SportsGrid Contributor Just Baseball

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Every year, Just Baseball drops one of the deepest and sharpest top-100 prospect lists in the game — a true labor of love,  updated relentlessly to keep fans plugged in to the future stars of the sport. But fitting a century’s worth of breakout names into a single list is never easy. Plenty of rising talents hover just outside that top tier, waiting to make their case undeniable. This year, three under-the-radar names are turning heads across the minors — and forcing themselves into the next update. Let’s meet Esmerlyn Valdez, Tommy Hawke, and Cam Schlittler — three prospects you’ll be hearing a lot more about soon.
Thanks to <a href="https://www.justbaseball.com/prospects/3-lesser-known-prospects-making-names-for-themselves/">Just Baseball</a> for the stats, analysis and insights for this slideshow article.

Prospects Pushing Their Way Into the Spotlight

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The <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/depth-chart/pittsburgh-pirates-depth-chart">Pittsburgh Pirates</a> might just have a slugger worth clearing the fences for. <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/esmerlyn-valdez/84006">Esmerlyn Valdez </a>entered the year as an afterthought — a free-swinging first baseman who mashed 22 homers last season in Single-A but struck out more than 30% of the time. Now, he’s slashing through pitchers like a buzzsaw.
Through 72 High-A games, Valdez cranked 20 home runs, drove in 57 runs, and crossed the plate 46 times — all while cutting his strikeout rate by 6%. His .303 average and whopping 171 wRC+ make him one of the minors’ top run producers. He’s tied for second in home runs, sits in the top 10 in RBI, and leads the South Atlantic League in almost every category imaginable.
Recently bumped to Double-A and named to the All-Star Futures Game, Valdez is quickly becoming a big bat worth circling in Pittsburgh’s pipeline.
Swing for the Fences with SportsGrid’s free daily<a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/picks"> MLB Game Picks</a> and <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/player-props">MLB Prop Picks.</a>

Esmerlyn Valdez — The Pirates’ New Power Threat

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The <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/depth-chart/new-york-yankees-depth-chart">New York Yankees</a> have quietly nurtured a rotation arm who’s ready to help now. <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/cameron-schlittler/83657">Cam Schlittler</a>, a 2022 seventh-round pick, is emerging as one of the Yankees’ next big arms. The 6-foot-6 righty has turned the corner this year, posting a 2.18 ERA across 74.1 innings with 97 strikeouts and only 25 walks — an improved 3.4 BB/9 after struggling with control last season.
He started in Double-A Somerset but has already climbed to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he’s looked even sharper with a 1.69 ERA and an eye-popping 13.9 K/9 in four starts.
With New York’s rotation hit by injuries, Schlittler’s ascent couldn’t come at a better time. Schlittler’s big league debut could be right around the corner — Yankee fans should keep his name close at hand.

Cam Schlittler — Yankees’ Next Rotation Piece

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Speed kills — and nobody’s running wilder than <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/tommy-hawke/84671">Tommy Hawke</a>. The <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/depth-chart/cleveland-guardians-depth-chart">Cleveland Guardians</a>’ sixth-round pick from 2023 wasn’t exactly pegged for stardom out of Wake Forest. But in 63 games this season, Hawke has stolen 63 bases — averaging one swipe per game — while getting caught just five times. His blazing wheels make him the minors’ stolen base leader by a mile.
Even scarier for opposing pitchers, he’s doing this with a .309 average and an absurd .453 on-base percentage — good for a 152 wRC+ despite zero home runs. Hawke’s OBP would trail only <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/players/aaron-judge/57768">Aaron Judge</a> if he were doing this in the bigs. He’s drawing more walks than strikeouts and giving pitchers nightmares every time he’s on first.
The speed-first outfielder isn’t a top-100 name yet — but it’s only a matter of time if he keeps this up.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with<a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/"> SportsGrid</a>.

Tommy Hawke — Cleveland’s Steal Machine

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Prospect lists are a moving target, and these three names are taking direct aim at the next top-100. Esmerlyn Valdez is pounding the ball like a future cleanup bat, Tommy Hawke is redefining what base-stealing looks like in the modern game, and Cam Schlittler is knocking on the Yankees’ door ready to bolster a rotation that could use another live arm. Remember these names now — because it won’t be long before they’re doing this under the big league lights.
For all your MLB deep dives, check out our friends at <a href="https://www.justbaseball.com/">Just Baseball.</a>

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Meet three rising stars forcing their way onto baseball’s top-100 prospect radar: Esmerlyn Valdez, Tommy Hawke, and Cam Schlittler are names to remember.

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