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This was the 19th week of full minor league play (stats are entering play on Tuesday, August 18th).

According to FanGraphs (which factors in age and proximity to the big leagues), prospect Theo Gillen tops the system and might just find himself in the running for Minor League Player of the Year.

Meanwhile, Aidan Cremarosa remains the top hurler in the system despite spending the past several weeks on the Injured List; he was recently activated. Thus far in his first professional season, Cremarosa has a 2.75 ERA | 2.62 FIP with a 32.7 K% & 4.4 BB% over 59 IP in Single-A

RUMBLINGS

• Theo Gillen left a game early last weekend after being hit in the left leg by a pitch. Gillen stayed on his feet but was clearly in a lot of pain. He would walk off the field under his own power but with a noticeable limp.
• Grady Emerson has been assigned to Single-A Charleston and will make his professional debut. The #2 overall draft pick has been excelling in the Bridge League.
• Blake Morgan has been promoted to High-A after a solid run with Single-A to begin his pro career. The 2025 19th rounder had a 3.47 ERA | 3.97 FIP with a 26.1 K% & 5.7 BB% over 62 1/3 IP prior to his promotion.
• Xavier Isaac made Baseball America’s Hot Sheet
  • “No one should ever doubt Isaac’s power. He can go on runs where everything he hits seems to have a chance to clear the fence. This month is the third time he’s hit six homers in a month. But unlike the other two times, he’s doing it this time without the strikeouts that have usually come with the power. Isaac has a 15% strikeout rate this month. That’s way down from the 29.7% K-rate he had coming into this month. Isaac has shown signs of being a hitter and not just a slugger in the past. If this improvement is sustainable, watch out.“

TEAM LEADERS

• Must currently be assigned to that team
• Baseball America’s top ten prospects are featured below each team they’re currently assigned to.
• (minimum of 200 TBF & PA)

Tampa Bay Rays

Top 10 Prospects

• None currently on active roster

Durham Bulls

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .264, Blake Sabol
OBP: .335, Blake Sabol
SLG: .425, Blake Sabol
HR: 11, Carson Williams, Blake Sabol, & Logan Davidson
wRC+: 95, Blake Sabol
SB: 31, Homer Bush Jr

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 2.37, Evan Reifert
FIP: 3.50, Ty Johnson
K%: 34.4% Ty Johnson
BB%: 4.2%, Mason Englert
WHIP: 0.99, Ty Johnson
AVG: .173, Ty Johnson
WHIFF%: 16.0%, Ty Johnson

Top 10 Prospects

• #3 Brody Hopkins
  • AAA: 5.34 ERA | 5.09 FIP | 26.9 K% | 21.6 BB% | .202 AVG | 12.0 WHIFF% | 86 IP

Montgomery Biscuits

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .309, Austin Overn
OBP: .412, Xavier Isaac
SLG: .565, Austin Overn
HR: 23, Will Simpson & Xavier Isaac
wRC+: 151, Austin Overn
SB: 48, Austin Overn

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 4.29, Chris Clark
FIP: 4.62, Chris Clark
K%: 26.0%, Jackson Baumeister
BB%:  3.2%, Santiago Suarez
WHIP 1.18, Santiago Suarez & Chris Clark
AVG: .225, Jackson Baumeister
WHIFF%: 14.2%, Jackson Baumeister

Top 10 Prospects

• #1 Theo Gillen
  • AA: .290/.395/.552 | 20.8 K% | 13.9 BB% | 9 HR | 11 SB | 147 wRC+ | 173 PA
  • A+: .342/.449/.589 | 23.8 K% | 14.3 BB% | 12 HR | 28 SB | 165 wRC+ | 265 PA
    • 6/23: Promoted to Double-A
• #5 Caden Bodine
  • AA: .298/.385/.405 | 5.8 K% | 11.5 BB% | 3 HR | 3 SB | 115 wRC+ | 156 PA
  • A+: .341/.411/.477 | 6.6 K% | 7.3 BB% | 4 HR | 3 SB | 132 wRC+ | 151 PA
  • A: .379/.433/.614 | 3.9 K% | 9.2 BB% | 5 HR | 1 SB | 175 wRC+ | 152 PA
    • 6/30: Promoted to Double-A
    • 5/19: Promoted to High-A
• #10 Santiago Suarez
  • AA: 4.89 ERA | 5.13 FIP | 19.5 K% | 3.2 BB% | .262 AVG | 11.1 WHIFF% | 103 IP

