Saturday's top prospect performers

June 30th, 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: Orelvis Martinez, SS (No. 10) -- 3-for-5, 3B, HR, 5 RBI (Gulf Coast League Blue Jays)
Martinez received the second-largest bonus of any prospect in the 2018-19 international class when he signed with the Blue Jays last July for $3.5 million. The club deemed the 17-year-old shortstop advanced enough to make the jump straight to the Gulf Coast League for his pro debut, and so far he's rewarded the organization by hitting safely in his first five games. He turned in his best performance on Saturday, as he connected on his first pro home run, a two-run shot, in the fifth inning before clearing the bases with a three-run triple in the eighth. While he has a chance to develop average-or-better tools across the board, Martinez stands out most for his natural hitting ability and power potential from the right side of the plate. Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Ryan McKenna, OF (No. 7) -- 1-for-4, HR, 4 RBI (Double-A Bowie)
McKenna's lone hit was a grand slam that was the highlight in a six-run third inning that helped Bowie edge Akron 8-7. The 22-year-old's second homer of the month was also his sixth of the season, and it puts him more than halfway toward reaching the career-high total (11) he posted last year while slashing .315/.410/.457 during a breakout campaign between the Baysox and Class A Advanced Frederick. This season, however, McKenna has struggled to hit for average and get on base, posting a .226/.304/.356 line over 76 games in the Eastern League, though he is enjoying his best month of the season (.267/.316/.390 in 26 games). Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Alejandro Pie, SS (No. 29) -- 2-for-5, R, RBI, SB (Dominican Summer League)
Signed by the Rays for $1.385 million last July out of the Dominican Republic, Pie, who is just 17, is batting .294 in the DSL after his fifth two-hit performance in 10 games on Saturday. Ultra-athletic and physically projectable at 6-foot-4, 175 pounds, Pie could develop average power as he adds strength to his frame. He already earns plus grades for his speed and arm strength to go along with his solid defensive chops at shortstop. Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Pedro Castellanos, 1B (No. 25) -- 3-for-4, 2B, RBI (Class A Adv Salem)
Castellanos put the Red Sox on the board with a one-out double in the first inning and finished with a team-high three hits, accounting for half of Salem's hits in its 2-1 win over Winston-Salem. In the process, the 21-year-old first baseman extended his hitting streak to eight games -- a stretch during which he's batting .363. While he's proved to be an advanced hitter early in his career by hitting .306 over his first 277 games, Castellanos will need to start tapping into his right-handed raw power in order to profile as a first baseman at the highest level. Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Roansy Contreras, RHP (No. 10) -- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K (Class A Charleston)
Contreras, 19, had allowed nine earned runs on 15 hits and seven walks in 8 1/3 innings across his previous two starts before rebounding on Saturday with five solid frames of one-run ball in the RiverDogs' win over Asheville. He notched six strikeouts and groundouts apiece in the outing and found the strike zone with 62 of his 96 pitches. While none of his numbers in the South Atlantic League this season really jump off the page, Contreras has proved to be plenty durable, averaging more than five innings per start while completing at least seven frames in three of his 14 turns for Charleston. Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Eric Haase, C (No. 29) -- 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR (Triple-A Columbus)
After blasting his 19th home run of the season Saturday, Haase is now one big fly shy of recording his third straight 20-homer campaign in the Minors Leagues. This season, however, the 26-year-old backstop is also hitting for a respectable average and reaching base at a healthy clip, with a .266/.363/.591 line over 58 games in the International League. The former seventh-round pick (2011) made his big league debut last year as a September callup and went 2-for-16 while appearing in nine games. Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Nick Pratto, 1B (No. 5) -- 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB (Class A Adv Wilmington)
Slowly but surely, the Royals' first-round pick from the 2017 Draft is starting to heat up at the plate. While he has hit just .175/.273/.263 with four homers and 99 strikeouts in 74 games this season for Wilmington -- after a strong full-season debut in which he slashed .280/.343/.443 with 14 homers, 33 doubles and 22 steals over 127 games in the Class A South Atlantic League -- Pratto sports a .242 average with a pair of homers and seven RBIs over his last 10 games. Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Parker Meadows, OF (No. 8) -- 3-for-3, 3 R, 2B, HR, HBP (Class A West Michigan)
