Prospects ready to climb the ladder — one from each team
The goal for any player entering pro ball, of course, is to reach the big leagues. It can be a long and arduous climb through a Minor League system and a select few make it.
The 30 players below are all doing their best to move up their organization’s ladder. Their performances so far in 2024 could force the powers that be to consider moving them up one rung closer to fulfilling that ultimate dream.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Adam Macko, LHP (No. 9)
With Ricky Tiedemann and Brandon Barriera both injured for much of the first half, Macko has been a much-needed pitching success story at Double-A New Hampshire. Over his last seven starts, the 23-year-old southpaw has a 3.08 ERA with 49 strikeouts and only nine walks over his last seven starts (38 innings). His four-pitch mix, including a pair of separate breaking balls in his slider and curveball, would work in Triple-A, and considering his place on the 40-man roster, he might not be far off from a second-half MLB debut either.
Orioles: Seth Johnson, RHP (No. 10)
The Orioles traded for Johnson in 2022, but they acquired him from the Rays right when he was getting Tommy John surgery, so this is really his first full healthy season with the organization. So he’s 25, but with a relatively short professional resume. He’s been in Double-A all year and has been getting sharper as the year has gone on, with a 1.31 ERA and 1.11 WHIP to go along with a 10.9 K/9 rate that points to a need to challenge him with a move to Triple-A. That could put him in line to help out the big league staff at some point this year.
Rays: Xavier Isaac, 1B (No. 3/MLB No. 45)
Isaac may have gotten off to a colder April start (.705 OPS) with High-A Bowling Green, but the left-handed slugger has caught straight fire with a .357/.440/.674 line, nine homers and nine steals in 36 games since the start of May. The 2022 first-rounder’s .579 slugging percentage on the season leads the High-A level. If there’s one bugaboo to pick, it’s that he’s struggled against lefties (.584 OPS-against), but for the most part, Isaac, who is currently day-to-day with a jammed wrist, looks like a batter in need of a new challenge.
Red Sox: Marcelo Mayer, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 11)
The Red Sox are getting inconsistent play at shortstop and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 Draft has proven he can handle Double-A, so it’s time to at least promote Mayer to Triple-A and get him closer to Boston. He has all the tools to make an impact on both sides of the ball and he’s slashing .308/.373/.487 (ranking in the top eight in the Eastern League in all three categories at age 21) with six homers and 12 steals in 59 games.
