On Saturday, several top Minor League Baseball prospects delivered notable performances, including the professional debuts of three 2025 first-round draft picks. Among those making their first appearances were Gage Wood of the Philadelphia Phillies organization, Liam Doyle of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Kruz Schoolcraft of the San Diego Padres.
Gage Wood, a right-handed pitcher selected 26th overall in this year’s MLB Draft by the Phillies, made his debut for Single-A Clearwater. Wood overcame some early struggles in his two-inning start, ultimately recording five strikeouts and generating six swings-and-misses on 13 pitches. He maintained a fastball velocity in the mid-90s and reached as high as 97 mph.
Other prospects also stood out across various Minor League levels. Travis Bazzana of the Cleveland Guardians had his first multi-home run game at Triple-A Columbus after a challenging August. Bazzana has improved recently with three home runs and five extra-base hits over his last eight games.
Konnor Griffin of Double-A Altoona (Pittsburgh Pirates) hit his 20th home run of the season and joined an exclusive group by combining that feat with more than 60 stolen bases. Griffin became only the second Minor Leaguer since 2005 to reach these milestones in one season.
Leo De Vries (Oakland Athletics) achieved his first four-hit game at Double-A Midland, while Ethan Holliday (Colorado Rockies) broke out of a slump with his second professional home run for Single-A Fresno.
Liam Doyle made his debut for Single-A Palm Beach, striking out three batters over just under two innings while showing strong velocity but giving up a solo home run and issuing two walks.
Eduardo Quintero (Los Angeles Dodgers) continued to perform well at High-A Great Lakes with another leadoff home run and improved season stats that include nearly .300 batting average and close to 100 runs scored.
Alfredo Duno (Cincinnati Reds) extended his recent power surge for Single-A Daytona, hitting his third home run in four games while leading multiple offensive categories in the Florida State League this season.
Kruz Schoolcraft pitched for Single-A Lake Elsinore in his debut after being drafted 25th overall by San Diego. The left-hander struck out four batters over less than two innings, displaying strong potential by inducing ten swings-and-misses from nine batters faced.
The performances highlighted a day when several highly regarded prospects demonstrated why they were selected early in this year’s draft or are ranked among baseball’s Top 100 prospects.
