The Daily Briefing — Wednesday, September 23
By Morgan Davis ·
Yesterday's best performances across the minor leagues, with scouting context from 80Grade.
Fischer Has Been Mashing All September at Biloxi
Andrew Fischer, the Brewers' third-base prospect ranked #102, went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, 4 RBI, and a walk Tuesday at Double-A Biloxi, another clean entry in what has become a genuinely staggering run over the past 30 days. He is the Brewers' No. 7 prospect on the org list, but the combined numbers he is putting up this season would look notable on any list in any format: a .273/.412/.654 slash across 560 plate appearances between High-A Wisconsin and Double-A, with 48 home runs, 102 walks, and a .182 isolated power mark that sits in a different tier from most prospects at his level and age.
The last 30 days at Biloxi have been the sharpest stretch yet: .338/.479/.859 with 12 home runs and 29 RBI in 94 plate appearances, a 22.3% walk rate paired with a 26.6% strikeout rate that reflects both the patient foundation and the lingering swing-and-miss profile. Tuesday's line fit the template. The 22-year-old left-hander carries a 65 power grade, and the carrying tool is the whole story here; an uphill, pull-side swing path built for leverage, capable of punishing anything left over the inner third. The strikeout volume is real, 33% on the season, and the 62.5% contact rate confirms the swing has holes against elevated velocity and spin away. But the walk rate at 18.2% and the sheer damage output keep the profile from being a liability. He projects as an everyday first baseman long-term, with third base possible given the arm and hands but less likely as a permanent address. If the contact rate holds anywhere near average against upper-level sequencing, the power here is legitimate middle-of-the-order stuff.
Quick Hits
Bishop Letson, RHP, Brewers (AA, Biloxi) · #311 · struck out 12 over 6.2 innings of shutout ball Tuesday, allowing 4 hits and walking nobody in a 24-batter outing with 16 swinging misses on 87 pitches. The 22-year-old righty carries a 45 command grade and had posted an 11.1% walk rate across the season, so a zero-walk start with that strikeout total is worth noticing. Over his last 30 days the ERA is 1.65 across five starts, the strikeout rate has climbed to 34.8% of batters faced, and the whiff rate is 30.9%; the stuff, led by a fastball that sits 94-98, is clearly playing in September.
Daniel Eagen, RHP, Cardinals (AA, Springfield) · #273 · tossed 6 shutout innings Tuesday, scattering 4 hits with no walks and 7 strikeouts, generating 11 swinging misses on 74 pitches with a 56.8% strike rate. The 23-year-old righty has a plus curveball in the low 80s that functions as his primary bat-misser, and when the four-seamer is keeping hitters honest at the top of the zone the arsenal can look like a legitimate back-end rotation profile. His ERA across the last 30 days sits at 3.91 with a 38.8% strikeout rate in five starts at Springfield, a meaningful uptick from the 4.95 ERA he posted in Amarillo earlier this year.
Tyler Bremner, RHP, Angels (AA, Madison) · #173 · went 5 innings, allowing no runs on 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 7, with 13 swinging misses on 78 pitches. The 22-year-old righty owns a plus-plus changeup graded at 70 that generates whiffs against both sides of the plate, and the outing fits a strong September stretch: a 3.32 ERA over his last four starts at Double-A with a 35.5% strikeout rate. The season walk rate at 8.9% of batters faced is a knock on the profile, and the two walks Tuesday were a reminder that command is the variable separating his #2-starter projection from the floor.
Zyhir Hope, CF, Tigers (AA, Erie) · #22 · went 1-for-4 with a home run, 2 RBI, and a walk Tuesday. The 21-year-old left-handed center fielder carries a 55 power grade and 65 athleticism, and his 29th homer of the season across Double-A is another data point in an age-adjusted breakout year. Over his last 30 days he is slashing .338/.411/.571 with 5 home runs and an 11.1% walk rate; the strikeout rate has tightened to 22.2% in that stretch, a modest improvement for a profile where swing-and-miss has been the primary concern.
Seaver King, SS, Nationals (AAA, Rochester) · #108 · went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run for 1 RBI on Tuesday, his 21st homer of the year across Double-A and Triple-A. The 23-year-old right-handed shortstop carries a 50 hit tool and projects as a second-division regular, but the combined .303/.382/.516 line across 521 plate appearances this season is running ahead of that projection. The last 30 days have been rougher, a .250/.294/.411 clip with a 5.0% walk rate and a 22.7% strikeout rate as he's been swinging more aggressively; Tuesday's multi-hit, multi-XBH game was a reminder of the upside when the timing is right.
Jesús Made, SS, Brewers (AA, Biloxi) · #1 · went 2-for-5 with a double, 2 RBI, and a walk, finishing without a strikeout in five plate appearances. The 19-year-old switch-hitter has a 60 hit tool and the contact rate backs it up: 80.9% on the season, and an even better 87.2% over his last 18 games with a strikeout rate of just 8.5% in that stretch. He's stolen 37 bases this year at Double-A, and the combination of contact quality, speed, and age makes Tuesday's clean line feel routine in the best possible way.
James Tibbs III, RF, Dodgers (AAA, Oklahoma City) · #142 · collected 1 hit in 5 plate appearances, but the hit was a 2-RBI home run, his 30th of the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 23-year-old left-handed corner outfielder carries a 55 hit tool and 55 power grade, and 30 home runs in a single Triple-A season is a legitimate offensive statement. The last 30 days have seen the average dip to .211 with the walk rate climbing to 17.1%, which is a reflection of pitchers going around him more; the power has continued to show up regardless.
Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies (AA, Reading) · #42 · went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a walk in his third game back from injury at Double-A Reading. The 22-year-old right-handed infielder has a 55 hit tool and 55 power grade and projects as an everyday third baseman; the limited sample since his return is encouraging: .308/.471/.462 with an 23.5% walk rate and a contact rate of 80.4% over 34 plate appearances. Back durability remains the watchword for his evaluation, but the plate discipline has been sharp since he stepped back in.
Braylon Payne, OF, Brewers (AA, Biloxi) · #90 · went 3-for-5 with an RBI Tuesday, giving the 20-year-old left-hander three hits for the second time in his last four games at Double-A. He carries a 70 speed grade and a 50 hit tool, and the last 30 days show a .303/.344/.584 line with 6 home runs across 96 plate appearances, though the 58.3% swing rate and 28.1% strikeout rate in that stretch are a reminder that the contact quality remains volatile against advanced sequencing. Three-hit games show the upside; the strikeout profile keeps the evaluation honest.
Dante Nori, OF, Phillies (AA, Reading) · #281 · went 3-for-5 Tuesday at Reading, his third multi-hit game in the last week. The 21-year-old left-handed center fielder grades out at 65 speed and 60 defense, with a 55 hit tool that makes him a legitimate everyday profile if the bat holds. His season line at Double-A sits at .244/.318/.360, but the last 30 days show a 16.7% walk rate and an 85.7% contact rate, a combination that points to a more patient, contact-forward version of the profile emerging at the end of the year.