Wednesday's top prospect performers
Here's a look at Wednesday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Bo Bichette, SS/2B (No. 1, MLB No. 8) -- Game 1: 2-for-4, RBI; Game 2: 1-for-4, RBI (Triple-A Buffalo)
Bichette is batting .395 over his past 11 games following his 3-for-8 showing on Wednesday as Buffalo and Lehigh Valley split a twin bill. The 21-year-old's recent hot streak has pushed his season average up to .302 through 33 games for the Bisons, during which he has 13 extra-base hits (3 HR), 20 RBIs and 11 steals. While he's not a candidate to be promoted to the big leagues in the immediate future, Bichette, barring an injury, should make his MLB debut later this season. Blue Jays prospects stats »
Orioles: Michael Baumann, RHP (No. 24) -- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Double-A Bowie)
Baumann took the loss for Bowie but pitched well overall, scattering six hits over six one-run frames against Hartford in his first Double-A start. The 23-year-old righty and former third-round pick (2017) has given up one run over 12 innings (three appearances) while striking out 13 since joining the Baysox. He was promoted to the Eastern League after posting a 3.83 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 54 innings (11 starts) with Class A Advanced Frederick. He doesn't come with as much fanfare as some other O's pitching prospects, but Baumann has the type of stuff -- namely a mid-90s heater and hard slider -- that will play in the big leagues. Orioles prospects stats »
Rays: Vidal Brujan, 2B (No. 6) -- 4-for-5, R, RBI (Double-A Montgomery)
Burjan matched his season high with four hits -- his first time accomplishing the feat at the Double-A level, and second this season after he opened the year with a four-hit game in the Florida State League. The 21-year-old switch-hitter has racked up 10 hits in his past four games for the Biscuits after going a combined 0-for-7 at the dish in his first two contests following a promotion from Class A Advanced Charlotte on June 27. Rays prospects stats »
Red Sox: Bobby Dalbec, 3B (No. 2) -- 2-for-4, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB (Double-A Portland)
Dalbec extended Portland's early lead with a two-run shot in the fourth inning and ultimately scored a team-high three runs to lead the Sea Dogs over Trenton, 9-2. The 24-year-old's homer was his fourth in the past five games and gives him 18 on the season so far through 78 games. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is chasing his career-high mark of 32 home runs, which he set last season in 129 games across two levels. And while he's batting just .233 on the year, Dalbec has made all-around strides at the plate by improving both his strikeout and walk rates. Red Sox prospects stats »
Yankees: There were no notable performances by Yankees prospects in the Minors on Wednesday.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Indians: Ethan Hankins, RHP (No. 9) -- 4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (Class A Short Season Mahoning Valley)
Hankins' scoreless outing was his third in four pro starts, all of which have come this season after the Indians decided to exercise caution last summer and let their 2018 first-rounder recover from a shoulder issue that had bothered him during the spring. Fully healthy in 2019, the 19-year-old is carving up hitters in the New York-Penn League, where he's allowed two runs on six hits in 17 innings while racking up 23 strikeouts. Indians prospects stats »
Royals: There were no notable performances by Royals prospects in the Minors on Wednesday.
