Bell, Garcia among top prospects in Minors on Wednesday
Pirates Nos. 3 and 14 prospects both launch home runs for Double-A Altoona
Headlined by No. 3 prospect (No. 30 overall) Josh Bell and No. 14 prospect Willy Garcia, the Pittsburgh organization had a big night in the Minors.
Both Bell and Garcia homered for Double-A Altoona in a 5-3 loss to Reading, ripping a pair of solo shots. Bell is 6-for-21 with two homers and six RBIs over his past five games, while Garcia has gone 7-for-22 with two dingers and four RBIs during the same span. They've combined for eight homers and 67 RBIs this season and Garcia is in the midst of a 15-game hitting streak .
Over in Indianapolis, No. 11 prospect Elias Diaz ripped a two-run shot for Triple-A Indianapolis. The catcher has been on fire recently, going 8-for-19 with a dinger and five RBIs in his past five games. On the year, Diaz is hitting .282/.344/.382 with two homers and 22 RBIs.
It was a solid night for the Pirates' farm system on the mound, too. No. 29 prospect Steven Brault turned in a strong start for Class A Advanced Bradenton, giving up two hits over five shutout innings. The southpaw hasn't allowed more than two runs in a start since May 9 and owns a 4-1 record with an even 3.00 ERA.
More standout performances from Top 100 prospects on Wednesday
• Mariners No. 2 prospect (No. 43 overall) D.J. Peterson went 2-for-4 and connected on his third homer of the season for Double-A Jackson. The infielder also doubled and knocked in two runs. He's got 25 RBIs on the year.
• Rangers No. 3 prospect (No. 47 overall) Nomar Mazara hit his third homer in eight games for Double-A Frisco. He's hitting .286/.368/.424 with five dingers and 25 RBIs this season. Just 20 years old, he's hit in seven of his past eight contests.
• Astros No. 6 prospect (No. 98 overall) Brett Phillips went off for Class A Advanced Lancaster. The center fielder was 2-for-6 with a triple, home run and four RBIs in a 11-9 win over Visalia. Phillips has been on quite the run over the past four games, going 9-for-20 with two homers and 10 RBIs. He has 11 round trippers and 44 RBIs this season.
Other notable performances from around the Minor Leagues
• Angels No. 8 prospect Victor Alcantara brought a no-hitter into the fifth inning for Class A Advanced Inland Empire and finished with a solid line: seven shutout innings, two hits, four strikeouts and one walk. He picked up the win -- his third of the year -- and cut his ERA from 5.33 to 4.66.
• A trio of Blue Jays prospects helped power Class A Lansing to a 12-5 blowout win over Quad Cities. No. 7 prospect Richard Urena (solo HR), No. 18 prospect Anthony Alford (2-for-4, two-run HR) and No. 21 prospect Rowdy Tellez (three RBIs) all contributed with Urena hitting his second homer in four games. He also has seven RBIs in that span.
• Brewers No. 2 prospect Tyrone Taylor became the first Double-A Biloxi player to hit homers in back-to-back games. The center fielder launched a two-run shot as part of a 2-for-3 night and is hitting .264/.303/.365 with two dingers and 23 RBIs this year.
• Cubs No. 6 prospect Duane Underwood was lights out for Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, allowing three hits and one run while striking out three in six innings of work. The right-hander didn't pick up a victory -- and hasn't won since starting 5-0 -- but reduced his ERA to 2.08.
• D-backs No. 16 prospect Stryker Trahan is in the zone for Class A Kane County. The catcher homered for the second straight night and is 6-for-12 with three homers and 11 RBIs in his past three games. His slugging percentage sits at .536, thanks in part to his 11 homers and 38 RBIs this season.
• D-backs No. 29 prospect Daniel Palka went 2-for-5 with a two-run shot for Class A Advanced Visalia. The homer was his eighth of the season and first since he hit two on May 19.
• Indians No. 10 prospect Bobby Bradley went yard for Class A Lake County, smacking a two-run home run as part of a 2-for-4 day that included three RBIs. The homer was his second in four games and he has eight on the season.
• Indians No. 12 prospect Mitch Brown took a no-hitter into the eighth inning for Class A Advanced Lynchburg. The bid was broken up by Jordan Betts, who doubled to left field for Salem's first hit of the game. Now 2-6 with a 5.37 ERA, Brown finished the night with five strikeouts against one hit in 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball.
• Nationals No. 21 prospect Matt Skole's average is above .200 for the first time since May 9 after going 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs for Double-A Harrisburg. The first baseman is hitting .201/.301/.396 with nine homers and 28 RBIs this year.
• Phillies No. 23 prospect Aaron Altherr was perfect for Double-A Reading, going 4-for-4 with a solo shot and two RBIs on Wednesday. The outfielder has bumped his batting average from .256 to .282 in the past eight games, going 11-for-25.
• Rangers No. 6 prospect Lewis Brinson served as the catalyst for Class A Advanced High Desert's dominant 16-2 win over Lake Elsinore. The leadoff hitter finished 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs as seven different Mavericks scored at least two runs. The multi-homer day was Brinson's first of the year and fifth of his career. He now has at least one multi-homer game in each of his four Minor League seasons. Rangers No. 12 prospect Ryan Cordell added to the offensive outburst with a solo shot, his 12th of the season.
• Rays No. 17 prospect Justin Williams went 4-for-5 with a two-run home run for Class A Bowling Green. The outfielder finished with four RBIs on the night, his first multi-RBI game since May 23. He's hitting .274/.297/.426 with five homers and 25 RBIs this year.
• Rays No. 19 prospect Richie Shaffer continues to excel after his May 24 promotion to Triple-A Durham. The third baseman went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBIs and is hitting .320/.397/.640 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 15 games for the Bulls.
• Rockies No. 12 prospect Trevor Story hit a solo homer and finished with a pair of RBIs for Double-A New Britain. He stands at eight round trippers and 34 RBIs this season.
• Tigers No. 10 prospect Dixon Machado hit his first career grand slam for Triple-A Toledo. The blast -- his first since April 30 -- came as part of an 11-7 win over Syracuse. Machado finished 1-for-4 with a walk and five RBIs. The shortstop has now hit in six straight games.
• Yankees No. 4 prospect Greg Bird smacked his fourth home run of the year for Double-A Trenton. The homer was his first since April 28; he missed almost a full month after injuring his right shoulder in early May. Since his return on June 4, he's gone 6-for-18 with one home run and seven RBIs.