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High-A Batting Prospects Off To A Hot Start

Fantasy BaseballDynasty Fantasy BaseballMLB Prospects
Richard Haake
Author: Richard Haake
9 min.read

The High-A season is off and running, and some of the game’s top prospects are getting it done early on. We are back to dive into some of the top-performing batting prospects currently at High-A. These can be top 100 prospects as well as deeper dynasty stashes to claim while you can. With three leagues in High-A, we will dive into three top-performing prospects from each league. Let’s dive into some High-A batting prospects who are off to a hot start to the season.

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South Atlantic League

Esmerlyn Valdez, 1B/OF PIT

(14 GP, .360/.458/.660, 4 HR, 10 R, 16 RBI)

The High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers are firing on all cylinders right now, and one of the key players early on has been Esmerlyn Valdez. The 21-year-old Valdez stands 6’2” and 181 pounds and plays at first base and both corner outfield spots. There is some raw pop in Valdez’s bat as he crushed 22 home runs in Low-A back in 2024. The question is, will the hit tool improve over the course of the long season? Across 107 games played in Low-A, Valdez slashed just .226/.352/.464 with a 30.6% strikeout rate.

This season, however, we are seeing the power come through with the batting average staying solid early on. In 14 games played, Valdez is slashing .360/.458/.660 with four home runs, 10 runs scored, and 16 RBIs while walking 13.6%. The strikeouts remain high for Valdez, currently sitting at 33.9%. If Valdez can maintain a .260-.280 batting average and bring that strikeout rate down to 28%, we could be looking at a solid deep dynasty add early on.

Jacob Reimer, 3B NYM

(14 GP, .345/.410/.655, 2 HR, 13 R, 12 RBI, 1 SB)

The Mets’ player development made major strides in 2024 on the pitching side, but so far this season, we have seen some major strides from the batters in the lower Minor Leagues. Jacob Reimer stands 6’0” and 205 pounds and was drafted by the Mets in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of High School. Since 2023, Reimer has played primarily in Low-A, putting together solid results, but injuries in 2024 limited his playing time to just 25 games. Now healthy, are we starting to see Reimer shine in his early at-bats in High-A Brooklyn?

Across 14 games played, Reimer is slashing .345/.410/.655 with two home runs, 13 runs scored, 12 RBIs, and one stolen base across 61 plate appearances. Reimer has displayed high walk rates and low strikeout rates up to this point in his Minor League career. This season, he is walking a career low 9.8% and striking out a career high 24.6%. This could just be the beginning for Jacob Reime,r as I expect the walk rate to come back to his 13% career norm as well as maintain a strikeout percentage of 18%. If he can do this over the course of the season, do not be surprised if Reimer gets the bump to Double-A but rises up dynasty rankings.

Chris Suero, C/1B NYM

(13 GP, .283/.389/.739, 5 HR, 12 R, 16 RBI, 4 SB)

Catching prospects in the lower Minor Leagues can sometimes fly under the radar, but for Chris Suero, we might want to pay more attention. Suero stands 5’11” and 205 pounds at just 21 years old and has been splitting his time between catcher and first base at High-A in 2025. Prior to this season, the power was below average in his time at Low-A and High-A in 2024. Across 112 games played, Suero slashed just .236/.361/.369 with nine home runs, 60 runs and RBIs, while swiping 20 bases in 31 attempts. Plate discipline is something Suero has consistently excelled at as he walked 13.6% while striking out 22.1% across 457 plate appearances in 2024.

This season, Suero has gotten off to a hot start, slashing .283/.389/.739 with five home runs, 12 runs scored, 16 RBIs, and four stolen bases across 13 games played. The walk percentage remains strong at 11.1% while the strikeout percentage took a jump to 33.3%, though I would expect this to level out closer to the low 20s, where his career norm has been. Displaying potential above average pop early on in a harder environment to hit home runs in Brooklyn has intrigued Suero going forward, so keep him on your dynasty watch list going forward.

Midwest League

Zyhir Hope, OF LAD

(15 GP, .339/.426/.661, 4 HR, 11 R, 19 RBI, 4 SB)

Off to a hot start to the season has been Zyhir Hope, who continues to not only skyrocket up the Dodgers organization but up dynasty rankings as well. Standing 5’10” and 193 pounds, Hope bats from the left side of the plate. Across two levels in 2024, Hope slashed .290/.419/.484 with nine home runs, 46 runs scored, 36 RBIs, and nine stolen bases in 11 attempts through 61 games played. Hope displayed excellent plate discipline, walking 15.1% while striking out just 22.8% of his 272 total plate appearances.

This season, Hope debuted at High-A and has hit the ground running. In 15 games played, Hope is slashing .339/.426/.661 with four home runs, 11 runs scored, 19 RBIs, and four stolen bases. The walk percentage is 13% while the strikeout percentage is currently at 24.6% in 69 plate appearances. We are starting to see the extra base pop come through as Hope has 20 hits thus far in 2025, with half of them being for extra bases. It won’t be a surprise if the Dodgers decide to promote Hope prior to the All-Star break if this level of production continues.

Jose Devers, 3B/SS CLE

(14 GP, .281/.369/.667, 5 HR, 10 R, 12 RBI, 4 SB)

Cleveland has a knack for developing under-the-radar prospects who make a difference for the Major League club, and early on, the bounce-back results for Jose Devers have been encouraging. The 21-year-old Jose Devers stands 6’0” and 140 pounds, batting from the right side of the plate, and plays shortstop and third base. In 2024, Devers played exclusively at High-A, where the results were not great. Across 102 games played, Devers slashed .216/.289/.320 with seven home runs, 55 runs scored, 37 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts. The one solid takeaway was the 8.7% walk percentage and the 25.1% strikeout percentage despite Devers’ struggles.

