Sunday's top prospect performers

By Mike Rosenbaum | May 6, 2018

Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Sunday.
After an inconsistent first month of the season, Corbin Burnes was at his best in his first May start for Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Burnes, Milwaukee's No. 2 prospect (No. 67 overall), allowed a leadoff home run before settling in and dominating en route to a career-high 13 strikeouts over seven innings in which he allowed one earned run on four hits. He threw a season-high 92 pitches (69 strikes) in the outing, ultimately taking a no-decision as the Sky Sox fell to Oklahoma City, 3-2.
:: Complete prospect coverage ::
In addition to being a career high, Burnes' 13 strikeouts fell one shy of the franchise record, established by John Thomson in 1997. With eight strikeouts under his belt through five innings, the 23-year-old right-hander put a bow on his performance by striking out five of the final six batters, highlighted by him striking out the side on 12 pitches in the seventh.
Burnes' gem was a step in the right direction after he had scuffled at times across his first five starts in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His ERA sits at 4.55 after Sunday's outing, while the double-digit strikeout performance pushed his season total to 34 in 31 2/3 innings.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Sunday
• No. 4 overall prospectEloy Jiménez (White Sox No. 1) blasted his sixth home run, a two-run shot that accounted for all of Double-A Birmingham's offense in a loss to Tennessee. He also hit a double in the contest to finish 2-for-3 with a walk. The 21-year-old slugger has hit in 10 straight for the Barons, including seven multihit performances -- six in a row -- to raise his average from .167 to .319.

MILB Video - Title: Jimenez hits sixth homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2016715883

• No. 14 overall prospect Brendan Rodgers (Rockies' No. 1) hit a two-run homer and later added a solo shot in his first multi-homer game of the year for Double-A Hartford. After finishing 3-for-4 with a season-high five RBIs, the 21-year-old shortstop is now hitting .298 with six homers and 22 RBIs through 27 games.

MILB Video - Title: Rodgers goes yard - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2016753783

• No. 28 overall prospect Juan Soto (Nationals' No. 2) homered for the sixth time in 12 games since being promoted to Class A Advanced Potomac, giving the 19-year-old outfielder 11 home runs in 28 games this season. He's having a monster season, slashing .380/.489/.833 with 23 extra-base hits, 39 RBIs and more walks (25) than strikeouts (17) after finishing Sunday's contest 3-for-4.
• No. 35 overall prospect Luis Urias (Padres' No. 3) delivered three extra-base hits, hitting two doubles and a home run, and scored four runs in a big game for Triple-A El Paso. He went 4-for-5 in the contest -- snapping a skid that'd seen him go 1-for-12 in his previous four games -- as he improved his average from .278 to .305.
• No. 49 overall prospect Ian Anderson (Braves' No. 5) took a no-decision for Class A Advanced Florida despite firing seven scoreless frames in his longest professional start. The 2016 first-rounder (No. 3 overall) allowed two hits, issued one walk and struck out seven in the performance, all while throwing 59 of his 82 pitches for strikes. Anderson, a 20-year-old righty, has posted 12 scoreless innings in his past two starts to lower his ERA to 3.81.
• No. 64 overall prospect Franklin Barreto (A's No. 3) produced a nearly identical performance as Rodgers, going 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs to power Triple-A Nashville past Memphis, 8-2. The 22-year-old middle infielder is up to five home runs and 12 RBIs this season, with a .304 average and .997 OPS through 18 games.

MILB Video - Title: Barreto's first homer of the day - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2017025383

• No. 77 overall prospect Stephen Gonsalves (Twins' No. 3) recorded his second win in as many starts for Triple-A Rochester. Working 6 2/3 innings, the 23-year-old lefty allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk, while matching his season high with nine strikeouts. He's allowed four hits in 14 1/3 innings since moving up to Triple-A after going 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA in four starts with Double-A Chattanooga.

MILB Video - Title: Gonsalves finishes strong - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2017025383

• No. 91 overall prospect Tyler O'Neill (Cardinals' No. 4) homered for a second straight day, hitting a solo shot as part of a 2-for-4 performance in Triple-A Memphis' loss to Nashville. The 22-year-old slugger has gone deep eight times while batting .359 with a 1.076 OPS in 19 games for the Redbirds.

MILB Video - Title: O'Neill shows his power - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2016937283

• Angels No. 11 prospectJesus Castillo tossed six scoreless innings of one-hit ball, posting four strikeouts and two walks while throwing 46 of his 73 pitches for strikes with Double-A Mobile. The 22-year-old righty has given up one earned run in his past 17 1/3 frames (two starts) to lower his ERA from 4.12 to 2.97.
• Blue Jays No. 8 prospect Ryan Borucki rebounded from his worst start of the season with his best, as the 24-year-old lefty fired seven scoreless innings to lead Triple-A Buffalo past Syracuse. He scattered two hits and two walks while striking out five and generating another 10 outs on the ground. While his overall ERA sits at 4.39 through 26 2/3 innings, Borucki has completed at least five innings in four of five starts.
• Cubs No. 14 prospect David Bote had a perfect day at the plate as he collected a career-high five hits including a home run that helped to propel Triple-A Iowa past Round Rock, 4-1. He finished 5-for-5 at the plate, tallying two runs, two RBIs and a steal to go along with his fifth home run. He's posted 13 hits across his past five games -- all multihit performances. On the mound for Iowa, right-hander Duane Underwood Jr. (No. 29) tossed seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball with a season-high seven strikeouts en route to his first 2018 victory.
• Padres No. 16 prospect Hudson Potts stayed hot for Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore with a multihit performance that included two doubles and a home run, his seventh this season and fourth in the past six games. Storm starting pitcher Chris Paddack (No. 22) recorded nine of his 12 outs via the strikeouts in his second start back from Tommy John surgery. The 22-year-old righty yielded three hits and one walk while throwing 50 of his 78 pitches for strikes. What's more, Paddack has now posted 10 scoreless frames, with 16 strikeouts and one walk, between his first two starts, picking up where he left off in mid-2016.
• Rays No. 15 prospect Brandon Lowe filled out the box score for Double-A Montgomery by going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two stolen bases. He also scored three runs and plated two more in the contest. The 23-year-old second baseman -- who has seen increased time in the outfield this season -- has swung a hot bat of late, with a .378 average, four home runs and 14 RBIs in his last 10 games.