, even if not at first base. Hey, he's been seeing time in right field lately. Perhaps there's something to that.
FIVE ON THE PERIPHERY
(Here are some other prospects doing something of note.)
Noah Schultz, SP, White Sox
2025 minors: 4-5, 4.68 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 73 IP, 45 BB, 76 K 2026 minors: 9 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Schultz ranked among the top handful of pitching prospects heading into last year, having just put together a 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 11.7 K/9 between High-A and Double-A. But a quick glance at the above numbers will tell you what came next, and it wasn't pretty. He wasn't 100 percent physically, though, having to contend with a knee issue for much of the year, and already, we're seeing signs of him regaining his footing.
Noah Schultz’ stats through 9 IP this season: 1.00 ERA .44 WHIP .074 AVG against 10 K 2-0 W/L How long can the White Sox keep him in Triple-A before he gets the call????pic.twitter.com/qX3M8HivKp
— SleeperWhiteSox (@SleeperWhiteSox) April 2, 2026
He's throwing about 1 mph harder across the board and has run a near-50 percent whiff rate with his new cutter. Between two starts, he's allowed one run on two hits with 10 strikeouts, and seeing as he's doing this at Triple-A, he won't need to sustain it for long to earn a look in the majors.
Blaze Jordan, 1B, Cardinals
2025 minors: .270 BA (493 AB), 19 HR, .781 OPS, 43 BB, 60 K 2026 minors: .467 BA (30 AB), 3 HR, 1.382 OPS, 2 BB, 4 K
For a guy who became internet famous for hitting bombs out of major league ballparks at age 13, Jordan hasn't stood out as much for his power as for his contact skills in the pros, consistently delivering strikeout rates south of 15 percent. But now that he's with the Cardinals, having come over from the Red Sox in a deadline deal for Steven Matz, he might have some new tricks in store. Already, he's homered three times, and his average exit velocity, which was only 85.5 mph between the Red Sox's and Cardinals' Triple-A affiliates last year, is up to 92.1 mph. The Cardinals likely aren't contenders this season and will be looking to infuse their lineup with more youth. Given their revolving door in left field already, shifting Alec Burleson there to free up first base for Jordan might make sense at some point.
Jimmy Crooks, C, Cardinals
2025 minors: .274 BA (390 AB), 14 HR, .778 OPS, 36 BB, 114 K 2025 majors: .133 BA (45 AB), 1 HR, 1 3B, .397 OPS, 0 BB, 17 K 2026 minors: .375 BA (24 AB), 4 HR, 1.433 OPS, 6 BB, 7 K
Crooks could be the next catcher prospect to graduate to the majors, particularly with the way his 2026 season is starting out. He's already homered four times in seven games while hitting the ball 95 miles per hour on average. It's a small sample, of course, but it builds on the offensive strides he's made the past couple of years. Meanwhile, he's always earned high marks for defense. As of now, Pedro Pages is the more defensive-minded of the Cardinals' catching tandem, but Crooks would present a more well-rounded (not to mention left-handed-hitting) alternative to Ivan Herrera.
Pedro Ramirez, 3B, Cubs
2025 minors: .280 BA (500 AB), 8 HR, 28 SB, .732 OPS, 46 BB, 85 K 2026 minors: .300 BA (40 AB), 3 HR, 3 SB, .964 OPS, 4 BB, 6 K
When Ramirez kept showing up in Cubs top 10 lists this offseason, I was quick to dismiss him. He had never hit for much power at any level and, at 5-feet-9, seemed unlikely to do so. But as early as spring training, I got the sense that he might be on the verge of a breakthrough. He batted .367 (11 for 30) then, homering twice and swiping five bases while striking out only once, and his peak exit velocity was 113 mph. That performance got him sent to Triple-A to open the season rather than Double-A, and you see the fine work he's done there. Here's some video evidence:
Pedro Ramirez’s last 10 exit velocities: 109.6 107.1 106.4 105.9 105.2 104.3 104.1 101.5 95.9 80.2 He’s always been a contact-first hitter, but this newfound power certainly raises his ceiling. He’s carrying a 95.3 mph avg EV, a 52.2% hard-hit rate, and a .714 SLG so far. pic.twitter.com/cDyCZNBdjg
— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) April 4, 2026
His average exit velocity has slipped a little since that tweet, now sitting at 94.5 mph, but that's still an incredible number, particularly for a player whose power never amounted to much prior to this year. And it doesn't seem to have compromised his bat control at all. He pretty much doesn't miss when he swings at a pitch in the zone, boasting a zone-contact rate of 98 percent on the young season to follow a 94 percent mark during spring training. If this power breakthrough is legitimate, to go along with his plus speed and incredible plate discipline, Ramirez might be the big prospect breakout of 2026. It's a shame the Cubs' entire infield is already locked up long-term.
Joseph Dzierwa, SP, Orioles
2026 minors: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
The Orioles thought enough of Dzierwa to use their second-round pick on him last year, which may not sound like such a big deal, but it's the highest Mike Elias has selected a pitcher since taking over the front office in 2018. The left-hander's long-awaited professional debut Friday was a scintillating one, seeing him one-hit his opponent over six innings while registering 17 swinging strikes on just 79 pitches. Standing 6-feet-8, he gets plenty of rise on his fastball by throwing from a low three-quarters slot, and his changeup might be an even more devastating pitch. If it seems like I'm making too much of one start from a 21-year-old at High-A, note that Dzierwa also struck out eight over three shutout innings in a Spring Breakout game, as shown below.
Join the Conversation commentsLHP Joseph Dzierwa going up the ladder at 96 mph for the punchout. Sat 95 mph in that inning. Dzierwa with this kind of velo is going to be quite the show. pic.twitter.com/BOcF0tl2H6
— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@TheVergePod) March 20, 2026
