Twoseamers | April 12, 2026
Opening Weekend belonged to the rookies. Sal Stewart took home NL Player of the Week. Chase DeLauter grabbed the AL honor. JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle, and Owen Caissie all made immediate impacts — 20 members of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 opened the season in the majors. But below the surface, the next wave is already making noise. These are the 10 minor league bats closest to forcing a summer callup, performing right now at Triple-A or advanced Double-A, and backed by the pedigree and tools to stick once they arrive.
1. Max Clark · OF · Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A, Tigers)
The best minors hitting prospect performance this year so far, and it’s not particularly close when you factor in the plate discipline. Through 11 games at Triple-A Toledo, Clark is hitting .405 with a 1.076 OPS, eight walks and just three strikeouts. He’s 6-for-6 on stolen bases and has already racked up five outfield assists from center field. Per The Sporting News, his K rate sits at 5.3% — compared to an already solid 16.9% last year. That’s a generational leap in zone control. The Tigers went 2-for-18 in spring, and instead of sending him back to Double-A, they had the conviction to promote him straight to Toledo. That tells you where they think his floor is. Manager A.J. Hinch passed on calling him up when Parker Meadows went down with a broken arm and concussion, telling the Detroit Free Press: “We’ve been very consistent with him needing time to continue the development.” Translation: the numbers are there, but they want to see sustained performance — not a hot two weeks. The one nit: 50% of his batted balls are on the ground, per MLB Pipeline’s callup report. If he starts lifting the ball, this becomes one of the easiest callup decisions in baseball. Before the All-Star break feels realistic. Dynasty: he’s a crown jewel, obviously. Redraft: stash immediately if available.
2. Colt Emerson · SS · Tacoma Rainiers (Triple-A, Mariners)
Emerson just signed an eight-year, $95 million extension — the largest MLB contract ever for a player prior to his debut, surpassing Jackson Chourio’s $82 million deal — and he’s playing like someone who knows the timeline is his. Through eight games with Tacoma, the 20-year-old lefty is slashing .310/.355/.483 with three extra-base hits in 32 plate appearances. He homered in his season debut — an opposite-field, two-run shot off a left-handed pitcher, per the Seattle Times. He dealt with a minor right foot injury April 5 but returned two days later going 2-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases, and an RBI. Last year he climbed three levels — High-A Everett, Double-A Arkansas, Triple-A Tacoma — slashing .285/.383/.458 with 16 home runs and 14 steals across 130 games. The Mariners have said publicly he’ll debut in 2026. The contract says the same thing. It’s a when, not an if — and May or June feels like the window. Dynasty: elite asset. Redraft: top prospect add in all formats.
3. James Tibbs III · OF · OKC Comets (Triple-A, Dodgers)
The hottest bat in all of professional baseball to start 2026, and it’s not hyperbole. Through his first nine games with Oklahoma City, Tibbs slashed .474/.535/1.184 with seven home runs, four doubles, a triple, 13 RBIs, 15 runs scored, and a 336 wRC+. He won PCL Player of the Week after going 10-for-25 with five home runs against Las Vegas, including a three-homer game on April 4 — the first by an OKC player since Ryan Ward last May. Per True Blue LA, Tibbs leads all minor leaguers with seven homers and 12 extra-base hits. His spring line with the Dodgers was .313/.386/.667 with four homers and 11 RBIs. The former 13th overall pick (2024 draft, Giants) has been traded twice already — to Boston in the Devers deal, then to LA for Dustin May — and is now showing the Dodgers why FanSided’s Robert Murray said the club wouldn’t even consider moving him. The catch: he’s not on the 40-man roster, and the Dodgers’ outfield is locked. Some regression is inevitable — he’s gone 2-for-18 with 10 Ks over his last five games. But the power is real and the callup path opens if injuries create space (as they always do in LA). Dynasty: strong hold. Redraft: deep-league stash with upside.
