Friday's top prospect performers

June 8th, 2019

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

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Sean Reid-Foley, RHP (No. 7) -- 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K (Triple-A Buffalo)
Reid-Foley turned in his finest performance this season with his seven scoreless frames. It took his season ERA down from 6.46 to 5.72 in 12 appearances (11 starts). Another encouraging sign was that he only walked two, after walking four or more in six of his previous nine outings. He hadn't finished a scoreless start since July 22, 2018.
Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Ryan McKenna, OF (No. 7) -- 3-for-5, 2B, RBI (Double-A Bowie)
Following a slow start to the season at the plate, McKenna has been hot lately, and continued that hot streak with a three-hit game. He's now 7-for-14 over his last three games and has a .360/.385/.440 slash line so far in June, all huge improvements upon his April and May numbers.
Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Taylor Walls, 2B (No. 19) -- 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB (Class A Advanced Charlotte)
Walls turned in his third multi-hit performance in his last four games with a pair of doubles. His two steals give him 10 for the season. He's slashing .287/.344/.452 over 30 games for the Stone Crabs, which represents a downgrade in on-base ability but an upgrade in power compared to his full-season debut in 2017 at Class A Bowling Green.
Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Bryan Mata, RHP (No. 7) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Class A Advanced Salem)
The 20-year-old right-hander returned to action after a month-long injury layoff and continued his impressive 2019 campaign by lowering his ERA to 1.83 in seven starts. That goes along with a 0.99 WHIP and .175 batting average against after his five scoreless frames. These are all positive signs for the youngster who is taking his second turn through the Class A Advanced level, having spent 17 starts there last season.
Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Luis Medina, RHP (No. 14) -- 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K (Class A Charleston)
Medina put an end to a long string of rough outings with his five innings, over which he gave up two runs on two hits, walking two and striking out nine. The result was the lowering of his season ERA by nearly a run, from 9.26 to 8.55. Walks have been an issue for the 20-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, as he's racked up 43 in 40 innings pitched this season. In fact, the only other time he issued as few as two walks this season was one of best starts of his campaign, a 5-inning gem allowing one run against Augusta back on April 20.
Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Eric Haase, C (No. 29) -- 2-for-2, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 BB (Triple-A Columbus)
Haase belted his 15th and 16th homers of the season in his 41st game, driving in three and also drawing a walk. He hit 20 homers in 120 games with Columbus last year, sandwiched around a few days spent with the big league club to fill in when the team lacked available catchers. His power numbers with the Clippers suggest he's knocking on the door of another promotion soon.
Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Kris Bubic (No. 9) -- 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K (Class A Advanced Wilmington); Khalil Lee (No. 3) -- Gm. 1: 2-for-2, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB; Gm. 2: 2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, SB (Double-A Northwest Arkansas)
Bubic continued to impress with another stellar outing, fanning 10 and walking one over six scoreless innings to lower his season ERA to 2.56 over 12 starts. It was by far his best outing since being promoted to the Blue Rocks after posting a 2.08 ERA with 75 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings at Class A Lexington. Lee did a bit of everything over both legs of a doubleheader for the Naturals, showing his on-base skills, speed, plus a bit of pop. The home run was his fourth of the season, while the steal was his 24th. That ranks second among all players at the Double-A level, shy of only teammate Nick Heath (who has an incredible 36!).
Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 3) -- 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K (Double-A Erie)
The No. 3 prospect in MLB, Mize continued his absolute dominance, striking out eight -- which ties a pro career high -- over five innings in his 17th professional start. Last year's No. 1 overall Draft pick has been so good that this performance actually upped his ERA to 1.02 for the season. He has allowed only one earned run since May 15, as his first-inning run allowed snapped a 20-inning scoreless streak.
Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Luis Arraez, SS (No. 17) -- 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 5 RBI, BB (Triple-A Rochester)
Arraez had a huge game, driving in five runs and scoring two on a three-hit night. He's 7-for-13 over the last three games, improving his slash line to .356/.428/.412 on the season in the Minors. He's making his return to Triple-A after spending 10 games with the Twins, a span during which he did extremely well, batting .375 and connecting on his first MLB homer.
Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Caleb Frare, LHP (No. 24) -- Win, 1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (Triple-A Charlotte)
Three strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings make it five out of his last six appearances over which Frare hasn't been scored upon, with 10 strikeouts to two walks over 5 2/3 innings in that period. Drafted by the Yankees and traded to the White Sox in July of 2018, the 25-year-old has been a reliever in every appearance he's made since his second pro outing in Rookie ball. He's bounced back and forth from the MLB roster and Charlotte this season, performing well for the Knights (27 strikeouts in 16.2 innings) but not as well for the White Sox (10.13 ERA over 5 appearances).
White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Lazaro Armenteros, OF (No. 4) -- 3-for-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI (Class A Advanced Stockton)
The 20-year-old Cuban, signed for $3 million in 2016, has hits in seven of his past eight games, but none as big as his most recent homer. It's his 10th of the season, adding another onto his career-best mark in homers. His batting average is down from previous seasons, but he's making up for it with walks and added power while maintaining his excellent speed. His 37 walks are a career high, and he has seven steals with only two instances of being caught stealing.
A's prospects stats »

