PLIVE+ Update 5/31/25 - Top 10 Complex Hitters

Data has been updated through 5/29, apologies for the day delay on the update. Today I'll cover the top 10 complex bats, but before I do, I wanted to highlight some significant ranking movement for both hitters and pitchers across other levels.

You can find all the PLIVE+ articles I've written this year at this link:

And you can find the full PLIVE+ rankings and peak projections in the app suite:

Hitter Movers

Josue Briceno, C/1B DET (High-A)

The highest PLIVE+ riser on the hitting side is Josue Briceno who now ranks as the 5th best bat. The time is now to start considering Briceno a top 50 prospect, maybe even higher. The 20 year-old is destroying High-A with a 169 wRC+, 11 HR over 149 PA and a 16.1% BB, 19.5% K. Not only was this punctuated by a 3 HR night yesterday, but 3 HR in his previous 7 games. He ranked 98th in our last prospect update a couple weeks ago with Drew (of course) the high-man at 62nd. Yes he's a catcher, but playing some 1B as well. The bat looks so advanced that I just can't see them keeping him out of the lineup and playing elsewhere if needed.

Nelson Rada, CF LAA (Double-A)

The 2nd higher PLIVE+ increase of the week came from Nelson Rada. I had highlighted Rada in the last update where I contrasted PLIVE+ rankings with our Top 600. While he still hasn't hit a home run, Rada ran a 203 wRC+ last week with 6 SB. But this biggest part was striking out just 3 times over 23 PA to 6 walks. If increased contact rates continue he could see Triple-A soon.

Brennan Milone, 1B/2B/OF SAC (Triple-A)

Brennan Milone had the 5th highest weekly jump in PLIVE+ due to an outpouring of HR and a promotion to Triple-A. Milone is just 1% owned on Fantrax but now ranks as the 142nd hitter by PLIVE+. He spent all of last year at Double-A and produced just 15 HR and 8 SB over 548 PA as a 23 year old. His decent plate discipline and XBH gave him a respectable 126 wRC+. Repeating the level to start this season, Milone's over the fence power has begun to develop, and rapidly. He had a Double Dong game on May 25th and a Throng of Dongs on May 22nd. He's now up to 10 HR over 191 PA while reducing strikeouts. Obviously 1B is out of the question at the big league level but he's gotten time at 2B and the corner OF spots as well. A name to know, and certainly an add in deeper leagues given he's a level away now.

Jesus Baez, SS/3B NYM (High-A)

Jesus Baez comes in as the 7th highest weekly increase after a week where he slashed .500/.581/.792. Yesterday Baez snapped an 11 game streak of not striking out. PLIVE+ loves the age-to-level, contact and power he's flashed. He ranks as the 87th hitter but is the 249th ranked player on our fantasy list. While he's splitting time between SS and 3B, Trevor Hooth said in his scouting report the he thinks Baez ends up on the corner. There's a lot to like here from the 20 year old.

Ryan Ritter, SS COL (Triple-A)

Ryan Ritter improved his stock significantly over the last week as he hit 3 HR on May 25th then 2 HR in the next game. Last season Ritter only hit 7 HR over 373 PA at Double-A while spending some time on the IL. The 24 year old has now hit 15 HR in 228 PA and is pushing for a promotion to the big leagues. Given Adael Amador's struggles at the big league level, a spot could be opening up soon at 2B, though he hasn't played their since 2023. The potential issue, like many Rockies prospects, is the contact rates. While he's only got a 21.1% K this season he has a 72.3% Contact and 81.3% Z-Contact at Triple-A. Playable numbers at the big league level, but unlikely those hold upon debut.

RJ Schreck, TOR (Double-A)

I've covered RJ Schreck a couple times in my deep sea diving series and he now makes it onto the biggest PLIVE+ risers mix over the last month. After a couple week IL stint in April, he returned on 4/29 and has a 209 wRC+ over those 111 PA. He hit 9 HR and nabbed 4 bases over that period with a 12.6% BB and 21.6% K. Schreck is added to the list of somewhat interesting left handed outfield bats in the organization. Given he's 24 years old already I wouldn't be surprised to see a promotion soon. At 4% ownership on Fantrax he's still widely available.

Pitcher Movers

The pitcher names today are more mid-size to deep league relevant. Smarter people have covered Trey Yesavage, Gage Jump, Payton Tolle, Travis Sykora, Chase Burns, and Jonah Tong's of the world.

J.T. Etheridge, RHP NYY (Single-A)

The 3rd highest mover on PLIVE- last week was J.T. Etheridge who was promoted to Single-A after striking out 22 batters in just 11.2 IP on the complex as a 23 year old. He signed with the Yankees as an undrafted free agent in August last year. Etheridge was a reliever over the last two seasons at Louisiana Lafayette but has been stretched out to throw 4+ innings. In his first Single-A outing he came in as relief and had a line of 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), BB, 4 K. I saved the best for last. Etheridge stands 6 feet 6 inches tall. With his appearance at Single-A we have some Statcast Data courtesy of TJ Stats. The fastball sat 93 mph, but he led with an 82 mph slider and also has a changeup. He's a super deep league buy right now and currently 0% rostered on Fantrax, but like the overall package.

