10 MLB Pitching Prospects With Standout Data In July

Carlos Lagrange, RHP, Yankees

The 6-foot-7 Lagrange began the season in a talented Hudson Valley rotation alongside Bryce Cunningham, Ben Hess and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Lagrange was the first of the group to be promoted to Double-A Somerset, making the jump on June 6 to give him two full months at the level. He’s produced, despite showing errant command, as Eastern League hitters have proven to be no match for Lagrange.

In July, Lagrange made three starts with one relief appearance coming behind a Luis Gil rehab appearance in which he went five innings. Over those four appearances, Lagrange allowed seven total hits, three earned runs and one home run in 21.1 innings. For the month, Lagrange struck out 38.8% of batters while holding the opposition to a .101 batting average. Batters slugged just .174 against him while he generated swinging strikes at a rate of 16%.

Carlos Lagrange has allowed just THREE hits over 16 innings this month 🤯

He landed a top 5 spot in this week's Hot Sheet ⤵️https://t.co/Czl2tD9I1N pic.twitter.com/a9ifdleYag

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 17, 2025

There’s been plenty written about Lagrange’s premium stuff, as his four-seam fastball sits 98-99 mph and touches triple digits regularly. The pitch has average ride but heavy arm side run and good approach angle to the plate. His fastball didn’t generate as many whiffs as you’d expect in July, however, resulting in a 7% swinging strike rate.

As such, Lagrange’s secondaries were the key to his success this month. His slider sits at 82-84 mph with some ride and heavy sweep. It’s his most-used secondary and his primary pitch against lefties. In July, opponents hit .000/.071/.000 against his slider on a sizable sample of 108 pitches. It generated a 19% swinging-strike rate and a 50% whiff rate.

While the performance for Lagrange’s slider was impressive in July, his changeup may have been even better at generating whiffs. The pitch sits in the high 80s to low 90s with good separation off his fastball in terms of both velocity and vertical break. In a 51-pitch sample this month, the changeup boasted a 27% swinging-strike rate with a 52% whiff rate and a 30% chase rate. Lagrange will also mix in a high-80s cutter from time to time, as it works as a bridge pitch between his fastball and slider. 

The development of Lagrange’s secondaries, particularly the performance of his changeup, is a good sign for his future as a starter.    

Brandon Sproat, RHP, Mets 

Sproat has been a changed man since making some serious alterations to his pitch mix in late June. We’ll dive into some of Sproat’s arsenal and usage changes in a bit, but first, let’s focus on his standout July.

Sproat made four starts this month, allowing just two earned runs across 22 innings. He struck out 24 batters while allowing five walks and just 11 hits, resulting in a .151 opponent batting average. Sproat also generated ground balls at an elite 67% rate. His ability to miss bats, limit walks and keep contact on the ground is a great combination of traits that hints at future success. 

Sproat has a truly deep arsenal of offerings, as he mixes six different pitch shapes. His four-seam fastball is his primary pitch but is only used 32% of the time. While the pitch sits 96-98 mph, the movement is pedestrian and limits its bat-missing abilities. He also mixes in a two-seam variation in the same velocity band that generated ground balls 75% of the time this month. 

Sproat has significantly upped the usage of his changeup in recent months and has found a lot of success doing it. The change boasted a 26% swinging-strike rate in July with a 71% groundball rate. The pitch’s development has been paramount to Sproat’s recent run of success.

With three breaking-ball shapes in a sweeper, curveball and more straight slider, Sproat likes to show a variety of looks. Of late, his curveball has seen a spike in usage with excellent results. In July, the curve had a 41% whiff rate and a 32% chase rate while being thrown around 13% of the time. Sproat’s mid-80s sweeper and high-80s slider saw a drop in usage over the last month, but both are thrown regularly.

Trey Gibson, RHP, Orioles

Gibson has gone from undrafted free agent to a highly-regarded pitching prospect in two years’ time. Promoted to Double-A Chesapeake on June 7, he has outperformed his High-A numbers in the Eastern League and is riding high after a phenomenal July.

Over four starts this month, Gibson has taken on all comers, as he pitched to a 1.23 ERA over 22 innings. The peripherals back the performance, as well. He had 1.80 FIP in July, as he struck out 33.3% of batters he faced while allowing free passes in just 7.1% of plate appearances. Gibson generated a 14% swinging-strike rate overall with a 46% groundball rate, showing his versatility when it comes to generating outs. 

