Around the start of each month, MiLB.com staff will break down the state of all 30 organizations with updates on their top prospects, Minor League affiliates and more in a feature called "Farm system storylines."



AL East

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles may own the second-worst record in baseball, but there have been some positives in July. Beyond the Major League team's 12-12 record for the month, outfield prospects Yusniel Díaz and Austin Hays have picked up the pace after dealing with injuries. Diaz, the centerpiece of last year's Manny Machado trade, missed all of May with a hamstring strain and was batting .229 at the end of June. The Orioles' No. 5 prospect batted .299/.353/.514 with 16 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs in July and hit safely in nine of his past 11 games at the end of the month to pull his season average up to .259. (He did end the month with a slight quad injury that the O's say is nothing serious.) A thumb injury delayed Hays' season debut until May, and he landed back on the injured list soon after with a hamstring injury of his own. Since returning to Triple-A Norfolk on July 11, he batted .250 with four home runs, 14 RBIs and an .849 OPS in 88 at-bats after his OPS hovered around .700 for most of the season. Much further down the chain, 2019 top pick Adley Rutschman made his awaited debut with a bang, homering in his first game in the Gulf Coast League on July 20. The switch-hitting backstop moved up to Class A Short Season Aberdeen one week later and is expected to remain there for the remainder of the season. -- Chris Tripodi

Boston Red Sox

Darwinzon Hernandez struggled as a starter this season, going 1-5 with a 5.26 ERA and 47 walks in 53 innings at the Minor League level and allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings in the Majors. The Red Sox moved him to the bullpen after his June 30 start in Rochester, and the decision has produced immediate results. Hernandez struck out six and walked one in 4 1/3 innings out of Triple-A Pawtucket's bullpen in July to earn a mid-month promotion to Boston, and he struck out 14 and walked four while allowing two runs -- neither of which were earned -- in 6 1/3 innings of relief for the Red Sox. Overall, his 20-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 10 2/3 July frames represented a massive improvement over his performance as a starter, and he should continue to help Boston in its push for an AL Wild Card spot. -- CT



New York Yankees

Even after a down 2018 season that saw him hit .191/.281/.316 in 45 games at Class A Short Season Staten Island, Canaan Smith still earned a promotion to Class A Charleston heading into 2019. One of the South Atlantic League's youngest players, the 20-year-old outfielder has rewarded the Yankees' faith. A nondescript April led to a big May as Smith hit .368/.446/.566 with 19 runs scored and hit for the cycle before falling back to earth in June, batting .223/.330/.372. Ranked as team's No. 26 prospect, he took things up a notch again in July with a ridiculous .393/.509/.519 line, 23 RBIs, 19 runs scored and six stolen bases -- two more than his season total heading into the month. He's cut his strikeout rate from 30.4 percent in 2018 to 20.7 percent this season and leads the South Atlantic League with a .415 on-base percentage while ranking second in batting average and in the top 10 in hits, doubles, total bases, walks and slugging percentage, all of which have gotten a nice boost from his monster July. -- CT



Tampa Bay Rays

It's not easy to win 20 games in a month, but two Rays affiliates managed to pull off the feat in July -- the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits went 21-8, while the Class A Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs went 20-8. Four of the organization's top prospects played key roles in the Stone Crabs' surge, led by top overall prospect Wander Franco , who hit .316/.394/.430 and scored 22 runs in 23 July games after a late-June promotion. Catcher Ronaldo Hernandez posted his highest batting average (.321), on-base percentage (.360) and OPS (.830) of any month this season, and left-hander Shane McClanahan continued to dominate since his June 8 promotion from Class A Bowling Green. No. 16 Joe Ryan is the least heralded of these prospects, but he was the best of the bunch in July with a 2-0 record, 0.96 ERA, and 38-to-five strikeout-to-walk ratio in five starts, spanning 28 innings. That success continued a breakout full-season debut for Ryan as Tampa Bay's 2018 seventh-round pick was 8-4 with a 2.03 ERA, ranking fifth in the Minors with 142 strikeouts -- five behind leaders Ian Anderson and Tarik Skubal (more on them later). -- CT



