Sunday's top prospect performers
Mike Rosenbaum
@GoldenSombreroA host of Rockies Top 30 prospects paced Triple-A Albuquerque’s offense in a historic win on Sunday as the Isotopes trounced Tacoma, 23-2.
Sam Hilliard (Rockies’ No. 9), Josh Fuentes (No. 10), Yonathan Daza (No. 14) and Roberto Ramos (No. 26) all had monster games, combining for 12 hits, 16 RBIs and 10 runs as the ‘Topes tied their single-game franchise record for most runs scored.
Ramos led the way by going 4-for-6 with two doubles and a grand slam to finish with eight RBIs, matching a franchise record. The homer was the fifth of the season for the 24-year-old, who had been 1-for-15 at the plate since his last four-hit game on April 14.
Hilliard also went deep in the contest, hitting a three-run shot in Albuquerque’s seven-run first inning as part of a 2-for-6 performance. He’s homered in four straight games and six times overall on the season.
Daza scored four runs and went 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles out of the leadoff spot, while Fuentes, the ‘Topes three-hole hitter, drove in three runs and scored twice while going 2-for-5 with a double.
Catcher Dom Nunez also put on a show, hitting three homers on a six-RBI night, while right-hander Peter Lambert (No. 3) tossed five innings of one-run ball to lead Albuquerque on the mound. He mixed five hits with one walk in the performance, striking out six.
Here's a look at Sunday's other top Minor League performance from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
Astros: Forrest Whitley, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 6) -- 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K; Yordan Alvarez, OF (No. 3, MLB No. 41) -- 2-for-4, HR (9), 2B, 2 RBI (Triple-A Round Rock)
Whitley wasn’t at his best but still put together a solid performance, facing four over the minimum while throwing 56 of his 83 pitches for strikes in a no-decision. In his previous start, the 21-year-old right-hander gave up five earned runs on four hits and just 1 1/3 frames. Alvarez went deep for the ninth time in 16 games this season, tying him for the Minor League home run lead.
Braves: Drew Waters, OF (No. 8, MLB No. 81) -- 3-for-5, HR (1), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB (Double-A Mississippi)
Waters connected on his first home run of the season in the third inning, hitting a long solo shot to center, before adding a pair of doubles as he recorded three hits for the third time in his last seven games. He also scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 10th, crossing the plate with a headfirst slide on a wild pitch to cap a four-run M-Braves comeback. The 20-year-old switch-hitter has been anything but overmatched in Double-A, where he’s hitting .333/.389/.515 through 15 games after Sunday’s performance.
Brewers: Trey Supak, RHP (No. 11) -- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Double-A Biloxi); Payton Henry, C (No. 10) -- 1-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI (Class A Adv Carolina)
Supak’s second straight scoreless start was also his third in four turns this season for the Shuckers. He worked a season-high seven innings on Sunday, striking out five and generating eight groundball outs while throwing 50 of his 71 pitches for strikes. Altogether, the 22-year-old righty sports a 1.52 ERA and 0.72 WHIP through 23 2/3 innings. One level down at Carolina, Henry hammered a tie-breaking three-run shot to the opposite field for his third homer in four games. The 21-year-old catcher is off to a hot start, hitting .288/.338/.485 with 15 RBIs through 18 games.
Marlins: Monte Harrison, OF (No. 3) -- 3-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB; Isan Diaz, 2B (No. 6) -- 3-for-5, 2B, 4 RBI, R (Triple-A New Orleans)
The top two hitters in the Baby Cakes' order led the way as they combined for six hits, four runs and four RBIs in a 10-0 win against Omaha. Harrison reached base in all five of his plate appearances and has now hit safely in six straight games after recording his first three-hit performance of 2019. He's off to a hot start, with a .357/.449/.619 line through his first 11 contests. As for Diaz, he started the scoring for New Orleans with an RBI single in the first inning, plated a run with a third-inning double and then added a two-run single in the seventh to finish with season highs in both hits and RBIs.
Padres: Josh Naylor, OF (No. 11) -- 2-for-4, 2 HR (5), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB (Triple-A El Paso)
Naylor and Ty France hit back-to-back home runs twice, doing so in the third and fifth innings in El Paso’s 10-2 rout of Reno. Naylor’s multi-homer performance was the fifth of his career and pushed his season total to five through 18 games. Overall, he’s hitting .270/.360/.541 as a 21-year-old in Triple-A.
Pirates: Mitch Keller, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 18) -- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K (Triple-A Indianapolis)
After several shaky starts out of the gate, Keller righted the ship in earnest as he posted season highs in both innings pitched and strikeouts in his first scoreless outing of 2019. He pitched around a pair of walks in the fourth inning and retired eight of the last nine he faced before departing with 92 pitches (51 strikes). The 23-year-old righty is back in Triple-A this year after posting 4.82 ERA over 10 starts at the level in 2018.
Rangers: Diosbel Arias, 3B (No. 19) -- 3-for-5, 3B, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R (Class A Adv Down East)
Arias hit both of his doubles off Royals top prospect Brady Singer and also hit a triple in the contest as he extended his hitting streak to eight games with a three-hit performance. Assigned straight to the Carolina League after spending all of 2018 in the Short Season Northwest League, the 22-year-old is off to a strong start with a .365/.423/.492 line through 17 games.
Rays: Nate Lowe, 1B (No. 8) -- 3-for-4, HR (3), 3 RBI (Triple-A Durham); Josh Lowe, OF (No. 15) -- 3-for-4, 2 HR (4), 3 R, 2 RBI (Double-A Montgomery)
The Lowe brothers both went deep and together combined for six hits and five RBIs between their respective affiliates. Josh’s multi-homer game was the first of his career and gives him four home runs through 15 games in Double-A. The 21-year-old outfielder totaled 14 home runs in 223 contests during his two previous full-season campaigns. Nate, meanwhile, has gone deep three times for Durham after erupting for 27 home runs across three levels during a breakout 2018 season. The Rays took both Lowe brothers in the 2016 Draft, selecting Josh out of the prep ranks in the first round and Nate, a Mississippi State product, in the 13th.
Reds: Keury Mella, RHP (No. 17) -- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 K (Triple-A Louisville)
After allowing five earned in back-to-back starts, Mella rebounded with his best start of the season, tossing seven scoreless frames with seven strikeouts in a no-decision for Louisville. He faced three over the minimum in the outing, throwing 56 of his 88 pitches for strikes. The 25-year-old righty has reached the Majors in each of the last two seasons, posting an 8.68 ERA across six relief appearances.