Sunday's top prospect performers
Here's a look at Sunday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
Rays: Wander Franco, SS (MLB No. 1), Triple-A Durham
Wander Franco followed up his grand slam on Saturday night with his first four-hit game of 2021. The 20-year-old singled three times, doubled and scored during his fourth-career game with four or more hits. Franco has reached safely in nine-of-11 games to start the season and his six multi-hit efforts have pushed his slash line to .348/.404/.652. Franco also showed off his defensive prowess with a diving stop behind third base. Rays prospect stats »
Mariners: Julio Rodriguez, OF (MLB No. 5), High-A Everett
Zach DeLoach, OF (No. 13), High-A Everett
A home run any time the second-ranked Mariners prospect steps to the plate is just becoming the expectation now. Rodriguez found the seats for the fourth straight game on Sunday with another moonshot as part of a three-hit effort. It’s the fifth multi-hit performance for the 20-year-old who also extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Rodriguez hammered a two-run shot to center in the fourth, was hit by a pitch in the fifth and came around to score, legged out an infield hit to short in the sixth and scored later in the frame, and lined a base hit to left in the seventh. Rodriguez is sporting a .326/.415/.730 slash line with five homers, a triple, five doubles, 17 runs scored and 12 RBIs.
DeLoach took centerstage alongside Rodriguez, connecting for his second homer, doubling and singling in the first three-hit game of his pro career. The 22-year-old drove in a career-high four runs to give him 10 RBIs in his first 12 games. DeLoach has hit safely in six consecutive games and has reached safely in nine of 12 overall. Last year's second-round pick is batting .264/.339/.491 with seven extra-base hits. Mariners prospect stats »
Giants: Joey Bart, C (MLB No. 18), Triple-A Sacramento
The second-ranked Giants prospect fell a triple shy of the cycle as he drove in three runs and scored twice on Sunday. Bart opened the scoring with a two-run double to right in the first inning. In the sixth, he found a hole on the right side for a base hit and came around to score on a double by Jason Krizan. In his final at-bat, the 24-year-old mashed a solo shot to right-center for his third dinger of the year. Bart extended his hitting streak to five games and has nine total hits, a pair of dingers, two doubles, eight RBIs and four runs scored during this streak. Giants prospect stats »
Phillies: Spencer Howard, RHP (MLB No. 33), Triple-A Lehigh Valley
Mick Abel, RHP (MLB No. 64), Low-A Clearwater
Philly’s top prospect Howard made his third Minor League start and continued his stellar work for the IronPigs. The right-hander continued stretching himself out, going four innings in his Sunday start after going two and three respectively in his first two starts with Lehigh Valley. Visiting Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Howard struck out eight in his four frames and allowed just one run -- his firsts in Triple-A this year -- on two hits and a walk. The 24-year-old threw 38 of his 58 pitches for strikes and has now fanned 13 in nine innings pitched in Triple-A East.
Further down the organizational ladder, Abel turned in his best outing of the season so far. The Phils’ No. 2 prospect only went 2 ⅓ innings but did not allow a hit, charged with one run while striking out five and walking a pair. Abel had yielded six runs (five earned) on six hits over five innings across his first two starts of the season before his Sunday performance. Abel threw 28 of his 51 pitches for strikes. Phillies prospect stats »
Mets: Ronny Mauricio, SS (MLB No. 54), High-A Brooklyn
Mauricio kept his red-hot start rolling with his second three-hit night of the year in Brooklyn’s 10-9 loss to Greenville. The shortstop finished 3-for-5, highlighted by a game-tying, three-run homer in the top of the ninth, his fourth long ball of the season. Mauricio added four RBIs and scored two runs in a dominant day at the plate. The 20-year-old extended his hitting streak to nine games and has tallied a hit in every game he’s played in this year. Mauricio is slashing .341/.386/.732 with a 1.118 OPS in 44 plate appearances, with eight of his 14 hits going for extra bases. Mets prospect stats »
Reds: Hunter Greene, RHP (MLB No. 58), Double-A Chattanooga
Since being selected as the No. 2 pick in the 2017 Draft, the expectations and hype surrounding Greene have been astronomical. The flame-throwing starter showcased his potential in his start during Chattanooga’s 5-1 win over Montgomery. Greene picked up his third win of the season and tied his career high with 10 strikeouts over six innings, scattering three hits and two walks. The 21-year-old threw 63 of his 89 pitches for strikes in a dominant outing. Greene lowered his ERA to 1.69 over 16 innings and has struck out 25 batters with just three walks. Reds prospect stats »
Blue Jays: Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP (MLB No. 74), Double-A New Hampshire
Woods Richardson picked up his first win with five innings scoreless in New Hampshire’s 6-0 win over Somerset. The 2018 second-rounder scattered four hits with seven strikeouts and four walks in his outing, and lowered his ERA down to 1.29 on the year. The 6-foot-3 right hander has been dominant to start the 2021 season with 23 strikeouts to just seven walks through 14 innings, good for a K/9 of 14.79. Woods Richardson has racked up 175 Ks over 138 career Minor League innings, flashing his formidable combo of 60-grade tools in his fastball, changeup, and control. Blue Jays prospect stats »
Yankees: Deivi García, RHP (MLB No. 86), Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Ezequiel Duran, 2B (No. 15), High-A Hudson Valley
Ken Waldichuk, LHP (No. 27), High-A Hudson Valley
The third-ranked Yankees prospect was in the zone on Sunday. García whiffed a season-high nine while yielding an unearned run on a pair of hits and a walk over five frames. The righty retired the first eight batters he faced before allowing a base hit to Edgar Cabral. His only blemish came in his final inning of work as he punched out the first two batters before yielding a single, a throwing error on a pickoff attempt and a wild pitch which led to the unearned run. García fanned Cabral to end the frame and strike out the side. The 21-year-old has 19 strikeouts over his last 13 ⅓ innings pitched.