Toronto Blue Jays

Bo Bichette is off to a hot start since his July 29 promotion to Toronto, where he joined up with former Minor League teammates Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio . But it was another move that stole the headlines in Toronto and it came on the pitching side, with the Blue Jays trading Marcus Stroman to the Mets for pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson . Kay was dominant as a 24-year-old at Double-A Binghamton, going 7-3 with a 1.49 ERA in 12 starts before a June promotion to Triple-A Syracuse, where he struggled to a 6.61 ERA. He allowed seven runs -- three earned -- in his Blue Jays debut at Triple-A Buffalo, but the 2016 first-round pick still projects as a potential mid-rotation starter. Woods Richardson was 3-8 with a 4.25 ERA at Class A Columbia, but he struck out 97 batters and walked 17 in 78 1/3 innings. His ERA is skewed by a disastrous May (0-4, 10.89), as the 18-year-old right-hander has posted an ERA south of 2.40 in three of four months this season, including a 1.77 mark and 24-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in July. -- CT

AL Central

Chicago White Sox

When top prospect Luis Robert made the move to Triple-A Charlotte on July 9, he got to test his impressive bat against the toughest arms he'd yet seen and also get to use his offensive talents with the new Triple-A ball. It turns out he is just as fun in the International League as he's been anywhere else in 2019. The 21-year-old outfielder hit .351/.420/.714 with six homers and 13 total extra-base hits over his first 18 games with the Knights. As for concerns that Charlotte's hitter-friendly park would inflate Robert's power, half of his homers thus far have come on the road, despite playing two more games at home. Since his debut, Robert is tied for third among IL hitters with 55 total bases and fifth with a 1.134 OPS. He fits in just fine at Triple-A. -- Sam Dykstra

Cleveland Indians

The Indians are taking a fairly cautious approach with 2018 35th overall pick Ethan Hankins -- probably a good strategy after the 6-foot-6 right-hander missed time last spring with a shoulder injury -- and he is appropriately dominating for Class A Short Season Mahoning Valley. Cleveland's No. 8 prospect turned in scoreless efforts in three of his five appearances last month and finished with a 1.17 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 20 strikeouts and eight walks over 23 innings in July. Hankins throws in the high-90s at times with a good changeup, and those can confound lower-level hitters. Even better: he's thrown a career-high five innings in each of his last two outings and could see longer starts as he works deeper into August. Once a question mark in the Draft, Hankins is answering a lot of issues about his health and durability the deeper he goes into his first full season and should be a big piece of the future on Cleveland's farm. -- SD

Detroit Tigers

The emergence of Tarik Skubal has been one of the most pleasant surprises in the Detroit system in 2018. While most were talking about other hurlers in the pipeline, the 2018 ninth-rounder out of Seattle University emerged as the group's top left-handed pitching prospect, moving from No. 20 among all Tigers prospects to No. 4 in MLB.com's latest update. Skubal debuted for Double-A Erie on July 7 and has since reached double-digit strikeouts in four of his five outings with the SeaWolves. His 50 strikeouts over 24 innings are the most in the Majors since that Eastern League bow, and his 50 percent K rate is already highest among any Double-A pitcher with at least 20 frames at the level in 2019. Walks can be a problem -- he issued six free passes in 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday -- but for now, Skubal's three above-average pitches in his fastball, curve and slider are working well enough to keep Double-A batters guessing. -- SD

