Bonifacio named Texas League All-Star Game MVP

Royals No. 9 prospect Jorge Bonifacio won MVP honors after leading the North to a 9-4 victory over the South in the Texas League All-Star Game on Tuesday night.

With the game tied 4-4 in the eighth inning, Bonifacio launched a two-run shot off of Padres No. 9 prospect Tayron Guerrero to give the North a lead it did not relinquish.

"I had two strikes on me and a guy on second, so I was just trying to put the ball in play," Bonifacio told MiLB.com. "I got a fastball in and hit it hard. It feels good to come through like that."

The Double-A Northwest Arkansas right fielder added a sacrifice fly in the ninth to extend the lead, finishing 1-for-4 with three RBIs on the night.

Several other top prospects also performed well in the All-Star Game, most notably Cardinals No. 9 prospect Charlie Tilson, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs for the North, and Padres No. 12 prospect Travis Jankowski, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and solo homer, for the South.

But Bonifacio provided the biggest momentum swing of the game with his eighth-inning shot. The 22-year-old has broken out as a power hitter this season with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs in 68 games. Bonifacio's previous high was 10 home runs in 2012 and he's well on his way to topping the 61 RBIs he picked up that year, too.