Pipeline preview: Paulino to make Triple-A debut

Pipeline preview: Paulino to make Triple-A debut

August 20th, 2016

Here's a look at top prospects to watch in Saturday's Minor League action:
Hitter to watch: Nick Senzel (Reds' No. 1), Dayton at West Michigan (7 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Senzel's torrid pro debut continued Friday when he connected on his seventh home run as part of a 2-for-4 effort for Class A Dayton. The 2016 No. 2 overall Draft pick has hit .309 through 45 games for the Dragons, with 26 RBIs, 13 stolen bases and a 24-36 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

Pitcher to watch: (Astros' No. 6), Fresno at Albuquerque (9:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Paulino, No. 80 on the Top 100, will be making his debut for Triple-A Fresno after breezing through the Double-A Texas League, where he posted a 1.83 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP over 14 appearances (nine starts) for Corpus Christi. The 22-year-old right-hander compiled 72 strikeouts against 11 walks over 64 innings, during which he also held opposing hitters to a .204 average and just three home runs.

Duel of the day: (Reds' No. 4) vs. (Pirates' No. 15), Louisville vs. Indianapolis (6:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Stephenson has scuffled of late for Louisville, having allowed six or more earned runs in two of his past four starts. During that stretch, the No. 64 overall prospect's ERA has jumped from 3.69 to 4.29, the highest it's been all season. Issuing 61 walks in 121 2/3 innings has compromised the 23-year-old righty's efforts in 2016, though he's still missing a fair number of bats (104 strikeouts) while proving difficult to hit (.230 opponents' average).

Brault was a tough-luck loser in his Aug. 14 start for Indianapolis, when he surrendered one earned run on three hits while completing a season-high seven innings. The 24-year-old southpaw has been solid all season for the Indians, pitching to a 3.05 ERA with 74 strikeouts across 65 innings (14 appearances/13 starts). After he made a pair of big league starts earlier this season, Brault is likely to rejoin the Pirates when rosters expand in September, if not before.

Saturday's Top 100 prospect probables

No. 36 (Astros' No. 3), Corpus Christi at Arkansas (8:10 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 74 A.J. Puk (A's No. 2), Vermont at Aberdeen (7:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
More top prospect probables

(Giants' No. 7), Sacramento at Reno (Triple-A)
Austin Voth (Nationals' No. 9), Syracuse vs. Lehigh Valley (Triple-A)
(Marlins' No. 11), New Orleans vs. Oklahoma City (Triple-A)
Jordan Montgomery (Yankees' No. 20), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre vs. Pawtucket (Triple-A)
(Tigers' No. 25), Toledo at Columbus (Triple-A)
(Rangers' No. 12), Frisco vs. Tulsa (Double-A)
(Brewers' No. 14), Biloxi at Mobile (Double-A)
Nick Travieso (Reds' No. 15) vs. Max Povse (Braves' No. 20), Pensacola at Mississippi (7 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
(Mariners' No. 17), Jackson at Birmingham (Double-A)
Dinelson Lamet (Padres' No. 18), San Antonio at Northwest Arkansas (Double-A)
Sam Howard (Rockies' No. 21), Hartford vs. Trenton (Double-A)
(Giants' No. 25), Richmond vs. Harrisburg (Double-A)
Jon Harris (Blue Jays' No. 6), Dunedin at Lakeland (Class A Advanced)
Domingo Acevedo (Yankees' No. 9), Tampa at Brevard County (Class A Advanced)
Ryan Castellani (Rockies' No. 13), Modesto vs. Visalia (Class A Advanced)
Trey Ball (Red Sox's No. 14), Salem at Winston-Salem (Class A Advanced)
Beau Burrows (Tigers' No. 2), West Michigan vs. Dayton (Class A)
Jaime Barria (Angels' No. 7), Burlington at Cedar Rapids (Class A)
(Braves' No. 10), Rome at Asheville (Class A)
Nolan Watson (Royals' No. 12), Lexington vs. Hagerstown (Class A)
Angel Perdomo (Blue Jays' No. 15), Lansing vs. South Bend (Class A)
Imani Abdullah (Dodgers' No. 16), Great Lakes at Bowling Green (Class A)
Brian Gonzalez (Orioles' No. 20), Delmarva vs. Lakewood (Class A)
Dario Agrazal (Pirates' No. 27), West Virginia at Kannapolis (Class A)
Cal Quantrill (Padres' No. 5), Tri-City vs. Salem-Keizer (Class A Short Season)
Juan Hillman (Indians' No. 12), Mahoning Valley vs. State College (Class A Short Season)
Sam Perez (Marlins' No. 22), Batavia vs. West Virginia (Class A Short Season)
Josh Pennington (Red Sox's No. 23), Lowell vs. Brooklyn (Class A Short Season)
JoJo Romero (Phillies' No. 25), Williamsport vs Auburn (Class A Advanced)
Yennsy Diaz (Blue Jays' No. 21), Bluefield at Pulaski