Kansas City Royals

Like a few others on this list, July would have been memorable for Kris Bubic no matter what because of his appearance in the All-Star Futures Game. But working around that trip to Cleveland, the Royals' No. 6 prospect had a special month during his time with Class A Advanced Wilmington, posting a 1.80 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 38 strikeouts over 30 innings. The Stanford product, who opened his first full season at Class A Lexington, probably should have been in the Carolina League all along because of his college experience, but a crowded Blue Rocks rotation forced him to work his way up to Class A Advanced. His fastball-changeup combo, combined with an odd-looking delivery from the left side, certainly has worked wonders since he moved up in late May, and his stock only continues to climb the more he works at Class A Advanced. -- SD

Minnesota Twins

July may not stand out comparitvely in Jhoan Duran 's impressive 2019 season, but it certainly solidified his place as a must-follow arm in the Minnesota pipeline. The Twins' No. 9 prospect posted a 3.38 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings this past month at Class A Advanced Fort Myers, and with a 3.23 ERA and 95 strikeouts over 78 frames on the season, he received a promotion to Double-A Pensacola on July 25. He promptly tossed five scoreless innings, fanning three and scattering two hits and a walk, in his Southern League debut at Jacksonville last Sunday. Duran throws in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and features a two-seamer with plenty of movement. His curveball is also developing enough to help with his jump in whiffs in 2019. Duran now features prominently on a Blue Wahoos roster that also boasts first-rounders Royce Lewis , Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach . Top pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol isn't too far off from joining the group as well. When not watching the Major League club, all eyes should be on Double-A. -- SD

AL West

Houston Astros

Abraham Toro enjoyed one of his most productive months yet in his breakout 2019 season in July, hitting .364/.424/.589 with almost as many extra-base hits (16) as strikeouts (18) over 26 games for Double-A Corpus Christi. The 2016 fifth-rounder hadn't hit higher than .254 in his first three pro seasons but was up to .306 on the season with a career-high-matching 16 homers with the Hooks before his bump up to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. It's going to be tough for a third baseman to break through in the Houston system for a while while Alex Bregman is around, but the switch-hitting Toro also has some experience at first and second base to help build his case for a spot with the big club. This recent hot run -- and his overall production in 2019 -- has at least put the Astros' No. 6 prospect on the radar. -- SD

Los Angeles Angels

No. 24 prospect Jared Walsh may seem like a bit of a two-way oddity for the Angels; he was certainly treated that way when the Halos selected his contract in May. But in July, he was more than just that -- he was one of Triple-A's greatest mashers. The 26-year-old led the Minors' top level with 13 homers in July while also hitting .358/.465/.842 over 24 games. Only teammate Jose Rojas (90) had more total bases than Walsh's 80 in the last month. The 2015 39th-rounder has always shown some pop in the Los Angeles system, including in 2018 when he went deep 29 times, but he has taken things to a new level this season. Of course, he also made a pair of scoreless one-inning relief appearances for the Bees and another one during a brief call-up to the big club in the middle of the month. Walsh isn't an oddity anymore. He has a legit chance to add some thump to a Major League lineup and provide bullpen help when needed. How the Angels use him the rest of the way will be fascinating to watch. -- SD

Oakland Athletics

There hasn't been much happy news on the A's Minor League injury front in 2019, but there were some positive developments when it came to No. 2 prospect A.J. Puk and his return from Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old left-hander made eight appearances in July between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas -- all in relief -- and allowed five earned runs while striking out 13 and walking three over 11 innings in that span. His fastball is back in the upper-90s, and his slider and changeup have been good enough to keep upper-level hitters off-balance. All of this, along with the move to the bullpen, is significant because it could portend a Major League debut for Puk in 2019, should he stay healthy and effective for the Aviators. The A's remain very much in the AL Wild Card race and could use all the help they can get down the stretch, including their 2016 first-rounder. Puk will be tested harder the more experience he gets in the Pacific Coast League, so his outings deserve a close watch in the weeks to come. -- SD

