Brinson tops Pipeline Team of the Week
Rangers No. 4 prospect first to make list three times in a row
MLBPipeline.com's Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances from the previous seven days. Any player currently on an organization Top 30 Prospects list on our Prospect Watch is eligible, including big leaguers.
The Texas Rangers may have traded away a fair number of prospects to get Cole Hamels from the Phillies, but that doesn't mean there aren't talented players still performing in their system.
Outfielder Lewis Brinson is clearly intent on showing there's still a lot to be excited about in Texas. Brinson just got to Double-A recently, but he's hit the ground running and is swinging as hot a bat as anyone. He's also turned the first three-peat in Prospect Team of the Week history, making him the leader of this week's squad, based on performances from Aug. 3-9.
C: Andrew Knapp, Phillies (No. 17 prospect)
6 G, .600/.655/1.24, 9 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 13 RBIs, 4 BB, 3 SO
It's hard to find a hitting prospect in the Minors hotter than Knapp, who is the PTOW catcher for the second week in a row. He has a nine-game hitting streak going and during those nine games, Knapp has hit .605/.643/1.132 with four homers and 15 RBIs.
1B: Greg Bird, Yankees (No. 4 prospect)
6 G, .348/.370/.783, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBIs, 1 BB, 5 SO
Now 31 games into his first stretch in Triple-A, Bird has really gotten his run-producing bat going. He's hit in eight of his past nine games. His big game came on Wednesday, when he had three hits, two homers and drove in four. He's hit .295/.353/.516 in 122 at-bats in the International League.
2B: Yoan Moncada, Red Sox (No. 1 prospect)
5 G, .318/.400/.545, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 3 BB, 4 SO, 8 SB
Moncada had a pair of three-hit games, but what stood out more was what he did with his legs. The Cuban infielder had four straight games with two stolen bases. His eight steals for the week brings his season total to 33, and he's only been caught three times.
3B: J.D. Davis, Astros (No. 13 prospect)
6 G, .462/.481/1.192, 10 R, 1 2B, 6 HR, 15 RBIs, 1 BB, 3 SO
Yes, the week Davis had was in Lancaster and the California League, but any time you homer six games in a row, you deserve to make the Prospect Team of the Week. The 2014 third-round pick now has 22 homers (2nd in the Astros system) and 88 RBIs (2nd in the Minors) on the year.
SS: Chad Pinder, A's (No. 7 prospect)
7 G, .344/.400/1.213, 8 R, 3 2B, 4 HR, 13 RBIs, 2 BB, 9 SO
Pinder has an active 13-game hitting streak going and has hit in 31 of his last 32 games. As a result, he has a .950 OPS in the second half of his Texas League season, aided by a week that included two three-hit games, one of which was a two-homer outburst.
OF: Lewis Brinson, Rangers (No. 4 prospect)
7 G, .414/.400/.655, 5 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBIs, 4 SO
Brinson has now made the PTOW three weeks in a row. The only prospect to accomplish the feat this season (Kyle Schwarber was the PTOW catcher in three of the first four weeks of the season). He's been in Double-A for just 10 games and has hit .400 and slugged .675 with 14 RBIs in that span, showing he wasn't just a creature of High Desert.
OF: Dylan Davis, Giants (No. 30 prospect)
7 G, .400/.552/.850, 9 R, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 8 BB, 3 SO
Davis struggled with a jump to the California League to start his first full season, getting bumped down in June, but perhaps he's righting the ship this month in the South Atlantic League. Davis homered three times and drove in seven over the past week's first two games, and is now hitting .357/.486/.714 in nine August contests.
OF: Brandon Downes, Royals (No. 26 prospect)
5 G, .438/.500/.938, 5 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBIs, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB
Downes had the best OPS of any outfielders qualified for PTOW consideration with a 1.438 mark. He's driven in at least one run in five straight games and has helped erase a rough July by hitting .348/.414/.696 so far in August.
LHP: Kevin Ziomek, Tigers (No. 10 prospect)
2 G, 1-0, 15 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 16 SO
It's been up-and-down for the lefty from Vanderbilt, but he's looking to finish his second full season with a bang. His first start of the week was his best of the year, as the southpaw gave up just two hits and walked none while striking out 11 in eight innings of shutout ball. He added seven more zeros on Sunday and he currently leads the Tigers' system with 116 K's.
RHP: Michael Fulmer, Tigers (No. 29 prospect)
2 G, 2-0, 12.2 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 SO
Nothing like making a strong first impression. Fulmer just joined the Tigers' organization at the Trade Deadline courtesy of the Yoenis Cespedes deal, and he got right to showing his new employer he was a worthwhile acquisition. His first start on Wednesday saw the right-hander put ut 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out six. He followed that up on Sunday with six more shutout frames, bringing his ERA for the season down to 1.79, fourth-lowest in the Minors.