Under The Radar: Jose Alpuria, Wen-Hui Pan, Kien Vu, Devin Futrell, Daniel Bucciero

It's time for another installation of Under the Radar. Upon it's return I dove into three prospects, one of whom was a borderline Under the Radar guy, but that's okay. If you didn't read the first installment, it features Tyson Hardin, Luis Arana, and Mason Molina.

While the idea of this giving guys some attention who are playing well, the goal this week is to get back to the roots of what Under the Radar is. These prospects are deeper cuts than those who appeared last week. Some of these players may appear at the back of organizational prospect lists, but the big goal was to find players who are generally off of those lists.

This is a bigger group than last time, but when making some dart throws volume is something I prefer to have. For one reason or another these prospects have been eye catching. As always, this list is in nor particular order.

ARI OF Jose Alpuria

The first player on this list comes largely from stat line scouting. Jose Alpuria is a 21 year old outfielder playing in Single-A for the Arizona organization. He first debuted in the DSL in 2022 and in any given season he would struggle with strikeouts or just simply not hitting very well. Thus far in 2026, Alpuria appears to be putting some things together. Through 54 games at time of writing he is slashing .309/.413/.569 with 11 home runs and 20 stolen bases. This comes with a career low 24.9 percent strikeout rate and an 9.3 percent walk rate.

Speed is a legitimate weapon in Alpuria's arsenal. He stole 23 bases in 2025 and has the speed to remain up the middle defensively. That is, and is likely to remain his standout tool. The big step forward this year has been in the power department. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds, there was always room to project more power. Prior to this season the most he'd hit in any season was four in 2025. This could be a product of several things. Alpuria is making more contact this year and his lifting the ball better. That's unlocked some of the power, or at least allowed him to get to it more often.

Alpuria stands out to me because he's able to use the entire field, and do so with authority. He has a simple operation at the plate that has very little movement in his hands from load to launch. Overall he's swinging at better pitches, making better contact in the zone, and seeing the results.

Jose Alpuria bashes his 10th homer of the season to close out a four hit night!!#SavorTheSeason pic.twitter.com/dWqM0fg63w

— Visalia Rawhide (@VisaliaRawhide) June 17, 2026

PHI RHP Wen-Hui Pan

Ever since writing a scouting report for Wen-Hui Pan earlier this year, I've been very interested in his upside. He's purely a reliever, but he's nasty. Pan underwent Tommy John Surgery in late 2024, so he missed the entire 2025 season. Upon returning in 2026 the Phillies he was assigned to High-A where he posted a 0.82 ERA with a 35.1 percent strikeout rate through 11 innings. He recently was promoted to Double-A.

The 23 year old righty has backend of the bullpen type of stuff with a history of low walks and high strikeouts. Pan has two potentially plus pitches. The first is a fastball that can get into the upper-90's. His best pitch is his splitter, which drops off the table and generates a ton of whiffs. There is a slider in the mix as well. Pan can generate a ton of strikeouts and be dominant when he has all of his stuff.

Pan can be a quick riser now that he's healthy. If he continues to look dominant, which his stuff suggests he can, then he should be in line to debut with Philadelphia next season at the latest. There's a crowded picture in that bullpen, but Pan has the potential to take on a significant role once he gets his feet under him at the level.

Mentioned to keep an eye out for Wen-Hui Pan (#12 prospect in system). This is why.

He had his nasty fastball/splitter combo working today.

Fastball touched 98 and that splitter has little to no rotation to pick up a pair of strikeouts in his lone inning of work. #Phillies pic.twitter.com/ul0gM58dbn

— Cory Nidoh (@Cory_Nidoh) May 13, 2026

CIN OF Kien Vu

The Reds selected Kien Vu in the ninth round in 2025 out of Arizona State. After signing last season he hit .273 in Single-A with four homers and seven stolen bases with a 27.5 percent strikeout rate. This season Vu was assigned to High-A where at time of writing he's hitting .276 with 12 home runs and 24 stolen bases through 66 games. He has shown that he's a dynamic player in game, performing a walk off steal of home plate earlier this season.

Clearly there is speed with Vu's profile, but he's also hitting balls out to the big part of the yard. On top of that he's walking at a 13.4 percent clip. There are a lot of positives to what the 22 year old outfielder is showing on the field in his first full season of professional action. The lefty swinger is showing real signs of having power production to go along with his speed, although there are swing and miss concerns.

