Monday's top prospect performers

May 28th, 2019

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

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Gabriel Moreno, RHP (No. 18) -- 1-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (Class A Lansing)
Moreno hit a go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth inning to power the Lugnuts past Lake County, 4-3. The homer was the 19-year-old backstop’s second in nine games in the Midwest League, where he’s produced a .313/.324/.563 line with 11 RBIs. Moreno put himself on the prospect map last year by batting .359/.395/.575 with 25 extra-base hits and 36 RBIs across a pair of Rookie levels.
Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP (No. 4, MLB No. 97) -- 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K (Class A Delmarva); Keegan Akin, LHP (No. 6) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K (Triple-A Norfolk); Michael Baumann, RHP (No. 25) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K (Class A Frederick); Alex Wells, LHP (No. 26) -- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (Double-A Bowie)
Four O's top prospects were on the mound, across all four levels, from low A to Triple-A, and they didn't disappoint, combining to strike out 28 batters and allow just two runs in 25 innings. GrayRod, 19, faced three above the minimum as he completed a career-high seven innings to improve to 6-0 in eight starts for the Shorebirds. He’s yet to allow more than two earned runs in any of his eight turns this season -- he’s allowed two earned runs only once -- and leads all South Atlantic League hurlers (min. 40 IP) with a 1.47 ERA. His WHIP (0.84) ranks second, and he’s held opposing hitters to a paltry .161 clip while posting 61 strikeouts against 12 walks in 43 innings. Akin, who hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any starts this season, has now allowed five earned runs across his past four starts. Baumann lowered his ERA to 3.23 with his third scoreless start of the season for the Keys. And at the Double-A level, Wells threw 97 pitches (70 strikes) over seven innings to record his third straight scoreless start. His 1.72 ERA through seven starts (36 2/3 IP) would rank fourth in the Eastern League if he had enough innings to qualify.
Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Colin Poche, LHP (No. 17) -- 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (Triple-A Durham)
Poche hasn’t dominated so far this season like he did in 2018, when he had arguably the best season of any reliever in the Minors (0.82 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 15.0 K/9 in 66 IP), but he’s thrown the ball increasingly well this month, recording seven scoreless outings in eight appearances. In that span, the 25-year-old lefty owns a 1.88 ERA with a 25/3 K/BB in 14 1/3 innings following a rough month of April in which he was tagged for 12 runs on 12 hits in 8 2/3 innings.
Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Triston Casas, 1B/3B (No. 2) -- 1-for-2, HR (8), 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB (Class A Greenville)
The 2018 first-round pick experienced the full range of Three True Outcomes by hitting a two-run homer, working a pair of walks and striking out in his four trips to the plate against Augusta. Casas’ homer was his eighth in 46 games, and he’s now gone deep six times while hitting .329/.408/.634 with 27 RBIs in 24 games this month.
Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Trevor Stephan, RHP (No. 8) -- 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K (Double-A Trenton)
Stephan pitched around traffic early in the game and recorded a pair of swinging strikeouts to escape a bases-loaded jam in the second. The 23-year-old did finish the outing strong, however, striking out three of the final four batters he faced before departing the game with 73 pitches (42 strikes). The Yankees are carefully managing the former third-round pick’s (2017) workload this season, as he’s thrown more than 78 pitches only once in eight starts.
Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Nolan Jones, 3B (No. 2, MLB No. 60) -- 2-for-3, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 R, BB (Class A Adv Lynchburg)
Jones extended the Hillcats’ lead in the fifth inning with a three-run homer, his third this season. The 21-year-old third baseman has hit all three of them in his last eight games, a stretch during which he’s batting .357 with nine RBIs. Jones’ recent hot streak has pushed his season average up over the .300 mark (.303), and he’s continued to demonstrate advanced plate discipline with 21 walks and 18 strikeouts in 23 games this month.
Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Brady Singer, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 50) -- 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K (Class A Adv Wilmington)
Singer appears to have found his groove as he fired his third straight scoreless start -- he’s gone seven scoreless in back-to-back turns -- to lead the Blue Rocks in a combined five-hit shutout of Myrtle Beach. He induced 10 groundouts, including a pair of double plays, and also picked off a runner at first base while facing two over the minimum. He threw 93 pitches, 63 for strikes. The 2018 first-rounder out of Florida has thrown 20 straight scoreless frames over his last three starts to lower his season ERA from 2.87 to 1.87, the second-best mark in the Carolina League, and he’s 4-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 34/7 K/BB over his last six starts.
Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Matt Manning, RHP (No. 2, MLB No. 48) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K (Double-A Erie)
Manning, Detroit’s first-round pick (No. 9 overall) from the 2016 Draft, has been a model of consistency this season as he’s now completed at least six innings all but once in his last seven starts. His 2.10 ERA in 10 starts for the SeaWolves is the sixth-best mark in the Eastern League, and he leads all hurlers in the circuit in both strikeouts (75) and innings pitched (60). Manning’s plus fastball-curveball pairing and promising changeup make him a force against opposing hitters, who have collectively produced a .170 average with one home run against the 6-foot-6, 215-pound righty in 2019.
Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Nick Gordon, 2B (No. 10) -- 1-for-5, 3B, RBI, R (Triple-A Rochester)
Gordon’s lone hit on Monday was an RBI triple in the fifth inning that gives him hits in five of six games since he returned from a stay on the 7-day injured list for a left abductor strain. The sample size may be small, but the 23-year-old has produced a .322/.355/.475 line with eight extra-base hits in 14 games this season. The former first-round pick (2014) has been passed over in the Twins’ system by many other middle infielders, but as a member of the team’s 40-man roster, Gordon is likely to make his big league debut in 2019.
Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Lincoln Henzman, RHP (No. 26) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 0 K (Class A Adv Winston-Salem)
The former fourth-round pick out of Louisville (2017) logged his third consecutive quality start for the Dash in his first performance without allowing an earned run since April 20. While Henzman failed to record a strikeout, the 23-year-old did generate 11 groundouts while scattering four singles over six innings. He’s pitched to a 1.90 ERA over his last three turns after giving up six runs in back-to-back starts.
White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Jorge Mateo, SS (No. 8) -- 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R (Triple-A Las Vegas)
Mateo, the Aviators’ designated hitter and leadoff man on Monday, improved his season average to .327 with a three-hit performance that included a double. The 23-year-old is having a bounceback campaign in the Pacific Coast League, where he’s now produced a .911 OPS with 12 steals in 47 games after OPS-ing .633 with 25 steals in 131 games in 2018. Defensively, Mateo has seen the bulk of his time at shortstop (39 games) while making the occasional start (8) at second base.
A's prospects stats »

