Athletics trio leads top prospect performers

The Athletics fell 16-8 to the Indians on Tuesday, but the day was far from a loss as a trio of the club's top prospects turned in big performances at the plate.
Franklin Barreto, the No. 66 overall prospect, Sheldon Neuse and Greg Deichmann combined to go 5-for-7 with four RBIs and a trio of extra-base hits.
Barreto, who appeared in 25 games with the big league club last year but is expected to begin the season with Triple-A Nashville, showcased his 55-grade speed with a pair of triples as part of a 2-for-3 performance.
Neuse hit his first homer of the spring, a three-run shot in the sixth and finished 1-for-2. The 23-year-old was acquired by the A's in July and hit seven homers in 40 games between Class A Advanced Stockton and Double-A Midland.
Deichmann, the A's second-round pick from the 2017 Draft, is taking part in his first Spring Training, but he certainly didn't show it early as he hit a pair of singles and went 2-for-2 in his first game action.
Other top prospect performances from Tuesday's action:
• No. 36 overall prospect Luis Urias is turning into a doubles machine in his first Major League Spring Training. The Padres' prospect has hit at least 20 doubles in each of the past two seasons in the Minors and has three doubles in six Spring Training at-bats after going 1-for-1 with another two-bagger in San Diego's 11-6 win over the Mariners.
• No. 65 overall prospect Miguel Andujar is making quite the impression in Yankees camp. The 22-year-old hit a walk-off homer on Monday and came up clutch once again Tuesday with a game-tying homer in the sixth. Andujar, who is vying for a spot on the Opening Day roster, is batting .400 early in spring.

• No. 84 overall prospect Tyler Mahle cruised through two innings in the Reds' 6-3 loss to the Brewers. The right-hander notched three strikeouts in two perfect frames.
• Mets No. 9 prospect Chris Flexen and No. 8 Marcos Molina put together four scoreless frames, but the rest of the Mets' pitchers gave up eight runs in a loss to the Astros. Flexen struck out three over two perfect innings, and while Molina wasn't perfect himself, he was close. Molina walked the first batter he faced before retiring six straight to finish his two innings. Molina's more impressive performance may have come outside the foul lines as he made a particularly slick grab while in the bullpen.

Nearly a year to the day after Luis Guillorme's bonkers bat catch, fellow @Mets prospect Marcos Molina shows off own his cat-like reflexes: https://t.co/WMrSIM52JE pic.twitter.com/LzUWDwkQ4V

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 27, 2018

• Astros No. 12 prospect Rogelio Armenteros has struck out 286 batters in 251 innings over the past two seasons, and that ability to put hitters away is certainly showing up in Spring Training. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out five in three innings against the Mets and has now fanned eight in five innings over his first two appearances.
• Cardinals No. 12 prospect Yairo Munoz is batting .400 with his new club after a 3-for-5 performance. Not only did Munoz lead his team with a trio of hits, but he also scored a run, collected an RBI and stole a base.
• Royals No. 18 prospect Ryan O'Hearn showed off his power with a pair of extra-base hits. O'Hearn hit a solo homer, his first of the spring, in the second inning and then later added a double to finish his afternoon 2-for-3.
• D-backs No. 20 prospect Kevin Cron continues to flex his muscle. After going deep on Monday, the 25-year-old first baseman settled for a double on Tuesday. Cron finished 2-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs, but the D-backs ultimately lost, 14-12, to the Giants.
• Angels No. 27 prospect Jake Jewell made quick work of the Rockies and picked up the save as he finished off the Angels' 5-2 win. The 24-year-old's first Spring Training outing was a good one as he faced just three batters, striking out two in a 1-2-3 inning.
• Phillies prospect Roman Quinn showed off some rare power and drove in a trio of runs. Quinn, who hit two homers in 45 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2017 and has a career-high of seven home runs, hit a three-run blast in the fourth inning of Philadelphia's 11-6 loss to the Tigers.