Thursday's top prospect performers

July 19th, 2019

Here's a look at Thursday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Griffin Conine, OF (No. 14) -- 2-for-3, 2B, HR, 3 RBI (Class A Lansing)
Conine continued his recent power surge and brought his season total up to 13 homers, a career high. The 22-year-old, a Duke product, has now homered in four of his past 10 games, including two of the past three. Conine's power is nothing new as he led the Cape Cod league with nine homers while he was still in college and then hit seven over 57 games last year in his professional debut. While Conine's power impresses, he does have a tendency to swing and miss. Still, he's hitting .312 through 41 games. Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Dean Kremer, RHP (No. 9) -- 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K (Double-A Bowie)
Kremer threw 66 of his 91 pitches for strikes and finished on a high note as he retired the final 11 batters he faced. The 23-year-old has pitched to a 3.34 ERA through his first 11 Double-A starts after beginning the year with a pair of scoreless starts for Class A Advanced Frederick. Kremer, the first Israeli citizen to be selected in the Draft (2015), began his career in the Dodgers organization, but was dealt to the Orioles last July as part of the package for Manny Machado. Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Lucius Fox, SS (No. 10) -- 1-for-4, 3B, RBI (Triple-A Durham)
A night after his nine-game hitting streak came to a close, Fox got back in the hit column with a triple, his first hit for Triple-A Durham. The 22-year-old, whom the Rays acquired via a trade from the Giants, hit .225 through 83 games with Double-A Montgomery this season and was bumped up to Durham prior to Wednesday's game. Fox has some of the best speed and athleticism in the Rays' system and has all the tools necessary to develop into a prototypical leadoff hitter. Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Brandon Howlett, 3B (No. 14) -- 3-for-5, 3 2B, RBI (Class A Greenville)
The three hits fell one shy of Howlett's career high, but the three doubles certainly set a career-best mark for the 19-year-old. Howlett, a 21st-round pick from last year's Draft, has surprised Boston with a more advanced than expected approach at the plate. The third baseman has below-average speed, but moves well defensively and may be able to stick at third long term. Offensively, he is hitting .258 this season and has made more contact as a pro than he did in high school thanks to new contact lenses. Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Roansy Contreras, RHP (No. 10) -- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K (Class A Charleston)
It's been an up-and-down campaign for Contreras, but Thursday's start against Lexington was certainly one of the better outings. The 19-year-old threw 54 of his 85 pitches for strikes and now has a 4.33 ERA through 17 starts. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2016, Contreras has solid mechanics and mainly operates with a mid-90s fastball and a hard curveball. Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Bobby Bradley, 1B (No. 6) -- 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Triple-A Columbus)
In his second game back with the Clippers after his first stint in the Majors, Bradley hit his 25th homer of the season, a two-run blast in the first inning. The 23-year-old, a third-round pick from the 2014 Draft, has always had power and has hit over 20 homers in four straight seasons. During his stint with the Indians, Bradley got a chance to show off some of that power as he hit his first professional homer, but after going 8-for-45 over 15 games, he was optioned back to Columbus. Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Blake Perkins, OF (No. 22) -- 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI (Class A Advanced Wilmington)
Perkins' first career two-homer game proved vital as Wilmington scraped by Winston-Salem, 7-6. The 22-year-old hit solo homers in the first and seventh innings, bringing his season total to six. Perkins, a second-round pick from the 2015 Draft, was acquired via a 2018 trade with the Nationals and is hitting .209 through 72 games with the Blue Rocks. Perkins entered play Thursday mired in a 1-for-15 skid, so perhaps the power surge is just what he needed to get things going in the right direction. Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Willi Castro, SS (No. 7) -- 3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI (Triple-A Toledo)
After going 0-for-8 over the past two games, Castro got back in the hit column with a pair of extra-base knocks. The 22-year-old Puerto Rican is hitting .294 through 88 games after hitting .264 last season. The Tigers acquired Castro from the Indians at last year's Trade Deadline, so this is his first full season in the organization and so far, the results are promising. The switch-hitter uses the whole field and makes solid contact from both sides of the plate. Castro also has the necessary tools to stick at shortstop and made big defensive strides last season. Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: No Twins prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minor Leagues on Thursday.