Gibson mixes a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball, cutter and a sinker. The fastball is his most frequently thrown pitch, but his trio of breaking balls shapes accounts for 63% of his usage.

Gibson’s four-seamer sits 93-95 mph with 17-18 inches of induced vertical break, 10-11 inches of armside run and an average of seven feet of extension. Gibson doesn’t generate many whiffs against it, but he zones the pitch enough to set up his secondaries.

His slider is his most-used secondary, sitting 85-87 mph with 10 inches of sweep on average. The combination of velocity and movement makes it a good swing-and-miss pitch. His curveball is his best bat-missing pitch, and he’s thrown it more in Double-A than High-A this season. The pitch boasts a 51% whiff rate in Double-A with a 33% in-zone whiff rate. His high-80s cutter is bridge pitch and is more cut slider than cut fastball in shape. The cutter doesn’t miss bats, but it does generate ground balls at a 50%+ rate.

Gibson has three pitches with groundball rates of 50% or higher in his fastball, cutter and curveball. His ability to mix a variety of breaking ball shapes with both movement and velocity gives him a good shot of succeeding as a starter in the majors. 

T.J. Nichols, RHP, Rays

The Rays drafted Nichols out of Arizona in the 2023 sixth round. After a strong season with Low-A Charleston in 2024 slid under the radar, Nichols has cemented himself as one of the Rays’ up-and-coming pitching prospects in 2025.

Over four starts in July, Nichols went 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 2.95 FIP. He struck out 27% of batters faced while issuing walks in just 6.7% of plate appearances. Opponents batted .210 against him while he generated ground balls 61% of the time on balls in play. Like many pitchers included this month’s list, Nichols consistently keeps the ball on the ground while generating an average-or-better amount of swinging strikes. 

Nichols has a fairly typical three-pitch mix, led by his mid-90s four-seam fastball and complemented by a mid-to-high-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup. He generates a below-average amount of extension, but his lower three-quarters arm slot gives his release some deception and drops the height. The fastball has velocity, good plane and a higher-efficiency shape. His 17 inches of induced vertical break on average paired with 10 inches of armside run and velocity make it an above-average pitch. Nichols shows real above-average fastball command, as well, with a 60% zone rate this season and a 70% strike rate. 

His slider is an effective bat-missing pitch for which he’s shown plus command. It sits 85-87 mph with cut slider-type shape, and it generates lots of swings in and out of the zone. His split-changeup might be his best pitch with a 10+ mph separation off his fastball and excellent vertical separation.

Nichols has a defined three-pitch mix that generates whiffs, is consistently in the zone and generates lots of ground balls when pitches are put into play. 

Miguel Mendez, RHP, Padres

Signed by the Padres out of the Dominican Republic in February 2021, Mendez’s stuff made a jump in 2023 before taking another substantial leap entering 2025. This season, Mendez is showing plus velocity with average command across a three-pitch mix. He began the season with Low-A Lake Elsinore before earning the promotion to High-A Fort Wayne on May 6.

Over three starts in July, Mendez didn’t allow a run across 18 innings while striking out 21 batters to three walks (but with four hit batsmen). Mendez held opposing hitters to a .138 batting average against with a 0.61 WHIP and a stingy 4.6% walk rate. He also boasted a 19% swinging-strike rate and a 49% groundball rate in July. 

Mendez’s three-pitch mix is dominated by his four-seam fastball and slider usage, as his changeup is used just 7% of the time. The four-seam fastball sits at 84-86 mph with cutter shape and touches 89 at peak. His slider is his best whiff-generating pitch, with a 40% in-zone miss rate in High-A this season. It’s a plus pitch and the key to Mendez’s success.

His fastball, meanwhile, sits at 96-97 mph, touching 100 at peak with average ride and heavy arm side run from a lower release height due to 6.6 feet of extension. The fastball has seen success as a swing-and-miss pitch in the zone at High-A, generating a 27% in-zone whiff rate, which is an above-average marker for a fastball.

Mendez’s changeup is rarely used and has seen underwhelming results. The development of a third pitch will be a key component for his future success and chances of remaining a starter. 

