{"id":19624,"date":"2026-06-04T09:34:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T13:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=19624"},"modified":"2026-06-04T09:34:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T13:34:51","slug":"may-2026-temperature-check-with-top-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=19624","title":{"rendered":"May 2026 Temperature Check with Top Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fitz-Gerald-devin-via-FederalBaseball-getty.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1014\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fitz-Gerald-devin-via-FederalBaseball-getty-1014x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fitz-Gerald-devin-via-FederalBaseball-getty-1014x1024.jpeg 1014w, https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fitz-Gerald-devin-via-FederalBaseball-getty-297x300.jpeg 297w, https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fitz-Gerald-devin-via-FederalBaseball-getty-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fitz-Gerald-devin-via-FederalBaseball-getty-768x776.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fitz-Gerald-devin-via-FederalBaseball-getty-1521x1536.jpeg 1521w, https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Fitz-Gerald-devin-via-FederalBaseball-getty-2028x2048.jpeg 2028w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1014px) 100vw, 1014px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Devin Fitz-Gerald is blasting his way up the system.  Photo via Federal Baseball\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before we get too far away from June 1st &#8230; Here&#8217;s a monthly check in on our 20 prospects plus other notables in the system. Stats are for just May 2026 unless otherwise noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ll be using my own personal top 20 to drive the rankings, the <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=19520\">ones I posted right after the season started<\/a> so they don&#8217;t take into account fast starts from players like Fitz-Gerald or Cruz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All the stats links I use are at my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?page_id=16709\">Nats Links page<\/a>, which I visit every day for various reasons. I won&#8217;t repeat all the stats links and transactions pages and what not; just go to the Links page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>#1. <strong>Eli Willits<\/strong> SS, Low-A: Slashed .342\/.457\/.526 for May, with 2 homers, 10sb.  Yeah, that&#8217;ll do.  That&#8217;s not bad for a kid who should be getting measured for his HS cap and gown right now.  This team is not shy about promoting players; how long does he stay in Low-A?  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: red hot, imminent promotion candidate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#2. <strong>Henry Ford<\/strong>, C AAA: He is still not hitting. He was off in April, and May wasn&#8217;t much better. .234\/.372\/.344. that&#8217;s not a ton of power, even for a catcher. Luckily Kiebert Ruiz has &#8220;remembered&#8221; how to hit at the MLB level so there&#8217;s not a ton of pressure.  One has to wonder what the heck is going on here?  We&#8217;re talking a significant prospect, well regarded across the industry.  I wonder if he&#8217;s got a knock we don&#8217;t know about. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: pretty cold<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#3: <strong>Jarlin Susana<\/strong>, RHP (starter) AA: On the 60-day DL to open the season, and is still there. Per the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/news\/nationals-injuries-and-roster-moves\">Nats injury report<\/a>, the last update was 5\/5 a month ago and he was &#8220;continuing his throwing progression&#8221; in Palm Beach. His return has now just been listed as &#8220;2026,&#8221; which could mean tomorrow or September.  I don&#8217;t think anyone though this was a season long injury, and the loss of both Susana and Sykora for an entire season really is putting this franchise back.  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: on ice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#4 <strong>Travis Sykora<\/strong>: RHP (starter) AA: likely out for the season, the injury report lists his return as 2027. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: on ice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#5 <strong>Gavin Fien<\/strong> SS\/3B, Low-A: he made it back off the DL, still not entirely sure what the injury was, but he&#8217;s been really struggling. .180\/.305\/.280 for May. I wonder if he came back too soon from injury. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: ice cold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#6 <strong>Alex Clemmey<\/strong>, LHP (Starter) AA: Clemmey continues to struggle in AA; 5.26 ERA this month, 15 walks in 22 innings. I\u2019m not sure what to do here; he has nothing to prove in High-A; he\u2019s just got to ride it out here. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: pretty cold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#7 <strong>Seaver King<\/strong>, SS AAA: King continued his torrid start to the season, slashing .415\/.475\/.604 the first half of the month in AA before forcing the promotion. So far in AAA? .325\/.378\/.525. He also played at 2B recently (not that a SS can&#8217;t seamlessly move to 2B anyway, but still a notable signal) possibly indicating the team is thinking of bringing him up to play there instead of the Mendoza-line hitting Nunez.. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: red hot; player of the year candidate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#8 <strong>Luis Perales<\/strong>, RHP (starter) AAA: Perales, who is the sole remaining 40-man arm from opening day who hasn\u2019t pitched in the majors, was stellar this month: 1.53 ERA in 4 games. but, he\u2019s still not pitching that many innings: 17ip in 4appearances. Also, if he throws 101, where are the Ks?? 11 Ks in 17 ip? Nonetheless, its improvement.  Still, the Nats are &#8220;losing&#8221; this trade right now. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: warming up nicely.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#9 <strong>Devin Fitz-Gerald<\/strong>, 2B\/SS, High-A: he&#8217;s blowing up High-A; .287\/.368\/.634 for the month of May with 9 homers.  He has a higher OPS than Petry.  He&#8217;s playing about 50% at 2B, 25% at SS, and 25% at 3B.  He&#8217;s a little undersized so it seems like 2B may be his destination, but with this kind of power I&#8217;ll take it. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: Red Hot, POTY candidate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#10 <strong>Landon Harmon<\/strong>, RHP (starter): Low-A: He hasn&#8217;t pitched since April 24th, hit the 7-day DL in early May and has sat there. It&#8217;s reportedly an oblique injury and is &#8220;not serious&#8221; but its been a while. At least its not a shoulder\/elbow.  