Sunday's top prospect performers

June 4th, 2018

Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Sunday.
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Hunter Greene is in the win column.
The Reds' No. 2 prospect (No. 20 overall) recorded his first professional win Sunday as he matched his career highs with eight strikeouts in five innings for Class A Dayton. He issued one walk and carried a no-hit bid into the fifth inning before yielding two hits -- one of them a solo homer -- and finishing his outing with 77 pitches (46 strikes). The Dragons, meanwhile, survived a late comeback, beating Lansing 11-8 after scoring eight runs in the first two innings.
Greene's first win comes in his 10th start this season and 13th as a professional after being selected No. 2 overall by Cincinnati in the 2017 Draft. The 18-year-old has understandably scuffled at times in his first full season while learning how to harness his easy triple-digit velocity and develop his secondaries.
Greene has, however, shown improvement of late, as Sunday's outing was the third straight in which he's allowed no more than one earned run while giving up four or fewer hits. For the season, Greene has pitched to a 6.32 ERA -- it sat at 10.06 prior to his aforementioned three-game stretch -- with 44 strikeouts and 15 walks in 31 1/3 innings.

MILB Video - Title: Greene fans eighth batter in first professional win - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2117605683

The rest of the best performances from top prospects Sunday
No. 23 overall prospect Brendan McKay (Rays' No. 3) drove in four runs and reached base five times, finishing 2-for-3 with three walks in Class A Advanced Charlotte's win over Bradenton. One of his hits was a two-run double, and he also plated runs with a single and a walk in his second multihit performance in 10 games since joining the Stone Crabs. Appearing in 31 games as a hitter this season, the 22-year-old two-way star has produced a .235/.444/.306 batting line with five extra-base hits and more walks (38) than strikeouts (22).

MILB Video - Title: McKay doubles in two - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2117410183

• No. 24 overall prospect Sixto Sanchez (Phillies' No. 1) dominated once again for Class A Advanced Clearwater, this time firing a two-hit shutout in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Florida. The 19-year-old right-hander issued two walks, struck out five and generated 10 ground-ball outs in the performance, throwing 56 of his 72 pitches for strikes.
Sanchez has allowed just two earned runs over his last 25 2/3 innings to lower his overall ERA from 4.71 to 2.51. He's compiled 29 strikeouts against four walks in that span, giving him a 45-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 46 2/3 frames (eight starts) on the season. 2016 No. 1 overall Draft pick Mickey Moniak (Phillies' No. 4) supported his pitcher's gem with his first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the third inning.
• No. 53 overall prospect (White Sox No. 5) allowed a home run to open the second inning but otherwise was unhittable as he completed six frames of one-hit ball to improve to 7-2 in 11 starts for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem. The 22-year-old righty struck out five and walked two while throwing 50 of his 81 pitches for strikes. He's pitched to a 2.81 ERA this season, compiling 69 strikeouts and 26 walks in 57 2/3 innings.

MILB Video - Title: Cease fans fifth batter - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2117539883

• No. 57 overall prospect (A's No. 3) collected four hits including a game-tying solo homer in the top of the eighth inning that would help Triple-A Nashville edge Round Rock, 3-2, in 10 innings. He also hit a double and scored two runs, finishing 4-for-5 at the plate in his first game back from the Major Leagues. The 22-year-old middle infielder owns an .859 OPS with seven home runs in 33 games with Nashville.
• No. 84 overall prospect Jahmai Jones (Angels' No. 3) and Brandon Marsh (Angels' No. 3, No. 95 overall) combined for six hits and four RBIs in Class A Advanced Inland Empire's loss against Lake Elsinore. Marsh collected a team-high four hits, going 4-for-5 with four singles and two RBIs. Jones went 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run home run, his third in his past five games and sixth of the season.
• No. 100 overall prospect Alex Kirilloff (Twins' No. 6) blasted his 10th home run of the season in his third straight multihit game for Class A Cedar Rapids. Those 10 homers give the 20-year-old outfielder a share of first place in the Midwest League, a circuit that he also paces with 45 RBIs and 119 total bases. After missing all of 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, Kirilloff has returned fully healthy to slash .332/.385/.598 in 51 games.
Rockies No. 25 prospect Chad Spanberger hit a pair of home runs for a second straight game as Class A Asheville fell to Greenville, 7-6. The four homers in two days pushed the 22-year-old first baseman's season total to 14, second-most in a South Atlantic League that he's currently leading in OPS (.986), RBIs (41) and total bases (119).

MILB Video - Title: Spanberger blasts 2nd homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2117571083

Yankees No. 27 prospect Garrett Whitlock tossed five strong innings for Class A Advanced Tampa en route to his first Florida State League victory. Starting for the third time since his promotion from Class A Charleston, Whitlock allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk while fanning six. The 21-year-old righty, a 2017 18th-rounder, owns a 1.01 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 62-to-11 strikeout to walk ratio in 53 2/3 innings (10 starts) this season.