Baum signed with Oakland for $900,000 and made his professional debut with the Vermont Lake Monsters of the Low-ANew York–Penn League.[14][15] Over 11 starts,he went 0–3 with a 4.70 ERA,striking out 34 batters over 30+2⁄3 innings.[16] Baum did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was added to Oakland's 60-man player pool and spent the summer training at their alternate site.[17]
Baum missed the beginning of the 2021 season and did not make his season debut until mid-August with the Rookie-levelArizona Complex League Athletics with whom he gave up 17 earned runs and twenty walks over 12+2⁄3 innings.[18] He was assigned to the Stockton Ports of the Single-ACalifornia League to open the 2022 season, but was reassigned to the Arizona Complex League.[19] He continued to struggle with control, going 1–1 with a 17.00 ERA, 47 walks, and 32 strikeouts over 27 innings between both teams.[20] Baum split the 2023 season between the Lansing Lugnuts of the High-AMidwest League and the Midland RockHounds of the Double-ATexas League, appearing in 39 games and going 2-2 with a 3.54 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and 25 walks over 48+1⁄3 innings.[21]
In 2025, Baum made 36 appearances split between the ACL Athletics, Midland, and Las Vegas, accumulating a 1-4 record and 5.50 ERA with 45 strikeouts and one save over 36 innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2025.[22]
Cornelio was selected by the Washington Nationals in the seventh round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[29] After signing,Cornelio made his professional debut in 2023 with the Fredericksburg Nationals,making 22 starts and going 4-8 with a 4.68 ERA.[30] He pitched the 2024 season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and went 9-11 with a 5.56 ERA over 26 starts. For the 2025 season,Cornelio played with Wilmington,the Harrisburg Senators,and the Rochester Red Wings,making 26 starts and going 6-7 with a 3.28 ERA and 135 strikeouts over 134+1⁄3 innings.[31] The Nationals named Cornelio their Minor League Pitcher of the Year.[31] On November 18,the Nationals added Cornelio to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[32]
Armando Junior Cruz (born January 16,2004) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop in the Washington Nationals organization.
Born and raised in Santo Domingo,in the Dominican Repuyblic,Cruz emerged as a high-level baseball prospect by the time he was 14. He played in the 2018 14U Select Festival and a Perfect Game showcase the following year in Florida.[33]
Cruz was linked to the Washington Nationals as early as 2019,before he was eligible to sign with a Major League Baseball team.[34] The Nationals officially signed Cruz for a $3.9 million bonus on January 15,2021,tying the franchise record for an international amateur free agent bonus (with Yasel Antuna),[35] one day before Cruz's 17th birthday.[36]
At the time Cruz turned pro,he was ranked as the fifth-best international amateur prospect by MLB Pipeline[37] and the second-best by Baseball America.[38] A contemporaneous Minor League Baseball news report described him as possibly the best defensive player available in the international signing period,as well as an above-average runner.[39]
Franklin became the Razorbacks' starting left fielder as a freshman and was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman team after batting .274 with 41 runs scored,34 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases.[42] After the season,he played summer baseball for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League.[43] As a sophomore,Franklin batted .381 with four doubles,a triple,three home runs and RBI in 16 games before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.[44][45]
Franklin was named a preseason First Team All-American by Baseball America and by the National College Baseball Writers Association going into his junior year.[46][47][48] He was named the SEC Player of the Week on May 3,2021,after driving in 10 runs in three games against LSU and was a second team All-SEC selection at the end of the regular season.[49][50][51] In the opening game of the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament,Franklin had a run-saving catch followed by a home run to spark a come from behind win over NJIT.[52][53]
On July 30,2025,the Cubs traded Franklin and Ronny Cruz to the Nationals in exchange for pitcher Michael Soroka.[57] He made 31 appearances for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings,hitting .290/.382/.427 with four home runs,23 RBI,and eight stolen bases. On November 18,the Nationals added Franklin to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[58]
Before the 2021 season,Powell ranked as the Nationals' 20th-best prospect,according to MLB Pipeline.[74] He was assigned to High-A Wilmington,along with several other top Nationals prospects,to begin the season that May.[75]
Powell employs a fastball and a slider as his main pitches. He uses a changeup and a curveball less frequently,relying on the slider as his primary "out pitch" while working up to 97 miles per hour (156km/h) with his fastball.[76]
Stuart did not appear in any games for Southern Mississippi in 2019 or 2020. He made his collegiate debut in 2021,pitching to a 7.16 ERA over 16+1⁄3 innings.[81] In 2021,he played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League,throwing six scoreless innings.[82][83] For the 2022 season,Stuart appeared in 22 games (four starts) and went 4–0 with a 3.38 ERA over forty innings.[84] After the season,he was selected by the New York Mets in the sixth round of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[85][86]
Stuart signed with the Mets and made his professional debut in 2022 with the Florida Complex League Mets and St. Lucie Mets,pitching 3+2⁄3 innings between the two teams. He opened the 2023 season with the Brooklyn Cyclones and was promoted to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in mid-July.[87][88][89] Over 21 starts between the two teams,Stuart went 7-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 112 strikeouts over 110+2⁄3 innings.[90] He was assigned to Binghamton to open the 2024 season.[91]
On July 28,2024,the Mets traded Stuart to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Jesse Winker.[92] He was assigned to the Harrisburg Senators and promoted to the Rochester Red Wings near the season's end. Over 25 starts between the three teams for the season,Stuart went 4-8 with a 4.12 ERA and 135 strikeouts over 122+1⁄3 innings.[93] Stuart opened the 2025 season on the injured list with an elbow injury before returning for a rehab assignment in June.[94] For the 2025 season,he made ten appearances between the Florida Complex League Nationals,the Wilmington Blue Rocks,and Harrisburg,going 2-2 with a 4.29 ERA over 35+2⁄3 innings. In July,he was placed back on the injured list,and shortly after underwent Tommy John surgery,ending his season.[95]
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