Pipeline preview: Phils' Williams, Reds' Reed among those to watch

April 26th, 2016

Here's a look at top prospects to watch in today's Minor League action:
Hitter to watch: Nick Williams (Phillies' No. 3)
Williams, No. 61 overall on the Top 100, connected on his first home run of the season for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday to extend his hitting streak to five games. The 22-year-old outfielder has driven in one run in all five contests and has collected multiple hits in three of them, giving him an overall batting line of .288/.318/.424 through 16 games for the IronPigs. Williams will look to continue his streaks Tuesday on the road against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a game that can be seen on MiLB.TV at 6:35 p.m. ET.

Pitcher to watch: Cody Reed (Reds' No. 3)
A series of weather-related cancelations for Triple-A Louisville kept the No. 63 overall prospect from making his season debut until April 13, when he allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings in a no-decision against Colorado Springs. The left-hander was scratched from his subsequent start with a cut on his hand, resulting in a stint on the 7-day disabled list, but he'll return to the mound Tuesday on MiLB.TV at 6:35 p.m. ET to take on a Norfolk lineup that includes righty sluggers Trey Mancini (Orioles' No. 5) and Christian Walker (No. 11).

Duel of the day: Daniel Mengden (A's No. 14) vs. Joe Musgrove (Astros' No. 8)
Two of the hottest Double-A pitchers will square off Tuesday when Mengden and Musgrove meet on MiLB.TV at 8:05 p.m. ET. Mengden's season began with back-to-back scoreless starts for Double-A Midland in which he allowed two hits and struck out eight, though he didn't tally his first win of the season until his last turn on Thursday, when he gave up two runs over six innings. The 23-year-old righty has paced Midland's staff so far, with a 1.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 20/9 K/BB in 18 innings. Musgrove, 23, also opened his season with a pair of scoreless outings for Corpus Christi before finally surrendering a run in relief last week. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder has been excellent through his first 12 1/3 innings for the Hooks, posting a 0.73 ERA and 0.73 WHIP and 14/2 K/BB ratio in that span.

Tuesday's Top 100 prospect probables

No. 8 Tyler Glasnow (Pirates' No. 1), Indianapolis at Durham (1:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 63 Reed (Reds' No. 3), Louisville at Norfolk (6:35 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 64 Braden Shipley (D-backs' No. 1), Reno vs. Fresno (2:35 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 75 Erick Fedde (Nationals' No. 4), Potomac vs. Myrtle Beach (A Adv)
More top prospect probables

Nolan Watson (Royals' No. 5), Lexington at Columbia (A)
A.J. Cole (Nationals' No. 7), Brian Johnson (Red Sox's No. 6); Syracuse at Pawtucket (AAA)
Stephen Gonsalves (Twins' No. 6), Fort Myers at Jupiter (A Adv)
Tyrell Jenkins (Braves' No. 8), Gwinnett at Toledo (AAA)
Jacob Nix (Padres' No. 9), Fort Wayne vs. Peoria (A)
Adalberto Mejia (Giants' No. 10), Joe Gunkel (Orioles' No. 21); Richmond at Bowie (AA)
Max Fried (Braves' No. 10), Dario Agrazal (Pirates' No. 30); Rome at West Virginia (A)
Rob Kaminsky (Indians' No. 10), Ricardo Pinto (Phillies' No. 10); Akron at Reading (AA)
Pierce Johnson (Cubs' No. 11), Iowa vs. Oklahoma City (AAA)
Ryan Borucki (Blue Jays' No. 12), Dunedin vs. Tampa (A Adv)
Jordan Stephens (White Sox's No. 13), Winston-Salem vs. Lynchburg (A Adv)
Gabriel Ynoa (Mets' No. 13), Las Vegas vs. Albuquerque (AAA)
Grayson Long (Angels' No. 13), Burlington at Lake County (A)
Brad Keller (D-backs' No. 13), Sam Howard (Rockies' No. 26); Visalia vs. Modesto (A Adv)
German Marquez (Rockies' No. 14), Hartford vs. Harrisburg (AA)
Chris Beck (White Sox's No. 14), Charlotte at Columbus (AAA)
Roniel Raudes (Red Sox's No. 14), Greenville at Delmarva (A)
Peter Lambert (Rockies' No. 15), Asheville vs. Hagerstown (A)
Tom Eshelman (Phillies' No. 15), Clearwater at Daytona (A Adv)
Austin Gomber (Cardinals' No. 17), Yeudy Garcia (Pirates' No. 18); Palm Beach at Bradenton (A Adv)
Heath Fillmyer (A's No. 19), Stockton at San Jose (A Adv)
Jeremy Rhoades (Angels' No. 18), Inland Empire vs. Rancho Cucamonga (A Adv)
Michael Santos (Giants' No. 22), Augusta vs. Kannapolis (A)
Jen-Ho Tseng (Cubs' No. 24), Matt Koch (D-backs' No. 19); Tennessee at Mobile (AA)
Max Povse (Braves' No. 26), Carolina vs. Wilmington (A Adv)
Connor Sadzeck (Rangers' No. 27), Frisco vs. San Antonio (AA)
Kyle Wilcox (Mariners' No. 28), Clinton at Bowling Green (A)