Las Vegas gets the final minor league spotlight on Saturday, when the Triple-A National Championship puts four Top 100 Prospects on one field: Oklahoma City outfielders Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota, plus Rochester shortstop Seaver King and right-hander Jarlin Susana. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT, or 10 p.m. ET, and it gives the season one more prospect-heavy stage before the calendar turns toward awards and the Arizona Fall League.
Key takeaways
- De Paula and Sirota will represent the Oklahoma City Comets against King and Susana of the Rochester Red Wings in the Triple-A title game.
- Eric Hartman, Ramon Marquez and Nolan Perry are finalists for Breakout Player of the Year on Monday’s MiLB Awards Show.
- Cubs outfielder Ethan Conrad, Astros shortstop Albert Fermín and Reds catcher Jirvin Morillo stand out as possible future breakout candidates.
- Caleb Bonemer and Ike Irish are leading Arizona Fall League MVP selections, while Justin Lamkin and Patrick Forbes are top pitching choices.
- Cubs prospect Hartshorn has climbed quickly, but a 2026 arrival in Chicago remains a long shot.
- Orioles center fielder Vance Honeycutt took a late step forward at Double-A after a difficult start to his professional career.
Prospects to watch after the final out
Monday’s fourth annual MiLB Awards Show begins at 8 p.m. ET, with Braves outfielder Eric Hartman, Giants right-hander Ramon Marquez and Blue Jays right-hander Nolan Perry in the running for Breakout Player of the Year. All three made jumps that were difficult to forecast, but there is another group of younger players who could be in that conversation a year from now.
Conrad’s professional start was delayed by shoulder surgery and back trouble after the Cubs made him the 17th overall selection in the 2025 Draft. He finally got on the field nearly a year later and appeared in only 36 games across three levels. The limited workload kept his numbers from building a full season’s case, though his advanced hitting approach, usable raw power and speed remain notable tools.
Fermín, a switch-hitting shortstop from Samaná in the Dominican Republic, opened his career with a loud Rookie-level Dominican Summer League showing. The Astros signed him for $2,147,500 in January, and he hit .311/.485/.507 with six homers and 24 steals in 49 games. His lean, projectable build has invited comparisons to a young Hanley Ramírez, another Samaná native, while his offensive package resembles Conrad’s blend of bat-to-ball ability, strength and athleticism.
Morillo may have delivered the biggest offensive fireworks of the three. The Reds catcher led the Arizona Complex League with 13 home runs, finished second with a .652 slugging percentage and ranked third in both OPS at 1.101 and walks with 44. He continued to hit after a late promotion to Single-A. There is still work ahead: his swing can get long, and his receiving and overall work behind the plate need refinement. But teenage catchers who can drive the ball in the air and control the strike zone tend to get plenty of attention.
Fall League picks and two unsettled paths
The Arizona Fall League will offer another look at several players whose organizations want answers before next spring. Caleb Bonemer, the White Sox third baseman and outfielder, is a choice for league MVP, while Orioles outfielder Ike Irish is another strong candidate. On the mound, Royals left-hander Justin Lamkin and Diamondbacks right-hander Patrick Forbes are leading Pitcher of the Year selections.
Brewers outfielder Braylon Payne is a clear Breakout Player of the Year candidate after producing 28 home runs and 25 steals between High-A and Double-A. Mets middle infielder Bruin Agbayani is a more aggressive sleeper selection in that race.
Dodgers outfielder Eduardo Quintero, the Fall League’s highest-rated prospect, is positioned as the Offensive Player of the Year favorite. Honeycutt’s range and instincts in center field make him a natural Defensive Player of the Year pick, while Diamondbacks left-hander Joe Ariola is a relief sleeper after striking out 46 percent of the hitters he faced in his first professional season.
For the Cubs, Hartshorn’s first full pro season created a different kind of question: how quickly can he get to Wrigley Field? Chicago gave the Orange Lutheran product a record $2 million bonus for a sixth-round pick in 2025, and the 19-year-old responded by moving from Single-A to Double-A. Across 125 games, he batted .284/.407/.518 with 23 homers and 17 steals, showing a mature strike-zone plan and unusual physical presence for his age. The performance pushed him to No. 36 on the Top 100 list.
Still, his Double-A experience amounted to just five games when the postseason is included. Hartshorn will be 20 next season, and only two Cubs position players aged 20 or younger have reached the majors in the past four decades: Starlin Castro, Chicago’s regular shortstop in 2010, and Corey Patterson, who played 11 games late in 2000. With Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki approaching free agency, a corner-outfield opening could eventually develop, but a more sensible route has Hartshorn spending at least the first half at Double-A and working toward Triple-A later in the year.
Honeycutt is the other player carrying a wide range of possible outcomes. Baltimore drafted the former North Carolina standout 22nd overall in 2024, and his athletic gifts remain obvious: plus raw power, speed and elite defense in center. Contact, however, has been the issue since college. Through the middle of August, he owned a .175/.285/.298 career line with a 41 percent strikeout rate over 177 professional games.
Then came a 20-game stretch after his promotion to Double-A in which Honeycutt hit .288/.381/.616 and cut his strikeout rate to 25 percent. Even a below-average big league bat would play alongside his defense, speed and power. The Fall League is therefore more than an autumn assignment for Honeycutt; it is a chance to learn whether those Double-A adjustments can hold up beyond a brief hot run.
