Glasnow, Garcia among 10 top prospect performers Thursday
Pirates No. 1 prospect throws six one-hit innings, No. 20 strikes out a career-high 10
It was a good night to be a Pirates pitching prospect.
No. 1 prospect (No. 7 overall) Tyler Glasnow's string of dominance continued Thursday with six scoreless innings in a no-decision for Triple-A Indianapolis.
The 22-year-old right-hander allowed just three baserunners in the outing -- one hit and two walks -- and struck out five, throwing 56 of 88 pitches for strikes. Glasnow has been a force since joining Indianapolis' starting rotation in early August, posting a 0.81 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings over six starts. The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder's command has been shaky at times, resulting in 19 walks and a 1.29 WHIP, but his ability to induce weak contact and keep the ball in the park have kept him out of trouble.
One of top pitchers in the Minors this season, Glasnow is 6-4 with a 1.95 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, .191 opponents' batting average and 127/38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 101 2/3 innings between the Double- and Triple-A levels.
Meanwhile, down in the South Atlantic League, Pirates No. 20 prospect Yeudy Garcia struck out a career-high 10 batters in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision for Class A West Virginia. The 22-year-old right-hander allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk.
Garcia has flown under the radar this year in his promising full-season debut, going 12-5 with a 2.11 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 106/34 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 115 1/3 innings (28 appearances/19 starts) for the Power.
The rest of the 10 best performances from top Minor Leagues
• Blue Jays No. 3 prospect Anthony Alford filled out the box score in Class A Advanced Dunedin's 9-8 loss to Lakeland, reaching base four times in five plate appearances. The toolsy 21-year-old outfielder extended his hitting streak to five games by going 2-for-3 with a triple. He also stole a base -- his 25th of the season -- scored two runs and plated two more. Alford has really blossomed this year in his fourth professional season, as he's batting .298/.399/.416 with 81 runs, 33 extra-base hits and a 101/62 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 99 games between both Class A levels.
• Dodgers No. 1 prospect (No. 2 overall) Corey Seager homered, tripled and scored three runs in Triple-A Oklahoma City's 9-7 win over El Paso. The home run was Seager's fourth in his last seven games and improved his season total to 18, two shy of his single-season high. He has 13 homers in 98 games since moving up to the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The 21-year-old scuffled in July to the tune of .203 batting average and three home runs in 19 games but has rebounded nicely in August, batting .300 with an .815 OPS, four home runs and 18 RBIs across 27 games.
• Mariners No. 6 prospect Patrick Kivlehan went 2-for-5 with his first multi-homer game of the season as Triple-A Tacoma trounced Nashville, 12-5. The 25-year-old corner infielder/outfielder is having a rough season at the plate, batting .248 with a .758 OPS in 112 games for the Rainiers, though he did set a new single-season high for home runs (21) with his performance on Thursday. The Rutgers product has hit safely in eight straight for Tacoma, with a .484 average (16-for-33), nine runs, six doubles, four home runs and seven RBIs in that span.
• Padres No. 1 prospect (No. 79 overall) Hunter Renfroe had another big game Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a home run, double and three RBIs in Triple-A El Paso's 9-7 loss to Oklahoma City. The 23-year-old's homer -- a two-run shot in the seventh inning -- was his 18th of the season and fourth in nine games since moving up the Minor League's highest level. He's also batting .333 with a 1.074 OPS and 11 RBIs in that span.
• Phillies No. 1 prospect (No. 5 overall) J.P. Crawford reached base in each of his five plate appearances Thursday, going 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and three walks in Double-A Reading's 8-3 win over Bowie. The 20-year-old shortstop also scored two runs and plated another. Enough good things can't be said about Crawford's 2015 campaign, during which he's batted .290/.383/.422 with six home runs, 32 extra-base hits, 11 steals and more walks (58) than strikeouts (47) in 97 games between Class A Advanced Clearwater and Reading.
• Rays No. 3 prospect (No. 53 overall) Brent Honeywell picked up the win for Class A Advanced Charlotte with seven innings of one-run ball. The 20-year-old right-hander -- whom the Rays selected with the No. 72 pick in the 2014 Draft -- surrendered just four hits while striking out six. Honeywell is 5-1 with a 2.78 ERA and 46/9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last 10 starts (55 innings) for Charlotte.
• Reds No. 1 prospect (No. 30 overall) Jesse Winker added to his monster second half Thursday with a perfect day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a triple, three walks, three runs and four RBIs as Double-A Pensacola defeated Mississippi, 11-8. After a slow first half of the season, Winker has bounced back to hit .312/.423/.524 with 10 home runs, 10 doubles, 36 RBI and a 37/35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last 54 contests. In 114 games for the Blue Wahoos this season, 22-year-old outfielder is batting .275 with an .815 OPS, 13 home runs, 19 doubles and 53 RBIs.
• Rockies No. 1 prospect (No. 9 overall) Brendan Rodgers went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles Thursday in Rookie level Grand Junction's 8-5 win over Orem. The 2015 No. 3-overall Draft pick has now collected multiple hits in six of his last nine games and is batting a robust .395 with six extra-base hits and six RBIs in that span. The 19-year-old shortstop has performed as expected this summer in the Pioneer League, posting a .279/.349/.426 batting line with three home runs, 12 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs and four steals in 35 games for Grand Junction.