Hot Week & The Top 100: The Struggle Bus

It wasn’t the prettiest or strongest week at the plate for players across the minor leagues. With emotions high and the trade deadline on the minds of many, this was somewhat expected as players navigated the week. But nonetheless, this week’s top hitters from throughout the minor leagues were left fielder Zac Veen with the Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A, Colorado Rockies); First baseman Xavier Isaac of the Montgomery Biscuits (Double-A, Tampa Bay Rays); Outfielder Conor Essenburg of the Augusta Green Jackets (Single-A, Atlanta Braves); Center fielder Enddy Azocar of the Greenville Drive (High-A, Boston Red Sox); and third baseman Jalen Hairston of the Daytona Tortugas (Single-A, Cincinnati Reds).

All five of this week’s top hitters have been with their respective teams during the trade deadline and were not dealt to different teams before the trade deadline came to a close.

Zac Veen, LF – Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A, Colorado Rockies)

Veen, the 24-year-old from Port Orange, FL has been with the Rockies since he was drafted in 2020. It hasn’t been an easy road for the outfielder as he’s battled through injuries that have caused him to bounce around the minor league levels and rehab and come back from several injuries, but so far he’s found a way to remain healthy this season and has played the entirety of the season to this point in Triple-A.

This week with the Isotopes taking on the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres), Veen hit .448/.515/1.069. He accrued 13 hits, four doubles, one triple, and four home runs over the course of 33 plate appearances through six games. He drove in 14 RBIs on the week with 11 runs scored. On July 30, he drove in five, the most RBIs in the series for him, and on July 31, drove in three. He hit at least one home run in four of six games this week. 

Over the course of the season, Veen is batting over .300 with a combined .317/.392/.602, with a .994 OPS. He has 117 hits: 31 doubles, seven triples, and 20 home runs. He has walked 45 times and has 16 stolen bases, along with 77 RBIs and 73 runs scored. His BABIP is .365.

Xavier Isaac, 1B - Montgomery Biscuits (Double-A, Tampa Bay Rays)

Isaac is another player who also remains with his drafting team, the Tampa Bay Rays. He was drafted in the first round by Tampa in 2022 out of East Forsyth, Kernersville, NC.

Over the last several seasons Isaac has bounced around the minor leagues, with this season begins his third he’s played with Double-A, already putting up his best Double-A average.

This week the Biscuits took on the Biloxi Shuckers (Milwaukee Brewers). During the course of the five games he appeared in, Isaac batted .529/.654/1.294. He was 9-for-26 with a double and four home runs, with eight walks. He drove in 11 RBIs and eight runs scored.

So far this season, Isaac is batting a combined .250/.394/.493, with a .887 OPS, all stats that are Double-A bests for the first baseman. He has a combined 70 hits, including five doubles, three triples, and 19 home runs, with 66 walks and 16 stolen bases. He has 55 RBIs and 57 runs scored on the season. His BABIP is .319.

Conor Essenburg, OF - Augusta Green Jackets (Single-A, Atlanta Braves)

Essenburg was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the fifth round (Pick No. 157 overall) out of Lincoln-Way East High School in New Lenox, IL during the 2025 MLB draft. One year later, he finds himself playing with Single-A Augusta and hitting well.

This week the Green Jackets took on the Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals). Essenburg was 8-for-21, hitting two doubles, a triple, and three home runs. He was walked six times in four games and had 11 RBIs and five runs scored. His biggest game came on July 28 in game one when he hit three home runs, driving in five RBIs and scoring three runs on the day.

Over the course of the season so far as a whole for Essenburg, he is batting .279/.418/.536, with a .954 OPS. He has 66 hits, with 13 doubles, three triples, and 14 home runs between the FCL and Augusta. At Augusta alone, he is batting .286/.427/.564, with a .990 OPS. He has 13 doubles in Single-A, three triples, and 14 home runs. He has 55 walks in Single-A, with six stolen bases, and has driven in 44 RBIs and 48 runs scored. It’s been a successful stint for Essenburg in Single-A. While it’s likely he finishes out the season in Augusta, a promotion up to Double-A to start the 2027 season could be likely.

