Double-A Report: Patient Approach Helps Clingstones Against Talented Barons Staff

The Columbus Clingstones went 5-1 over Birmingham after displaying good plate discipline against some of the top pitching prospects in baseball.

Welcome to the Double-A Report, a weekly look at the Columbus Clingstones.

Weekly Brief

On the face of it, it was shaping up to be a long week for Columbus. The Stones entered the week on a six-game losing streak, and a peek at the probable starters for the Barons saw two of the top 30 prospects in all of baseball taking the bump at Synovus Park for three of the six scheduled games. Au contraire.

Columbus showed a patient approach at the plate all week and flashed more signs of finding the power stroke, launching six homers over the series. The total was the second most in the Southern League over the week and nearly half the amount that Columbus started the week with.

The pitching also got back on track as the Stones held the Barons to just over 3 runs per game, including tossing the team’s first shutout since the move to Columbus on Thursday. Some of the improvements could be credited to the improved defensive play, with David McCabe, Geraldo Quintero, and Ethan Workinger (below) flashing some leather.

Updated MiLB Pipeline Top-30

These are fresh off the press as the top 30 team lists (and top 100) were tinkered with for the first time in 2025 on Sunday. Ethan Workinger cracked the rankings for the first time this year (that’s what six homers this month will do for you) while a few other Clingstones moved up a couple of places. A third of the top 30 now reside in Columbus, with three members of the starting rotation (Drue Hackenberg, Lucas Braun, and Didier Fuentes) in the top 10. Check out the full list here.

Top-30 Report

Drue Hackenberg (4th - Last Ranking: 5)
Hackenberg flashed some signs of regaining the form he began the season with, but the righty failed to get through Birmingham’s order twice in his start on May 7. He allowed five hits and walked a pair over 3.2 innings in Columbus’ 13-7 victory. Hackenberg will look to improve his command in Knoxville, as he has issued at least two walks in six of his seven starts in 2025.

Lucas Braun (9th - Last Ranking: 10)
Oh boy, did Lucas Braun look good to open the series against the Barons, as the righty improved to 3-0 and showed complete command of his arsenal. It was the third start over the last four that Braun didn’t issue a free pass, while showing his durability, logging a season-high seven innings. Most of the six hits were limited to soft contact (besides a long blast from future big leaguer Ryan Galanie). Gwinnett could be calling soon.

Didier Fuentes (10th – Last Ranking: 11)
Fuentes had to deal with some uncertainty with his start due to weather for the second consecutive week, but the righty showed why people are impressed by him. After a nearly three-hour rain delay, Fuentes allowed just one run over five innings to post his best Double-A start in his young career. He punched out four, compared to just one walk, and held the Barons to three hits. It will be exciting to see his growth over the summer.

Jhancarlos Lara (11th – Last Ranking: 12th)
103 mph. That’s all this should say. In his lone appearance out of the bullpen this week on May 7, Lara lit up the radar gun with multiple readings over 100, topping out at 103 on a few occasions. He was unhittable over his first inning but after a long break in the bottom half of the inning, he struggled to regain form in his second inning on the hill. In my opinion, Lara needs to exclusively be in the pen and throwing gas for 12 pitches. If the slider develops, you are looking at a dominant backend, high-leverage bullpen arm.

(Update: Per reports, the Braves are sending Lara to Triple-A to work exclusively as a reliever)

Blake Burkhalter (14th – Last Ranking: 15th)
It was a professional start from Burkhalter on May 2. It was clear Burkhalter didn’t have his A-command but still managed to keep a talented lineup to just one run on four hits over 3.2 innings. The walk number is something to keep an eye on in Knoxville, as he has walked as many hitters in the last two starts (seven) as he did over his first four.

