Top prospect performers on MiLB Opening Day

April 5th, 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: Cavan Biggio, 2B/ OF (No. 10) - 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Triple-A Buffalo)
Biggio hit the first homer of the Minor League season as part of his Triple-A debut. What’s more, he did so off of two-time MLB All-Star Gio Gonzalez. Biggio is coming off a strong 2018 campaign, during which he led the Eastern League with 26 homers.
Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Jean Carlos Encarnacion, 3B (No. 13) - 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Class A Delmarva)
Encarnacion, acquired from the Braves in the Kevin Gausman trade last summer, was held hitless before he connected on a game-winning two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning. The 21-year-old hit a career-high 12 homers in 123 games last season between Class A Rome and Delmarva.
Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Shane McClanahan, LHP (No. 11) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K (Class A Bowling Green)
McClanahan, the 31st overall pick from last year’s Draft, set a career high with nine strikeouts as he cruised through five innings, his longest start as a professional.
Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Michael Chavis, 3B (No. 1, MLB No. 78) - 3-for-4, HR, RBI, 2 runs (Triple-A Pawtucket)
Chavis, who missed 80 games last season after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance during the offseason, showcased his trademark power with his first homer of the season as part of a multihit effort.
Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Clarke Schmidt, RHP (No. 5) - 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K (Class A Adv Tampa)
Starting opposite Lakeland’s Casey Mize, Schmidt outdueled the 2018 No. 1 overall pick as he fired five perfect innings in his season debut. He racked up four of his nine strikeouts in the fourth inning, the extra courtesy of a dropped third strike. The 2017 first-rounder is a breakout candidate this season -- his first fully healthy campaign as a pro after Tommy John surgery limited him to just 23 1/3 innings last year.
Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Nolan Jones, 3B (No. 2, MLB No. 66) - 3-for-5, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB (Class A Adv Lynchburg)
The 20-year-old third baseman reached base four times and collected three of the Hillcats’ 17 hits in the victory. In his first taste of the Carolina League last season, Jones compiled a .298/.438/.471 line with three homers and nine doubles in 30 games.
Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Khalil Lee, OF (No. 2) - 2-for-4, 2 R, BB, SB (Double-A Northwest Arkansas)
Lee, 20, reached base three times in his return to the Texas League, where he batted .245/.330/.353 with seven extra-base hits and two steals in 29 games.
Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 17) - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K (Class A Adv Lakeland)
Mize struck out the first two batters he faced and retired the first 13 as he announced his presence with a strong debut. The first-overall pick from last year’s Draft certainly looked like he won’t be pitching at the Class A Advanced level for very long.
Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Akil Baddoo, OF (No. 12) - 2-for-5, HR, 3B, 2 R, RBI (Class A Adv Fort Myers)
After making outs in his first two at-bats, Baddoo connected on a solo homer in the fifth inning and then added a triple in the eighth. The 20-year-old recorded exactly 11 homers and triples apiece in the Midwest League last season, hitting .243/.351/.419 overall across 113 games.
Twins stats »

White Sox: Luis Robert, OF (No. 4, MLB No. 39) - 2-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, BB (Class A Adv Winston-Salem); Zack Collins, C (No. 12) - 3-for-3, 2 HR, 3B, 5 RBI, 3 R (Triple-A Charlotte)
Robert connected a three-run shot in the third inning and added a two-run homer in the following frame, hitting both to left field. He failed to leave the yard in 50 games last year during an injury-plagued campaign and entered this season with three home runs in 270 career at-bats. Collins also went deep twice, hitting a solo homer in the fourth inning followed by a two-run shot in the sixth. He also drove in two runs with a triple to finish his season debut with 11 total bases, the highest total among all Top 30 prospects.
White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Jorge Mateo, SS (No. 8) - 3-for-5, HR, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R (Triple-A Las Vegas)
The 23-year-old shortstop did a little bit of everything out of the leadoff spot, tallying three hits, including an RBI triple and two-run homer, and scoring two runs as the Aviators won for the first time in team history.
A's prospects stats »