Enddy Azocar, CF – Greenville Drive (Single-A, Boston Red Sox)

Single-A players shined this week as Azocar represents the second Single-A player to be featured in this week’s top-five MiLB hitters of the week, but he comes from the High-A level, the only High-A player featured this week.

Azocar and the Greenville Drive this week took on the Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros) on the road in North Carolina. Over the course of the week, Azocar, signed as an international free agent to the Red Sox in 2024, this week batted .560/.577/1.040. He was 14-for-26 with three doubles and three home runs. He drove in 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored over the course of five games he appeared in this week.

This was, however, Azocar’s final week with the Red Sox, as on Monday he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in a trade that brought Adley Rutschman to Boston and sent Azocar and a number of other prospects to Baltimore.

Prior to the trade, however, Azocar, over the course of this season, was hitting .279/.338/.547, with a .885 OPS, with Greenville. He had hit 12 doubles, three triples, and 12 home runs, driving in 37 RBIs and 45 runs scored. He was walked 16 times and had four stolen bases on the year.

He will now continue his career with the Baltimore Orioles’ organization.

Jalen Hairston, 3B – Daytona Tortugas (Single-A, Cincinnati Reds)

Hairston, the 22-year-old from Winter Haven, FL, was drafted by the Reds in the 18th round of the 2024 MLB Amateur Draft from the State College of Florida in Bradenton.

Over the course of the last two years, he has found himself advancing through the minor leagues, with 2026 marking his first year in Single-A. 

This week the Tortugas welcomed Hairston’s hometown minor league affiliate in the Bradenton Marauders. He appeared in five of those games, going 9-for-23, hitting .529.652/1.118. He had four doubles and two home runs, with six walks and a stolen base. He had nine RBIs and six runs scored on the week.

Over the course of the season so far, Hairston is hitting a combined .317/.386/.518, with a .904 OPS. He has 13 doubles and five home runs, with 30 RBIs and 27 runs scored through 38 games.

It’s been a strong year for the 22-year-old, and should he continue to hit the way he is, it would be no surprise if he finds his way to High-A soon.

MLB Pipeline Top-100

Five players from MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 had decent weeks, but also not the strongest. However, this week’s top five hitters were Cooper Ingle, Rainiel Rodriguez, Josue De Paula, Jesus Made, and Josh Adamczewski.

Ingle is MLB Pipeline’s No. 58 prospect and a catcher with the Columbus Fireflies (Triple-A, Guardians). This week he was 13-for-29, hitting .520/.552/.960. He had three home runs with 10 RBIs and nine runs scored.

Rodriguez ranks as MLB’s No. 12 prospect. Also a catcher, he is with the Springfield Cardinals (Double-A of the Cardinals). This week he was 10-for-21, hitting .526/.571/1.105. He hit three home runs and had five RBIs and six runs scored.

DePaula, MLB’s No. 4 prospect, is a center fielder with the Tulsa Drillers (Double-A, Los Angeles Dodgers), an organization that’s had a very good trade deadline week. This week, DePaula was 9-for-29, hitting .391/.517/.957. He hit four home runs and drove in 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored.

Jesus Made is MLB’s top prospect in all of baseball; the shortstop is ranked as the No. 1 prospect. Playing in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, Made is with Double-A Biloxi. This week he was 12-for-30, hitting .429/.467/.857. He hit three home runs and had 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored.

Adadmczewski is the No. 87 prospect in baseball. The shortstop is also with Biloxi, whose players swept the rankings at the plate this week. He was 10-for-28, hitting .455/.536/.727 across six games. He hit one home run and drove in six RBIs and six runs scored.

As mentioned, with the trade deadline on the minds of many, they weren’t the strongest stats many of these players have seen, but now with rosters settled, baseball will feel a little more “normal” to many of these players in the final weeks of the year.
It was interesting to see many of these top players for this week remaining with their current teams, as mentioned, only one of the ten players mentioned above is now with a new team, and that was Azocar, who is now with Baltimore, but was moved after the week’s games had ended.