David McCabe (17th – Last Ranking: 18th)
McCabe reached base in five of the six games against the Barons, including reaching base in all four plate appearances in the 13-7 win on May 7. McCabe was 2-for-2 on the night with two walks, while driving in three. The third baseman flashed some leather at the hot corner, turning a couple of key double plays over the course of the week. McCabe is second in the Southern League in on-base percentage (.457) and walks (26) to go with a top-10 OPS (.839).

Rolddy Munoz (20th – Last Ranking: 21st)
It was a slow week for Munoz, but the righty did his job when called upon. He recorded his first save since April 10 in a 2-0 win on May 8 with a perfect inning. Outside of a rough appearance on May 3, Munoz has allowed just two earned runs over 10.2 innings.

Ian Mejia (23rd – Last Ranking: 24th)
Mejia is quickly becoming one of my favorites to watch because this guy knows how to pitch. He holds hitters to soft contact and just seems wise beyond his age on the bump. Mejia returned to the starting rotation against Birmingham and tossed seven scoreless innings to go along with seven K’s. Just take a gander at his last month:
23.2 IP | 0.00 ERA | 17 hits | 19 strikeouts | 8 walks | 2-0 record. Not too shabby.

Elison Joseph (27th – Last Ranking: 28th)
Joseph had two scoreless appearances for the Stones. The 6’0" righty came in high-leverage situations both nights, picking up a hold and a save. He now has 13 strikeouts in 11 innings in 2025.

Hayden Harris (29th – Last Ranking: 30th)
He is becoming known as Mr. Automatic around the park, as the southpaw just continues to post scoreless appearances. It’s now up to 11 scoreless appearances out of the pen for Harris after 2.1 more innings last week. Five of the seven outs he recorded were via the strikeout, and he now has 23 in just 13.1 innings. I’m hoping his Clingstone career ends with a 0.00 ERA—and in a hurry. (I don’t think he would mind that at all.)

Ethan Workinger (30th – Last Ranking: NR)
How do you follow up being named Southern League Player of the Week? Just 6-for-17 with another multi-homer game, no biggie. Workinger is making Synovus Park his own playground, as the outfielder is turning heads with a 1.342 OPS over the last week with 10 extra-base hits, including six long balls. Workinger has some development to do to spray the ball to all parts of the field, but his power to the pull side is undeniable at this point.

Highlight of the Week

There were plenty of team-firsts over the course of the week: the first shutout, the first double-digit run outing, the first rain delay and postponement at Synovus Park, and…the first bench-clearing incident. No punches were thrown, but after a controversial fair/foul call on a Galanie homer late Saturday night in the sixth, the teams met to talk things over in front of the mound when a pitch from Jorge Juan went high-and-in on Michael Turner. Juan and Columbus manager Cody Gabella were both ejected, but most of the kerfuffle dealt with the decision on the controversial game-winning three-run homer.

Moving and Shaking

A couple of Clingstones made the move to Gwinnett over the course of the week. Cody Milligan is back up in Triple-A after a short stint in Columbus, while Cade Bunnell gets his first nod up to that level. Bunnell had four extra-base hits with a .348 on-base percentage for Columbus through 18 games. Both players can play multiple positions, with Milligan having some of the quickest speed in the organization.

Recently promoted Stephen Paolini had a memorable moment during the week. The outfielder hit his first Double-A homer on Friday night to break a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth.

Upcoming

After spending two weeks in Columbus, the Clingstones head up to Tennessee for a six-game set with the Knoxville Smokies (Chicago Cubs). Infielder Pedro Ramirez (.695 OPS, 8 SB) is the 18th-ranked prospect in the Cubs' system, while BJ Murray is leading the team with six homers to go along with an .815 OPS. A trio of impressive starters in Will Sanders (33.1 IP, 32 K’s, 2.70 ERA), Grant Kipp (26.1 IP, 31 K’s, 3.76 ERA), and Chris Kachmar (29.2 IP, 26 K’s, 3.34 ERA) await the Stones. The series begins on Tuesday at 7 p.m.