Cole Peschl, RHP MIN (High-A)

I covered Cole Peschl in my PLIVE+ Deep Sea Diving article a couple weeks ago. What I didn't know when covering him is that he wouldn't throw another pitch in Single-A and has now made two starts at High-A where he's gotten 12 K over 10 IP without issuing a free pass. His latest start was his first time finishing 6 innings. The 15th round pick doesn't have a ton of velo but he's now getting results at High-A which should warrant some attention in deep leagues.

Patrick Copen, RHP LAD (High-A)

Earlier this month Nate Rasmussen highlighted Patrick Copen in the Daily Sheet and called him a "priority watch in the Dodgers' farm." Since then he's struck out 28 batters in 18.1 IP while beginning to limit the walks that had plagued him in his prior starts. Copen is another imposing figure on the mound standing 6 foot 6 inches (what is this the tall pitcher PLVIE+ article?). Incredibly Copen lost his vision in one eye last year after being hit with a comebacker. It's great to see him not just persevering in his return, but thriving. He's still just 4% rostered on Fantrax and that number needs to increase.

Irving Cota, RHP NYM (Double-A)

I wanted to be clear from the beginning that PLIVE+ isn't the biggest fan of Irving Cota, but respects his recent game and level jump. Another 0% owned player on Fantrax, Cota recently skipped a level moving from Single-A to Double-A. In his first game at the level, Cota allowed just a single hit over 5 IP and struck out 5. This start nearly replicated his last Single-A start where he also went 5 IP allowing just one hit and HBP while striking out 6. Similar to Etheridge above, Cota is tall and is listed at 6 foot 5 inches. He also works the curveball first throwing it 45% of the time and sits 93 mph with a sinker. Cota was signed out of Mexico and sent to the DSL as a 19 year old, then came stateside last year but only threw 45.2 IP. Now getting stretched out and pushed up to Double-A it'll be interesting to see how he develops. Thus far he only has 6 BB across his 33.2 IP.

Tyson Hardin, RHP MIL (High-A)

Did the Brewers do it again? Tyson Hardin got taken in the 12th round of last year's draft and has run a 28.6% K and miniscule 3.2% BB over his first 9 High-A starts this season. While he ranks as the 54th best pitcher by career PLIVE+, he's 11th in the no-regression ranking. He's consistently run deep into games and finished 7 innings twice. The fastball sits 94 mph and he generates whiffs with them. Hardin still sits at just 5% rostered and that'll likely double in the next couple weeks. Kyle Sonntag was way ahead of the curve here, highlighting him in his April 27th edition of Dynasty Baseball Pickups when that ownership level was down at 1%. I suggest taking a look at that writeup.

Complex Hitters

Alright let's get to the young guns. The Top 10 PLIVE+ Complex League hitters thus far.

1. Rainiel Rodriguez, C STL (CPX)

You know about Rainiel Rodriguez because he's in the Daily Sheet almost every day. He was also our pre-season 11th ranked Cardinals prospect and ranked as high as 265th in our top prospects list before taking a stateside AB. In our last update a couple weeks ago Rainiel cracked the top 200 at 196th. Given his continued destruction of the Complex I'd assume he'll continue to move up the list quickly. It's time to get him up to Single-A. PLIVE+ ranks him as the 5th best bat overall and is extremely bullish on the power with a 30 HR /600 PA peak projection. The only thing that gives me pause here is pretty weak Contact rate, but we can't nitpick an 18 year old with a 248 wRC+ in Complex ball too much.

2. Devin Fitz-Gerald, 2B/3B/SS TEX (CPX)

Unlike Rainiel, it's not too late to buy into the 2nd ranked player Devin Fitz-Gerald who is still just 2% rostered on Fantrax. Taylor Corso mentioned him in his Dynasty Baseball Pickups article yesterday as a bonus name for leagues with 450+ players rostered.

Fitz-Gerald was taken in the 5th round out of Stoneman Douglas High School 165th overall and ranked 187th in our Top 300 2024 MLB Draft Rankings. Here is what the team had to say pre-draft:

Fitz-Gerald put together one of the better summers this cycle, climbing his way up the ranks. A certain tool doesn't stick out in his profile, but rather it's a smattering of fringe-average and average tools that tie the puzzle together. He's on the smaller side of the spectrum, but he's got good defensive chops and should profile best as a second baseman. A switch-hitter, Fitz-Gerald possesses good bat speed from either side and utilizes the whole field to his advantage. He draws more walks than strikeouts and his approach is stellar, though there is some swing-and-miss present. Overall, this is a well-rounded profile that has some upside. He's committed to play at NC State.

Through 70 PA he's hit 5 HR with 2 SB and had excellent plate discipline with a 14.3% BB and 10.0% K. We've got an obvious small sample caveat here, but there are much worse fliers to take.

