Gallo among 10 top prospect performers Wednesday

Two Texas prospects with Major League experience helped Triple-A Round Rock take down New Orleans, 6-0, on Wednesday night.

The top prospects in question -- No. 1 prospect (No. 8 overall) Joey Gallo and No. 5 prospect (No. 81 overall) Chi Chi Gonzalez -- both played in Arlington this season and both appear eager for their next call up.

Fresh off his first big league stint, Gonzalez set the table for Round Rock, providing five shutout innings that included just three hits against two strikeouts. His Rangers tenure ended after several rough starts, but he flashed his skills early on. The right-hander allowed only one earned run in 23 2/3 innings in his first three outings after a late May callup.

Gallo, who went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBIs, followed a similar big-league arc. After hitting five homers in his first two weeks in the Majors, he struggled and collected just three RBIs in his final 11 games.

Round Rock will serve as home for Gallo and Gonzalez until the Rangers -- 41-43, third in the AL West -- see fit to bring back two of their prized prospects.

The rest of the 10 best performances from top Minor Leaguers

• Angels No. 15 prospect Kyle McGowin had a no-hitter through six innings before allowing a homer to begin the seventh. The Double-A Arkansas right-hander was dominant besides the solo blast, which Athletics No. 4 prospect Renato Nunez hit, allowing three walks while striking out seven in 7 2/3 innings. The outing was McGowin's longest of the season and, although he didn't earn a decision, he halted a five-game losing streak in the Travelers' 3-2 10-inning win.

• Astros No. 2 prospect (No. 24 overall) Mark Appel turned in his best Triple-A performance Wednesday night, tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings in Fresno's 4-1 win over Sacramento. The No. 1 overall Draft pick in 2013 had a rough first two starts for the Grizzlies, giving up 18 hits and 10 earned runs against seven strikeouts. But he sailed in his third start, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out four against the River Cats. Appel, a Futures All-Star Game selection, has recorded 171 career strikeouts in 200 innings, going 12-10 in 44 starts. He performed well enough at Double-A Corpus Christi this season -- 5-1, 4.26 ERA -- to earn a promotion in late June.

• Cubs No. 2 prospect (No. 40 overall) Kyle Schwarber ripped a homer for the second straight night as Triple-A Iowa fell to Omaha, 7-2. The 2015 Futures All-Star Game selection has been tearing it up since the Cubs sent him to Triple-A in late June. He's hitting .351/.403/.667 with three dingers and 10 RBIs since then, along with 10 doubles and a triple. Drafted in the first round out of Indiana last summer, Schwarber has already notched 34 homers and 102 RBIs in 146 pro games.

• Mets No. 6 prospect Dominic Smith was one the hottest hitters in the Minors in June and hasn't slowed down in July. He was named the Florida State League Player of the Month for June, when he hit .352 while leading the FSL with 38 hits and 52 total bases. Wednesday, he cracked a two-run dinger, his third of the year, as part of a 2-for-3 night that helped Class A Advanced St. Lucie defeat Charlotte, 3-2. Smith has three multi-hit games since July 1.

• Pirates No. 3 prospect (No. 28 overall) Josh Bell crushed a three-run homer as part of a 3-for-7 showing in a twin bill for Double-A Altoona. The Curve won both games over Erie while Bell totaled four RBIs. A 2015 Futures All-Star Game selection, Bell has been more of a contact hitter than slugger this season, but he's shown some solid pop at times. His line stands at .313/.380/.433 with four homers, 13 doubles, six triples and 50 RBIs and he's also managed to swipe five bases, which could surprise some for a player who primarily starts as the Curve's first baseman or designated hitter.

• Red Sox No. 22 prospect Jake Cosart tossed five no-hit innings for Class A Short Season Lowell, striking out two while giving up four walks in the Spinners' 4-1 win over West Virginia. He was pulled after the fifth inning after 85 pitches -- 53 for strikes. Now 1-1 in four starts this season, the younger brother of Marlins hurler Jarred Cosart also tossed four no-hit innings during his June 21 debut this year, allowing three walks against three strikeouts. "I'm really excited," Cosart told MiLB.com after his first career win Wednesday. "I thought I already had a win by now, but I guess I haven't gone five innings. It was nice to get the first one under my belt, especially at home."

• Reds No. 1 prospect (No. 18 overall) Robert Stephenson is off to a great start at Triple-A Louisville. The right-hander tossed six shutout innings in the Bats' 3-2 win over Indianapolis on Wednesday, giving up four hits and a walk against six strikeouts. He's now 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two starts for Louisville, an improvement over the 4-7 record and 3.68 earned run average he collected in 14 starts for Double-A Pensacola this year. "I want to be able to go deeper into games," Stephenson told MiLB.com. "I want to be able to go seven or eight innings. Obviously, the goal is to go out there and throw nine innings, but at this point, I'll take six innings."

• White Sox No. 30 prospect Robinson Leyer is thriving. The right-hander tossed his second straight game of seven shutout innings for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem and has not given up a run since his start against Lynchburg on June 26. "He had all three pitches going tonight," Dash pitching coach J.R. Perdew told MiLB.com. "He's always throwing the fastball downhill and he had a good changeup down. He was able to throw his slider for strikes. He had all three going."