Angels: There were no notable performances among Angels prospects on Friday.
Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Yordan Alvarez, OF (No. 3, MLB No. 23) -- 1-for-5, HR (23), 2 RBI; Jose Urquidy, RHP (No. 30) -- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K (Triple-A Round Rock)
Alvarez continued his huge season by launching his Triple-A best 23rd homer. He's hitting .343/.443/.742 with 71 RBIs in just 56 games. The 21-year-old Cuban isn't batting over .400 anymore, as he was in mid-May, but he's still posting video game numbers and seems ready to make the leap to the Majors, should an opportunity present itself. Outside a rough outing on May 26, Urquidy has posted a 2.41 ERA dating back to April 26. He's lowered his season ERA from an even 5.00 to 3.68 over that span. It's not easy to pitch in the same hitter-friendly PCL which has helped fuel Alvarez's wild numbers, so this recent run of solid outings for the 24-year-old from Mexico is extremely encouraging.
Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Evan White, 1B (No. 4, MLB No. 86) -- Game 2 of a DH: 4-for-5, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI (Double-A Arkansas)
White hit his fourth homer of the season in a four-hit game that pushed up his batting average from .252 to .271 in Game 2 of a doubleheader. He collected another single and run scored in the first game, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. The 2017 first-round Draft selection out of Kentucky is heating up as he adjusts to his first taste of Double-A baseball.
Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Diosbel Arias, 2B (No. 19) -- 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, BB (Class A Advanced Down East)
Arias, a 22-year-old from Cuba making his full-season debut after spending time in Rookie ball and at Class A Short Season Spokane last year, is living up to the hit tool that grades out as his best attribute on the offensive side of the ledger. His two-hit game is his 19th multihit effort of the season and raises his average to .313. He has 17 doubles but lacks power to do more than that, with only one homer this season and four in his Minors career.
Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Alex Jackson, C (No. 24) -- 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Triple-A Gwinnett)
Though he had gotten off to a slow start at the plate this season, Jackson has been building some consistency recently. He belted his 12th homer and is slugging .508. He posted an OPS of .503 in April, .874 in May, and that number is .970 so far in June. The 2014 first-round pick of the Mariners converted to catcher after his trade to the Atlanta organization, the position he played as a high schooler prior to being selected sixth overall.
Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Jordan Yamamoto (No. 17) -- 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 9 K (Double-A Jacksonville)
Yamamoto lowered his season ERA to 3.58 over 12 starts with his five-inning performance, in which he struck out nine (matching his season-high). The 23-year-old out of Hawaii was originally with the Brewers' organization but was dealt to the Marlins as a part of the Christian Yelich trade, and was added to Miami's 40-man roster this past offseason.
Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Luis Carpio, SS (No. 28) -- 1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI (Double-A Binghamton)
Carpio's ninth double of the year was his only hit on the night, but he's still six for his last 19 (.316) and is hitting .291/.376/.405 on the season.The 21-year old received a deserved in-season promotion to the Rumble Ponies after proving he'd outgrown the Class A Advanced Florida State League, posting a .330 batting average with the St. Lucie Mets over 31 games to start the year.
Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: Adonis Medina, RHP (No. 2, MLB No. 65) -- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 5 K (Double-A Reading); Rodolfo Duran, C (No. 19) -- 4-for-4, HR, 2B, 5 RBI (Class A Advanced Clearwater)
Medina hasn't allowed more than a single run in any of his last four starts, all of which have lasted five or more innings.That has dropped his ERA over two full runs, an encouraging sign for the 22-year-old making his Double-A debut this season. Duran broke out of a slump at the plate with a four-hit night, raising his batting average from .202 to .228 in the process. The 5 RBIs are a new career-high for the 21-year-old catcher out of the Dominican Republic, who is known for his ability behind the plate and especially his arm, as demonstrated by his 14 runners caught stealing compared to 22 steals allowed this year.
Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: Jake Irvin, RHP (No. 16) -- 5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K (Class A Hagerstown)
Irvin bounced back with a strong start Friday after having given up six runs over his previous 10 innings (two starts) and spending time on the injured list. He's trying to return to the form he had last season, which was his first as a pro, when he posted a 1.74 ERA in 11 starts between the Rookie-level Nationals and Class A short season Auburn.
Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Trent Grisham, OF (No. 30) -- 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI (Double-A Biloxi)
Grisham homered in four straight games from May 31 to June 3, and after a two-game hiatus, launched his 11th of the year. He's nearly doubled his homer total for the season in the past week alone with the home run binge. It's also helped him set a new career-high for homers with 11, four more than his previous best, as he shows newfound power while not showing the same prowess on the basepaths that was once his calling card. The 2015 first-round pick seems to be morphing into a new player this season, a transition that will be interesting to track.
Brewers prospects stats »