Bowling Green Hot Rods

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .286, Ryan McCoy
OBP: .431, Ryan McCoy
SLG: .564, Ryan McCoy
HR: 20, Nathan Flewelling
wRC+: 154, Ryan McCoy
SB: 45, Tony Santa Maria

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 3.88, Noah Beal
FIP: 3.99, Noah Beal
K%: 27.0%, Trevor Harrison
BB%: 5.3%, Dominic Niman
WHIP: 1.26, Dominic Niman
AVG: .233, Noah Beal
WHIFF%: 18.0%, Noah Beal

Top 10 Prospects

• #4 Nathan Flewelling
  • A+: .239/.366/.451 | 27.0 K% | 15.2 BB% | 20 HR | 8 SB | 112 wRC+ | 448 PA
• #9 Anderson Brito
  • A+: 3.34 ERA | 4.50 FIP | 28.8 K% | 14.4 BB% | .240 AVG | 13.4 WHIFF% | 32.1 IP
    • 5/23: Placed on 7-day Injured List

Charleston River Dogs

Team Offensive Leaders:
AVG: .330, Brady Marget
OBP: .429, Brady Marget
SLG: .473, Brady Marget
HR: 9, Cooper Flemming
wRC+: 146, Brady Marget
SB: 33, Alberth Palma

Team Pitching Leaders:
ERA: 2.67, Jacob Kuhn
FIP: 2.62, Aidan Cremarosa
K%: 32.7%, Aidan Cremarosa
BB%: 4.4%, Aidan Cremarosa
WHIP: 0.80, Aidan Cremarosa
AVG: .173, Aidan Cremarosa
WHIFF%: 16.5%, Aidan Cremarosa

Top 10 Prospects

• #6 Cooper Flemming
  • A: .301/.388/.444 | 17.1 K% | 10.7 BB% | 9 HR | 14 SB | 128 wRC+ | 450 PA
• #7 Taitn Gray
  • A: .275/.372/.425 | 23.4 K% | 12.9 BB% | 6 HR | 8 SB | 118 wRC+ | 248 PA
  • CPX: .333/.400/.611 | 20.0 K% | 5.0 BB% | 1 HR | 0 SB | 140 wRC+ | 20 PA
    • 6/1: Placed on the 7-day IL
    • 7/14: Began rehab assignment
    • 7/28: Activated from the IL
• #9 Daniel Pierce
  • A: .252/.336/.390 | 28.6 K% | 7.9 BB% | 4 HR | 6 SB | 101 wRC+ | 140 PA
    • 4/22: Placed on the 7-day IL
    • 5/2: Activated from the IL
    • Hasn’t played since May 30th. Underwent shoulder surgery. Likely out for the year

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The Atlanta Braves are -130 favorites to even the series in Minnesota tonight.

With a powerful offense set to take on a pitcher who comes with extreme barrel concerns, my Braves vs. Twins predictions and MLB picks see value in backing Atlanta to rebound.

Who will win Braves vs Twins today: Atlanta Braves (-130)

Tyler Mahle has been quietly pitching well over the last month, posting a 2.83 ERA and 3.18 SIERA. The Minnesota Twins have hit .228 off righties in August with a pedestrian .140 ISO. They're not doing much damage at the plate, and it’ll be hard to change that with how Mahle is playing.

Zebby Matthews has allowed at least three earned runs in six of his last seven starts, and he'll need to contend with an Atlanta Braves lineup sitting eighth in xwOBA vs. righties.

Back Atlanta to -145.

COVERS INTEL: Matthews has allowed an 11.6% barrel rate this season, ranking him in the fifth percentile leaguewide.

Braves vs Twins Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-120)

Quality offenses have been crushing Matthews this season. He’s made six starts versus top-10 lineups in xwOBA against righties and is sporting a 6.90 ERA.

Matthews gave up an alarming amount of power along the way, conceding 2.70 home runs per nine innings. That spells trouble against the Braves.