White Sox: Luis Robert, OF (No. 1, No. 5 in MLB) -- 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI (Triple-A Charlotte)
That's three straight multihit performances for Robert, who is in the middle of an 11-game hitting streak and is batting .433 through seven games with the Knights. The two-homer game, Robert's third of the season, brings his season total to 21. Couple that with his 32 stolen bases and Robert is the third player to reach the 20/20 mark in the Minors this season. Injuries have hindered Robert's development early in his career, but the 21-year-old is healthy this year and putting his five-tool potential on display. White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Grant Holmes, RHP (No. 12) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K (Double-A Midland)
After allowing four runs over three innings in his last start, Holmes bounced back and spun a gem for the RockHounds. The 23-year-old fired 46 of his 66 pitches for strikes and has now held opponents without an earned run in seven of his 15 appearances this season. Holmes missed the bulk of the 2018 season with a right rotator cuff injury and the A's are playing it safe with the right-hander this year, but so far he's been solid. A's prospects stats »

Angels: Jack Kruger, C (No. 21) -- 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI (Double-A Mobile)
Kruger is hitting .235 through 67 games after Thursday's three-hit performance. The 24-year-old, a Mississippi State product, was picked in the 20th round of the 2016 Draft and put together a breakthrough campaign last year as he hit .299/.357/.413 over two levels. Kruger hasn't quite been able to match those number this year, but he does have a contact-oriented approach and is the top catcher in the Angels' system. Angels prospects stats »

Astros: J.B. Bukauskas, RHP (No. 5) -- 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 9 K (Double-A Corpus Christi); Seth Beer, 1B (No. 8) -- 2-for-4, 2B, HR 3 RBI (Double-A Corpus Christi)
Bukauskas and Beer each played pivotal roles in Corpus Christi's 5-3 win over Arkansas. Bukauskas, a 2017 first-round Draft pick, has yielded one run in each of his past two starts (12 innings), a promising development in what has been a rough 2019. Meanwhile, Beer put the Hooks out in front with a three-run homer, his 22nd, in the seventh inning. The 2018 first-rounder is hitting .318 over two levels (88 games) this season and showing that concerns about his ability to hit with a wood bat and lack of athleticism were overblown. Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Justin Dunn, RHP (No. 2, No. 67 in MLB) -- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K (Double-A Arkansas)

Dunn just twirled his third scoreless start of the year and was absolutely lights out against Midland. The 23-year-old, acquired as part of the Robinson Cano-Edwin Diaz trade, threw 58 of his 87 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 3.46 through 88 1/3 innings. Dunn's stuff has also been impressive this year and he's racked up 108 strikeouts and issued 26 walks. Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Bubba Thompson, OF (No. 5) -- 2-for-4, 2B (Class A Advanced Down East)
The 2019 season hasn't been an easy one for Thompson, who has already had two stints on the injured list and is hitting just .167 over 19 games. However, the 2017 first-round pick has hits in three straight games since returning from the IL and is 4-for-10 with a double, homer and two RBIs in the span. If Thompson can get into a rhythm and stay healthy for the rest of the second half, it'll be interesting to see what kind of numbers he can put up in his first season with Down East. Last year, playing with Class A Hickory, Thompson hit .289 with eight homers in 84 games. Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Tucker Davidson, LHP (No. 18) -- 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K (Double-A Mississippi)
Davidson can get overshadowed by some of the other prospects in the Braves' system, but the 23-year-old is having a tremendous season. A 19th-round pick from the 2016 Draft class, Davidson has pitched to a 2.23 ERA through his first 17 starts (84 2/3 innings) at the Double-A level. The southpaw had everything working for him on Thursday as he carved up the Pensacola lineup in a 1-0 pitchers' duel. Davidson threw 64 of his 97 pitches for strikes and retired 15 in a row at one point. Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Isan Diaz, 2B (No. 6) -- 2-for-5, HR, RBI (Triple-A New Orleans)
Diaz's breakout season continued as he hit his 23rd homer of the year and extended his hitting streak to seven games. The 23-year-old is batting .306 and the 23 homers are a new career high, besting the 20 he hit in 2016 at the Class A level. Diaz, who hit just .232 over 119 games a season ago, is an average defender, so it'll likely be his bat that carries him to the Majors. With the way he's hitting, the callup may not be all that far away. Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Freddy Valdez, OF (No. 13) -- 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI (DSL Mets)
The 17-year-old, whom the Mets signed last July out of the Dominican Republic, hit his third career homer in his 34th game. Batting .268 early in his career. Valdez's bat is his carrying tool and he has tremendous raw power, although he does get overly aggressive at times. Valdez is also a solid runner and athlete and the Mets feel he can remain in center field throughout his career. Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: No Phillies prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minor Leagues on Thursday.

