Benintendi, Yarbrough among top prospect performers

Benintendi, Yarbrough among top prospect performers

March 4th, 2017

is the No. 1 prospect in baseball and certainly looked the part in Boston's 9-1 win over the Braves on Friday afternoon.
Benintendi, an early candidate for the American League Rookie of the Year Award, did it all offensively, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs.
It's still early in spring, but Benintendi already looks to be ready to go with six hits, including two homers, over his past seven at-bats.

More notable performance from top prospects on Friday:
• After starting Spring Training 0-for-7, (No. 2 overall, White Sox No. 1) has three hits in his past six at-bats. The 21-year-old roped an RBI triple into right in the third inning Friday against the Padres and finished the evening 2-for-4 with a run scored.
• Cubs' top prospect (No. 13 overall) broke up the Reds' no-hit bid with a solo homer in the eighth inning. The home was Jimenez's first of Spring Training and the 20-year-old is coming off a season in which he hit a career-high 14 homers in 112 games with Class A South Bend.
• (No. 61 overall, Dodgers' No. 3) picked up his first double and multi-hit game of Spring Training, going 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and run scored in the Dodgers' split-squad loss to the D-backs.

• (No. 87 overall, Reds' No. 4) made quick work of the Cubs in his two innings. The right-hander struck out four and needed just 14 pitches, all strikes, to dispose of the Cubs in order.
• After hitting just five homers in 131 games between Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading last season, Phillies' No. 11 prospect has found his power stroke early in Spring Training. The second baseman went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs Friday, giving him two homers through his first 12 at-bats of spring.

• (White Sox No. 27) put together his first scoreless outing of the spring, throwing 10 of 16 pitches for strikes in two innings of one-hit ball. Covey, whom the White Sox selected in the Rule 5 Draft in December, missed most of 2016 with an oblique strain, but fared well in the Arizona Fall League.
• A pair of Rays' prospects put together strong outings on the mound as (No. 24) started and picked up the win for Tampa Bay, while (Rays' No. 8) earned a save in the 5-2 win over the Tigers.
Yarbrough, a 25-year-old lefty, carved his way through the Tigers' lineup, striking out five in two perfect frames.

Hu struck out two in two perfect innings.