This season, the Guardians sent Devers back to repeat High-A, and thus far, he has dominated. Currently leading the league in home runs, Devers is slashing .281/..369/.667 with five home runs, 10 runs scored, 12 RBIs, and four stolen bases across 14 games played. Of Devers’ 16 total hits, 12 of them have come via extra base hits, a far cry from the 26 we saw in 2024 in 83 total hits. The walk percentage is up early on at 9.2% while the strikeouts are up to 30.8%. If Devers can maintain this success and lower the strikeouts, we could see a promotion to Double-A.

Jadher Areinamo, 2B/3B MIL

(15 GP, .293/.344/.534, 2 HR, 7 R, 9 RBI)

Milwaukee’s player development continues to impress year over year, and so far Jadher Areinamo has stood out early in High-A. Standing 5’8”, Areinamo might be slightly undersized for a third base prospect long term, but he has been effective not only this season but since he was signed back in 2021 out of Venezuela. The 21-year-old Areinamo played 110 games in High-A in 2024 and slashed .301/.349/.442 with 10 home runs, 63 runs, 68 RBIs, and stole 32 bases in 40 attempts. Across his 467 plate appearances, Areinamo walked 7.1% while striking out just 11.1% of the time.

This success in 2024 has carried over to his play this season as Areinamo is currently slashing .293/.344/.534 with two home runs, seven runs scored, and nine RBIs thus far. Even down to the walk percentage at 7.8% and strikeout percentage at 12.5% fall in line with his performance last season. If Areinamo continues to perform at this level of play, a promotion to Double-A might not be so far away.

Northwest League

Ryan Waldschmidt, OF ARI

(14 GP, .327/.469/.531, 3 HR, 13 R, 11 RBI, 1 SB)

The Diamondbacks’ 31st overall pick in 2024 out of Kentucky is already proving to be a value. Ryan Waldschmidt stands 6’2” and 205 pounds, batting from the right side of the plate, and has displayed in his 28 professional games potential plus pop and speed paired with excellent plate discipline. After being drafted in 2024, Waldschmidt debuted at Low-A, where he played in 14 games, slashing .273/.485/.318 with 11 runs scored, seven RBIs, and stole four bases. Across 66 plate appearances, Waldschmidt showed off his plate discipline, walking 22.7% while striking out just 13.6%.

This season, Waldschmidt started the season off in High-A, where he has continued his dominance. Across 14 games played, Waldschmidt is slashing .327/.469/.531 with three home runs, 13 runs scored, 11 RBIs, and one stolen base. The plate discipline has still been superb as he is walking 17.2% while striking out just 21.9% across 64 plate appearances thus far. Most of Waldschmidt’s hits have come as singles early on, with just four of his 16 hits being for extra bases. As an advanced college bat, Waldschmidt should move quickly through the lower level of the Minor Leagues and start to see better pitching at Double-A, a level he should see sooner rather than later.

Victor Arias, OF TOR

(13 GP, .283/.397/.434, 1 HR, 8 R, 7 RBI, 5 SB)

Signed out of Venezuela back in 2019, Victor Arias has largely flown under the radar up until the 2024 season. Arias stands 5’8” and 150 pounds, batting from the left side of the plate and primarily plays centerfield in the Minor Leagues. Across 87 combined games played in 2024, Arias slashed .283/.390/.443 with eight home runs, 58 runs scored, 44 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases in 28 attempts. When it came to plate discipline, Arias was solid, walking 11.3% while striking out 20.7% across 372 plate appearances.

This season, the Blue Jays sent Arias back to High-A to start the season, with the results thus far looking promising. Across 13 games played, Arias is slashing .283/.397/.434 with one home run, eight runs scored, seven RBIs, and five stolen bases in six attempts. The extra base pop we saw in 2024 has translated so far this season for Arias, has six of his 15 total hits thus far have been for extra bases. While the walks have remained solid at 14.3% and the strikeout rate at a comfortable 23.8% across 63 plate appearances. This profile might be more of a defensive player than a dynasty standout, but if Arias can maintain a solid batting average and OBP numbers paired with solid stolen base production, then this could be a great deep dynasty league stash.

Cristofer Torin, SS/2B ARI

(14 GP, .327/.478/.385, 13 R, 7 RBI, 2 SB)

Standing out in his first taste of High-A action has been Cristofer Torin. Signed out of Venezuela back in 2022 by the Diamondbacks, the 19-year-old Torin stands 5’10” and 155 pounds, batting from the right side of the plate. In 2024, Torin played the entire season in Low-A as he appeared in 108 games, slashing .255/.381/.344 with four home runs, 78 runs scored, 50 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in 17 attempts. Across his 512 plate appearances, Torin walked 15.8% while striking out just 16.4% of the time. Despite low home run totals, Torin was effective in racking up extra base hits, finishing with 26.

This season, Torin has played in 14 games, slashing .327/.478/.385 with 13 runs scored, seven RBIs, and two stolen bases. The plate discipline has still remained strong as Torin has walked 19.4% while striking out just 14.9% of his 67 plate appearances thus far. With Torin turning 20 next month, you would expect him to get a full season at High-A, as he continues to mature and potentially fill out a bit more, potentially opening the door to average power long term.

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