Braves trio lead Sunday's top prospect performers

May 15th, 2017

There's a reason the MLB Pipeline named Atlanta as having the best farm system in baseball prior to the 2017 season. The Braves' affiliates are littered with talented prospects, and that reality was on display once again Sunday as Ronald Acuna (Double-A Mississippi), Joey Wentz (Class A Rome) and (Triple-A Gwinnett) all put together standout performances.
Acuna (Braves' No. 7, No. 92 overall) has been thriving ever since he was promoted to Mississippi, and that continued with another multi-hit effort as he went 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. It would have been understandable if Acuna, 19, struggled a bit as he adjusted to a new league, but quite the opposite has happened. In six games since his promotion, Acuna has put together five multi-hit efforts and is batting .560 with 10 RBIs.

MILB Video - Title: Acuna clears the bases - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1388517383

Wentz (Braves' No. 13) tied his career high with seven strikeouts in five scoreless frames for Rome. The 19-year-old lefty threw 48 of his 73 pitches for strikes and gave up five hits without walking a batter. However, Rome's offense wasn't able to get much going and, despite the effort, Wentz was stuck with a no-decision.
Lucas Sims (Braves' No. 18) improved to 4-0 as he led Gwinnett to a 6-2 win over Columbus with 6 2/3 scoreless innings. The 23-year-old struck out 10 batters, a season-high, and gave up just two hits and a walk. Sims has posted two scoreless starts this season and owns a 2.16 ERA through seven starts spanning 41 2/3 innings.

MILB Video - Title: Sims notches 10th K - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1388306483

Other top prospect performances from Sunday's action:
No. 12 overall prospect Brendan Rodgers (Rockies' No. 1) may have finished a double shy of the cycle, but he did extend his hitting streak to 12 games as part of a perfect day at the plate for Class A Advanced Lancaster. Rodgers hit his first triple of the season, stole his first base and also homered for the third time as part of a 4-for-4, two-RBI day that boosted his average to .418 through 19 games.
No. 37 overall prospect Braxton Garrett (Marlins' No. 1) earned his first professional win after throwing five strong innings for Class A Greensboro. Garrett, who gave up an unearned run in 4 2/3 innings during his professional debut on May 8, gave up one run on two hits in five innings Sunday. The 2016 first-round pick has struck out four in both of his outings.
• Jake Bauers (Rays' No. 4, No. 67 overall) homered, notched his first three-hit game of the season and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th as Triple-A Durham topped Toledo, 4-3. Bauers gave the Bulls a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer, his third of the season, in the sixth, but Durham couldn't hold onto the lead. Bauers reached again in the 11th with a one-out base hit and scored one batter later when Patrick Leonard doubled to right field.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Bauers goes yard - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1389857483

No. 90 overall prospect Chance Sisco (Orioles' No. 1) picked a good time to hit his first homer of the season for Triple-A Norfolk. Sisco, who has hit six homers in each of the past two seasons, belted a pinch-hit go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the 9th. However, Austin Meadows (Pirates' No. 1, No. 6 overall) got the last laugh with a walk-off single in the 11th for Indianapolis.

MILB Video - Title: Sisco hits first homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1388999983

• Ronald Guzman (Rangers' No. 4) turned in his second career multi-homer game, going deep twice in Triple-A Round Rock's loss to Tacoma. Guzman finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs after hitting a solo homer in the fourth and a two-run blast in the eighth.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Guzman homers - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1389819083

• Ryan Mountcastle (Orioles' No. 5) had hits in both halves of Class A Advanced Frederick's doubleheader, but it wasn't enough as Wilmington swept the Keys. Mountcastle collected a trio of knocks in the first game and finished the day a combined 4-for-6 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.
• Oscar De La Cruz (Cubs' No. 5) put together his longest start of the season and led Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach to a 7-0 win over Lynchburg in Game 1 of a doubleheader. De La Cruz, who has given up just one earned run over his past 13 innings, gave up five hits in a seven-inning complete game, the first of his career. The right-hander only struck out one but didn't walk any as he fired 54 of his 71 pitches for strikes.

MILB Video - Title: De La Cruz pitches complete game - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1388526883

• Jaime Barria (Angels' No. 10) spun seven innings, a career high, for the second time in his past three starts for Class A Advanced Inland Empire. The 20-year-old right-hander struck out a career-best nine in the 66ers' 5-2 win over San Jose. Barria didn't walk a batter and gave up one run on six hits. Over his past three starts, Barria has surrendered just three runs in 20 innings.
• Josh Morgan (Rangers' No. 13) hit a walk-off grand slam and collected a career-high five RBIs for Class A Advanced Down East. Morgan, who has already notched four homers this season after hitting a career-best seven in 2016, has gone deep in each of his past two games and is 5-for-8 in that span.