Each organization's most stacked Minor League affiliate
All four full-season affiliates are in full swing now and there are many ways prospect fans can watch their favorite players in Minor League locales.
Nothing beats going in person, of course. Be sure to check out our complete set of Minor League Ballpark Guides for good travel intel.
Of course, not everyone can get to a Minor League locale. MiLB.TV is a great way to get to see thousands of games across all four levels. There are so many teams with a ton of talent, so allow us to help you prioritize. If you’re looking for bang for the buck, in terms of seeing the most talent at one time, check out our top 10 Minor League rosters in baseball or the list of most stacked affiliate per organization below.
The Double-A level leads the way, with 15 affiliates there, while the other three levels have five representatives each.
Jump to: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A)
Toronto’s International League affiliate boasts both of the organization’s Top 100 prospects in No. 27 Ricky Tiedemann and No. 83 Orelvis Martinez. The latter will be surrounded by other notable top prospects on the infield with Leo Jimenez, Addison Barger, Damiano Palmegiani and Spencer Horwitz also opening the season at Triple-A. But most of the eyes will be on Tiedemann’s starts as the 21-year-old left-hander tries to prove his fastball-sweeper-changeup mix is ready for showtime in the AL East.
Orioles: Norfolk Tides (Triple-A)
Even with Jackson Holliday in the big leagues, this is a ridiculously talented club. They’ve been scoring runs in bunches and still have Coby Mayo and Heston Kjerstad as Top 100 guys along with Connor Norby, No. 6 on the Orioles’ list. Want to know what pitching might be close to helping? They have that, too, with both Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich off to solid starts.
Rays: Bowling Green Hot Rods (High-A)
The Hot Rods’ offensive engine will be powered by No. 53 overall prospect Xavier Isaac and 2023 first-rounder Brayden Taylor, putting a lot of the focus here on the infield group. But the outfield corps is solid too with 80-grade speedster Chandler Simpson and last year’s second-rounder Colton Ledbetter headlining. Keep an eye on Yoniel Curet on the pitching staff too after he rode his upper-90s fastball and plus slider to a 40-man spot in the offseason.
Red Sox: Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)
All three of the Red Sox's Top 100 Prospects began this season in Portland after finishing last year there: shortstop Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony and catcher Kyle Teel. Right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez led the Minors in strikeout rate (13.6 per nine innings) and strikeout percentage (35 percent) in 2023. Second baseman Nick Yorke was the 17th overall pick in the 2020 Draft.
Yankees: Somerset Patriots (Double-A)
Eight of the Yankees' 18 Top 30 Prospects who started the season on active Minor League rosters convened in Somerset. The biggest name on the Patriots is outfielder Spencer Jones, who totaled 16 homers and 43 steals in his first full pro season and went deep twice in a Spring Breakout rout of the Blue Jays. Left-hander Brock Selvidge also stood out in the Spring Breakout event, striking out eight in four scoreless innings. Catcher/first baseman Ben Rice slashed .324/.434/.615 with 20 homers in 73 games between three levels last year, while right-hander Jack Neely ranked fourth among Minor League relievers (minimum: 50 innings) with a 39 percent strikeout rate. Catcher Agustin Ramirez homered in each of his first three games this April.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Guardians: Lynchburg Hillcats (Single-A)
The Guardians' first two choices in the 2023 Draft, sweet-swinging catcher/first baseman Ralphy Velazquez and power left-hander Alex Clemmey, are worth a trip to Lynchburg. So is outfielder Jaison Chourio, one of the system's most gifted hitters and also Jackson's younger brother. Infielders Angel Genao and Rafael Ramirez Jr. and lefty Jackson Humphries are three more interesting youngsters on the Hillcats.
