Brett Baty, shown here in spring training with the New York Mets, is off to a hot start in Triple-A. (Photo by Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The 2023 Triple-A regular season kicked off on Friday, March 31, with a couple of surprises to begin the year from rising prospects.
One who stood out this weekend was Oklahoma City Dodgers utility player Jahmai Jones, who had back-to-back walk-off hits on Saturday, beating the Tacoma Rainers 6-5 with a game-winning RBI single and again with a game-winning solo home run on Sunday. Jones is hitting .556 through two games with nine at-bats, one home run, one walk, striking out twice, and two RBI. Look for him to do damage if he can stay healthy the course of the year.
Brett Baty of the Syracuse Mets had a great start to his 2023 campaign, hitting a solo home run and a grand slam with a five RBI and four runs scored on Sunday against the Worcester Woo Sox. In spring training, Baty played in 23 games with 40 at-bats, hitting .325, recording 13 hits, one home run, eight walks, and six RBI.
Josh Lester of the Norfolk Tides is another player to be on the lookout for. Lester already has four home runs through three games of the season, and have a massive impact on the Orioles this season if he gets called up to the majors. Lester is batting .385 with eight RBI and an OPS at 1.808.
Right fielder Nolan Jones of the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies) is off to a hot start to begin the season. In the first game of the year on Friday, he hit two home runs in a 9-4 win over the Round Rock Express. In three games, Jones is hitting .385 with five hits, three home runs, and six RBI.
Left fielder Cody Thomas of the Las Vegas Aviators had a hot start to his 2023 season, hiting for the cycle last Friday in a 13-9 loss to the Reno Aces. Thomas is already hitting .333 with four hits, four RBI, striking out three times and three walks to begin the season.