Lively young arms lead top prospects

March 11th, 2021

Matt Manning, the No. 25 overall prospect, made his second straight appearance of two frames while showcasing his ability to change speeds and fool hitters. The Tigers' No. 5 prospect entered in the fifth inning of the Tigers' 6-4 loss to the Phillies and immediately notched back-to-back strikeouts, utilizing his curveball to get Jean Segura looking, then touching 97 with his fastball to get Bryce Harper swinging.

After his 1-2-3 fifth, the 2016 first-rounder allowed three singles in the sixth but limited the damage to one run, getting Jeff Mathis to bounce into a double play to end the inning.

Manning, who was 11-5 with a 2.56 ERA with 148 strikeouts over 133 2/3 innings for Double-A Erie in 2019 to be named Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, made his 2021 Grapefruit League debut on March 3, also against Philadelphia. In that appearance, he allowed one hit and fanned one.

Meanwhile, the Padres' MacKenzie Gore also used his plus stuff to get out of trouble largely unscathed. Baseball’s top pitching prospect and the No. 6 overall prospect touched 96.6 mph, according to Statcast, while throwing 33 fastballs out of 46 pitches. Nineteen of those fastballs were strikes, and Gore also turned to his 60-grade slider to close the book on two of his four strikeouts. He was charged with two runs on four hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings (the second frame was rolled over without a third out) in San Diego's 7-5 loss to Colorado. The 22-year-old southpaw tossed two scoreless innings March 4 and was dominant in climbing from Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore to Double-A Amarillo in 2019.

A former Padres prospect, Luis Patiño made the first Spring Training start of his career, tossing a 1-2-3 first inning in the Rays' 6-2 loss to the Twins. Sporting a 70-grade fastball and a 60-grade slider, the No. 19 prospect has allowed one baserunner in two scoreless frames so far this year. Patiño made 11 appearances -- one start -- for San Diego in the regular season last year, allowing 10 runs but striking out 21 over 17 1/3 innings.

The Indians' Triston McKenzie went three innings out of the bullpen for his longest outing of spring camp in Cleveland's 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The No. 51 prospect entered in the fourth and announced his presence by whiffing the first batter he faced on three pitches. He allowed three hits -- including a Jon Jay homer for the lone run he was charged with -- and walked one while punching out two. The 23-year-old righty was 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA over eight games -- six starts -- for Cleveland in 2020, whiffing 42 in 33 1/3 innings.

More top prospect performers from Wednesday

Bobby Dalbec, 3B, BOS (MLB No. 93)
Dalbec has five hits in six spring games this year; four are homers. The 6-foot-4 slugger crushed a grand slam to left to double his RBI total for the campaign. With plus power, Dalbec left the yard eight times in 23 games of his big league debut in 2020. He has 79 long balls in 383 career Minor League games. Gameday »

Isaac Paredes, 3B, DET
For his first career spring homer and first hit of 2021, Paredes took No. 42 overall prospect Spencer Howard deep for a two-run shot in the first. The 22-year-old third baseman batted second for the Tigers and was retired in his other two at-bats. Paredes is coming off his Major League debut last summer in which he notched a .568 OPS with six RBIs in 34 games. Gameday »

Tanner Houck, RHP, BOS
As he stretches out for the season, Houck spun three one-hit frames with a walk and three strikeouts. The 6-foot-5 hurler entered in the fifth, retiring the first five batters as he topped out at 98, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne. Houck erased both baserunners on a caught-stealing and a double play to face the minimum. The outing was especially encouraging for Red Sox fans, given that Houck allowed three runs without getting a third out in his last appearance on March 4. Gameday »

Colton Welker, 3B, COL
Welker has been a constant force for the Rockies so far at big league camp, and his contribution got louder on Wednesday. The 23-year-old crushed a go-ahead three-run shot to left center for his first spring long ball, with an exit velocity of 103.4 mph, according to Statcast. Welker is now 7-for-16 with eight RBIs in nine Cactus League games. Gameday »

Trevor Rogers, LHP; Nick Neidert, RHP, MIA
Although Rogers was charged with three runs -- all earned -- on five hits and a walk, he also made his potential clear by piling up five strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings of his start. The Miami prospect was facing the Astros, against whom he threw two no-hit innings while fanning three on March 5. The 23-year-old southpaw made seven starts for the Marlins last year. Neidert entered in the fifth and twirled three innings of one-hit ball, fanning the first two he faced and four in all. He walked one. The 24-year-old appeared in four games for Miami in 2020. Gameday »

Bo Naylor, C, CLE
Making his only plate appearances one batter after older brother Josh Naylor struck out to open the seventh inning, the 20-year-old catcher slugged his first dinger of the Cactus League. He's 4-for-8 over five games. Gameday »

Kyle Isbel, OF, KC
One game after his first multiple-hit showing of the spring, Isbel swatted his first homer. The 24-year-old outfielder pulled a 2-0 offering from the Reds' José De León over the visiting bullpen, onto the grass berm beyond right field at Surprise Stadium. Isbel has amassed 14 homers over 123 Minor League games since being picked by Kansas City in the third round of the 2018 Draft. Gameday »

Tyler Nevin, 1B/3B, BAL
Nevin delivered his first hits of the spring in a 2-for-3 showing that included a sixth-inning RBI knock that proved the difference in the Orioles' 4-3 win over the Blue Jays. The 6-foot-4 corner infielder and son of Phil Nevin played the whole game at first base. Coming to the Baltimore system from Colorado in the Mychal Givens trade last Aug. 30, Nevin has a .286/.362/.441 slash line over 366 Minor League games dating to 2015. Gameday »