Seattle Mariners

The first half of the month definitely belonged to Cal Raleigh , so much so that he has to feature here even though the second half didn't go to plan. The 22-year-old switch-hitting catcher won three straight California League Player of the Week awards before his promotion to Double-A Arkansas on July 15. During his 12 games with Class A Advanced Modesto in July, Raleigh homered nine times and hit .348/.423/.867. It's that above-average power that pushed him to the No. 7 spot in the M's prospect rankings, up from No. 13 to begin the season. That said, Raleigh couldn't carry his momentum to the Texas League, going 8-for-44 (.182) with no homers and 17 strikeouts to close out the month at the higher level. Raleigh needs his bat to be up to snuff if he's going to carve out a role in Seattle's rebuild. It's too early to determine how his offensive game will play at Double-A and what that will do to his stock, but it's worth monitoring as he beefs up his Arkansas sample size. -- SD

Texas Rangers

Stats immediately following the Draft can often be discarded pretty easily, but it's fun to see a new pro confirm the scouting report on him in the Minor League ranks. The Rangers grabbed Josh Jung with the eighth overall pick in June because of the above-average potential he'd shown with both his hit and power tools at Texas Tech. The 21-year-old third baseman has had no trouble carrying that to pro ball after debuting on July 10. The right-handed slugger went 10-for-17 with three extra-base hits (one of each kind) over four games in the Arizona League before moving up to Class A Hickory on July 15. The numbers there aren't that rosy, but they're still quite good -- 15-for-49 (.306) with two doubles and two steals over 12 games in July. Jung has yet to homer with the Crawdads, but after going deep 14 times in the spring with the Red Raiders, his pop is not a worry just yet. The San Antonio native just needs to keep focusing on making solid contact the rest of the way, and his stock will be just fine as Texas' new top prospect. -- SD



NL East

Atlanta Braves

No. 34 overall prospect Ian Anderson remains in a race to be crowned the 2019 Minor League strikeout king, and he gave himself a boost in July, fanning 34 over 25 1/3 innings for Double-A Mississippi. He now has 147 in 111 innings on the season (all with the M-Braves), tied for the most in the Minors with Skubal (mentioned above in the Tigers section). What's more, his 1.78 ERA in July was his lowest of any month in 2019, and a big reason for that was Anderson's improved control. The 21-year-old right-hander issued only four walks in 25 1/3 innings, despite entering the month averaging 4.5 BB/9. With three above-average pitches in his fastball, curve and change, Anderson has the pure stuff to feature near the top of a rotation some day, and if he can keep up this level of control, he gets closer to reaching that ceiling. -- SD

Miami Marlins

Any potential July storyline for the Fish got wiped away by the organization's trade activity on the last day of the deadline. The Marlins picked up Top-100 prospects Jesús Sánchez (No. 42) and Jazz Chisholm (No. 59) in moves with the Rays and D-backs, respectively. That now gives Miami six Top-100 prospects, tied with Tampa Bay for the second-most in baseball, at a time when the club needs all the young talent it can get. Of course, to get talent it usually costs talent, and the loss of Zac Gallen in the midst of his breakout campaign could smart over time. But there's no doubt that the ceiling of the Marlins' pipeline definitely increased in one day. With strong months from the likes of Sixto Sanchez , Isan Díaz , Edward Cabrera , Connor Scott , Braxton Garrett , Trevor Rogers among others, the arrow is definitely pointed up for the Marlins prospect pool. -- SD

New York Mets

Looking for a popup prospect in the Mets system? Look no further than No. 11 prospect Kevin Smith , who opened the season not ranked among New York's top 30. The 2018 seventh-rounder was both a starter and reliever in college but seems to have fit well into the former role in his first full season. Smith opened the season at Class A Advanced St. Lucie and posted a 1.04 ERA with 24 strikeouts and five walks over 17 1/3 innings in July with the Florida State League club, prompting a July 19 promotion to Double-A Binghamton. He had little trouble carrying those results to the Eastern League and now sits with a 1.56 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through three starts, including six scoreless frames at home against Erie on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5 southpaw's best pitch is his slider, but his fastball and changeup also work because of the deception coming from his large frame. The package is good enough to keep him in a starting role for now, and that's more than he could say in college. -- SD

