Sunday's top prospect performers

September 3rd, 2018

Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Sunday.
A trio of Orioles prospects showed off their power as Ryan Mountcastle, and Brett Cumberland all went deep while accounting for all of Double-A Bowie's offense in a 10-8 loss against Altoona.
Hays, Baltimore's No. 4 prospect, put the Baysox on the board with a two-out RBI single to center field in the third inning after Altoona had pushed across nine runs in their first three trips to the plate.
Mountcastle (Orioles' No. 2) hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to help trim Bowie's deficit, while Cumberland's (No. 28) two-out grand slam later in the frame made it a three-run game. Hays would go on to add a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Baysox ultimately came up short in their attempt at a comeback in the club's penultimate game of the season.

MILB Video - Title: Mountcastle goes deep - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2461647283

All three players have produced double-digit home runs this season.
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Mountcastle, MLB Pipeline's No. 68 overall prospect, has now gone deep 13 times after hitting his first home run since Aug. 10 as part of a 1-for-4 performance. Overall, the 21-year-old third baseman has hit .294/.339/.461 with 35 extra-base hits and 59 RBIs over 101 games in the Eastern League.
Cumberland's grand slam was his 14th homer of the year and highlighted a 2-for-3 game that included a walk. He's hit three of his home runs in 14 games with Bowie after going from the Braves to the Orioles in the Trade Deadline deal for and . A switch-hitting, 23-year-old catcher, Cumberland totaled 14 homers in 156 games during his first two seasons.
As for Hays, the 23-year-old outfielder pushed his season home run count to 11 before finishing 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Plagued by injuries this season after reaching the Majors in 2017 during a breakout campaign, Hays has hit .269 with five homers, eight doubles and 22 RBIs in 22 games since his return to the Bowie's lineup on Aug. 7.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Sunday
No. 1 overall prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays' No. 1) hit a solo home run in the ninth inning in his penultimate game of the season for Triple-A Buffalo. The homer gives the 19-year-old phenom 20 home runs on the season, and he's reached the total in just 94 games. He owns a Minor League-leading .382 average entering his final game of the season.

MILB Video - Title: Guerrero Jr. goes yard - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2462363183

• No. 21 overall prospect (Padres' No. 3) stayed hot as he homered for the third time in four games during a four-hit night at the plate for Triple-A El Paso. He drove in three runs and also scored thrice to finish 4-for-5. Mejia's homer, a two-run shot in the second inning, was his second in as many games and fifth his last 10 contests. The 22-year-old backstop has hit .322 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in 30 games since the Padres acquired him from Cleveland for relievers Brad Hand and on July 19.
• No. 52 overall prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes (Pirates' No. 2) recorded his second straight four-hit game to help lead Double-A Altoona past Bowie, 10-8, and secure the Eastern League West crown. One of those hits was a double, Hayes' 31st this season, and he also drove in three runs and stole a base before finishing 4-for-5 with two runs scored. The 21-year-old third baseman has produced a .290/.371/.438 line with 44 extra-base hits (7 HR) and 12 steals over 116 Double-A contests in 2018.

MILB Video - Title: Hayes drives in two - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2461553483

• No. 81 overall prospect Griffin Canning (Angels' No. 3) spun a gem for Triple-A Salt Lake by tossing five one-hit innings in which he walked two and struck out nine. The 22-year-old matched his career high with the nine punchouts, which also marked his highest total in 13 starts with Salt Lake. With the Bees out of the playoff hunt in the Pacific Coast League, Canning finishes his first full season with a 3.65 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings between three levels.
A's No. 19 prospect Eli White homered, doubled and drove in two runs to back a scoreless performance on the mound by Brian Howard (No. 25) as Double-A Midland blanked Frisco, 2-0. White's homer, a solo shot, and double were his ninth and 30th this season, respectively, and altogether the 24-year-old infielder has produced a .306/.388/.450 line with 47 extra-base hits and 18 steals in 130 games. Howard, 23, worked six innings, mixing three hits and three walks with six strikeouts to earn the win. The right-hander has compiled a 3.48 ERA in 67 1/3 innings with Midland and owns a 2.91 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 139 1/3 frames on the season between two levels.

MILB Video - Title: White's solo homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2461809683

Astros No. 8 prospect J.B. Bukauskas was lights-out in his Double-A Corpus Christi debut as he carried a no-hit bid for 5 1/3 frames before completing six scoreless innings of one-hit ball. He issued two walks and fanned two batters in three different frames to finish with eight strikeouts, tying the career-high total he posted in his final start at Class A Advanced Buies Creek. Before his promotion, the 2017 first-rounder had registered a 2.38 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 53 innings (13 starts) across four levels.

MILB Video - Title: Bukauskas gets his eighth strikeout - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2462360383

Blue Jays No. 8 prospect Jordan Groshans hit a three-run home run as part of a 3-for-4 performance, but it wasn't enough to keep Rookie-level Bluefield from falling to Princeton, 6-5, in a decisive third game in the Appalachian League semifinals. The postseason homer, a booming shot to center field off of left-hander Shane McClanahan (Rays' No. 8), was Groshan's second in 14 games since his promotion to Bluefield from the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where the 2018 first-rounder went deep four times while slashing .331/.390/.500 with 39 RBIs in 37 games.
Cardinals No. 28 prospect Delvin Perez hadn't hit for much power at Class A Short Season State College this season until he delivered the first home run of his career as well as a pair of doubles to finish 3-for-5 with a season-best five RBIs. Perez's first homer, a two-run shot in the seventh, came in game No. 140 of his career. Overall, the 2016 first-rounder has hit just .217/.306/.277 with nine extra-base hits in 63 games.
• After hitting a two-run home run in his first at-bat on Sunday, D-backs No. 2 prospect Jasrado Chisholm has now gone deep in three straight games for Class A Advanced Visalia, giving him 25 homers across two levels in his first full season. The 20-year-old shortstop has hit 10 of those homers in 36 games with Visalia after receiving a promotion from Class A Kane County, where he had posted a .783 OPS with 15 homers, 17 doubles and 43 RBIs in 76 games.
Nationals No. 18 prospect Nick Raquet fired a one-hit shutout as he recorded Class A Advanced Potomac's second complete game in as many days with a 1-0 win over Wilmington in the first game of a doubleheader. The complete game was the third of the season for the 22-year-old lefty, who issued two walks, struck out four and generated 12 of his 21 outs via ground balls in the performance. He finishes the regular season with a 3.74 ERA in 122 2/3 innings (24 starts) between two levels.
Yankees No. 12 prospect Deivi Garcia proved unhittable over five dominant innings as he earned the win in his Double-A Trenton debut. The 19-year-old right-hander mowed down the first nine batters before issuing back-to-back walks to open the fourth inning. He would escape the jam unscathed and then recorded three swinging strikeouts during a perfect fifth inning to finish with seven strikeouts and two walks. He threw 84 pitches, 50 for strikes. Garcia was moved up to Double-A after posting a 2.74 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, with 98 strikeouts and 18 walks, in 69 innings (13 starts) between Class A Charleston and Class A Advanced Tampa.