Meadows, Detroit's second-round pick from the 2018 Draft, turned in his finest offensive performance of the season, reaching base four times and finishing a triple short of the cycle in West Michigan's 7-3 victory over Lake County. His home run, a third-inning solo shot, put the Whitecaps on the board in the the third inning, and he also scored runs in the fifth and sixth innings after reaching via a single and a double. Although he's hitting just .226/.309/.315 with four homers so far in his first full season, Meadows, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound outfielder, has significant upside and impact potential thanks to his promising combination of power and speed. Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Griffin Jax, RHP (No. 23) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K (Double-A Pensacola)
Jax continued to roll on Saturday as he posed his fourth straight start allowing one earned run or fewer for Pensacola. In doing so, the 24-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.67, the second-best mark among qualified hurlers in the Southern League. The 2016 third-round pick out of Air Force does not have overpowering stuff, but he knows how to execute and command a three-pitch mix that includes a fastball and changeup that both receive above-average grades from evaluators. Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Luis Robert, OF (No. 1, MLB No. 5) -- 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 SB (Double-A Birmingham)
Robert recorded multiple hits for the fifth time in his past seven games and also swiped a pair of bags, giving him 24 stolen bases (in 32 attempts) this season across two levels. The 21-year-old's overall batting line sits at an absurd .359/.410/.638, and he's already tallied 41 extra-base hits, including 15 homers, in just 61 games. White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Jeremy Eierman, SS (No. 10) -- 2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, HR, BB (Class A Adv Stockton)
Eierman's third-inning solo shot was his second home run in three games, and he also hit a triple before coming around to score in the eighth inning of Stockton's extra-inning victory over San Jose. Selected by the A's with the No. 70 pick in the 2018 Draft, the Missouri State product has shown plenty of power in his first full season, with nine home runs and 25 extra-base hits, but he's hitting just .210 overall with a .275 OBP and 112 strikeouts 73 games. A's prospects stats »

Angels: There were no notable performances by Angels Top 30 prospects in the Minors on Saturday.

Astros: J.J. Matijevic, 1B/OF (No. 19) -- 2-for-4, 2 HR (Double-A Corpus Christi)
Matijevic hit his first two homers (both solo shots) since returning to the Double-A level as he went deep in the third inning and once again in the ninth in the Hooks' loss against Amarillo. The 23-year-old has clubbed four homers in eight games between Corpus Christi and Class A Advanced Fayetteville since June 21, when he was activated from the restricted list after serving a 50-game suspension following a second positive test for a drug of abuse in late April. Overall, the 2017 second-round pick out of the University of Arizona has hit six homers in 27 games this season after a 22-homer full-season debut in 2018. Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: Justus Sheffield, LHP (No. 4, MLB No. 74) -- 8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K (Double-A Arkansas)
Sheffield carried a no-hit bid into eighth inning before giving up a leadoff double to the Dodgers' top prospect Keibert Ruiz. He ultimately would allow one run on two hits before departing his longest career start after 98 pitches (64 strikes). The 23-year-old southpaw seemingly has found his groove in Double-A, where he's recorded a 1.35 ERA and 24/4 K/BB in 20 innings across three starts after pitching to a forgettable 6.87 ERA and 48/41 K/BB over 55 innings with Triple-A Tacoma. Mariners prospects stats »

Rangers: Hans Crouse, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 63) -- 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (Class A Hickory)
Crouse, 20, didn't miss many bats on Saturday but was still plenty effective as he scattered four hits over four innings in his second straight scoreless start for the Crawdads. The back-to-back strong performances ended a rough patch during which the former second-round pick (2017) had given up 11 runs in 17 1/3 innings across four starts. Even with his struggles, the electric-armed right-hander has still registered a 2.82 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 42/9 K/BB over 44 2/3 innings (10 starts) in his first full season. Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Justin Dean, OF (No. 28) -- 2-for-5, 2 R, HR (Class A Rome)
