Here's a look at Thursday's top prospect performers from the Arizona Fall League and winter ball.
Astros: Tyler Guilfoil, RHP (Unranked), Mesa Solar Sox
A rough start to his Fall League campaign finally turned for Guilfoil, who put together his best start for the Solar Sox. The 23-year-old tossed three scoreless frames before surrendering a run in the fourth and finished with five strikeouts. Guilfoil surrendered one run, one hit and walked two. The outing lowered his ERA more than two runs, from 10.13 to 7.98. More »
Cardinals: Moisés Gómez, OF (No. 24), Bravos de Margarita
With 69 homers over his last two Minor League seasons, it was only a matter of time before Gómez found his power stroke for the Bravos. The 25-year-old clubbed his first two homers -- both solo jacks -- in his ninth game in Venezuela, giving him four extra-base hits in his first 29 at-bats of winter ball competition. Gómez spent all of 2023 with Triple-A Memphis where he hit 30 homers and drove in 79 runs.
Nationals: Israel Pineda, C, (No. 21), Scottsdale Scorpions
Thaddeus Ward, RHP, (Unranked), Scottsdale Scorpions
Pineda collected second straight multihit outing after going hitless in the three before that. The 23-year-old single three times and also picked up RBI, enabling him to lift his batting average to .250.
Ward has enjoyed a strong campaign in the desert, which continued in his latest outing. The 26-year-old tossed five innings and struck out seven. All three of the runs Ward allowed were unearned, which lowered his ERA to 2.12 through five starts and 17 innings. Ward's 0.88 WHIP and .153 opponents' batting average are both the fourth best in the Fall League.
Royals: Diego Hernandez, OF (No. 15), Gigantes del Cibao
Eric Cerantola, RHP (Unranked), Surprise Saguaros
One swing of the bat was all it took for Hernandez to surpass his RBI total from his first 10 games for the Gigantes. After snapping a tie with a fielder's choice groundout in the sixth inning, the 22-year-old capped a five-run seventh with a bases-loaded triple and also swiped a base. Hernandez has never had a four-RBI game in the Minors since he debuted in 2018.
Cerantola picked up his second win of the fall with a near-perfect relief outing in Surprise's victory. The 2021 fifth-rounder struck out five across two hitless frames and allowed his only baserunner on a seven-pitch walk in the fifth, the first batter he faced. Cerantola's outing improved his ERA to 3.75 to go along with an 18/5 K/BB ratio in 12 innings.
**White Sox: Bryan Ramos, 3B (No. 7), Glendale Desert Dogs
**With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Ramos slugged a walk-off grand slam to lift the Desert Dogs. The clout marked the infielder's first walk-off homer and second grand slam of the year. Ramos went deep the night before and now has an .833 OPS this fall. More »
