One aspect of the MLB Draft League that sets itself apart from other collegiate summer leagues is its implementation of technology and data. With the help of each team’s data coordinators, prospects of the league have information and analytics available in real-time to help evaluate, scout, develop their tools and game while it's distributed to the 30 Major League teams. With two weeks remaining in the season, here are our picks for Week 11’s Data Darlings:
C Jaden Collura, State College
Over his last five games, the State College lefty has hit his stride, batting .438 with a .524 OBP and a .625 SLG (1.149 OPS). Over that span, he has also accumulated three doubles, five walks (one intentional) and only one strikeout, along with five RBI. Collura has been strong behind the plate as well for the first half champs, starting 22 games at catcher so far and allowing zero passed balls while throwing out 11 would-be base stealers. On top of being a great catcher, he has shown defensive versatility with two games at second base as well, both without any errors. Collura thrives on his plate discipline, owning a low 24% chase rate and an even lower 16% whiff rate. His disciplined swing decision stats contribute to his 16% K% and 12% BB%. He also performs very well against right-handed pitching, where his percentages are even better, while also having nearly a .400 wOBA. Entering the home stretch before State College hosts the MLB Draft League Championship, Collura’s momentum at the plate and in the field can potentially garner the Spikes’ first league title.
C/UTL Jace Rinehart, West Virginia
Coming off of his hitter of the week honors, Rinehart has consistently reached base with the longest hit-streak of the 2025 season. With a .443 OBP, 30 hits, 13 walks and a 14% BB%, all of which are top 10 marks for West Virginia, he has done everything he can to help produce runs. Rinehart’s traditional slash of .349/.443/.442 have been remarkable with an even more impressive expected line to prove that he isn’t lucky at the plate, he’s straight up performing. He’s connected the baseball well with a 31% hard-hit rate, 18% Barrel% and 91-mph average exit velo, Rinehart has been one of the hardest hitters of the second half. He also has high contact rates, with an overall contact rate of 83% and a low K% of 11%, combined with his slash line, has been a difficult out.
SS Patrick Roche, Mahoning Valley
Out of Boston College the infielder joined the Draft League before the MLB Draft and has continued to succeed as he did in his short first half stint. After starting with a five-game hit streak (eight total hits, three doubles), Roche is batting .347 with a .856 OPS and 18 runs batted in. He’s proven to be a disciplined hitter, having a 26% Chase% and an 85% Contact% while striking out only 16% of the time. He has an In-Zone Whiff% of 13%, and puts the ball in play 50% of the time. These characteristics have led to his .421 OBP and his .366 wOBA, both top 10 for Mahoning Valley across second half bats. Roche performs very well against left-handed pitching, with an 18% Barrel%, 88% Contact% and only a 4% strikeout rate. His performance has earned him a .461 xwOBA against lefties, the third best on the team.
RHP Jax Howard, Williamsport
Howard has been another solid arm out of Williamsport, throwing five distinct pitches from a high arm slot with 6’4” of extension on average. His primary pitch is a four-seam fastball that sits 91-93 mph and tops out at 95.7 mph. His second pitch is a sinker that gets less induced vertical break and more horizontal break than his fastball while still preserving the velocity from the four-seam. It averages 11” of IVB but often gets below 10”, while averaging 14” of HB. His changeup is his most distinct pitch, with 20” of arm side movement on average and 7” of vertical movement. It owns a 50% Whiff% and tops out at 85 mph. He throws two glove-side pitches, a cutter and a slider. The cutter is a sharp 4” IVB, -4” HB movement that tops out at nearly 90 mph, whereas the slider is slightly slower (81-83 mph) with a bigger shape (-13” HB). Howard's extension is one of his more important traits, as he gets up to six and a half feet of extension on his fastball that can lead to appearing faster than his max 95 mph to opposing batters. He also has a 28% strikeout rate to a 9% BB%, while generating ground balls at a 75% clip. He has the arsenal and metrics to be a great arm for the Crosscutters that will only improve with more innings under his belt.
RHP Cameron LeJeune, West Virginia
The Virginia Tech righty has been a force in the Black Bears’ bullpen. Through 19 2/3 IP he has yet to allow a run and has only a 0.86 WHIP. He throws five pitches: fastball, changeup, sinker, slider and a cutter, all to great effect for a 32.3% K rate and 9% BB%. His fastball is his most used pitch, throwing it 47% of the time featuring solid movement and tops out just south of 94 mph. He really gets down the mound with this pitch, having an average extension of 6 feet, by far more than his other pitches. His sinker is similar in velo, but has less induced vertical break, averaging around 8” with 12” of HB. He doesn’t throw his changeup very often, but it still has shown to be effective. It has a similar movement profile to the sinker, but sits 86-88 and spins at only 1700 rpms. His cutter compliments the fastball, averaging 4” of IVB and -2” HB while throwing it in the upper 80s to the tune of a 32% Whiff%. His true breaking pitch is his slider. It averages -2” IVB and -2” HB for more of a gyro slider shape, while getting whiffs in the zone 25% of the time. He gets most of his whiffs from the cutter but he does his best out of the zone, with a 30% chase rate. His changeup has been his best pitch for chases, with a 50% chase rate and a 54% strike rate despite being in the zone only 23% of the time, making it a perfect putaway pitch.
LHP Jace Miner, Frederick
In only four games, Miner has made his presence known. He hasn’t allowed a run, has six strikeouts to two walks, and has a 0.91 WHIP. He has a unique sidearm, almost submarine arm action with six feet of extension. His arsenal consists of a sinker, slider, changeup and four-seam fastball. He has only thrown one fastball, but his sinker averages 3” IVB and -13” HB while topping out at 90.5 mph. He features over six feet of extension on average and some routinely get -5” IVB or more. His changeup is equally as devastating, averaging -7” IVB and -16” HB and has a 10-mph difference in velo from the sinker while spinning at only 1800 rpms. His slider is his only breaking pitch, topping out at 80 mph while getting 4” IVB and 4” HB with whiffs 33% of the time and being a strike 81% of the time. Miner has been virtually untouchable so far, allowing zero barrels and only a 6% HHB% while inducing ground balls 56% of the time. He also induces out of zone swings 35% of the time with a 25% whiff rate overall, which contributes to his 25% K% and 8% BB%.
1B CJ Willis, Trenton
The Thunder first baseman has been a rock in the Thunder lineup. Through more than 30 Draft League games, he has a .306 batting average with a .770 OPS and nine stolen bases. He is a disciplined bat, hosting a 23% chase rate and 16% strikeout rate. Not only does he not strikeout a lot, but he also walks 13% of the time with a .320 wOBA. He performs best against left-handed pitching, with a .393 xwOBA and a 21% HHB%. He also walks twice as much against lefties, at a 26% clip while striking out even less (13%). Willis also finds himself the owner of an 89-mph average exit velo and a 21% HHB rate, both of which are top 20 marks in the league amongst players with 80 or more PAs.
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