The Daily Briefing — Thursday, August 27
By Morgan Davis ·
The Other J. Baez in the Cardinal System
While Joshua Baez made headlines recentyl with his 3-homer debut, another J. Baez is heating up in the Cardinals farm system. Jesus Baez went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBI Wednesday night for Double-A Springfield, his 10th home run over the last 30 days at that level. The right-handed 21-year-old has slashed .318/.344/.706 across 93 plate appearances in that stretch, with 28 RBI and a 12.9% strikeout rate that reflects well on a swing built around lift and pull. The contact concern that defines most evaluations of his profile has not materialized in this span. His season-long swing rate sits at 53.4%, and in the last 30 days it has climbed to 58.9%, yet the contact rate has held at 77.1%, which means he is being aggressive and still making the bat work. The 60 power grade was always the credible piece; what this month is doing is applying real pressure to the 45 hit tool.
The projection sits him at third base with a second-division regular outcome, which hinges on whether this Double-A home run streak is a genuine signal or a level-specific run. His BB% at Springfield is only 3.2% over the last 30 days, so the on-base profile is almost entirely batting-average dependent. Against better pitching in Triple-A, that pull-heavy approach and those thin walk numbers will get tested in ways Springfield arms have not managed. Defensively, he is not a long-term shortstop, and the scouting file is candid that any physical thickening pushes him toward first base or DH, where 21 home runs in a half-season of Double-A becomes table stakes rather than a separator. On the current body of evidence, Baez sits at #394, and that may be light if he keeps hitting; the real question is whether an ultra-aggressive, low-walk power bat can sustain against the sequencing quality he will face at the next level.
Quick Hits
Grady Emerson, SS, Rays (A, Charleston) · #13 · went 3-for-4 with a triple, a walk, and no strikeouts Wednesday, recording his first professional hit and first extra-base hit in the same game. The 18-year-old left-handed shortstop, taken second overall in 2026, is just five games into pro ball but the 70 hit tool and patient approach are already visible: he is walking in 21.7% of his plate appearances and has struck out only twice in 23 PA across those five games. None of that is a sample you can lean on, but for a high school debut, the zone feel matches what the profile promised.
Jarlin Susana, RHP, Nationals (AA, Harrisburg) · #121 · made his Double-A debut and threw 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out four, generating nine whiffs on 45 pitches. The 22-year-old right-hander carries a 70-grade four-seamer that sits 99-103 and a 65-grade slider in the high 80s, and the whiff rate in this debut bore that out: 42.7% on the combined brief sample. The underlying concern has always been command, graded at 40, and the 51.3% strike rate here is functional without being comfortable. He is a reliever projection with all-star upside if the stuff stays at this level in high-leverage spots.
Blake Mitchell, C, Royals (A+, Davenport) · #148 · on the Kansas City list drove in four on two hits, including a homer, adding a walk and a hit by pitch across five plate appearances Wednesday, his 22nd home run of the season. The 22-year-old left-handed catcher has posted a 21.4% BB% over his last 30 days while holding a 57.1% contact rate, a pairing that defines the whole profile in miniature: elite patience, real power, and swing-and-miss that remains the central variable in whether he gets to an everyday role. At 22 homers through 476 plate appearances in High-A, the 60 power grade is performing as expected.
Kyle Lodise, SS, White Sox (A+, Winston-Salem) · #332 · went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a homer, driving in one, his seventh home run over the last 25 games. The 22-year-old right-handed infielder has slashed .295/.433/.600 in that span with a 19.2% BB% and 23 walks in 120 plate appearances, a combination that makes the up-side utility projection feel like a floor. The 45 power grade looks conservative given seven home runs in a month; the 50 hit tool and 55 speed round out a profile that fits a modern second baseman better than most depth pieces the White Sox have on the ledger right now.
Gabriel Rincones Jr., RF, Phillies (AAA, Allentown) · #381 · went 3-for-4 with a homer and an RBI Wednesday, his second home run in ten Triple-A games since returning to Lehigh Valley. The 25-year-old left-handed corner bat is slashing .351/.415/.676 over those 41 plate appearances with six doubles, numbers that contrast sharply with his MLB line of .167/.202/.286 across 89 plate appearances in Philadelphia this season. The 60 power grade plays in the minors; the question against big-league arms has been a 32.6% strikeout rate and a walk rate that collapses to 2.2%, and Triple-A is not going to answer that.
Alfredo Duno, C, Reds (AA, Chattanooga) · #25 · on the Cincinnati list went 3-for-4 with two doubles in his first game back after being activated from the injured list, his third game at Double-A. The 20-year-old right-handed catcher is slashing .314/.415/.543 in 82 plate appearances at Chattanooga with a 14.6% BB% and a 15.9% strikeout rate, numbers that represent a meaningful step forward in contact quality compared to his High-A line. A 55 power grade and 60 arm on a 20-year-old catcher posting those contact numbers at Double-A is a legitimate top-25 profile, and Wednesday's return was a debut you want to see from a player coming off an IL stint.
Jaxon Willits, SS, Angels (A, Rancho Cucamonga) · #307 · INF, Angels (A, Inland Empire) · #307 went 4-for-6 with a double and a homer, scoring twice and driving in four Wednesday. The 21-year-old switch-hitter, taken 117th overall, carries a 55 hit tool and a 19.8% BB% through 86 plate appearances in his pro debut, and that zone feel is the profile's foundation. The 45 power grade will face scrutiny as he climbs, but the combination of contact, walks, and shortstop defensive chops gives him a realistic second-division floor and enough projection to keep the ceiling conversation alive.
Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Orioles (AAA, Norfolk) · #194 · went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI Wednesday, his fourth home run of the season and third at Triple-A. The 24-year-old left-handed center fielder is carrying 34 stolen bases on the year and grades at __ for both speed and defense, but the 35 power grade has always capped the offensive ceiling; three home runs in 286 Triple-A plate appearances is consistent with that. Wednesday's line was a useful day but not a trend-shifter for a profile whose value is built almost entirely on what he does with his legs and glove.
Trey Gregory-Alford, RHP, Angels (A, Rancho Cucamonga) · #376 · threw six innings of one-hit, scoreless ball Wednesday, walking two and striking out four while generating seven whiffs on 70 pitches. The 20-year-old right-hander's ERA over his last five starts sits at 2.28 across 23.2 innings, a stretch that has pulled the season ERA down to 4.07. The fastball sits 96-101 and the slider grades at 55, which is more than enough to miss Low-A bats; the command at 40 and the 45.5% season strike rate are the development targets that will determine whether the reliever projection sticks or whether he earns a longer look as a starter.
Yolfran Castillo, SS, Rangers (A, Hickory) · #374 · went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI Wednesday, his seventh home run of the season. The 19-year-old right-handed shortstop leads Hickory with 51 stolen bases on the year while posting a 13.0% BB% and a 14.2% strikeout rate across 515 plate appearances, a contact-and-speed foundation that gives him a real floor even before the power develops. A 55 hit tool and 55 field grade on a teenager with that baserunning production is a profile worth watching as he climbs.