Pipeline preview: Tribe's Bradley back at it, elite arms in action

April 28th, 2016

Here's a look at top prospects to watch in today's Minor League action:
Hitter to watch: Bobby Bradley (Indians' No. 3)
Bradley, No. 90 on the Top 100, has collected three hits and homered in back-to-back games for Class A Advanced Lynchburg. After pacing the Class A Midwest League with 27 homers in 2015, the 19-year-old first baseman has five long balls in his first 18 contests for the Hillcats, with an impressive 22 RBIs in that span. On top of that, Bradley's batting line now sits at .278/.354/.556 for the season thanks to his red-hot start to the week (6-for-9, 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 R, 5 RBIs). He'll attempt to extend his homer streak to three games on Thursday when Lynchburg takes on right-hander Spencer Adams (White Sox's No. 3) and Winston-Salem at 7 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV.
Pitcher to watch: Julio Urias (Dodgers' No. 1)
Urias was sharp in his third start of the season for Triple-A Oklahoma City last Friday, when he fired five innings of one-run ball in a win against Memphis. The No. 2 overall prospect allowed two hits, walked one and struck out eight in the outing. The 19-year-old lefty has been excellent to begin the season, posting a 3.00 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 20/2 K/BB in 15 innings for the Dodgers, and he'll try to improve upon those totals Thursday when he takes the mound against Omaha at 7:35 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV.
Duel of the day: Lucas Giolito (Nationals' No. 1) vs. Kyle Freeland (Rockies' No. 8)
Giolito, MLBPipeline.com's No. 1 overall prospect, is looking to bounce back from a shaky weekend start for Double-A Harrisburg in which he gave up two earned runs and allowed nine hitters (5 H, 4 BB) to reach base in four innings against Bowie. The 21-year-old righty has yet to complete more than four innings in any of his three starts for the Senators, though he still owns a solid 2.31 ERA on the season. Freeland, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back scoreless starts for Hartford, during which he allowed 11 hits and one walk in 13 innings. The 22-year-old southpaw has been on a roll to open the season, going 3-1 in four starts for the Yard Goats while posting a 1.13 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP over 24 innings. Watch the two young hurlers duel as Hartford hosts Harrisburg at 6:30 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV.
Thursday's Top 100 prospect probables

No. 1 Giolito, Harrisburg at Hartford (6:30 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 2 Urias (Dodgers' No. 1), Oklahoma City at Omaha (7:35 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 40 Brent Honeywell (Rays' No. 2), Charlotte vs. St. Lucie (A Adv)
No. 51 Jameson Taillon (Pirates' No. 4), Indianapolis at Norfolk (12:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 54 Jorge Lopez (Brewers' No. 3), Colorado Springs at Iowa (7:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 57 Tyler Jay (Twins' No. 3), Fort Myers at Jupiter (A Adv)
More top prospect probables

Conner Greene (Blue Jays' No. 2), Dunedin vs. Tampa (A Adv)
Spencer Adams (White Sox's No. 3) vs. Justus Sheffield (Indians' No. 5), Winston-Salem vs. Lynchburg (A Adv)
Nate Smith (Angels' No. 3) vs. Clayton Blackburn (Giants' No. 11), Salt Lake vs. Sacramento (AAA)
Miguel Almonte (Royals' No. 4), Omaha vs. Oklahoma City (AAA)
Scott Blewett (Royals' No. 6), Lexington at Columbia (A)
Brain Johnson (Red Sox's No. 6) vs. A.J. Cole (Nationals' No. 7), Pawtucket at Syracuse (AAA)
Touki Toussaint (Braves' No. 6), Rome at West Virginia (A)
Jake Jewell (Angels' No. 8), Inland Empire vs. Rancho Cucamonga (A Adv)
Jake Esch (Marlins' No. 9) vs. Andrew Thurman (Braves' No. 18), Jacksonville vs. Mississippi (AA)
Andrew Suarez (Giants' No. 9) vs. Zack Erwin (A's No. 23); San Jose vs. Stockton (A Adv)
Tyler Danish (White Sox's No. 11) vs. Sal Romano (Reds' No. 15), Birmingham vs. Pensacola (AA)
Lucas Sims (Braves' No. 12), Gwinnett at Toledo (AAA)
Chih-Wei Hu (Rays' No. 13), Montgomery at Chattanooga (AA)
Dylan Covey (A's No. 15), Midland at Corpus Christi (AA)
Adrian Houser (Brewers' No. 17), Biloxi vs. Tennessee (AA)
Ryan Williams (Cubs' No. 19), Iowa vs. Colorado Springs (AAA)
Trevor Clifton (Cubs' No. 21), Myrtle Beach at Potomac (A Adv)
Marc Brakeman (Red Sox's No. 24), Greenville at Delmarva (A)
Ryan Merritt (Indians' No. 27), Columbus vs. Charlotte (AAA)
Zack Godley (D-backs' No. 27), Mobile at Jackson (AA)
Eric Skoglund (Royals' No. 28), Northwest Arkansas at Springfield (AA)
Jonathan Hernandez (Rangers' No. 28), Hickory vs. Greensboro (A)
Luis Martinez (White Sox's 29), Kannapolis at Augusta (A)