By Josh Bookbinder
Welcome to Under The Radar, a new series where we’ll take a look at prospects we love who seemingly aren’t getting that love from everyone else. The loose rules are that we’ll do one player from each team, and that player has to be ranked outside of both Fangraphs and Pipeline’s top 5 for that team. We’ll also do one bonus prospect per division. Let’s get going!
Please keep in mind that the comparisons to Pipeline’s and Fangraphs’ rankings are based on their 2023 update lists, not their 2024 lists.
Mariners: Lazaro Montes (12th Pipeline / 14th Fangraphs)
Montes may already be flying up prospect boards by the time this article releases, but at writing he’s still not nearly as known as he should be. A 19-year-old with a massive 6’3″, 240 frame, Montes showed out in Arizona as a teenager, wowing with towering blasts launched at over 117 mph before he celebrated his 18th birthday.
Evaluators liked the power potential from the start. The Mariners picked up Montes for $2.5m and he was highly-regarded in his signing class, so he hasn’t come from nowhere. However, there have always been legitimate concerns. An average runner and fielder at best, Montes isn’t going to be a defensive or baserunning asset and is locked into a low-value position moving forward. His hit tool was also brought into question, as he struck out a whopping (and whiffing) 33% of the time in the ACL in 2022. No matter how good the power was, it wasn’t going to be able to make up for being a complete black hole otherwise.
The defensive part is still a bit of a concern, although Montes has looked at least serviceable in the corner outfield and first base. However, the strikeouts dropped to 25% in both the complex league and his first taste of A-ball in 2023, providing relief that he would put the ball in play.
In a small sample size of 33 games last year in A-ball, Montes put up a .321/.429/.565/.994 slash line and launched 7 balls out of the park, and looked every bit the part of a baby Yordan Alvarez; to compound on the comparison, he’s now working with Alvarez’s hitting coach, as well. He’ll only be 19 in his first full season this coming 2024, so while he may not be someone who will be an immediate impact, he’s worth keeping an eye on moving forward.
Angels: Jordyn Adams (NR Pipeline / 28th Fangraphs)
College football sickos might know Adams from his past as a 247 5-star and consensus 4-star wide receiver recruit committed to North Carolina. Others with good internet memory might remember him from viral dunking clips back in 2017-18. But baseball fans know him as an Angels first-rounder who was picked up thanks to 80-grade speed and the lottery ticket of some of the most freakish athleticism in any draft, let alone just the 2018 one.
Adams hasn’t lived up to his hype… so far. He’ll be 24 this year, he’s struck out a lot, hasn’t really walked, and through 2022, hasn’t shown much power.
However, last year’s AAA campaign started to shift the narrative. Adams hit .267/.351/.465 with 15 home runs, 44 stolen bases to 5 caught stealing, and played good defense at all three outfield positions. He capped off the season with his first cup of coffee in the major leagues, which was a poor showing in a small 17-game sample size.
The power shift is the most interesting thing to me, and the reason he’s on this write-up. Through 5 minor league seasons, Adams had racked up a whopping 17 home runs. In Salt Lake in just 109 games, he almost matched that with the aforementioned 15. That’s a massive deviation from the norm and is something to watch.
We’ve seen guys develop power later in their development cycle before, and usually at the upper levels of the game. Adams hasn’t lost much if any of that speed that made him a no-doubt first rounder, and the fact that he is a true centerfielder who can play the corners just as well is a rare tool. If he can show any sort of offensive tool, he may have the ability to stick around in the majors. If that tool is power, he’s even more interesting.
Adams currently isn’t listed on Fangraphs RosterResource page as part of the Angels opening day plans, as they have a few different veteran options and NRI’s to work through first for their bench outfield spot. However, keep an eye on Adams to see if the AAA production, specifically the power, is legit. If so, be ready to see him as a part of the Angels this season.
Astros: Cam Fisher (NR Pipeline / NR Fangraphs)
Full article on Fisher here!
UNC Charlotte struck gold when they plucked Cam Fisher from Walters State, a top JuCo program in Tennessee. It paid off immediately, as he hit 18 home runs his first year and a ridiculous 30 his second. He wasn’t just a power guy either, with a career D1 slash of .318/.461/.709/1.170. His first taste of pro ball went well, as the 22-year-old hit .273/.396/.500/.896 in 31 games at single-A Fayetteville.
Fisher has a silky-smooth but violent left-handed swing, as the video to the right shows. He has massive pull-side pop and hammers fastballs, not just putting them out of the park but putting them damn near on the moon. He’s a classic lefty power guy, and he plays the role well.
