MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week

August 20th, 2018

MLBPipeline.com's Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances in the Minors from the previous week. Any player on an organization Top 30 Prospects list on our Prospect Watch is eligible.
Last week's Prospect Team of the Week featured mainstay Vlad Guerrero Jr. This week has a much different newcomer-focused feel.
:: Complete prospect coverage ::
There is just one repeat performer on this year's team, and even he is appearing at a different position than he was chosen for at the start of the Minor League season. There are a pair of Top 100 prospects on here who are really hitting a groove as the 2018 season winds down, as well as a trio of players from the 2017 Draft.
Here is this week's PTOW, based on games from Aug. 13-19.
2018 Prospect Teams of the Week
C: Keibert Ruiz, Tulsa Drillers (Double-A)
(Dodgers' No. 2 prospect/MLB No. 37 prospect)
5 G, .389/.429/.944, 4 R, 1 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SO

After really scuffling in June and July, Ruiz is finishing his 2018 season off with a torrid August. He has an eight-game hitting streak going now, including all five games he played last week. It started with a two-homer, four-RBI game on Tuesday. The Futures Gamer is now hitting .377/.424/.566 in August, with all three of his home runs for the month coming this past week.
1B: , Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A)
(Blue Jays' No. 29 prospect)
6 G, .304/.407/.609, 4 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 8 SO, 1 SB

The big left-handed-hitting first baseman had three multihit games this past week, starting with a three-hit, two-homer game on Tuesday. Tellez drove in three in that game, then added RBIs on Wednesday and Friday. He's had a very strong second half in the International League, posting a .328/.383/.555 line.
2B: Luis Urias, El Paso Chihuahuas (Triple-A)
(Padres' No. 4 prospect/MLB No. 22 prospect)
7 G, .593/.625/1.000, 11 R, 5 2B, 3 3B, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 4 SO

With El Paso headed to the Pacific Coast League playoffs, don't expect to see Urias in San Diego just yet, but he sure is hitting like he's ready. He now has a nine-game hitting streak going, and he had four three-hit games last week alone, contributing to a scorching .424/.473/.712 August. Urias led all qualifying prospects with 27 total bases last week.
3B: Drew Ellis, Visaila Rawhide (Class A Advanced)
(D-backs' No. 9 prospect)
5 G, .474/.545/1.105, 7 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SO

The D-backs' 2017 second-round pick hit in all five games he played last week, with three being of the multihit variety. Ellis homered and drove in a pair on both Tuesday and Wednesday, then finished off the week with one more long ball on Sunday following a three-hit, two-RBI performance on Saturday. He is now fourth in the organization with 70 RBIs for the season.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Ellis goes yard - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2391393983

SS: Adam Hall, Aberdeen IronBirds (Short season)
(Orioles' No. 27 prospect)
4 G, .500/.588/.857, 5 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SO, 5 SB

After going 0-for-4 back on Aug. 2, Hall has hit in every game since, giving him an active 10-game hitting streak. That includes three two-hit games this week on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and he hit his first home run of the year on Wednesday. After starting the New York-Penn League season slowly, the Canadian product has hit .421/.488/.605 in August.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Hall drives in a run - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2394877083

OF: Bubba Thompson, Hickory Crawdads (Class A)
(Rangers' No. 10 prospect)
6 G, .417/.481/.792, 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 5 SO, 3 SB

The 2017 first-rounder bookended his week with a three-hit game on Monday and another one on Sunday. That first game also included a homer, as did Thompson's game on Thursday. His three steals brought his total for the year up to 27, good four fourth in the organization and third in the South Atlantic League.
OF: Jose Azocar, Lakeland Flying Tigers (Class A Adv)
(Tigers' No. 17 prospect)
6 G, .600/.615/.700, 5 R, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 3 SO

Azocar has always had tools, and he's starting to use them more consistently now. The outfielder had five multihit games this past week, going 5-for-9 with 3 RBIs in his past two games on Friday and Saturday. He's now hitting .403/.435/.484 this month and his .300 average for the year places him third in the Tigers' system.
OF: , Montgomery Biscuits (Double-A)
(Rays' No. 11 prospect)
6 G, .350/.480/1.000, 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SO

Solak made PTOW all the way back in Week 1, as the second baseman on the squad, and he continues to split time between there and the outfield. Thanks to this past week, which included a two-homer game on Saturday, he's now up to 18 homers on the year as he closes in on a 20-20 season (he already has 21 steals).
LHP: Kris Bubic, Idaho Falls Chukars (Rookie)
(Royals' No. 9 prospect)
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO, 0.60 WHIP

While the Royals are being understandably cautious with their college arms taken in the 2018 Draft, Bubic has managed to show he should be ready for an advanced assignment for his first full season. The Stanford product's start on Wednesday was his second in three outings in which he struck out 10 over five shutout frames, and he's racked up 37 strikeouts in 25 Pioneer League innings.
RHP: Bryse Wilson, Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A)
(Braves' No. 13 prospect)
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 13 SO, 0.13 WHIP

Wilson has now won all three of his International League starts since getting promoted, and this one was by far his most dominant. He faced the minimum in his eight innings of work and it was his first double-digit strikeout performance of the season, and just the second in his pro career. Wilson is now second in the pitching-rich Braves organization in strikeouts.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Wilson notches 13th strikeout - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2389678783

RP: , Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A)
(Cardinals' No. 23 prospect)
0-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 3 G, 4 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.23 WHIP

The Cardinals got Gallegos from the Yankees at the Trade Deadline, and he's yet to give up a run in eight outings since joining the organization. He gave up just one hit in his three appearances this week and picked up his first save as a Cardinal. Gallegos has now thrown 10 innings with Memphis, and he's allowed just four hits (.125 BAA) in that span.

MILB Video - Title: Watch: Gallegos notches K - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2398552783