While Mahle has been performing well overall the past month, he’s gone through shocking road woes this season. His ERA sits at 7.07 away from Oracle Park. 

The Twins should chip in enough, making the Over an attractive buy up to -130.

Braves vs Twins home run prediction: Drake Baldwin (+350)

The home run drought for Drake Baldwin appears to be nearing its end.

The talented lefty is showing real signs of a breakout, most notably leading the team in average exit velocity (95.8 mph) while ranking second in hard-hit rate over the past 20 games.

He hit the ball at least 300 feet 16 times during that span, including a handful beyond 350. None left the park.

Matthews has allowed a .202 ISO and 1.71 HR/9 to lefties, making this a great spot for Baldwin to get back on track.

Bet him to +325.

Braves vs Twins weather

Temperatures should hover around the mid-70s with winds blowing out. That gives a small boost to the bats.

Braves vs Twins odds

• Moneyline: Braves -130 | Twins +110
• Run line: Braves -1.5 (+130) | Twins +1.5 (-150)
• Over/Under: Over 9.0 (+100) | Under 9.0 (-120)

Braves vs Twins trend

Minnesota has only won five of the last 15 games (-5.0 units, -31% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Braves vs. Twins.

How to watch Braves vs Twins and game info

Braves vs Twins latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

If you missed the first two innings of the series opener between the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets, you essentially missed the game. The Padres had four runners thrown out at the plate over the first two innings, with three of those plays coming from outfield assists. The Mets scored their only two runs of the game thanks to a rough start to the game by San Diego starter Walker Buehler and New York went on to win the contest 2-1 in Flushing, New York on Monday.

The Padres hit four singles in the top of the first inning off Mets starter Nolan McLean, but two runners, Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado were thrown out at the plate by right fielder Carson Benge on two separate plays to keep San Diego off the scoreboard.

New York turned a single and a walk into a run thanks to an RBI-single by Bo Bichette in the bottom of the first. The hit allowed A.J. Ewing to score and moved Francisco Lindor to third base to leave runners on the corners with no outs. Benge grounded out, but Lindor was unable to score, however Bichette moved to second. Luis Robert Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to center field which allowed Lindor to score to give the Mets a 2-0 lead with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Buehler ended the inning after inducing a line out from Jared Young to end the inning.

The Padres were able to load the bases in the top of the second inning after McLean issued a walk to Luis Campusano, hit Gavin Sheets with a pitch and issued a second walk in the inning to Xander Bogaerts. Luis Rengifo hit a grounder back to McLean and he threw home for the force out for the first out of the inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. just missed a grand slam but did get a sacrifice fly that allowed Sheets to score to cut the Mets lead to 2-1. Jake Cronenworth followed with a two-out single to left field, but Bogaerts ran through a stop sign at third base and was thrown out at the plate trying to score.

Neither team was able to add to their totals throughout the remainder of the contest. San Diego ended the game with more hits than New York (7-5), but the plays on defense by Benge, McLean and Ewing held the Padres to just one run and allowed the Mets to get a series-opening win.

The teams will meet again on Tuesday at 4:10 p.m. and San Diego will hope to have more to show for its offensive efforts.

Padres News:

• MLB owners held a vote and unanimously approved the sale of the Padres to Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones on Monday. A press conference to introduce the new owners will be held next week.

• Ethan Salas has remained hot and hit another home run with the El Paso Chihuahuas.

Baseball News:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong his a walk-off home run to lift the Chicago Cubs over the Chicago White Sox.

• Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was a no-show at Fenway Park and was placed on the restricted list.

• Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers got a dominant win over the Colorado Rockies.

• The Philadelphia Phillies squeezed past the Miami Marlins, 6-5.

• The Cincinnati Reds split a double-header with the St. Louis Cardinals thanks to a walk-off double by Eloy De La Cruz.

Strikeouts are fascist.* The Red Sox, ergo, stand for democracy and classically liberal values, because last night they did this:

In baseball terms, 1949 was a looooooong time ago. Players still left their gloves on the field, for chrissakes!

