6 minor leaguers to know: James Tibbs III, AJ Ewing, Kade Anderson and more who could make an impact in MLB this summer

The stupendous slugging numbers — supported by stellar underlying batted-ball data — are difficult to ignore. But there are two major obstacles that Tibbs must overcome if he is to make an impact in the majors this season. The first is the obvious red flag in his profile: the strikeouts. As Munetaka Murakami is currently demonstrating with one of the league’s lowest in-zone contact rates (70.7%), there is a path to potent production if the whiffs are offset by prolific power and a healthy walk rate, both of which Tibbs is delivering. But his 29% strikeout rate and 68% in-zone contact rate in Triple-A are troubling marks for a hitter hoping to make consistent contact, and Tibbs is one of a few prospects (Bryce Eldridge, Spencer Jones) who need to improve at least marginally in that area to be considered viable big-league bats.

Even if Tibbs can dial back the swing-and-miss and continue to rake, there’s then the matter of breaking into a stacked Dodgers depth chart that doesn’t have any openings at his positions. With megastars entrenched at DH (Shohei Ohtani), first base (Freddie Freeman) and right field (Kyle Tucker), Tibbs’ only realistic path to playing time would be to usurp Teoscar Hernandez as the superior option in left field, a tall task considering Hernandez is owed roughly $40 million through 2027. This invites the possibility that Tibbs could be traded again before he reaches the majors, a potentially stunning sequence for a first-round pick who has performed the way he has. This quandary is hardly unique to Tibbs — just ask Dalton Rushing, Alex Freeland and Ryan Ward, among others — but his scorching start and first-round pedigree make him particularly intriguing in the coming months.

OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, Minnesota Twins

Rodriguez shares some similarities to Tibbs — he too is a 23-year-old with big, left-handed power, a bunch of walks and severe swing-and-miss concerns — but he has taken a much different road to the doorstep of the big leagues. Rather than bouncing among organizations, Rodriguez’s developmental derailments have come from injuries, which have limited him to 318 minor-league games across six minor-league seasons. Still, the Dominican Republic native has been a staple in the Twins’ farm system for years, having received a $2.5 million bonus as one of the top prospects in the 2019 international class. And when he has played, Rodriguez has performed, with a career .254/.423/.491 slash line while predominantly playing center field.

In the offseason, Rodriguez was one of the youngest and most productive hitters in the Dominican Winter League, and he hasn’t cooled off much to start his Triple-A season, posting a 141 wRC+ through his first 23 games. He recently registered the highest exit velocity of any batted ball at that level this season: a 118.3-mph home run. In the majors, only Oneil Cruz has hit a ball harder than that in 2026.

Rodriguez is also a quality defender in center field, but with Byron Buxton thriving in Minnesota, Rodriguez’s best chance to break through in the near future is in left or right field, though there are also DH at-bats to be had (Twins’ designated hitters have combined for 70 wRC+ this season, 25th in MLB). Veterans Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner remain in the Minnesota outfield mix, but neither should block Rodriguez from getting big-league reps soon. Amid a rebuilding year for the Twins, Rodriguez is one of several top prospects (Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper) in Triple-A whom we could see in Minnesota this summer.

2B/OF AJ Ewing, New York Mets

The 2023 draft has already yielded a pair of major leaguers for the Mets in ascendant ace Nolan McLean (third round) and right-hander Brandon Sproat (second round), who was dealt to Milwaukee in the Freddy Peralta trade. New York’s first-round pick from that year — Colin Houck, a high school shortstop from Georgia — has struggled to gain traction in the minors. But Ewin, another prep hitter selected in the fourth round, has seen his prospect stock explode since entering pro ball.

Ewing was taken with the 134th overall pick, the one awarded to the Mets as compensation for Jacob deGrom declining the qualifying offer and signing elsewhere. Primarily a shortstop at his Ohio high school and on the showcase circuit, Ewing has mostly played center field in the minors, with a smattering of second base and corner outfield mixed in. He broke out in a big way last year, climbing to Double-A while hitting .315/.401/.429. What he lacks in over-the-fence pop (he hit just three home runs in 124 games last year), he makes up for with his terrific approach and plus-plus wheels, enabling 26 doubles, 10 triples and a whopping 70 stolen bases, the fifth-most in the minors, in 2025.

Back in Double-A to begin this season, Ewing picked up right where he left off, posting a 1.053 OPS in his first 18 games, including homers in back-to-back games. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A this week, where he announced his presence with a three-hit game.

Considering he just got to Triple-A, the 21-year-old Ewing might be more of a second-half option than an imminent call-up, but his performance has placed him firmly on the Mets’ radar. And given the team’s massive struggles on offense — and several key position players on the injured list — it’s not hard to envision New York turning to the farm system for help.

Could Emmanuel Rodriguez, Kade Anderson and James Tibbs III be in the major leagues by September?

