Tuesday's top prospect performers
Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Tuesday.
While there were many strong offensive performances across the Minor Leagues, no hitter stuffed the box score quite like No. 34 overall prospect Carter Kieboom did as he powered Double-A Harrisburg in a rout of Erie, 15-3.
The Nationals' No. 2 prospect had a huge night at the plate, hitting a pair of home runs, a triple and a double to finish 4-for-5 and a single short of the cycle. He scored a career-high five runs in the contest and drove in another four.
Kieboom hit both of his home runs off of Tigers No. 4 prospect Alex Faedo, as the 20-year-old shortstop took Faedo -- Detroit's 2017 first-round pick -- deep in the first and fourth innings. The multi-homer performance was Kieboom's first this season and the second of his career. Kieboom's leadoff triple in the third inning -- his first triple of the season -- also came against Faedo.
MILB Video - Title: Kieboom's second home run of the night - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2385791783
Chasing the cycle after hitting a pair of homers and a triple in his first three at-bats, Kieboom walked on four pitches to lead off the sixth inning but added a two-run double in the following frame. In his final trip to the plate, the 2016 first-round pick flew out to right field.
Kieboom is hitting .269/.327/.425 with five home runs, 12 doubles and 15 RBIs in 46 games since his promotion to the Double-A level on June 21.
Overall, he's produced a robust .285/.361/.464 line with 16 homers, 26 doubles and 61 RBIs in 107 games between Harrisburg and Class A Advanced Potomac.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Tuesday
• No. 7 overall prospect Forrest Whitley (Astros' No. 1) tossed two scoreless innings for Double-A Corpus Christi in his return from the disabled list. He threw 35 pitches (17 strikes) in the outing, posting two strikeouts and walks apiece. The 20-year-old right-hander had been sidelined for over a month after he left his July 5 start with left oblique discomfort.
MILB Video - Title: Whitley strikes out last batter he faces - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2385808183
• No. 10 overall prospect Royce Lewis (Twins' No. 1) and Alex Kirilloff (Twins' No. 2, No. 30 overall) each collected two hits including a solo homer and scored two runs for Class A Advanced Fort Myers. Both players finished 2-for-5, with Lewis also hitting a triple in the contest. Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 Draft, is hitting .316/.379/.495 with 13 homers, 28 steals and 81 runs scored in his first full season, while Kirilloff sports a .347/.389/.581 line with 17 homers, 39 doubles and 93 RBIs.
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• No. 11 overall prospect MacKenzie Gore (Padres' No. 2) tossed six innings of one-run ball for Class A Fort Wayne en route to his second career win. The 19-year-old lefty scattered six hits, struck out five and did not issue a walk as he matched the longest outing of his career. Gore has pitched to a 4.11 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 16 walks over 57 innings (15 starts) in his first full season. Esteury Ruiz (Padres' No. 17) paced the TinCaps at the plate by going 3-for-4 with an RBI. The 19-year-old second baseman stole a base, his 40th in 50 attempts this season.
• No. 37 overall prospect Keibert Ruiz (Dodgers' No. 2) recorded his third two-homer game of the season, but it wasn't enough to keep Double-A Tulsa from falling to Corpus Christi, 10-6. The 20-year-old switch-hitter hit both homers from the left side of the plate, as he connected on a solo homer in the fourth inning followed by a three-run shot in his next trip to the plate. He finished 2-for-5 at the plate, marking his fourth straight game with multiple hits.
MILB Video - Title: Keibert Ruiz goes yard for second time - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2386063183
• No. 66 overall prospect Matthew Liberatore (Rays' No. 5) spun his second consecutive scoreless start in the GCL. The 2018 first-round pick struggled with control as he walked four, but he also struck out four as he gave up just two hits in 4 2/3 innings. Liberatore hasn't given up a run in back-to-back starts (9 2/3 innings) and hasn't allowed an earned run in any of his past four outings, a span of 16 2/3 innings.
• Blue Jays No. 29 prospectRowdy Tellez blasted two of the six home runs hit by Triple-A Buffalo in a 14-5 win over Charlotte. Both homers were tape-measure shots, as Tellez connected on a two-run homer in the third inning and then added a solo shot in the eighth. He also doubled in the contest to finish 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs. Tellez's second two-homer performance of the season pushed the 23-year-old first baseman's season total to 13 homers through 100 games, during which he's slashed .274/.343/.444.
MILB Video - Title: Watch: Tellez launches 2nd homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2386219083
• Dodgers No. 24 prospect Cristian Santana set a career high with six RBIs, four of which came on a walk-off grand slam that led Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga over Lake Elsinore, 13-9. He also collected three singles and scored three runs in the contest, finishing 4-for-6. The 21-year-old is hitting .255 on the season, with 21 home runs and 95 RBIs in 113 games.
• Mets No. 24 prospect Simeon Woods Richardson worked three strong frames as he extended his career-opening streak without allowing an earned run to 11 1/3 innings for the Mets' Rookie-level Gulf Coast League squad. The 2018 second-round pick yielded three hits and struck out four in the outing. Through five appearances, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder sports a 15-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio with a .209 opponents' average.
• Padres No. 23 prospect Hudson Potts connected on a solo home run in the first inning that gave Double-A San Antonio an early lead over Springfield. It was the first Double-A homer for the 19-year-old third baseman, who finished 2-for-5 in his fourth game with the Missions. A first-round pick in 2016, Potts was promoted to the Texas League after he slashed .281/.350/.498 with 17 homers, 35 doubles and 58 RBIs over 106 games at Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore.
MILB Video - Title: Watch: Potts launches 1st Double-A homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2386844783
• One day removed from garnering MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week honors, Rangers No. 8 prospectJoe Palumbo picked up his first win of the season behind 5 1/3 scoreless innings for Class A Advanced Down East. He allowed two hits, walked three and struck out nine while throwing 49 of 85 pitches for strikes. The 23-year-old left-hander has fanned 20 batters in 10 1/3 frames over his past two starts -- both scoreless outings.
• Red Sox No. 5 prospect Tanner Houck turned in one of his better starts of the season to earn the win for Class A Advanced Salem. The 2017 first-rounder allowed one earned run on four hits (including a solo homer) and struck out seven over seven innings. Houck owns a 3.13 ERA with 70 strikeouts over 63 1/3 innings (11 starts) in the second half after posting a 5.50 ERA and compiling as many strikeouts as walks (41) over his first 55 2/3 frames (12 starts).