Prospect News: Montgomery Burns The Braves or Last Call On Lara

White Sox OF Braden Montgomery (23) hit a game-winning home run in his big league debut on Tuesday, a continuation of a long-burning breakout that tracks all the way back to spring training. In 56 games split almost evenly between Double-A and Triple-A, Montgomery slashed .314/.422/.548 with ten home runs, five stolen bases and a 24.8 percent strikeout rate. The switch-hitter played right field in his debut but could mix in at center if Tristan Peters goes cold. If you’ve been saving free agent money for a prospect to pick up, this week might be pretty close to the last call for buying rookie impact. 

Rockies SS/OF Cole Carrigg (24) tripled and walked as the center fielder in his major league  debut Tuesday. In 57 Triple-A games, he slashed .338/.414/.529 with six home runs and 33 stolen bases. Could be a difference maker for the speed needy considering he figures to contribute across the board in a cozy setting. 

Brewers OF Luis Lara (21, AAA) signed a seven-year contract extension with three years of team options on the back of that. With $31 million guaranteed, Lara becomes the second-richest man on his minor league team after SS Cooper Pratt (21) and his $50.75 million. Pratt’s deal includes two options at the end of his eight-year pact. So that makes two 21-year-olds who are inked for a decade. 22-year-old Jackson Chourio is signed through 2031 with two club options. These gambles betting on their own people, both players and coaches, set them apart from pretty much every other organization. It calls to mind the mid-90’s Cleveland teams that locked in Manny Ramirez, Omar Vizquel and company. Scary time to play in the National League Central, where the Brewers, Reds, Pirates and Cardinals all figure to be even better over the next few years than they are in 2026. 

The key question right now for us is whether or not Lara can help our fantasy teams this season. Garrett Mitchell has a 116 wRC+ despite a 35.9 percent strikeout rate. Sal Frelick has a 71 wRC+ playing below average defense in right field. He looks a lot more like a fourth outfielder or utility player than he does a first-division regular. On the other hand, he could be a tough out in the post-season, and Milwaukee has a healthy 4.5 game lead in the central, so there’s no rush to relegate Frelick to the bench. Perhaps they can ship him off to Boston for another ace in waiting. That’s a Caleb Durbin joke. Probably mean spirited. Anywho, when the team needed an outfielder last month, it turned to Blake Perkins. Next time, it’ll be Lara.

When the Giants traded Patrick Bailey to Cleveland on May 9th, that opened up a catching spot most people figured would belong to Jesus Rodriguez, the former Yankee Swiss army prospect who traveled west in the Camilo Doval trade. A month later, Rodriguez is back in the minors, having ceded the starting job to Daniel Susac and the backup job to Eric Hasse. Even in Sacramento, Giants C Drew Cavanaugh (24, AAA) is receiving the bulk of the reps behind the plate after slugging his way through Double-A. San Francisco’s park will depress his outcomes as it does to all left-handed hitters, but Cavanaugh is slashing .373/.473/.693 with five home runs through 21 Triple-A games and looking like a big win for the organization as a 17th round pick in 2023. 

Phillies RHP Ramon Marquez (20, A) has been hitting his spots during his second professional season after signing out of Mexico in 2025 and graduating from the complex to full-season ball for four starts to close out his first year with the Phillies. This season, he’s back in Low-A Clearwater and feeling right at home, posting a 1.50 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 41 strikeouts and just seven walks through 24 innings. Pitchers with command of a great changeup often dominate the lower levels, but at 6’2” 182 pounds with a plus command of a good fastball and solid slider-cutter combo, Marquez has legitimate rotation upside to go along with his video game numbers. 

I realize it’s difficult to make room for all the guys graduating levels and playing themselves into dynasty relevance, but see if you can’t squeeze young Marlins SS Luis Arana (18, A) onto a roster or two. He’s shown a discerning eye and plus contact skills throughout his baseball journey, and now we’ve got tiny hints of a power surge. He’s got three extra base hits in eight Low-A games, including a towering home run to left that suggests he’s moving the contact point out front a bit to focus on lifting and pulling the pitches that creep into a happy zone. Exciting stuff to see from a guy who’s also got 16 steals in 24 games this season. He won’t leap onto the top prospect lists right away after signing for just $30,000 last year and paying something of an org tax during list sessions, but it wouldn’t take much longer if he keeps producing these kinds of on-field outcomes. Click here to see a quick clip of Arana’s first full-season home run. 

Thanks for reading!