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: On Ice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#11 <strong>Ronny Cruz<\/strong>: SS High-A, Cruz blasted his way to High-A early &#8230; and has seen the league catch up to him in a big way. May slash line: .141\/.200\/.196. Was it too much, too soon? Could be.  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: Ice cold<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#12 <strong>Luke Dickerson<\/strong>, SS\/CF Low-A: came back to earth this month after a nice April. Slashed: .185\/.368\/.310. Lots of walks and strikeouts, not much else.  If you&#8217;re going to whiff at this rate,  you need to hit a ton of bombs.  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: pretty cold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#13: <strong>Ethan Petry<\/strong>, 1B High-A: Petry spent another month in High-A crushing the ball: .288\/.355\/.606. I just have to ask: why is he still in High-A? The guy playing 1B for Harrisburg (Sam Brown) is hitting .228 with almost no power, so it&#8217;s not like he&#8217;s blocked.  This is a 2nd rounder from a major college program; it shouldn&#8217;t be long before he&#8217;s up.  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: Red hot still.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#14: <strong>Coy James<\/strong>, SS\/3B, Low-A: Improved slightly at the plate, still not playing how we want.  .229\/.339\/.396for the month.  He has shown his fielding versatility though, hitting 4 positions so far this year (2B,SS,3B,LF).  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: still cold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#15: <strong>Angel Felix<\/strong>, SS High-A: May numbers improved slightly over April: .250\/.337\/.375.  However the new knock is his defense: he&#8217;s made 9 errors in his 18 games played at 3B so far this season.  That&#8217;s not good.  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: cool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#16:<strong> Yoel Tejeda Jr.<\/strong> RHP (starter) High-A: He was adequate in May with a pedestrian 4.34 ERA and more Ks than IP.  But nothing special.&nbsp;<strong>Temperature<\/strong>: luke warm.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#17: <strong>Jackson Kent<\/strong>, LHP (Starter) AAA: Kent blitzed through his first 3 AA starts in May, and earned a promotion to AAA. His first two AAA starts were a struggle, but his achieving AAA as a 2024 draftee is impressive. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: Hot to earn the promotion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#18: <strong>Miguel Sime Jr<\/strong>. RHP (starter): High-A: Sime had an ugly era\/whip in Low-A for the month but continued to strike out 2 guys an inning, so the team promoted him.  As discussed extensively in the comments, If you can just throw it past everyone at the level you&#8217;re never going to develop alternate pitches.  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: hot.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#19: <strong>Davian Garcia<\/strong>, RHP (starter) AA; Garcia was placed directly on the &#8220;Full Season&#8221; injured list on 5\/29, with no passing through either the 7-day or 60-day. That&#8217;s not good, and indicates a serious arm injury. No word anywhere on what happened to him, even with AI scouring the internet for clues.  <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: on ice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#20: <strong>Yeremy Cabrera<\/strong> CF High-A: Started May in Low-A with this ridiculous line: .483\/.564\/.897 and earned a promotion.  In High-A so far?  Not as great: 236\/.323\/.309.   Hopefully he adjusts to th e level and returns to form. <strong>Temperature<\/strong>: hot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notables #20 and above by level:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">in AAA:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>#27 <strong>Yohandy Morales<\/strong> 1B\/3B continues to destroy AAA pitching: May slashline: .361\/.431\/.691.   We&#8217;ve talked about him extensively.  My take is simple: the &#8220;scouting reports&#8221; we&#8217;re getting on him make no sense, and you can&#8217;t leave someone in AAA who&#8217;s OPS is north of 1,100 forever.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#33 <strong>Albimec Ortiz<\/strong> 1B\/DH in AAA had an even bigger may OPS figure than Morales.  We&#8217;ve struggled to score runs for years, now suddenly a bunch of randoms in the majors are leading the league in runs scored while guys are finally hitting in AAA.  A weird season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In AA: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>#21 <strong>Sam Peterson<\/strong> is putting it together; in May: .297\/.390\/.554.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>#30 <strong>Cayden Wallace<\/strong> continues to produce.  May: .275\/.333\/.505<br><br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In High-A:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>#40 <strong>Kevin Bazzell<\/strong> blasted the ball this month: .378\/.472\/.511 with 5 homers in 14 games played.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Elijah Green<\/strong> cut down on his K&#8217;s this month! Just 41 Ks in 25 games. (In april it was 52 Ks in 21 games).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Low-A:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>#39 <strong>Rafael Ramirez Jr<\/strong> had a nice month.  .323\/.500\/.508.  I&#8217;ll take that from a SS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unranked <strong>Jack Moroknek<\/strong> put up another good month; .293\/.397\/.586. Second straight month mentioning him. <br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In FCL:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>#47 <strong>Victor Hurtado<\/strong>, known more for his bonus figure than his production, had a nice month. .293\/.397\/<br>.586<br><br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before we get too far away from June 1st &#8230; Here&#8217;s a monthly check in on our 20 prospects plus other notables in the system. Stats are for just May 2026 unless otherwise noted. I&#8217;ll be using my own personal top 20 to drive the rankings, the ones I posted right after the season started [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4324],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prospects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19624"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19630,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19624\/revisions\/19630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalsarmrace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}