Nationals: Jake Noll, 3B/1B (No. 26) -- 3-for-5, 2B (Triple-A Fresno)
Noll's strong month continued with another multihit performance. The 25-year-old is batting .358 in July and has hits in 12 of his past 13 games. Drafted in the seventh round (2016) out of Florida Gulf Coast, Noll doesn't have any true standout tools, but is a well-rounded player who can do everything well. The Nationals have called up Noll for multiple stints this season and he is 2-for-12 over eight MLB games. With Fresno, he is batting .264 through 81 games. Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Trent Grisham, OF (No. 30) -- 4-for-5, 3 2B, RBI (Triple-A San Antonio)
Grisham is one of the hottest hitters in the Minors these days as he has five doubles over his past nine at-bats and has strung together six straight multihit games. After hitting .254 through 63 games with Double-A Biloxi, Grisham was bumped up to San Antionio where he has hit .358 over 24 games. This offensive outburst is clearly a positive sign for Grisham, a former first-round Draft pick (2015). The 22-year-old was considered one of the best prep hitters in his Draft class, but has had trouble finding consistency as a professional. Brewers prospects stats »

Cubs: Cole Roederer, OF (No. 5) -- 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI (Class A South Bend)
Roederer, who had been 0-for-7 over his past two games, went deep in the second and sixth innings in the first two-homer game of his career. In fact, power has never been a big part of Roederer's game as he entered play with just eight home runs over the first 104 games of his career. The 19-year-old may not be a power hitter, but he does have a disciplined approach and advanced bat-to-ball skills. Roederer, who has added strength since the Draft and could develop power as time goes on, is hitting .220 through 69 games in his professional debut. Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Ivan Herrera, C (No. 17) -- 2-for-5, HR, 4 RBI (Class A Peoria)
Herrera hit his seventh homer of the year and matched his career high with four RBIs ... not a bad night for the 19-year-old. The Cardinals signed Herrera out of Panama in 2016 and he was widely viewed as an advanced prospect. The catcher has done nothing to take away from that reputation as he's hit over .300 in each of the past two seasons and is hitting .277 this year. While his ability to hit is evident, Herrera's defense needs to catch up, but Cardinals' officials do believe he'll develop into an average defender behind the plate. Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Cody Bolton, RHP (No. 23) -- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K (Double-A Altoona)
Bolton only managed to get one strikeout, but that hardly had any impact on the final line as he cruised through the Bowie lineup. The 21-year-old began the year with Class A Advanced Bradenton, where he pitched to a 1.61 ERA through 12 starts. After being bumped up to Double-A, Bolton struggled a bit and gave up 12 runs over three starts (14 1/3 innings). However, Thursday's outing was completely different. Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Michael Siani, OF (No. 6) -- 3-for-5, 3B, 5 RBI (Class A Dayton)
Make that four straight multihit games for the 20-year-old, who set a career high with five RBIs. Siani got Dayton's offense started with a two-run single in the third, added another run-scoring single in the fifth and then capped the night with a two-run triple in the sixth. The 2018 fourth-round pick is hitting .249 on the year, but has been red-hot and is hitting .367 in July. Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Daulton Varsho, C (No. 4) -- 3-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI (Double-A Jackson)
Not only does Varsho have an eight-game hitting streak going, but he has multiple hits in six of those eight contests. The 23-year-old has boosted his average over 20 points during the hitting streak and is hitting .283 through his first 74 games at the Double-A level. Varsho has an aggressive approach at the plate, but also possesses a good eye and is able to foul off tough pitches to work counts. While Varsho could develop into a solid catcher, he's athletic enough to play the outfield if he's unable to remain behind the plate. D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Gavin Lux, SS/2B (No. 2, No. 31 in MLB) -- 5-for-6, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI (Triple-A Oklahoma City); DJ Peters, OF (No. 10) -- 2-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI (Triple-A Oklahoma City); Edwin Rios, 3B/1B/OF (No. 12) -- 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI (Triple-A Oklahoma City)
