Wednesday's top prospect performers

May 23rd, 2019

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

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Chavez Young, OF (No. 19) 3-for-5, HR, 3 RBI (Class A Advanced Dunedin)
Young, 21, slugged his second homer of the year and matched his season high with three hits. The Blue Jays drafted Young in the 39th round of the 2016 Draft and he’s hit well in pro ball. Young is off to a slow start this year and is hitting just .208, but history suggests he may catch fire as he hit .285 and .283 in each of the past two seasons.
Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: DJ Stewart, OF (No. 15) 3-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI (Triple-A Norfolk)
Stewart has hits in seven of his past eight games, and after hitting .202 in April, the 25-year-old has been raking and is slashing .460/.500/.980 in May. Stewart hit .250 with three homers in 17 games as a September callup last season and with his hot start this year, coupled with the Orioles struggles, it’s likely he’ll be back in Baltimore at some point this season.
Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Brendan McKay, LHP/DH (No. 3, MLB No. 29) -- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K (Double-A Montgomery)
McKay has been lights-out on the mound all year and continued the trend as he matched his season high for innings and lowered his ERA to 1.30. McKay, who entered the game in the third following Montgomery's opener, hasn't allowed a run over his last 20 innings on the mound and has racked up 62 strikeouts over 41 2/3 innings so far this season. In addition to the hype that naturally comes when a prospect is the fourth overall pick of a Draft (2017), McKay also stood out for his two-way ability. While the Rays are letting him develop both aspects of his game, he's more advanced as a pitcher at this point and is hitting .167 through 23 games.
Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Pedro Castellanos, 1B/OF (No. 26) -- 2-for-2, HR, RBI, BB (Class A Advanced Salem)
Castellanos hit one homer over 88 games in 2018 and matched that total in his 41st game of 2019. Castellanos signed with the Red Sox out of Venezuela in 2015 and although he hasn't hit for much power as a pro, he's certainly been able to hit. The 21-year-old hit .338 in 2017, .302 in '18 and is hitting .293 this season.
Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Josh Stowers, OF (No. 25) -- 3-for-5, 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBI (Class A Charleston)
Stowers hit his second homer of the season on Tuesday, then went out and doubled that total on Wednesday as he put together the first two-homer game of his career. Stowers began his day with a first-inning triple, then went on to hit a two-run blast in the fourth and a solo shot in the seventh. Acquired via an offseason trade with the Mariners, Stowers, a second-round pick from last year's Draft, is hitting .297 through 36 games.
Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Bobby Bradley, 1B (No. 6) -- 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Triple-A Columbus)
Bradley has been known for his power ever since the Indians selected him in the third round of the 2014 Draft. Bradley's average hasn't always been ideal and he's struggled with some-and-miss but power has always been his carrying tool and he's hit 20-plus homers in each of the past four seasons. While Bradley has continued to drive the ball in 2019, he's hit nine homers so far, and his average has also picked up as he's hitting .272 on the year and .290 in the month of May.
Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Jeison Guzman, SS (No. 24) 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI (Class A Lexington)
Guzman has struggled at the plate this season, hitting .211 through 40 games, but may be turning a corner. The 20-year-old has hits in six of his past seven games and multiple hits in three of his past four. Guzman signed with the Royals in 2015 and has impressed defensively throughout his time in the organization. While his glove is his strength, Guzman is still young, so there’s time for him to figure it out offensively.
Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Willi Castro, SS (No. 7) 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI (Triple-A Toledo)
Castro extended his hitting streak to five games and hit his second homer of the year in the process. Castro struggled at the plate a bit in 2018, but the Tigers traded for him at the Trade Deadline and he’s certainly rewarded the organization. Castro hit .317 across two levels after the trade and is hitting .324 through the early stages of the current campaign.
Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Alex Kirilloff, OF (No. 2, MLB No. 12) 2-for-5, 2B (Double-A Pensacola)
After a huge 2018 season during which he hit .348/.392/.578 with 20 homers over 130 games, Kirilloff has gotten off to a slow start in 2019. Albeit in only 19 games, the 2016 first-round Draft pick is hitting .227/.318/.307. Kirilloff was regarded as one of the best pure hitters of his Draft class and after missing the 2017 season (Tommy John), Kirilloff showed why in 2018. It’s seemingly only a matter a time before he starts to hit up this year.
Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Luis Robert, OF (No. 2, MLB No. 18) 2-for-5, 2 2B (Double-A Birmingham)
Robert’s tools have never been in question, but health limited the prospect, who signed with the White Sox in 2017, to just 50 games in 2018. Now that he’s healthy, Robert is showing everyone what all the hype was about when he signed for $26 million. The 21-year-old began the season with Class A Advanced Winston-Salem, but it was quickly apparent that he needed to be promoted as he hit .453/.512/.920 with eight homers over 19 games. Robert hasn’t hit quite as well with Birmingham, but it’s not as if he’s slumped, either. Through 18 games, Robert is hitting .273 with a pair of homers and 11 extra-base hits.
White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Sheldon Neuse, 3B (No. 9) -- 2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI (Triple-A Las Vegas)
Neuse hit just five homers over 135 games in 2018, but he's already passed that number in 2019. The 24-year-old hit his sixth homer of the year in the third inning, a two-run blast that carried a lot of weight in Las Vegas' 7-5 win over Albuquerque. The Nationals grabbed Neuse in the second round of the 2016 Draft and traded him to Oakland in July 2017 as part of the same trade that netted the A's Jesus Luzardo.
A's prospects stats »