Tigers: Derek Hill, OF (No. 23) -- 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB (Double-A Erie)
Hill came up clutch with a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th as he powered the SeaWolves over Binghamton, 4-3. It was the 23-year-old's second walk-off hit in as many nights, as he also delivered the game-winning hit in the 10th for Erie on Tuesday. The former first-round pick (2014) has been beset by injuries for much of his career and has yet to play more than 106 games in a single season. He's managed to stay healthy so far in 2019, and it's enabled him to showcase a promising blend of power and speed (9 HR, 10 SB) to go along with his usual plus defense in center field. Tigers prospects stats »
Twins: Travis Blankenhorn, 2B (No. 28) -- 4-for-6, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, SB (Double-A Pensacola)
Blankenhorn's fourth hit of the game was a leadoff single in the eighth inning, and he eventually came around to score the deciding run in the Lookouts' come-from-behind 14-13 win over Mississippi in a game they had trailed 10-4 after three and a half innings. Blankenhorn's homer, a two-run shot in the second inning, was his fourth in 13 games since the Southern League All-Star break and gives him 15 bombs in 61 games -- to go along with a .295/.335/.520 batting line -- at the Double-A level. Twins prospects stats »
White Sox: Nick Madrigal, 2B (No. 4, MLB No. 39) -- 3-for-4, R, 2B (Double-A Birmingham)
Madrigal, whom the White Sox selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 Draft, has been unstoppable since his promotion to Double-A, hitting .382/.444/.472 across his first 23 games with the Barons. He extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a three-hit effort Wednesday, his fifth in the aforementioned 23-game span. Meanwhile, the 22-year-old continues to be among the most difficult in baseball to strike out -- something he's done just eight times compared to 26 walks in 72 games between two levels. Altogether, Madrigal is slashing .307/.377/.407 with 20 extra-base hits and 26 steals in his first full season. White Sox prospects stats »
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
A’s: Hogan Harris, LHP (No. 27) -- 3 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K (Class A Short Season Vermont)
Harris struck out the first six batters he faced and finished with with eight punchouts in 3 2/3 innings, a new career-high for the 22-year-old lefty. An elbow sprain cost Harris a chance to make his pro debut last summer, after the A's made him their third-round pick in the Draft that June. The Louisiana-Lafayette product has shown no lingering effects from the injury thus far in 2019, posting a 2.30 ERA with 22/3 K/BB and a .132 BAA in 15 2/3 innings. A's prospects stats »
Angels: Jeremy Beasley, RHP (No. 22) -- 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K (Double-A Mobile)
Beasley fired six no-hit frames as he and a pair of BayBears relievers carried a no-hit bid into the ninth inning. A leadoff single in the frame ended that possibility, but Mobile hung on to win the combined one-hit shutout, 2-0. Beasley's scoreless outing was his first in over a month and ended a four-start rough patch during which the 23-year-old righty had allowed 13 earned runs (5.40 ERA) on 32 hits over 21 2/3 frames. After receiving his first taste of the Double-A level in 2018, Beasley has returned to Mobile this season to record a 3.70 ERA over 75 1/3 innings. Angels prospects stats »
Astros: Seth Beer, OF/1B (No. 8) -- 4-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI; Cristian Javier, RHP (No. 28) -- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K (Double-A Corpus Christi)
Beer went deep for a second straight night and matched his season-high with four hits, though it was his first four-hit performance at the Double-A level. The 2018 first-round pick out of Clemson -- where he clubbed 56 homers in three seasons -- has hit nine home runs in 41 games for the Hooks after totaling nine in 35 games at Class A Advanced Fayetteville to begin the season. He's batting .312 with 67 RBIs in 76 games between the two stops. Javier, meanwhile, lowered his Texas League ERA to 2.15 with the scoreless performance, which was his fifth in nine outings this season for the Hooks. Overall, he's pitched to a 1.69 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 74 2/3 frames across two levels. Opposing hitters are batting just .133 against the 22-year-old in 2019 and .175 over 338 innings in his career. Astros prospects stats »
Mariners: Evan White, 1B (No. 5, MLB No. 81) -- 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI (Double-A Arkansas)
White's two-run homer to right-center field in the first inning put Arkansas on the board, though it wasn't enough to keep the Travelers from falling to Northwest Arkansas, 7-5. Since having his 23-game hit streak snapped on June 28, the 23-year-old first baseman has gone 7-for-20 with two home runs while hitting safely in four straight contests, three of which were multihit efforts. In his first Double-A campaign, White has produced an impressive .301/.359/.496 line with 11 homers in 56 games. Mariners prospects stats »
