MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances from the previous seven days. Any Minor Leaguer currently on an organization Top 30 Prospects list on our Prospect Watch is eligible.
Featuring two players currently ranked on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list and two others who aren’t far off, this week’s Prospect Team of the Week is loaded with high-end talent.
Astros' No. 3 prospect Yordan Alvarez is back for the fifth time in the first six weeks of the season, already matching Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s record for the most PTOW appearances in a single season. He leads the Minors in just about every major offensive category after another monster week in Triple-A.
Alvarez is joined on this week’s PTOW by Nationals top prospect Carter Kieboom, who homered twice and drove in seven runs in five games for Fresno. The 21-year-old is hitting .313 with a 1.123 OPS in nine games since the Nationals optioned him to Triple-A.
Among the other notable names on the latest PTOW, 20-year-old Dylan Carlson (Cardinals’ No. 6) was an extra-base machine for Double-A Springfield, while 2018 first-round Draft pick Logan Gilbert (Mariners’ No. 6) was sensational for Class A Advanced Modesto in the best start of his career.
Here’s the complete Prospect Team of the Week for games of May 13-19.
C: Eric Haase, Columbus Clippers (Triple-A)
(Indians’ No. 29 prospect)
4 G, .500/.611/1.000, 7 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Haase hit safely in all four games for the Indians and capped his week by homering on both Friday and Sunday, while collecting multiple hits in both games. The 26-year-old backstop has gone deep 11 times in 29 games this season, good for a share of fourth place in the International League.
1B: Patrick Mazeika, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)
(Mets’ No. 26 prospect)
7 G, .333/.379/.926, 7 R, 4 2B, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K
Appearing in four of his seven games at first base, Mazeika, primarily a catcher, homered in four games and had four multi-RBI games as he led all Minor Leaguers in RBIs and ranked second among Top 30 prospects in total bases (25). The 25-year-old drove in six during the Rumble Ponies’ doubleheader on Tuesday and followed it with a six-RBI performance the following day while collecting three hits. He’s hitting .266/.341/.476 with 16 extra-base hits and 27 RBIs in his return to Double-A.
2B: Nick Solak, Durham Bulls (Triple-A)
(Rays’ No. 12)
6 G, .435/.481/.826, 6 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP
The 24-year-old began his week with a three-hit game and ultimately recorded four multihit performances as he finished tied with the second-most RBIs among Top 30 prospects. Solak also hit half of his six home runs last week, going deep in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. Overall, he’s produced a .298/.375/.519 line in his first Triple-A campaign.
3B: Christopher Morel, South Bend Cubs (Class A)
(Cubs’ No. 26 prospect)
7 G, .375/.444/.792, 5 R, 3 2B, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 SB
The 19-year-old Morel improved his season average from .218 to .252 last week thanks to four multihit performances, including three straight over the weekend. Six of his nine hits went for extra bases, and he tied a bow on his big week on Sunday with a home run, his second in 30 games this season.
SS: Carter Kieboom, Fresno Grizzlies (Triple-A)
(Nationals’ No. 1 prospect/No. 25 overall)
5 G, .400/.429/.800, 6 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
In his first full week back at Fresno since he was optioned by the Nationals on May 7, Kieboom recorded hits in four of five games while posting three multihit efforts. He homered in back-to-back games, too, going deep in the nightcap of a doubleheader on Friday and the opener of another on Sunday. In 27 Minor League games this season, the 21-year-old shortstop is hitting .357/.484/.653 with six homers and 28 RBIs.
OF: Dylan Carlson, Springfield Cardinals (Double-A)
(Cardinals’ No. 6 prospect)
6 G, .417/.481/1.083, 5 R, 1 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 SB
The 20-year-old switch-hitter’s emerging power was on full display last week as he had seven of his 10 hits go for extra bases. Carlson homered in three of his final four games to round out the week after beginning it with a trio of multihit performances. The 2016 first-rounder is putting it all together in his first Double-A campaign, hitting .291/.363/.544 with seven homers (21 XBH), 29 RBIs and 31 runs over 40 games in the Texas League.
OF: Yordan Alvarez, Round Rock Express (Triple-A)
(Astros’ No. 3 prospect/No. 26 overall)
6 G, .458/.519/.958, 6 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB, 2 IBB, 1 SB, 4 K
After being held out of the hit column on Monday, Alvarez, 21, bounced back with consecutive three-hit games, the second of which saw him record a season-high six RBIs courtesy of his second multi-homer performance of 2019. He went deep once again on Sunday to push his season total to 18 home runs, good for second among all Minor League hitters. What’s more, Alvarez leads the Minors in all three triple-slash categories (.411/.494/.884), RBIs (55) and extra-base hits (33).
OF: Vince Fernandez, Hartford Yard Goats (Double-A)
(Rockies’ No. 24 prospect)
7 G, .370/.452/.889, 7 R, 2 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 11 K
Fernandez teed off four times last week -- including twice on Thursday in his first multi-homer game of 2019 -- giving him six home runs in his last 10 games for the Yard Goats. With 11 home runs in 43 games this season, the 23-year-old is on pace to blow well past the career-high 24 homers he hit last season at Class A Advanced Lancaster.
LHP: Zac Lowther, Bowie Baysox (Double-A)
(Orioles’ No. 8 prospect)
2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 GS, 12 2/3 IP, 11 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 15 K, 0.95 WHIP
Lowther set a season high in strikeouts (7) in his first start of the week and then did it again on Sunday, when he fanned eight over five innings against Erie. The 23-year-old southpaw has allowed just two earned runs in four starts this month while pitching to a 0.75 ERA in 24 innings. That stretch has helped Lowther lower his season ERA from 3.44 to 1.91, the third-best mark among Eastern League hurlers.
RHP: Logan Gilbert, Modesto Nuts (Class A Advanced)
(Mariners’ No. 6 prospect)
2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 GS, 12 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 16 K, 0.67 WHIP
Gilbert, 22, turned in the best start of his young career on Sunday as he set career highs in both innings pitched (7) and strikeouts (11). It was the second scoreless start of the week for the 2018 first-rounder out of Stetson, who’s now kept opponents off the board in four of seven starts across two levels in his first pro season. That has translated to a 1.75 ERA in 36 innings, during which he’s compiled 53 strikeouts and nine walks while holding hitters to a .157 clip.
RP: Junior Fernandez, Springfield Cardinals (Double-A)
(Cardinals’ No. 20 prospect)
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 SV, 2 G, 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0.43 WHIP
Fernandez recorded eight of his 14 outs via the strikeout last week while making a pair of multi-inning relief appearances. The 22-year-old earned the save in his first outing, striking out four in two perfect frames, then struck out four more batters while tossing 2 2/3 innings out of the ‘pen on Friday.