18-year-old flamethrower joins MLB's No. 31 prospect on Team of the Week
The second full week of Minor League Baseball was full of action-packed performances, with two no-hitters and many multihomer games. Several of those key contributors have landed on the second Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week for 2026.
White Sox top prospect Braden Montgomery is the biggest name of the bunch as the lone representative from the Top 100. He's also the only player to be making a repeat appearance on the list, after earning honors twice in 2024. Nine different organizations have a prospect on the team this week, with the Cubs and Nationals both having two players.
To be eligible for the Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week, Minor League players must be ranked among their club's Top 30 prospects on Pipeline's lists. (Those in the Majors do not qualify.)
This is the Prospect Team of the Week for April 13-19:
C: Owen Ayers, South Bend Cubs (High-A)
Cubs No. 10
.400/.500/1.050, 5 G, 8-for-20, 4 HR, 1 2B, 8 RBI, 8 R, 3 BB, 7 K, 3 SB
A 2024 19th-rounder, Ayers was under the radar until a huge performance at the 2025 Fall League in which he posted a 1.130 OPS and won Breakout Player of the Year honors. His hot bat has carried over to 2026, where he's already gone deep six times in 11 games, including four straight contests from April 12 to 16. In the past week, the switch-hitter racked up five multihit games and is nearly halfway to 2025's stolen base total with three swipes.
1B: Cole Mathis, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Single-A)
Cubs No. 14
.350/.381/1.000, 5 G, 7-for-20, 4 HR, 1 2B, 9 RBI, 5 R, 1 BB, 7 K
A two-way star in college who went in the second round of the 2024 Draft to the Cubs, Mathis has taken off with his bat this year now that he's further removed from pitching. The corner infielder went deep four times in five days, including a two-homer game as part of a four-hit performance on April 15. Mathis ranks second in the Single-A Carolina League with a 1.204 OPS and leads the circuit with a .765 slugging percentage.
2B: Cooper Flemming, Charleston RiverDogs (Single-A)
Rays No. 27
.450/.542/.750, 5 G, 9-for-20, 1 HR, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
The 2025 second-rounder did not play competitively last year after signing but has taken quickly to pro ball -- even after skipping Rookie ball. Flemming is slashing .327/.417/.519 and was buoyed by a three- and four-hit game last week. The California native has also yet to be caught stealing in his three attempts this year and has nearly as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (nine).
3B: Sean Keys, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Double-A)
Blue Jays No. 17
.500/.571/1.111, 5 G, 9-for-18, 3 HR, 2 2B, 9 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 4 K
Keys has been one of the best hitters in the Double-A Eastern League in his first time at the circuit. He ranks second with a 1.238 OPS and a .756 slugging percentage after racking up a trio of three-hit games, including two this past week. The 2024 fourth-rounder went deep 19 times in his first full season and is more than a quarter of the way to that total after just 12 games.
SS: Matthew Ferrara, Clearwater Threshers (Single-A)
Phillies No. 26
.450/.478/1.050, 5 G, 9-for-20, 2 HR, 2 3B, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 7 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Ferrara is one of six Minor Leaguers to have multiple four-hit games this season, and he collected both of them in the past week. The 2025 ninth-rounder went deep in both of those contests -- his first two homers of the year -- and later showed off his 70-grade wheels on a pair of triples to tie for the Single-A Florida State League lead. The right-handed swinger has an impressive 45.5 percent hard-hit rate, which is up significantly from last year.
OF: Braden Montgomery, Birmingham Barons (Double-A)
White Sox No. 1/MLB No. 31
.600/.640/1.200, 6 G, 12-for-20, 1 HR, 2 3B, 5 2B, 7 RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 SB
No ranked prospect had more total bases (24) last week than Montgomery, who collected an extra-base hit in every game. The 2024 first-rounder leads the Double-A Southern League with a .755 slugging percentage and ranks second with a 1.211 OPS. Montgomery also celebrated his 23rd birthday in style with three hits and a pair of RBIs -- before staying behind to continue his post-game tradition of cleaning the dugout.
OF: Yeremy Cabrera, Fredericksburg Nationals (Single-A)
Nationals No. 20
.500/.640/1.056, 5 G, 9-for-18, 2 HR, 1 3B, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 7 R, 7 BB, 5 K, 6 SB
Acquired this offseason from the Rangers as part of the return for All-Star lefty MacKenzie Gore, Cabrera has been a man on fire in his new organization. The Dominican Republic native is riding a 10-game hitting streak and picked up extra-base hits in five of his six games last week, culminating in a Single-A Carolina League-best 1.223 OPS. After getting caught stealing twice in his first three attempts, the center fielder has been successful on eight straight, including six swipes in the last series.
OF: Robert Arias, Hill City Howlers (High-A)
Guardians No. 21
.591/.609/.955, 5 G, 13-for-22, 2 HR, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 4 SB, 1 CS
Arias, the Guardians' biggest international signing in the 2024 class, has shown off his above-average hit tool in his first experience in full-season ball, with a .362/.455/.532 slash line through 12 games. He collected multiple hits in all five of his games last week, including three straight with three hits. The Dominican Republic native has shown a key eye at the plate, with nearly as many walks (eight) as strikeouts (nine) and a miniscule 20 percent chase rate.
LHP: David Shields, Quad Cities River Bandits (High-A)
Royals No. 3
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.20 WHIP
Shields was excellent in his debut season, with a 2.38 ERA and 86 strikeouts across 75 2/3 innings in Rookie ball and Single-A last year. The 41st overall pick in the 2024 Draft made his best start of 2026 yet in his third outing, with eight strikeouts across five hitless innings. The southpaw was up to 72 pitches, which tied for his third-highest total across 22 pro outings.
RHP: Miguel Sime Jr., Fredericksburg Nationals (Single-A)
Nationals No. 16
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 0.25 WHIP
Sime turned heads at Spring Breakout at just 18 years old when he blew a 100.8 mph fastball by MLB's No. 5 prospect JJ Wetherholt on a strikeout so wild that it caused him to lose his helmet. The 2025 fourth-rounder has brought his swing-and-miss stuff to Single-A, as well, as he's up to 18 K's in 8 1/3 innings. The MLB Develops and MLB Draft League alumus has given up just two hits all season and was unhittable across a career-high four innings in his latest outing.
RP: Lucas Kelly, Everett AquaSox (High-A)
Mariners No. 29
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 0.27 WHIP
Kelly's unique cross-bodied, sidearm delivery was nearly impossible for opponents to figure out last week. The 2025 sixth-rounder recorded 10 of his 11 outs via strikeout, with the only damage being a single grounded up the middle.