Williams' dominance leads top prospect performers

March 29th, 2017

saved his best for last. Needing a strong performance to help him win a spot in the Pirates' rotation, the club's No. 18 prospect spun a gem in his final Grapefruit League appearance.
The 24-year-old right-hander, competing with fellow prospect (Pirates' No. 1, No. 8 overall) for the final spot in the rotation, struck out six and gave up just two hits in four innings.
"Along with the changeup, I've been working on my curveball to have that four-pitch mix you need as a starter," Williams said. "For the last few outings, I've just been trying to compete and not really tinker with my stuff. It's been strictly business."
Williams has had an impressive spring, posting a 2.04 ERA and holding opponents scoreless in four of his six outings. Over his last two outings, Williams struck out 10 and gave up five hits in nine scoreless frames.

More notable performances from top prospects:
(Yankees' No. 4, No. 45 overall) extended his hitting streak to five games with a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Judge has raised his Spring Training average from .273 to .345 during the streak, which has included a trio of multihit games.
Albert Almora's (Cubs' No. 1, No. 75 overall) fourth homer of Spring Training was good for four runs. The 22-year-old center fielder hit a grand slam against the A's as part of a 2-for-3, four-RBI day. Almora is hitting .339 with 16 RBIs, nine of which have come since Sunday.
kept the Astros out of the loss column on Wednesday. Houston's No. 4 prospect (No. 83 overall) belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth of his team's 5-5 tie with Miami. Fisher went 1-for-2 on the afternoon and is hitting an even .300 with two homers and 12 RBIs.
Indians' No. 10 prospect continues to swing the bat well and flashed some power Wednesday. The 25-year-old outfielder went 2-for-3, including a three-run homer, and has hits in 10 of his past 11 games.

(Phillies' No. 13) hit 38 homers with Double-A Reading last season and has three so far in Spring Training after going deep Wednesday against the Tigers. Hoskins, who is slashing .286/.429/.810, went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
• One rough outing inflated 's ERA, but the Royals' top prospect was as dominant as a pitcher could be against the Rangers, striking out three in one perfect inning. The left-hander has held opponents scoreless in seven of his eight appearances and hitless in five of those eight games.
White Sox No. 23Jake Peter hasn't had a ton of opportunities to compete with the big league club, but he's sure made the most of the chances he's had. The 23-year-old hit his first home run of Spring Training, a two-run blast in the eighth inning, and finished the day 1-for-4. Peter has only had six at-bats this spring, but is hitting .500.

Jordan Mongomery (Yankees' No. 5) continues to impress as he competes for a spot on the club's roster. Montgomery, 24, was solid against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, giving up one run on six hits in five innings. The right-hander also struck out four, bringing his total to 17 in 19 2/3 innings this spring.

"I feel like I had a pretty good camp," Montgomery said. "It started off a little shaky, I got my feet wet just facing big league guys. Once I got comfortable, I feel like I've excelled a little bit."