4. Jasson Dominguez · OF · Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A, Yankees)
Dominguez is 23, has 429 MLB plate appearances on his resume, and shouldn’t be here. But the Yankees’ outfield math is what it is — Judge, Bellinger, Grisham — and so the Martian is back in Scranton, hitting. Through his first four Triple-A games, he’s slashing .294/.333/.471 with a home run, four RBIs, and a stolen base. He led off the season by blasting Riley Cornelio’s second pitch for a solo shot, per Pinstripe Alley. His spring numbers were strong: .333/.343/.667 with three homers, nine RBIs, and a 148 wRC+, per Empire Sports Media. The bat has never been the question — it’s the glove. The defense in left field remains a liability, and it’s the only thing standing between him and a significant MLB role. Giancarlo Stanton has dealt with elbow issues, and Trent Grisham is hitting at a below-average clip. The first outfield injury or slump in the Bronx sends the phone call to Scranton. Dynasty: high-floor hold. Redraft: one of the first callup adds when the roster spot opens.
5. Walker Jenkins · OF · St. Paul Saints (Triple-A, Twins)
Jenkins is still getting his legs under him — literally. A Grade 1 left hamstring strain in spring training kept him off the field until opening week, and the Twins are limiting him to seven-inning games through at least April 7 before clearing him for full nine-inning action, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored in his first game. The tools are undeniable — the No. 5 overall pick in 2023 is a five-tool talent ranked No. 12 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 and the consensus No. 1 prospect in the Twins system. He slashed .309/.426/.487 with seven homers and 11 steals in 52 games at Double-A Wichita last year, posting a 156 wRC+ that ranked third in the Texas League among qualified hitters. Across 627 career minor league at-bats, he’s a .303 hitter with an .884 OPS. Three of the four picks taken ahead of him (Skenes, Crews, Langford) are already in the majors. Health is the only variable — he’s missed significant time in back-to-back seasons. If the hamstring cooperates, a mid-summer callup is squarely on the table. Dynasty: top-tier asset. Redraft: stash now, but monitor the hamstring closely.
6. Spencer Jones · OF · Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A, Yankees)
The most polarizing prospect in baseball. Jones hit .357 with six homers and a 1.526 OPS over 13 spring games, then was optioned to Triple-A because the outfield was full. He launched a grand slam on April 5 against Rochester to open a 16-5 blowout. His exit velocities are absurd — five of his seven batted balls through his first three games came off the bat at 104.1 mph or harder, per MLB Pipeline, including a 113.6 mph single and a 109.1 mph homer. The problem is contact. Jones is striking out 55.6% of the time through six games. That’s not a misprint. He K’d 36.6% at Triple-A last year and retooled his swing this offseason using Shohei Ohtani’s toe-tap mechanics, but the early returns in Scranton look like the old version — with even bigger swings. Per Yanks Go Yard, one AL scout sees a Yankees-era Joey Gallo comp if the strikeout rate doesn’t come down. At 6-7, 240, the raw power is legitimate 70-grade. The question is whether enough of it shows up in games. Dynasty: hold for the ceiling, but the floor is terrifying. Redraft: avoid until the K rate shows sustained improvement.
7. Braden Montgomery · OF · Birmingham Barons (Double-A, White Sox)
The No. 1 prospect in the White Sox system and No. 33 overall, Montgomery opened his 2026 season exactly how you’d script it — 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, three RBIs, and a walk in the Barons’ season opener, per SI’s game recap. The former 12th overall pick (2024, Red Sox) came to Chicago in the Garrett Crochet trade and posted a .270/.360/.444 line with 12 homers, 34 doubles, and 14 steals across three levels in his first full pro season. His AFL performance was even louder — .366/.527/.634 with a 1.161 OPS in 12 games. The 6-2, 220-pound slugger out of Texas A&M brings legitimate 25-30 homer power if he can optimize his launch angle, plus a cannon arm in the outfield. He’s only 22 and starting at Double-A, so a mid-summer promotion to Charlotte and a potential late-season MLB look is the realistic track. The White Sox are rebuilding with no urgency to rush, but Montgomery may not give them a choice if the bat keeps forcing the issue. Dynasty: top-50 asset. Redraft: second-half stash with upside.
