Stratton leads strong showing for Giants pitching prospects

Blue Jays' Burns, Twins' Berrios among top prospect performers Thursday

March 11th, 2016

The San Francisco Giants' homegrown pitching prospects stole the show on Thursday, as Chris Stratton, Chase Johnson, Joan Gregorio and Tyler Beede combined to allow just one run on two hits over seven innings in a win against the Brewers.
Stratton, the Giants' No. 28 prospect, started and was brilliant, firing three hitless innings and striking out a pair. The 2012 first-round Draft pick issued one walk in the outing, and seven of the 11 outs he recorded came via groundballs.
Johnson (No. 15) followed Stratton and struck out a pair in two innings of work, though he was responsible for the aforementioned two hits and earned run. Gregorio (No. 22) held the Brewers' offense in check with a scoreless sixth inning, and the team's 2014 first-rounder Beede (No. 2) capped the Giants' big day on the mound with a perfect seventh.
Shortstop Christian Arroyo, the Giants' No. 1 prospect and MLBPipeline.com's No. 82 overall prospect, continued his impressive spring campaign with a 1-for-2 performance, giving him five hits in his first 10 at-bats. Outfielder Mac Williamson (No. 7) gave the Giants a key insurance run with an RBI double in the top of the ninth inning.

More notable performances by top prospects
• After he struggled last week in his spring debut, Braves No. 12 prospectLucas Sims bounced back with a sharp outing against the Marlins, striking out four of the seven hitters he faced in two scoreless innings against the Marlins.
• Jose Berrios may not have been as efficient as starter Ervin Santana, but the Twins' No. 2 prospect (No. 19 overall) was still plenty good, yielding one hit and striking out a pair in three scoreless frames against Boston.
Orioles Nos. 11 and 22 prospects Tanner Scott and Oliver Drake combined to strike out five -- all swinging strikeouts -- of the six batters they faced in the eighth and ninth innings, with Scott, who can hit triple digits, striking out the side.
Blue Jays No. 26 prospectAndy Burns powered his club to an 11-4 win over the Yankees, finishing 2-for-2 with four RBIs. After replacing Josh Donaldson in the bottom of the fifth, Burns connected on a three-run home run in his first at-bat and later added an RBI double. For the Yankees, No. 6 prospectDustin Fowler hit a double off the wall in his lone at-bat.

White Sox No. 1 prospectCarson Fulmer (No. 38 overall) allowed one earned run on two hits in 2 1/3 innings, striking out a pair, in a loss to the 2015 World Series champion Royals. Third baseman Matt Davidson (No. 29) hit his second home run of the spring, a solo shot off Ian Kennedy, and is now hitting .385.

Dodgers No. 15 prospectTrayce Thompson launched his first spring homer, tagging A's starter Rich Hill for a two-run shot in the first inning. A's No. 2 prospectSean Manaea (No. 68 overall) cruised through his first two frames but couldn't finish a third, ultimately allowing one earned run in 2 2/3 innings.
Cubs No. 19 prospectRyan Williams fared much better than starter Jon Lester, who allowed three earned runs in two innings, as Williams gave up three hits, one walk and struck out two batters in a 10-8 loss to Seattle. Right-hander Carl Edwards Jr. (No. 16) struck out two batters in a flawless sixth inning.
Astros No. 6 prospectColin Moran paced the club's offense out of the two-hole in a win over the Nationals, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Outfielder Jon Kemmer (Astros' No. 21) picked up his first Spring Training hit and RBI, while right-hander Joe Musgrove (Astros' No. 8) showcased advanced command of his deep arsenal in two innings of work.