3. Dauri Fernandez, 3B/SS/2B CLE (CPX)

We've covered Dauri Fernandez quite a bit in the Daily Sheet and was also a recommended pickup less than a week ago by Kyle Sonntag. He's a Guardians prospect through and through, a switch hitting 5 foot 9 inch tall infielder with great contact rates. Through 69 PA he's had a 14.5% BB, 7.2% K and .439/.522/.702 slash. Given what looks like a plus-hit tool, I'd probably jump Fernandez before Fitz-Gerald, but both are sitting in the same tier for me. He's also widely available with 3% ownership on Fantrax.

4. Juan Ortuno, 2B/SS MIL (CPX)

A Milwaukee Brewers international prospect? Yep! Ortuno signed out of Venezuela in January 2024 and hit well in the DSL. He's continued that performance over to the Complex and has hit 3 HR and has 3 SB with a 19.5% BB and 15.6% K over 77 PA. Ortuno hasn't had the same fanfare as Fitz-Gerald or Fernandez and is just 1% rostered. Listed at 5 foot 8 inches, 165 lbs, he's mastered the art of patience, swinging just 29.8% of the time. While PLIVE+ likes the profile overall, it appears over-inflated by his passiveness and a few HR balls to begin his stateside career.

5. Johan Rodriguez, SS/2B CLE (CPX)

Not to be confused with the 22 year old pitcher in the Giants organization, this Johan Rodriguez is yet another Guardians infielder with bat to ball skills. Alex Jensen had this to say after Rodriguez hit his first HR:

Rodriguez's first stateside homer is nice to see. He only had two during his time in the DSL, where he hit well enough. He isn’t the most notable Guardians prospect at the complex, but he is definitely worth keeping an eye on, as is every Guardians prospect it feels like. There is a touch more offensive juice than your standard contact-first Guardians prospect.

That juice hasn't really showed up since the first HR but we're only 16 games in to the Complex season. What PLIVE+ really likes here is that Rodriguez is still playing in his age 17 season. Solid bat to ball and plate skills before your 18th birthday is more important than a couple more complex league homers. The stat line isn't sexy which is why he's still 0% owned. Let's keep an eye on him.

6. Nate George, OF BAL (CPX)

Nate George, not to be confused with Dodgers outfielder Kendall George, has gotten quite a bit of attention at PLive. He's appeared on 5 Daily Sheets, and been featured in both Brandon Hacker's Potential Complex League Risers article and a Dynasty Baseball Pickups article by Taylor three weeks ago. The 16th round pick is running pure with the bat slashing .433/.500/.600 across 69 PA with 3 HR and 11 SB. The only reason he doesn't rank higher is because he's in his age 19 season despite not turning 19 for a few more days. George is already 4% rostered and honestly it should be much higher.

7. Handelfry Encarnacion, OF MIL (CPX)

What a name! Handelfry Encarnacion is 9 days away from his 18th birthday so he's getting treated as an 18 year old by PLIVE+. Yet another stand out Brewers outfielder, he was another player just recently highlighted by Taylor yesterday in his Dynasty pickups article, where I'll point you for further information:

8. Juneiker Caceres, OF CLE (CPX)

Yep, that's the 3rd Guardians prospect on this list. Juneiker Caceres was listed in Rhys White's Guardians Honorable Mentions article in the pre-season and this is what he had to say:

The Guardians love themselves a smaller, compact, contact-orientated hitter, which Juneiker Careres projects out for them. It is a smooth and compact swing from the left side. He makes a ton of contact and may become a plus-contact hitter when all is said and done.

Boy the Guardians have a type don't they? The 17 year old is more than holding his own in the complex slashing .333/.431/.458 with 4 SB over 58 PA. The 13.8% BB and 12.1% K along with the 83.3% Contact back up the plus-contact. The stat line looks nearly identical to his DSL numbers. We're a long way from seeing what Caceres ultimately becomes but the age-to-level bat skills alone make him a great deep league buy. He's still widely available being 2% rostered on Fantrax.

9. Eduardo Ponce, C SEA (CPX)

The 5 foot 9 inch tall Eduardo Ponce has already registered 3 HR over his first 14 games while running solid contact rates. The stat line doesn't look great because of a low BABIP, but I'd assume he pumps up those numbers a bit. As a catcher who is pretty far away from the big leagues I think we can take a beat on adding him until he really pushes for our attention offensively.

10. Hayden Alvarez, LAA (CPX)

Is that what I think it is? An Angels prospect appearing in the list? Hayden Alvarez has slashed .313/.460/.438 through his first 64 PA and added a HR and 5 SB. He's also shown patience at the plate with a 21.9% BB. We've also covered Alvarez quite a bit between Daily Sheets, Dynasty Pickups and his appearance in the Potential Complex Risers article. He's got a great frame at 6 foot 3 inches, 190 lbs and our own Juicy Jensen is in love: