The Top 100 Prospects list isn't formulated to pick the players who will perform best in the Minor Leagues. It's a ranking that looks at which players project to have the most success in the Majors.
Of course, when tooled-up prospects also happen to put up big numbers, that's worthy of celebration.
This week marks the fourth time this season that at least four players on the Top 100 made a Prospect Team of the Week, with Walker Jenkins (MLB No. 15), Rainiel Rodriguez (MLB No. 18), Ralphy Velazquez (MLB No. 32) and Seaver King (MLB No. 71) leading the way.
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 Aug. 17-23:
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C: Rainiel Rodriguez, Springfield Cardinals (Double-A)
Cardinals No. 1/MLB No. 18
.583/.577/1.083, 5 G, 14-for-24, 3 HR, 3 2B, 9 RBI, 6 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 CS
Double-A has an impressive group of talented 19-year-olds -- including MLB's top two prospects in Jesús Made and Leo De Vries -- but none are hitting as well as Rodriguez. The Dominican Republic native has a 154 wRC+, 37 points higher than second-place De Vries, as he continues to blister hard line drives across the Texas League. Last week was more of the same as he extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a four-hit, two-homer performance on Sunday. Rodriguez's defense remains a work in progress -- he's also spending time at first base and DH -- but his right-handed power is not in question.
1B: Ralphy Velazquez, Columbus Clippers (Triple-A)
Guardians No. 2/MLB No. 32
.455/.500/1.273, 6 G, 10-for-22, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 8 R, 3 BB, 3 K
Nobody is hitting like Velazquez lately; his 14 homers in August are three more than any player in the Majors or Minors. In fact, he went deep 16 times in 20 games dating back to late July, and the only big leaguers to accomplish that are Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Kyle Schwarber and Albert Belle. The 2023 first-rounder even delivered his first professional three-homer game on Saturday, which raised his OPS to .925 (compared to .707 before the roundtripper surge). Velazquez has made a Prospect Team of the Week previously in August 2025 and May 2026.
2B: JD Dix, Hillsboro Hops (High-A)
D-backs No. 8
.421/.522/.789, 5 G, 8-for-19, 1 HR, 1 3B, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 5 R, 4 BB, 5 K, 2 SB, 1 CS
The 35th pick in the 2024 Draft stands out more for his hit tool than his power, but he's been slugging more lately as he settles in at High-A. Over his past 10 games, he's collected extra bases on eight of 15 hits, which has contributed to a .996 OPS in August. The switch-hitter hit his lone homer of the week against a righty, which fits into his season-long trend of being more effective batting lefty (.255/.371/.440) than righty (.240/.309/.360). This is Dix's second Prospect Team of the Week appearance of the season after a hot stretch to end May.
3B: Rafe Perich, Frisco RoughRiders (Double-A)
Rangers No. 19
.556/.591/.944, 5 G, 10-for-18, 1 HR, 4 2B, 7 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 SB
Perich is in the midst of a breakout season and leads all qualified Rangers Minor Leaguers in full-season ball with a .992 OPS. The switch-hitter has long been able to make hard contact, but it's coming more in bunches lately too, with four multihit performances last week, including a four-hit game to begin the series. After taking his lumps on defense last year and splitting his time between the infield corners to start the season, the 2024 seventh-rounder has been consistently playing third at a higher level the past two months.
SS: Seaver King, Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A)
Nationals No. 4/MLB No. 71
.440/.548/1.000, 6 G, 11-for-25, 4 HR, 1 3B, 10 RBI, 9 R, 6 BB, 10 K, 3 SB
The Nationals are transitioning two-time All-Star CJ Abrams to second base, so could King become the solution at short in the nation's capital? He's doing his best to earn his first callup, the way he's swinging his bat. In 20 games since returning from a left oblique strain in July, the 2024 first-rounder is slashing .388/.490/.763 with eight homers. Six of those roundtrippers came in a six-game stretch, and he delivered his first four-hit game of the season last week to boot.
OF: Walker Jenkins, St. Paul Saints (Triple-A)
Twins No. 1/MLB No. 15
.500/.600/1.100, 5 G, 10-for-20, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 3 SB
Health has been the only thing holding "Captain America" back; since returning from a shoulder joint sprain in June, he's slashing .354/.426/.600 with 11 homers in 46 games. The 2023 fifth overall pick delivered a pair of two-homer games last week -- giving him three on the month -- and he's running more lately, with six steals (on eight attempts) in his past 11 games. This marks four straight seasons in which Jenkins has made a Prospect Team of the Week.
OF: Robert Calaz, Spokane Indians (High-A)
Rockies No. 23
.480/.536/1.000, 6 G, 12-for-25, 4 HR, 1 2B, 7 RBI, 8 R, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 SB
The Dominican Republic native went through quite a cold spell from mid-July to mid-August, going 4-for-54 with 21 K's, but he's producing once again after some time on the bench. The 20-year-old has a hit in eight straight games, including a four-hit performance to kick off the week and three homers in his past two games. Calaz's 31 percent strikeout rate is quite concerning after he whiffed just 25.9 and 23.6 percent the previous two seasons, but he has a ton of right-handed power -- and previously made a Prospect Team of the Week in July 2025.
OF: Jake Casey, Vancouver Canadians (High-A)
Blue Jays No. 26
.391/.444/1.043, 6 G, 9-for-23, 4 HR, 3 2B, 13 RBI, 7 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 SB
Just like his dad, three-time All-Star Sean, Jake Casey has promising potential in his left-handed swing. The 2025 15th-rounder missed two months after suffering a broken hamate in his season debut but has returned with plenty of impact -- which is no given after that particular injury. The younger Casey hit safely in all six games last series, with his first seven knocks all going for extra bases, as he delivered a pair of multihomer performances and raised his season OPS to .884.
LHP: Pierce Coppola, South Bend Cubs (High-A)
Cubs No. 30
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 0.40 WHIP
Coppola keeps it simple -- at least, as simple as you can keep it out of a 6-foot-8 frame. The 2025 seventh-rounder utilizes just a low-90s fastball and upper-70s slider out of a low slot and is seeing if he can make that work as a starter. Since his promotion to High-A in July, he's given up zero earned runs in four of his seven starts, including his latest, in which he struck out seven across five hitless innings.
RHP: Argenis Cayama, San Jose Giants (Single-A)
Giants No. 17
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 0.20 WHIP
The 19-year-old Venezuela native has impressive athleticism and feel for pitching given his age, enabling him to perform well in the lower Minors. He's coming off his best start of the year: five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and just one hit allowed. The Giants have managed his innings in the second half, but Cayama has been very effective over his past 10 starts, with a 2.64 ERA and 31 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings with just nine walks issued.
RP: Luis Perales, Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A)
Nationals No. 12
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 0.25 WHIP
Perales was in the midst of an excellent first season in the Nationals organization after Washington acquired him from Boston for Jake Bennett, but he's looked even better since moving to the bullpen in his past three outings. The 6-foot righty has struck out 12 across six scoreless innings with two hits and two walks given up. Notably, he's throwing his changeup half the time after doing so less than a quarter of the time as a starter, and he's getting a whiff on 51.7 percent of swings on the pitch. He previously made a Prospect Team of the Week in June 2023 as a starter.