We will be skipping over the four guys who as of right now have no shot at falling that far, the top three shortstops (Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, Justin Lebron) and the top pitcher (Liam Peterson). We will continue our series with a third shortstop in Eric Becker, following Jacob Lombard and Tyler Spangler at the position. This group of players is based on how things look ahead of the spring, as players could see their stock or even game change significantly
That, of course, doesn't necessarily make a trade of Eldridge particularly likely. It's somewhat rare for players and prospects to be completely unavailable in trade talks as the majority of modern front offices have developed a willingness to listen on virtually any player. With that being said, it's not often that a prospect with Eldridge's pedigree winds up moving. The 21-year-old was San Francisco's first-round pick in the 2023 draft and is a consensus top-20 prospect in the entire sport at this point.
Peguero was once a touted young infielder whom the Pirates acquired from the D-backs in exchange for Starling Marte. He's a former top-100 prospect who was once viewed as a possible shortstop of the future in Pittsburgh. Peguero's bat has never come around, however. He's seen action in four big league seasons but has mustered only a .227/.278/.368 slash line in 315 turns at the plate.
He's Tristan Gray, and he comes from Missouri City, Texas. He went to Elkins High School, which also produced longtime big leaguers in Matt Carpenter and James Loney. While MLB talent has gone through Elkins, the indoor drumline might have been more of a draw. They had a dynasty from 2001 to 2008, winning six state titles over that span. Gray was presumably more interested in baseball than drums, going on to play college baseball at Rice and summer ball with the Falmouth Commodores.
Angeles spent his entire season in the DSL, appearing in 10 games (4 starts) and pitching 35.1 innings. He recorded a 3.57 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts to 10 walks. He allowed just 6.1 hits per nine innings. Angeles pitched very well, and was arguably the best pitcher on the DSL Braves staff. He limited his base runners, which helped him to limit the damage against him.
That's obviously a tiny sample of work but his minor league track record also isn't great. From 2021 to 2023, he hit .233/.350/.419 on the farm. That offense translates to a 104 wRC+, indicating he was above average but barely. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances in that time. In 2024, he had a monster .299/.372/.514 showing in Triple-A.
There were some solid expectations for Owen as the Braves were able to agree to terms with him and sign him for $150K following the draft. Any time you have that kind of payout to a player later in the draft it indicates the teams willingness to bank on their scouting, and it's safe to assume Owen made a lot of people happy with his 2025 performance.
When he was drafted by San Jose, a large chunk of fans were incredulous that General Manager Mike Grier didn't take Matvei Michkov instead (ignorant of the reality that Michkov almost certainly didn't want to come to the Sharks, given that he said no to Washington and Arizona). When he spent his post-draft year with Boston College, NHL scouts focused on his linemates Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault instead, ignoring the reality that it was Smith's playmaking and play-driving ability carrying the line.
Earlier this week, the Rangers rookie camp roster was released, as rookie camp starts today. Most of the names are as expected, with one exception. Brennan Othmann, who is entering the final year of his entry level contract signed in 2021, is a bit of a surprise to see on the roster. Othmann could be named captain of the rookie camp, which would explain why the soon to be 23 year old is participating this year.
As a 17-year-old who was promoted to the U20 squad and immediately began breaking scoring records, Viggo Björck has already commanded the attention of scouts. He broke out with 27 goals and 74 points in 42 games played, facing off against older and more competitive opponents. Björck even made his Hockey Allsvenskan debut, the second-highest league in Sweden behind the SHL, scoring a goal in his first and only game with the club (so far).
Lots of positives with #WhiteSox right now but Hagen Smith's struggles are a massive disappointment. I'm getting Carson Fulmer vibes and they passed on premium hitting talent to take him as a fast moving college arm. Brian Bannister has a project on his hands.- James Fox (@JamesFox917) August 24, 2025 Fulmer was the highly regarded pitching prospect out of Vanderbilt that the team took with the No. 8 pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.
Hugo Ekitike is a transfer-scouting Rorschach test: How you view him says everything about how you view the sport. More than any player I can remember, Ekitike somehow both reaffirms and rejects conventional wisdom and scouting biases. He's a physical marvel with glaring physical weaknesses. He's an analytics darling with massive analytical red flags.
The volatility of rookie pitching prospects is evident in recent performances, highlighting the uncertainty faced by fantasy managers. Jacob Misiorowski's stellar outing contrasts sharply with Chase Burns' struggles.
