Saturday's top prospect performers

June 23rd, 2019

Here's a look at Saturday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: T.J. Zeuch, RHP (No. 12) -- 5 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (Triple-A Buffalo)
Zeuch picked up his first win of the year (third start) and fired 59 of his 93 pitches for strikes in his Triple-A debut. The 23-year-old, a former first-round pick (2016), has struck out 16 over 14 1/3 innings this year and has been a consistent performer for much of his young career. Zeuch is coming off a 2018 campaign during which he went 12-8 with a 3.17 ERA across two levels.
Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Dean Kremer, RHP (No. 9) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K (Double-A Bowie)
Kremer got off to a rough start and gave up 12 runs over his first three starts with Bowie, which is why his ERA sits at 4.28. However, since those outings, the right-hander has held the opposition scoreless in two of his past three appearances. Kremer fired 45 of his 71 pitches for strikes and picked up his second win in six starts with the Baysox. The 23-year-old has also racked up eight or more strikeouts in three straight starts and has punched out 38 through 33 2/3 innings with Bowie this season.
Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Brendan McKay, LHP/DH (No. 2, No. 23 in MLB) -- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (Triple-A Durham)
No matter what level he's pitching at, runs are tough to by against McKay. The Rays top pitching prospect has surrendered one earned run or fewer in 11 of his 13 outings this season and has a 1.08 ERA through five games with Durham. Prior to his promotion to Triple-A, McKay was just as dominant with Double-A Montgomery, where he posted a 1.30 ERA through 41 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old hasn't allowed an earned run in 14 innings and already has 88 strikeouts on the year, despite having pitched just 66 2/3 innings.
Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Marcus Wilson, OF (No. 21) -- 2-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI (Class A Advanced Salem)
Wilson, whom the Red Sox acquired via a trade with the D-backs in April, turned in the second two-homer game of his career and is well on his way toward setting a new career high. The 22-year-old hit a career-best 10 homers in 2018, but is already up to nine this year. While the power has increased this season, Wilson's average has taken a bit of a hit. After the trade Wilson hit .161 over 19 games with Double-A Portland, but after being sent down to Salem, he's hit .341 over 27 games.
Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: No Yankees prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minors on Saturday.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Ethan Hankins, RHP (No. 9) -- 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K (Class A Short Season Mahoning Valley)
It's hard to imagine Hankins' season starting off any better, as he's yet to allow a hit through two starts. The 35th overall pick from last year's Draft, Hankins has shown exactly why he was so highly touted during the pre-Draft process. Hankins has thrown 8 2/3 innings, issued two walks and struck out 12. The 19-year-old operates with a mid-90s fastball, a changeup, curveball and slider.
Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Jackson Kowar, RHP (No. 7) -- 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (Double-A Northwest Arkansas)
Kowar, the 33rd overall pick from last year's Draft, was certainly ready for the challenge as he made his Double-A debut. The 22-year-old struck out the first five batters he faced and went on to fan seven, which matched his season high. Prior to the promotion to Northwest Arkansas, Kowar had pitched to a 3.53 ERA and was 5-3 through 13 starts with Class A Advanced Wilmington.
Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Beau Burrows, RHP (No. 6) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K (Double-A Erie)
Make that back-to-back scoreless starts for Burrows, who has rebounded after getting shelled for eight runs over 4 2/3 innings innings on April 27. After that disastrous start, Burrows was placed on the injured list and since he's been back, he's spun nine scoreless frames, struck out eight and walked four. The 22-year-old has pitched to a 3.86 ERA over seven starts this season and is coming off a 2018 campaign where he went 10-9 with a 4.10 ERA in Double-A.
Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Trevor Larnach, OF (No. 4, No. 94 in MLB) -- 2-for-4, 2B, RBI (Class A Advanced Fort Myers)
Larnach extended his hitting streak to six games with his second straight multihit performance. The Twins took Larnach 20th overall in last year's Draft in part because of his advanced approach at the plate and it's certainly paid dividends so far in his career. The 22-year-old hit .303 over 42 games in his professional debut and is hitting .318 through 68 games so far this season.
Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Luis Robert, OF (No. 1, No. 5 in MLB) -- 3-for-6, HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB (Double-A Birmingham)
It almost seems like a nightly occurrence that Robert winds up in this story as he continues to rake in the White Sox system. The 21-year-old, who has now homered in three straight games, is hitting .311 through 44 games at the Double-A level and that’s after he hit .453 over 19 games with Class A Advanced Winston-Salem to begin the season. There was a reason the White Sox signed Robert for $26 million in 2017 and as he continues to develop and blossom on the field, it’s easy to see why the organization wanted to acquire the five-tool superstar.
White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Jesus Luzardo, LHP (No. 1, No. 15 in MLB) -- 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K (Triple-A Las Vegas)
The stat line doesn't exactly jump off the page, but Luzardo's start stands out because of its significance. The 21-year-old was expected to be a big contributor in Oakland's rotation this season, but was shut down with a shoulder strain late in Spring Training. Luzardo made a pair of starts with Class A Advanced Stockton and Saturday night's outing was his first with Triple-A since last season. Luzardo still needs to be stretched out as a starter, but if he performs well in Las Vegas, it's only a matter of time until he's pitching in Oakland.
A's prospects stats »

