Monday's top prospect performers

May 6th, 2019

Here's a look at Monday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Ryan Noda, OF (No. 23) -- 3-for-4, 2B, R, BB (Class A Adv Dunedin)
Noda collected a team-high three hits, including his seventh double, as he emerged from a recent 1-for-16 skid over his last five games. The 23-year-old is hitting .286/.366/.449 on the season, with three homers and 19 RBIs in 26 games.
Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Hunter Harvey, RHP (No. 12) -- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Double-A Bowie)
Not only did Harvey pick up his first win of the season, the former first-round pick (2013) completed at least six innings for the first time since July 5, 2014 -- before he appeared in the Futures Game at age 19. Though his career subsequently was derailed by a myriad of injuries and he logged all of 64 innings from 2015-18, the 24-year-old righty is finally healthy this season and holding his own in the Eastern League, with a 4.78 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings (six starts).
Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Taylor Walls, SS (No. 19) -- 2-for-3, HR (2), 3 RBI, 2 R (Class A Adv Charlotte)
Making his return from the 7-day IL, Walls hit a single, a sacrifice fly and a two-run home run in his first three trips to the plate, respectively, to help lead Charlotte past Fort Myers, 6-2. A right quad injury delayed the start of the 2017 third-rounder’s season until April 8, and he appeared in just four games before landing on the IL for the same injury. A year ago, the 22-year-old shortstop hit .304/.393/.428 with 40 extra-base hits and 31 steals over 120 games in the Midwest League.
Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Tristan Casas, 1B/3B (No. 2) -- 2-for-4, HR (5), 3 RBI (Class A Greenville)
After hitting a two-run home run on Monday, the 2018 first-round pick has now gone deep three times during his six-game hitting streak. He’s up to five home runs on the season, and, overall, he’s had 14 of his 24 hits this season go for extra bases.
Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Roansy Contreras, RHP (No. 10) -- 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 3 K (Class A Charleston)
Contreras was lifted from the game after he allowed a two-run homer to Casas with two outs in the sixth inning. The 19-year-old righty pitched well enough to earn the win, scattering five and striking out three as he improved to 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA through six starts.  
Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Tyler Freeman, SS (No. 3) -- 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, R, BB (Class A Lake County)
Freeman, 19, pushed his doubles total to 10 on the season as he hit safely for the fifth time in his last six games for the Captains. He’s off to a hot start in his first full season, hitting .293/.417/.475 with 13 extra-base hits, 27 runs and eight steals through 26 games.
Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Nicky Lopez, SS (No. 8) -- 2-for-4, 2 SB (7) (Triple-A Omaha)
Lopez’s two hits and two steals weren't enough to keep Omaha from falling to Iowa, 6-3, in Pacific Coast League play. He did, however, improve his 2019 slash line to .333/426/.455, and he’s now swiped seven bags in 10 attempts (26 games) this season.
Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Christin Stewart, OF (No. 8) -- Game 1: 0-for-2, RBI, BB; Game 2: 2-for-3, RBI (Class A Adv Lakeland)
Continuing his rehab assignment in the Florida State League, Stewart tallied a sacrifice fly in the opener and plated another run in the nightcap as part of a two-hit performance. He’s hit safely in five of six games with the Flying Tigers, posting a .438 average with five RBIs.
Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Alex Kirilloff, OF/1B (No. 2) -- 3-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI, R (Double-A Pensacola)
Making his third straight (and third ever) start at first base, the 21-year-old turned in his best offensive performance of the season, collecting three hits including a triple while driving in two runs for the second time in three games. Overall, the 2016 first-rounder has collected seven hits over his first five games this season after missing all of April with a wrist injury.  
Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Konnor Pilkington, LHP (No. 20) -- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K (Class A Kannapolis)
Pilkington, the White Sox third-round pick in last year’s Draft, allowed one earned run or fewer for the fifth time in six starts this season as he matched his season high in both strikeouts and innings pitched. He’s made it look easy in the South Atlantic League thus far, pitching to a 1.62 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 42/11 K/BB in 33 1/3 innings.
