'Lord Tubbington' highlights latest Prospect Team of the Week
Jace LaViolette entered the 2026 season as one of the most exciting Minor Leaguers to debut. Not only does he bring prodigious power to the table, but he also has an elite nickname: "Lord Tubbington."
The Guardians 2025 first-rounder had his best week of the season last week, with three home runs and a 1.519 OPS. Off the field, he's also one of the top scorers in "Nickname Knockout" -- a bracket to determine the best moniker in the Minors.
"Lord Tubbington" isn't the only great nickname to grace the latest Prospect Team of the Week. There's also "The Ekness Monster," as Marlins reliever Josh Ekness returns to the list for the third time. He's one of five return honorees, including the Mets first baseman Ryan Clifford (seven appearances), D-backs shortstop Cristofer Torin (two), White Sox outfielder George Wolkow (three) and Marlins right-hander Karson Milbrandt (two).
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 May 18-24:
C: Khadim Diaw, Cedar Rapids Kernels (High-A)
Twins No. 23
.545/.560/.909, 6 G, 12-for-22, 1 HR, 1 3B, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 7 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Consistently healthy for the first time in his years, Diaw has already set a career high of 43 games played. He's been swinging a hot bat since the calendar turned to May, with a .300/.367/.471 slash line, thanks in part to a trio of three-hit games last week. The 2024 third-rounder has shown off his athleticism on defense, as well, with a handful of games in center field as he splits time behind home plate with MLB's No. 45 prospect, Eduardo Tait, in Cedar Rapids.
1B: Ryan Clifford, Syracuse Mets (Triple-A)
Mets No. 3
.316/.417/.895, 6 G, 6-for-19, 3 HR, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 8 R, 4 BB, 5 K, 1 SB
Clifford has become a staple of the Prospect Team of the Week, with this being his seventh career appearance -- most among active prospects -- in four pro seasons. The former Vanderbilt commit went for extra bases on each of his last five hits of the week, including a home run in both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday. The 22-year-old slugger is slashing .226/.305/.458 on the season with a concerning 36 percent strikeout rate but also one of the best hard-hit rates (55.5 percent) at the Minors' highest level.
2B: Kellon Lindsey, Ontario Tower Buzzers (Single-A)
Dodgers No. 15
.464/.524/.632, 4 G, 9-for-19, 1 3B, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 SB
The 2024 first-rounder hit safely in all four games last week and has collected multiple knocks in six of his past eight games. The coup the grace was a five-hit performance Sunday with a double, triple and steal (his previous career-high was three knocks). Lindsey missed the first month of the season with a shoulder injury but has been on fire since his return, with a 1.358 OPS in five rehab games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League before posting a 1.213 OPS in seven Single-A games.
3B: Jansel Luis, Amarillo Sod Poodles (Double-A)
D-backs No. 13
.526/.550/.895, 5 G, 10-for-19, 2 HR, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Luis is finding his footing in his first time at Double-A, despite being three years younger than the average competition at just 21. Playing mostly third with a little shortstop mixed in, he collected hits in all five games last week and capped it off with four hits and four runs on Saturday before his first professional multihomer game on Sunday. The switch-hitter has been especially dangerous batting righty this season, posting a .311/.396/.489 in 54 plate appearances against southpaws.
SS: Cristofer Torin, Amarillo Sod Poodles (Double-A)
D-backs No. 15
.545/.565/1.045, 5 G, 12-for-22, 1 HR, 2 3B, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 7 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 SB
Known for his bat-to-ball skills more than anything offensively, the 5-foot-9 infielder has really tapped into his power lately. Torin went for extra bases in seven of his 12 hits last week, which raised his slugging percentage from .344 to .449. The Venezuela native, who previously made a Prospect Team of the Week in Week 1 of the 2024 season, earns above-average grades for his glove and arm and has an astounding 86 percent overall contact rate and 90 percent in-zone contact rate, per Synergy Sports.
OF: George Wolkow, Winston-Salem Dash (High-A)
White Sox No. 14
.522/.577/1.043, 6 G, 12-for-23, 2 HR, 2 3B, 2 2B, 12 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 6 K
Wolkow entered the season as a potential breakout candidate and is tapping into his natural power more while only seeing a slight uptick in whiffs. The 6-foot-7 slugger continued that trend this week, with four multihit games -- including one with a season-high four -- and his first two triples of the year. Crucially, he had as many extra-base hits as strikeouts, which brings his OPS to .909 for May. This is the Chicago-area native's third time making a Prospect Team of the Week after previous honors in July 2024 and June 2025.
OF: Jace LaViolette, Lake County Captains (High-A)
Guardians No. 7
.435/.519/1.000, 6 G, 12-for-22, 3 HR, 1 3B, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 11 R, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 SB
The 27th overall pick last July is still getting his feet under him in his debut season, with a .196/.302/.384 slash line through his first seven weeks of the season. But in six games last week, he looked like the slugger who was the early favorite to go first overall in the 2025 Draft and raised his OPS 146 points. The Texas A&M produce hit safely in every game and had three different contests with three runs. With three homers in six games, he's up to eight on the season, which is tied for fourth among Guardians Minor Leaguers.
OF: Sam Petersen, Harrisburg Senators (Double-A)
Nationals No. 23
.389/.522/1.000, 5 G, 7-for-18, 3 HR, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 5 R, 5 BB, 5 K, 3 SB
Petersen has long been a plus runner, and he's hitting for more power lately too as he ranks second on the Senators in isolated power (.237). The 2024 eight-rounder delivered his first multihomer game in pro ball to kick off the week and also went deep and doubled twice across a doubleheader to cap the series. With a stolen base in each of his first three games, the Iowa product is up to 14 swipes in 15 attempts on the year.
LHP: Braden Davis, Springfield Cardinals (Double-A)
Cardinals No. 26
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 0.53 WHIP
Despite only having one pitch that grades as average (a 60-grade changeup) and below-average control, Davis has been a strikeout machine since the Cardinals selected him in the 5th round of the 2024 Draft. He was second among qualified Minor Leaguers last year with a 33.8 percent strikeouts rate, and he's still at a strong 27.9 percent in his first foray at Double-A. The 5-foot-11 southpaw entered the week with a 7.18 ERA but delivered his best start of the year with 10 K's across 5 2/3 scoreless innings with three hits and no walks given up.
RHP: Karson Milbrandt, Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Double-A)
Marlins No. 9
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 12 K, 0.50 WHIP
What's the best way to follow up a scoreless start in which you tie a career high of 11 strikeouts? How about 12 strikeouts across six scoreless innings? Milbrandt returns to the Prospect Team of the Week as he extended his scoreless innings streak to 23 and lowered his ERA to a Minor League-best 1.06. The former Vanderbilt recruit has a deep arsenal of four above-average pitches and has consistently held his walk rate below 9 percent across 10 career starts at Double-A after control issues in the lower Minors.
RP: Josh Ekness, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Triple-A)
Marlins No. 30
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0.00 WHIP
The Marlins called up their top pure relief prospect earlier in May, and he's been downright dominant in his return to the Minors since Miami optioned him. The 6-foot-4 righty retired all 11 batters he faced, eight by strikeout. Ekness picked up 14 whiffs on 27 swings and touched 100.5 mph with his fastball, which helped him earn Prospect Team of the Week honors for the third time after previously doing so in April and June 2025.