Our fifth July 2026 farm report focuses on the NL East clubs. It’s been a good year for some farm systems, and an even better one for particular prospects within the division. Here’s what prospects amongst the five teams have been up to.
Braves
A big month for Cam Caminiti, who pitched in the 2026 Futures Game and dominated in High-A outside of that contest in Philly.
Caminiti, normally known for his propensity to get groundballs, was one of the top 10 swing-and-miss pitchers in the South Atlantic League over the last month (see below). It’s made up for what has been a weird season for Caminiti, who has good stuff and can pound the zone when on point. But at the same time, the walks have ticked up. His 4.4 BB/9 is almost one full point ahead of where he was in 2025 (3.6).
Also, in Rome, Tate Southisene continued to impress, as Southisene picked up 23 hits and 15 walks across his last 21 games. Compared to his first few weeks in Rome, the 2025 first-rounder became more aggressive at the plate. That’s not a shock, as one expects that to happen over time. The good news is that the results have been there, as he also picked up four home runs.
Alex Lodise, one of Atlanta’s top draft picks from 2025, also had a very nice run in Low-A Augusta. Fourteen extra-base hits (seven home runs) over his last 22 contests with the Greenjackets, along with one of the highest Pull FB% in the circuit. Lodise currently has 19 home runs on the season.
One last note before moving on: take a look at all the swing-and-miss from the Double-A Columbus squad. The list includes a familiar name, Herick Hernandez, plus Brett Sears. Sears rose fast last season, as he moved to Double-A in May 2025 after two months in A-ball. Sears struck out 39 over 28.1 IP over the last month, most and one ahead of Cedric De Grandpe.
Marlins
We’ll start with the hitters. Kemp Alderman had a nice month, as he picked up 20 hits over his last 18 contests, four of which were home runs. Alderman, as we noted last year, is an aggressive hitter by nature. But the power is hard to deny; he’s up to 14 home runs over 64 contests this season with Jacksonville.
Down in Double-A, two 2025 MLB Draft picks ripped it up in Pensacola. Brandon Compton, a second-round pick from Arizona State in 2025, hit eight home runs over his last 15 contests, good for second in the Southern League over the last month. Cam Cannarella hit seven for the Blue Wahoos.
The two, in a sense, couldn’t be more different. Cannarella is more reserved at the plate and makes consistent contact. Compton is more aggressive and whiffs a lot. But nonetheless, the two have taken major steps forward, proving to hit pro pitching.
Dillon Head, a former first-round pick acquired in a trade with the Padres in 2024, put together a fine month. Head picked up 27 hits and stole 10 bases with High-A Beloit. And not considered a power hitter, he picked up two home runs and 11 extra-base hits over 19 games.
Starlyn Caba, acquired from the Phillies after the 2024 campaign, slashed .227/.388/.303 with 17 walks over 18 games. The 20-year-old, who will make pitchers work, currently has a .399 on-base percentage.
Miami also had the top-two walks leaders in the Florida State League over the last month: Luis Cova (22) and Andres Valor (21).
Mets
In a year where the Mets haven’t seen desired results from the big-league roster, it’s also been a tough one for the Minor League system.
Jonah Tong has shown to be far more vulnerable, as he conceded 15 home runs over his first 71 innings with Triple-A Syracuse. Ryan Clifford slashed .188/.280/.378 this season with the Syracuse Mets, part of a year where he’s been in proverbial no man’s land with respect to swing decisions. But over the last month, things have improved, as more takes resulted in balls, not strikes.
Who has had a great year in 2026 is Jonathan Santucci, who over the last month had the highest swing-and-miss rate in the Eastern League. Santucci slid to the second round in 2024, something that’s worked out well for the Mets. Fastball up to 95 MPH and a very good slider are among the weapons in the left-hander’s arsenal.
It’s also been a nice ride for Elian Pena, the 18-year-old who continues to produce. Pena has four home runs but it doesn’t do him justice. He’s shown pull-side pop and made mature swing decisions in Low-A.
Pena is still quite a ways away from Queens. But there is a shiny position player to dream on for the Mets.
Nationals
By and large, we try to stick with the positives here. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to do that, particularly with high-end prospects who hit skids. And one of those is Devin Fitz-Gerald.
The young infielder, acquired this past winter, ripped through High-A Wilmington before a midseason promotion to Harrisburg. But in the Eastern League, it’s been a struggle. Fitz-Gerald slashed .235/.303/.284 over his last 20 games with the Senators.
Fitz-Gerald was, in A-ball, one of the most disciplined hitters one could find in the Minors. But things have changed for him since he moved to Harrisburg. Over the last month, his Take% was just a tick above 42%. He’s gotten out of what works — and more into that gray area.
As for some of the positives, Gavin Fien, also acquired in that same deal, had 21 hits over the last month with Low-A Fredericksburg. Up in High-A, Yoel Tejada is making a strong impression. One hundred total strikeouts over 84.1 IP and one of the best swing-and-miss rates in the South Atlantic League (please see below) over the last month.
Phillies
Normally, we don’t touch graduated prospects for these farm reviews. But there’s always room for exceptions, and Andrew Painter is a good one.
Painter had a very difficult season before his demotion to Triple-A, and one of the most standout stats was the fact that opposing batters hit over .400 off the four-seam. So, what has Painter been doing since his return to Lehigh Valley? Working on that four-seam — a lot.
It has been getting hit, but that is to be expected, at least more than some of his other stuff. Why? Well, it needs to be thrown for strikes, and hitters love to sit fastball. Thus far, though, Painter has fallen behind in counts, as he walked eight over 17.2 IP.
Moving to other pitchers in the system, the Phillies are going to have to make some difficult decisions over the coming weeks. More specifically, how far is the club willing to push the chips in? Last year, the Phillies traded away good talent. Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait were moved to Minnesota for Jhoan Duran, and that trade’s worked out well. But on the same token, how far will the club go to improve?
One would think that Gage Wood is close to untouchable. Wood is coming off a fantastic month, one where he struck out 23 over his last 15.2 IP. Early on in the season, the former Razorback proved that his arsenal extends beyond that power fastball/slider combo that got him drafted in the first round.
But what about Ramon Marquez, who has seen his start rise significantly over the last four months? With numbers like these below, it’s going to be hard to part with a piece like Marquez.
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