Angels: Jo Adell, OF (No. 1, MLB No. 14) -- 2-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI (Class A Adv Inland Empire)
The 20-year-old teed off for the first time in 2019, hitting a two-run shot to right field in the third inning after reaching via a single in his first at-bat. The two-hit effort was Adell’s second in as many games after he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his season debut on May 24. The former first-rounder (2017) began the year on the shelf while recovering from knee and ankles injuries that he suffered during the same play back in Spring Training. Adell put himself on the map last year as one baseball’s top prospects by hitting .290/.355/.543 with 20 homers, 32 doubles and 15 steals in 99 games while ascending from Class A Burlington to Double-A Mobile.
Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Freudis Nova, SS (No. 6) -- 1-for-4, solo HR (1) (Class A Quad Cities)
Playing in his second game of the season after a 1-for-4 debut on Saturday, 19-year-old Nova hit a leadoff shot in the sixth inning off of Brewers No. 9 prospect Aaron Ashby to extend the River Bandits’ lead. Signed by Houston for $1.2 million in July 2016, the Dominican shortstop opened eyes last year by hitting .308/.331/.466 during his stateside debut in the Rookie Gulf Coast League.
Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Justus Sheffield, LHP (No. 1, MLB No. 39) -- 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K (Triple-A Tacoma)
Sheffield allowed home runs to left-handed hitters Matt Thaiss (two-run) and Justin Bour (solo) before departing the game after four innings and 87 pitches (50 strikes). The 23-year-old lefty was coming off of his longest start of the season, a seven-inning, one-run performance against Fresno. He’s pitched to a 4.25 ERA in 29 2/3 innings since being optioned to Tacoma following his Mariners debut on April 26.
Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Diosbel Arias, INF (No. 19) -- 4-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB (Class A Adv Down East)
Arias, 22, reached base in all five trips to the plate, recording a season-high four hits and walking once from the cleanup spot. Two of his hits were doubles, giving him 15 in 51 games, and he’s now driven in 30 runs after his three-RBI game Monday. Bumped up from the Class A Short Season Northwest League to Down East for his first full season, the Cuban infielder has responded to the challenge by hitting .306/.360/.420.
Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Alex Jackson, C (No. 26) -- 0-for-3, RBI, HBP (Triple-A Gwinnett)
Jackson failed to collect a hit or reach base but did drive in a run via a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the eighth inning. After making his big league debut last month (0-for-10 in 3 games), he’s returned to Triple-A to hit nine home runs in 21 games.
Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Isan Diaz, 2B (No. 6) -- 0-for-4 (Triple-A New Orleans)
Diaz’s streak of five straight games with a home run came to an end on Monday as he went hitless in four at-bats on his 23rd birthday. After a slow start to his season, Diaz has erupted to hit .314/.427/.651 with eight homers and 26 runs in 25 games this month. He was the only Marlins Top 30 prospect in action on Monday.
Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Ronny Mauricio, SS (No. 2, MLB No. 92) -- 1-for-5 (Class A Columbia)
The 18-year-old switch-hitter tallied one of the Fireflies’ six hits in their loss to Charleston. Playing in the South Atlantic League, where he’s three-and-a-half years younger than the league’s average player, Mauricio has hit .270/.322/.346 with 10 extra-base hits in 46 games in his first full season.
Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: Adam Haseley, OF (No. 3) -- 2-for-4, 2B, RBI (Double-A Reading)
The former first-round pick (2017) is hitting .351 over his last 10 games and .329 in 32 games this month after his multihit performance on Monday. The Virginia product struggled during the season’s first month, hitting .172/.286/.313 over 17 games.
Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: Wil Crowe, RHP (No. 4) -- 7 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Double-A Harrisburg)
Crowe had a game to remember as he earned the win with his longest start of the season and also hit his first career home run, a two-run shot to left field in the seventh inning. The 24-year-old has been a workhorse this year, pitching to a 3.30 ERA while averaging a little less than six innings per start. He has 52 strikeouts and has allowed just two home runs in 57 1/3 innings (10 starts) on the year.
Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Mauricio Dubon, SS/2B (No. 5) -- Game 1: 3-for-4, HR (6); Game 2: 1-for-4, R (Triple-A San Antonio)
The Missions’ leadoff man collected a team-high three hits including his sixth home run of the season in the first game of a doubleheader against Memphis, then added another single in the nightcap to finish the day 4-for-8. After having all but 27 games wiped out last season due to a torn ACL, the 24-year-old Dubon has come back to slash .283/.323/.424 with 14 extra-base hits over 48 games.
Brewers prospects stats »