Like a lot of baseball fans (maybe?) I’ve long wondered what it would be like to travel back in time and see how the game was played in another era. Deadball Era baseball was essentially an entirely different game, but I bet I would have loved it. We typically think of the pre-Babe Ruth version of the game as having less action because of the lack of homers, but think of how much more often the ball was in play! You wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off the field for a second, lest you miss something. Last night we didn’t exactly get the Deadball Era, but it might be the closest we denizens of the modernity may ever get to it.

Talk about your favorite historical era of baseball and whatever else you want in this space and, as always, be good to one another.

*The only good line from an otherwise horrible and horribly overrated movie.

** How insane is it that we ever thought it was okay for players to leave their gloves on the field?Ankle injuries for everybody!

Hey did you see Jorge Mateo hit a home run last night for the Rays? Here you go. This was 101.7 MPH off the bat and 31 degree launch angle. That’s good for 406 feet and a no-doubter.

Jorge Mateo was designated for assignment shortly after the trade deadline. He was jettisoned for the return of the off-injured Ha-Seong Kim, among other transactions that day. He was eventually released on August 9th and picked up by the Rays on the 13th. He’s got 2 hits and a stolen base in 4 games with the Rays, but boy was that one hit a big one. The Braves decided after the deadline that Mauricio Dubon, Lane Thomas, Mike Yastremski and Jim Jarvis would fit their needs in left field and shortstop. Do you know where the Braves rank at shortstop from August 3rd through the 16th? It’s 29th in wRC+, WAR, and last in OBP and wOBA. They’re 17th defensively, but not much with the stick.

Mateo had a very nice 2022 with Baltimore. However, as of last night he’s sporting a career 76 wRC+ with 34 (now 35) HRs over 1550+ plate appearances. He’s definitely defense-first and can fill in around the infield. The projections had him just this side of replacement-level, though. I’d argue, but coming off his 2025 that feels fair.

I think the Braves attempted to give Jorge a try out at shortstop. He played 5 consecutive games from June 19-24. He netted one hit and four strikeouts in 11 PAs. He played 5 games from June 30 to July 6th. He grabbed only 2 singles and 6 strikeouts in 15 PAs. I think the Braves gave up at that point, then entered Jim Jarvis with his hot start. Jorge is unfortunately, just another guy.

However, at least we know what level Mateo is on. What exactly is Ha-Seong Kim right now? He’s had a hand injury over the offseason, then was unplayable on return. He spent time again on the Injured List for reasons and took up residence at the Complex and Triple-A Gwinnett. I guess he’s a 20-million-dollar 26th man, which is about 19 million dollars more than necessary. The Braves must see his September of last year and given enough time, he could recreate this September and hopefully October. It feels like wishcasting at this point.

The Braves are going to play Jim Jarvis for now. He had a 132 wRC+ over 348 PAs in Gwinnett, y’all. The Braves think they have something. He hit 6 home runs in Gwinnett so maybe they think the power is coming along. And for all my “play the kids” mantra of yesteryear, I’m gonna double down as well. It’s a big picture approach over the present that assumed the Braves can lurch into the playoffs, if necessary.

So should the Braves have kept Jorge Mateo? Eventually roughly replacement-level Jorge became replaced. He does have a pulse, though. Is that enough? Maybe we should ask why the Braves couldn’t have come up with another excuse to keep Kim on the Injured List.

There haven’t been many comparisons between the 2023 Orioles and this season’s team. The former was a 100-game winner, an AL East division champion and a team that historically outperformed the mediocre expectations placed upon them before the season. The latter currently has a sub .500 record, is scraping and clawing to stay in the playoff race and has largely failed to meet the expectations they had back in March. And yet, for both teams, a second-half, four-game series in Tropicana Park could very well have defined their seasons.

The Orioles’ recent series win against the Rays was reminiscent of Baltimore’s first road series after the All-Star break back in 2023. Three years ago, the O’s came into Tampa deadlocked with the Rays atop the AL East. Tampa Bay was supposed to be the juggernauts that would run away with the AL East after starting the season 23-6. Baltimore, on the other hand, was the team everybody just kept waiting to fall off.

