Minor League Pitcher and Hitter of the Week: May 6-12 (2024)

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When will James Wood, a top 10 prospect in all of baseball, get up to join the Washington Nationals? Not soon enough.

By Cristian Crespo | May 13, 2024 |

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Minor League Pitcher and Hitter of the Week: May 6-12 (2)

We are a month and a half into the Minor League season, and I continue to find myself floored by how many of these prospects continue to showcase their talents at such a high level.

A fascinating part about it is that it truly opens your eyes to how much the development of the minor leagues has taken the next step, and provides us with such insight as to how the game continues to improve.

In this weekly article, we like to make sure we highlight some of the players you may not know much about, but are doing incredible things down in the minors. However, we are witnessing some performances by “bigger” named prospects that cannot be ignored.

For more information on the Top Prospects that find themselves on Just Baseball’s Top 100, you can find that listhere.

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Pitcher of the Week: Jaden Hamm (RHP) – Detroit Tigers (High-A West Michigan Whitecaps)

Weekly Stats: 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K
Season Stats: 7 GS, 28.2 IP, 23 H, 4 BB, 43 K, 0.94 ERA, 1.62 FIP, 13.5 K/9

The Detroit Tigers are making waves right now at the Major League level. Now, don’t let that deter you from what they currently have cooking up in the Minor Leagues.

Jaden Hamm might not be someone you have heard of at this point, but you should probably start recognizing the name. Since being taken in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Middle Tennessee State, Hamm has been … going ham.

Hitter of the Week: James Wood (OF) – Washington Nationals (Triple-A Rochester Red Wings)

Weekly Stats: .455/.519/.1.182, 5 HR, 12 RBI, .941 ISO
Season Stats: .346/.444/.534, 7 HR, 23 RBI, .244 ISO, 172 wRC+

What else is there for James Wood to prove to the Nationals’ front office that he is ready to make his Major League debut?

James Wood has four consecutive multi-hit games, three consecutive games with a home run and five home runs in his last three games. 18 consecutive PA's without a strikeout. Two of the homers were left on left. OPS is up to 1.055. pic.twitter.com/IiEgOj3dYC
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) May 11, 2024

As I mentioned in the open, we like to reference those prospects that fly under the radar, but James Wood is standing on his head right now. The issue is that the Nationals have deployed a plan for Wood that will likely keep him down in the Minor Leagues for a little longer.

In a recent interview with Nats Manager Davey Martinez, he was quoted saying that Wood “needs to get a bunch of at-bats” and “learn some different things” before they can officially call him up to make his debut. Well, if James Wood continues to produce the way he has of late, I do not know how much else he needs to learn.

Let’s get James Wood in Washington and see what the next phase of winning Washington Nationals baseball looks like.

Honorable Mentions:

Pitcher: Alexander Cornielle (RHP) – Milwaukee Brewers (High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers):
Weekly Stats: 1 GS 7.0 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K, 28.0% K%