Monday's top prospect performers

July 16th, 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: Jonathan Davis, OF (No. 28) -- 3-for-5, HR, 3 RBI (Triple-A Buffalo)
Davis had just one hit in four games since returning from a brief stint with the Blue Jays earlier this month, but he's back to being one of Buffalo's more valuable bats with his seventh home run of the Triple-A season on Monday. The 27-year-old is still hitting just .234, but he's reaching base at a .386 clip with an .835 OPS while splitting time between center field and left. The Blue Jays just promoted Billy McKinney from Buffalo, but with Anthony Alford on the seven-day IL and Davis still holding a spot on the 40-man roster, he remains the next man up if a need arises. Blue Jays prospects stats »

Orioles: Austin Hays, OF (No. 5) -- 3-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI (Triple-A Norfolk)
Hays' three-hit game Monday was his second in five games since rejoining the Tides, and he's batting .421 with two homers, four doubles and eight RBIs in that span. Altogether, the 24-year-old outfielder has clubbed 10 homers in 43 games across four levels this season between two separate stints on the injured list. After reaching the Major Leagues in 2017 during his first full season, Hays' development has been slowed by a myriad of injuries that have limited him to just 118 games since the start of 2018. Orioles prospects stats »

Rays: Greg Jones, SS -- 3-for-4, R, 2B, BB, SB (Class A Short Season Hudson Valley)
Jones, the No. 22 overall pick in this year's Draft, whom the Rays signed for $3,024,500, reached base four times out of the leadoff spot, as he tallied two singles, a double and a walk in Hudson Valley's loss against Mahoning Valley. The 21-year-old has hit safely in seven straight games, including five multihit performances, to improve his season line to .299/.378/.391 through 22 games. Jones, who has elite, 80-grade speed, is 9-for-14 in stolen bases attempts after swiping a bag on Monday. Rays prospects stats »

Red Sox: Nick Decker, OF (No. 10) -- 2-for-3, 2 HR (Class A Short Season Lowell)
The 2018 second-round pick has hit four home runs in his career, and they've all come in his past five games. He doubled his total on Monday with his first career multi-homer game, as he connected on solo shots against Jackson Rutledge (Washington's first-round Draft pick) and Todd Peterson (seventh round) in Lowell's 4-3 loss to Auburn. Decker, a 19-year-old outfielder, has had nine of his 16 hits go for extra bases this season while tallying 16 RBIs in 21 games. Red Sox prospects stats »

Yankees: Deivi Garcia, RHP (No. 4) -- 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre); T.J. Sikkema, LHP -- 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (Class A Short Season Staten Island)
Back from the Futures Game -- where he opened eyes by tossing a perfect inning as the American League team's starting pitcher -- Garcia moved up to Triple-A and earned the win in his RailRiders debut, striking out six over five innings. The 20-year-old was promoted to the Minors' highest level after a dominant first half during which he posted a 2.90 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings (14 starts) between Class A Advanced Tampa and Double-A Trenton. Sikkema, whom the Yankees popped with the No. 38 overall pick in this year's Draft, extended what has a been an outstanding start to his career by tossing three more scoreless frames in the New York-Penn League. He's done exactly that in each of his first three starts, allowing two hits and zero walks while striking out 11 over nine frames. Yankees prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: Nolan Jones, 3B (No. 2, MLB No. 43) -- 3-for-5, 2 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI (Double-A Akron)
Jones' ninth home run of the season was also his first in five games at the Double-A level after receiving a promotion to Akron following his appearance in the Futures Game. The 21-year-old fell a double short of the cycle, finishing with three hits in Akron's loss against Erie. The Indians promoted Jones to the Eastern League after he had produced a .286/.435/.425 line with 20 extra-base hits and 41 RBIs over 77 games with Class A Advanced Lynchburg. Indians prospects stats »

Royals: Jonathan Bowlan, RHP (No. 29) -- 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K (Class A Adv Wilmington); Bobby Witt Jr., SS -- 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI (AZL Royals)
Bowlan fired the second no-hitter in Blue Rocks history Monday, as he threw just 98 pitches (64 strikes) and retired the final 22 batters en route to the feat in a 3-0 win over Carolina. The 6-foot-6 right-hander struck out nine to match his career-high mark and also recorded 13 ground-ball outs. Down in the Arizona League, Witt, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's Draft, put together his second straight multihit performance. Witt, who is hitting .268 through the first eight games of his career, got off to a slow start, but has hits in four of the past five games and is 5-for-10 over the past two days. Royals prospects stats »

