Young bucks lead Prospect Team of the Week
MLBPipeline.com's Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances from the previous seven days. Any player currently on an organization Top 30 Prospects list on our Prospect Watch is eligible, including big leaguers.
Making the transition to full-season ball can often be a tough one. It's true that the dog days of summer have yet to set in, but a number of prospects are showing that they can more than handle it.
This week's Prospect Team of the Week, for games May 23-29, gives several examples. The Class A Midwest League is very well represented, with four players who are playing full-season ball for the first time having big weeks. Two -- Austin Allen and Tyler Krieger -- are 2015 draftees, and there's a third member of that Draft class on this week's team in Willie Calhoun, and he gets extra credit for doing his damage all the way up in Double-A.
C: Austin Allen, Fort Wayne TinCaps (Class A)
(Padres' No. 24 prospect)
5 G, .412/.444/.647, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO
After a torrid April, Allen cooled off in May, but it looks like he might be heating up again just in time for June. After starting the week 0-for-7, Allen went 7-for-10 and drove in runs in each of his last three games for the week and currently leads the Midwest League with his .352 average.
1B: Josh Bell, Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A)
(Pirates' No. 3 prospect)
6 G, .478/.538/.739, 5 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SO
Bell collected hits in each of the six games he played this week, three of them being multihit performances. The switch-hitting first baseman is now sixth in the Triple-A International League with his .877 OPS.
MILB Video - Title: Watch: Bell drives in run - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=740672983
2B: Willie Calhoun, Tulsa Drillers (Double-A)
(Dodgers' No. 15 prospect)
7 G, .423/.483/.885, 7 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SO
Most times you have a 4-for-4 Monday, it's going to be a pretty good week. Such was the case for Calhoun, the Dodgers' fifth-round pick from 2015, who collected hits in five other games for the week. Calhoun hit three of his five homers for the season last week and raised his batting average 27 points in the process.
MILB Video - Title: Watch: Calhoun goes yard - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=731696183
3B: Taylor Sparks, Daytona Tortugas (Class A Advanced)
(Reds' No. 19 prospect)
7 G, .370/.419/.815, 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 5 SO
Sparks did most of his damage at the end of the week, going 7-for-9 with all three of his homers and 7 RBIs on Saturday and Sunday. That could be a sign of a breakout for the 2014 second-round pick after he struggled for much of the start of the season.
SS: Tyler Krieger, Lake County Captains (Class A)
(Indians' No. 22 prospect)
7 G, .444/.484/.593, 7 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SO, 4 SB
Krieger was hurt and didn't make his pro debut until this season, and he's making up for lost time as a result. The Clemson product has a 10-game hitting streak going and had four multihit performances this past week. He's now sixth in the Midwest League with his .331 average and eighth in OBP (.404).
OF: JaCoby Jones, Erie SeaWolves (Double-A)
(Tigers' No. 8 prospect)
7 G, .357/.441/.929, 5 R, 2 3B, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 4 BB, 8 SO, 1 SB
Jones returned from serving a 50-game suspension on May 17 and he's been raking since, hitting in all but one of his games played. He has a nine-game streak going, and he hit homers in three straight games to start the week. Jones also drove in two or more runs in six of his seven games played.
MILB Video - Title: Watch: Jones launches homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=739000683
OF: Eloy Jimenez, South Bend Cubs (Class A)
(Cubs' No. 10 prospect)
7 G, .407/.484/.741, 4 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 6 SO
Jimenez is only 19, but it looks like he's figured some things out in the Midwest League. He has a 16-game hitting streak going, and this past week was more of the same, with three multihit games and three multi-RBI games as well. Jimenez leads the Midwest League in SLG and OPS.
MILB Video - Title: Watch: Jimenez hits walk-off - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=755304683
OF: Alex Dickerson, El Paso Chihuahuas (Triple-A)
(Padres' No. 22 prospect)
7 G, .417/.464/.792, 8 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO
The hitting streak is now at 27 games. Dickerson kicked off the week by extending the streak to 21 with a pinch-hit home run and added another long ball on Thursday. He's the only hitter at any level (who qualifies for the batting title currently) who is hitting over .400 (.410 for the year).
MILB Video - Title: Watch: Dickerson launches RBI double - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=755304083
LHP: Cody Reed, Kane County Cougars (Class A)
(D-backs' No. 13 prospect)
2-0, 1.26 ERA, 2 GS, 14 1/3 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 16 SO, 0.77 WHIP
While he might be known as "the other" Cody Reed, in deference to the more well-known prospect in the Reds organization, this Reed is quickly making a name for himself. He went seven innings or more in each of these two starts and he's now third in the Midwest League in WHIP (0.88) and has a ridiculous 55/3 K/BB ratio in 39 2/3 IP.
RHP: Erick Fedde, Potomac Nationals (Class A Advanced)
(Nationals' No. 4 prospect)
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 GS, 11 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO, 0.73 WHIP
It's been a bit of a struggle for the 2014 first-round pick in what is really his first full season after needing Tommy John surgery in his Draft year. But it looks like Fedde might be turning a corner as he put up zeroes in both of his starts last week, and three of his last four outings have been solid.