Despite the absurd power ability, Fisher hasn’t generated a ton of prospect hype. The 2023 4th-rounder wasn’t listed on either Fangraphs nor Pipeline’s team lists for the Astros; the only thing that can really be found from major outlets is a pre-draft short report by MLB.com.
This is for decent enough reason, to be fair. His speed, arm, and fielding abilities are all average, and it’s really going to be his bat that carries him wherever he goes. He’s pretty surely limited to first base or a corner outfield spot, with the latter seeming more likely. There are also concerns about his ability to hit off-speed pitches at the next level, although he seemed to do okay in his first taste of pro ball.
In Fisher’s case, I’m just here to enjoy the ride. The numbers will be what they may, and they may carry him as far as the big leagues; I think the bat is that good. But good or bad, the swing is going to be a joy to watch. Aren’t convinced yet? Check out this park job from September:
Rangers: Joseph Montalvo (NR Pipeline / 28th Fangraphs)
While the top of this system is absolutely loaded with offensive talent that includes Carter, Langford, Walcott, and Foscue, and the pitching side has some big names with murky futures like Lieter, Rocker, Porter, and White, I’m going to go with someone relatively unknown, in the spirit of Under The Radar. Let’s go performance over tools, and go with Joseph Montalvo.
The late-round Florida prep product was a JuCo commit as a two-way player before his velocity jumped and he got a shot with the Rangers. He was a relative unknown going into ’23.
He responded with an outstanding season, posting a 2.83 ERA in almost 100 IP. His rate stats are solid; a 27% K% is fine enough, and paired with a walk rate a shade under 10%, the 21-year-old certainly impressed.
Evaluators aren’t thrilled with his pure stuff, but his athleticism is one of his best traits and his development should continue to tick upwards. He over-performed his FIP and xFIP by a considerable margin and he’s very much a flyball pitcher, as he owned one of the lowest GB% in the Rangers system. I’m impressed, and I think he’s someone to keep an eye on moving forward.
Athletics: Daniel Susac (6th Pipeline / 8th Fangraphs)
Oakland might have the least toolsy prospect pool in the majors, and that’s certainly due in part to the near-complete apathy of the horrific ownership group there. It’s an abhorrent mess, and it’s been covered plenty. But it definitely has an effect on the minor league system, and it’s not a positive one. Tess Taruskin’s 2023 Oakland farm breakdown said it best, I think:
…given the overall aura surrounding the Athletics at the moment, it would have perhaps been unreasonable to expect the apparent apathy exhibited by ownership towards the current team (at least, in its current location) not to impact the quality of its minor league system as a whole. When I attended an A’s game recently, I overheard groups around me hoping to see ownership start to invest more whole-heartedly in the team’s future when it relocates. But even if we see a meaningful shift in organizational philosophy — one that prioritizes retaining talented young players and winning at the big league level — Oakland has fallen behind other front offices and farm systems. The next good A’s team is likely a ways away wherever it plays.
Tess Taruskin, Oakland Athletics Top 28 Prospects (2023)
However, in the interest of fairness, I have to find someone I like. There’s a few: I’m a fan of a couple of their top prospects, and I think there are some post-hype reclamation projects and slow developers in the works (Logan Davidson, Henry Bolte, Blake Beers come to mind). Denzel Clarke was also close to being my pick here, but there’s someone I like a little more.
Daniel Susac was a first round pick out of Arizona, and the thing I like the most about him is what I don’t like about him. Let me explain: I hate his swing. His carrying tools, hitting and power, that carried him to an outstanding 2023 in A+, that swing? Don’t like it. Here’s a good one that excites me:
Now, here’s what it looks like more of the time:
Undoubtedly still a good swing, but it’s clear that he has a large negative movement at the start of his movements and that he’s chopping down on the ball to create a poor HAA. That’s why despite hitting the ball very hard, he only managed 7 home runs last year. He’s a big guy with a lot of power potential, but ground balls just won’t get the job done.
Defensively, Susac’s big frame is a bit of a hindrance and I’m not sure he ever profiles as more than an average catcher, but I think his arm is better than it is made out to be. He’s made some highlight-reel throws from some odd angles, and he looks like he gets the ball out really quickly.
All in all, if you’re looking for someone to watch if he gets to go to an organization that cares and can help him develop, Susac is the way to go. He’s definitely someone to watch this upcoming season, especially if he can make an adjustment and lift the baseball.
Josh Bookbinder is a writer for and co-founder of LowThreeQuarter. See more of his work and others’ work on the site through the links at the top of the page, or explore another recent article linked below.
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