Minor League Pitcher and Hitter of the Week: July 8-21
The top pitching prospect in all of baseball headlines the Player of the Week honors, while a Yankees farmhand also made some noise.
We have surpassed the halfway point of the season. With one of the past two weeks being condensed because of the All-Star break, I decided that we would combine the two weeks.
We are starting to hear far more rumblings around trades, and potential packages, for teams looking to make the push towards the postseason. With that comes the mentioning of prospects throughout the Minor Leagues. As we continue to progress more toward the trade deadline, big-time performances are going to be far more prevalent for contenders’ prospects and how they may determine their fits going forward.
All deadline talk aside, it has been a ton of fun to see the emergence of new names littered throughout Minor League Baseball. With how 2024 has gone so far, I have no doubts we will continue to see new top performers every week going forward.
For more information on the Top Prospects that find themselves on Just Baseball’s Top 100, you can find that list here.
Pitcher of the Week: Jackson Jobe (RHP) – Detroit Tigers (Double-A Erie SeaWolves)
Weekly Stats: 2 GS, 11.0 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, 13 K
Season Stats: 11 GS, 41.2 IP, 18 BB, 53 K, 1.67 ERA
I have tried to make it a point to highlight top performers each week that are outside of the consensus top prospect lists across the industry, but what Jackson Jobe has done recently is just absurd.
Arguably the top pitching prospect in all of baseball right now, Jackson Jobe has a bit of a hiccup this year when he went on the injured list with a hamstring issue. Since his return, Jobe was able to pick right back up where he left off, including a dominant start on Saturday.
Jackson Jobe was a big reason the SeaWolves pitched a combined no-hitter, accounting for six of the nine. As the kids say, he was in his bag.
It has not just been this recent stretch for Jobe. He has done nothing but solidify himself as the top pitching prospect in baseball and has proven that he is ready for the next level.
Hitter of the Week: Engelth Urena (C) – New York Yankees (Yankees Complex League)
Weekly Stats: .472/.587/1.587, 5 HR, 15 RBI, .528 ISO, 291 wRC+
Season Stats: .315/.429/.591, 8 HR, 32 RBI
Engelth Urena is not a name that many have heard of prior to this article. The 19-year-old is currently down in the Florida Complex League and, as of recently, has really turned his season around.
After missing all of the 2023 season and in his first season playing stateside after debuting for the Yankees in the Dominican Summer League after signing during the International Signing Period in 2022, Urena’s approach at the plate needs to be appreciated. Not only does he have a sub-12% K%, his BB% sits at 14.9% and it is not impacting his overall approach at all.
Urena is finding success with his ability to hit the ball in the air, as proven by his 51.5% FB% and the 15.7% HR/FB rate. As you can see from the video in the tweet above, Ureña has quick hands that allow for him to adjust to speed coming in anywhere in the zone, and drive the ball hard to all fields.
While the impact might still be a ways away, I would not be surprised if it is for another team should the Yankees decided to capitalize on the young hitters potential and include him in a trade this deadline.
Honorable Mentions:
Pitcher: Braeden Fausnaught (LHP) – Philadelphia Phillies (High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws)
Weekly Stats: 2 GS, 15.1 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 11 K
Pitcher: Po-Yu Chen (RHP) – Pittsburgh Pirates (Double-A Altoona Curve)
Weekly Stats: 2 GS, 13.0 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 13 K
Hitter: Sean McLain (2B) – Los Angeles Dodgers (Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes):
Weekly Stats: .471/.538/1.421, 3 HR, 11 RBI, .412 ISO, 265 wRC+
Hitter: Franklin Arias (SS) – Boston Red Sox (Red Sox Complex League):
Weekly Stats: .538/.625/1.522, 3 HR, 15 RBI, .359 ISO, 289 wRC+
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