Early Season Minor League Hitter Update: Nick Kurtz, Brice Matthews, Tim Tawa, Kyle Teel, Jakob Marsee and More

The MLB regular season is what standard league fantasy baseball owners are mostly focused on. Dynasty owners are also interested in the minor league season going on, and FantasySP will keep you updated on all the top minor league performers throughout the season.

In this first update, we'll take a look at the top performers from the first week or so of the Triple-A season. We'll cover hitters here - check back soon for a writeup on pitchers.

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Hit Leaders

Los Angeles Dodgers' Ryan Ward and Tampa Bay's Tanner Murray lead the way with 11 hits each so far.

Ward has two doubles among his hits, along with six RBIs, four runs scored, a walk, a sac fly, three stolen bases and two strikeouts. Ward is not a top-30 prospect as a 27-year-old, but could maybe get a call up if injuries plague the Dodgers.

Murray has two doubles and a homer among his knocks so far. He also has five RBIs, three runs scored, a walk and seven punchouts. Murray is not a top-30 prospect of the team as a 26-year-old, but could get a call up if the team needs some hitting help.

Home Run Leaders

Kansas City's Cam Devanney leads Triple-A with four homers. Arizona's Tim Tawa and Athletics' Nick Kurtz have three long balls each. 

Devanney has seven hits total this season, including a double. He has seven RBIs, five runs scored, a walk, was plunked by a pitch and has struck out six times. Devanney is not a top-30 prospect as a 28-year-old, but more pop in the minors could get him a crack at the big leagues eventually.

Tawa has nine hits on the season, including two doubles and a triple. He also has 12 RBIs, eight runs scored, three walks, two stolen bases and no strikeouts. Tawa is the team's No. 25 prospect and has a 2025 ETA, so more hot hitting could get him to the big leagues sooner rather than later.

Kurtz has 10 total hits so far, including two doubles. He has nine RBIs, six runs scored, two walks and five punchouts. Kurtz is the team's No. 2 prospect and has a 2026 ETA - with him already in AAA and the big league team likely going to sell at the trade deadline, I think Kurtz could get a crack at the big leagues later in 2025.

RBI Leaders

Tawa leads AAA with his 12 RBIs. Chicago White Sox' Kyle Teel is tied with Kurtz at nine RBIs. San Diego's Trenton Brooks is at eight RBIs so far.

Teel has seven hits on the season, including two doubles and homers. He also has four runs scored, three walks, a stolen base and seven strikeouts. Teel is the team's No. 2 prospect and has a 2025 ETA - with the likely struggles of the big league team, I could see Teel getting a call up pretty early in the 2025 season.

Brooks has eight hits to his name, including two homers and doubles. He also has racked up four runs scored, four walks, two sac flyouts and three strikeouts. Brooks is 29 years old and not on the team's top-30 prospect list, but more productive at-bats in the minors could get him a crack at the big leagues if the team has some regular starters go down.

Runs Scored Leaders

Kansas City's John Rave leads Triple-A with nine runs scored so far. Cincinnati's Will Benson and Tawa are second with eight runs each.

Rave has four hits, including two doubles and a home run. He has walked five times, drove in two runs, had a sacrifice, stole three bases and struck out five times. Rave is 27 years old and not on the top-30 prospect list for the team - he'll need several injuries at the MLB level to likely get a crack at the big leagues.

Benson has played in the big leagues in the past, but lost his role to open this season. He has 10 hits, including two homers and a double and triple, along with four RBIs, one walk and six strikeouts so far. There's a decent chance Benson gets called back up to the big leagues again in 2025, or maybe another team might want to take a chance on him.

Stolen Base Leaders

Toronto's Jonatan Clase, Miami's Jakob Marsee and Houston's Brice Matthews lead the way with four stolen bases so far.

Clase has five singles and four walks, along with three runs scored and three strikeouts. He's been to the MLB before, and could make a return if Toronto needs some help in the outfield eventually.

Marsee has one hit (a single) so far, but has walked six times and been hit by a pitch too. He also has three runs scored, an RBI and a sacrifice. Marsee is the team's No. 24 prospect and expected to debut in 2025 - he could get a call if the Marlins have an outfielder or two go down with injuries.

Matthews has three hits, including a triple, so far. He also has three walks, two RBIs, three runs scored, was hit by a pitch and has struck out 11 times. He's the team's No. 2 prospect and expected to debut in 2025 - he can play the left side of the infield, and could be a trade target if no spot opens up for him.