Jac Caglianone has been called up! And with that sentence, I will have officially covered him as a minor leaguer for the last time. As of June 1st, he will be a major leaguer in the minors at most. This week was a flash week for some prospects who have struggled to start the season. In Omaha and Springdale, some bats who have had their lows started or continued hot streaks.
Quad Cities struggled to hit against the bottom of the division, South Bend Cubs, with only three players hitting for extra bases. In the lower of the two As, a young prospect put together another phenomenal week to continue a great start. The Fireflies hit considerably well this week, but no one touched our weekly standout.
Relief pitchers continue to carry the farm system for another week. Starters have been inconsistent, but just about every week, there has been a standout reliever who’s taken matters into their own hands. Just one starter managed to impress enough this week to crack out honors.
Omaha Storm Chasers
Record: 23-32
Hitter of the Week – MJ Melendez: 23 AB, .304/.360/.739, 1 2B, 3 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 5 RBI
Melendez spent just over a month trying to be a good major leaguer. After being sent down to AAA, he found it difficult to solve some of his underlying issues. After 34 games, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. This week saw MJ carry the Omaha squad in two different games as the player of the game. His combination of average and power is highlighted for the first time in potentially years. The production we saw in seemingly only the seventh inning last season was on full display.
There’s a lot of trust to be rebuilt before Melendez jumps back to the bigs. He’s still pulling the ball far too much (54%), but he’s watching 6% fewer strikes than he was in the MLB (17.7% → 11.8%). Melendez has also added a 10.2% jump to his contact on pitches in the zone (Z-Contact% of 83.2% at AAA). The road back will be longer, but the warning signs of improvement are present.
Pitcher of the Week – Eric Carentola: 2 G, 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 1.00 WHIP
Carentola was a shock to a lot of writers when he was selected for the 40-man roster and protected from the Rule 5 Draft. This week, we saw a big reason why. Strikeout lethality when he avoids bats. He racked up 101 strikeouts over just 72.2 innings pitched in 2024. He’s cut back on the walks that hindered his value in seasons past. Opponents’ contact rates, however, have gone up. Week eight saw him avoid bats while continuing to refuse free passes. He was elite for the first time all year and hopefully continues this hot streak.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Record: 26-25
Hitter of the Week – Carter Jensen: 25 AB, .480/.480/.760, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 K, 3 RBI
Jensen started the season well, hit a dry spell, and has now turned a corner yet again. This week saw a pure contact approach from Jensen, who has a well-noted on-base tool. Showcased here, the power is always present and given a spotlight when he can make consistent contact. I’ve stated often that his jump to the next level is reliant on his ability to improve his hit tool. Jensen has batted above .400 for two straight weeks now… Perhaps I should reiterate in every article I write about Jensen, as I have for the last two weeks.
Pitcher of the Week – Shane Panzini: 1 G, 3.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 0.82 WHIP
Panzini, now in his fourth season with the organization, hasn’t quite found his role as a pitcher. A starter for the first two seasons, he split his role last year and has continued to mix and match outings this season. This week, he puts together a lengthy bullpen appearance that resembles a great start. It was his first action at AA, but it showed the squad he had arrived. The walks need to be reduced but opponents find it hard to make contact against him. The starter role may not be his at the next level but lengthy outings like this show the ability is present.
Quad Cities River Bandits
Record: 32-19
Hitter of the Week – Sam Kulasingam: 19 AB, .316/.350/.368, 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 RBI
It was a really slow week for this offense, and honestly, Erick Torres should be this guy. Kulasingam gives us the chance to spotlight a less frequently discussed prospect. The third base prospect is out of the Air Force Academy and a third of the way through his first full season. The numbers aren’t exciting, and he has yet to hit his first home run of the season. This week shows a capacity to hit for average in a way that hasn’t been shown yet. The slugging needs to appear in a big way before anyone can get excited about him. An 18.3% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate offer some intriguing upside when it does.
Pitcher of the Week – Zachary Cawyer: 2 G, 3.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 0.82 WHIP
If you scroll back up to the AA Pitcher of the Week, you’ll see the same stat line. Over two appearances, Cawyer looked like a strikeout machine with high leverage potential. The prospect out of TCU has only given up six runs on the season, and they came during back-to-back appearances in April. As a college arm, the front office wants him to develop quickly. Starting in Low-A in 2024 and going to High-A in 2025, Cawyer may push for AA this year if the strikeouts continue to pile up.
Columbia Fireflies
Record: 26-25
Hitter of the Week – Derlin Figueroa: 19 AB, .368/.400/.632, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 RBI
Figueroa has been showing off in Colombia in the early season. This week continues his impressive start, even though he wasn’t able to hit many runs in. A player’s greatest ability is his ability to get into scoring position. With four of his seven hits being for extra bases, he did just that. Figueroa scored six times on seven hits because of how available he was for hitters behind him in the order. He is currently sporting an .828 OPS with Columbia in 2025 and only has four home runs to boost that number. Nine doubles and three triples show a first baseman prospect who exceeds typical athleticism from the position.
Pitcher of the Week – Blake Wolters: 1 G, 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 BB, 5 K, 0.75 WHIP
Wolters tossed four hitless innings in his start this week. The walks hurt him a bit, but when the other team doesn’t hit, they can’t drive runners in who have walked. Wolters has been a highly touted arm since his drafting. MLB Pipeline lists him with a 65-grade fastball that sits in the mid-90s. As a high school prospect, there’s a lot of excitement that he can continue to add to his velocity as he develops. The strikeout potential is higher than what was shown this week. He can miss bats with his fastball alone and sports three pitches to mix with it. This was a week to build on for the 20-year-old.
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