Angels: Brandon Marsh, OF (No. 3) -- 2-for-2, 2B, 2 BB, SB (Double-A Mobile)
After hitting .220 in April, Marsh has flipped the script and is hitting a blistering .370 in May. The 21-year-old, a 2016 second rounder, is getting his first taste of Double-A and is slashing .273/.380/.352 through 36 games. Marsh has already stolen nine bases this season, well on his way toward matching his total of 14 from a season ago, which also happens to be his career high.
Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Yordan Alvarez, OF (No. 3, MLB No. 26) -- 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI (Triple-A Round Rock)
Triple-A pitchers certainly can't keep Alvarez in the park and it seems like only a matter of time before he gets a chance to see if he can crush the ball over the fences at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Alvarez has homered in two of his past three games and 19 times over 41 games this season. Alvarez has always had natural pop, but he's taken things up a notch this year and is already one homer shy of his career best, a mark he set over 88 games in 2018.
Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Justus Sheffield, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 39) -- 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K (Triple-A Tacoma)
A solo homer in the sixth inning was the extent of the offense Fresno generated against Sheffield. The Mariners' top prospect, acquired via a November trade with the Yankees, threw 57 of his 94 pitches for strikes, and although the two strikeouts were his fewest since April 7 and the seven hits matched a season high, Sheffield still found a way to pitch himself out of jams and keep the Grizzlies off the board.
Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Sam Huff, C/DH (No. 21) -- 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI (Class A Advanced Down East)
While Huff's torrid home run pace has slowed a bit, his overall hitting hasn't. The 21-year-old has two hits in three of his past four games and is hitting .313 with the Wood Ducks after hitting .333 with Class A Hickory prior to his promotion. Picked in the seventh round of the 2016 Draft, Huff hit .249 in 2017 and .241 in 2018, but appears to be breaking through this year as he's on the verge of a monster season.
Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Joey Wentz, LHP (No. 11) -- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K (Double-A Mississippi)
After picking up losses in each of his past two starts, Wentz got back in the win column with a quality start for the Braves. The 21-year-old, whom the Braves selected 40th overall in 2016, gave up a hit to the first batter he faced, but went on to retire 13 of the next 14 batters as he cruised through the outing. Wentz threw 65 of his 95 pitches for strikes and didn't walk a batter for the first time all year. Wentz is pitching at the Double-A level for the first time and has posted a 4.40 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 19 walks over 3 innings (nine starts).
Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Jeff Brigham, RHP (No. 25) -- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (Triple-A New Orleans)
After giving up runs in each of his first two appearances this season, Brigham has bounced back with seven straight scoreless appearances, a span of 10 2/3 innings. Not only has Brigham kept opponents off the board in those outings, but he’s also kept them out of the hit column. The Marlins acquired Brigham in a 2015 trade with Dodgers and while he made four starts with Miami at the end of last season, it appears his future will be in the bullpen.
Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Patrick Mazeika, C (No. 26) -- 1-for-3, HR, RBI (Double-A Binghamton)
Make that six homers in 10 games for Mazeika, who has been on fire at the plate and is hitting .324 in May. The 25-year-old, a 2015 eighth-round pick, is looking to bounce back after a down 2018 campaign. He was a .311 career hitter entering the 2018 campaign, but then hit just .231 last year.
Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: Francisco Morales, RHP (No. 8) -- 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K (Class A Lakewood), David Parkinson, LHP (No. 21) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K (Double-A Reading)
Morales set a season high for strikeouts and threw 39 of his 68 pitches for strikes in another strong start for Lakewood. The 19-year-old hasn't allowed an earned run in three of his past four appearances. Morales signed with the Phillies in 2016 and has impressive raw stuff, but still needs work harnessing his command. In 30 innings this season, he has struck out 50 and walked 13. Parkinson, 23, put together one of his better starts this season and has given up two runs over his last 12 innings. He has pitched to a 3.35 ERA through his first seven starts at the Double-A level.
Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: Carter Kieboom, SS (No. 1, No. 25 in MLB) -- 2-for-5, HR, RBI (Triple-A Fresno)
Kieboom hit his second homer in the past three days and his eighth over 30 games with Fresno (he also homered twice in 11 games at the big league level). The 21-year-old hit just .128 (5-for-39) in the Majors, but he has been raking all year in the Minors and is slashing .352/.478./.676. Kieboom has hits in six of his past eight games and will likely be back in Washington sooner rather than later.
Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Brice Turang, SS (No. 3) -- 4-for-4, RBI (Class A Wisconsin)
Not only did Turang extend his hitting streak to 11 games, but he matched his career high with four hits in the process. Turang, whom the Brewers took 21st overall in the 2018 Draft, has hits in 15 of his past 16 games and is hitting .322 early in his full-season debut. The 18-year-old saw his stock dip a bit prior to the Draft in his senior year of high school, but ever since he’s been a professional, he's been raking. He's batting .302 over 83 career games.
Brewers prospects stats »

