Saturday's top prospect performers

July 28th, 2019

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

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Alek Manoah, RHP (No. 4) -- 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (Class A Short-Season Vancouver)
Getting the ball to start the game, Manoah made his first pitch as a member of the Blue Jays' organization since he was selected 11th overall in the 2019 Draft. That first pitch was a strike, as were his next two as he picked up a strikeout on three pitches to begin his pro career. Manoah stands 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 260 pounds, and he is able to get a lot on his throws, sitting in the mid-90s with his fastball and mixing in sliders and changeups to keep hitters off balance. Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle, 1B (No. 4, MLB No. 70) -- 4-for-5, R, 2B, RBI (Triple-A Norfolk)
Mountcastle has been racking up multihit games lately, as his four-hit game for Norfolk marked his eighth multihit performance during his 11-game hitting streak -- a stretch during which he's batting .447 with three homers, eight doubles and 12 RBIs. What's more, the 22-year-old has now posted six multihit games in his past seven contests. After batting .297/.341/.464 with 13 homers and 19 doubles in 102 Double-A games last season, Mountcastle has been even more successful this year in his first Triple-A campaign, slashing .315/.337/.530 with 19 homers and 26 doubles. Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Shane McClanahan, LHP (No. 11) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 10 K (Class A Advanced Charlotte)
McClanahan kept Clearwater off the board for the first five innings but was tagged for four straight two-out hits, including three straight RBI doubles, en route to three runs. It was still a very impressive performance by the 22-year-old left-hander, who matched his career high with 10 strikeouts while throwing 61 of 86 pitches for strikes in the no-decision. McClanahan has completed at least six innings in three of his past four starts, with his previous outing against Jupiter (2 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K) representing the lone exception. He's pitched to a 1.42 ERA with a 50/8 K/BB in 44 1/3 innings since joining the Stone Crabs, and overall, McClanahan has compiled 124 strikeouts against 34 walks in 97 1/3 innings between two levels. Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Jarren Duran, OF (No. 4) -- 2-for-4, R, 2B (Double-A Portland)
After a red-hot start to the season with Class A Advanced Salem, a 50-game span during which Duran hit .387 with 18 steals, Duran received a promotion to the Double-A Sea Dogs. The step up in competition definitely took its toll on the 2018 Draftee at first, as he hit only .211 in 24 June games for Portland. He's turned that around in July, batting .293 this month and stealing 12 bases on 13 attempts. It might have taken him a bit of time to adjust to his new surroundings, but now that he has, he's showing off the hit tool and speed that helped him dominate the Carolina League earlier this year. Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Alexander Vizcaino, RHP (No. 14) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Class A Advanced Tampa)
Making his Tarpons debut, Vizcaino spun six scoreless frames of four-hit ball against Jupiter to earn the win. Throwing 48 of 80 pitches for strikes in the outing, the 22-year-old punched out five and walked one. The Yankees bumped up Vizcaino, whom they signed for $14,000 in May 2016, to the Florida State League after he struck out 106 batters in 93 2/3 innings while posting a 4.13 ERA in 16 stars at Class A Charleston. The 6-foot-2 righty features a fastball that sits at 94-98 mph and tops out at 100, a plus changeup and an improving curveball. Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Nolan Jones, 3B (No. 1, MLB No. 40) -- 2-for-4, 2B, RBI (Double-A Akron)
Jones has authored six multihit performances in 17 games since his promotion to Double-A, three of which have come during his five-game hitting streak. The transition to the Eastern League has seemingly been an easy one for the 21-year-old third baseman, who's batting .273/.342/.500 with three homers and eight extra-base hits for the RubberDucks after compiling a .286/.435/.425 over 77 games with Class A Advanced Lynchburg. Jones has hit 10 homers while driving in 50 runs in 94 games between the two stops. Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Kris Bubic, LHP (No. 6) -- 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K (Class A Advanced Wilmington); John Rave, OF (No. 22) -- 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 5 RBI (Class A Lexington)
Bubic completed seven scoreless frames for a second time in his last four starts as Wilmington blanked Down East, 5-0. The 21-year-old left-hander -- the No. 40 overall pick in the 2018 Draft -- has been outstanding across two levels in his first full season, compiling a 2.47 ERA in 109 1/3 innings (20 starts). He's racked up 144 strikeouts against 34 walks while holding hitters to a .202 average. One level down in the South Atlantic League, Rave, the Royals' fifth-round pick from this year's Draft, drove in a career-high five runs via a fourth-inning grand slam and an RBI double as he powered Lexington past Augusta, 6-1. The 21-year-old has nine extra-base hits -- including two home runs -- and six steals across his first 32 games as a pro. Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Riley Greene, OF (No. 3, MLB No. 49) -- 2-for-5, R (Class A Short-Season Connecticut)