(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)

LHP Robby Snelling, Miami Marlins

Fresh off a series win at Dodger Stadium and sitting at 15-16 in second in the wonky NL East, the Marlins have so far proven friskier than many expected. But the rotation has not been a driving force behind that success, with a pesky offense that wreaks havoc on the basepaths leading the way and a surprisingly stout bullpen locking down the later innings. Marlins starting pitchers are in the middle of the pack by most measures and they lag behind in the swing-and-miss category, ranking 26th in strikeout rate. One option to add a jolt to the starting staff is the 22-year-old Snelling, one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the minors. The 39th pick by the Padres out of a Nevada high school in 2022, Snelling was shipped to Miami as part of the package for Tanner Scott at the 2024 trade deadline.

The Marlins might actually have two future impact southpaws, with 21-year-old Thomas White also well-regarded in scouting circles. But White began the year injured and has made only two starts in Triple-A this season. Snelling, meanwhile, has made five starts with Jacksonville after posting a 1.27 ERA across 11 Triple-A starts to finish last season. He leads with a 95-mph heater but has a balanced mix of secondaries, leaning most heavily on his curveball in the upper minors. Strike-throwing has been a challenge for Snelling this year — a departure from his solid control exhibited prior — but he has given opposing hitters fits nevertheless. His 37.6% strikeout rate leads Triple-A arms, and he has allowed just 11 hits across 24 innings of work.

Four Miami rotation spots are fairly spoken for: Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Max Meyer and the sneaky stellar Janson Junk. But offseason addition Chris Paddack has struggled, and it’s reasonable to expect the Marlins to seek an upgrade sooner rather than later. Several alternatives loom in Triple-A, so Snelling might not be next in line, but he should warrant a major-league look at some point this season.

RHP Carlos Lagrange, New York Yankees

When it comes to the Yankees’ pitching staff, much of the early-season focus has been on the outstanding performance of the rotation and the timelines for Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón to return from their respective injuries. But Lagrange, whose eye-popping velocity made him one of the biggest stories of Yankees spring training, is another important name to monitor as the season progresses. The enormous right-hander exploded on the scene last year, racking up 168 strikeouts in 120 innings and reaching Double-A, and his high-octane arsenal was on display in the Grapefruit League, raising the possibility that he could be a major factor for New York in the majors in 2026.

While Lagrange has been deployed as a starter and has been reasonably effective across five Triple-A outings, the pending returns of Cole and Rodon to an already crowded rotation make it nearly impossible to envision a path for Lagrange to break into the rotation anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean New York won’t be tempted to call him up, with his elite velocity a tantalizing potential spark to add to a bullpen that has thus far been more average than great. The 22-year-old’s fastball has averaged 99.3 mph, and he has thrown 25 pitches in excess of 101 mph, including a 102.6-mph bolt that ranks as the fastest pitch thrown in Triple-A this season. It’s reasonable for the Yankees to play it slow here, especially with the big-league ballclub off to a great start and no pressing need. But don’t be surprised if Lagrange emerges as a high-leverage weapon in the coming months.

LHP Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

A stroke of lottery luck launched the Mariners all the way up to the No. 3 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, despite their minuscule odds to land a top selection after an 85-win season. That shocking sequence put Seattle in a unique position as a contender picking an elite prospect near the top of the draft. The Mariners used that pick on Anderson, a left-hander from LSU who was widely regarded as the top pitcher in the class. He earned that distinction by thriving in the SEC and showcasing plus command of a four-pitch mix, with rare aptitude for an amateur arm. Less than a year later, Anderson has pitched himself into position to potentially contribute to the Mariners’ championship ambitions in his first full professional season.

Anderson did not pitch in an official game after signing with Seattle last summer, meaning his professional debut had to wait until this spring. He immediately stood out in bullpen sessions and on the backfields during spring training and has continued to make a strong impression across his first four outings in Double-A, allowing just one earned run in 18 ⅔ innings. In his second start, Anderson combined pure dominance with ridiculous efficiency, needing just 70 pitches to strike out 11 across five no-hit innings. For reference, only one pitcher this century has racked up that many strikeouts with as few pitches in a single game: Chris Sale in 2018.

That Anderson will reach the majors this season is not a given. For one, he’s the only prospect of the six covered in this article who hasn’t yet reached Triple-A. And Seattle boasts a wealth of quality arms in its rotation, meaning there’s no urgent need to rush Anderson’s development. However, beyond the All-Star trio of Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and George Kirby, there is some uncertainty lurking with the next batch of right-handers, due to injury (Bryce Miller), underperformance (Luis Castillo) or lack of a lengthy track record (Emerson Hancock). All three are capable of pitching their way into solidified roles, but if one or multiple of their seasons go sideways, Anderson could emerge as Seattle’s next-best starter. That he could also offer a left-handed element to a rotation that has been overwhelmingly right-handed in recent years is a nice bonus.