Vu's swing has a lot of moving parts, starting with an open stance and his hands above his head, his bat head at a downward angle over his shoulder. He utilizes a leg kick load mechanism where he brings his hands down. At foot strike his hands move back up slightly into the launch position. Even if he only winds up with a fringe hit tool, he should have a chance to impact the game.

⬅️BACK TO BACK➡️

Kien Vu adds another run with this solo homer and the party is on at Day Air Ballpark! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/lOwFDgElJd

— Dayton Dragons (@DragonsBaseball) June 14, 2026

BOS LHP Devin Futrell

Lately the Red Sox have been pretty good with developing pitchers. See Tolle, Payton or Early, Connelly as examples. Devin Futrell has showing some good signs early in his career after being a 10th round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2024. In his debut year Futrell threw 62.2 innings with a 1.87 ERA with a 15.9 percent strikeout rate and a 5.6 percent walk rate between Single-A and High-A. This season he's spent most of the season in High-A, making six starts across nine appearances, with a 4.17 ERA with a 24.4 percent and 3.6 walk percent in 41 innings.

The southpaw recently tossed seven shoutout innings. He's a strike thrower who works very efficiently. Futrell doesn't dominate with velocity, only topping out around 92 MPH, will sit in the 88-90 MPH range with his fastball. There's a changeup, curveball and slider. His changeup has plenty of downward movement. There look to be a pair of distinct breaking balls, as well. The slider has some depth to it and looks to be the more advanced of the two breaking pitches. Futrell relies more on sequencing and command to generate weak contact.

Futrell works with a 6-foot-5 frame and his stuff can play up due to the extension he gets. This is a floor-over-ceiling profile. There's a pretty high floor of a swingman or long relief arm because of his pitchability. Without a few extra ticks on his fastball he likely won't project as anything more than a fifth starter at his ceiling. Futrell is showing some really good things, and could even be in line for a promotion where Double-A will be a good test of his abilities.

7 scoreless innings of work for Devin Futrell last night. 👏 pic.twitter.com/7lVfFSGc5g

— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) June 17, 2026

OAK 3B Daniel Bucciero

Before the season I highlighted Daniel Bucciero as a player to watch in the A's system. That pick feels really good right now. The 21 year old corner infielder was drafted by the A's in the ninth round out of Fordham. He didn't debut in his draft year, but was assigned to Single-A to start the 2026 season. Through 63 games thus far this season he's slashing .279/.373/.418 with seven home runs and 10 stolen bases. He's been worth a 100 wRC+, so exactly average, but Bucciero has been doing well to fill up the stat sheet. The word here is consistency, there really has not been any huge dips in his performance to this point in the season.

Where Buciero excels is not expanding the zone and making contact when he does swing. His knowledge of the strike zone has set him up well for success whenever he does get a pitch he can hit. That can come off as passivity at times, but it seems more selective for my money. This professional approach has helped him to walk at a double digit pace during the season.

Bucciero has a very simple operation at the plate where his hands barely move pre swing. They start essentially where he launches from, moving back only slightly during the load process. He picks his foot up quickly to start the load process. The swing itself is compact and direct to the ball. His approach goes beyond just waiting for the right pitch, he's able to use the whole field and go with the pitch. He may never hit a ton of homers, but he has the skills to potentially hit 10 home runs and steal 15 bases with a solid average. He might make a solid bench piece down the line. Either way, he looks like an excellent pick in the ninth round.

Daniel Bucciero with his first HR of the season last night 💣 pic.twitter.com/VjHuwwaNkS

— Stockton Ports (@stocktonports) May 7, 2026

Complex Prospect: TEX OF Manni Ramirez

As always, it would be irresponsible for me to really dive into a prospect without dedicated tape to watch. That being said there are Complex guys who are really standing out. One of those prospects is Manni Ramirez. The name itself, even if slightly misspelled, carries some weight. This Manni Ramirez is a 19 year old and listed at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds. He spent 2024 and 2025 in the DSL, hitting 12 home runs combined in the years. Ramirez showed improvements, hitting .224 in 2024 then .275 in 2025.

This season Ramirez started in the DSL once again, but lasted only nine games, where he hit .405 with a home run and two steals, before getting promoted to the Complex. It's only been three games, but Ramirez is hitting .400 through 10 at bats with two homers. With intriguing size, and him showing the ability to hit for some power, this is a name I'm watching closely as the season progresses.