Make it back-to-back multihit games for Greene, who's batting .344/.420/.475 in 16 games since his promotion to the New York-Penn League. The No. 5 overall pick in this year's Draft was billed as one of the better pure hitters in the class, and he's certainly lived up to his reputation to begin his career. The 18-year-old outfielder is slashing a robust .347/.429/.520 with three homers, 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs in 25 games across two levels. Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Griffin Jax, RHP (No. 22) -- 7 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K (Double-A Pensacola)
Jax has now posted the same line in back-to-back starts for the Wahoos, except he recorded one additional out on Monday while working into the eighth inning. A third-round pick in the 2016 Draft out of the Air Force Academy, Jax has been one of the Southern League's more consistent hurlers this season, with a 2.34 ERA and 1.05 WHIP that both rank fifth in the circuit. The 24-year-old has also held hitters to a .226 clip while allowing just five home runs in 96 innings (17 starts). Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Luis Alexander Basabe, OF (No. 9) -- 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI (Double-A Birmingham)
Basabe did what any good No. 3 hitter should do in a lineup on Saturday and kept the offense rolling for the Barons, who lost a heartbreaker to Montgomery in 10 innings. He put his team on the board in the first with an RBI single, added a game-tying sac fly in the seventh, then gave his team the lead with an RBI double in the top of the 10th, only to see the bullpen lose it in the bottom half of the frame. Signed by the Red Sox out of Venezuela in 2012 alongside his identical twin Luis Alejandro, Luis Alexander made his way to the White Sox via the Chris Sale trade and is making his first full trip through the Double-A level this year after earning an in-season promotion to the Barons in 2018. White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Logan Davidson, SS (No. 7) -- 2-for-4, HR (Class A Short-Season Vermont)
Davidson's first career home run was a first-inning solo shot that accounted for all of the Lake Monsters' scoring on Monday in their loss against Brooklyn. He also notched a single, making him the lone Vermont player to collect multiple hits in the contest. It marked his first career multihit performance as a pro in 24 games since the A's selected him in the first round of the 2019 Draft out of Clemson. A's prospects stats »

Angels: Jo Adell, OF (No. 1, MLB No. 4) -- 2-for-3, 3 R, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SB (Double-A Mobile)
Adell stuffed the stat sheet on Monday, doing a little bit of everything in Mobile's 13-4 win over Mississippi. He put the BayBears on the board in the first inning with a solo homer off of left-hander Joey Wentz (Braves' No. 7), plated a run via a sacrifice fly in the fourth and laced an opposite-field double in his final at-bat of the night. The 20-year-old outfielder suffered ankle and knee injuries during Spring Training and didn't start the season until late May, but it hasn't taken him long to put up monster numbers that are on par with his tremendous 2018 full-season debut. In 45 games spanning two levels, Adell has produced a .308 average with nine home runs, 15 doubles and 27 RBIs. Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Kyle Tucker, OF (No. 1, MLB No. 13) -- 1-for-5, HR, 4 RBI (Triple-A Round Rock)
Tucker's only hit on Saturday was a big one, as the Astros' top prospect launched a seventh-inning grand slam to help power power the Express in their 10-2 rout of Iowa. The 22-year-old has blasted 26 dingers this season, which is a new career-high mark for him, surpassing the 25 he hit in 2017. After a torrid two-month stretch during which he batted .319 with 20 homers and 51 RBIs, Tucker is batting just .197 with two homers in 19 July games. Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Kyle Lewis, OF (No. 10) -- 4-for-4, R, 2 2B (Double-A Arkansas)
Lewis now has eight hits across his past three games after banging out a season-high four hits including a pair of doubles on Saturday. After an injury-plagued start to his career, the former first-round pick (2016) has managed to stay healthy this season while quietly putting up strong numbers. Through 92 games, the 24-year-old outfielder has compiled a .274/.365/.411 batting line with 31 extra-base hits (7 HR), 49 RBIs and 49 runs scored. Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Brock Burke, LHP (No. 7) -- 5 2/3 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K (Double-A Frisco)
The Rangers had high hopes for Burke when they acquired him last offseason from the Rays as part of a three-team deal with Oakland, but the 22-year-old left-hander was sidelined with a blister issue for much of the first half and didn't make his season debut until June. After a pair of rehab outings in the low Minors, Burke has posted a 3.43 ERA over 39 1/3 innings (eight starts) with Frisco, compiling 42 strikeouts against 12 walks. Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Shea Langeliers, C (No. 5, MLB No. 69) -- 3-for-5, R, 2B, 4 RBI (Class A Rome)
Langeliers posted his second straight three-hit game on Saturday and has driven in seven runs between the two contests. Though he's known more for his defensive prowess behind the plate -- he was regarded as perhaps the defensive catcher in college baseball -- Langeliers, whom Atlanta took with the No. 9 pick in this year's Draft, also has the potential to make an impact with his bat. Though he's batting just .231 with a .656 OPS to begin his pro career, the 21-year-old has racked up 23 RBIs in 27 games for Rome while recording 10 extra-base hits. Driving in runs is nothing new for Langeliers, who hit three homers and set an NCAA Division I record with 11 RBIs in one game two days before the Draft. Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Trevor Rogers, LHP (No. 6) -- 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 10 K (Class A Advanced Jupiter)
