St. Cloud, MN – MLB.com released its Top 30 Prospects lists for every major league team, which featured five former Rox players. Michael Busch (Chicago Cubs), Brice Matthews (Houston Astros), Andrew Pinckney (Washington Nationals), Caleb Ricketts (Philadelphia Phillies), and Will Warren (New York Yankees) all appeared in the rankings.

Michael Busch, an infielder from Inver Grove Heights Minnesota with the Chicago Cubs, ranks as the organization’s No. 4 prospect and MLB’s No. 51 overall prospect. He played the 2017 summer with the Rox, slashing .291/.426/.500 with 28 RBI in 49 games en route to a Northwoods League championship.

A former first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers out of North Carolina, Busch made his big league debut last season before a January trade sent him to the Windy City. Between Triple-A and the major leagues, Busch slugged 29 home runs while plating 97 runs in 2023. Despite playing only 98 games in the minors, he earned Pacific Coast League MVP by slashing .323/.431/.618 with the Oklahoma City Dodgers. Busch will be a part of the Cubs opening-day roster. 

Brice Matthews, a shortstop in the Houston Astros organization, also ranks at No. 4 in his team’s system. The Houston native played his 2021 and 2022 summer seasons in St. Cloud, where he collected 24 doubles, eight home runs, 49 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in total. He earned Northwoods League All-Star honors in 2022, leading the Rox to consecutive 50-win seasons.

Matthews broke out in the months leading into last summer’s MLB draft, slashing .359/.481/.723 with 20 long balls and 67 RBI in 54 games in his final collegiate summer with Nebraska. He garnered a first-round selection in the 2023 draft before showcasing his speed at the professional level. In 33 games at the Single-A level, he added 16 stolen bases to a .740 OPS for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.

Andrew Pinckney, an outfielder, ranks at No. 17 in the Washington Nationals organization. He played for the Rox in the 2021 league runner-up season, slashing .292/.370/.429 with 13 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 15 stolen bases, and 37 RBI in 51 games.

A 2023 fourth-round draft choice out of Alabama, Pinckney rapidly rose through the minor league ranks after joining Washington’s system. He hit better than .320 at both the Single-A and High-A level, landing with the Double-A Harrisburg Senators just before the season ended. 

Remaining in the National League East, catcher Caleb Ricketts rates as the No. 21 prospect in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He caught for the Rox in 2021, slashing .281/.391/.396 with 12 doubles, two home runs, and 31 RBI in 41 games. 

Selected in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, Ricketts exited the Single-A level last season after hitting .368 with a .937 OPS in 23 games. He finished the season in High-A baseball with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws and will likely open 2024 there. Ricketts most recently appeared in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a .256 batting average and .359 on-base percentage in 14 games last October.

The highest-ranked former Rox pitching prospect, Will Warren rates as the No. 8 prospect in the New York Yankees system. He called St. Cloud home in the 2018 summer, pitching to a 4.62 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 48.2 innings.

Taken out of Southeastern Louisiana in the 2021 draft’s eighth round, Warren has worked his way up to the Triple-A level. Across two full seasons in the minor leagues, he has posted a 3.63 ERA in 258 innings pitched. Warren saw 99 innings of work with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to end the 2023 season, compiling a 7-4 record with 110 strikeouts and a 3.61 ERA.

The Rox home opener is May 31st at 7:05 PM against the Duluth Huskies. There will be a huge post-game fireworks show presented by Coborn’s. For a complete game schedule and to download the schedule to your phone, visit the schedule page at stcloudrox.com. Season ticket packages, group tickets, and Kwik Trip 5-game and 7-game plans are available. Call 320-240-9798 or visit stcloudrox.com to reserve your seats today.

The 2024 season is presented by Morrie’s Auto Group.