Under The Radar: Tyson Hardin, Luis Arana, Mason Molina

A long, long time ago I used to do a big long list at the end of each season that contained players I believed deserved more attention. That started in 2021. It's time to revive that, sort of. Spread throughout the season the plan is to highlight prospects I watch who need a little more attention. With that, the plan is to do a little more in depth on a few players at a time as opposed to a series of short blurbs all at once.

Under the radar as a term is very loose. The biggest rule is that the prospect can't be a T100 guy at time of writing. Some guys that get picked to be highlighted may be more well known. Take the term with a grain of salt.

There have been a lot of eye catching performances, like that of Eric Hartman or Karson Milbrandt, that have vaulted unheralded players entering the season in to the Top 100. Those prospects, while incredibly talented and fun, are off limits as well.

Even with all these self-imposed rules there are still a bevy of prospects to be included. This is just one installment of what is planning to be a handful as the season progresses. I generally watch more pitching than hitting, so there's a good chance these are filled with arms, but I'll make sure to have some hitters in there, too.

Enough rambling, there are three prospects who made the cut this time. Plus a bonus Complex prospect.

MIL RHP Tyson Hardin

Off the bat, this is where under the radar is truly subjective. In 2025 he was the Brewers pitcher of the year and a Midwest League All-Star. The Brewers assigned Tyson Hardin to Double-A but he quickly pushed his way up. Since being promoted to Triple-A earlier this season it seems like every time he pitches he turns in a good outing and is all but forcing the Brewers hand for a call up. With Nashville Hardin boasts a 1.59 ERA through 28.1 innings with a 28.4 percent strikeout rate and a 8.3 percent walk rate.

On the surface Hardin is a pitching prospect with a true five pitch mix to keep hitters guessing. The arsenal is led by a four seam fastball that tops out at 97 MPH, but generally sits around 94 MPH. It plays up due to a flat approach angle and low release height. It generates plenty of whiff and chase, playing extremely well in the upper third of the zone. It's a weapon that he uses more when he's ahead of hitters to get that whiff. In general, hitters are more liable to see his cutter or sinker early in counts. His sinker sits in roughly the same velo band as the four seamer, and his cutter is in the upper-80's. The cutter is more split friendly, being used against either handed hitter, whereas the sinker can be used against both but is generally reserved for righties.

Outside of the fastballs Hardin deploys a changeup and sweepy slider. As would be expected, the former is the go to offspeed against lefties and the latter is a weapon for righties. When set up well both can be effective. At present the changeup looks better than the slider. When it's most effective the changeup is thrown to the bottom of the zone and drops out to generate a whiff later in counts. The slider is very hittable if it catches the zone. However, every so often Hardin will let one rip that looks nasty. Either running off the plate, or in a rare case, to the back foot of a lefty. Within the grand scheme of his arsenal, these pitches work well, particularly his changeup. Against big league hitters the slider may need some tweaking.

Overall, Hardin looks the part of a big league rotation arm. His stuff should play well, plus the Brewers know what they are doing. Command is going to be a driving force of his success. His walks are low, but hitting the right spots is going to be key to it all working at the next level. That has been happening at Triple-A and the results have been there. If the Brewers deem him ready, he may see the majors this year, but there's a lot of depth among the arms that may mean Hardin continues to develop at Triple-A.

Tyson Hardin started his first game in AAA on Sunday, becoming the first Brewers player drafted in 2024 to reach the level.

Hardin shut down opposing hitters, only surrendering 1 ER in 7 innings of work and striking out 6 ‼️#ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/C8UHyWrwDM

— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) May 21, 2026

MIA SS Luis Arana

I was just a little to late to put Luis Arana on my Complex Spotlight article, so he winds up here. Last season Arana was brilliant on the Complex, hitting .297 with five homers and 28 steals with more walks than strikeouts. This season Arana was brilliant on the Complex, hitting .389 with 14 stolen bases and more walks than strikeouts in 65 plate appearances. All of that culminated in the 18 year old infielder earning a promotion to Single-A where through his first seven games is hitting .320 with a home run and two steals. Oh, and you guessed it, more walks than strikeouts. Because he's only been in Single-A for a short amount of time, there isn't a ton of video to work off of. Still, he's looked good in the sample of video there is.

Arana has a very interesting profile. He does not swing very often, but when he does he hits the ball. And when he hits the ball he's generally hitting it well. There's a very good knowledge of the zone, which helps him not to chase pitches. It's a clear approach to find the right pitch to swing at in order to maximize his chances. Arana's hitting ability looks like it has the foundation to be a plus tool for him. He can cover the zone and shows the ability to keeps his hands back when he recognizes offspeed. He uses the whole field well, spraying ball. That being said, Arana does hit a lot of grounders. He's been able to push them into the outfield a lot, but that is something to watch moving forward.