Cubs: Adbert Alzolay, RHP (No. 4) -- 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K (Triple-A Iowa)
Alzolay retired the first 12 batters of the game before finally allowing a leadoff single in the fifth inning that was followed by an RBI double. He went on to complete six innings, striking out a season-high nine batters on 79 pitches (57 strikes) in his longest outing of 2019. The 24-year-old has made four starts this season, with his last three turns coming in the Pacific Coast League. In 2018, Alzoday made only eight starts for Iowa before suffering a season-ending lat injury in late May.
Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Tommy Edman, INF (No. 11) -- Game 1: 1-for-4, HR (7); Game 2: 0-for-3 (Triple-A Memphis)
Edman began his day with a leadoff home run in the first game of the Redbirds’ doubleheader against San Antonio, then made his first career start in center field in the nightcap. The 24-year-old had appeared in 230 games on the infield before getting the nod in the center, where he made all four plays. Already capable of playing second (24 games), shortstop (7) and third base (6), adding the outfield to his defense resume only enhances Edman’s value to the big league club.
Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Pablo Reyes, OF (No. 17) -- 3-for-5, HR (2), 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R (Triple-A Indianapolis)
The 25-year-old utility man recorded his third multihit effort in four games, hitting a two-run single, a double and a solo home run, his second of the season. Reyes has already seen time with the Pirates in 2019 but was demoted to Triple-A in early May after hitting .128 (5-for-39) in 23 games.
Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Michael Siani, OF (No. 7) -- 1-for-2, 2B, 2 R, SB (Class A Dayton) The 2018 fourth-round pick hit a double, swiped a bag and scored two runs in Dayton’s loss to Bowling Green. After scuffling through the first month of the season (.476 OPS), Siani has begun to heat up in May with a .756 OPS and eight extra-base hits in 21 games.
Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Domingo Leyba, 2B (No. 24) -- 1-for-5, 2B (Triple-A Reno)
Fresh off of earning Prospect Team of the Week honors, Leyba, a 23-year-old switch-hitter, ripped a double to extend his hitting streak to seven games for the Aces. He’s been on a tear of late, hitting .381 with four homers, 14 RBIs and 12 runs scored over his last 10 games, while his season line sits at .313/.367/.549 after Monday’s performance.
D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Mitchell White, RHP (No. 8) -- 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K (Triple-A Oklahoma City)
White took the loss in the opener of Oklahoma City’s doubleheader against Omaha, but it was still his best performance in three starts since his promotion to Triple-A as he tossed four innings of one-run ball. After posting a 2.10 ERA with a .165 BAA and 37 strikeouts in 30 innings for Double-A Tulsa, the 24-year-old was tagged for 11 earned runs on 14 hits in 10 innings between his first two starts.
Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Jake Wong, RHP (No. 7) -- 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 K (Class A Adv San Jose)
Wong, 22, retired the last seven batters he faced en route to the win in his San Jose home debut. He faced three over the minimum in the outing, with a third-inning solo shot representing the only blemish on his performance. The 2018 third-round pick was promoted to the California League after posting a 1.99 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 40 2/3 innings (eight starts) for Class A Augusta.
Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Xavier Edwards, SS (No. 11) -- 3-for-4, 2B, 2 R, BB (Class A Fort Wayne)
Edwards, 19, improved his Midwest League-leading average to .378 with his fourth straight multihit game for the TinCaps. To go along with the batting average, Edwards, whom the Padres selected with the No. 38 overall pick in last year’s Draft, leads the MWL in hits (62) and OBP (.435). He’s also swiped 14 bases in 21 attempts in 42 games.
Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Josh Fuentes, 3B (No. 10) -- 4-for-5, 3 2B, 2 R (Triple-A Albuquerque)
Fuentes collected a season-high four hits including three doubles in his second straight multihit performance for the ‘Topes. The 26-year-old made his big league debut with the Rockies earlier this season, hitting .111 over parts of nine games. In Triple-A, Fuentes has produced a .276/.333/.455 line with 18 extra-base hits and 26 RBIs in 38 games.
Rockies prospects stats »