Tuesday's top prospect performers

May 9th, 2018

Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Tuesday.
DJ Peters is no stranger to multihomer games.
:: Complete prospect coverage ::
Peters, the Dodgers' No. 6 prospect, accomplished the feat on Tuesday for the second time this season, bookending a 2-for-4 showing at the plate with home runs in his first and last at-bats in Double-A Tulsa's 5-3 win over Springfield.
Peters' two-run home run in the first inning staked the Drillers to an early lead, and he tacked on a key insurance run in the ninth when he connected on a solo shot to left-center field. The multihomer performance was Peters' sixth as a professional and pushed his 2018 total to seven home runs through 29 games in his first Double-A campaign. He hit a career-high 27 homers in 2017, when he was named MVP of the Class A Advanced California League.
Peters' hot start in the Texas League this season extends beyond his power, too. Through 29 games, the 22-year-old outfielder is slashing .291/.380/.521 with a 29.2 percent strikeout rate -- a noticeable improvement after he fanned in 32.2 percent of his plate appearances in 2017.

MILB Video - Title: Peters goes deep - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2022644083

Also standing out for Tulsa was starting pitcher (No. 10), who matched his career high with 11 strikeouts while allowing one earned run in six innings. The lone run came on a second-inning solo home run, one of five hits the 22-year-old right-hander yielded in the outing. He also induced five ground-ball outs and did not issue a walk while throwing 61 of his 83 pitches for strikes.
The double-digit strikeout performance was Santana's second in seven starts for the Drillers. It's helped him to rack up 48 strikeouts in his first 34 innings, during which he's pitching to a 2.12 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a paltry .179 clip.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Tuesday
• Make it eight straight multihit games for No. 4 overall prospect. The White Sox No. 1 prospect continued his recent hot streak with a 2-for-4 performance that included a solo home run, his seventh in 19 games this season with Double-A Birmingham. The 21-year-old slugger also has hit safely in 12 straight for the Barons, with a .407 average (22-for-54), five home runs and 16 RBIs in that span.
No. 59 overall prospect Jo Adell (Angels' No. 2) came off the disabled list to record his second four-hit game of the year for Class A Burlington. All four of Adell's hits were singles, as he finished 4-for-5 with two runs scored in the Bees' 4-1 win over South Bend. Brandon Marsh (No. 5) also swung the bat well in the victory, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs. Altogether, Adell and Marsh are hitting .333 and .327, respectively, on the season.
No. 81 overall prospect (Cardinals' No. 3) blasted his third home run in four games to help power Triple-A Memphis past Oklahoma City. The homer, a two-run shot in the second inning, was O'Neill's ninth in 21 Minor League games this season, and he's hitting .349 on the year after finishing Tuesday's contest 1-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.

MILB Video - Title: O'Neill goes yard - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2022773583

No. 86 overall prospect Adonis Medina (Phillies' No. 3) was sharp again for Class A Advanced Clearwater, tossing a season-high seven innings of one-run ball in a win against Lakeland. The 21-year-old righty found the strike zone with 60 of 91 pitches, as he scattered four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in the outing. After a rough start to his season, Medina has given up three earned over his last 18 innings (three starts) to lower his ERA to 4.55.
• After a 4-for-5 performance, Blue Jays No. 19 prospect Kevin Smith has now hit safely in 18 of his past 19 games for Class A Lansing. One of those hits was Smith's Minor League-leading 16th double, and he also tallied two runs and two RBIs in the contest. The 2017 fourth-rounder is having a monster first full season, as he currently paces all Midwest League hitters with 44 hits, 76 total bases, 30 RBIs and a .639 slugging percentage. He's hitting .370 overall, with a 1.055 OPS that ranks third in the circuit.
Indians No. 28 prospect Elijah Morgan trimmed his ERA to 1.64, the fifth-best mark in the Midwest League, behind five scoreless innings for Class A Lake County in its win over Kane County. Morgan, an eighth-round Draft pick last June, gave up three hits, issued one walk and struck out eight, throwing 61 of his 85 pitches for strikes in the outing. In seven full-season starts, the 21-year-old right-hander has completed five innings with at least eight strikeouts on four occasions.
Marlins No. 21 prospect tossed five scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out six, as he extended his season-opening scoreless streak to 19 innings for Double-A Jacksonville. In addition to his unblemished ERA, the 22-year-old righty boasts a 0.68 WHIP, a .136 opponents' average and a 20-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio through four starts.
Orioles No. 13 prospect D.J. Stewart filled out the box score for Triple-A Norfolk, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two walks and two steals to pace the Tides in a 13-0 rout of Durham. Stewart's dinger, a ninth-inning grand slam, was his third home run in 25 games this season. Pacing Norfolk on the mound, (No. 18) carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning en route to completing seven scoreless frames of one-hit ball with a career-high 10 strikeouts. The performance was a continuation of a strong start to a season that's seen Hess post a 2.12 ERA with 29 strikeouts and a .189 BAA in 29 2/3 innings (six starts).
Pirates No. 26 prospect Brandon Waddell allowed one earned run over a career-high 8 2/3 innings as Double-A Altoona edged Bowie, 2-1. The 23-year-old southpaw came within one out of his first career complete game, permitting six hits and matching his season high with seven strikeouts. He's allowed one or no earned runs in five of six starts for the Curve while pitching to a 1.59 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, with a .172 opponents' average, in 39 2/3 innings.
Rays No. 25 prospect Ryan Boldt hit a home run and scored four runs for a second straight day as Double-A Montgomery doubled-up Biloxi, 10-5. The 23-year-old outfielder, a second-round pick in 2016, went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run in the victory, one day after he connected on a pair of homers, as well as a triple, in a 3-for-4 showing. Boldt's recent hot streak has boosted his season slash line to .281/.350/.528 through 24 games, during which he's tallied four home runs and five steals.