Our last July 2026 farm report focuses on the five teams in the AL East. It was a big month for several hurlers across all five organizations, as well as a dominant month for the newly-promoted Franklin Arias in Double-A.
Blue Jays
Aside from the precipitous rise of Nolan Perry, Gage Stanifer and Johnny King have kept their prospect stocks high.
Stanifer (see below) had a swing-and-miss rate above 38% in the four weeks after the conclusion of the first half, part of a month where he punched out 32 over 20 innings. He did walk a good amount of batters. But that doesn’t diminish the stock too much.
As for King, he was the metaphorical king of swing-and-miss in the Northwest League. Like Stanifer, he was prone to walks. But with 24 strikeouts over the last 18 innings, he’s put up good numbers, too.
Another name to watch in the Blue Jays’ system is down in Low-A: Carson Messina. Messina was one of the best in the FSL in terms of blowing away hitters with the four-seamer. His four-seamer ranges from 91-96 MPH, not the highest compared to some of the other high-end starters in the Minors. But if there’s one thing to know, it’s that velocity can surprise when used correctly.
Orioles
Some updates on the pitchers in the Orioles’ system.
Joseph Dzierwa, a second-rounder out of Michigan State, has continued to keep moving now in Double-A. The left-hander, through 10 outings (eight starts) with Chesapeake, struck out 58 over 49.2 IP, and opposing batters hit just .196 off Dzierwa. And for the 6’8” lefty, who throws from a lower arm slot, generated a lot of late swings on his fastball. It’s also important to note that Dzierwa (29.4% CSW% from 6/22-7/20) gets a lot of called strikes, too.
Also, in Double-A, two other pitchers who’ve been electric in a different way are Luis De Leon and Juaron Watts-Brown. Since the start of July, De Leon struck out 19 and allowed only one earned run over 18 IP. Watts-Brown, meanwhile, missed a ton of bats early on in the season — but the overall results weren’t there. But over the last month, the righty (3.05 ERA over 20.2 IP) now has those nice peripherals.
As for the hitters, Ike Irish (.380/.433/.696 over last 17 games) bulldozed through High-A pitching over the last month. Unfortunately, he’s now on the IL, meaning the push towards a promotion will have to wait for now.
Wehiwa Aloy, playing alongside Irish in High-A Frederick, led the South Atlantic League over the last month (32) in hits. There’s been more swing-and-miss from Aloy this year, at least compared to Irish. But for a power-hitting infielder, that is to be somewhat expected.
RJ Austin (.933 OPS) had a nice month with Frederick, too, with 21 hits over the last month.
Rays
The Rays have built a nice cache of infield prospects, a group that became larger after the 2026 MLB Draft. But while Daniel Pierce, the Rays’ 2025 first-rounder, had his value stagnate in the interim thanks to injury, second-rounder Cooper Flemming has raised his value.
Flemming’s been highly productive, between his patience at the plate and the pop that he’s shown in Low-A Charleston. Through 83 total games with the Riverdogs, Flemming slashed .288/.383/.446 with eight home runs and 31 extra-base hits. Over the last month, he walked 15 times over 20 contests.
Moving on, the Rays picked up Jackson Baumeister in a trade with the Orioles. Baumeister, an interesting prospect from Florida State, has gone through it since then. But in Double-A over the last month, the 24-year-old struck out 30 over 21.1 IP, including one of the best swing-and-miss rates in the Southern League.
While the Rays have so much infield depth, including Futures Game MVP, C/1B Nathan Flewelling, Tampa Bay’s crop of upcoming pitchers is just as deep. Between Baumeister, Michael Forret, and Brody Hopkins — who could wind up in the bullpen — the depth in the upper Minors is sharp right now.
Red Sox
A very nice past month for the top-end Red Sox prospects.
Franklin Arias slashed .298/.425/.614 with five home runs and eight extra-base hits over his last 16 contests in Double-A. Arias was officially promoted to Triple-A Worcester on July 24, ending a massive year in the Eastern League. After 19 home runs and 37 extra-base hits with Portland, Arias has one more hill to climb.
Anthony Eyanson, had he qualified for the above list, would have been the top Whiff% pitcher in the Eastern League (43.3%) in what was another fantastic run for the righty. However, John Holobetz, acquired last year from the Brewers, did crack that list. Holobetz struck out 32 over 23.1 IP for the Sea Dogs, tag-teamming with Blake Wehunt for Portland.
Wehunt didn’t miss as many bats (26.1% Whiff%) but he struck out 23 and only allowed eight hits over 16.2 IP.
The Sea Dogs added some new pieces, as both Jack Winnay and Mason White, two players from the 2025 class, were moved there over the last month. Winnay slashed .321/.396/.494 over his last 22 games.
Yoelin Cespedes had one of the stranger months in the Minors. Six home runs and not a ton of swing-and-miss. However, things didn’t break out as well for him in Greenville aside from the homers, as he batted just .130 over the last month.
Enddy Azocar had a similar month, with six home runs and a sub-.200 average. However, unlike Cespedes, there was a clear reason for the subpar .690 OPS with the Drive over the last month.
Also in Greenville, Dylan Brown and Jojo Ingrassia had great metrics from the month.
Down in Low-A, Franklin Primera had five extra-base hits over his first 14 contests with Salem. Lots of groundballs but productive.
One last note: watch for 18-year-old Louis Andujar. Andujar quickly jumped to Low-A after he hit .404 across 15 contests with the FCL Red Sox. His swing-and-miss rate (35%) since the move to Salem has been high. However, Andujar’s shown pop, as the infielder had 13 extra-base hits (four home runs) over his first 37 contests with the Ridgeyaks. And pull-side power.
Over the last month, Andujar slashed .328/.395/.642 (1.037 OPS) with Salem.
Yankees
With the 2026 Trade Deadline around the corner, the Yankees will have to decide which pieces to be fine with dealing, and those who are untouchable unless the right player becomes available.
One of those players is Henry Lalane, promoted to High-A recently. Lalane struck out 12 batters in nine innings across his first two outings with the Renegades. Tons of upside for the 22-year-old, who had his development slowed by injuries.
Another one of those pitchers to watch is Xavier Rivas. Twenty-seven strikeouts over his last 19 innings with Somerset, which gave him 101 over 69 innings this season. A pitcher who can spot and get swing-and-miss, Rivas is one of the Yankees’ 2026 farm system breakout stars.
Lastly, Roderick Arias has begun to resuscitate his prospect stock — at least somewhat. Arias, across the last month, slashed .359/.453/.654 with five home runs and 12 extra-base hits over the last month for High-A Hudson Valley. The swing-and-miss is still very much high but not at the scary levels seen in the FSL.
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