Mariners LHP Kade Anderson making his major league debut is obviously the headline news of This Week In Prospects, but it feels a little less than fun. Seattle went to the American League Championship Series last year. Them having the number two overall pick was kind of a fluke, and they landed a piece that can help them immediately, the rarest kind of draft prospect in this particular sport. Instead of including him in their season-long planning, they stashed him at Triple-A to (and this is admittedly just speculation from the outside looking in) control his contractual terms at the lowest rate for as long as legally possible. What other reason could there be? I realize they’re deep in starting pitching, but is protecting that luxury worth tanking an elite prospect’s season because you can’t decide what to do with your seven starters? Nevermind the fact that their entire rotation was right-handed all season. What are we doing? What’s going on?
With Dodgers OF Andy Pages set to miss about a month due to a fractured left hand, the spotlight falls on OF James Tibbs III (23) while we await a roster move or two. Tibbs went 3-for-3 with his 27th home run of the season on Friday night. He’s slashing .299/.417/.556 with a 22.2 percent strikeout rate, so he may not have a whole lot left to learn in the minor leagues.
Rangers OF Dylan Dreiling (23, AA) can’t be stopped by Double-A pitching, leading to a slash line of .390/.451/.756 with eight home runs and three stolen bases over his last 20 games while he awaits the next level. A second-round pick out of Tennessee in 2024, he’s up to .310/.383/.533 with 21 homers and 11 steals across 98 games with Frisco this season. It’s not easy to track values across the echo chamber in late August, but Dreiling is rostered at just six percent in Fantrax leagues and might be worth a look in your leagues. Spring Training represents his next escalator, so you might have to be patient.
Cardinals C Rainiel Rodriguez (19, AA) is another guy whose bat is in search of its level, but he’s already got so much helium within the prospect community that he’s pushing to join the top ten, rather than pushing for the top 100 like I expect Dreiling to do soon. In 70 games at the Double-A level, he’s up to 309/.388/.540 with 15 home runs and a 20.3 percent strikeout rate after a molten hot summer stretch. He’s hitting .429 and slugging .809 with a 9.3 percent strikeout rate over his last 19 games. He’ll turn 20 on January 4th.
I think it’s safe to say Rays 1B Xavier Isaac (22, AA) is all the way back from the brain surgery that shortened his 2025 season. He’s slashing .343/.500/.743 with eight home runs over his last 20 games with Double-A Montgomery. We love to see it.
Braves SS Alex Lodise (22, AA) earned a promotion to Double-A via going scorched-earth on High-A pitching, slashing .404/.473/.745 with four home runs and a 7.3 percent strikeout rate in his last 11 games at the level. A second-round pick out of Florida State in 2025, he’s already got a homer and a steal in three games at the new level. The scouting report has typically read “Good defender, good power and speed, questionable hit tool,” so if Lodise can keep making contact like this, he won’t be stuck at any minor league level for too long.
It’s time to talk about Dub Gleed. He’s a 23-year-old shortstop in Double-A for the Blue Jays, and he has a uniquely fun name. A ninth-round pick by the Marlins in 2024, Gleed came to Toronto (along with 250K in International Bonus money) in exchange for Leo Jimenez this March and almost immediately tapped into some newfound power, earning a promotion to Double-A after just a couple months, where he’s expanding upon the trend. He’s hit six home runs in his last 19 games, bringing his slash line in 51 Double-A games to .283/.373/.505. He should be a useful piece of a complicated infield picture in Toronto next year.
The Athletics don’t have many cards left to play in what’s mostly a lost season at the big league level, but they could still get a look at centerfielder Brayan Buelvas (24, AAA). His season-long line isn’t going to knock your socks off. He’d been about a little below league average with the bat until about a month ago. He’s slashing .320/.397/.670 with eight home runs and a 19.8 percent strikeout rate over his last 26 games. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but they could make room.
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