Instead, the O’s went into Tropicana Field, won three out of four games and took a division lead they would never relinquish. Game 1 of that series saw a Félix Bautista masterclass. The eventual AL Reliever of the Year pitched a scoreless 9th to send the game to extras, and after Colton Cowser’s RBI single in the 10th, worked out of a two-on-no-out jam to seal the Orioles’ victory.

After a shutout loss in Game 2, the O’s won a rollercoaster ride of a Game 3. Baltimore took a 5-0 lead after a five-run 4th inning off All-Star Shane McClanahan. The bullpen trio of Danny Coulombe, Yennier Cano and Shintaro Fujinami would then slowly give that lead back to Tampa, setting the stage for another dramatic 9th inning. Facing Rays’ closer Peter Fairbanks, Adam Frazier led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice and scored on a Ryan O’Hearn single. Bautista then pitched another perfect 9th to put the O’s up 2-1 in the series.

Game 4 was another back-and-forth affair, with the O’s taking a 3-0 lead before the Rays stormed back to tie it on a homer in the 5th. O’Hearn then untied the game with solo shot in the 6th and Anthony Santander added an insurance run in the 7th. Bautista then pitched his fourth inning of the series, striking out the side around of pair of singles to secure the series win and forever etch his name in Orioles lore.

The recent series win in Tampa doesn’t carry the exact same weight as their triumph three years ago. Instead of leaving the Trop with the division lead, the O’s leave tied with the Rangers for the final AL Wildcard spot. Instead of finishing the series 23 games above .500, Baltimore still sits three games under .500. Losing the series finale yesterday also ended the series on a sour note, as the O’s faield to gain ground on the other Wildcard hopefuls while ceding control of their destiny back to Texas.

And yet, it’s undeniable that this year’s team now has an air of hope they didn’t have before their series with the Rays. The overarching truth in the AL this season is that no team is that much better than any other team. Just like the 2023 Orioles went to Tamp looking to prove their AL East title aspirations were no fluke, these O’s went to the Trop looking to prove they can stay in this playoff race to the very end. And they did just that.

Perhaps more important than Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s wins against the Rays was the way the Orioles won. This team was supposed to an offensive, force led by Pete Alonso and Gunnar Henderson, that outscored even the best of teams en route to playoff contention.

For seemingly the first time this season, both Henderson and Alonso were firing on all cylinders at the same time. Gunnar kicked off the series by going 4-fo-4 with a home in Friday’s win, and finished the four-game set 7-for-16 with the homer, two doubles, two RBIs and five runs. Alonso was even more unstoppable. The reigning AL Player of the Week went 8-for-16, reaching base 11 total times, while adding two homers, a double and three RBIs.

The offensive explosion by the Orioles two stars is the culmunitation of two hot streaks that have gone from embers to full on flames. After struggling for most of the season, Gunnar is finally turning a corner in August. The star SS is now hitting .245 this month with a .477 slugging percentage and an OPS over .800. Strikeouts have been a problem for Henderson all season, but he’s been exceptionally disciplined hitter of late. In 15 games this month, his strikeout rate has dropped 12.7% while his walk rate has jumped to 2o.6%.

Alonso has been the steady heartbeat of this team for months and now its finally become the platform for actual success. Since the beginning of June, Alonso is slashing .296/.400/.554 with 15 HRs and 44 RBIs. As MASN’s Brett Holander put it, Alonso is the clear favorite (and perhaps only contender) for Most Valuable Oriole and is delivering exactly what the front office paid him $30+M/year to provide. When the Orioles traded Adley Rutschman and others at the deadline, it was obvious more would be asked of Alonso if the O’s wanted to remain in playoff contention. And the Polar Bear has continued to answer.

This team has also built a surprising identity off the strength of their pitching rotation, and we saw that epitomized against the Rays. Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers each delivered qualtiy starts and Chris Bassitt was strong in his return from the IL. Really, Brandon Young was the only starter who didn’t deliver, exiting after four subpar innings in Monday’s loss.

This team is still flawed (looking at you, bullpen) and still have the unenviable task of navigating the hardest remaining schedule in the American League. But in going to Tampa and taking three of four from the Rays, the 2026 Baltimore Orioles showed the heart of the a team willing to fight for its postseason destiny. A heart that’s largely been missing in Baltimore since 2023.