Hot Week & The Top 100: High-A Has The Juice

High-A players stole the show last week as three players found themselves among the top hitters across the minor leagues for the week, along with a player from the DSL and one Triple-A player.

Shortstop Antonio Anderson from the Greenville Drive (High-A, Boston Red Sox); shortstop Axel Sanchez from the Everett AquaSox (High-A, Seattle Mariners); second baseman Juan Torres from the DSL Yankees (Rookie affiliate, New York Yankees); Left fielder Zac Veen with the Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A, Colorado Rockies); and Jhonny Level with the Eugene Emeralds (High-A, San Francisco Giants) were a top this week’s lead hitters.

Antonio Anderson, SS – Greenville Drive (High-A, Boston Red Sox)

Anderson and the Greenville Drive took on the Yankees’ High-A affiliate Hudson Valley Renegades in a five-game series in Greenville last week, in which Hudson Valley took the series 4-2. But a bright spot for the Drive was the bat of Anderson, who hit .615/.706/1.231, with a 1.937 OPS. He was 8-for-13, hitting two doubles, two home runs, driving in six RBIs and seven runs scored over the course of four games played. He walked four times.

Anderson’s biggest game came August seventh when he went 4-for-5; however, he had the most runs scored on August fourth (three) and August ninth (three).

Over the course of the season, Anderson (drafted in 2023 in the third round by Boston) is hitting an accumulated .284/.378/.482, with a .860 OPS. He has a total of 13 doubles, three triples, and eight home runs, with 38 RBIs and 41 runs scored. He has one stolen base.

After ending his season in High-A last year, he’s played the entirety of this season so far in High-A and could hear his name called up to Double-A soon if his progress continues.

Axel Sanchez, SS – Everett AquaSox (High-A, Seattle Mariners)

Sanchez and the AquaSox took on High-A Vancouver (Toronto Blue Jays) in a six-game series this week, dropping the series 2-4 to Vancouver. Sanchez had 15 plate appearances this week and was walked a massive seven times. He was 4-for-8 in at-bats, hitting .500/.733/1.125, with a 1.858 OPS. Along with being walked seven times over the course of four games, he had two doubles, one home run, driving in two RBIs, and five runs scored. He also had one stolen base. 

Over the course of the season so far, Sanchez, who started his season in Triple-A and was later demoted to High-A, is batting .246/.373/.440, with a .813 OPS in High-A. He has eight doubles and six home runs, with 23 RBIs and 22 runs scored. He has walked 24 times this year.

Sanchez, signed by the Mariners in 2019, has not had an easy, vertical career path in the minor leagues. Struggles at the plate and injuries have caused him to struggle to make it far in the league. However, he continues to persevere and find a way to keep swinging.

Juan Torres, 2B – DSL NYY Yankees (Rookie Level, New York Yankees)

Torres was signed by the Yankees as a free agent to a minor league contract just last year in 2025, spending last season and this season so far in the DSL, already showing signs of improvement over the course of the last 12-plus months. 

This week, with four games against the DSL Rockies (one), Phillies (one), and Rangers Red (two),  Torres was 12-for-18, hitting .667/.727/1.056, with a 1.783 OPS. He struck for one double and two home runs with 13 RBIs and seven runs scored. He was walked three times and flashed some speed with two stolen bases.

On August 7th against the Rangers Red, Torres was 5-for-6, with a double, both of his home runs, driving in seven RBIs, and four runs scored in a huge game for the DSL Yankees Bombers.

Over the course of this season as a whole, Torres is hitting a combined .378/.462/.644, with a 1.106 OPS. He has 22 doubles, two triples, and eight home runs, driving in 61 RBIs and 49 runs scored. To put things in perspective, he only had a .359 average last year, and 43 RBIs, with 32 runs scored. With two months still left to play this season, he is already demolishing his past career bests from last season.

It would be no surprise if Torres finds himself in Single-A by the end of this year or to definitely start the 2027 season.

Zac Veen, LF – Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A, Colorado Rockies)/ Recently recalled on August 11 to Colorado

After Veen dealt with injuries in 2025, the left fielder who made his debut last year found himself back in Triple-A to start the 2026 season and has been there the entirety of this season so far. He was, however, recalled on Tuesday, August 11, to the MLB and the Rockies.

But over the course of this last week, Veen and the Isotopes took on the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate, Sugar Land Space Cowboys, taking the series 4-2. Veen was 11-for-23 on the week, hitting .478/.556/1.174, with a 1.730 OPS. He had two doubles, one triple, and four home runs on the week, with 10 RBIs and nine runs scored. It was a strong week for the 24-year-old as he also walked three times and stole three bases.

On August 8, Veen went an impressive 5-for-5, with a double, a triple, and three home runs, just a single shy of the cycle, but a very rare hat trick of home runs. He drove in seven RBIs on the day and four runs scored.

Clearly the Rockies were impressed enough by his progress that they recalled Veen back up to the big league club on August 11.
Over the course of the season prior to his call-up, Veen was hitting a combined .327/.402/.635, with a 1.037 OPS. He had 33 doubles, eight triples, and 24 home runs, with 87 RBIs and 82 runs scored through 100 games in 2026.

He was, as mentioned, recalled to Colorado on August 11th.

Jhonny Level, SS/2B (MLB No. 46-ranked player) – Eugene Emeralds (High-A, San Francisco Giants)

Level has had a solid start to his career with the San Francisco Giants. Over the course of the last two years since being signed in 2024, he has worked himself up to High-A Eugene. This week, High-A Eugene took on High-A Spokane, defeating them 4-1 in the series, and the final game in Spokane was canceled due to air quality.

Over the course of the week, MLB’s No. 46 prospect hit .563/.652/1.063, with a 1.715 OPS. He had one triple and two home runs, with eight RBIs and six runs scored on the week. His home runs came on August 5 and August 8; however, he got on base in at least nine of 16 at-bats.

Over the course of the series as a whole, Level is batting a combined .310/.374/.531, with a .905 OPS. He has 31 doubles, three triples, and 17 home runs, with 78 RBIs and 73 runs scored.

We will now see what he does being back up in the big leagues.

MLB Top 100 Prospects

Level represented one of MLB’s top prospects; however, four others had strong performances this week as well.

Outfielder Josiah Hartshorn with the South Bend Cubs (High-A, Chicago Cubs) this week went 7-for-15, hitting .467/.571/.933, with a 1.505 OPS. He hit one double and two home runs, driving in six RBIs and four runs scored on the day. He walked five times and stole one base.

A second outfielder to represent the top-100 MLB prospects was Eduardo Quintero of the Great Lakes Loons (High-A, Los Angeles Dodgers). He was 6-for 16, with three doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, and four runs scored. He walked five times and stole one base on the week.

JoJo Parker, shortstop for the Dunedin Blue Jays (Single-A, Toronto Blue Jays), was 7-for-14 this week, hitting .500/.563/.929, with a 1.491 OPS. He hit three doubles, with one home run, driving in six RBIs, and two runs scored. He walked twice and had one stolen base.

Finally, last but not least was outfielder Lazaro Montes of the Tacoma Rainiers, Triple-A affiliate for the Seattle Mariners. This week he went 10-for-26, hitting .385/.484/.885, with a 1.368 OPS. He had one double and four home runs, driving in nine RBIs and nine runs scored. He was walked four times.

This week marked the first week in the last several weeks where an MLB Top Prospect found themselves in the top five hitters.

The time is now when games begin to matter for minor leaguers as they enter the last month and a half of their season.