The Show Notes #22: Interesting Continental African & Afro-Caribbean Prospects In The Lower Minors

A brief write up on nine prospects in the lower minors from Continental African & The Francophone/Anglophone Caribbean.

Introduction

Minor League Baseball has over 125 active Black prospects from more than 10 different countries, including the Anglophone/Francophone Caribbean, as well as Continental Africa. As one of the very few people who writes about the entire African diaspora’s relationship with baseball, it would be remiss of me not to write about the burgeoning collective of Black talent currently emerging from countries/regions not known for producing baseball players. This list features nine active minor leagues in the lower minors, meaning none of these prospects are playing in AA, AAA, or the MLB.

C/OF Khadim Diaw, Minnesota Twins

2025 Stats:
38 Games Played
.302/.455/.431
4 2Bs/1 3B/3 HRs
19:26 BB:K ratio

21-year-old Khadim Diaw is a Senegalese catcher/outfielder in the Minnesota Twins farm system from New Jersey. He was selected by Minnesota in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. He posted a .348/.426/.559 slashline during his three years in the West Coast Conference, and has carried over his offensive success to the minor leagues. He went on the Injured List at the end of May with a fractured right thumb and will probably not return to game action until August. Diaw has played both behind the plate and in center field, giving him unique defensive versatility that complements his intriguing offensive tools.

3B Eriel Dihigo, Colorado Rockies

2025 Stats:
33 Games Played
.255/.441/.406
5 2Bs/1 3B/3 HRs
9 SB/2 CS
30:21 BB:K ratio

Eriel Dihigo is a switch-hitting infielder in the Colorado Rockies system. In case you saw his last name and were wondering, the Afro-Cuban teenager is the great-great-nephew of the two-way, super-utility, player-manager superstar Martín Dihigo. He has yet to be promoted from the Dominican Summer League despite an impressive start to his professional career. Scouting the stat line is not a good idea, but his sparkling BB/K ratio and ability to steal bases at an extremely efficient clip are huge green flags. I am eager to see how he performs once he is promoted to a stateside affiliate.

RP David Matoma, Pittsburgh Pirates

2025 Stats:
19 Games
26.1 innings pitched
4.78 ERA
21.9% K%/14.9% BB%

David Matoma is a 19-year-old Ugandan relief pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He started playing baseball at age 10 and inked a deal with Pittsburgh’s scouting department during the 2023 signing period for international amateur free agents. He is the third Ugandan to sign with an MLB club, following in the footsteps of Umar Male and Ben Serunkuma. He allowed zero earned runs across 16.2 innings during his professional debut in the 2023 Dominican Summer League. He followed up his pristine debut season by posting a 0.82 ERA across 22 innings in the Florida Complex League for the 2024 MiLB season. He has had less success in his first full season with Pittsburgh’s affiliate in the Florida State League during 2025, but has shown evaluators specific intangibles that make him a legitimate prospect. He is armed with a fastball that sits in the high-90s and reaches triple digits. He also has a cutter and slider in his repertoire.

INF Ayden Johnson, Athletics

2025 Stats:
28 Games Played
.259/.419/.321
3 2B/1 3B
13 SB/1 CS
19:31 BB:K Ratio

Ayden Johnson is a switch-hitting third baseman from The Bahamas who was signed by the Athletics organization during the 2025 signing period. Only 17 years old, he trained in Plant City, Florida, and in the Dominican Republic, where he came into contact with various scouts. He is bilingual, fully fluent in both English and Spanish. He had an impressive debut season in the Dominican Summer League and has a reputation as the most polished Bahamian prospect since Jazz Chisholm Jr. was in the Diamondbacks’ farm system.

OF Kenly Hunter, St. Louis Cardinals

20 Games Played
.321/.424/.385
1 2B/2 3B
13 SB/0 CS
10:7 BB:K Ratio

Kenly Hunter is the most promising prospect to emerge from the Jamaican ethnic enclave in Nicaragua in over a decade. He was extremely impressive during his debut season in the Dominican Summer League. He played the majority of the 2025 season at only 16 years old, which is a huge green flag as it pertains to future success. Hunter has a long way to go, but he has a chance to be the most productive Nicaraguan position player of the 21st century.

SS Jemone Nuel, Baltimore Orioles

34 Games Played
.279/.461/.450
6 2Bs/2 3Bs/3 HRs
30 SB/ 5 CS
35:23 BB:K Ratio

Dominican-Jamaican infielder Jemone Nuel was among Baltimore’s top international signings in 2024. He received one of the highest bonuses for a signee from an Anglophone Caribbean country. His eye at the plate is advanced, and he has already built a reputation for his glove work and baserunning prowess. He repeated in the Dominican Summer League for 2025 and dominated accordingly. He also made an appearance in the 2025 DSL All-Star Game. I will be watching his Florida Complex League debut closely next season.

3B/1B Jamesson Val, Minnesota Twins

26 Games Played
.192/.403/.288
2 2Bs/1 HR
6 SB/2 CS
19:15 BB:K Ratio

Jamesson Val was signed by the Minnesota Twins out of Fond-Verrettes, Haiti. The young Haitian has made appearances in the Dominican Summer League at first base and third base. Even with his somewhat poor performance during his debut season, he still showed legitimate on-base skills with an impressive 19:15 BB:K ratio. The Twins player development group is one of the best in the sport at maximizing a position player’s offensive potential, so I am looking forward to seeing what they can extract from Val over the next couple of years.

OF Armstrong Muhoozi, Pittsburgh Pirates

17 Games Played
.313/.333/.438
3 2Bs/1 HR
14 SB/3 CS
1:15 BB:K Ratio

Outfielder Armstrong Muhoozi is the third Ugandan prospect to be signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates organization during the 2020s. The 18-year-old had an impressive debut season in the Domincan Summer League, and I will be watching closely during the offseason for any signs on whether he will repeat the DSL or get promoted to the Arizona Complex League in 2026.

SS Felnin Celesten, Seattle Mariners

70 Games Played
.282/.343/.378
12 2Bs/2 3Bs/4 HRs
18 SB/8 CS
28:73 BB:K ratio

Dominican-Haitian Fenin Celesten is a switch-hitting shortstop in the Seattle Mariners organization from Guaymate, a small city 20 miles outside of La Romana, Dominican Republic. He was ranked as one of the top amateur prospects in the 2024 international signing period and signed with Seattle. He skipped the Dominican Summer League and started his professional career in the Arizona Complex League during the 2024 season. He had one of the best debut seasons by any player in the ACL in 2024 and is currently playing with Seattle’s full-season Low-A affiliate.