Royals: Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double-A)
Kansas City spread the wealth across its affiliates pretty well, but we’ll give the nod here to the Naturals, who boast an organization-best nine Top 30 prospects including three from the Top 10 (Cayden Wallace, Mason Barnett, Gavin Cross). Entering Wednesday, the first four Naturals pitching starts had been made by Top 30 prospects as well (Barnett, Chandler Champlain, Noah Cameron, Tyson Guerrero), driving home the focus on the rotation. Watch No. 16 Javier Vaz’s elite contact rate in his second full season too.
Tigers: Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A)
Put it this way – the Mud Hens pitching staff is so loaded that No. 5 Tigers prospect Ty Madden was squeezed back to Double-A Erie. Instead, No. 8 Keider Montero, No. 9 Wilmer Flores and No. 15 Brant Hurter get to highlight the Mud Hens staff. Even so, the bigger names are in the bats with No. 55 overall prospect Jace Jung and on-base extraordinaire Justyn-Henry Malloy. The Tigers are out to compete in a winnable AL Central, and the depth Toledo should provide will play a role in that pursuit.
Twins: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (High-A)
Cedar Rapids (High-A) has the most Top 30 guys, with nine, but the upside in Fort Myers is too good to pass up. It starts, of course, with the Twins’ No. 1 prospect (and No. 1 pick in last year’s Draft), Walker Jenkins, though he might not be there for all that long. He’s not alone in the ceiling department, with 2023 draftees Charlee Soto and Brandon Winokur also suiting up for the Mighty Mussels.
White Sox: Birmingham Barons (Double-A)
Birmingham features several prospects acquired in trades over the last year: right-handers Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte from the Padres in a package for Dylan Cease; catcher Edgar Quero and left-hander Ky Bush from the Angels for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López; lefty Jake Eder from the Marlins for Jake Burger. Thorpe is a current Top 100 Prospect while Quero and Eder have made the list in the past. Third baseman Bryan Ramos is one of the system's most promising hitters and righty Mason Adams is its most underrated pitcher.
AMERICAL LEAGUE WEST
Angels: Rocket City Trash Pandas (Double-A)
This is another organization that has more Top 30 guys somewhere else (Tri-City has eight), but Rocket City is very top heavy. Top prospect Nelson Rada has been aggressively assigned there and he’s joined by the next three prospects in the system (Caden Dana, Kyren Paris and Ben Joyce. Jack Kochanowicz gives the Trash Pandas five of the Angels’ top 10 prospects.
Astros: Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A)
Corpus Christi's strength is its outfield with Jacob Melton (the Astros' lone Top 100 Prospect), Kenedy Corona (22 homers, 32 steals, Minor League Gold Glove in 2023) and Colin Barber. It will get even stronger when Zach Cole (19 homers, 37 steals last year) returns from a hamstring injury, and the lineup will get a further boost when hard-hitting infielder Zach Dezenzo recovers from a wrist ailment. Both should join the Hooks in the near future. They also have mound depth with right-handers A.J. Blubaugh, Jose Fleury, Michael Knorr and Miguel Ullola.
A’s: Midland RockHounds (Double-A)
Jacob Wilson, the club’s first-round pick (No. 6 overall), headlines this group. But it’s a very big group. There’s a total of 13 of the A’s Top 30 on the roster. Denzel Clarke and Daniel Susac gives the RockHounds three of the top five.
Mariners: Modesto Nuts (Single-A)
Modesto has eight of the Mariners’ Top 30, starting with the organization’s first-rounder from last year, Colt Emerson, who is now firmly in the Top 100. He showed he’s ready to enjoy the friendly environments of the California League by homering on the first pitch he saw this year. He’s also joined by Lazaro Montes, Jonny Farmello, Tai Peete and Michael Arroyo in the system’s top 10.
