It’s early, just 12 days into the second half, but a handful of hitters already have emerged as the league has shifted from amateur talent in the first half for the upcoming draft into a professional independent league.
Aberdeen’s Jevin Relaford has recorded two hits in eight of 10 games. He’s a returning prospect from the 2023 season when he batted over .300 in 19 games between State College and Frederick. He also produced a .337/.435/.446 slash line for South Florida this spring. As the IronBirds’ leadoff hitter, there’s been flashes of power in his 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame, he homering twice and doubling three times already in 45 at-bats. His max exit velocity is light at 98.6 mph, but he takes bat-to-ball and limits the whiff with just 10 to date. Defensively, he’s made a name for himself as a run-preventer with on-the-money throws to nail runners attempting to score. Overall, there’s really nothing that the 24-year-old middle infielder has left to prove; he’s perfectly qualified and talented enough for a shot with an affiliated club.
Maddox Mihalakis has shown some impressive pop for Mahoning Valley with five extra-base hits through his first 35 at-bats. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-handed hitting infielder scuffled his senior season at Arizona with a .211 batting average, but has quickly turned it around for the Scrappers, jumping out to a .343 batting average over his first nine games. His max exit velocity so far has been 107.7 mph and he boasts over a 50% hard hit rate. Mihalakis will be closely followed by the scouting industry to see if his latest adjustments are long-lasting or a temporary fix.
Through eight games in the second half, Trent Turner (State College) is batting .471 with four doubles and a .630 slugging percentage. The versatile infielder is a holdover from the first half of the Draft League season when he batted .226 in 19 games while splitting time between second, third and shortstop. A 23-year-old from Western Carolina, Turner walked it off to open the second half and hasn’t slowed down in the batter’s box. His max exit velocity to date is 101.1 mph and he’s limited his in-zone whiff to below 10% against all pitches combined.
A returning player from 2025, outfielder JuJu Stevens has been the leading hitter for Trenton so far in the second half. Mixing between hitting leadoff, second and third in the lineup, the 6-foot, 200-pound right-handed hitter has shown power, speed and bat-to-ball with four extra-base hits and a max exit velocity of 102.8 mph, three stolen bases and a .429 batting average through his first six games.
West Virginia second baseman Cayden Gaskin has reached base in all seven games and has doubled in four of his first five games. He also featured a three-game stretch where he recorded two hits. The 22-year-old from Central Florida excels at taking bat to ball and using the middle of the field. With a max EV of 102.4 power is not his game, but he consistently drills fastballs with a 36.7% hard-hit rate and just a 6.7% in-zone whiff.
Sam DeCarlo (Williamsport) was a four-year starter for Washington who produced 26 home runs and batted .265 in 213 career games for the Huskies. He’s now a leading hitter for the Crosscutters with a .375 average through his first nine games. He also leads the league in doubles (5) and is second in runs scored (10). Notably, the 5-foot-9 middle infielder already has triple-digit exit velocities against all pitch types, led by 103.6 mph against the fastball and followed closely by 102.5 mph against curveballs and 101.6 vs changeups.
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