Hooth's Complex Spotlight: Sadbiel Delzine, Alessander De La Cruz, and more

The Complex season is in full swing and it's chock full of prospects who are showing they deserve some attention. There isn't any consistent video at this level, but every so often there are glimpses into the world of the Complex. It's irresponsible to truly make any huge statements based on a video here and there, but there are some Complex prospects who are standing out.

I've been splitting Complex duties on the Daily Sheet with Alex Jensen, which has provided the opportunity to follow along closely with what is going on. There are prospects I'm paying very close attention to as the season progresses.

One of my big Complex players to watch is Rangers outfielder Manni Ramirez, but I recently highlighted him so he will not appear on this list. Blue Jays catching prospect Giaconino Lasaracina was going to be included here, as well, but as I was writing him up the news came that he had been promoted to Single-A.

The idea isn't to highlight the most popular prospects on the Complex, but more to highlight some good performers who've caught my eye. These are not scouting reports, but names to keep an eye on moving forward. In no particular order, these prospects have stood out. The first round of players can be found here.

Stats are were pulled before the start of games on 6/23.

BAL SS Jemone Nuel

After two seasons on the DSL Jemone Nuel is now stateside. The 19 year old infielder is making the most of it, hitting .267 with three homers and 17 stolen bases through his first 32 games on the Complex. The stolen bases have been a huge part of his game. Nuel stole 65 bases across 103 games in the DSL. He's really picked things up in June, hitting .293 with a pair of homers and 10 steals through 41 at bats.

Speed is very clearly a big part of Nuel's game, but he's doing a lot of good things outside of that. His walk rate is very good, over 20 percent, and he makes a lot of contact in the zone. The numbers point to him being a bit passive, but he doesn't chase much. His max EV is over 100 MPH, but he isn't hitting the ball hard all that consistently. There is no Complex video of Nuel, but in video from the DSL the switch hitter shows a simple operation from both sides of the plate. Defensively Nuel has played third base, shortstop, and centerfield. With the developing offensive game, Nuel looks the part of a speedster with potentially good contact skills and fringey power.

SS Jemone Nuel is off to a blistering start in the DSL, showing big statistical improvements across the board.

The 18-year-old is hitting .310 with a 1.032 OPS, 5 XBH, 16 BB/8 K, 8 SB in 14 games this season.

More on Nuel: https://t.co/V5z0T4ldgI pic.twitter.com/E4LpmyvZdF

— The Verge- An Orioles MiLB Podcast (@TheVergePod) June 21, 2025

SFG RHP Luke Mensik

The numbers aren't jumping off the page for Luke Mensik so far this year in his work as a whole. Through 25.2 innings he has a 4.56 ERA with a 21.2 percent strikeout rate and a 9.3 percent walk rate. I've just been on the Daily Sheet for his two best outings of the year, so his name sticks in my mind. Twice this season he's thrown four shutout innings with four strikeouts. For a 17th rounder, Mensik is showing some good signs.

As with many late round prep draft picks, projection is key. Mensik is listed as 6-foot-1 and 199 pounds. That projection will hopefully add some ticks onto what is currently a low-90's fastball. He already has feel for his breaking balls, giving him a decent base to work off of. And his 9.3 percent walk rate shows a penchant for throwing strikes. Hitters are chasing his pitches at a good rate, and hitting the ball into the ground at a good rate. The results seem a bit better than they look overall. All of this makes for interesting ingredients moving forward for Mensik.

COL OF Alessander De La Cruz

With good reason, Cristian Arguelles is getting most of the attention from this ACL Rockies squad. Alessander De La Cruz should not fall by the wayside. He's been a big up arrow prospect for me recently. The 20 year old is currently in his second season on the Complex after hitting .269 with a 34.2 percent strikeout rate and two homers in 2025. This season he appears to have taken a big step forward, hitting .409 with a 19.8 percent strikeout rate and 15.3 percent walk rate to go along with three homers in 111 plate appearances. He's also stolen eight bases, as opposed to one a year ago.

The difference this season is a change in his launch angles. De La Cruz hit the ball on the ground 57.3 percent of the time last year, but is down to 36.1 percent of the time this year. This could just be more comfortability, but he's driving the ball more and seeing the results. Exit velocities have reportedly been up to 112 MPH. There isn't publicly available video of him for this season, but as of last year on the Complex he worked off a slight bend in the knees at the plate before a leg kick load mechanism. De La Cruz looks to generate pretty good shoulder hip separation, giving him some power potential. Either way, his numbers deserve a promotion to Single-A at some point soon where more information will become available.

19 year old German-Dominican OF Alessander De La Cruz, who was born in Berlin, had his best game of the season for the ACL Rockies tonight. He had 3 hits and 2 walks in 5 plate appearances and is now hitting .264/.365/.472 with 2 HR in his first year in the complex league pic.twitter.com/CNfhp5sVj1

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) June 17, 2025

NYY SS Dexters Peralta

It was difficult not to put Dexters Peralta in the first Complex spotlight article. He's been really interesting thus far this season. After putting up a 39 wRC+ at this level last season, it would be easy to overlook him. Peralta was bad. He hit .157 with a 30.9 percent strikeout rate in 2025. This season, there are some aspects of his game that have drastically improved. For example Peralta is hitting .258 with 10 homers, as opposed to two last season, and is worth 125wRC+. His strikeout rate has not improved, in fact it's gone the wrong direction to 34.2 percent through close to the same amount of plate appearances.

