Our data-driven look into all the full-season Minor League circuits continues, as we move to High-A. The eight-team Northwest League saw a lot of marquee prospects walk through western Canada and the northwest United States. And, many of those players stood out statistically.
The traditional numbers
Just like in our recaps of the Florida State and Carolina Leagues, we’ll take a look at the traditional, non-sabermetric numbers from the Northwest League this past season.
Thirty players in the Northwest League during the 2025 campaign had a double-digit home run season, with Luis Suisbel (23) and Charlie Pagliarini (21) of the Mariners among the league leaders. Giants prospect Charlie Szykowny was tied with Pagliarini for the second-most home runs in the circuit.
Szykowny and outfielder Jonah Cox, also with the Giants’ organization, led the league in hits (135). Cox had a solid season, as the 24-year-old in his second year at High-A led the league in stolen bases (58), and was the only player to have at least 10+ doubles, 10+ triples, and 10+ home runs in the Northwest League.
Blue Jays hitting prospect Sean Keys had the most walks (86) in the Northwest League, while Angels outfielder Randy De Jesus beat out former first-rounder Tai Peete for the most strikeouts (164) among hitters.
As for the pitchers, only eight from the Northwest League qualified for opponents’ batting average. Giants pitching prospect Josh Bostick, an eighth-round pick of the organization in 2023, had the best with a .218 opponents’ average. Angels pitching prospect Chris Cortez finished behind him at .224.
Cortez held another honor, albeit not a great one. Even though he finished in the top 10 in terms of strikeouts, he walked 84 over 113.2 IP. Those 84 walks were the most in the High-A level.
Whiff rates
Let’s move on to other metrics. We’ll start with pitcher whiff rates:
| Pitcher | MLB Team | Whiff% |
|---|---|---|
| Julio Ortiz | Blue Jays | 41.6% |
| Javen Coleman | Blue Jays | 41.1% |
| Juaron Watts-Brown | Blue Jays | 40.5% |
| Gage Stanifer | Blue Jays | 38.0% |
| Daniel Eagen | Diamondbacks | 37.7% |
| Chay Yeager | Blue Jays | 37.6% |
| Sam Knowlton | Diamondbacks | 36.7% |
| Liam Norris | Diamondbacks | 35.9% |
| Charlie Beilenson | Mariners | 35.6% |
| Leonard Garcia | Angels | 34.1% |
Blue Jays pitchers finished one through five in Whiff% in the Northwest League. However, one is no longer in the organization. Juaraon Watts-Brown, promoted to Double-A midseason, was flipped to the Orioles as part of the Seranthony Dominguez trade.
Coleman, like now-former Blue Jays prospect Johan Simon, was another one of these under-the-radar relievers to have a breakthrough season in the Minors. The 24-year-old lefty, a 2024 UDFA after he didn’t sign out of LSU with the Dodgers as a 16th-round pick in 2023, struck out 85 batters over 54 innings between Low-A and High-A.
He showcased a hard two-seamer that ratched it up to the upper-90s in Low-A, along with a four-seamer, slider, and changeup.
Gage Stanifer is another name to watch. He pitched masterfully in seven Low-A outings this past season, and then struck out 115 over 76 innings with Vancouver.
Aside from the block of Blue Jays, other notable prospects like Daniel Eagen and Charlie Beilenson were in the top 10. McCade Brown, who shot up from High-A to the Majors in 2025, finished just outside at #12 (33.6%).
And as always, it’s smart to put the healthy disclaimer that while these numbers help give better context on pitching prospects, it’s not the only thing that matters.
For example, Liam Norris is on this list. Norris was a third-round pick by the D-Backs back in 2020 and was released in July. The 22-year-old walked 50 batters over 27 innings.
Now, let’s flip this around and look at the most egregious swing-and-miss hitters:
| Player | MLB Team | Whiff% |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Ramirez | Angels | 55.5% |
| Adrian Placencia | Angels | 40.8% |
| Jackson Feltner | Diamondbacks | 40.2% |
| Randy De Jesus | Angels | 39.2% |
| Jonny Farmelo | Mariners | 36.6% |
The bottom-five of the league are highlighted here. And as expected, strikeout leader Randy De Jesus is on this list. But looking further down at the 85 hitters — there are only eight teams in the Northwest League, hence why it’s short — who qualified, there are a lot of notable names who had big problems.
