Seager, Bellinger among 10 top prospect performers Tuesday
Dodgers No. 1 prospect rips his first homer since July 5; No. 8 prospect launches 2 jacks
Corey Seager, the newly minted No. 2 overall player on the revamped Top 100 Prospects list, swatted his first homer since July 5 for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles' No. 1 prospect finished 1-for-5 with two RBIs and has driven in at least one run in five of the past eight games. Seager has been an offensive force since he was selected No. 18 in the 2012 Draft, bashing 107 doubles and 58 homers in the Minors. He boasts a .273/.325/.455 line with nine roundtrippers and 37 RBIs for the OKC Dodgers this year.
While Seager had a big night, LA's No. 8 prospect Cody Bellinger had a bigger one.
The first baseman notched his first career multi-home run game as Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga defeated Lancaster, 9-6. Bellinger finished 2-for-4 with three runs, two taters and two RBIs for the Quakes and has three homers in his past three games.
Drafted in the fourth round in 2013, the 20-year-old is having his best season as a Minor Leaguer. His 25 doubles, 20 homers and 69 RBIs are all career-highs and he also sports a career-best .478 slugging percentage.
The rest of the 10 best performances from top Minor Leaguers
• Angels No. 1 prospect (No. 24 overall) Sean Newcomb matched his longest career outing by going six innings for Class A Advanced Inland Empire. The 6-foot-5 right-hander extended an excellent run for the 66ers, winning his third start in four tries. He's 6-1 with a 2.47 ERA in 13 starts and his eight strikeouts against one walk Tuesday brought his K/BB line to 84/33. Newcomb has allowed just four earned runs in his six starts since June 21, a total of 32 2/3 innings.
• Mariners No. 7 prospect Tyler O'Neill continued his unbelievable post-Pan-Am Games run with another homer in a 3-for-4 night in Class A Advanced Bakersfield's 13-2 loss to the Mavs. The Canadian native also slugged a double, giving him nine extra-base hits (including five home runs) over his past five games. His batting average has climbed above .255, its highest point of the season. While O'Neill works on his line, he's been just fine in the power department, clubbing 21 dingers and collecting 57 RBIs in 71 games for the Blaze.
• Mets No. 7 prospect Michael Fulmer dealt for Double-A Binghamton, delivering six shutout innings of three-hit ball while striking out nine. The right-hander has not allowed a run in his past two outings (11 total innings) and struck out 18 and walked one in those starts. Fulmer earned his second straight win Tuesday and sports a 6-2 record and a 1.88 ERA at the Double-A level this season.
• Red Sox No. 4 prospect (No. 47 overall) Brian Johnson was excellent in his first start back with Triple-A Pawtucket. Recently demoted from the big league club, Johnson gave up four hits and three walks while striking out six in 6 1/3 shutout innings. Johnson had a short stay in Boston, giving up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings during his Major League debut on July 21. Tuesday, he displayed the steady arm that thrived in the PawSox's rotation for most of the season. Johnson sits at 9-6 with a 2.54 ERA for the Triple-A affiliate.
• Reds No. 2 prospect (No. 43 overall) Robert Stephenson recorded 10 strikeouts over eight shutout innings as Triple-A Louisville took down Charlotte, 3-1. The right-hander allowed three hits and one walk while notching double-digit Ks for the fourth time this season. A first-round pick in 2011, Stephenson has not allowed a run in his past two starts (14 total innings) and surrendered just five hits. He's been solid since a promotion from Double-A Pensacola earlier this month, recording a 4-0 record after making five starts.
• Royals No. 4 prospect Miguel Almonte continued to fool hitters for Triple-A Omaha. The 22-year-old right-hander gave up just one hit in five shutout innings and struck out five. Almonte has been elite since a promotion on July 17, allowing just four hits in three starts (15 total innings). He's picked up 16 strikeouts in that time and has a 2-0 record with a 1.80 ERA for the Storm Chasers.
• Royals No. 5 prospect Bubba Starling hit a single to complete the cycle in the top of the ninth inning of Double-A Northwest Arkansas' 10-4 win over Arkansas. He finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs after rocking a three-run homer in the third inning, doubling in the fifth, tripling in the seventh and then capping his night with a single in the ninth. The cycle was the first in Northwest Arkansas history and continues a hot streak for Starling. The center fielder has hit in five straight games and has eight homers and 34 RBIs on the season.
• Twins No. 3 prospect (No. 26 overall) Jose Berrios went six innings for Triple-A Rochester, striking out eight while giving up one run on five hits. Minnesota's premier pitching prospect won his second start in a row for the Red Wings and has collected 30 Ks against 10 walks in five starts. Berrios is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA for the Red Wings and has allowed just one earned run in his past two starts (13 total innings).