Angels: Jared Walsh, 1B/OF/LHP (No. 18) -- 2-for-5, HR, RBI (Triple-A Salt Lake)
Walsh extended his hitting streak to five games with another multihit performance, his fourth of the streak. The 25-year-old two-way player hit his 13th homer of the year in the fifth inning and is hitting .316 through 49 games with Salt Lake. Walsh also made his Major League debut earlier this season and during his stint with the Angels he hit .250 over 11 games.
Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Ross Adolph, OF (No. 27) -- 3-for-5, 2B, 3B (Class A Quad Cities)
Adolph is 9-for-18 over the past four games and has used that hot stretch to boost his average from .200 to .227. The 22-year-old, whom the Astros acquired via a January trade with the Mets, got off to a slow start this season, but picked up the pace as summer approached. Adolph hit 116 in April and .208 in May, but has exploded this month with a .371 average through 17 games. The Mets took Adolph in the 12th round of the 2018 Draft and he hit .276 over 61 games in his professional debut.
Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Evan White, 1B (No. 5) -- 3-for-5 (Double-A Arkansas)
White just keeps hitting. Not only does White have a 21-game hitting streak, nine of those games are multihit efforts. The 23-year-old is hitting a ridiculous .382 in June and showing why the Mariners selected him in the first round of the 2017 Draft. In addition to being a solid hitter with an advanced approach at the plate, White is often regarded as one of the best, if not the best, defensive first basemen in the Minors.
Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Scott Heineman, OF (No. 27) -- 3-for-6, 2B, HR, 2 RBI (AZL Rangers)
Heineman was placed on the 60-day injured list on March 3 and is rehabbing in the Rookie-level Arizona League. The 26-year-old, who raked across Double- and Triple-A last season, is much more advanced than the vast majority of the prospects in AZL and that's showing as he's 6-for-13 over three games. Heineman, a 2015 Draft pick (11th round), is coming off a strong 2018 showing as he hit .306 with 12 homers in 114 games.
Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Bryse Wilson, RHP (No. 5, No. 73 in MLB) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (Triple-A Gwinnett)
Wilson struck out seven for the fourth time in as many starts and threw 63 of his 86 pitches for strikes. The 21-year-old right-hander needed this strong bounceback outing after surrendering five runs over six innings innings in his last appearance. Wilson, a 2016 fourth-round Draft pick, made his Major League debut last season and has appeared in two games with the Braves so far this year.
Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Victor Victor Mesa, OF (No. 3) -- 4-for-5, 3 RBI (Class A Advanced Jupiter)
Mesa set career highs for both hits and RBIs in Jupiter's win over Fort Myers. The highly touted 22-year-old came through with an RBI single in the sixth and promptly added a two-run single in the seventh the next time he came to the plate. Mesa, who signed for $5.25 million in October, makes consistent contact, but doesn't drive the ball much. His speed and defense are both advanced, as evidenced by the fact that he's 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts this season.
Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Patrick Mazeika, C (No. 25) -- 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Double-A Binghamton)
After going 0-for-7 over the past two games, Mazeika got back in the hit column with a two-run homer in Binghamton's 4-2 loss to Richmond. The 25-year-old has seven homers so far this year, two shy of his career best, and is hitting .254 this season. Mazeika has a contact-first approach and good strike zone discipline, but has been slumping a bit lately. Mazeika hit .298 in May, but has seen that number dip to .232 in June.
Mets prospects stats »

Nationals: Carter Kieboom, SS (No. 21) -- 4-for-5, 2 2B, RBI (Triple-A Fresno)
That's three straight multihit games for Kieboom, who is hitting .315 this season and .300 this month. The 21-year-old, a 2016 first-round pick, has hits in nine of his past 10 games and will likely be back in Washington at some point this season. The Nationals called up Kieboom in late April and although he hit a pair of homers, he batted just .128 over 11 games.
Nationals prospects stats »

Phillies: Simon Muzziotti, OF (No. 12) -- 4-for-5, RBI (Class A Advanced Clearwater)
As his teammates combined for a no-hitter, Muzziotti provided the offense The 20-year-old, whom the Phillies signed from Venezuela in 2016, matched his season high with four hits and now has hits in four of his past five games, bringing his season average to .290. Muzziotti is competing at the Class A Advanced level for the first time and so far the results are promising, especially considering the fact that he hit .250 a season ago.
Phillies prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Keston Hiura, 2B (No. 1, No. 12 in MLB) -- 2-for-4, HR, RBI (Triple-A San Antonio)
Hiura has hits in 13 of the 16 games he’s played in since being optioned to the Missions on June 3. The 22-year-old is hitting .316 with 17 homers this season and it seems likely he’ll be back in Milwaukee before long. The Brewers called up Hiura for his Major League debut on May 14 and in 17 games he slashed .281/.333/.531 with five homers and nine RBIs.
Brewers prospects stats »

