Jimenez stays hot to lead prospect performers

A day after he came off the bench and delivered a key pinch-hit home run against his former organization, Eloy Jiménez continued to showcase his robust power on Sunday, launching a solo home run in his first at-bat as the White Sox faced the D-backs.
Jimenez, MLB Pipeline's No. 4 overall prospect and No. 1 on the White Sox Top 30 list, followed his solo shot with a triple to center field in his second at-bat. He reached via a walk in his third appearance and was subsequently replaced on the basepaths by Daniel Palka.
Held out of game action for much of the spring so far due to a tender left knee, Jimenez, 21, had logged just one at-bat before he connected on his first spring homer Saturday -- an opposite-field shot on an 0-2 breaking ball which, at the time, provided the White Sox with a lead. Jimenez homered on the second pitch he saw on Sunday, once again driving the ball over the wall to the opposite field.

Traded from the Cubs to the White Sox last July in the José Quintana deal, Jimenez slashed .312/.379/.568 with 19 home runs in 89 games between the two organizations. He was particularly impressive after a mid-August promotion to Double-A Birmingham, where he produced a .353/.397/.559 line with three home runs and 24 hits in 18 games. Following the season, the White Sox added Jimenez to their 40-man roster.
Other top prospect performances from Sunday's action:
• No. 16 overall prospect Kyle Tucker (Astros' No. 2) singled, stole a base and plated a run with a sacrifice fly in a 1-for-3 performance that improved his spring average to .387. Catcher Garrett Stubbs (No. 24) connected on a fifth-inning solo home run, his first Grapefruit League homer, against Mets left-hander Jason Vargas, while right-hander Rogelio Armenteros (No. 12) tossed two scoreless frames in relief, allowing one hit and two walks with a pair of strikeouts.

• No. 56 overall prospect Keston Hiura (Brewers' No. 1) upped his spring average to .409 with a 2-for-2 performance. His second hit, a two-out RBI single, capped a three-run comeback in the top of the ninth by Milwaukee as they rallied to beat Cleveland, 5-4.
• No. 68 overall prospect Fernando Romero (Twins' No. 2) continued his unblemished spring campaign as he fired three perfect frames with two strikeouts in relief against the Rays. The 23-year-old right-hander has yet to allow a hit in the Grapefruit League across eight innings and four appearances. He's issued just one walk in that span while striking out eight.
• No. 98 overall prospect Ryan Mountcastle (Orioles' No. 2) came off the bench to collect two hits, including a three-run home run, his second spring homer, in the ninth inning of Baltimore's 7-3 win over Boston. On the mound, Orioles No. 4 prospect Hunter Harvey picked up his first spring win in his third start for Baltimore. Working three innings, the right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and one walk while striking out four. A host of other young Orioles hurlers were impressive in relief of Harvey, as Tanner Scott (No. 6), Keegan Akin (No. 9), Michael Baumann (No. 15), Brian Hanifee (No. 10) and Zac Lowther (No. 17) combined to allow one earned run on four hits in 4 2/3 innings.

• Marlins No. 9 prospect Brian Anderson enjoyed a big day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a three-run home run, a double and three runs scored in Miami's 7-5 win over the Yankees. The home run was his second of the spring. After finishing 2017 as Miami's everyday third baseman, Anderson could break camp in the same role should Martín Prado not be ready. Hard-throwing right-hander Sandy Alcantara (Marlins' No. 3) worked the final four innings for Miami to record the save. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits (two home runs) but issued just one walk and struck out three.

• Pirates No. 9 prospect Kevin Kramer plated No. 45 overall prospect Austin Meadows (Pirates' No. 2) with his second triple of the spring and is now batting .357 with four RBIs through 14 at-bats. More significant was that Kramer, a natural second baseman, started the game at shortstop, a position he's appeared at in just four games in his Minor League career. Also standing out on Sunday was starter Clay Holmes (Pirates' No. 19), who tossed three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out a pair, to earn his second Grapefruit League win.

• Braves No. 16 prospect Dustin Peterson connected on a two-run shot against the Tigers, his second home run in as many days. The 23-year-old outfielder is having a strong spring in big league camp, hitting .316/.350/.684 thanks to four hits in his past seven at-bats.

• Indians Nos. 22 and 30 prospects Ryan Merritt and Shawn Morimando combined to allow one hit over five scoreless innings as Cleveland defeated the Royals, 3-0. Morimando tossed three hitless frames in relief of Merritt, and each left-hander struck out a pair in the game.