Cardinals: Randy Arozarena, OF (No. 14) -- 3-for-5, 2B, HR, RBI (Double-A Springfield)
Arozarena has played in just 10 games this season, but the three hits did mark a season high for the 24-year-old, who signed with the organization in 2016. Arozarena hit .274 over 113 games last year but struggled out of the gate, so the fact that he's hitting .278 during the early stages of this year may be a sign that he's in line for a breakout season.
Cardinals prospects stats »

Cubs: Adbert Alzolay, RHP (No. 4) 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K (Triple-A Iowa)
Alzolay fired 44 of his 65 pitches for strikes as he twirled his best start of the season. The 24-year-old saw his 2018 campaign come to an early end as he suffered a lat injury and he also got off to a late start this year, but Wednesday’s outing may be a sign of things to come.
Cubs prospects stats »

Pirates: Kevin Kramer, 2B (No. 6) -- 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI (Triple-A Indianapolis)
A day after hitting his third homer of the season, Kramer kept the extra-base hits coming with a pair of doubles, bringing his season average up to .287. Kramer got off to a slow start this season as he hit just .211 in April, but turned a corner when the calendar flipped to May. The former second-round pick (2015) is hitting .362 this month and knocking on the door to Pittsburgh, where he hit .135 over 37 at-bats last season.
Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Chris Okey, C (No. 30) -- 3-for-4, 3 HR, 7 RBI (Double-A Chattanooga)
Okey went the first 19 games of the year without a homer, but quickly rectified the situation as he hit of trio of roundtrippers in Chattanooga's 8-6 win over Birmingham. Not only were the three homers a career high, but so were the seven RBIs, which came courtesy of Okey's two two-run homers and his three-run blast. While Okey hadn't hit for much power to begin the season, his at-bats have been getting better of late. Okey began the year with Triple-A Louisville but was sent down after hitting .121. Since he's been with the Lookouts, Okey has hit .316.
Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Alek Thomas, OF (No. 7) -- 4-for-4, 2 RBI, BB (Class A Kane County)
Thomas has raked all month (.328/.408/.567 over 17 games in May) and continued the trend with a perfect afternoon for Kane County. The 19-year-old, a second-round pick from last year's Draft, matched his career high with four hits and boosted his average to .296 in the process. Thomas has hit three homers this season, and although he doesn't hit for a ton of power, he has sneaky pop and his plus speed could result in a number of doubles and triples.
D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Gavin Lux, SS/2B (No. 2, No. 43 in MLB) -- 4-for-5, HR, 2 RBI (Double-A Tulsa)
Lux, hitting .320 in May, is one of the hottest hitters in the Minors right now and has homered in back-to-back games while extending his hitting streak to nine. The 21-year-old, a first-round pick from the 2016 Draft, is hitting .314/.372/.575 through 37 games and has already hit 10 homers after setting a career high with 15 (over 116 games) a season ago. The four-hit performance was the second of the season for the shortstop, who is widely viewed as an advanced hitter and has hit .291 through 320 career games.
Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Abiatal Avelino, SS/2B (No. 17) -- 4-for-6, RBI (Triple-A Sacramento), Ryan Howard, SS/2B (No. 27) -- 4-for-5 (Triple-A Sacramento)
The GIants' duo combined for eight hits, yet the River Cats still lost, 9-8, to Salt Lake. The four hits marked season highs for both players and matched Howard's career high. Avelino, 24, made his debut late last season and went 3-for-11 over six games with the Giants. So far this year he's hitting .289/.317/.459. Howard began the season with Double-A Richmond and was bumped up on May 9. Over his first 13 games at the Triple-A level he's hit .244/.327/.267.
Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Tucupita Marcano, 2B (No. 18) -- 2-for-4, 2B (Class A Fort Wayne)
Marcano continued his strong season with another multihit effort, his fifth over the past eight games. The Padres signed Marcano, 19, out of Venezuela in 2016 and he immediately impressed offensively. Marcano has tremendous strike zone awareness and drew 30 walks compared to just 16 strikeouts last season. Oh, and he did so while hitting .366 over 52 games. Marcano has continued to hit this season and is slashing .312/.372/.401.
Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Rico Garcia, RHP (No. 21) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K (Double-A Hartford)
Garcia's stellar season continued as he spun another gem and picked up his fifth win over his past six starts. The 21-year-old, whom the Rockies selected in the 30th round of the 2016 Draft, put together a breakout season in 2018 as he went 13-9 with a 2.96 ERA and pitched his way to Double-A. He has continued to build on that success this year. Garcia has struck out 63 over 50 innings this season and held opponents to a .187 average.
Rockies prospects stats »