Tuesday's top prospect performers

June 2nd, 2021

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

Rays: Wander Franco, SS (MLB No. 1), Triple-A Durham
Franco continued his recent hot streak with his second four-hit game of the season and three RBIs. The 20-year-old singled three times and stroked his seventh double, giving him his ninth multi-hit performance of the year. After enduring a 1-for-17 stretch from May 19-22, Franco has hit safely in five of his last seven games, going 11-for-30 (.367) with five extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in that span. The switch-hitting shortstop has lifted his slash line to .299/.361/.567 through 23 games. Rays prospect stats »

Marlins: JJ Bleday, OF (MLB No. 15), Double-A Pensacola
Looking to turn his season around after struggling in May, Bleday got off on the right foot in June with a pair of doubles and a walk in three at-bats Tuesday. It was the second multihit effort in four games for the 23-year-old, who was in the midst of a 2-for-38 slump in his previous 11 contests. Bleday reached safely in his final three plate appearances and ignited Pensacola’s two-out rally in the seventh with his second double of the night. Marlins prospect stats »

Mets: Brett Baty, 3B (MLB No. 78), High-A Brooklyn
Baty hit his first homer of the year and fell a triple shy of the cycle while driving in three runs to lead Brooklyn. The 21-year-old homered in the first, walked and drove home a pair of runs with a double and single. Baty’s second game with three or more hits snapped a 3-for-23 skid. The performance was the 2019 first-round pick’s eighth multi-hit effort of the season, which improved his slash line to .343/.451/.478 in to go along with seven extra-base hits and 20 RBIs in 19 games. Mets prospect stats »

Orioles: Gunnar Henderson, SS (MLB No. 97), Low-A Delmarva
The 19-year-old kicked off June with his seventh home run and four RBIs to lead Delmarva. Henderson opened the scoring with a two-run shot in the first, added a sacrifice fly and capped his evening with an RBI double. The Alabama native leads the Minors with 34 RBIs in only 21 games and is batting .321/.392/.655 with 14 extra-base hits. Henderson has driven in at least one run in 12 games and has collected four or more RBIs five times. Orioles prospect stats »

Brewers: Ethan Small, LHP (No. 4), Double-A Biloxi
Small had everything working for Biloxi Tuesday, striking out a career-high 11 while allowing one hit over five scoreless frames. The 24-year-old surrendered a leadoff single in the fourth and worked out of a bases-loaded jam that inning en route to matching his longest outing of his career. Small notched two or more strikeouts in each frame except the opening inning, including whiffing seven straight batters from first through the third. After allowing four runs in his first start of the season, the southpaw has surrendered four earned runs in his last four starts spanning 19 frames to lower his ERA to 3.27. Small has struck out 38 in 22 innings. Brewers prospect stats »

Dodgers: Diego Cartaya, C (No. 6), Low-A Rancho Cucamonga
Andy Pages, OF (No. 8), High-A Great Lakes
Cartaya continued to make a strong impression with Rancho Cucamonga. The 19-year-old homered for the second consecutive game, doubled and walked to bring his slash line up to .450/.522/1.050 in five games. Cartaya opened his evening with a ground-rule double in the first and added his third homer in 20 at-bats in the fifth. The Venezuela native is one home run shy of matching his career total which he amassed in 49 games during his professional debut in 2019.

Pages went deep for a third straight game, tripled and tied his season high with three RBIs to pace the Great Lakes’ offense. The 20-year-old’s three-run homer was his sixth of the season and continued a recent hot streak that has improved his average more than 130 points. Batting .122 entering May 15, Pages has gone 20-for-58 (.345) with 10 extra-base hits and 16 RBI in his last 14 games while reaching safely in 22 straight overall. The Havana, Cuba native has driven in a run in seven consecutive games, tallying 12 during that span.

Giants: Patrick Bailey, C (No. 6), High-A Euegene
Bailey snapped a 5-for-39 stretch with three doubles in five at-bats. It was the 22-year-old’s first three-hit game since Opening Night. The 13th overall pick in the 2020 Draft also took part in Eugene’s triple play during the bottom of the fifth. Through 22 games and 93 at-bats, Bailey is batting .226/.294/.376 with eight doubles, two homers and 13 RBIs. He’s also swiped four bases without being caught. Giants prospect stats »

Mariners: Austin Shenton, 3B (No. 19), High-A Everett
Kaden Polcovich, SS (No. 25), High-A Everett
Everett’s duo of Shenton and Polcovich combined for seven hits, three homers and six RBIs on Tuesday. Shenton snapped a recent dry spell with a career-high four hits, including three doubles. The 23-year-old had totaled four hits in his previous six games, which had dropped his average to .239. His performance on Tuesday boosted his slash line to .269/.398/495.

Polcovich doubled his home run total, going deep twice, scoring three times and matching his season high with three hits. The 22-year-old homered in consecutive at-bats in the fourth and sixth innings, connecting on a solo shot and a three-run blast to account for all four of his RBIs. Polcovich has three multihit performances in his last five games. Mariners prospect stats »

Tigers: Dillon Dingler, C (No. 5), High-A West Michigan
Dingler collected his second three-hit effort in five games and reached safely four times Tuesday night. The 22-year-old doubled twice, including an RBI knock during West Michigan’s six-run opening frame. Dingler has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games and has driven in six runs in his last five. Through his first 21 games as a pro, Dingler is batting .266/.379/.519 with nine extra-base hits and 14 RBIs. Tigers prospect stats »

Nationals: Tim Cate, LHP (No. 8), Double-A Harrisburg
Carrying a 5.92 ERA into his start Tuesday, Cate turned in his best performance of the season. The southpaw allowed an unearned run and struck out five over a season-high 6 2/3 innings before being lifted after 89 pitches. Cate yielded three hits, walked one and hit a batter but also retired 14 consecutive Portland hitters at one point before allowing a leadoff double in the seventh. Through six starts, the 23-year-old has a 4.65 ERA spanning 31 innings. Nationals prospect stats »

Pirates: Roansy Contreras, RHP (No. 20), Double-A Altoona
Contreras rebounded from his worst start of the season to strike out eight over six shutout frames in Altoona’s win. The 21-year-old worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and allowed a leadoff single in the second before retiring nine in a row and 16 of 17 to close out his start. Contreras struck out the side in the sixth and was removed after throwing 85 pitches, 59 for strikes. The right-hander owns a 0.76 WHIP and lowered his ERA to 1.63 with his fourth scoreless outing in five starts. Pirates prospect stats »