Thursday's top prospect performers
Here's a look at Thursday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
Julio Rodríguez, DH (MLB No. 5), High-A Everett
Taylor Trammell, CF (MLB No. 86), Triple-A Tacoma
Noelvi Marte, DH (MLB No. 93), Low-A Modesto
While two of the Mariners’ Top 100 prospects made high-profile debuts in Seattle, Rodríguez and others showed there’s an abundance of talent still down on the farm.
Rodríguez added two extra-base hits and a walk to his tally in Everett’s 15-1 rout of Tri-City. After walking in the first and grounding out in the second, the 20-year-old led off the fourth by lining his fifth double to center and scored on a single by Kaden Polcovich. Rodríguez smacked his second homer to center in the fifth before grounding out in the seventh and popping out in the eighth. He’s hitting .342 for the AquaSox with nine runs and six RBIs.
The 23-year-old Trammell homered and drove in four runs on a four-hit night for the Rainiers. Trammell started off with a single to center in the first and followed that by lining an RBI single to right in the third. In Tacoma’s 10-run seventh, he singled to right and scored on Dillon Thomas’ two-run double. He saved the best for last, a two-run homer to cap the scoring in that frame.
Marte showed a lot of power out of the leadoff spot in the Nuts’ lineup with two homers, three hits, four RBIs and three runs scored. He led off the game with his first long ball of the year to left-center. After walking and scoring on Cade Marlowe’s tater in the second, he launched a two-run homer to right in the sixth. He wrapped up his night with an RBI single to center in the eighth to improve his slash line to .342/.405/.553. Mariners prospects stats »
Red Sox: Triston Casas, 1B (MLB No. 35), Double-A Portland
Jarren Duran, OF (MLB No. 97), Triple-A Worcester
Chris Murphy, LHP (No. 17), High-A Greenville
Cameron Cannon, SS/2B (No. 25), High-A Greenville
Casas continued his recent power surge, blasting his third home run in two games while collecting his second straight multihit effort. The 21-year-old singled in the first for his fifth hit in seven at-bats and expanded Portland’s lead with a three-run blast in the fifth. Casas has nine RBIs in his last two games after plating two through his first six.
Duran provided further evidence he’s inching closer to the Majors with his fourth multihit effort in his last six games. The 24-year-old singled, walked and completed Worcester’s comeback from an early 4-1 deficit with his fourth home run of the season. Duran has lifted his average to .314 to go along with a 1.086 OPS on the strength of a 11-for-24 stretch in his last six games. The California native opened the season by going hitless in 11 at-bats.
It took Murphy nearly two years and 12 starts, but he finally picked up his first Minor League victory. The southpaw lowered his ERA to 1.93 after striking out seven over a career-high 5 1/3 scoreless innings. Murphy allowed three hits, walked three and hit a batter but settled in, retiring nine of 10 between the third and fifth innings.
Cameron matched a personal best with three hits and fell a triple shy of the cycle to pace Greenville’s offense. The 23-year-old opened the scoring on the second pitch he saw in the bottom of the first, slugging his second home run of the season over the left-center field fence. Cannon is batting .290/.371/.613 with six extra-base hits and eight runs in his first nine games. Red Sox prospects stats »
Reds: Austin Hendrick, OF (MLB No. 75), Low-A Daytona
Tyler Callihan, 2B/3B (No. 9), Low-A Daytona
Graham Ashcroft, RHP (No. 19), High-A Dayton
Hendrick shook off a 1-for-14 start to his professional career by exploding for three hits and four RBIs in the completion of Wednesday’s game. The 19-year-old cleared the bases with his first of two doubles and also walked. He singled and walked in the second game, boosting his slash line to .250/.423/.350.
Callihan busted loose with a career-high four hits, two RBIs and two runs from the top of Daytona’s lineup in a game completed Thursday after it was suspended by rain a day earlier. Cincinnati’s third-round pick in the 2019 Draft collected a trio of three-hit games during his debut season and is off to a hot start this season. Callihan is batting .333 with an .839 OPS, seven RBIs and three stolen bases through eight games.