Tigers: Riley Greene, OF -- 3-for-6, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, SB (Class A Short Season Connecticut)
The No. 5 pick from this year's Draft seemed well on his way toward hitting for the cycle after he hit a double, a two-run single and a two-run homer in his first three trips to the plate for Connecticut. Needing a triple to complete the feat, the 18-year-old struck out swinging, grounded out to second and then struck out once more in his next three at-bats. Greene's home run was his first since his promotion to the New York-Penn League, where he's hit safely in all seven games after slashing .351/.442/.595 with two homers over nine games in the Gulf Coast League. Tigers prospects stats »

Twins: Wander Javier, SS (No. 6) -- 4-for-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI (Class A Cedar Rapids)
By all measures the 2019 season has been a challenging one for Javier, who missed all of '18 due to labrum surgery (non-throwing shoulder). He entered Monday with a .134 overall average and was batting just .049 in 11 games this month before erupting to hit a grand slam as part of a two-homer, four-hit game for the Kernels. The 20-year-old shortstop doubled his home run total in the process, and his six RBIs marked a career high. He was a standout in the Appalachian League in 2017, when he batted .299/.383/.471 over 41 games in his second pro season after signing with the Twins for $4.5 million in July 2015. Twins prospects stats »

White Sox: Luis Robert, OF (No. 1, MLB No. 5) -- 2-for-5, 2 R, BB, 2 SB (Triple-A Charlotte)
Robert his batting .429 (9-for-21) and has hit safely in all five games -- including three multihit performances -- since his promotion to Triple-A Charlotte. It gives the 21-year-old a ridiculous overall line of .354/.408/.630 across three levels, during which he's totaled 18 home runs, 47 extra-base hits and 32 steals in 80 games. While not a lock to reach the Majors before the end of the year, Robert has shown this season -- his first fully healthy season -- that he's nearly ready to make an impact at the highest level, as there are few players in the game with his type of across-the-board tools and overall potential. White Sox prospects stats »

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A’s: Jeremy Eierman, SS (No. 10) -- 1-for-5, HR, 3 RBI (Class A Adv Stockton)
Eierman's only hit on Monday was a three-run home run, his 11th of the year, and it was enough for him to extend his hitting streak to nine games for the Ports. He's seen his season average climb from .199 to .209 during said streak, though he has just two multihit performances in that span. Strikeouts have been an issue for the 22-year-old, who's fanned 127 times in 89 games in his first full season, but there's a lot to like in his right-handed power potential. But with below-average plate discipline and underwhelming natural hitting ability, some evaluators question whether he will ever get to display his power in games consistently. A's prospects stats »

Angels: Brandon Marsh, OF (No. 2) -- 3-for-4, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI (Double-A Mobile)
Marsh upped his hitting streak to six games with a three-hit performance that included a solo home run and a pair of doubles. He drove in three runs, which was the difference in Mobile's 6-3 win over Tennessee. Marsh's power numbers are down this season, as Monday's homer was just his second this season in 54 games after a 10-homer 2018, but he's still produced a solid .301/.396/.413 batting line with 12 steals in his first Double-A campaign. Angels prospects stats »

Astros: Taylor Jones, 1B (No. 30) -- 2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI (Triple-A Round Rock)
A 19th-round pick in 2016 out of Gonzaga, Jones had a nondescript first full season before breaking out to hit .281/.374/.480 with 18 homers, 32 doubles and 80 RBIs between Double- and Triple-A in 2018. The 25-year-old first baseman has been even better this season, as Monday's performance gives him a .291/.387/.526 batting line through 85 games, during which he has 17 homers, 21 doubles and 64 RBIs for the Express. Astros prospects stats »

Mariners: No Mariners prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minor Leagues on Monday.