The swing and miss is a concern, but it's worth noting that he's 18 years old until mid-July. Peralta's game is still pretty raw. He has a listed 6-foot-2 frame to build on, but those levers are always like to lend themselves to some whiffs. The fact remains that there is power and speed in this profile. Peralta has a pretty smooth operation at the plate with a swing path that will lift the ball. As he builds onto the frame that could lead to some good power numbers down the line.

🚨Dexters Peralta GRAND SLAM (7)! #RepBx #Yankees pic.twitter.com/QdZVY8vFbK

— YankeesFarm (@YankeesFarm) June 8, 2026

BOS RHP Sadbiel Delzine

If there were one player among this crop that it could be argued I'm just picking the buzziest names, it's Sadbiel Delzine. That's fine. So far this year Delzine has thrown 27.1 innings across seven games, four starts, with a 1.98 ERA and a 29.9 percent strikeout rate. He's been flat out dominant against Complex hitters this season. There was a little buzz when he signed originally, but after just 9.1 innings in the DSL last year, there was not much indicating he would be this good. Quick update: Delzine is good.

From the jump it's easy to tell that Delzine has a good starters frame, listed at 6-foot-5 and 198 pounds. That's before even getting into his stuff. The fastball has topped out at 99 MPH in starts this year. There's a pair of breaking balls in his pitch mix, along with a changeup. The changeup has looked really good in the highlight clips posted this season, with good diving action. His slider appears with some depth, though mostly east to west movement. With Delzine being just 18 years old there is a lot of development left, and the fact that he looks this good already says something. His command has been solid, as evidenced by a 9.3 percent walk rate.

Delzine works with an over the top arm slot, adding to how his stuff is playing. That being said, it doesn't look like a true over the top angle. It's more that he's leaning and it appears like that. This is a very exciting arm, one of the most exciting on the complex.

Sadbiel Delzine struck out 8 over 6.1 scoreless innings for the FCL Sox on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/WG7svuZraf

— Red Sox Player Development (@RedSoxPlayerDev) June 11, 2026

MIN C Miguel Caraballo

During the Rule 5 Draft the Minnesota Twins selected Daniel Susac before trading him to the Giants. In return the Twins got a catcher who had just hit .264 with five homers in the DSL. That prospect was Miguel Caraballo. Minnesota brought their newest prospect stateside where at 17 years old he debuted on the Complex. Caraballo, who wont turn 18 until the end of August, is hitting .272 with four homers and 10 stolen bases through 27 games. He's not just holding his own, he's doing very well despite being one of the younger players at the level.

Age to level matters, but in my opinion it matters more for prospects who are younger than their competition. Being able to play well puts Caraballo on a good trajectory. Listed a 6-foot and 190 pounds, Caraballo looks to be a power oriented backstop if he sticks at the position. His max EV of 104 MPH is a good sign. Despite a 26.4 percent strikeout rate, he isn't chasing much. Caraballo is doing a good job attacking pitches in the zone. He just needs to make contact more often in the zone. There's still very clear rawness in his game, as there should be, but the foundation is showing right now.

Miguel Caraballo with an absolute pull-side tank, his 4th of the year.

He entered today with a .268/.430/.479 slash line and shows the ability to elevate hard contact while working the opposite field 41.7% of the time. Standout player in the DSL last year. pic.twitter.com/Qn1NbNBtmR

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) June 18, 2026

SDP RHP Luis Maracara

Most of the pitching attention on the Padres Complex roster from what I've seen is going to Lan-Hong Su. Don't sleep on Luis Maracara. Through 13.2 innings across six starts Maracara is posting a 3.95 ERA with a 35 percent strikeout rate and just a 5 percent walk rate. Those are some good stats, even if he isn't working deep into starts. The righty will be 18 years old until August. He debuted on the Complex last season at 17 years old, where he had an ERA north of nine. Safe to say things have been going better this season.

There is not enough information available to find any velocity readings for him. He throws a fastball, curveball, and changeup, per his Fangraphs page. With his fastball not grading well, it likely doesn't have great velocity. Maracara has a 6-foot frame and is listed at 175 pounds, leaving room for some projection onto the pitch. His changeup is graded as his best offering overall. The performance to this point in the season shows he can miss bats, at least in shorter stints.

STL SS Cristofer Lebrón

This crop of Complex prospects wraps up with Cardinals infielder Cristofer Lebrón. For the season the 19 year old righty is slashing .296/.377/.519 with five homers and 12 stolen bases. He's striking out 22 percent of the time and walking at a 10.6 percent clip through 123 plate appearances. Lebrón came stateside after two seasons in the DSL. His 2025 was more successful, hitting .277 with four homers and 12 stolen bases.

On the defensive side of the ball Lebrón has played several different positions already in 2026. Most of his time has been spent a third base, but he has also played second base, as well as all three outfield positions. He looks to have quick hands, though they move a lot on the way to swinging the bat. The results appear to be coming from his penchant to pull the ball in the air. He does hit his share of grounders, but he has a feel to lift and pulls the ball 50 percent of the time. Lebrón shown the ability to hit for some power and add speed into the mix.

While much of the love goes to Sebastian Dos Santos for his performance, 3B/OF Cristofer LeBron has matched him pretty much step for step to start the season

.316/.402/.605 slash to start the season with 5 homers and 11 XBH in 23 games. 8 stolen bases as well. pic.twitter.com/53QzzIN9bs

— Redbird Farmhands (@RedbirdFarmhand) June 6, 2026