At present, and likely moving forward, the hit tool is going to drive the profile offensively. That doesn't mean there is a lack of power. While Arana isn't the most physical presence, listed at 5-foot-10 and 154 pounds, he's generated some decent EVs. At 18 years old his first stateside homerun came on a 105.1 MPH EV at the Single-A level. There looks to be good bat speed with the ability to create loft, particularly up in the zone.

Defensively Arana has played third base, but has spent all of 2026, at time of writing, at shortstop. By all accounts he plays a pretty good shortstop, too. He's shown the ability already to make plays up the middle and successfully lay out for balls. The early returns show signs of him being solid or better at the position, though this is hard to tell definitively just from video.

With the signs of a really good hit tool and speed, that puts Arana in a certain bucket of player. He may not fit into that bucket long term. There are indicators that his power is going to continue to grow and improve. Even if it never becomes average power, if he's plus hit and speed with fringe power that is still a very good prospect. The fact that he, even in a small sample, is not overwhelmed by Single-A pitching at 18 years old is a good sign, too. There's plenty of rawness still in his game, but Arana should have a big up arrow next to his name right now.

First Single-A home run for Luis Arana.

105.1 mph exit velocity.#Marlins pic.twitter.com/vOINdi1xtQ

— Fish On First Prospects (@FOFProspects) June 4, 2026

STL LHP Mason Molina

In the midst of his third professional season, Mason Molina is already with his third organization. Originally drafted in the 7th round by Milwaukee, he was dealt to Texas for Grant Anderson in January of 2025, then subsequently dealt to St. Louis at the trade deadline in the Phil Maton deal. Molina thrived at each level with each organization. The 22 year old southpaw currently finds himself in Double-A where he's posted a 3.31 ERA with a 30.2 percent strikeout rate and a 10.2 percent walk rate through 51.2 innings.

Molina works with a four pitch mix. It consists of a fastball that will top out around 93 MPH, a changeup, curveball, and slider. His fastball when paired with good extension plays excellent up in the zone for whiffs. It's a flat approach that makes it deceptive. His curveball is a mid-70's offering that has a ton of drop on it. When thrown well it can be average or better, generating whiffs. Molina's changeup might be his best secondary right now, with good arm action. At it's best it generates plenty of armside fade. The slider appears to have a shorter, almost cutterish version as well as a sweepier version. Both project fringe at best, but they do provide a different look in lefty on lefty matchups. All in all, there are a pair of average or better pitches with his fastball and changeup paired with a curveball that can also be an average offering, as well as his slider. It's a starters arsenal.

While Molina can garner whiffs with most of his pitches, he doesn't do a great job of creating grounders. When hitters make contact the ball is hit on a line a lot, or lifted into the air. Because of that, it's imperative that Molina keep hitters off balance. When he doesn't he can be susceptible to hard contact. That being said, he can move the ball around the zone well and attack hitters in a variety of ways, so he's been able to work around any damage that may potentially come.

Currently, Molina sits at the bottom of Cardinals top 30's, if he makes the list at all. That makes him under the radar, but also undervalued in some ways. Everything about this profile looks to be a backend starter with the floor of a swingman. This looks to be a floor-type of profile more than a ceiling, but that floor is as a starting pitcher. From what Molina has shown in Double-A he has the pitch mix and command to make that happen. 4

Okay, go ahead Mason Molina. St. Louis' no. 29 prospect tied a career high with nine strikeouts tonight. pic.twitter.com/Qnwejn1vRI

— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) June 10, 2026

Complex Prospect

It wouldn't be fair to give a full breakdown on Complex prospects because there isn't enough video. However I've been watching the Complex closely and there are prospects who could be flying under the radar at that level. One of those prospects is a switch hitting infielder for the Blue Jays named Angel Guzman. The 19 year old is slashing .305/.382/.533 with five homers and four steals through his first 123 plate appearances on the Complex.

A lot of those stats are a bit juiced by an insane four game stretch from June 4th-June 8th where he hit .529 (9-for-17) with four homers and three doubles. That surge has filled out the power side of things, but the rest of the performance has been pretty consistent throughout the season. Guzman is making a good amount of contact, with a 14.6 percent strikeout rate, and walking 11.4 percent of the time.

Guzman is having a much better season than he did in 2025 in the DSL where he hit .230 with three homers. It seems he's been able to make the most of his contact, generally hitting the ball pretty hard. From what I've seen there's only publicly available video of his left handed swing, where he has a pretty simple operation and smooth swing. After an insanely hot stretch of games, mixed with his overall numbers, Guzman looks like an interesting prospect for the Blue Jays.

A 4-hit, 2-homer, 5-RBI performance helps Angel Guzman earn FCL Player of the Week honors.

Guzman slashed .421/.522/1.053 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI in 5 contests.

His third homer of the week (🎥) left the bat at 106.3 mph.#BlueJays #BlueJays50 pic.twitter.com/OAXGZv3zg5

— Blue Jays Player Development (@JaysPlayerDev) June 8, 2026