Barnes, Bryant are Pipeline Prospects of the Week
Red Sox RHP threw seven hitless innings; Cubs slugger hit 3 HRs, scored 10 runs
Throughout the season, the MLBPipeline.com staff will name Pipeline Prospects of the Week -- one hitter and one pitcher who excelled over the previous seven days. To qualify for selection, a player must rank among their organization's Top 20 Prospects, as listed on our Prospect Watch.
Pipeline Hitting Prospect of the Week: Kris Bryant, 3B, Iowa Cubs (Cubs No. 1 prospect), 7 G, 8-for-24 (.333/.484/.792), 1.276 OPS, 2 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBIs, 10 R, 5 BB, 7 K, 1 SB
Another week, another Pipeline Hitting Prospect of the Week for Bryant, the No. 4 overall prospect.
Bryant hit in all seven games for the week, homering in three of them, drawing walks in four of them and driving in runs in four games as well. Since being moved up to Triple-A Iowa, Bryant has continued to hit for average and power, with a .308/.407/.654 line to go along with 14 home runs and 34 RBIs in 44 games.
His overall stats remain gaudy: .337/.438/.683 with 36 homers and 92 RBIs. He's even stolen 13 bases to boot. The Futures Gamer leads the Minors in slugging percentage, is second in home runs and stands third in RBIs and on-base percentage.
Honorable Mention
Domingo Santana, OF, Oklahoma City RedHawks (Astros' No. 3 prospect), 6 G, 10-for-22 (.455/.538/.636), 1.175 OPS, 1 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBIs, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 K
Matt Olson, 1B, Stockton Ports (A's No. 2 prospect), 7 G, 11-for-29 (.379/.455/.793), 1.248 OPS, 3 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBIs, 10 R, 4 BB, 6 K
Cal Towey, 2B, Inland Empire 66ers (Angels' No. 18 prospect), 5 G, 10-for-20 (.500/.524/.750), 1.274 OPS, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBIs, 4 R, 5 K
Javier Baez, SS, Iowa Cubs (Cubs' No. 2 prospect), 7 G, 8-for-27 (.296/.387/.741), 1.128 OPS, 4 HR, 7 RBIs, 7 R, 3 BB, 8 K
Andrew Knapp, C, Lakewood BlueClaws (Phillies' No. 11 prospect), 5 G, 10-for-19 (.526/.526/.632), 1.158 OPS, 2 2B, 3 K
Travis Demeritte, 2B/3B, Hickory Crawdads (Rangers' No. 9 prospect), 6 G, 7-for-21 (.333/.333/.810), 1.143 OPS, 1 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 8 K, 1 SB
Pipeline Pitching Prospect of the Week: Matt Barnes, RHP, Pawtucket Red Sox (Red Sox No. 14 prospect) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
It's been an up-and-down season for the 2011 first-round pick, but if his first start in August is any indication, he's poised to finish his finish his first taste of Triple-A strongly.
The right-hander tossed seven no-hit innings on Saturday at home against the Columbus Clippers. Barnes was taken out of the game after throwing a career-high 106 pitches. Unfortunately for the former UConn product, Pawtucket went on to lose in extra innings.
In his last three starts, Barnes has allowed just four earned runs in 18 1/3 innings for an ERA of 1.96. He's yielded just seven hits and five walks while striking out 18. For the season, Barnes is 5-8 with a 4.45 ERA in 93 IP, having allowed 95 hits and 38 walks with 75 strikeouts.
Honorable Mention
Taylor Williams, RHP, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers' No. 14 prospect), 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K
Blake Snell, LHP, Charlotte Stone Crabs (Rays' No. 13 prospect), 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 GS, 10 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 BB, 16 SO
Tyler Danish, RHP, Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox's No. 7 prospect), 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 GS, 11 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 14 K
Justin Nicolino, LHP, Jacksonville Suns (Marlins' No. 4 prospect), 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Lucas Giolito, RHP, Hagerstown Suns (Nationals' No. 1 prospect), 0-0, 0.90 ERA, 2 GS, 10 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K
Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers' No. 5 prospect), 0-0, 0.90 ERA, 2 GS, 10 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 11 K