Pipeline Preview: Sheffield looking to spin another gem

September 13th, 2017

Here's a look at top prospects to watch in today's Minor League action:
Hitter to watch: (Cardinals' No. 4), Memphis vs. El Paso (8:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
O'Neill, MLB Pipeline's No. 93 overall prospect, was a one-man wrecking crew during the Pacific Coast League semifinals, batting .320 with three home runs, three doubles and 10 RBIs to lead Triple-A Memphis to a 3-2 series win over Colorado Springs. Acquired from the Mariners at the Trade Deadline in the Marcos Gonzales deal, O'Neill slashed .253/.304/.548 with 12 home runs in 37 games with Memphis after the trade. Overall, the 22-year-old outfielder slugged 31 homers in 130 Triple-A games marking his second 30-homer campaign in the past three seasons.

Pitcher to watch: (Yankees' No. 5), Trenton vs. Altoona (7 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Sheffield, 21, worked the first half of Double-A Trenton's combined no-hitter last Friday in Game 3 of the Eastern League semifinals, tossing four hitless frames before passing the baton to Taylor Widener. Making his second start for the Thunder since returning from the disabled list, the No. 86 overall prospect issued two walks, hit one batter and struck out three while throwing 37 of his 62 pitches for strikes. He'll start Game 2 of the EL finals against Altoona after Trenton dropped the opener, 2-1, on Tuesday.

Duel of the day: Yonny Chirinos (Rays' No. 19) vs. (Yankees' No. 21), Durham vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (6:35 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)
Chirinos scattered seven hits over seven scoreless innings in his last start to pace Triple-A Durham in a shutout of Indianapolis in Game 2 of the International League semifinals. The 23-year-old right-hander is coming off of a breakout season in which he went 12-5 in 22 starts (23 games) and ranked among the International League leaders with a 2.74 ERA (fourth), a 0.98 WHIP (second) and 120 strikeouts (ninth) in 141 innings. He'll attempt to extend the Bulls' 1-0 series lead against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday in Game 2 of the IL finals.

German, tied his season high by allowing five earned runs in first playoff start for the RailRiders. The 25-year-old righty had been cruising before that, however, as he entered the postseason with a 2.19 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 50-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his final 46 2/3 regular-season frames (nine starts).

MILB Video - Title: German strikes out the side - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=1711691283

Wednesday's top prospect probables
Dakota Hudson (Cardinals' No. 8), Memphis vs. El Paso (Triple-A)
(White Sox No. 29), Kannapolis vs. Greenville (Class A)