Rangers: Sherten Apostel, 3B/1B (No. 23) -- 2-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI (Class A Hickory)
Apostel, a hulking 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-handed hitter, teed off twice Monday, hitting a solo shot in his first at-bat and then adding a two-run blast two innings later. The two-homer game was the fourth in the 20-year-old's career and gives him 15 home runs this season, 11 of which he's hit in 31 games since June 1. What's more, Apostel has now hit safely in six straight games for the Crawdads to boost his season average from .239 to .258. Rangers prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Alex Jackson, C (No. 22) -- 3-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI (Triple-A Gwinnett)
Jackson is red hot at the plate with five home runs in his last four games. The No. 6 pick from the 2014 Draft launched his 19th and 20th home runs of the season on Monday, setting a new career high in just his 58th game of the season with Triple-A Gwinnett. Jackson had a brief stint with the Braves earlier in the season and, as the only other catcher on the 40-man roster behind Brian McCann and Tyler Flowers, he could earn another taste of the Major Leagues after rosters expand if this power spike continues through the summer. Braves prospects stats »

Marlins: Connor Scott, OF (No. 5) -- 2-for-5, RBI (Class A Clinton)
Scott, whom the Marlins took with the No. 13 pick in the 2018 Draft, is officially red hot after recording his seventh straight multihit game for Clinton. The 19-year-old outfielder has boosted his season average from .223 to .249 during his streak, and five of his 15 hits in that span have gone for extra bases. He's racked up 26 extra-base knocks and 20 steals this season to go along with a steadily improving .249/.308/.365 batting line. Marlins prospects stats »

Mets: No Mets prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minor Leagues on Monday.

Phillies: Adonis Medina, RHP (No. 2, MLB No. 77) -- 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 4 K (Double-A Reading)
Medina turned in one of his best outings of the season against Binghamton, needing just 85 pitches to work seven innings with one unearned run. The strikeout rate of Philadelphia's No. 2 prospect has dropped considerably compared to 2017 and 2018, when he struck out over one batter per inning, but the 22-year-old has done well to limit damage with a 3.53 ERA. Monday's outing also represented one of Medina's deeper outings of the season. A high-80s pitch count isn't out of the ordinary, but his seven innings were the second most he's thrown in 2019, behind only his 7 1/3 innings on June 13. Phillies prospects stats »

Nationals: Tim Cate, LHP (No. 5) -- 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K (Class A Adv Potomac)
Cate has been excellent over his last four starts after a tough debut with Class A Advanced Potomac in late June. The second-round pick from the 2018 Draft has now thrown six shutout innings in back-to back starts and thrown at least six full innings in 11 of his 18 outings this season. Cate's peripheral numbers all back up his 2.75 ERA between Hagerstown and Potomac as he continues to limit his walks and strike out just over one batter per inning. Most impressive of all, though, is that Cate has allowed just three home runs over 98 1/3 innings. Nationals prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Trent Grisham, OF (No. 30) -- 3-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB (Triple-A San Antonio)
After hitting a pair of home runs as part of a 4-for-5 showing on Sunday, Grisham kicked off his week by hitting a leadoff home run before finishing with three hits in San Antonio's 11-1 win over Nashville. Grisham's homer was his eighth in 21 games at the Triple-A level and gives him 21 dingers between two levels on the season, which is far and away a career-high total -- he'd never hit more than eight before this season -- and leads all Brewers farm hands. Overall, the former first-round pick (2015) is slashing .267/.373/.535 over 84 games this year in what has been both a resurgent and breakout campaign. Brewers prospects stats »

Cubs: Brendon Little, LHP (No. 13) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K (Class A South Bend)
Little is making up for lost time after a lat injury kept him out of action until June. The lefty struck out a season-high eight batters over five shutout innings, but the zero in the walk column might be most encouraging number of all as he shakes off the rust. Little had walked four batters his last time out, which quickly ran his pitch count up and held his outing to just three innings. Little's 67 pitches also matched his 2019 high, so he should soon be able to push into the 80s, where his pitch count sat for much of 2018. Cubs prospects stats »

Cardinals: Malcom Nunez, 3B/1B (No. 6) -- 2-for-5, HR, 4 RBI (Rookie Johnson City)
Nunez played the hero in his Appalachian League debut as he connected on a third-inning grand slam to help power Johnson City over Elizabethton, 9-5. Nunez signed with the Cardinals in July 2018 for $300,000 and promptly took the Dominican Summer League by storm, hitting .415/.497/.774 with 13 homers and 59 RBIs in 44 games to claim the circuit's triple crown. As a result, the 18-year-old Cuban was assigned to Class A Peoria to open 2019, only to be demoted back to extended spring training after hitting .183/.247/.197 games. Cardinals prospects stats »

