Fantasy Baseball Farm Report: Christian Encarnacion-Strand is the next must-add Reds prospect

Ridiculous as it might seem, the best hitting prospect in the Reds organization maybe isn't in the majors just yet.

Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain have feasted since arriving in Cincinnati, and it's entirely possible that Christian Encarnacion-Strand will eventually match or exceed their level of production. He has been almost cartoonishly great at Louisville this season, slashing .362/.427/.735 with 17 bombs and 31 extra-base hits over 42 games. His power will play pretty much anywhere:

Here's another unreal moonshot from the archives:

At Great American Ball Park, one of the game's most hitter-friendly environments, Encarnacion-Strand could be simply unfair. He has gone 13-for-24 with three homers, nine RBI and six walks in his past five games. He doesn't seem to require much additional seasoning. He has been mauling non-strikes this season to a pretty wild extent, too, so there might just be some Vlad Sr. in his game.

Whenever he arrives in the big leagues, CES should immediately find himself in the heart of the order for the Reds, likely as the primary designated hitter. Kevin Newman's playing time is clearly at risk, and Tyler Stephenson should lose easy access to DH at-bats.

By the end of the month (if not sooner), this team's lineup is going to be a party.

Luis Matos mashing in Sacramento

Giants outfield prospect Luis Matos has homered five times in his past five games for Triple-A Sacramento, raising his season slash to .348/.415/.548 across two levels. He has stolen 15 bases and delivered 23 XBHs, including nine home runs. A collection of vets are currently blocking his path to the majors, but he definitely seems capable of contributing if or when an opportunity finds him. The recent power surge might overstate his pop just a bit, but it's not unreasonable to think he can be a 15/20 guy down the road.

Jack Leiter doing ace-like things

Ever since the calendar flipped to May, Rangers prospect Jack Leiter has been dealing at Double-A Frisco. He has pitched 36.0 innings over his past seven starts, striking out 47 batters while delivering a 2.50 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Here's a taste:

This feels like progress for the Vanderbilt legend following a mostly messy 2022 season, a year in which his prospect stock cratered.

Emmet Sheehan levels up

Emmet Sheehan and his eye-popping numbers are headed to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where, if he continues to embarrass opposing hitters, he could force his way into a needy Dodgers rotation. Sheehan's performance at Tulsa has been silly this season: 53.1 IP, 88 K, 1.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP. His fastball can reach the upper-90s, while his changeup and slider both seem kinda cruel. If he makes his way to L.A. this season, he'll be worth a flier.

We should note that Landon Knack also earned a promotion to OKC after producing stats to rival Sheehan's in the Texas League. Knack has struck out 61 batters while issuing 12 walks over 57 1/3 innings, producing a WHIP of 0.94 and ERA of 2.20. File away the name for later use.

Tyler Soderstrom is surging

Oakland's top prospect, Tyler Soderstrom, got off to a slow start in April, but he has hit .274 since May 1, and he's up to 14 homers on the season after going deep over the weekend:

(Love to see a pitcher sky-point on a 400-plus-foot shot crushed to dead-center.)

Soderstrom is of particular interest because he has split his time between backstop and first base. Catchers with 20-plus homer pop are always welcome to enter the game.

Michael Busch, gone (to Triple-A) but not forgotten

No, Michael Busch's MLB cameo earlier this season did not last long. But let the record show that he has been blazing-hot at the plate, going 13-for-26 last week with three homers and a .533 OBP. Just look at this easy power:

Busch is now hitting .310/.427/.518 for OKC, with 22 XBHs in 43 games. He doesn't offer speed, but he hit 32 homers in the high minors last year, and he absolutely lives on base.