Rangers: There were no notable performances by Rangers prospects in the Minors on Wednesday.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: Kyle Wright, RHP (No. 2, MLB No. 25) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K (Triple-A Gwinnett)
The former No. 5 overall Draft pick (2017) out of Vanderbilt turned in one of his better performances of 2019 on Wednesday as he struck out eight batters for a second straight start while scattering five hits over six scoreless frames. After a shaky start to his season, both in the big leagues and Triple-A, Wright has begun to find his groove over his past four appearances, going 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. His season ERA, meanwhile, sits at a season-low 4.92 after Wednesday's outing. Braves prospects stats »
Marlins: Trevor Rogers, LHP (No. 16) -- 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 11 K (Class A Adv Jupiter)
Rogers, 21, gave up a two-run homer in the first inning to Pirates No. 4 prospect Oneil Cruz before settling and dominating the rest of the way en route to a season-high 11 strikeouts. He struck out the side in the second and sixth innings and retired the final eight batters he faced before departing the game after seven frames and 94 pitches (65 strikes). It was the second double-digit strikeout performance of the season for the former first-round pick (2017), who's racked up 91 punchouts in 82 2/3 innings (14 starts) this season -- including 43 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings over his past five starts -- while pitching to a 2.50 ERA. Marlins prospects stats »
Mets: Ronny Mauricio, SS (No. 2, MLB No. 82) -- 2-for-3, 3 R, HR, BB (Class A Columbia)
Mauricio scored a team-high three runs and tallied a pair of hits, including a solo homer in the fifth inning, out of the leadoff spot in the Fireflies' 9-3 win over Greenville. The 18-year-old switch-hitter's third home run of the season was also his first from the right side of the plate, where he's generally considered a less-impactful hitter (.208/.239/.292) compared to his left side (.314/.353/.412). He's been hot lately, batting .325 over last 26 games, and sports an overall line of .289/.326/.385 over 72 games in the South Atlantic League -- where he's nearly four years the junior compared to the circuit's average player. Mets prospects stats »
Phillies: Manuel Silva, LHP (No. 29) -- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K (Class A Lakewood)
Silva, 20, surrendered just one hit as he faced two over the minimum in arguably his best outing of the season. He completed five innings for a second straight start, matching his season-high mark, and was consistently around the zone with his three-pitch mix in the outing, throwing 35 of 59 pitches for strikes. While nothing he throws is particularly overpowering at the moment, the 6-foot-2, 145-pound southpaw has considerable physical projection remaining and could take a big step forward in his development as he begins to add strength to his wiry frame. Phillies prospects stats »
Nationals: Wil Crowe, RHP (No. 4) -- 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K (Double-A Harrisburg)
Crowe somehow took the loss on Wednesday night, as a two-run fourth would be all Richmond would need to eventually earn a 3-1 victory (thanks to a ninth-inning insurance run). Outside of that shaky fourth inning, Crowe allowed only two hits and no runs, meaning that he bounced back from a tough spot in the game and gave the Senators a strong seven innings. That's becoming a trend for the 24-year-old righty, who has gone seven or more innings five times this season after only lasting that long once in his previous two pro seasons. His ability to stay in the game can be partially chalked up to better command, as he's walking just over two batters per nine innings in 2019, an improvement upon his 3.7 career BB/9 and his 5.5 mark during his first stop at Double-A last season. Nationals prospects stats »
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers: Trey Supak, RHP (No. 11) -- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K (Double-A Biloxi)
Supak has been a workhorse once again this season, as Wednesday's six-inning performance was his third in as many starts for the Shuckers. The 23-year-old is averaging more than six innings per start, too, and leads all Double-A Southern League hurlers in innings with 103. He also paces the circuit with a 0.93 WHIP, while his 2.36 ERA through 17 starts ranks fifth. Brewers prospects stats »
Cubs: Brailyn Marquez, LHP (No. 3) -- 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K (Class A South Bend)
Marquez completed six innings for the first time this season and did so while issuing just one walk and throwing 56 of 79 pitches for strikes. The 20-year-old lefty's improved control in the outing was a very good sign considering he's already walked 36 batters in 56 innings (5.8 BB/9) this season in the Midwest League. The walk totals should continue to come down as Marquez learns to consistently repeat his delivery, as the 6-foot-4 southpaw otherwise shows a lot of promise with a mid- to upper-90s fastball that gives him natural bat-missing ability. Cubs prospects stats »
Cardinals: Randy Arozarena, OF (No. 14) -- 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI (Triple-A Memphis)
