Now that the decrease minor leagues’ common seasons are over, groups have commenced with tutorial league exercise in a standard sense, with a choose group of gamers from a number of of their associates understanding and scrimmaging at their spring coaching complexes. Whereas “Bridge League” (the unofficial interval of scrimmage exercise that happens after the late-July conclusion of the Complicated Degree schedule) continuously consists of some newly drafted gamers, a lot of the rosters are made up of the blokes who’ve been on the advanced all 12 months. However as soon as “instructs” start, the expertise and high quality of play of those video games ascends to a distinct degree as groups take a look at their most attention-grabbing younger gamers or get an intimate have a look at prospects who could be up for a 40-man roster spot in the course of the winter. The snowbirds haven’t returned in full as a result of the climate right here in Arizona continues to be fairly gross, so driving throughout the metro is less complicated now than it will likely be in a couple of weeks (and through subsequent 12 months’s spring coaching). For that motive, I made a decision to focus my early seems to be on groups primarily based within the western half of the Phoenix metro, farther from the home.
I returned from a go to dwelling to Pennsylvania late Wednesday evening and determined to go to a late-morning Brewers intrasquad recreation on Thursday after I discovered that their second-round decide, lefty J.D. Thompson out of Vanderbilt, can be one of many starters. Whereas most groups right here in Arizona are taking part in a schedule that features video games towards different golf equipment, the Brewers instructs schedule consists fully of intrasquads (although this can be topic to vary). Thompson threw only one inning and seemed the identical as he did pre-draft, principally sitting 93-94 with whiff-inducing carry and plus breaking stuff. He’s hitting 93-94 mph for a lot of the following video, the curveballs 78-80 mph. Thompson additionally threw some dangerous changeups, so the Brewers haven’t made any magical headway in that regard simply but. I’ve juiced Thompson’s projected curveball grade a bit primarily based on this look, however his general grade (45 FV, which was a little bit bit heavier than his draft place and bonus) stays the identical.
Milwaukee 2025 undrafted free agent Jarrette Bonet sat 94-95 along with his sinker and flashed a heavy upper-80s splitter able to getting groundballs. The 230-pound, 20-year-old righty was a two-way highschool prospect in Puerto Rico, pitched on their 2023 U-18 World Cup workforce, spent two seasons at San Jacinto, after which pitched for Trenton within the 2025 MLB Draft League. Bonet (pronounced, a workforce supply instructed me, like “Lisa Bonet”) was principally a sinker/slider man as an newbie, so this break up is a brand new offspeed pitch. He’s good lower-level aid prospect, the type who lives towards the underside of a prospect listing, manifested mainly out of skinny air. Kevin Garcia, a bodily 18-year-old Venezuelan catcher with above-average bat velocity however poor contact skill, threw the ball rather well for me and popped an correct sub-two seconds a number of occasions. He’s bodily, swings laborious, and held his personal throughout a cup of espresso in full-season ball towards the top of the 12 months, however strikeouts are most likely going to be a problem right here.
There have been pockets of rain all through the Phoenix metro on Thursday, one in all which clipped the northwest a part of the area and prompted the Royals-Padres recreation (which was to characteristic a number of contemporary Royals draftees) to be pushed a day. I spent Friday and Saturday on the Royals’ place watching these two golf equipment. I caught Nestor Cortes and Xander Bogaerts making rehab appearances.
On the prospect facet of issues, San Diego has rolled out the pink carpet for lots of its extra attention-grabbing arms. Throughout two days at camp, I noticed a number of pitchers who I assumed exceeded the expertise threshold for inclusion on the Padres listing. Probably the most important of those was their 2025 first rounder, monumental lefty Kruz Schoolcraft. Schoolcraft’s velocity has been higher than this in a few his post-draft outings, however on today he was 93-96 (principally 95-96) with a plus-flashing changeup and a below-average 79-80 mph breaking ball. Schoolcraft’s dimension and athleticism are fairly particular and stand other than most large league athletes, not to mention his teenage friends. His pure breaking ball high quality is just not nice (I used to be glad to no less than see him throw a couple of, as a result of after I noticed him earlier than the draft, he threw none), and this can most likely restrict his bat-missing ceiling to a level, however as long as Schoolcraft improves as a strike-thrower he might be a meaningfully good starter due to his sturdiness and inning-eating effectivity. He enters the offseason on the 45/40+ FV line.
Japanese-born righty Bryan Balzer (as much as 98, plus slider) and Miguel Mendez (as much as 100, below-average secondary pitches) are established prospects (you’ll be able to learn extra about them right here) with late-inning aid upside (this was one of the best I’ve seen Balzer), whereas Kleiber Olmedo (a 21-year-old A-ball righty sitting 94-95 with a plus changeup and poor management) and Sean Barnett (a two-way participant sitting 95 with a tough cutter/slider) put themselves within the dialogue for the underside of the Padres prospect listing on subsequent replace. Right here is Balzer’s inning;
The Royals (whose instructs roster is loaded) threw every of their first three pitcher draft picks from 2025: $1.5 million highschool signee Cameron Millar, 71st general decide Justin Lamkin, and 61st general decide Michael Lombardi (whose innings I missed to take a name from an govt). However I assumed their most spectacular arm on today was ninth rounder Shane Van Dam out of North Carolina State. Van Dam had Tommy John surgical procedure in 2024 and wasn’t again till the very finish of the 2025 faculty season, when he threw simply eight innings. This can be a 6-foot-5 righty of prototypical professional pitcher construct, with a stunning arm motion and a plus curveball. Van Dam sat 95-96 throughout this outing. Context is essential: This can be a well-rested particular person airing it out briefly bursts proper now, but when this can be a factor Van Dam can maintain via the primary couple months of the 2026 season, he’s going to be one of many Royals’ higher pitching prospects. He had the look of a 40+ FV pitcher on today, and given how little monitor file he has as a consequence of damage, he’ll enter the offseason on the 40+/40 FV line, which is fairly heavy for a ninth rounder. Here’s a pattern of his outing:
My subsequent dispatch will embrace notes from Rockies and Rangers camp, together with a have a look at a number of of Texas’ current highschool draftees and Ethan Holliday.