Rogers took a tough-luck loss against Tampa after a strong outing. He allowed just two runs and struck out 10 batters, his third double-digit strikeout performance this season in 18 starts. The 2017 first-round pick has completed at least seven innings in five of his past six starts and ranks second among Florida State League hurlers in innings pitched, with 110 1/3. Rogers, a 21-year-old lefty, also leads the circuit in strikeouts (122) and owns the fifth-best ERA (2.53). Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Ronny Mauricio, SS (No. 1, MLB No. 84) -- 1-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI (Class A Columbia)
Mauricio was pivotal in the Fireflies' early 4-0 lead, as he scored on a single to center in the first (after reaching via an error) and then drove in two runs with a double in the second. However, his team would allow eight unanswered runs to Hagerstown and eventually lose 8-4. Still, it was a good day at the plate for Mauricio, who picked up his 20th double of the campaign. The 18-year-old is making his full-season debut after signing with the Mets in 2017 out of the Dominican Republic and spending the 2018 season with the Mets' Gulf Coast League and Appalachian League affiliates. Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: Mickey Moniak, OF (No. 9) -- 1-for-3, HR, RBI (Double-A Reading)
Moniak stumbled a bit in the first game of the Fightin' Phils' doubleheader, but picked it up in the second with his sixth homer of the season. The former No. 1 overall Draft pick has been heating up this season, batting over .290 in both May and June. His July average is down a bit, but he's still collecting extra-base hits and stealing bases. He's set a career high in homers, triples, walks, and steals, showing an all-around improvement in his approach at the plate and on the diamond. Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: Steven Fuentes, RHP (No. 23) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K (Double-A Harrisburg)
Fuentes has been perhaps the top breakout prospect in Washington's system this year and has been especially good since moving into the rotation full-time following a promotion to Double-A. In 11 starts for Harrisburg, the 22-year-old righty has pitched to a 2.81 ERA with a 54/11 K/BB ratio in 57 2/3 innings. Signed for $35,000 out of Panama in 2013, Fuentes is a strike-throwing, ground-ball generating right-hander with a three-pitch mix that consists of a heavy low-90s fastball, a plus changeup and an average slider. Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Trent Grisham, OF (No. 7) -- 3-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB (Triple-A San Antonio)
Grisham reached base in five of his six trips to the plate Saturday, tallying three hits as well as two walks in the Missions' win over Omaha. One of those hits was a leadoff homer, his 24th round-tripper this season. To say that the former first-round pick (2015) has found his power stroke would be an understatement, as he'd hit 19 homers in 354 games during his first four pro seasons. To go along with the power -- he's also hit a career-best-matching 21 doubles -- the 22-year-old outfielder has produced a .287/.394/.572 batting line in 95 games between the Double- and Triple-A levels while swiping 12 bags and compiling nearly as many walks (64) as strikeouts (71). For context, he had never posted better than a .233 average in full-season ball prior to this season. Grisham's big league debut could happen sooner rather than later, as the Brewers will need to add him to their 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Brewers prospects stats »

Cubs: Nico Hoerner, SS (No. 1, MLB No. 50) -- 2-for-4, HR, SB (Double-A Tennessee)
The 2018 first-round pick's first-inning solo shot put the Smokies on the board as they cruised to a 4-1 win over Chattanooga. Hoerner is yet to catch fire since returning from a three-month stint on the injured list for a fractured wrist, hitting .229/.287/.373 since his activation, but he's far and away the most advanced hitter in the Cubs' system -- one who projects to hit for average as well as some power at the highest level. Over his first 39 games at the Double-A level, the 22-year-old shortstop is slashing .259/.327/.427 with 15 extra-base hits, three of which have left the park. Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Lane Thomas, OF (No. 9) -- 3-for-4, 3 HR, 4 RBI (Triple-A Memphis); Johan Oviedo, RHP (No. 14) -- 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 11 K (Double-A Springfield)
Thomas has had his share of multi-homer games in his career -- five, to be exact -- but he'd never gone deep three times in a game before Saturday. The 23-year-old outfielder hit a solo shot in the third inning, a two-run shot in the fifth and another solo shot in the seventh as he recorded the eighth three-homer game in Memphis franchise history. It gives him 10 dingers in 74 Triple-A games this season, including four in his past two games. Down in Double-A, Oviedo put on a show of his own by striking out 11 batters, a career high as well as his first ever double-digit strikeout performance in 65 starts, over seven innings in Springfield's win over Corpus Christi. While he's scuffled a bit since moving up to Double-A, the 21-year-old righty has registered a 4.22 ERA with 125 strikeouts in 117 1/3 innings across two level in what has been a breakout campaign. Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Kevin Kramer, 3B (No. 9) -- 2-for-4, HR, RBI, BB (Triple-A Indianapolis)
Kramer connected on his second homer in three games as the Indians narrowly defeated Rochester 7-6 in 10 innings. The second-inning solo blast was his seventh of the season, but only his second since May. Kramer made his MLB debut last season for the Pirates and spent a little bit of time in the Major Leagues this year, but hasn't returned to the form that earned him his big league debut, when he smacked 15 homers and hit .311 for Indianapolis last year.
Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Jose Siri, OF (No. 16) -- 1-for-4, HR, RBI, BB (Double-A Chattanooga)
In a bizarre game during which all five runs were scored in the first inning, Siri accounted for all of his team's offense in a 4-1 loss to Tennessee. He's been slumping lately, going hitless in 10 of his past 16 contests, but he's got hits in three straight and has driven in runs in all three of those games. The solo shot was his ninth homer of the season, a far cry from the 24 he hit during his breakout 2017 campaign at Class A Dayton, so hopefully this recent hot streak can carry him to a strong August and a performance more like what we've seen at lower levels of the Minor Leagues. Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Blaze Alexander, SS (No. 15) -- 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2B, 2 RBI (Class A Kane County)
Alexander's fifth home run of the season was a two-run shot in the second inning that proved the difference in Kane County's 6-5 win over Wisconsin. He also hit a double in the contest, his eighth two-bagger of the year. After getting a late start due to a minor leg injury, the 2018 11th-round pick -- who signed for $500,000, or four times his slot's value -- has produced a .240/.339/.356 line with 15 extra-base hits and 12 steals over 67 games in his first full season. D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Omar Estevez, 2B (No. 16) -- 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB (Double-A Tulsa)
The 21-year-old Cuban combined with his teammates in the top third of the order to account for most of the Drillers' offense in a 9-0 win over Midland on Saturday. Estevez scored on a groundout in the first inning, drove in three runs with a double in the fourth and came around to score on a single afterward, and mixed in a couple of walks to round out a very productive day at the plate. Estevez is now batting .302 on the season for Tulsa, with 20 RBIs in 50 games.He's definitely more of a table-setter than a run producer normally, as his .376 on-base percentage would indicate as he bats high in the Drillers' order.
Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Marco Luciano, SS (No. 3, MLB No. 65) -- 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, SB, BB (AZL Giants Orange)
Luciano did a bit of everything Saturday, as the 17-year-old was a part of a successful first-and-third double steal in the first inning that would score a run. He'd later single in the fifth and smack his ninth homer in 29 games in the ninth, bringing him up to almost an RBI per game (28 on the year). All that to say ... it's been an incredible pro debut for Luciano, signed for $2.6 million in July of 2018. He was considered to be the best all-around hitter in his international signing class, and he's putting that on display immediately upon arrival in Arizona. Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Gabriel Arias, SS (No. 17) -- 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore)
Arias was responsible for the first and last run the Storm would score in their 4-3 loss to Inland Empire on Saturday. The 19-year-old started off the second inning with a single and would come around to score after a walk and a pair of groundouts moved him around the bases. He'd drive himself in when he stepped to the plate in the seventh, giving Lake Elsinore the lead with his solo homer. The lead wouldn't last, but that doesn't take away the accomplishment from Arias, who is hitting very well in his first trip through the Class A Advanced level. He's batting .291, which would be a career best, and his 11 homers are nearly twice his total from last season in 124 games with the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Aaron Schunk, 3B (No. 12) -- 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI (Class A Short-Season Boise)
Schunk's pro career is off to a great start, as he ended Saturday's game batting .319 with four homers, 17 extra-base hits and four steals in 36 games since being drafted by Colorado this summer. The former Georgia Bulldog grades out well for his defense, as he receives his highest scouting grade for his arm, but he's showing that he's more than capable at the plate so far with the Hawks. Schunk was a two-way player for UGA, serving as the team's closer and third baseman for two seasons. Moving forward, he's viewed as a third baseman with the potential to become a solid hitter with a great glove at the hot corner. Rockies prospects stats »