Cardinals: Jake Woodford, RHP (No. 24) -- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K (Triple-A Memphis)
Woodford picked up his fifth win of the season and lowered his ERA to 3.39 with his second scoreless start of 2019. Coincidentally, the 22-year-old has thrown seven innings in each of those starts. Woodford threw 57 of his 100 pitches for strikes and looked like a much different pitcher than the one who took the mound on June 16 and gave up seven runs. He got off to a strong start as he retired seven of the first eight batters he faced and cruised from there, never allowing more than one batter to reach in any given inning.
Cardinals prospects stats »

Cubs: Trent Giambrone, 2B/SS (No. 20) -- 1-for-2, HR, 3 RBI (Triple-A Iowa)
Giambrone's 15th homer of the season, a three-run blast, was the highlight of Iowa's five-run first inning in a rain-shortened win over Round Rock. The 25-year-old is hitting .226 this season, but his power has been impressive lately as he's homered seven times in June. Granted, Giambrone is playing in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but it looks extremely likely that he'll set a career high for homers this season as last year's mark of 17 is well within reach. The 2016 25th-round pick has an aggressive approach at the plate and surprising power given his 5-foot-8 frame.
Cubs prospects stats »

Pirates: Lolo Sanchez, OF (No. 14) -- 2-for-4, 3B (Class A Advanced Bradenton)
After hitting .301 through 61 games with Class A Greensboro, Sanchez was promoted to Bradenton on Thursday. The 20-year-old went 0-for-8 over his first two games at the new level, but seemingly found his rhythm a bit on Saturday night. Sanchez, whom the Pirates signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, hit .243 over 114 games last season and still has to learn to hit the offspeed pitch as it's given him trouble so far in his career.
Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Ibandel Isabel, 1B (No. 24) -- 1-for-4, HR, RBI (Double-A Chattanooga)
Isabel hit a solo homer in the sixth inning, but that was just one of two runs that Chattanooga scored in an 11-2 loss to Birmingham. The 24-year-old is hitting .227 this season, but his power has been on full display as he’s hit 16 homers in 55 games. Power has always been Isabel’s carrying tool as he hit 36 homers in 2018 and 28 in 2017. However, evaluators have expressed concern with his ability to hit for average and make consistent contact. Isabel is a career .226 hitter and has struck out 95 times this season.
Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: No D-backs prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minors on Saturday.

Dodgers: Dustin May, RHP (No. 3, No. 51 in MLB) -- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 14 K (Double-A Tulsa)
Sod Poodles batters stood no chance as May carved his way through the opposing lineup and amassed 14 strikeouts, a career high. The 21-year-old, a 2016 third-round Draft pick, threw 72 of his 103 pitches for strikes and was lights out from the very beginning and he retired the first 10 batters faced. May also struck out five in a row from the fourth to the sixth inning and notched multiple strikeouts in six of his seven innings.
Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Marco Luciano, SS (No. 3) -- 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI (AZL Giants)
What an impressive debut it has been for the 17-year-old, who now has three homers in his first week of stateside pro ball. Signed for $2.6 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, Luciano was arguably the best hitter in last summer's international free agent pool, and he's immediately making the argument that he was the best, period. Luciano has gone back-to-back-to-back games with homers and is tied for the Arizona League lead in the category, as well as ranking first in total bases early on in the season.
Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Luis Campusano, C/DH (No. 14) -- 2-for-4, R (Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore)
Campusano receives the most praise for his ability as a receiver, but this season he's shown that he's more than capable when standing at the plate, not just squatting behind it. His batting average is up to .324 on the season after Saturday's multihit effort, his second in three games and 18th on the season. His overall approach at the plate continues to improve year over year, as his batting average and on-base percentage have gone up from 2017 to 2018, and from 2018 to this season. There is no better indicator of this growth at the plate than the fact that he's being used as a designated hitter after previously earning a reputation as a glove-first catcher.
Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Willie MacIver, C (No. 27) -- 2-for-4, R, 3B (Class A Asheville)
MacIver picked up his third triple of the season on Saturday, an impressive feat for a catcher to be sure. However, it's hardly unprecedented, as the 2018 draftee out of Washington also picked up three three-baggers last season in his pro debut over 54 games. He leads the Tourists in home runs in addition to his proclivity for triples, plus he's caught 11 of the 36 runners attempting to steal against him this season.
Rockies prospects stats »