Duran posted his fourth multihit game of the season and first with four knocks. The 15th-ranked Yankees prospect singled to right in the second, laced a double to left in the fourth, knocked a base hit to left in the fifth and hammered a second double to left in the seventh. The 21-year-old has hit safely in four of his last five games and has amassed a .292/.320/.396 slash line this season.
Waldichuck turned in his third straight scoreless outing of the year. The left-hander worked around a pair of hits and a walk to fan seven over four frames. The 27th-ranked Yankees prospect retired a string of eight batters in a row in a stretch spanning from the first through the third inning. Waldichuk has 19 strikeouts over 10 innings pitched this year. Yankees prospect stats »
Dodgers: Michael Busch, 2B (MLB No. 89), Double-A Tulsa
Busch’s first three-hit game of his professional career propelled Tulsa to a 6-4 extra-inning win over Northwest Arkansas. The 2019 first-rounder went 3-for-6 at the plate, crushing his fifth homer of the season and adding two singles to his line with an RBI and three strikeouts. Busch’s solo homer in the top of the third opened up the scoring for Tulsa and pushed his hitting streak to four games. The lefty has recorded a hit in nine of 12 games this season, and upped his slash line to .277/.393/.638 with an OPS of 1.031 in 56 plate appearances on the year. Dodgers prospect stats »
Braves: Michael Harris II, OF (No. 10), High-A Rome
One game after snapping a six-game hitting streak, Harris potentially started a new one in style. The 10th-ranked Braves prospect had a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate for the Rome Braves with his second dinger of the season and a trio of base knocks. The 20-year-old fouled off three straight pitches before connecting with a Carmen Mlodzinski fastball and depositing it beyond the wall in left-center in the opening frame. Harris added singles in the third, fifth and eighth, and also successfully swiped his third bag of the year. The lefty-swinger is batting .333 over 11 games. Braves prospect stats »
White Sox: Gavin Sheets, 1B (No. 9), Triple-A Charlotte
The ninth-ranked White Sox prospect slugged his fifth multihit effort of the season -- second with three knocks. Sheets mashed a two-run jack to right in the third inning and sent a moonshot into orbit with a three-run blast in the eighth that exited the ballpark. He also hammered a two-out double to center in the seventh. The 25-year-old’s five RBIs set a season-high and match his career-high -- he drove in five runs on June 2, 2019 with Double-A Birmingham. Sheets also extended his hitting streak to eight games and is sporting a .367/.415/.633 slash line. White Sox prospect stats »
Marlins: Jesús Sánchez, OF (No. 6), Triple-A Jacksonville
One game after snapping his eight-game hitting streak to open the season, Sánchez got back on track in style. The sixth-ranked Marlins prospect notched a trio of knocks on Sunday -- including his third triple of the season. Sánchez punched a ground ball through the right side in the first inning, drove in a pair of runs with his three-bagger to right in the third, and led off the fifth with another grounder through the right side. The 23-year-old is sporting a .500/.535/1.050 slash line with nine extra-base hits, 17 RBIs and 10 runs scored over 10 games. Marlins prospect stats »
Athletics: Nick Allen, 2B (No. 3), Double-A Midland
Allen’s elite contact skills were on full display in Midland’s 9-2 loss to San Antonio. The speedy middle infielder recorded his sixth multihit game of the season and his fourth three-hit performance of the week. Allen went 3-for-4 at the dish with three singles, adding a run, a walk and a strikeout to his final line. Since starting the season 0-for-12, Allen has done nothing but put the bat on the baseball. The 22-year-old is hitting .500 over his last nine games, and slashing .364/.455/.432 on the year. Athletics prospect stats »