Tuesday's top prospect performers

July 11th, 2018

Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Tuesday.
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In his first fully healthy season, Bobby Dalbec is showing that he's one of the top power-hitting prospects in the Minor Leagues.
Dalbec, Boston's No. 12 prospect, hit a pair of home runs as he extended his hitting streak to eight games in Class A Advanced Salem's 8-4 win over Winston-Salem. He finished the game 4-for-4 at the plate and matched his career high with five RBIs.
After hitting a single in his first trip to the plate, Dalbec proceeded to blast a three-run homer in the third inning followed by a two-run shot in the fifth. Two innings later, the 23-year-old baseman capped his perfect night at the plate with a single to right field.
Dalbec was named to MLB Pipeline's most recent Prospect Team of the Week (covering July 2 to July 8) after hitting .481/.484/1.185 with four home runs and leading all Minor Leaguers in slugging percentage, extra-base hits (10), total bases (32) and RBIs (14). With his performance on Tuesday, meanwhile, Dalbec sports a robust .581 average (18-for-31) with six home runs and 18 RBIs over his past eight games.
A fourth-round pick in the 2016 Draft out of Arizona, Dalbec posted a 1.101 OPS in his pro debut but was limited to just 85 games in '17 due to a hamate injury. He still managed to hit 13 home runs, albeit with a .248 average.
Dalbec's big-time power has been on full display this season in the Carolina League, a circuit that he currently leads in home runs (21), doubles (25) and RBIs (75). On top of that, Dalbec is proving to be more than just a slugger, with a .260/.371/.573 batting line through 83 games.

MILB Video - Title: Dalbec's 20th homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2256529883

The rest of the best performances from top prospects Tuesday
• On a rehab assignment in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, No. 5 overall prospect (Nationals' No. 1) recorded his first hit in over three months in his third game back from the disabled list. He finished 1-for-3 and also scored a run in the contest. The 21-year-old outfielder suffered a hyperextended left elbow while diving for a ball in center field just four games into his season back on April 9.
• No. 68 overall prospect Andres Gimenez (Mets' No. 1) hit a double and a triple as part of a 3-for-5, two-RBI game in Class A Advanced St. Lucie's 5-1 win over Charlotte. The three-hit performance was the 19-year-old shortstop's second in as many games and also extended his hitting streak to nine games. Behind a .457 average (16-for-35) in that span, Gimenez has improved season average from .257 to .281. Second baseman Luis Carpio (No. 18) also had a big night at the plate, tallying a season-high four hits including a double out of the leadoff spot.
• No. 99 overall prospect Cristian Pache (Braves' No. 8) put Class A Advanced Florida on the board with a leadoff home run before adding an RBI triple three innings later and finishing 2-for-5. Six of the the 19-year-old outfielder's seven home runs this season have come out of the leadoff spot, and he's now gone deep three times in his first at-bat. Overall, Pache has produced a .280/.305/.436 slash line with 29 extra-base hits and 39 runs scored in 78 games.
D-backs No. 29 prospect Emilio Vargas needed just five innings to rack up a season-high 13 strikeouts in a dominant performance for Class A Advanced Visalia. Recording all but two of his outs via the strikeout in five innings, Vargas permitted two earned runs on three hits and a walk while throwing 59 of 91 pitches for strikes. The 21-year-old righty is having a breakout season in the California League, as he now leads the circuit both in ERA (1.85) and strikeouts (126) through 92 1/3 innings (12.3 K/9).
Dodgers No. 22 prospect Tony Gonsolin's bat-missing ability was on display as he notched a career-best 11 strikeouts while tossing five innings of one-run for Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. He allowed three hits, walked a pair and threw 66 of his 87 pitches for strikes. The 24-year-old right-hander has fanned at least nine batters in four straight starts and owns a 1.29 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 21 innings in that span.
Mets No. 10 prospect Ronny Mauricio connected on a two-run homer and later added a sacrifice fly to finish with three RBIs for the Mets' Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate. The 17-year-old shortstop, signed by the Mets for $2.1 million a year ago, has now hit safely in 19 straight games to begin his career, compiling a .359/.345/.551 batting line with nine extra-base hits (2 HR), 19 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
• After giving up a season-worst seven earned runs in his last start, Rangers No. 7 prospect rebounded with a seven-inning outing for Class A Advanced Down East in which he allowed an unearned run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts. After struggling earlier in the season between Double-A and the Major Leagues, the 23-year-old southpaw has pitched to a 3.24 ERA with 22 strikeouts and five in 25 innings (four starts) as he works to get back on track in the Carolina League.
White Sox No. 30 prospect Bernardo Flores completed seven strong innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, but ultimately took the loss as Double-A Birmingham fell to Mississippi, 3-1. The 22-year-old lefty recorded seven strikeouts as well as eight ground outs while throwing 63 of his 91 pitches for strikes in the outing. Promoted to Birmingham on June 21, Flores has completed seven innings in three of his four starts while registering a 1.67 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 27 innings.
• Making his Appalachian League debut, Mets first-rounder Jarred Kelenic (No. 6 overall pick) delivered a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning that proved the difference in Rookie-level Kingsport's 13-12 win against Greeneville. Kelenic's homer, the second of his career, capped a 2-for-4 performance that included a career-best four RBIs. The 18-year-old outfielder has opened his career on a tear, slashing .420/.464/.600 with six extra-base hits, 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored across his first 13 games.
• Twins second-round pick Ryan Jeffers and Hunter Lee (27th round) both hit the first home runs of their respective careers, while Albee Weiss (23rd round) contributed a pair of solo shots in Rookie-level Elizabethton's 15-1 rout of Johnson City. The trio accounted for eight of Elizabethton's 18 hits in the victory, as Jeffers and Weiss each tallied two knocks to match Lee's team-leading four hits. They also combined for six RBIs and scored seven runs.