White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Daulton Jefferies, RHP (No. 14) -- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (Double-A Midland)
Making his second start at the Double-A level, Jefferies faced one above the minimum over three innings, striking out two and generating six groundouts. Selected by the A’s with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2016 Draft, he underwent Tommy John surgery the following April and logged all of nine innings between 2017-18. Now fully healthy, the 23-year-old right-hander has been limited to no more than three innings in any start, throwing fewer than 50 pitches each time.   
A's prospects stats »

Angels: Jesus Castillo, RHP (No. 22) -- 8.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K; Jack Kruger, C (No. 23) -- 3-for-4, HR (1), 2B, 2 RBI (Double-A Mobile)
The 23-year-old right-hander got two quick outs in the ninth inning but couldn’t get the third, as he ultimately fell just short of tossing his first complete game. It was still the longest start for Castillo in 78 starts since he signed with the D-backs out of Venezuela in 2011. Castillo’s catcher, Kruger, paced the BayBears offensively with a three-hit performance out of the leadoff spot. One of those hits was a solo homer, his first in 2019, and he also hit a double in the contest.
Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Yordan Alvarez, OF/1B (No. 3, MLB No. 42) -- 2-for-4, HR (13), 2B, BB (Triple-A Round Rock)
Alvarez, 21, kicked off his week by hitting an opposite-field double and a solo home run to right in his first two at-bats as he recorded his eighth multiple-extra-base-hit performance in 28 games. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder is having a monster campaign, hitting .406/.500/.901 with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 38 RBIs.
Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Justus Sheffield, LHP (No. 1, MLB No. 40) -- 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K (Triple-A Tacoma)
Making his second start for Tacoma after being optioned by the Mariners, the 22-year-old southpaw turned in his longest outing this season, completing 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball in the Rainiers win over Albuquerque. He’s issued at least three walks in each of his six Triple-A outings this season, allowing 23 free passes in 26 1/3 frames overall.
Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Jonathan Ornelas, SS (No. 18) -- 1-for-3, RBI, BB (Class A Hickory)
Ornelas, 18, collected one of Hickory’s three hits and drove in the only run while reaching base twice out of the leadoff spot. The 2018 third-round pick has hit safely in nine straight contests, during which he’s produced a .395 average to improve his 2019 average to .345.
Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Trey Riley, RHP (No. 20) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 5 BB, 4 K (Class A Rome)
Starting the opener of Rome’s doubleheader against Lakewood, Riley committed a throwing error that led to an unearned run but otherwise pitched well, completing six innings for a second time in three starts. He allowed more walks (5) than hits (4), throwing 58 of his 98 pitches for strikes en route to his first win of 2019. 
Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Will Banfield, C (No. 10) -- 2-for-3, 3B, 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB (Class A Clinton)
Banfield, the No. 69 overall pick in last year’s Draft, collected two of Clinton’s six hits -- both were for extra bases -- and drove in three runs, matching his season-high, in the LumberKings’ loss against Dayton. A superb defensive catcher, the 19-year-old has cut down 21-of-32 (66 percent) attempted basestealers this season in 20 games behind the dish.
Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Thomas Szapucki, LHP (No. 9) -- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (Class A Columbia)
Entering in relief in the fifth inning, Szapucki recorded four of his six outs via the strikeout while throwing 23 of 32 pitches for strikes. After losing most of 2017 and all of ’18 to Tommy John surgery, the 22-year-old southpaw has returned healthy this season to strike out six over 5 1/3 innings. In the season before his elbow injury, the 2015 fifth-rounder racked up 86 strikeouts in 52 innings while holding hitters to a paltry .145 clip.
Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: Nick Maton, SS (No. 18) -- 2-for-4, 2B (Class A Adv Clearwater)
Maton was the lone Threshers player to collect multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a double in Clearwater’s 1-0 loss against Bradenton. The 22-year-old shortstop, the Phillies’ seventh-round pick in the 2017 Draft, is hitting .244/.337/.360 through 24 games this season.
Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: No Nationals Top 30 prospects were in action on Monday.
Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Keston Hiura, 2B (No. 1, MLB No. 19) -- 1-for-2, solo HR (11), 2 BB (Triple-A San Antonio)
Hiura has now hit eight of his 11 home runs this season to the opposite field -- including three in his past three games -- after his solo shot to right-center on Monday. Perhaps more importantly, the 22-year-old has now gone five straight games without striking out after fanning 32 times in his first 27 games. He’s also accrued as many walks in his last five games as he did during the 27-game stretch. Overall, the 2017 first-rounder is hitting .349/.405/.780 with 25 RBIs.
Brewers prospects stats »

Cubs: Tyson Miller, RHP (No. 19) -- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Double-A Tennessee)
In tossing six scoreless innings of three-hit ball on Monday, the 23-year-old Miller lowered his overall ERA to 0.86, the third-best mark in the Southern League. His WHIP, meanwhile, sits at 0.73 after the outing, and hitters own a .142 average against him through 31 1/3 frames (six starts). 
Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Lane Thomas, OF (No. 7) -- 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, R (Triple-A Memphis)
Thomas has raked over his last 10 games since the Cardinals optioned him to Triple-A. The multihit performance on Monday was the 23-year-old’s fifth in that span, during which he’s hitting .417 with eight RBIs and nine runs scored. He’s fared well in two stints in the big leagues, going 4-for-7 with a home run (in his first career plate appearance), a steal and four RBIs.
Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Cody Bolton, RHP (No. 27) -- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (Class A Adv Bradenton)
The 2017 sixth-rounder has had many good starts so far this season, but Monday’s may be his best. In recording his third straight win -- making him 5-0 in six starts -- the 20-year-old right-hander scattered three hits and struck out seven while completing seven scoreless frames to match his career high. With Casey Mize having graduated to Double-A, Bolton now stands as the active Florida State League leader in ERA (0.77) and WHIP (0.77). 
Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Scott Moss, LHP (No. 15) -- 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 10 K (Double-A Chattanooga)
Moss issued a one-out walk in the first inning and then proceeded to strike out seven straight batters. He finished with 10 punchouts, one off his career-high mark, completing a season-high six frames of no-hit ball. While the 24-year-old southpaw has piled up 42 strikeouts in 28 innings, he’s also issued 26 walks.
Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Domingo Leyba, SS/2B (No. 25) 2-for-4, 2 R, BB (Double-A Arkansas)
The 23-year-old middle infielder now has two multihit performances during his five-game hitting streak, a stretch in which he’s upped his season average from .306 to .327. He’s showing some pop, too, with three homers, seven doubles and two triples in 28 games, albeit in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Gavin Lux, SS/2B (No. 3, MLB No. 82) -- 2-for-5, 2 HR (7), 3 RBI; Mitchell White, RHP (No. 8) -- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K (Double-A Tulsa)
The home runs keep coming for the 21-year-old Lux, who’s now gone deep four times in the last three games after he teed off twice Monday. With seven homers in his first 23 games, Lux is nearly halfway to reaching the career-high total (15) he posted over 116 games in 2018. On the mound, White, 24, turned in his longest start of the season, allowing one hit over six scoreless frames while striking out nine, also a season high. After an inconsistent 2018 campaign in Double-A, he’s returned to the level this season to post a 1.85 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 30/6 K/BB over 24 1/3 innings (six starts).
Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Jalen Miller, 2B (No. 28) -- 2-for-5, R, 2 SB (9) (Double-A Richmond)
The 2015 third-round pick is hitting .253/.349/.463 on the season after Monday’s multihit performance against the Thunder. He’s tallied six home runs and nine steals, with more walks (14) than strikeouts (13), in 27 games.
Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Logan Allen, LHP (No. 9, MLB No. 70) -- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K (Triple-A El Paso)
Allen, 21, turned in perhaps his finest start this season as he allowed five baserunners over six scoreless innings while matching his season high in strikeouts with seven. After a rocky start to his season, the left-hander has rebounded to post a 1.83 ERA over his last four starts, with 20 strikeouts and three walks in 19 2/3 frames.
Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Brendan Rodgers, INF (No. 1, MLB No. 9) -- 2-for-4, HR (7), 3 RBI, BB (Triple-A Albuquerque)
Rodgers is now hitting .339/.406/.610 on the season after his ninth multihit effort in his last 13 games for the ‘Topes. One of the 22-year-old’s hits was his seventh home run, a three-run shot to right field in the ninth inning.
Rockies prospects stats »