Cubs: Adbert Alzolay, RHP (No. 4) -- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K (Triple-A Iowa)
Alzolay has a 4.20 ERA in six starts this season, but continues to post an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio after another strong performance in that department, when he fanned eight and walked one, totaling 40 strikeouts and eight walks on the season. He got off to a late start this season after re-injuring his lat in the spring, the same injury that ended his 2018 campaign early.
Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Edmundo Sosa (No. 10) -- 3-for-6, 3 R, HR, 3B, 2B, RBI (Triple-A Memphis)
Sosa fell a single shy of the cycle for the second night in a row as the Redbirds' shortstop stormed out of his May slump with a great start to June. He's raised his slugging percentage on the season by 79 points over just his past two games thanks to his 18 total bases in 10 at-bats, and it brings his June batting average up to .333, more on par with his strong April number of .338 than his poor May figure of .187.
Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Max Kranick, RHP (No. 25) -- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K (Class A Advanced Bradenton)
While it might be overshadowed by Mitch Keller's stellar 13-strikeout performance over five innings for Triple-A Indianapolis, Kranick tossed six strong innings for Bradenton against Dunedin. He's had an up-and-down season, alternating strong performances with subpar ones. The outing was his fifth start in his last 10 in which he gave up no more than two runs over six or more innings, yet his ERA sits at a fairly average 4.30.
Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Jonathan India (No. 3, MLB No. 45) -- 3-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, SB (Class A Advanced Daytona)
India launched his eighth homer and stole his eighth base of the season, and is hitting .257/.349/.429 for the season, breaking out of a 4-for-28 slump dating back to May 30. The 2018 first-round Draft pick out of the University of Florida got his first taste of full-season ball last year when he was promoted to Class A Dayton, and he seems to be heating up in his first true full season as a pro at an even higher level.
Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Daulton Varsho, C (No. 4) -- 2-for-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, SB (Double-A Jackson)
If you want a catcher who can do it all, look no further than Varsho. The 2017 Draft pick out of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and son of former big leaguer Gary Varsho swiped his seventh bag of the season while driving in a pair of runs for the Generals. He's batting .270 with a decent bit of power (nine homers), and last season he was tough to run against. He's not throwing out runners as often this year after making the step up to Double-A for the first time, but everything else in his game has seemed to translate up a level.
D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: John Rooney (No. 23) -- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (Class A Great Lakes)
Rooney surrendered six runs over 2 1/3 innings on May 27, but since then has tossed 10 scoreless frames over his last two starts. The left-hander has a 3.98 ERA in five starts. The 2018 Draft selection out of Hofstra didn't join up with his full-season squad until mid-May as he was held back in extended spring training, but he seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings well.
Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Jacob Heyward, OF (No. 30) -- 2-for-5, 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB, SB (Double-A Richmond)
Heyward, brother of the Cubs' Jason, hit his seventh homer of the year Friday, and is five for his last 14 (.357) over his last three games. It was a rare strong road performance for the 23-year-old University of Miami product, as his season average in home games is 113 points higher than when away from The Diamond in Richmond.
Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Owen Miller, 2B (No. 24) -- 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI (Double-A Amarillo)
With a double and three driven, Miller continues to produce at a high level, slashing .302/.360/.435 for Amarillo. He continues to be tough to strike out, fanning just four times in his last 10 games and 36 times in 57 games on the season. This seems to be a real skill for Miller, who struck out only 41 times in 75 games during his pro debut last year after being selected in the third round out of Illinois State.
Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Colton Welker, 3B (No. 2, MLB No. 77) -- 2-for-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBIs (Double-A Hartford)
Welker belted his eighth homer of the season, and his 2-for-4 performance improved his 2019 slash line to .308/.358/.510. It's his second homer in as many games and his third this month, and he has 7 RBIs over the past two outings.This recent power surge has brought his slugging percentage above the .500 mark, which is his career high for a season (2017 with Class A Asheville).
Rockies prospects stats »