Dean hammered his fourth home run of the year and recorded his third multihit performance in the past four games as Rome edged Greenville, 7-6. A 17th-round pick in 2018 out of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina, Dean, who has 70-grade speed and projects as at least an average hitter, has put himself on the prospect radar in his first full season with a strong showing in the South Atlantic League, batting .282/.386/.441 with 21 extra-base hits and 20 steals in 55 games. Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Jerar Encarnacion, OF (No. 19) -- 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI (Class A Adv Jupiter)
Encarnacion has been red-hot since his promotion to the Florida State League, hitting .359/.405/.667 with three homers and three doubles after his third three-hit effort in nine games for Jupiter on Saturday. The 21-year-old earned the promotion thanks to a breakout first half at Class A Clinton, where he produced a .298/.363/.478 line with 10 homers in 68 games. Signed by Miami for $78,000 in September 2015, Encarnacion, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound outfielder, stands out for impressive raw power to all fields from the right side of the plate -- he consistently hits the ball as hard as just about anyone in the Marlins' system -- but he also possesses good feel to hit and plus arm strength that makes him a clean fit in right field defensively. Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: Mark Vientos, 3B (No. 4) -- 2-for-4, 2B (Class A Columbia)
Vientos, 19, recorded the Fireflies' lone extra-base hit and two of their six hits overall Saturday in a shutout loss against Hickory. The 2017 second-rounder has swung the bat increasingly well of late, hitting an even .300 with five-extra-base hits and nine RBIs over his last 10 games in the South Atlantic League. He was a slow starter last year, too, when he batted .230/.310/.370 over his first 25 games in the Rookie-level Appalachian League before erupting to hit .333/.450/.585 over his final 35 contests. Mets prospects stats »

Phillies: Alec Bohm, 3B (No. 1, MLB No. 38) -- 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI (Double-A Reading)
Fresh off of delivering a walk-off single on Friday night, Bohm cranked a two-run homer to left field in the first inning and then added an RBI single in the third to power the Fightin Phils past Portland, 4-1. He didn't go deep in 40 games last summer after the Phillies took him with the No. 3 overall pick in the Draft, but the 22-year-old has already hit three homers in eight games at the Double-A level, giving him 10 homers in 70 games this season across three different levels. In addition to the impressive power numbers, Bohm has posted a .331 average and .404 OBP while driving in 47 runs. It's exactly the type of consistent production and advancement teams hope for from a top Draft pick. Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: Carter Kieboom, SS/2B (No. 1, MLB No. 21) -- 3-for-4, R, 2B, BB (Triple-A Fresno)
The 21-year-old middle-infielder broke out of a 1-for-16 funk with a three-hit performance in Fresno's win over El Paso. Though he scuffled during his first stint in the big leagues, hitting .128 with 16 strikeouts in 11 games, Kieboom has been a force this season at Triple-A, slashing .318/.435/.596 with 13 homers, 33 extra-base hits and 57 RBIs in 62 games. Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: There were no notable performances by Brewers Top 30 prospects in the Minors on Saturday.

Cubs: Nico Hoerner, SS (No. 1, MLB No. 52) -- 2-for-3, R, 2B (AZL Cubs 2); Miguel Amaya, C (No. 2, MLB No. 76) -- 1-for-4, HR, 4 RBI (Class A Adv Myrtle Beach)
Hoerner, the Cubs' first-round pick in the 2018 Draft, has gone 2-for-3 in consecutive games as he continues on a rehab assignment in the Arizona League. The 22-year-old Stanford product posted a .300/.391/.500 line with eight extra-base hits over 18 games in his first Double-A exposure earlier this season before landing on the injured list for nearly two months in late April with a fractured wrist. As for Amaya, he smashed a grand slam in the third inning that helped power the Pelicans in a 6-4 win over Myrtle Beach. It was the 20-year-old backstop's sixth home run of the season and his first since May 20. Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Griffin Roberts, RHP (No. 12) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 5 K (Class A Adv Palm Beach)
Roberts delivered a classic rebound appearance on Saturday, posting a quality start in the next outing after allowing six runs in just 3 1/3 innings. It's been a rocky start to the season for the 2018 draftee, but Saturday showed signs of the player worthy of a Competitive Balance Round A selection out of Wake Forest. It was his longest pro outing by both innings and pitches, and the one earned run is his best mark in the category this season. However, he continues to lose the ball a bit too often, hitting two more batters Saturday. He's already plunked seven batters this season in six games. Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Travis Swaggerty, OF (No. 3, MLB No. 64) -- Game 2 of DH: 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI (Class A Adv Bradenton)