Rangers: Hickory Crawdads (High-A)
Both Rangers Top 100 Prospects who opened the season in the Minors went to Hickory: shortstop Sebastian Walcott and right-hander Brock Porter. So did tooled up outfielder Anthony Gutierrez, a breakout candidate at age 19. Other Crawdads worth watching include speedy middle infielder Cameron Cauley, sweet-swinging outfielder Yeison Morrobel, precociously polished pitchers Aidan Curry and Mitch Bratt and sleeper righty Joseph Montalvo.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: Rome Braves (High-A)
Some of the high-ceiling pitching the Braves have honed in on in recent Drafts are in Rome. Spencer Schwellenbach was a two-way guy in college who needed Tommy John surgery after signing and after returning this year, the gloves could come off this year after a strong Spring Training. Owen Murphy, the 2022 first-round pick, is there, as is Drue Hackenberg, who went in Round 2 that year. There are four other members of the Top 30 here as well, with one more, Jhancarlos Lara, set to join them once he’s sent out from extended spring training.
Marlins: Jupiter Hammerheads (Single-A)
The Marlins spent their first two Draft choices last July and $8.6 million on the best prep pitcher available (Noble Meyer) and the top left-hander, college or high school (Thomas White), then sent both of them to Jupiter for their first full pro seasons. They're joined by several other 2023 Draftees, including the system's biggest power threat in outfielder Kemp Alderman (second round, currently out with a hamate injury), first baseman Brock Vradenburg (third), left-hander Emmett Olson (fourth) and super sleeper outfielder Mark Coley (17th). Outfielder John Cruz, who arrived from the Yankees in the three-team Jon Berti trade in March, is another intriguing Hammerhead.
Mets: Syracuse Mets (Triple-A)
New York acquired Drew Gilbert (who is on the IL with a mild right hamstring strain) and Luisangel Acuña in blockbuster moves at last year’s Trade Deadline, and the organization has kept the pair of Top 100 prospects paired together at the Minors’ top level. Even so, the pitching group may draw just as much interest from Mets fans, considering No. 5 prospect Christian Scott, No. 11 Mike Vasil and No. 14 Dom Hamel are holding down the Syracuse rotation. All three should be Major League rotation candidates at some point this summer.
Nationals: Harrisburg Senators (Double-A)
Watch out, Eastern League pitchers. The Nationals have placed three of their four Top 100 prospects together in Pennsylvania’s capital in No. 7 Dylan Crews, No. 45 Brady House and No. 100 Yohandy Morales. All three have at least plus power and could send balls flying across the northeast. They’ll have lineup protection too from outfielders Robert Hassell III and Andrew Pinckney, and 2020 second-rounder Cole Henry gives the Senators an intriguing arm as well.
Phillies: Clearwater Threshers (Single-A)
Many of us think Aidan Miller is the steal of the 2023 Draft, as the broken hamate that sidelined him for much of his senior year allowed him to fall to the Phillies at the end of the first round. He could put up some serious numbers during his first full season and the Top 100 prospect will be joined by some guys with high ceilings, like Devin Saltiban and Tjayy Walton.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers: Biloxi Shuckers (Double-A)
This would have been Triple-A Nashville had Jeferson Quero (right shoulder) and Robert Gasser (bone spur in left elbow) not been on the IL in the early days of 2024. Instead, Biloxi gets the honor, in part because every Jacob Misiorowski start there will be a must-follow given the sharpness of his stuff. First-rounder Brock Wilken and 26-homer producer Wes Clarke will make sure the Shuckers have plenty of pop, and 2022 first-rounder Eric Brown Jr. is an interesting bounceback candidate after battling several freak injuries last year.
Cardinals: Springfield Cardinals (Double-A)
It doesn’t need to get much more complicated than this. St. Louis’ top two prospects Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby are both opening in the Texas League, and they just might be Double-A’s best 1-2 starting-pitcher punch to begin 2024. The two right-handers already have experience at the level, and their stuff could dominate quickly, as Hence did with five no-hit innings in the season opener last Friday. Max Rajcic, Ian Bedell, Edwin Nuñez and Andre Granillo add to the intriguing pitching mix, and Jimmy Crooks will form batteries with that group as its primary backstop.