Philadelphia Phillies

Spencer Howard is back, and that's big news for the Phillies. Philadelphia's fifth-ranked prospect missed all of May and most of June with a shoulder injury before making a pair of rehab appearances in the Gulf Coast League. He returned to Class A Advanced Clearwater on July 8 and proceeded to toss 15 scoreless innings over his next three starts, striking out 18 and walking only one in that span. He fanned 10 batters and allowed one earned run on four hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings in his Double-A Reading debut on July 26 before hitting his pitch limit. The 23-year-old right-hander regularly throws in the mid-90s when healthy and can touch the upper-90s as well while adding an above-average slider and decent curve and change. Now that he's also hitting his spots since his return, it's all about increasing his innings and pitch counts over the final few weeks of the season. An assignment to the Arizona Fall League could also happen to make up for the lost time. -- SD

Washington Nationals

In 2019, pitchers have mostly gone to Triple-A to see their ERAs explode, so it's all the more notable when a hurler moves up to the Minors' top level and sees that number go down. That's been the case for Nationals No. 4 prospect Wil Crowe , who had a 3.87 mark at Double-A Harrisburg and has seen that drop to 3.46 over four starts with Triple-A Fresno. There's some obvious small-sample issues going on here -- Crowe's 3.37 FIP at Fresno is higher than his 3.16 at the lower level -- but it's notable that he's been so consistent between the two stops. What helps is the 24-year-old right-hander is mostly a groundball pitcher; 49.3 percent of the balls hit off him in Triple-A have been on the ground. In fact, he's yet to give up a home run in 26 innings in the PCL. That will undoubtedly change, but sticking with the ground game is a great way to survive the Pacific Coast League in 2019. Crowe has three above-average pitches in his fastball, curve and changeup, and he could push for a Major League debut in the next two months should this continue. -- SD



NL Central

Chicago Cubs

Nico Hoerner started July on the mend. The top Cubs prospect shook off a wrist injury that sidelined him for two months, did a quick rehab stint in the Arizona League and was back with Double-A Tennessee in time for Fourth of July fireworks. But the 2018 first-rounder with a plus hit tool has yet to show up. Hoerner hit .232/.274/.364 with two homers and nine RBIs in 25 games for the month. The 22-year-old shortstop has not had the first full season Cubs fans had hoped for, but perhaps he'll get back on track the further from the IL he gets. -- Kelsie Heneghan

Cincinnati Reds

The Reds dealt top prospect Taylor Trammell at the deadline while their top pitching prospect, Hunter Greene , remains out for the season following Tommy John surgery. And while 2018 first-rounder Jonathan India has not quite been the beacon, a new exciting prospect has emerged: Nick Lodolo . After being selected seventh overall in June, the 21-year-old southpaw has climbed from Rookie Advanced Billings to Class A Dayton without issuing a single walk. Featuring three plus pitches, Lodolo posted a 2.81 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 16 July innings. Though he was shut down for the season on Thursday after hitting his innings limit, Lodolo certainly gave Reds fans something to smile about this summer. -- KH

Milwaukee Brewers

Somehow July just kept getting better for Trent Grisham , and it ended with the biggest highlight of his career thus far. The left-handed batter notched a .412/.500/.814 slash line with nine homers and 21 RBIs for Triple-A San Antonio in the best statistical month of his career. Grisham capped that wild month by hitting for the cycle and adding a second dinger. The 2015 first-rounder already has more jacks this year (26) than he did in his first four pro seasons combined (19). And how do the Brewers reward their No. 6 prospect? By tapping him for his first Major League callup. Yep, pretty good month for Grisham. -- KH