8. Kaelen Culpepper · SS · St. Paul Saints (Triple-A, Twins)
Culpepper is part of the most loaded Triple-A roster in the game and has been contributing immediately — he and Emmanuel Rodriguez combined for five of the Saints’ eight home runs through the first eight games, per MLB.com’s roster preview. The 21-year-old shortstop, ranked No. 49 on the Top 100, brings plus speed and a developing power profile that showed real growth last year. MLB Pipeline’s callup report tagged him as the most likely impact callup for the Twins. The Twins are in full rebuild mode after last summer’s sell-off, meaning at-bats will be available — and Culpepper’s defensive versatility (he can play short and second) adds to his case. He’s on the 40-man roster, which removes one barrier. If the bat develops even moderate power consistency, he’s a second-half callup candidate. Dynasty: buy now — the price is still accessible.
9. Emmanuel Rodriguez · OF · St. Paul Saints (Triple-A, Twins)
Rodriguez has elite plate discipline — his 13.4% O-swing rate, per TJStats’ prospect report, is the kind of number that makes pitchers uncomfortable. Ranked No. 69 on the Top 100, the 22-year-old outfielder already has multiple home runs early in the Triple-A season and, per Twins Daily, posted a 135 wRC+ at Triple-A in 2025. He’s on the 40-man roster and plays for a rebuilding team that needs outfield production. The question has always been whether the power will play at the highest level — he’s more of a 15-homer, .370+ OBP type than a middle-of-the-order masher. But that profile has real value, especially for a team trying to identify its core. A mid-to-late summer callup feels like the floor. Dynasty: solid hold. Redraft: deep-league stash, especially in OBP formats.
10. Leo De Vries · SS · Midland RockHounds (Double-A, Athletics)
De Vries is only 19, which normally would disqualify him from this list. But the No. 4 overall prospect in baseball is already at Double-A after the A’s acquired him in the Mason Miller trade, and CBS Sports’ bold predictions column projected a second-half MLB debut. He had a three-hit night on April 11, per MLB Pipeline, hammering a double down the left-field line and singling twice. He started cold — Pitcher List dropped him off their Stash List after the first two weeks — but the talent hasn’t changed. In 2025 with the Padres’ High-A club, he showed an advanced approach and budding power before being dealt to Oakland, where he finished the year by homering in five of his last eight games at Double-A Midland. He hit .281/.359/.551 in 21 regular-season games after the trade. The A’s pushed him aggressively to Double-A to start 2026, and if the bat heats up, Triple-A by mid-summer and a September look aren’t out of the question. Dynasty: elite long-term asset. Redraft: too far away for 2026 impact in most formats, but monitor closely.
Honorable Mentions
Jacob Gonzalez · INF · Charlotte Knights (Triple-A, White Sox) — Homered twice in his first three games and has hit the ground running in Charlotte. He’s not a top-100 name, but the bat has always played at every level and the White Sox need warm bodies at the MLB level. Watch for a quiet mid-season callup if he keeps producing.
William Bergolla Jr. · SS · Charlotte Knights (Triple-A, White Sox) — Per Pitcher List’s latest Stash List, Bergolla has been one of the hottest under-the-radar starts to the Triple-A season, slashing .457/.525 through his first 10 games. He led the full-season minors with a 4.7% strikeout rate in 2025. The bat-to-ball skills are elite — the question is whether there’s enough power to profile at the MLB level.
Gabriel Gonzalez · OF · St. Paul Saints (Triple-A, Twins) — Acquired from Seattle in the Jorge Polanco trade, Gonzalez quietly posted a .329/.395/.513 line with 15 homers across three levels last year and hit .500 in spring. Per Twins Daily, his average exit velocity of 95.5 mph on spring batted balls suggests the power is real. He’s blocked by Jenkins and Rodriguez but could force the issue.
Stats through April 11, 2026. More at twoseamers.com.
Data sources: MiLB.com, Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, Baseball Savant, MLB Pipeline, RotoWire, Pitcher List.
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