Tuesday's top prospect performers

August 18th, 2021

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

Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore, LHP (MLB No. 24), Triple-A Memphis
Iván Herrera, C (MLB No. 77), Double-A Springfield
In what has been a rough season Liberatore displayed the brilliance that has made him one of baseball’s best young hurlers. The 21-year-old took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and finished with nine strikeouts to equal his season high. Liberatore surrendered a run on three hits and a walk en route to complete seven innings for a second consecutive start. Although his ERA stands at 4.73 in 15 appearances (14 starts), the left-hander has been strong in August, allowing six earned runs in 18 1/3 innings with 20 punchouts.

Herrera went deep for a second consecutive game, slugging a pair of long balls for his second multihomer game of the season. The 21-year-old got Springfield on the board with a two-run blast in the first and provided an insurance run with his 13th roundtripper in the eighth. Herrera, who also walked twice, is batting .228 with a .749 OPS to go along with 21 extra-base hits and 51 RBIs in 79 games. Cardinals prospect stats »

Red Sox: Triston Casas, 1B (MLB No. 27), Double-A Portland
Chris Murphy, LHP (No. 17), Double-A Portland

Casas extended his hitting streak to six games with his first three-hit performance since May 12. The 21-year-old stroked a pair of doubles, singled and drove in three runs to aid in Portland’s 14-hit attack. Appearing in his seventh game since helping Team USA win a silver medal in the Olympics, Casas is batting .279 with a .786 OPS, 15 extra-base hits and 35 RBIs in 197 at-bats.

With Casas providing offensive support, Murphy took control of the game on the mound. The 23-year-old was brilliant in his third Double-A start, allowing one hit and striking out seven over a season-high seven innings. Both baserunners Murphy allowed -- a single and a walk -- came in successive at-bats in the first inning. The southpaw improved to 7-3 with a 3.80 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings across 17 starts with High-A Greenville and Portland. Red Sox prospect stats »

Yankees: Oswald Peraza, SS (MLB No. 93), Double-A Somerset
Hayden Wesneski, RHP (No. 24), Double-A Somerset

Peraza took the third pitch of the game an estimated 415 feet to left for a leadoff homer and added three more hits, including two doubles, to his ledger. The 21-year-old added a pair of doubles before registering his fourth hit with an RBI single in the seventh. Peraza has hit safely in eight of his last nine games and is batting .298/.359/.500 with 39 extra-base hits, 39 RBIs and 27 stolen bases across two Minor League levels this season.

Wesneski took advantage of an early four-run cushion and cruised through six shutout frames to extend his scoreless streak to 17 innings. The 23-year-old surrendered three hits, walked two and struck out five during his 91-pitch effort. Wesneski set down 12 consecutive hitters to end his outing, which lowered his ERA to 3.44 across 17 starts with High-A Hudson Valley and Somerset. Yankees prospect stats »

Dodgers: Landon Knack, RHP (No. 12), Double-A Tulsa
After allowing six runs in 3 2/3 innings in his worst outing of the season, Knack put together one of his best on Tuesday. The 24-year-old yielded one hit, a one-out double in the first, and struck out eight while retiring the final 11 batters he faced. Despite his rocky outing on Aug. 11, Knack has held the opposition scoreless in three of his last four starts to bring his ERA down to 2.82 in his first professional season. Dodgers prospect stats »

D-backs: Drey Jameson, RHP (No. 20), Double-A Amarillo
Jameson put together the most dominant outing of his career, establishing career highs with 12 strikeouts and 7 1/3 scoreless innings. The 34th overall pick in 2019 did not walk a batter and scattered five hits while tossing 71 of his 104 pitches for strikes. It was the third time in five starts Jameson has recorded double-digit strikeouts, giving him 108 in 84 2/3 innings across two levels this season. D-backs prospect stats »

Marlins: Kyle Nicolas, RHP, (No. 15), Double-A Pensacola
Nicolas continued to shine since his promotion to Double-A, twirling his third scoreless outing in four starts. The 22-year-old struck out seven and worked around four walks and three hits to lower his ERA with the Blue Wahoos to 0.90. Overall, Nicolas is 5-2 with a 4.18 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP and 115 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings across 17 appearances, including 16 starts with High-A Beloit and Pensacola. Marlins prospect stats »

Nationals: Joan Adon, RHP (No. 23), High-A Wilmington
After not having gone more than six innings in any start this season, Adon went the distance on Tuesday night. Going the full nine, Adon tossed a four-hit shutout and needed just 97 pitches, throwing 66 for strikes, while recording six strikeouts without a walk. The outing marked Adon’s first without issuing a walk this season and first such game since Aug. 2, 2019, with then-Class A Hagerstown. All four hits Adon allowed were singles, and just one baserunner advanced past second base for host Aberdeen. Nationals prospect stats »