Demetrio Crisantes Doesn't Look Hurt Anymore

Demetrio Crisantes lost almost all of 2025 to a torn labrum. The surgery ended his season in May after just 34 games. The clock on a top-100 caliber bat went quiet for over a year.

It is loud again now.

Since reaching Double-A Amarillo on June 2, Crisantes is hitting .345 with a .465 on-base percentage and a .603 slugging mark. Twenty hits in 58 at-bats. Seven doubles. Eighteen runs scored. Ten walks against 14 strikeouts, the same contact-over-chase approach that made him a prospect in the first place. He just turned 21. Double-A is supposed to be the level where the holes in a swing get exposed.

Then the Midland series happened. Crisantes went 8-for-19 with two home runs, two doubles, a triple, and eight RBI. He struck out twice in 19 at-bats. That is not a hot week from a hitter trying to find his timing. That is a hitter who already found it.

The Diamondbacks' No. 5 prospect and MLB's No. 5 second base prospect turns Rule 5-eligible this winter. Arizona will probably protect him considering this production.

The Rising Star

Joseph Dzierwa, LHP | Chesapeake Baysox (Orioles)

Joseph Dzierwa is 6-foot-8, throws a fastball that has climbed into the mid-90s, and pairs it with a changeup that misses bats at a near 40 percent clip, and he just carried that combination into a 2.48 ERA through his first six Double-A starts. He skipped Low-A entirely, dominated High-A in eight starts, and has not slowed down since the Orioles bumped him to Chesapeake. Baltimore has zero reason to rush a 22-year-old this good, which means the next seasons in the minors should be must-watch, plenty of time for that slider to catch up to the fastball-changeup combo that is already this nasty.

Under the Radar

Connor Wietgrefe, LHP, Altoona Curve (Double-A, Pirates)

A 7th-round pick out of Minnesota who signed under slot for $247,500, Connor Wietgrefe is having the best month of his pro career. In June he is 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA across four starts, allowing just one earned run in 23 innings with 29 strikeouts and a .132 opponents average. On June 19 he threw seven innings against Akron, giving up three hits and no runs. For the season he sits at 4-1 with a 3.51 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 66.2 innings.

Worth Watching

Eliazar Dishmey, RHP, Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Double-A, Marlins)

Eliazar Dishmey has been inconsistent since landing at Double-A, and the results show it. He has a 5.12 ERA in four starts for Pensacola, including a rough outing against Birmingham where he allowed six runs in 4.1 innings. But he is also striking out 26 batters in 19.1 innings and holding hitters to a .174 average against him. The stuff is making bats miss. The execution still needs work. Worth keeping an eye on as he settles in at the level.

Raudi Rodriguez, OF | Rocket City Trash Pandas to Salt Lake Bees (Angels)

Raudi Rodriguez is hitting .340 with a .462 on-base percentage and a .623 slugging mark in June. Eighteen hits in 53 at-bats. Eleven walks against 12 strikeouts. Four home runs and seven RBI for a player whose calling card has always been speed first.

Then he got hotter. Over a five-game stretch against Montgomery, Rodriguez went 9-for-14 with three home runs, six RBI, four walks, and a stolen base. A .643 average. A 1.357 OPS. For the season he is hitting .307/.425/.520 with 11 home runs, numbers that already top his breakout 2025 season at Low-A.

The swing-and-miss will get tested as Southern League arms adjust to him. But the Angels' No. 18 prospect is doing exactly what gets a player to Triple-A: hitting for power, getting on base, and doing it in bunches. Salt Lake should be paying attention. He should have a stint in Salt Lake near the end of the season if this production keeps up.

Binghamton Has Five Mets Prospects and a .391 Winning Percentage

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies won the Eastern League championship last year. This year they are 27-42, last in the Northeast Division, 12.5 games back. The talent did not leave.

Jacob Reimer is hitting .212 with 14 doubles and 13 steals in 50 games. A.J. Ewing is running a .349/.481/.571 line in limited time. Chris Suero has 11 home runs and 43 walks against a .198 average. The pieces are all there. The execution is not.

Look at the strikeout totals. Suero has 78 in 202 at-bats. Reimer has 57 in 179. This is not a talent problem. This is a contact problem at the worst possible time, with half the lineup adjusting to Double-A pitching at once.

A championship roster does not just become a last place team. Growing pains do that.

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