Swaggerty scored and drove in a run during Game 1 of a twin bill on Saturday, and his Game 2 performance was an even better version of the same sort of stat line. The double was only his third this month, combined with a home run to represent his only extra-base hits in June. That unfortunately sums up the 2018 draftee's campaign so far, as he's struggled at the plate to the tune of a .219 average with a .319 slugging percentage. Hopefully a productive doubleheader on Saturday can kickstart the South Alabama product as the calendar graciously switches to July on Monday. Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Scott Moss, LHP (No. 14) -- 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K (Double-A Chattanooga)
Moss picked up his fifth win of the season as he struck out exactly eight batters for the third time in five outings this month. The 2016 draftee out of the University of Florida danced around danger all evening, ending the second, third and fourth innings with runners in scoring position, and then he allowed his two runs in the fifth courtesy of a walk, triple and sacrifice fly. That said, he limited the damage to just those two runs, keeping his ERA at 3.51 on the season, which is remarkably similar to his career average and previous full-season campaigns. Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Domingo Leyba, 2B (No. 24) -- 5-for-6, 2 HR, 6 RBI (Triple-A Reno)
Leyba could not be stopped on Saturday night, setting career highs in hits, home runs and RBIs as the Aces poured on the offense in a 20-9 victory at Las Vegas.The 23-year-old had a short stint on the big league roster this season and made his MLB debut, but he's spent most of his time in Reno. While with the Aces in the hitter-friendly PCL, Leyba has his best slugging percentage since his first pro season in the Dominican Summer League back in 2013. This game on its own raised his slugging percentage by nearly 30 points, as he picked up his first RBIs since June 15. D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Jeter Downs, SS/2B (No. 7) -- 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI (Class A Adv Rancho Cucamonga)
Downs, 20, put the Quakes on the board in the first inning with a two-run homer that was also his second in as many days and 14th of the season, a new career high. Acquired in the offseason trade that sent Yasiel Puig and others to the Reds, Downs has continued to show a promising blend of power and speed (18 steals) this season while batting .257/.327/.486 with 52 RBIs in 71 games. Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Garrett Williams, LHP (No. 19) -- 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K (Double-A Richmond)
The former seventh-round pick (2016) out of Oklahoma State spun his best start of 2019 as he established season-high totals in both strikeouts and innings pitched as he and a Richmond reliever combined to fire a one-hit shutout against Hartford. Williams allowed a single and walk in the first inning before settling in to retire 12 of the next 13 batters before issuing his second walk of the game to open the sixth inning. He ultimately threw 87 pitches (56 strikes) and recorded 10 ground outs in the outing. The 24-year-old southpaw has been sharp of late, as his scoreless performance Saturday was his fourth in his past five starts. His ERA, meanwhile, sits at 3.63, which is the lowest it's been since early April. Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Edward Olivares, OF (No. 19) -- 4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, SB (Double-A Amarillo)
That's now six multihit efforts in 10 games for Olivares, who posted his second four-hit game of 2019 on Saturday while finishing a triple short of the cycle. The 23-year-old's home run, a two-run shot that put Amarillo on the board in the first inning, was his second in as many days, as was his stolen base. With 11 home runs and 21 steals -- and a solid .282/.354/.466 batting line -- in 71 games this season, Olivares continues to show the power-speed pairing that earned him a spot on the Padres' 40-man roster last offseason. Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Daniel Montano, OF (No. 18) -- 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B, 3B, HR, BB, SB (Class A Asheville)
After popping out on the infield in his first at-bat, Montano connected on a solo home run in the third inning, hit a triple in the fifth and added a ground-rule double in the ninth to finish a single short of the cycle. He accounted for half of the Tourists' total hits in their loss against Charleston. Signed for $2 million out of Venezuela in 2015, the 20-year-old spent his first three pro seasons in Rookie ball before moving up to the South Atlantic League, where he's produced a .234/.304/.383 line with five homers and nine steals in 72 games. Rockies prospects stats »