Pirates: Quinn Priester, RHP -- 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K (GCL Pirates)
It's not very often that recent high school Draft picks, especially those taken in first round, make a five-inning start in their first pro season. But that's exactly what Priester, whom the Pirates nabbed with the No. 18 overall pick in June, did on Monday, when he fired five scoreless frames with seven strikeouts in the Gulf Coast League. With an arsenal that includes a fastball that can reach 97 mph, one of the better curveballs in his class and a promising changeup, the projectable 18-year-old right-hander has opened his career by racking up 14 strikeouts and allowing two runs over his first 11 1/3 innings (three starts). Pirates prospects stats »

Reds: Michael Siani, OF (No. 6) -- 2-for-3, 3 R, 2 BB, SB (Class A Dayton)
Siani scored three runs out of the leadoff spot for a second straight game and now has multiple hits in three of his past four contests. After batting a combined .191 in 47 games during the first two months of the season, Siani, the Reds' fourth-round pick in the 2018 Draft, has hit .299 in 35 games since June 1 to raise his season average from .192 to .240. And with a stolen base on Monday, the 20-year-old is now 26 for 34 on the bases in 2019. Reds prospects stats »

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Corbin Carroll, OF -- 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (AZL D-backs); Dominic Fletcher, OF -- 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI (Class A Kane County)
Monday was a big day for two of Arizona's top 2019 Draft picks, as Carroll (No. 15 overall) and Fletcher (No. 75) both went deep for their respective affiliates. Carroll, 18, connected on his second homer of the year in the Arizona League, where he's slashing .276/.386/.483 over his first 11 games, while the 20-year-old Fletcher also went deep for the second time as a pro to highlight his third multihit effort in the past four games in the Midwest League. D-backs prospects stats »

Dodgers: Gavin Lux, SS/2B (No. 2, No. 31 in MLB) -- 1-for-3, HR, RBI (Triple-A Oklahoma City)
Lux extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a solo homer in Oklahoma City's loss to Iowa. Lux, a first-round pick from the 2016 Draft, has been absolutely raking since he was promoted to Triple-A. After hitting .313 over 64 games with Double-A Tulsa, Lux is hitting .469 with three homers over 12 games at the Triple-A level. The Wisconsin high school product has solid tools across the board and after struggling in 2017, Lux broke out in 2018 and is having another strong campaign this year. Dodgers prospects stats »

Giants: Chris Shaw, OF (No. 10) -- 5-for-6, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI (Triple-A Sacramento)
Shaw has certainly been showing some pop lately and that trend continued as hit his 18th homer of the year and finished with a trio of extra-base hits. The 25-year-old has homered four times this month, including two in the past three games. Of course, power has always been a part of Shaw's game so the homers shouldn't come as a total surprise. Shaw struggled at Triple-A last year, hitting just .259 over 101 games in large part because he tends to strike out a lot, however this season he's managed to hit for a bit more average and is hitting .291 through 35 games with the River Cats. Giants prospects stats »

Padres: Joey Cantillo, LHP (No. 28) -- 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K (Class A Fort Wayne)
Cantillo lowered his ERA to 2.03 as he spun another gem for the TinCaps. The 19-year-old, a 16th-round pick from the 2017 Draft, has racked up 105 strikeouts over 80 innings season and held opponents to two runs or fewer in 13 of his 16 starts. Cantillo has a quirky delivery, but is able to repeat it well and although his fastball and changeup pair well together, he still needs to refine the command on his breaking pitchegs. Padres prospects stats »

Rockies: Willie MacIver, C (No. 27) -- 2-for-4, HR, RBI (Class A Asheville)
MacIver hit his ninth homer of the year as part of his first multihit performance since July 3. The 2018 ninth-round Draft pick is hitting .240 through 76 games of his first full season. MacIver played catcher in high school, but primarily played third base while at the University of Washington and the Rockies movied him back behind the plate after the Draft. While MacIver isn't projected to be an elite hitter, the task of relearning catcher may be hampering his offensive production a bit early in his career. Rockies prospects stats »