There simply isn't a proper adjective to describe the ridiculous streak Lux has been on lately. The 21-year-old has a hit in 16 straight games, has reached base in 28 straight games, has homered in five straight games and is hitting .531 in Triple-A (15 games). Those numbers, as unbelievable as they may seem, are, in fact, correct. Prior to his promotion, Lux hit .313 over 64 games with Double-A Tulsa. In addition to Lux, Peters and Rios also had big days at the plate. Peters, who has homered five times over his past 10 games, turned in his first two-homer game of the year, while Rios hit his 17th homer as part of his second straight multihit performance. Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Joey Bart, C (No. 1, No. 19 in MLB) -- 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI (Class A Advanced San Jose); Seth Corry, LHP (No. 25) -- 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K (Class A Augusta); Jairo Pomares, OF (No. 11) -- 4-for-5, HR, 2B, 3B, 5 RBI (AZL Black)
Bart has been swinging a hot bat lately and the trend continued Thursday as he turned in his second two-homer game of the year. The 2018 first-rounder has multiple hits in four of his past six games and now has nine homers on the year. Bart missed some time earlier this year while he was on the injured list, but when he's been healthy, he's hitting .271 over 42 games. Corry matched his career high with eight strikeouts and flirted with a perfect game in another scoreless gem. The 20-year-old, who was perfect through five innings, hasn't allowed an earned run in four of his past six starts and has lowered his ERA to 2.09 in the process. Corry, a third-round pick from the 2017 Draft, has a fastball in the low 90s, but his best pitch is his 12-to-6 curveball. Pomares, an 18-year-old Cuban whom the Giants signed last July, only has 19 games of professional experience, but has already hit for the cycle. The outfielder did a bit of everything on Thursday as he extended his hitting streak to six games and lifted his average to a blistering .395. Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Luis Urias, 2B (No. 2, No. 20 in MLB) -- 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Triple-A El Paso); Gabriel Arias, SS (No. 20) -- 3-for-4, 2 2B (Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore)
Urias has certainly calmed down from his red-hot start to the season, but the 22-year-old from Mexico is still having an incredible season at the plate. His homer on Thursday was his 19th of the year, and he currently owns a..998 OPS. His previous career-high OPS was .850 set across two levels in 2016. Urias has spent a bit of time with the Major League club, appearing in 23 games over two seasons but batting only .167. Arias recorded his third multihit effort in four games and is now batting .278 through 80 games this season, his first at the Class A Advanced level. Arias, whom the Padres signed in 2016 out of Venezuela, was one of the top prospects in the international class and he primarily stood out defensively, so the solid offensive showing thus far in his career is certainly a plus. Arias has all the tools to be a plus defender at shortstop and if he can continue to refine his swing, he'll have a high floor and be able to make an impact on both sides of the ball. Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Josh Fuentes, 3B/1B (No. 10) -- 2-for-4, HR, RBI (Triple-A Albuquerque)
Fuentes has been on an absolute tear for the Isotopes, going deep in three straight games and recording hits in seven of his past eight. The 26-year-old, signed by the Rockies in 2014, has done nothing but hit since becoming a professional. Fuentes has hit over .300 in each of the past three seasons and is batting .274 through 59 games this year. The Rockies also called him up for his Major League debut earlier this season and the Missouri Baptist product picked up his first career hit, but went 2-for-18 over nine games. Rockies prospects stats »