We’ve used scouting reports, our proprietary roto scoring method, and our Prospect of the Week lists to create our Prospect Team of the Month for May, 2018:

Some highlights:

C – Zack Collins

The WhiteSox Catching prospect had quite the month with Double-A Barons. 14 games behind the dish and 12 as DH, nothing could stop Zack from getting his PAs in May. Opposing pitchers couldn’t keep the 22 yr old off the base pads, with 28 BBs leading to a gaudy .500 OBP for the month.

(23 yr/White Sox/AA) C, 118 PA, 86 AB, 30 BB, 29 SO, 5 HR, 2 SB, .325/.500/.558

1B – Roberto Ramos

At 23 and at High-A, Ramos might have an age advantage over the youger arms on the mound. But, you also have to put the barrell on the ball and Ramos did just that – homering 9 times. Which, was definitely on the short list for max long balls in our considerations in May. Leading the way with an .800 SLG for the month.

(23 yr/Rockies/A-Adv) 1B, 94 PA, 80 AB, 10 BB, 18 SO, 9 HR, 1 SB, .362/.451/.800

2B – Cavan Biggio

No one likes a bad sequel…But, following up his POTM honors in April, Biggio turned it on again to continue his electric start. With 9 HR in May, Biggio brings his season total to 13 HR for his 2018 campaign. Cavan is staking his spot in the loaded future infield at the Rogers Center (or is it centre?).

(23 yr/Blue Jays/AA) 2B, 125 PA, 98 AB, 24 BB, 29 SO, 9 HR, 4 SB, .326/.451/.673

SS – Fernando Tatis Jr.

Tatis Jr. started his season slowly, and prospectors were grumbling whether 2017 was a fluke. Tatis Jr. heard the rumors and told his detractors to be patient. His May performance showed why. He was named Texas League player of the month in May for his blistering pace. If we have one gripe with his game, it is his elevated K-rate (28% thus far in 2018). But the kid shows power/speed potential unmatched by any other middle infield prospect in the minors at this point.

(19 yr/Padres/AA) SS, 135 PA, 117 AB, 13 BB, 33 SO, 6 HR, 5 SB, .341/.422/.641

3B – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The king retains his crown. Vlad Jr. had the best performance of any hitter in the minors last month according to our proprietary roto-based metrics. He easily repeated as the 3B on our Prospect Team of the Month, joining teammate Cavan Biggio for the second straight month. We would root for Vladito to make it three straight in June, but that means he won’t hit the big leagues until July. We are ready for the Blue Jays to unleash this dude on the MLB.

(19 yr/Blue Jays/AA) 3B, 125 PA, 112 AB, 9 BB, 11 SO, 9 HR, 3 SB, .437/.480/.767

LF – Casey Golden

One of our favorite prospects since he turned up all over our daily top hitters panels last summer. Casey is too old for his level and strikes out at a high clip (32%), but he’s got grown-man strength in his bat. He hit 5 more HR in May, giving him 12 total home runs in 2018 and 32 homeruns in 104 games since his professional debut last summer. Even better, Casey has added a great speed element to his game, swiping 9 bags in May to give him 14 stolen bases on the season.

(23 yr/Rockies/A-Full) OF, 104 PA, 89 AB, 9 BB, 35 SO, 5 HR, 9 SB, .325/.423/.550

CF – Clint Frazier

We watched him with a keen eye this offseason as his workout videos displayed some Popeye-sized forearms. Clint looked every bit the part of a top hitting prospect in May, pounding the ball hard (.625 slugging) and swiping 4 bags for good measure. He’s now played in 3 games for the Yankees in 2018. How long until he sticks in the Bronx?

(23 yr/Yankees/AAA) CF, 99 PA, 88 AB, 10 BB, 25 SO, 5 HR, 4 SB, .340/.414/.625

RF – Alex Kirilloff

Don’t forget about this kid, who is still only 20 years old and looks like he’s about to take a developmental leap in 2018. We love his plate control on display in May, posting a 12:20 B:K ratio leading to a fantastic .436 OBP. At one point in May he recorded an extra-base hit in 13 straight games. He’s hit 10 home runs in 2018, and his wOBA has climbed to .430. He should get a shot at advancing levels this year.

(20 yr/Twins/A-Full) RF, 126 PA, 110 AB, 12 BB, 20 SO, 5 HR, 1 SB, .372/.436/.654

SP – Garrett Whitlock

Promoted to High-A Tampa during the month, Whitlock was next to impossible to score on in the month of May, posting a ridiculous 0.42 ERA over 4 starts. His FIP at High-A is 1.89. An 18th-round pick out of UAB who is making Yankees fans giddy at this point.

(21 yr/Yankees/A-Adv) P, 4 GS, 21.2 IP, 26 SO, 4 BB, 6.5 KBB, 0.424 ERA, 0.801 WHIP

SP – Ian Anderson

He’s only 20, but he’s baffling pitchers at the A-Advanced level already. Each of Anderson’s 5 starts in May turned up on our daily top pitching performances. 2018 overall FIP is now down to 2.79. Do the Braves have the deepest stable of pitching prospects out of any organization?

(20 yr/Braves/A-Adv) P, 5 GS, 28 IP, 34 SO, 9 BB, 3.77 KBB, 1.928 ERA, 0.964 WHIP

SP/1B – Brendan McKay

McKay was promoted to the A-Advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs mid-month. For the moment, his arm is outperforming his bat, which is saying something because his bat has been above average too. McKay was absolutely filthy this month in one of our favorite statistical categories – the K/BB ratio. Usually we look for pitchers with a ratio above 3.0 as great investments. McKay’s K/BB ratio in May was 17.5!

(22 yr/Rays/A-Adv) SP/1B, 3 GS, 27.2 IP, 35 SO, 2 BB, 17.5 KBB, 1.323 ERA, 0.441 WHIP

SP – Erik Swanson

Right-handed horse is on the fast-track in 2018, already picking up 2 promotions in the Yankees system. He’s now pitching for AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and with Jordan Montgomery going under the knife, don’t be surprised if he finds himself making at least a spot start at the MLB level this season.

(24 yr/Yankees/AAA) P, 4 GS, 30.2 IP, 31 SO, 8 BB, 3.87 KBB, 1.49 ERA, 0.894 WHIP