Weekly Risers: Anderson Earns a Promotion and Keeps Hitting, Jones Catches Fire in Amarillo's Playoff Push
By Morgan Davis ·
The Weekly Risers column highlights the weekly performances of players outside of our Top 400. We strive to provide context to the performance so you can assess who is on a hot run and who has shifted their projection.
Anderson Steps Up to Norfolk and Doesn't Miss a Beat
Ethan Anderson, a switch-hitting catcher in the Orioles organization and ranked #928, was promoted from Double-A Chesapeake to Triple-A Norfolk on September 15 and responded by going 7-for-21 with two doubles, two home runs, three RBI, and three walks in his first five games at the new level. That is as clean a debut as you could draw up for a player who has spent most of 2026 hitting his way through the Eastern League, and the production fits the broader narrative of a backstop whose bat has been ahead of his defensive profile all year.
Across all three levels in 2026, the 23-year-old has combined for a .288/.375/.544 line with 24 home runs in 397 plate appearances, with the power grades already at 55 and the contact tool checking in at 50. Over his last 30 days at Double-A before the promotion, Anderson posted a .312/.376/.597 slash with six home runs and 18 RBI in 85 plate appearances, with a 17.6 percent strikeout rate that sits well below his season mark. The swing rate sits at 49.1 percent for the season with a 74 percent contact rate, so the bat plays against velocity when he is on time. The catch has always been the defensive question: the receiving, blocking, and mobility have not yet confirmed a long-term fit behind the plate, and a move to first base would raise the offensive bar considerably. Right now, though, the bat is doing everything it needs to do, and a prospect ranked outside the top 900 putting up 24 home runs across three levels before his first taste of Triple-A is a line worth tracking.
Quick Hits
Druw Jones, LF, Diamondbacks (AA, Amarillo) · #573 · Nine hits in 20 plate appearances, all singles, with five RBI, two walks, and five strikeouts in what was a contact-heavy week for Amarillo's playoff push. The 22-year-old has produced across his last 30 days at a level that flips the hit-tool conversation: .344/.404/.478 with a 9.0 percent walk rate and 24.0 percent strikeout rate over 100 plate appearances. The 65 athleticism, 60 field, and 60 arm grades have always been the foundation, but the contact has been the moving piece all year, and a stretch like this one in a playoff environment is the best-case version of that bat coming through. He's at .271/.361/.374 with 38 stolen bases on the season, a profile that stays relevant even when the power is not the story.
Cam Cauley, SS, Rangers (AAA, Round Rock) · #730 · Seven hits, two doubles, and two home runs in 28 plate appearances, driving in seven with only three strikeouts against two walks. Over his last 13 games at Round Rock, the 23-year-old is slashing .302/.345/.660 with five home runs and 14 RBI, a 15.3 percent strikeout rate that is well below his season mark, and a contact rate of 79 percent in that window. The 70 speed and 60 field grades are the carrying tools, and the 40 hit grade has long been the concern, but a stretch where the power is showing up and the bat is making contact at this clip matters. His combined season line sits at .266/.355/.453 with 17 home runs and 40 stolen bases across Triple-A and 34 big-league games.
Duce Gourson, 3B, Pirates (AAA, Indianapolis) · #556 · Eight hits, one double, three home runs, and seven RBI in 31 plate appearances, with four walks against nine strikeouts. That strikeout total keeps pace with his season profile: 24.8 percent on the year with a contact rate of 69.7 percent that reflects genuine swing-and-miss risk. The production is real, though. Over the last 30 days at Indianapolis, the 24-year-old is slashing .297/.381/.581 with four home runs and five doubles across 85 plate appearances. The 55 hit grade and 38 stolen bases on the season give the profile more dimension than the swing-and-miss suggests, and the power grade sits at only 45, making three-homer weeks worth noting each time they arrive.
