Sunday's top prospect performers

May 27th, 2019

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

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Riley Adams, C (No. 28) -- 2-for-3, HR (6), 3 RBI, 2 R, BB (Double-A New Hampshire)
Adams added to his career-high home run total as he went deep in a second straight game for the Fisher Cats. His last two homers have come as part of two-hit, three-RBI performances that have contributed to the 22-year-old’s .355 average over his last 10 games. After struggling at the plate last year in his first full season, Adams, a former third-round pick (2017), has rebounded in 2019 to produce a .274/.397/.476 line in 36 games between New Hampshire and Class A Advanced Dunedin.
Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Zac Lowther, LHP (No. 8) -- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K (Double-A Bowie)
Starting opposite Erie’s Casey Mize, Lowther kept the Baysox in the game by tossing six scoreless frames in which he struck out four and generated seven groundouts while throwing 54 of 87 pitches for strikes. The deceptive 23-year-old southpaw ranks third among Eastern League hurlers with a 1.68 ERA through nine starts in his first Double-A campaign. For his career, Lowther owns a 1.95 ERA with 269 strikeouts in 226 1/3 innings since being selected by the Orioles with the No. 74 overall pick in the 2017 Draft out of Xavier.
Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Shane Baz, RHP (No. 9) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K (Class A Bowling Green)
The former first-rounder (2017 by Pittsburgh) has been a force through four full-season starts, completing five innings in each while registering a 1.80 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 20 innings. With Baz, a projectable 6-foot-3 righty with a powerful and deep arsenal, now flashing his high ceiling in the Midwest League, the Rays' return of Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and Baz (the PTBNL) from the Pirates in last summer’s Chris Archer trade is looking like a truly exceptional haul.
Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Triston Casas, 1B/3B (No. 2) -- 2-for-3, R, BB (Class A Greenville)
Casas, Boston’s first-round pick from last June, is putting the finishing touches on a solid month that’s seen him hit .325/.394/.600 with 12 extra-base hits and 25 RBIs in 23 games. It followed a sluggish April in which the 19-year-old batted .208 with a .648 OPS and 31 strikeouts in 22 games. The 6-foot-4, 238-pounder played in only two pro games last summer before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb.
Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Garrett Whitlock, RHP (No. 16) -- 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 1 K (Double-A Trenton)
While Whitlock wasn’t particularly sharp against Binghamton, only three of the five runs he allowed were earned, and he has completed five innings in four starts since returning from a brief stint on the injured list due to a fingernail issue. He’s pitched to a 3.57 ERA in 35 1/3 innings so far this season after a breakout 2018 campaign in which he registered a 1.86 ERA with 122 strikeouts and a .214 BAA in 120 2/3 innings across three levels.
Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Sam Hentges, LHP (No. 10) -- 6 2/3 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Double-A Akron)
Hentges struggled out of the gate to begin his Double-A career but has found his footing in the season’s second month, logging a 1.88 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings (five starts) for Akron. The 6-foot-8 southpaw’s overall ERA still sits at a 4.78 -- a product of his 8.02 ERA in five April starts – but he’s trending in the right direction with every outing after a breakout 2018 campaign with Class A Advanced Lynchburg.
Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Nick Pratto, 1B (No. 5) -- 2-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI (Class A Adv Wilmington)
Pratto drove a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right-center field for a two-run shot to cap the scoring in Wilmington’s four-run fifth inning. Surprisingly, the homer is just the first of the season for 20-year-old, who hit 14 homers and 33 doubles in his full-season debut last year at Class A Lexington. The multihit performance, meanwhile, is Pratto’s fourth this season and his first since May 3. And although he’s hitting .161/.266/.226 through 47 games, it’s important to remember that the former first-round pick (2017) was a slow starter last year as well, when he posted a .912 OPS after the All-Star break after finishing the first half at .655.
Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 6) -- 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K (Double-A Erie)
MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked pitching prospect closed out the week with a lights-out performance, as he faced three over the minimum while completing eight scoreless frames. It’s the seventh time in 10 starts this season that Mize has not given up an earned run. So far, the 2018 No. 1 overall Draft pick is 6-0 with a 0.97 ERA and 0.57 WHIP between two levels this season. He’s compiled a 60/8 K/BB ratio in 64 2/3 innings, during which he’s held hitters to a .135 average.
Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Jhoan Duran, RHP (No. 7) -- 6 IP, 1 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 HBP, 14 K (Class A Advanced Fort Myers); Travis Blankenhorn, 2B (No. 28) -- 4-for-6, HR (9), 2B, 4 RBI (Double-A Pensacola)
Duran, 21, struck out the side in both the fifth and sixth innings en route to a career-high 14 strikeouts. The 6-foot-5 right-hander had 14 strikeouts combined over his previous three starts before Sunday’s outing, his longest this season. Duran, who had only struck out as many as 10 once, was averaging 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings in his career entering the game. Blankenhorn’s solo shot to open the ninth inning capped a seven-run Pensacola comeback as they rallied to edge Tennessee, 11-10. The 22-year-old helped fuel the comeback with a two-run single in the sixth inning and an RBI double in the seventh before going deep in the ninth for his fifth home run in the last 10 games. Overall, the 2015 third-rounder is hitting .319 with eight homers in 29 games since his promotion to Double-A.
Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Nick Madrigal, 2B (No. 5, MLB No. 44) -- 3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 SB (Class A Adv Winston-Salem)
The 2018 No. 4 overall Draft pick was a catalyst for the Dash’s offense as he turned three hits, including two doubles, plus a pair of steals into two runs from the two-spot in the lineup. The 22-year-old is hitting .333 over his last 10 games, five of which have been multihit efforts. The pair of steals give Madrigal 14 in 18 attempts, and, overall, he’s produced a season batting line of .271/.342/.373 with 13 extra-base hits and more walks (14) than strikeouts (6) in 43 games.
White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Brady Feigl, RHP (No. 28) -- 6 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K (Class A Adv Stockton)
Feigl had allowed two hits through five scoreless innings before running into some trouble in the sixth. He still worked his way through the frame and returned for the seventh before departing from the game with 91 pitches (60 strikes). The fifth-round Draft pick (2018) out of Mississippi sports a 3.59 ERA on the season and has completed at least five innings in all 10 starts.
A's prospects stats »

Angels: Jose Soriano, RHP (No. 13) -- 6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 10 K (Class A Burlington)
Soriano allowed three runs, but two came around to score after he had already departed the game following a pair of walks in the seventh inning. He still struck out 10, a new career-high, in his longest career outing. After struggling in the Midwest League a year ago, Soriano has rebounded to post a 3.09 ERA with 55 strikeouts over 46 2/3 innings in his second tour.
Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Kyle Tucker, OF (No. 2, MLB No. 13) -- 1-for-4, HR (16), 2 R, BB (Triple-A Round Rock); Seth Beer, OF/1B (No. 9) -- 2-for-4, HR (11), 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB (Double-A Corpus Christi)
Tucker homered in a fourth straight game, which gives him 11 home runs in 23 games this month to go along with a .357 average. The 22-year-old struggled mightily in April, hitting .173 with a .407 OPS in 22 games, but is back on track now with a .265 average and 16 homers through 45 games. Beer, meanwhile, is batting .395 through 10 games at the Double-A level after his second straight multihit performance. The 2018 first-rounder out of Clemson is off to a great start in 2019, raking at a .343/.434/.608 line with 11 homers and 45 RBIs in 45 games.
Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Jarred Kelenic, OF (No. 2, MLB No. 42) -- 2-for-5, solo HR (9) (Class A West Virginia)
Kelenic hit a game-tying homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings, setting the stage for a West Virginia walk-off victory in the 10th. Acquired from the Mets in the offseason blockbuster involving Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano, Kelenic, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 Draft, is having an excellent first full season, hitting .304/.394/.558 with nine home runs (25 XBH), 25 RBIs and 30 runs in 47 games.
Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Sherten Apostel, 3B (No. 22) -- 3-for-5, RBI, 2 R, SB (Class A Hickory)
Apostel was one of four Crawdads players to record three hits on Sunday in their win over Greensboro. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder has six multihit efforts in his last 10 games, a stretch during which he’s improved his 2019 average from .184 to .241 by batting an even .400. The 20-year-old was bumped up to full-season ball after batting .278/.420/.460 with eight homers and a 41/50 BB/K ratio in 53 games between two Rookie levels.
Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Kyle Muller, LHP (No. 12) -- 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K (Double-A Mississippi)
Muller, 21, racked up a season-high nine strikeouts and helped his cause at the plate by going 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored. The 6-foot-6 left-hander been excellent in five starts this month, posting a 0.81 ERA with 33 strikeouts and a .186 BAA in 33 1/3 innings. Overall, Muller owns the fourth-best ERA (1.89) in the Southern League among active hurlers. He’s also fanned 57 in 52 1/3 innings (10 starts) while holding hitters to a .180 average and only one home run.
Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Isan Diaz, 2B (No. 6) -- 2-for-5, HR (10), 2 R (Triple-A New Orleans)
The homers keep coming for Diaz, who’s now gone deep in five consecutive games for the Baby Cakes, a club record. With 10 homers in 48 games so far this season, the 22-year-old left-handed hitter is quickly closing in on his total from 2018, when he hit 13 homers in 119 games between Double- and Triple-A. With a .442 average over his last 12 games, Diaz has improved his season average from .220 to .274.
Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Christian James, RHP (No. 24) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K (Class A Columbia)
James, a 14th-round Draft pick in 2016, didn’t allow a run in his longest outing of the season, striking out four and inducing nine groundouts in six innings. The 21-year-old had an ERA-inflating start on May 4 (4.2 IP, 8 ER), but since then he’s pitched to a 2.61 ERA over his last four starts. A pitchability righty, James posted a 1.90 ERA in 80 2/3 innings across three levels in 2018.
Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: Adonis Medina, RHP (No. 2, MLB No. 70) 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K (Double-A Reading)
Starting the opener of Harrisburg’s doubleheader against Reading, Medina struck out four and generated five groundouts on 84 pitches (56 strikes) en route to his second win in as many starts. The Phillies have handled the 22-year-old righty with care so far this season, limiting him to no more than five innings or 90 pitches in any of his eight outings, though he’s likely to be allowed a greater workload as the season unfolds. In 2018, Medina posted a 4.12 ERA with 123/36 K/BB in 111 1/3 innings in the Florida State League
Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: Ben Braymer, LHP (No. 24) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K (Double-A Harrisburg)
Starting opposite Medina, Braymer, 25, took the loss for the Senators despite recording his fourth quality start in five turns this month. He’s pitched to a 1.93 ERA with 27/5 K/BB over 32 2/3 innings in those starts to lower his 2019 ERA to 2.63. His WHIP, meanwhile, sits at 0.93 for the season, and he’s held opposing hitters to a .199 average over 54 2/3 frames (nine starts).
Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Trent Grisham, OF (No. 30) -- 4-for-5, HR (6), 3B, 3 RBI (Double-A Biloxi)
Grisham, 22, fell a double short of hitting for the cycle but had a season-high four hits and three RBIs as he powered Biloxi past Mobile, 4-2. The former first-rounder (2015) isn’t hitting for much average in his second tour of the Southern League -- batting .237 after posting a .233 clip in 2018 -- but he is tapping into more power, with six homers (15 XBH) in 46 games so far after he totaled seven homers (19 XBH) over 107 games a year ago. He hit a career-high eight homers over 133 games with Class A Advanced Carolina in 2017.
Brewers prospects stats »

Cubs: Aramis Ademan, SS/2B (No. 6) -- 3-for-4, RBI, R (Class A Adv Myrtle Beach)
The 20-year-old middle infielder recorded half of the Pelicans’ six hits and is now 7-for-12 over his last three games, each of which has been a multihit performance. Ademan was overmatched in the Florida State League last season at age 19, hitting .207/.291.273 in 114 games. This year, however, he’s making strides in his second tour of the FSL, slashing .275/.391/.420 through 41 contests after Sunday’s three-hit game.
Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Luken Baker, 1B (No. 22) -- 3-for-5, solo HR (4) (Class A Adv Palm Beach)
Baker homered for a second straight day en route to his second three-hit effort in four games. With four home runs in 43 games, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound first baseman has matched the total he posted in 45 games last summer after the Cardinals took him with the No. 75 overall pick out of Texas Christian. During his three years at TCU, Baker batted .347 with 28 homers and 129 RBIs.
Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Will Craig, 1B (No. 14) -- 3-for-4, HR (14), 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R (Class A Indianapolis)
Craig’s third home run in four games was a seventh-inning solo shot that highlighted his three-hit day at the plate. He plated a run with his two other hits as well, tallying an RBI single in the third inning followed by a run-scoring double in his final trip to the plate. After a breakout Double-A campaign last year in which he hit .248 with a career-high 20 home runs in 132 games, the 24-year-old has opened 2019 by hitting .271 with 14 homers in 44 games at the Minors’ highest level.
Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Taylor Trammell, OF (No. 2, MLB No. 19) -- 2-for-5, solo HR (4), 2 R, SB (Double-A Chattanooga)
The 21-year-old outfielder entered the day with a .189 average in May before breaking out with a pair of hits, including a solo home run in the fourth inning. He also scored a run after hitting a single and stealing his 11th base in 14 attempts. While Trammell’s first taste of the Double-A level has come with some growing pains, he’s still produced a respectable .746 OPS with eight extra-base hits and 29 runs scored in 47 games.
Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Andy Young, 2B (No. 11) -- 3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, R (Double-A Jackson)
Young matched his season-high totals in hits and RBIs as he helped power the Generals to a victory over Montgomery. Acquired with Luke Weaver and Carson Kelly from St. Louis in the offseason Paul Goldschmidt trade, Young batted .289/.379/.479 with 21 homers last season during a breakout campaign in the Cardinals system. So far this season, the 25-year-old infielder has generated a .245/.359/.404 line with four homers in 45 games.
D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Jeter Downs, SS (No. 7) -- 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R, BB (Class A Adv Rancho Cucamonga
Downs did a little bit of everything for Rancho, tallying two hits including a double while reaching base three times, though it wasn’t enough to keep the Quakes from falling to Lancaster in extra innings. The 20-year-old shortstop owns a .741 OPS with six homers and 10 steals this season through 43 games in the California League. The Dodgers acquired him from the Reds in the offseason Yasiel Puig-Alex Wood trade after Downs had hit .257 with 13 homers and 37 steals in his first full season.
Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Aramis Garcia, C (No. 21) -- 4-for-6, HR (7), 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R (Triple-A Sacramento)
Make it back-to-back games with a home run for Garcia, who established season highs on Sunday with four hits and four RBis. The 26-year-old catcher is batting .355 with three home runs and six RBIs since the Giants optioned him to Triple-A on May 16.
Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Xavier Edwards, SS (No. 11) -- 4-for-5, 2 RBI, R (Class A Fort Wayne)
The switch-hitting middle infielder improved his Midwest League-leading average to .369 with a four-hit performance that was also his 17th multihit game of the year. Unsurprisingly, the 19-year-old also leads the MWL in hits (59) and ranks second in OBP (.425), with more walks (17) than strikeouts (15) in 41 games. He also has 14 stolen bases, good for a share of second in the circuit.
Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Casey Golden, OF (No. 30) -- 3-for-6, solo HR (8), 3 R (Class A Adv Lancaster)
Golden, 24, homered for the second time in four games to extend his hit streak to eight games. The 2017 20th-rounder out of UNC Wilmington was one of six Minor Leaguers to accrue at least 20 homers and 20 steals in 2018, when he totaled 34 homers and 24 stolen bases in 124 games at Class A Asheville. And with eight homers and seven steals in 39 games this season, he’s on pace to do it again in 2019.
Rockies prospects stats »