Brycen Mautz, LHP, Cardinals

After the Cardinals selected Mautz in the second round of the 2022 draft, the lefty has spent each season as a professional at just one level. After spending all of 2023 with Low-A Palm Beach, he spent all of 2024 with High-A Peoria.

A workhorse, back-of-the-rotation type in the making, Mautz has thrown 100+ innings in each of his first two professional seasons and looks on pace to meet or exceed that number in 2025. In 17 starts with Double-A Springfield, Mautz has pitched to a 3.47 ERA over 72.2 innings striking out 28.2% of batters he’s faced while posting a career-low walk rate of 7.3%.

Mautz was particularly hot in July, as he made five starts and allowed four earned runs over 23 innings while striking out 28 to five walks. Mautz was able to navigate four road matchups, allowing no more than five baserunners in any of those starts. Mautz’s improved command and ability to miss bats drove his success this month. 

Mautz’s stuff doesn’t jump off the page, but he does mix six different pitch shapes: a four-seam fastball, sinker, curveball, cutter, slider and changeup. His four-seamer sits at 92-94 mph with more armside run than ride and doesn’t miss many bats, while his sinker sits in a similar velocity range, showing true sink and 16-17 inches of armside run on average.

The curveball is Mautz’s primary secondary and the most-used of his three breaking balls. It’s high-70s-to-low-80s offering with slurvy shape, and while it’s not a bat-misser, it keeps hitters off balance and drives bad contact. His cutter sits in the mid 80s and generates lots of chase swings, while his low-to-mid-80s slider generates the highest rate of whiffs in his repertoire.

Mautz throws five different pitches 10% of the time or more, and he uses his ability to make the ball move through a variety of zones to his advantage. 

Braden Davis, LHP, Cardinals

No pitcher in the minors had a better July than Davis. Over four starts split between Low-A Palm Beach and High-A Peoria, the 22-year-old lefty posted a 0.95 ERA and struck out 32 batters across 19 innings. The strikeouts didn’t slow down with the jump to High-A, either, as Davis punched out eight in each of his two starts with Peoria. While opponents batted just .125 against Davis in July, he did struggle with command, as 12.2% of batters reached via walk. Davis’ 32 strikeouts led full-season leagues for the month, as his plus changeup kept hitters off-balance.

The Cardinals’ fifth-round pick in 2024 out of Oklahoma, Davis made his professional debut this spring and has shown more swing-and-miss capability than his smaller size (5-foot-11 and 180 pounds) or low-90s fastball velocity would suggest. 

Davis will show four different pitches and has found more velocity since college. He really rides his four-seam fastball, generating above-average ride and armside run. After sitting in the low 90s during college, Davis now sits comfortably 92-94 mph in starts. His ability to ride his fastball and generate run allow the pitch to play up and generate whiffs at a higher rate for a four-seam.

His primary secondary is a changeup in the low 90s with a Bugs Bunny changeup that looks like a dead zone fastball in the low 80s but plays like a plus pitch. It has parallels to Drew Thorpe’s changeup that dominated the lower minors. His slider is a slurvy, low-80s breaking ball that resembles a curveball more than a slider. His mid-80s cutter is a bridge pitch between the slider and fastball.

Davis has shown deceptive bat-missing traits, but how his changeup and fastball combination will play in the upper minors is still a question waiting to be answered.   

Jostin Florentino, RHP, Cubs

Signed by the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic in January 2023, Florentino spent two seasons in the Dominican Summer League before coming stateside to begin 2025. He began his season in the Arizona Complex League, making five appearances before seeing promotion to Low-A Myrtle Beach on June 7. Florentino has pitched well since the promotion, as he’s allowed seven earned runs over 36.2 innings while striking out 42 batters to 13 walks.

In July, Florentino dominated over his four starts, allowing one earned run across 21 innings and striking out 31% of batters faced. Opposing hitters batted just .156 against him to go with a 7.1% walk rate, as baserunners were at a minimum during Florentino’s starts in July. The righthander shows good feel for strike-throwing and command of his primary pitches. 

Florentino’s pitch mix consists of fastball, sweeper, changeup and cutter, with the heater and sweeper accounting for roughly 90% of total usage. His fastball sits 89-91 mph, touching 92 at peak with around 12 inches of induced vertical break and 11 inches of armside run. On its face, the shape of the pitch is below-average, but his above-average extension and six-foot height drop his release to a staggeringly low 4-foot-8. This unique release characteristic allows the pitch to set up the rest of his repertoire, as it works well enough to steal early strikes and keep hitters off his below-average velocity and movement.

