Tuesday's top prospect performers

October 19th, 2022

Here’s a look at Tuesday's top performers from the Arizona Fall League and Dominican Winter League.

Cardinals: Masyn Winn, SS (No. 2), Salt River
Winn is known for his hit tool and stellar defense but he flexed his power in a big offensive night for the Rafters. The 20-year-old connected on his first Fall League home run to jumpstart Salt River's attack in the third, turning on a changeup from Braves prospect Allan Winans and depositing it onto the berm in left field. Winn hit 12 home runs in 119 regular season games at High-A and Double-A and is now hitting .360 with a 1.036 OPS in 10 AFL games. More »

Pirates: Nick Gonzales, SS (No. 5), Surprise
Gonzales -- playing in his second Fall League season -- matched his 2021 home run total in 10 fewer games with his second long ball of this year's campaign on Tuesday. The Arizona native has been right at home with the Saguaros and now sports a .273/.342/.576 line through nine contests. Gonzales, ranked No. 93 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100, is using the AFL both work on his skills and make up for lost time. He only played in 71 games for Double-A Altoona due to plantar fasciitis that landed him on the injured list for two months. Now healthy, Gonzales joins fellow highly touted Pirates prospects Henry Davis (MLB No. 19) and Quinn Priester (No. 44) on the Surprise squad.

Athletics: Lawrence Butler, 1B/OF (No. 14), Mesa
Butler has done a little bit of everything early on in the Fall League, but the one thing he had yet to do in eight games was record a triple. The 22-year-old was able to cross that off his bingo card on Tuesday, one of his two hits and three times on base in a Solar Sox win. Butler missed time on the injured list during the regular season and is making use of the extra at-bats he's gained in Arizona, posting a .321/.432/.714 line. More »

Royals: T.J. Sikkema, RHP (No. 16), Surprise
Sikkema's season has taken him from Dutchess County, New York, to Springdale, Arkansas, and now to the Arizona Fall League. The left-hander found less success in the Royals organization after coming over from the Yankees in the Andrew Benintendi deal, but Sikkema has pitched well in three Fall League starts for the Saguaros. His final outing -- six strikeouts over four innings with one unearned run allowed -- lowered his ERA in 11 innings to 2.45. More »

Phillies: Jhailyn Ortiz, OF (No. 17), Surprise
On the same day that Kyle Schwarber hit a 120 mph home run in the NLCS, one of the organization's prospects hit a laser beam of his own. While Ortiz's blast wasn't hit quite that hard, it got pretty close at 110 mph. The 23-year-old was looking to snap an 0-for-15 streak to start the Fall League and did so in the loudest way possible. Ortiz hit 17 home runs during the regular season for Double-A Reading, his fourth consecutive season reaching double digits.

White Sox: Wilfred Veras, 1B/3B (No. 24), Estrellas de Oriente
At just 19 years old, Veras is making an immediate impact against much more experienced competition. The Chicago prospect went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBIs against Escogido, raising his average to .455 (7-for-11) through his first four games. Veras hit 17 home runs in 101 games at High-A Kannapolis before earning a late promotion to Double-A Birmingham, where he was the designated hitter in all but one appearance; in the other, he played left field for the first time as a professional. With Estrellas, Veras has exclusively played the outfield as an attempt to increase his versatility beyond the corner infield positions.