Minor League Notables & Draft Pick Tracker — April 5, 2026
Easter Sunday slate. He is risen. So is Jesús Made. Let's get into it. 35+ Nightly Notables with write-ups on each & our 2025 MLB Draft Pick Tracker carries on
Low-A — Arms
Miguel Sime Jr. — Washington Nationals
Stop what you’re doing.
18 years old. 6’4. 235 pounds. Built like a brick shit house. And last night he threw a fastball that bottomed out at 98.9 mph and peaked at 101.3.
Thanks to Noah Adcock-Howeth for the data - you can find them on X/Twitter @n_adcock_howeth
Let me say that again. The slowest fastball Miguel Sime Jr. threw last night was 98.9 miles per hour. The floor of his fastball velocity is 98.9. At least, last night it was. He’s 18. He’s built like someone who eats defensive linemen for breakfast. And he’s in Low-A generating 6 strikeouts in 2.1 innings on 51 pitches.
I don’t throw the word generational around loosely. I’m not throwing it around here either. What I am saying is that a teenager built like that throwing 99 to 101 in Low-A is a sentence that doesn’t come along very often and when it does you put everything down and pay attention. The Nationals have something here that nobody is talking about yet. Monitoring. Heavily. Immediately. Right now.
Low-A — Bats
Luis Guanipa — Atlanta Braves
2-for-5 with 2 runs scored. Repeating Low-A at 20 years old. Slashing .444/.444/.667 to start the season. One of the more heralded outfielders out of the 2023 international class — $2.5 million out of the gate from the Braves, which is not a number Atlanta throws around loosely when it comes to international talent.
The profile is built on plus-plus speed and a plus hit tool and the early returns are confirming both. The power grades are modest right now and I’m not going to pretend otherwise — the over-the-fence production isn’t the story yet. The story is what happens if Guanipa adds some thickness to that frame and those low power grades start looking like they belong on a different player. Because if the speed and the hit tool are already real — and the early indications say they are — and the power comes? Then we’re not talking about a fringe Atlanta prospect anymore. We’re talking about one of the better ones in the system. The Braves signed him for a reason and the hot start is a reminder of exactly what that reason was. Monitoring heavily.
Tate Southisene — Atlanta Braves
1-for-5 and picked off at first base. Not the best night for the 22nd overall pick. Still, we’re way too early in the season for any declarations or dismissals when concerning Southisene.
High-A — Arms
Yeferson Vargas — Los Angeles Angels
4.1 innings. 0 earned runs. 6 strikeouts. 77 pitches. The cleanest pitching line of the High-A slate and he did it in dominant fashion — zero damage. Too bad it’s the Angels.
Christian Zazueta — Los Angeles Dodgers
Game 2 of the doubleheader. 4 innings, 1 earned run, 7 strikeouts on 54 pitches. Don’t bet against the Dodgers pitching factory. Zazueta delivered a dominant performance and the efficiency is the number that stands out — 7 strikeouts in 4 innings on 54 pitches means he’s getting through hitters quickly and he’s getting through them with authority. The fastball is sitting mostly 95-97 while topping 98+ with a plus changeup and precocious command. Monitoring heavily. Scratch that. Planting a flag, here.
High-A — Bats
Charles Davalan — Los Angeles Dodgers
Game 2 of the doubleheader. 2-for-4, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, 1 walk.
The 41st overall pick in the 2025 draft just hit two home runs (in the same inning) and drove in six in a single game at High-A. I’m not going to sit here and declare anything after a handful of games — but the power profile is showing up immediately and the Dodgers don’t draft power at 41 overall by accident. In fact, this is one of the more polished bats with potential in the Dodgers system. Monitoring heavily. If there’s a buy window for a sensible cost, I’d be throwing out fliers.
Nathan Flewelling — Tampa Bay Rays
Doubleheader. Game 1: 1-for-3, 2 RBI. Game 2: 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 1 walk. Combined: 3-for-6, HR, 5 RBI, 1 walk across both games.
The Rays don’t develop players by accident and Flewelling is the latest name in Tampa’s pipeline worth monitoring before the industry is ready to have the conversation. The production across both games of a doubleheader — power and plate discipline showing up simultaneously — is exactly the kind of early season indicator that precedes a climb in the rankings. The Rays system is built on finding and developing profiles exactly like this one and Flewelling is giving them everything they need to work with. Anticipate his name appearing in significantly more conversations before this season is over. Monitoring heavily.
Ethan Hedges — Colorado Rockies
3-for-4, double, triple, 3 RBI, 1 walk. 10 total bases on the day. The best offensive line of the High-A slate outside of Davalan’s power binge. Extra base hits in multiple directions with production to back it up. The Rockies continue to stock the High-A affiliate with names worth knowing such as Calaz & Belyeu and now Hedges is earning his mention. Monitoring.
Marek Houston — Minnesota Twins
3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 1 walk. The 16th overall pick in the 2025 draft keeps showing up. The power is translating immediately and the plate discipline is showing up alongside it. Houston is making a strong early case that the draft board was right to be high on him and the Twins have an asset here that’s going to be generating significantly more noise before this season ends. Sometimes there’s a wide gap between where a player is selected in the draft and where fantasy players decide to have him ranked for FYPD’s. Such seems to be the case with Marek Houston. 16th overall pick, but was largely dismissed in FYPD’s by booting him out of the top 40 and in some cases the top 60-70 picks. Monitoring heavily.
Caleb Bonemer — Chicago White Sox