Pipeline Preview: Devers looks to go deep again for Portland

June 16th, 2017

Here's a look at top prospects to watch in today's Minor League action:
Hitter to watch: Rafael Devers (Red Sox's No. 1), Portland at Akron (7:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Devers, MLBPipeline.com's No. 12 overall prospect, went 2-for-4 with a solo home run on Thursday -- his second straight game with a home run -- to account for Double-A Portland's lone run in a loss against Altoona. What's more, the 20-year-old third baseman has now hit a career-high 12 home runs in 57 games this season, surpassing his previous high-water mark of 11 which he achieved over twice as many games in both 2015-16.

Pitcher to watch: Domingo Acevedo (Yankees' No. 12), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Buffalo (7:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Acevedo, 23, is moving up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after a dominant five-start stretch with Double-A Trenton in which he went 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP and a 31-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 33 1/3 innings. In his most recent turn, the 6-foot-7 right-hander completed a season-high eight innings, allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out five.

Duel of the day: (Braves' No. 18) vs. Julian Merryweather (Indians' No. 24), Gwinnett at Columbus (7:15 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Sims had been struggling for the better part of a month before getting back on track with eight scoreless frames of three-hit ball in his last outing for Triple-A Gwinnett. It was the longest outing of the season for the 23-year-old righty, who's pitched to a 3.65 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP with 69 strikeouts over 69 innings (12 starts) for the G-Braves.

Merryweather, 25, has yet to lose a game since being promoted to Columbus, going 3-0 with a 3.43 ERA in three starts. He has been hit around some, however, as evidenced by his 25 hits allowed in 21 innings -- he's also given up 10 and 11 hits, respectively, in back-to-back outings -- though he's managed to offset those additional baserunners by inducing four ground-ball double plays and issuing just one walk. For the season, Merryweather owns a 3.39 ERA through 12 starts, with 67 strikeouts and 11 walks in 71 2/3 innings.
Friday's Top 100 prospect probables
No. 11 (White Sox No. 2), Birmingham vs. Jackson (8:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 30 (White Sox No. 4) vs. (Pirates' No. 19), Charlotte vs. Indianapolis (7:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 41 Yadier Alvarez (Dodgers' No. 1) vs. Peter Lambert (Rockies' No. 6), Rancho Cucamonga vs. Lancaster (10:05 p.m. ET)
No. 45 Kolby Allard (Braves' No. 3), Mississippi vs. Montgomery (8 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
No. 65 Dylan Cease (Cubs' No. 3) vs. Juan Hillman (Indians' No. 11), South Bend vs. Lake County (7:35 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
*No. 91 Adrian Morejon (Padres' No. 3), Tri-City at Salem-Keizer (9:35 p.m. ET)
*Professional debut
More top prospect probables
(Nationals' No. 7), Syracuse at Lehigh Valley (Triple-A)
(Mariners' No. 16), Tacoma at El Paso (Triple-A)
Jordan Johnson (Giants' No. 9), Richmond at Harrisburg (Double-A)
(Rangers' No. 10), Frisco vs. San Antonio (Double-A)
(Tigers' No. 15), Erie at Trenton (Double-A)
(Phillies' No. 21), Reading at Binghamton (Double-A)
Zac Gallen (Cardinals' No. 23), Springfield vs. Arkansas (Double-A)
Scott Blewett (Royals' No. 4) vs. Michael Shawaryn (Red Sox's No. 12), Wilmington vs. Salem (Class A Advanced)
(White Sox No. 11), Winston-Salem at Buies Creek (Class A Advanced)
Cody Ponce (Brewers' No. 15), Carolina vs. Potomac (Class A Advanced)
Shane Bieber (Indians' No. 15), Lynchburg at Frederick (Class A Advanced)
Jonathan Hernandez (Rangers' No. 18), Down East vs. Myrtle Beach (Class A Advanced)
Alec Hansen (White Sox No. 10), Kannapolis vs. West Virginia (Class A)
Logan Allen (Padres' No. 17), Fort Wayne vs. Dayton (Class A)
Bryse Wilson (Braves' No. 24) vs. Bryan Mata (Giants' No. 27), Rome vs. Greenville (Class A)
Nick Wells (Mariners' No. 25), Clinton at Cedar Rapids (Class A)
JoJo Romero (Phillies' No. 25), Lakewood vs. Hickory (Class A)
Gregory Soto (Tigers' No. 29), West Michigan at Lansing (Class A)