The Prospect Notebook - June 9th

Welcome back to the Prospect notebook. In this weeks addition, we look at a position player who has been hot since his return from injury, the next UDFA gem in the system, and a resurgent former top prospect.

Core Jackson

To say Jackson’s first 29 games of the 2026 season were underwhelming would be a fair assessment. Through May 8^th, Jackson had a 98 wRC+, sporting average contact rates with poor swing decisions. After missing a few weeks with an injury, Jackson has returned looking like a much better player. In the 9 games since his return on 5/26, Jackson has a .333/.474/.800 slash for a 207 wRC+. So the question is, what has Jackson been doing differently?

The first notable change is the swing decisions. While he is still swinging at nearly the same rate as he was pre-injury, the zone and chase swing mix is significantly better. Indeed, in the series’ vs Winston Salem and Frederick, Jackson had some very impressive at bats vs righties and lefties, laying off some very tough pitches and working 8 walks compared to only 6 strikeouts.

The other clear and obvious change has been pulling the ball in the air. Jackson can hit the ball quite hard and has a very nice looking swing when pulling the ball. However, Jackson has been far too much on the ground or to the other fields during the first portion of the season. Since returning, Jackson has been pulling the ball in the air nearly 10% more. This has resulted in improved game power, with 7 of his 16 XBH’s on the season coming in this 9-game run. His home run power has showed up too, smacking 3 the right field in the series vs Winston Salem.

Core Jackson has dynamic elements to his game, possessing plus speed and a powerful bat. While he is never going to have plus swing decisions or contact ability, Jackson does need to show enough growth with these tools to facilitate his game power. This sample suggests some much-needed improvement for the shortstop. After a rough start, Jackson is starting to show signs of a prospect on the rise. Keep a close eye on Jackson over the next month, as he may earn himself a AA promotion before too long.

Tyler Boudreau

The big name UDFA signing from this most recent class seems to be Tyler Boudreau. The right hander has been one of the best starters in the organization this year, carving up batters in Low-A. Indeed, a 3.40 ERA/3.20 FIP with a 30.8 K% and 8.8 BB% on the season has made Boudreau a borderline top 30 prospect. But is it Boudreau’s advanced age at the level spearheading his success, or does Boudreau have legitimate prospect status?

Boudreau features four well-defined pitches, headlined by his four-seam fastball. Sitting at 93, Boudreau has gotten the pitch up to 96 mph on the season. Featuring well-above average induced Vertical Break, as well as a low Vertical Approach Angle, the fastball is a plus weapon. Helping it perform even better has been Boudreau’s propensity to throw it in the zone. Because of this, Boudreau will not only generate whiffs in the zone but will get batters to climb the ladder out of the zone. He rounds out his repertoire with 3 off-speed pitches, a slider, changeup, and curveball. While none of the pitches have great shapes as stands, he has been able to carve up Low-A hitters with them, generating plenty of chase outside and below the zone with them.

It is very fair to say Boudreau’s experience has benefitted him at Low-A. His fastball is a major weapon that should guide him as he moves up the levels. While he will likely remain a starter for a bit, Boudreau is someone I truly see being a weapon in the bullpen. He reminds me of fellow 2025 class peer Ben Grable. While Grable does not have premier velocity, sitting 95-97, he has some of the best iVB on the pitch, nearly 21 inches. While Boudreau’s fastball isn’t that good, it is a weapon that can play up from the ‘pen. In shorter spurts, it would not be surprising to see the pitch sit closer to his max of 96 with a bit more iVB. Add to that the fact he throws the pitch for strikes at an above average rate, and you have the makings of a good reliever. If he can bring along one or two of his secondaries, it is easy to see why Boudreau will project nicely at the MLB level.

Henry Lalane

We will stay in Tampa for our last player of the day, focusing on the resurgent Henry Lalane. Through his first 6 appearances, Lalane had pitched 20 innings with a 6.30 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 20.8 K%, and 12.5 BB%. While his FIP indicates there was some bad luck involved, it was hard to get excited about Lalane with his poor strike throwing, a fastball sitting below 93 mph, and concerning underlying data. In his last 3, starts, Lalane has been a completely different pitcher.

As seen above, the underlying data for Lalane has been tremendous, as the lefty has been missing bats, inducing bat swings, and limiting damage on contact. All this has led to a superb ERA, FIP, and K-BB%. While the stuff+ scores don’t pop off the page, there are still reasons to be more bullish on his stuff. Firstly, his fastball velocity is much improved, sitting above 94 and dialing it up to a high of 97. Second, Lalane generates great extension down the mound. Lalane uses all of his 6’7 frame to get down the mound, shrinking the distance between his release point and the batter. While the pitch shapes are by no means great, they look significantly better than they did before the season.

What does this mean for Lalane? After two lost seasons, it is most encouraging to see him bring back shades of the Lalane that was a top prospect after the 2023 season. While we will need to see this level of performance throughout the season, Lalane has already worked his way back into top 30 conversations after falling out of lists, like mine. While he may not have the top of the rotation upside he once featured, it is not hard to see how a 6’7” lefty can make an impact at the MLB. For now, let us enjoy the rejuvenation of a young and talented player.

all data provided by @tjstats

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