Sunday's top prospect performers

May 31st, 2021

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

Orioles: Adley Rustchman, C (MLB No. 2), Double-A Bowie
DL Hall, LHP (MLB No. 56), Double-A Bowie
Two of baseball’s best prospects turned a Sunday doubleheader into their own personal showcase. Rutschman collected five hits, two homers and seven RBIs in the two games including a three-hit, three-RBI performance in Game 1. The 23-year-old went deep again in the nightcap, blasting a three-run shot and adding an RBI single and a walk to help Bowie complete a sweep of the twinbill. Rutschman has raised his average 82 points in the last six games on the strength of a 10-for-18 stretch that includes three homers and 10 RBIs. The backstop is now batting .293/.465/.573 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 22 games.

Hall dominated Harrisburg in Game 2, yielding one hit and three walks while striking out eight in five shutout innings. The 22-year-old’s fourth scoreless appearance in five starts lowered his ERA to 2.14 and WHIP to 1.05. Hall issued three walks in the first three innings but finished strong, allowing a single and striking out four of the last six batters he faced. Opponents are batting .153 off Hall, who has fanned 39 in 21 innings and yielded two or fewer hits in four of his five starts. Orioles prospect stats »

Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., SS (MLB No. 7), Double-A Northwest Arkansas
The top Royals prospect notched his first career three-homer game and reached base four times to lead Northwest Arkansas. Coupled with his homer in his final plate appearance on Saturday, Witt has gone deep four times in his last five official at-bats, one more than he hit through his first 85 at-bats. The 20-year-old has hit safely in eight of his last 11 games, going 13-for-45 (.289) with five home runs and nine RBIs. Royals prospect stats »

Marlins: Max Meyer, RHP (MLB No. 22), Double-A Pensacola
The third-ranked Marlins prospect did not allow a hit and worked around three walks while fanning three over 3 ⅓ innings. Meyer retired the first seven batters he faced before yielding a walk to Chad Spanberger in the third. The right-hander was lifted after tossing 47 pitches -- 25 for strikes. It was the fourth scoreless start for Meyer who lowered his ERA to 1.96 and is now sporting a 1.04 WHIP and has 22 strikeouts to eight walks over 23 frames this season. Marlins prospect stats »

Royals: Daniel Lynch, LHP (MLB No. 23), Triple-A Omaha
Lynch settled in nicely during his second start at the Triple-A level. The southpaw tossed five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, two hits and two walks in Omaha’s 7-2 win over Indianapolis. After a challenging stint in Kansas City to begin the year, the 2018 first-rounder is finding his groove for Omaha. Lynch has recorded six or more Ks in his three Triple-A starts, and Sunday’s outing was his second straight appearance with one or less run allowed, lowering his ERA to 2.70. Royals prospect stats »

Pirates: Oneil Cruz, SS (MLB No. 51), Double-A Altoona
Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP (No. 11), High-A Greensboro
Cruz stayed hot on Sunday, stroking an RBI triple and walking three times in Altoona’s loss to Erie. The 22-year-old extended his hitting streak to five games, during which he’s gone 6-for-16 with four extra-base hits and seven RBIs. Overall, Cruz is batting .256/.333/.513 while hitting safely in 15 of 20 games to begin the season.

The right-hander posted his first career hitless outing and second start without allowing a run after working around a walk to fan a career-best eight over five frames. Mlodzinski retired the first seven batters he faced before yielding a seven-pitch walk to Kyle Marinconz. However, the No. 21 overall pick in last year’s Draft still faced the minimum because Marinconz was promptly caught stealing, 2-6. Mlodzinski sat down the final seven batters he faced -- whiffing the side in the fifth. Over his first three starts, the South Carolina product is sporting a 0.79 ERA and has 18 strikeouts over 11 ⅓ innings pitched. Pirates prospect stats »

Cubs: Brennen Davis, OF (MLB No. 48), High-A South Bend
Davis continued to wield a strong bat, notching his first three-hit game of the season and scoring twice in South Bend’s win over Fort Wayne. The 21-year-old collected three singles for his second multi-hit performance in eight games, pushing his slash line to .321/.406/.607 in 28 at-bats. Davis began the season late after taking a ball to the face during Spring Training, but it doesn’t appear the Cubs’ 2018 second-round Draft pick has missed a beat. Cubs prospect stats »

White Sox: Matthew Thompson, RHP (No. 3), Low-A Kannapolis
Thompson rebounded from the worst start of his brief career by blanking Carolina over three innings. The 23-year-old balanced the two hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch he surrendered by striking out a career-high six. While Thompson has faced heavy traffic through his first five starts, he has averaged more than a strikeout per inning, fanning 18 in 17 ⅔ frames. White Sox prospect stats »

Tigers: Daniel Cabrera, OF (No. 6), High-A West Michigan
The sixth-ranked Tigers prospect notched his third straight three-hit game on Sunday. Cabrera launched a three-run blast in the second inning and added a pair of base knocks. The 22-year-old’s long ball was his third of the season. He is now 9-for-13 with a homer, a double, six RBIs and five runs scored over his last three games. Cabrera is sporting a .276/.347/.460 slash line over 22 games this season. Tigers prospect stats »

Yankees: Jake Sanford, OF (No. 29), Low-A Tampa
Sanford paced Tampa’s 13-hit attack by equaling his career high with four knocks, including this third homer and second in three games. The 23-year-old added three singles, capped by a run-scoring hit in the sixth for his season-high third RBI. Sanford has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, going 13-for-37 (.351) with three homers, nine runs and eight RBIs in that span. Overall, the Western Kentucky product is batting .281/.350/.416 with six extra-base hits, 16 runs and 12 RBIs in 21 games for Tampa. Yankees prospect stats »

Nationals: Mitchell Parker, LHP, Low-A Fredericksburg
It’s hard to be as dominant on the mound as Parker has been in his last two starts for Fredericksburg. After tossing six one-hit frames in his last start, the 21-year-old did not allow a hit and struck out a career-high 12 in six innings against Down East on Sunday. Parker issued a one-out walk and followed by hitting a batter in the second inning, but he rebounded by striking out the last two batters of the frame, beginning a stretch of 14 consecutive hitters retired to finish his 93-pitch outing. The southpaw fanned 10 of those batters, bringing his season total to 43 in 24 ⅔ innings, the second-highest mark in the Minors. Nationals prospect stats »