Cubs: Tennessee Smokies (Double-A)
Only one Minor League team can boast four Top 100 Prospects on its roster -- defending Southern League champion Tennessee with right-hander Cade Horton, infielder Matt Shaw, outfielder Kevin Alcántara and second baseman James Triantos. Catcher Moises Ballesteros also received consideration for the list. A total of 12 members of our Cubs Top 30 opened the season with the Smokies, and don't be surprised if former infielder turner righty reliever Michael Arias races to Chicago this summer.
Pirates: Altoona Curve (Double-A)
Sure, that Paul Skenes guy is in Triple-A (for now), but Altoona is where it’s at in terms of the other Top 100 arms. Anthony Solometo and Bubba Chandler are both suiting up for the Curve, and they should be joined by Thomas Harrington, once he’s healthy, and Braxton Ashcraft, giving Altoona four of the Pirates’ top seven prospects at the same time. And if you like hitters, Tsung-Che Cheng is worth tracking as well.
Reds: Dayton Dragons (High-A)
Dayton is just a stone’s throw away from the big league team, geographically speaking. And it’d be a good spot to see a lot of future Reds. Nine of the Top 30 are starting the year with the Dragons, headlined by Lowder, the organization’s first-rounder last year who will be making his professional debut. A lineup with three top 10 guys (Stewart, Collier and Jorge) is a lot of fun, too.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-backs: Visalia Rawhide (Single-A)
Druw Jones’ move back to the California League will draw plenty of attention as he tries to bounce back from an injury-riddled down year with Visalia. The 2022 second overall pick still has the power, speed and glove to impact the game any time he touches the diamond. There’s also plenty of intrigue among Rawhide infielders with No. 6 D-backs prospect Jansel Luis, No. 7 Cristofer Torin and No. 10 Ruben Santana headed to Single-A, and former college arms Caden Grice and Landon Sims will be interesting follows as well.
Dodgers: Tulsa Drillers (Double-A)
Tulsa features the Dodgers' best prospect (Dalton Rushing), the best catching tandem in the Minors (Rushing and Diego Cartaya) and polished left-hander Justin Wrobleski. Infielder/outfielder Austin Gauthier may have the best strike-zone judgment in the system, catcher/second baseman Yeiner Fernandez is unusually versatile and outfielder Jose Ramos has well above-average raw power and arm strength. Ronan Kopp, who has better pure stuff than more southpaws, will join the Drillers in a week or two.
Giants: Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A)
Sacramento is the obvious choice with Top 100 Prospects Marco Luciano and Carson Whisenhunt, plus polished right-hander Mason Black and outfielder Wade Meckler, who hit .371 in his first full Minor League season. Luciano and Meckler already have big league experience, Whisenhunt and Black should make their debuts in the Majors this summer and righty relievers R.J. Dabovich and Randy Rodriguez could as well.
Padres: San Antonio Missions (Double-A)
Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur and Jakob Marsee give San Diego’s Texas League affiliate obvious headliners, and, notably, nine of the organization’s Top 18 prospects will each be two stops away from the Majors. Snelling, Mazur, Ryan Bergert, Austin Krob and Victor Lizarraga give the Missions an interesting rotation, while Marsee, Nathan Martorella, Brandon Valenzuela and Marcos Castañon give the San Antonio lineup ample length. The Padres aren’t afraid of calling up prospects straight from Double-A, particularly pitchers so they can avoid the Triple-A El Paso launching pad, so keep that in mind all season long.
Rockies: Hartford Yard Goats (Double-A)
This is one of the better rosters in all of baseball, with 12 members of the Rockies’ Top 30. No. 1 prospect Adael Amador leads things off, but there are four of the top six prospects at this level, with Zac Veen, Benny Montgomery and Sterlin Thompson all intriguing bats taken early in the last three Drafts. There are even some interesting arms here, with Carson Palmquist off to a good start and joined by Top 30 hurlers Mason Albright and Jaden Hill.