Jonny Farmelo finished with a 36.6% Whiff% in 29 games with Everett. He was limited due to injury and didn’t play much. However, it was the second-straight season that Farmelo averaged over a strikeout per game.
His teammate, Lazaro Montes, had a 34.6% Whiff%. Montes has prodigious power, shown in full force as he blasted 18 home runs with the AquaSox before he was moved to Double-A. Those strikeout concerns, though, will not go away.
As for the most consistent contact hitters in the Northwest League, Diamondbacks infielder Demetrio Crisantes (1st, 13.8%) and Mariners prospect Colt Emerson (9th, 18.8%) were among the best.
Hard-hit machines
Next up, let’s take a look at the best hard-hit hitters in the Northwest League:
| Player | MLB Team | Modified Hard-Hit% |
|---|---|---|
| Jared Thomas | Rockies | 11.3% |
| Je’Von Ward | Blue Jays | 11.3% |
| James Tibbs III | Dodgers | 10.3% |
| Blake Wright | Rockies | 10.1% |
| Michael Arroyo | Mariners | 9.0% |
| Lazaro Montes | Mariners | 8.9% |
| Braylen Wimmer | Rockies | 8.9% |
| Aidan Longwell | Rockies | 8.8% |
| Andy Perez | Rockies | 8.3% |
| Ben Gobbel | Angels | 8.2% |
I noted in our Carolina League numbers recap that these numbers will look off & feel subjective. Please check out that recap for more context.
While these numbers are not as helpful as the launch angle and exit velocity figures available at the MLB and Triple-A levels, these numbers do enhance what can be derived from looking at more traditional numbers.
Jared Thomas, a 2024 second-round pick, had a great year with Spokane. Thomas slashed .330/.427/.495 with 11 home runs and 25 extra-base hits this season.
And, as expected, players like Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo, who finished in the top-12 of the league in home runs despite playing at the level for two months, are here, as well.
One player that should also be highlighted is Bo Davidson. Davidson (7.6%), a UDFA who has quickly risen through the system, as he slashed .309/.412/.507 with Eugene this past season.
Flipping the script
Rockies pitching prospect Hunter Mann (15.5%) had the worst modified Hard-Hit% among pitchers who saw at least 100 balls put in play this season.
Other notables included fellow Rockies pitching prospects Josh Grosz (11.9%) and Michael Prosecky (11.7%).
Although Prosecky gave up 10 home runs over 88.2 IP, he struck out 93 and finished in the top half of the circuit in Whiff% (28.7%). Grosz, acquired with Griffin Herring for Ryan McMahon this past July, was hit hard in the Northwest League. He surrendered nine home runs over 38.1 IP with Spokane.
Please keep in mind that these metrics are more subjective than traditional hard-hit metrics. A good example of that is Shaddon Peavyhouse, who surrendered 10 home runs in 54 innings. Believe it or not, he had the best hard-hit rate (.6%) in the circuit.
Ground-ball menaces
Lastly, here’s a look at the best ground-ball pitchers in the Northwest League:
| Player | MLB Team | GB% |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Cortez | Angels | 62.3% |
| Ben Hernandez | Mariners | 58.7% |
| Sam Knowlton | Diamondbacks | 57.0% |
| Shaddon Peavyhouse | Mariners | 54.4% |
| Austin Strickland | Giants | 53.2% |
| Bryson Hammer | Rockies | 52.4% |
| Nico Tellache | Mariners | 52.0% |
| John West | Diamondbacks | 51.6% |
| Ryan Johnson | Angels | 51.4% |
| Grant Rogers | Blue Jays | 51.4% |
Ryan Johnson started the year as a Major League reliever. But after he was sent down to the Minors, he stretched out to work as a starter, much like he was with Dallas Baptist in college.
Check out more of our Minor League coverage.