Florentino’s sweeper is used around 30% of the time, and the pitch generates an outrageous amount of gloveside break. Sitting mid 70s, Florentino generates, on average, 19 inches of sweep on the pitch with high spin rates in the 2800 rpm range. The sweeper is his best bat-missing pitch, and he shows an average ability to zone the pitch (50% zone rate and 66% strike rate in Low-A). His changeup and cutter, meanwhile, are both developing pitches far from being ready for higher usage.

Florentino shows interesting release traits and feel for spin, but he lacks both the physicality of a starter and a deep pitch mix. Added velocity and a more defined fastball shape will open up more avenues to potential MLB roles. 

Everett Catlett, LHP, Rockies

Catlett probably wasn’t name you expected to see included in this month’s standouts, but the 6-foot-7 lefty had one the best performances of any pitcher in the minor leagues this July.

A 2024 12th-round pick out of Georgetown, Catlett debuted this spring with Low-A Fresno. Over the first month and a half of the season, he worked as a reliever in one-to-three inning stints. Over nine appearances out of the bullpen, Catlett owned a 8.31 ERA. On May 10, he made his first start with Fresno, and since that time, he’s stuck in the rotation and earned the bump to High-A Spokane. In 14 starts, Catlett has pitched to a 2.05 ERA, 3.31 FIP and 1.01 WHIP, while striking out 23.7% of batters with a 5.4% walk rate.

In July, Catlett made five starts split between Low-A and High-A, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 31 strikeouts to eight walks across 30 innings. Opponents hit just .151 against him. 

Under the hood, Catlett mixes four pitches in a four-seam fastball, gyro slider, changeup and curveball. His four-seam fastball sits 91-92 mph, touching 94 at peak. It’s a below-average pitch, but his average command for it and higher release height give it a chance to work. His slider is a mid-80s gyro slider with tight break, and he drew solid swing-and-miss numbers against the pitch (40% whiff rate) in Low-A.

His changeup is his best pitch and the key to his success. Sitting in the mid 80s, what it lacks in velocity separation, he creates with vertical separation. The pitch had a 44% chase rate and has been equally successful in his two starts at High-A.

While his July was a month to remember, ultimately, Catlett’s stuff is below-average, and he lacks velocity, extension or spin traits that could lead to continued success. 

Kyle Carr, LHP, Yankees

Coming out of spring training in 2024, Carr had as much helium as any pitcher in the Clearwater pod. His entry into professional baseball did not go as planned, however, as Carr struggled across 24 starts, pitching to a 4.76 ERA with a 12.2% walk rate. He returned to Hudson Valley to begin 2025 and there he stayed. He’s made 17 starts, pitching to a 2.16 ERA with improved command resulting in a walk rate that is down to 10.7% this season.

Carr was phenomenal in July, as he made four starts and allowed just one earned run across 24.1 innings. He struck out 26 batters to six walks, posting a 0.86 WHIP for the month.

Carr’s stuff hasn’t changed much since we last checked in on his arsenal, but the usage and plan of attack has deviated substantially year over year. Carr operated primarily with a four-seam fastball, slider and changeup in 2024, throwing a two-seam fastball in small doses. In 2025, he’s made his slider his primary pitch while upping the usage on his two-seamer to 20%. His four-seam usage has dropped from 46% in 2024 to 34% this year. His slider usage, however, has remained consistent year over and for good reason, as it’s Carr’s best pitch.

Carr’s four-seamer is a cut fastball in the 89-91 mph range with below-average ride. He shows an above-average ability to get the pitch in the zone, but it doesn’t miss many bats and generates a very low number of chase swings. 

His two-seamer sits in the same velocity range and has more armside run than his four-seam, giving it a unique shape. He doesn’t do a very good job of killing lift on the sinker, but it’s given him a bridge pitch of sorts between his four-seam and his slider. His slider is a true sweeper in the mid-to-high 70s with 12-14 inches of horizontal break on average. The slider has been a good swing-and-miss pitch for Carr, as he’s generated whiffs at a rate of 30% with it in-zone in 2025.

Carr likely lacks the power to work as a starter or reliever and will need to add velocity or improve his sinker to profile as a big leaguer.