Angels: Jared Walsh, 1B/OF/LHP (No. 21) - 1-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBIs, 2 BB (Triple-A Salt Lake)
Walsh reached base three times and made his one hit count, hammering a ninth-inning solo homer to right field. The 2015 39th-rounder broke out in earnest last year with 29 home runs, 34 doubles and 99 RBIs, while ascending from Class A Advanced Inland Empire to Salt Lake.
Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Ross Adolph, OF (No. 30) - 2-for-4, HR, 4 RBIs, BB
Acquired from the Mets last offseason in the J.D. Davis trade, Adolph hit a solo homer, pushed across a run on a bases-loaded walk and plated two runs with a seventh-inning single to match his career-high total in RBIs.
Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Justin Dunn, RHP (No. 3, MLB No. 89) - 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K (Double-A Arkansas); Logan Gilbert, RHP (No. 6) - 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Class A Clinton)
Making their respective Mariners debuts, the two right-handers combined to allow one run on seven hits in nine innings, striking out 12. Gilbert’s start was his first as a pro after a bout of mono and toe surgery kept the 2018 first-rounder off the mound last summer.
Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Leody Taveras, OF (No. 6) - 4-for-4, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI
It’s hard to get off to a better start than Taveras did this season. In addition to racing around the bases on his extra-base hits, the speedy outfielder also showed off his wheels by stealing his first base of the year.
Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Cristian Pache, OF (No. 4, MLB No. 35) - 1-for-5, 3B, 2 SB, R (Double-A Mississippi); Drew Waters, OF (No. 8, MLB No. 84) - 3-for-4, 2B, R, BB (Double-A Mississippi)
The two 20-year-olds lined up alongside each other in M-Braves’ Opening Day outfield and batting order, with Pache playing center field and leading off, and Waters manning right and batting second in his Double-A debut.
Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Tristan Pompey, OF (No. 16) - 2-for-4, R (Class A Advanced Jupiter)
The 2018 third-rounder out of Kentucky scored the Hammerheads’ only run and tallied two of his team’s five hits on Opening Day. Victor Victor Mesa, Miami’s No. 2 prospect (No. 97) overall, was held hitless in four at-bats but did steal a base in his affiliated debut.
Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Ryley Gilliam, RHP (No. 22) - 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K (Class A Advanced St. Lucie)
Gilliam, a fifth-round pick from the 2018 Draft, held opponents scoreless in 15 of his 17 appearances last season and it was more of the same as the 2019 campaign got underway. Gilliam threw 21 of his 28 pitches for strikes and after yielding back-to-back singles, retired the final five batters he faced, four via strikeout.
Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: Simon Muzziotti, OF (No. 12) - 2-for-4 (Class A Advanced Clearwater)
The 20-year-old outfielder began the 2019 campaign with a multihit effort. Muzziotti hit .263 over 68 games last season as he continues to refine his offensive approach.
Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: Gage Canning, OF (No. 10) - 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI (Class A Hagerstown)
Canning hit a two-run homer in top of the ninth inning, but the comeback wasn’t enough as Hagerstown fell 9-8 to Greensboro.
Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Adrian Houser, RHP (No. 15) - 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (Triple-A San Antonio)
Houser battled with runners on base throughout his outing, but was always able to work his way out of trouble. The six strikeouts matched Houser’s high from a season ago.
Brewers prospects stats »

Cubs: Thomas Hatch, RHP (No. 17) - 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (Double-A Tennessee)
After giving up three runs in four innings in his first start a season ago, Hatch fared much better in his first outing of the year this time around. A pair of runners reached second base, but Hatch was in control all night and never had more than one batter reach in an inning.
Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Ivan Herrera, C (No. 19) - 3-for-4, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB (Class A Peoria)
Herrera hit .348 in his United States debut in the Gulf Coast League last season and carried that momentum into 2019, going deep in his first at-bat of the season. The 18-year-old, an advanced hitter for his age, had eight games with three hits or more over the past two seasons.
Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Travis Swaggerty, OF (No. 3); Oneil Cruz, SS (No. 4) - Swaggerty: 2-for-3, BB (Class A Advanced Bradenton); Cruz: 2-for-4 (Class A Advanced Bradenton)
Swaggerty and Cruz came through with four of Bradenton’s seven hits as the club scratched out a 1-0 win on Opening Day.
Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: TJ Friedl, OF (No. 13) - 2-for-5, 3B, RBI (Double-A Chattanooga)
Hitting atop the Chattanooga lineup the 23-year-old put forth a multihit effort that included his first triple of the season. Friedl, who has 60-grade speed on the 20-80 scouting scale, has tripled 15 times over the past two seasons.
Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Jackson Goddard, RHP (No. 29) - 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K (Class A Kane County)
The D-backs 2018 third-round pick wasn’t dominant in his full-season debut, but he did keep the opposition off the board. Goddard, who posted a 4.03 ERA in 29 innings last year, threw 41 of his 76 pitches for strikes.
D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Dustin May, RHP (No. 3), MLB No. 68) - 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K (Double-A Tulsa)
May finished the 2018 season strong in his first taste of Double-A and picked up right where he left off. The right-hander was dominant from the outset -- striking out the first batter he faced -- and carved up the Arkansas lineup throughout his start, eventually striking out four of the final five batters he faced.
Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Joey Bart, C (No. 1, MLB No. 22) - 2-for-4, 2B, RBI (Class A Advanced San Jose)
The Giants’ No. 1 prospect helped lift San Jose to an Opening Day win with a pair of RBI singles. Bart drove in the first run of the game with a base hit in the first, then extended the lead with another hit in the fifth.
Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Ryan Weathers, LHP (No. 10, MLB No. 91) - 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K (Class A Fort Wayne)
Weathers, a 2018 Draft pick, set career highs in both strikeouts and innings pitched. The lefty struck out the first batter he faced and also ended the strong strong as he struck out the side in the fifth inning.
Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Josh Fuentes, 3B/1B (No. 11) - 2-for-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBIs (Triple-A Albuquerque)
Fuentes picked up a pair of extra-base hits in each of his first two trips to the plate this season. The 26-year-old got off to a fast start, but that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise after he hit .327 with 14 homers for Triple-A Albuquerque last season.
Rockies prospects stats »