John Holobetz, RHP, Red Sox (AAA, Worcester) · #551 · 4.1 innings, two hits, no runs, two walks, and eight strikeouts, with 20 swinging misses on 66 pitches. The 20 whiffs against eight strikeouts is a sharp ratio that speaks to how often hitters were getting beat without completing the punch-out. His season ERA at Triple-A sits at 3.57 across 40.1 innings, part of a combined 4.07 ERA over 119.1 innings at Double-A and Triple-A. Over the last 30 days, the ERA is 1.31 with a 25.6 percent strikeout rate across 20.2 innings at Worcester. The 60 fastball grade and 55 command grade are the engine here; when the secondaries are landing, this is a No. 4 starter profile with a chance to stay in Boston's rotation conversation heading into next spring.
Raudi Rodriguez, OF, Angels (AAA, South Jordan) · #503 · Ten hits in 31 plate appearances, all singles, with six RBI and five walks against five strikeouts. The 23-year-old's season at Triple-A sits at .268/.374/.396 with a 14.4 percent walk rate, and his combined line across Double-A and Triple-A checks in at .264/.374/.410 with 36 stolen bases and 84 walks in 588 plate appearances. The last 30 days at Salt Lake show a 14.0 percent walk rate and a 17.8 percent strikeout rate across 107 plate appearances, the latter well below his season norm. There is no carrying power tool here, just a 50 hit grade, 55 speed, and an approach patient enough to generate real on-base value in a corner role.
Zach Ehrhard, OF, Dodgers (AAA, Oklahoma City) · #668 · Eight hits and four doubles in 28 plate appearances, adding three walks against three strikeouts. No home runs, but four doubles in a week from a player with a 45 power grade is a useful reminder that the bat-to-ball ability can drive value even without the long ball. His season line at Triple-A: .291/.400/.472 with 20 home runs, 30 doubles, and a 14.7 percent walk rate across 640 plate appearances. Over the last 30 days, the contact rate is 77.8 percent with a 9.6 percent walk rate across 115 plate appearances. Second-division left fielder projection with a 50 hit grade; the doubles week fits the profile.
Manuel Genao, RHP, Marlins (A, Jupiter) · #472 · Five innings, two hits, no runs, one walk, and eight strikeouts, with seven swinging misses on 68 pitches. The 20-year-old's last 30 days at Jupiter show a 2.00 ERA and a 31.9 percent strikeout rate across 18 innings. His season line: 3.67 ERA, 25.2 percent strikeout rate, and a 7.2 percent walk rate across 108 innings. The sinker/fastball pairing is the foundation, touching the mid-90s with arm-side run, and the changeup remains underdeveloped, but a 20-year-old posting these results at full-season ball has room to grow into a back-end starter if the secondary pitch takes a step forward.
Noah Miller, SS, Dodgers (AAA, Oklahoma City) · #502 · Six hits, two home runs, and five RBI in 22 plate appearances, with one walk and three strikeouts. His season line at Triple-A checks in at .254/.319/.400 with 12 home runs and 21 triples and doubles combined across 583 plate appearances. The 70 field grade is the carrying tool, and the 30 power grade makes two-homer weeks a genuine outlier. The switch-hitter's 9.3 percent walk rate and 18.0 percent strikeout rate on the season are workable for a glove-first utility profile, and a week of offensive pop like this one adds context to a season that has been mostly defined by what he does with the leather.
Sterlin Thompson, OF, Rockies (AAA, Albuquerque) · #417 · Six hits, two doubles, one home run, three RBI, and six walks against only one strikeout in 26 plate appearances. The patience and contact combination over the last 30 days at Albuquerque has been the story of his September: .376/.518/.647 with a 19.1 percent walk rate and a 10.0 percent strikeout rate across 110 plate appearances, with a contact rate of 81.8 percent in that stretch. The 55 hit grade is playing up, and his combined season line of .312/.449/.503 with 16 home runs in 485 plate appearances between Triple-A and 27 major-league games keeps the second-division left-field profile looking realistic.