Ashcroft rebounded from an up-and-down season debut with one of the best starts of his career. The 23-year-old fanned a career-high nine and allowed one earned run over 5 1/3 innings to earn his first win of the season. Ashcroft, who recorded seven of his strikeouts in the first three frames, scattered five hits and walked one. An error, a single and a hit-by-pitch put an end to his evening with one out in the sixth. Reds prospects stats »
Giants: Matt Frisbee, RHP, Double-A Richmond
Coming off five shutout innings in his season debut, Frisbee contributed to history on Thursday night. The right-hander pitched six perfect frames to open the first nine-inning no-hitter in Richmond Flying Squirrels franchise history. Frisbee needed just 56 pitches to breeze through his six innings, throwing 42 for strikes and striking out six. A 15th-round pick of the Giants from UNC Greensboro in 2018, Frisbee last saw action with then-Class A Advanced San Jose in 2019, going 9-8 with a 3.17 ERA in 22 games (20 starts). Giants prospects stats »
Rangers: Cole Winn, RHP (No. 3), Double-A Frisco
After giving up four runs on four hits in his first start of the 2021 campaign, Winn bounced back with a lights-out performance Thursday. The 2018 first-round pick threw 55 of his 81 pitches for strikes as he struck out eight over five scoreless innings. Winn walked the first batter he faced, but it didn’t take him long to settle down as he promptly fanned the next two, starting a streak where he retired nine in a row. The 21-year-old spent the 2019 campaign with Class-A Hickory, where he posted a 4.46 ERA over 18 starts. Rangers prospects stats »
Pirates: Tahnaj Thomas, RHP (No. 7), High-A Greensboro
Thomas struck out the first two batters he faced, a foreshadowing of things to come. The 21-year-old right-hander put together an impressive performance for Greensboro, fanning eight over four scoreless innings. Thomas did walk three and give up a pair of hits, but was able keep Rome from scoring. Acquired from the Indians in a 2018 trade, Thomas has struck out 15 batters through seven innings so far this season. Pirates prospects stats »
Marlins: Lewin Díaz, 1B (No. 5), Triple-A Jacksonville
Continuing his stellar start to the campaign, Díaz homered and doubled, driving in a pair of runs and lifting his early season slash line to .333/.405/.788 through eighth contests. Díaz has registered at least one hit in all but one game he’s played this season and now boasts seven extra-base hits of his 11 total hits this year. Díaz played 14 games in the Major Leagues last year for the Marlins and batted .154/.195/.205 before returning to the Minors to begin this season. Marlins prospects stats »
Rays: Taj Bradley, RHP (No. 21), Low-A Charleston
After struggling in his first start of the season, Bradley bounced back with a scoreless gem for Charleston on Thursday. The 20-year-old threw 41 of his 59 pitches for strikes as he struck out six across four scoreless innings. Bradley found himself in a bit of a jam in the second as he issued a walk and then gave up a hit, but he promptly escaped the frame and retired the final eight batters he faced. Rays prospects stats »
White Sox: Matthew Thompson, RHP (No. 5), Low-A Kannapolis
He may not have a win to his credit, but that certainly doesn’t take away how well Thompson has pitched through his first two career starts. After surrendering two runs in four innings of his professional debut, the 20-year-old tossed five scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 2.00. Thompson allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three while keeping Fayetteville off the scoreboard after his team spotted him six runs in the top of the first. The Houston native was Chicago’s second-round pick in the 2020 Draft. White Sox prospects stats »
Nationals: Cole Henry, RHP (No. 3), High-A Wilmington
Henry, Washington’s second-round pick from the 2020 Draft, made quick work of the Jersey Shore offense as he carved his way through six scoreless innings. The 21-year-old LSU product gave up a first-inning single, then proceeded to retire 16 in a row to finish his outing. When it was all over, he had struck out 10 and thrown 54 of his 77 pitches for strikes. After giving up four runs over five innings in his professional debut, Thursday’s dominant start was certainly a welcome sign for Henry. Nationals prospects stats »
Royals: Zach Haake, RHP (No. 19), High-A Quad Cities
Pitching in relief after an uneven season debut, Haake allowed one hit over four scoreless frames to pick up the victory. The 24-year-old struck out seven, walked two and tossed 40 of his 68 pitches for strikes in just his second career appearance out of the bullpen. Haake entered in the fourth and surrendered a leadoff single before retiring six consecutive batters. He fanned five straight and six of seven beginning with the final out of the fourth. Royals prospects stats »
Orioles: Terrin Vavra, 2B (No. 11), Double-A Bowie
Vavra homered for the second time in three games and finished a triple shy of the cycle while nearly equaling his season output with three hits. The 24-year-old entered Thursday 2-for-13 in his previous four games but equaled that by the sixth inning with an RBI double and a single. He belted a two-run homer in his final at-bat, giving him a season-high three hits and three RBIs. Vavra is batting .304/.448/.696 with five extra-base hits and six RBIs through six games. Orioles prospects stats »