Arozarena, 24, has hit safely in eight straight games for the Redbirds. He has a trio of three-hit performances as well as a pair of four-hit ones in that span, and he's batting a robust .405/.463/.595 in 21 games since his promotion to Triple-A. Cardinals prospects stats »
Pirates: Oneil Cruz, SS (No. 4, MLB No. 78) -- 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Class A Adv Bradenton)
The 6-foot-6 shortstop prospect showed off his power on Wednesday night, connecting on his second homer in just 14 games for the Marauders this season -- he hit 14 last season at the Class A level with the West Virginia Power. Cruz missed two months this year due to injury, and in only his third game back at Bradenton, he extended his Florida State League hitting streak to four and smacked a home run that would account for all of his team's offense in a 7-2 loss. He's taller than any shortstop to truly stick at the position, but he has the tools and potential to develop into an exciting player at the corner outfield spots thanks to his powerful arm and overall athleticism. Pirates prospects stats »
Reds: Andy Sugillo, OF (No. 21) -- 3-for-5, 2 R (Class A Adv Daytona)
Sugillo's multihit performance was his third amid his nine-game hitting streak -- a stretch during which he's improved his season average from .290 to .305 by batting .395. The 22-year-old has good feel to hit as well as plus speed that enables him to make an impact on the basepaths (15 steals in 2019) and in the outfield, and the hope is that he'll eventually tap into some of his surprising raw power once he adds strength to his projectable 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame. Reds prospects stats »
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-backs: Alek Thomas, OF (No. 7) -- 4-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, BB (Class A Kane County); Kristian Robinson, OF (No. 5) -- 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB (Class A Short Season Hillsboro)
Thomas, who will represent the D-backs in Sunday's Futures Game, followed up his five-hit game on Tuesday by hitting for the cycle Wednesday in Kane County's win against Peoria. One level down in the Northwest League, the 18-year-old Robinson continued his red-hot start to the season by hitting a homer and swiping a bag as part of a two-hit, three-RBI performance. With his massive right-handed power, natural feel to hit and solid defensive chops, he has the highest ceiling of any player in Arizona's system. D-backs prospects stats »
Dodgers: Jacob Amaya, SS (No. 11) -- 2-for-5, R, 3B, RBI (Class A Great Lakes)
Signed to an above-slot bonus by the Dodgers last year after they drafted him in the 11th round, Amaya opened eyes during his pro debut last summer by reaching full-season at age 19 and then holding his own in the Midwest League by hitting .265 with more walks than strikeouts. He's continued to demonstrate an advanced approach this year in his return to the Loons, and he's also flashed some power potential by tallying 27 extra-base hits in 74 games. Dodgers prospects stats »
Giants: Sean Hjelle, RHP (No. 5) -- 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 K (Class A San Jose)
Hjelle, a 2018 second-rounder out of Kentucky, worked a career-high 6 2/3 frames on Wednesday as he allowed one earned run or fewer for the sixth time in eight starts since his promotion to San Jose. At 6-foot-11, Hjelle creates an unusual angle to the plate that makes him tough on opposing hitters, and he controls his body and repeats his surprisingly well for a player with such long limbs. The 22-year-old has been sharp in his first full season, pitching to 2.28 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 19 walks in 87 innings (17 starts) between San Jose and Class A Augusta. Giants prospects stats »
Padres: Luis Urias, INF (No. 3, MLB No. 20) -- 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI (Triple-A El Paso)
Urias scored or drove in three of the Chihuahuas' eight runs in an 8-4 win over Fresno, but being a run producer and a driving force for the El Paso offense is nothing new for Urias. His 1.018 OPS looks great at a glance, and even in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League it ranks seventh overall. However, June was a bit of a "letdown" for the $100,000 acquisition from Mexico, as he "only" hit .274 with 13 extra-base hits (four homers) in 25 games. He's off to a strong start in July, and the Chihuahuas and Padres will hope he continues his incredible pace set earlier in the season, like his .891 slugging percentage in April or his 19 walks compared to 20 strikeouts in May. Padres prospects stats »
Rockies: Casey Golden, OF (No. 30) -- 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Class A Adv Lancaster)
Golden was one of six Minor Leaguers to record at least 20 homers and 20 steals in 2018, when he batted .278/.359/.562 with a system-best 34 homers and 24 steals over 124 games with Class A Asheville in his first full season. He also struck out 180 times, however, and whiffs have continued to be an issue for him so far in 2019, with 89 in his first 57 games. That being said, the former 20th-rounder out of UNC-Wilmington could very well post his second straight 20-20 campaign, as Wednesday's performance brings him to 12 homers and eight steals on the year. Rockies prospects stats »