Pittsburgh Pirates

Oneil Cruz began July fresh off the IL from a foot fracture. No adjustment period necessary. The left-handed batter showcased his plus-power with four roundtrippers in his first eight games of the month for Class A Advanced Bradenton. While he kept his propensity to strike out, Cruz reached base in 22 of the 23 games he played with the Marauders, earning his way to Double-A Altoona, where he continued to do much of the same. Across the two levels, the 20-year-old hit .323/.356/.950 with six jacks and 13 RBIs in 25 games. Oh, and his well-above-average arm at short should also play in the Eastern League until the Pirates decide if his 6-foot-6 frame is the best fit there or elsewhere on the diamond. -- KH

St. Louis Cardinals

Dylan Carlson has been one of the biggest breakout prospects this season. And while his June was just OK, he came roaring back in July. The switch-hitter notched a .301/.389/.602 slash line and established a new career-high with seven homers in the month. After being selected 33rd overall in the 2016 Draft, Carlson struggled in first three seasons. But this year, he's hit his stride, and July was key to show it wasn't just a hot start. Carlson has taken on a bigger role defensively, too, becoming an everyday center fielder, where he has yet to make an error. -- KH

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Go ahead and jump on that Kristian Robinson Hype Train. It's very fun! The outfielder is spending his age-18 season with Class A Short Season Hillsboro and looking talented beyond his years. In July, he hit .320/.404/.630 with eight homers and nine stolen bases over 27 games with the Hops. His 1.034 OPS was second-best among all Class A Short Season sluggers in the month. The Bahamas native was expected to show plus power potential as well as promising tools with his speed and defense, but he seems to have pushed up his development. Many are taking notice as MLB.com moved him up to No. 93 overall in its midseason prospect rankings and the Northwest League selected him as an All-Star. More will do so the more he develops and the higher he climbs, so start paying attention now. -- SD

Colorado Rockies

Aaron Schunk had a good first month of his professional career. His second month was even better. The second-round pick by the Rockies in this year's Draft had four long balls while hitting .358/.433/.566 over 27 games in July for Class A Short Season Boise. A product of the University of Georgia, Schunk, the Rockies' No. 12 prospect, has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games with eight of those being multi-hit efforts. On July 19, the 22-year-old third baseman racked up a career-high four hits, including a homer and two doubles against Salem-Keizer. Schunk will be a Northwest League All-Star next month, meaning his August is already looking pretty good, too. -- Brian Stultz

Los Angeles Dodgers

The month of July belonged to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and there was possibly no one hotter in baseball than Gavin Lux . In 22 games, the Dodgers' top prospect put together a .435/.519/.837 slash line with seven home runs. He wasn't the only Oklahoma City player to make a statement last month. DJ Peters made his first full month at the Triple-A level memorable, smashing 11 dingers while batting .340/.455/.740 and showing that his impressive power certainly plays at the Minors' highest level. Top pitching prospect Dustin May posted a 2.01 ERA in four appearances while fanning 21 over 22 1/3 innings. The 21-year-old right-hander will make his next appearance in the Majors on Friday. All in all, if you are the Dodgers, you loved what you saw from your top prospects this past month in their first moves to Triple-A, and it's possible that more than just May will be contributing to the big club down the stretch as a result. -- BS

San Diego Padres

It took Edward Olivares a couple months to heat up, but the Padres' No. 20 prospect is definitely hot at the plate now. The center fielder raked at a .356/.407/.584 clip with five dingers and 12 total extra-base hits over 26 games for Double-A Amarillo in July. This follows a June in which he put up a .333 average with three home runs and 17 RBIs. Sod Poodles teammate MacKenzie Gore had quite a month as well. The Padres' top prospect was promoted to the Texas League on July 9 and has sandwiched two scoreless outings (lasting 10 1/3 innings combined) with a rough effort on July 19 in which he gave up seven earned runs on nine hits over four innings. That was the first real struggle Gore had endured anywhere in 2019, and to see him bounce back so well a week later should keep the optimism high on the southpaw. -- BS