MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week

MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances from the previous seven days. Any Minor Leaguer currently on an organization Top 30 Prospects list on our Prospect Watch is eligible.

No prospect has made more noise in 2019 than White Sox phenom Luis Robert, and that continued last week as the 22-year-old outfielder delivered three more home runs -- including a multihomer game on Sunday -- at Triple-A Charlotte. As a result, Robert, who’s totaled 27 homers and 36 steals across three levels, is appearing on his third MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week this season.

Robert, MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 overall prospect, is joined on the latest PTOW by another young, high-ceiling Top 100 talent in Julio Rodriguez (No. 52). The 18-year-old outfielder hit a grand slam for two different Mariners affiliates last week, the second of which came as part of a four-hit debut for Class A Advanced Modesto.

In terms of pitching performances, no hurler was better last week than Royals No. 6 prospect Kris Bubic, who fired a one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts for Class A Advanced Wilmington. It was the latest dominant performance by the 22-year-old southpaw in a season that’s seen him post a 2.24 ERA with a Minor League-best 174 strikeouts across two levels.

Here’s the complete Prospect Team of the Week for games of Aug. 12-18.

C: Zack Collins, Charlotte Knights (Triple-A)
(White Sox No. 10 prospect)
7 G, .538/.586/1.115, 8 R, 3 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

Collins, 24, collected multiple hits in six of seven games and batted .538 for Charlotte last week as he boosted his season average from .269 to .296. He showed plenty of power along the way by going deep four times in a three-game span, which began with a two-homer performance Wednesday. The former first-round pick (2016) is up to 16 home runs in 77 games with the Knights this season, while his .296/.409/.562 batting line is far and away the best of his career.

1B: Kevin Cron, Reno Aces (Triple-A)
(D-backs’ No. 26 prospect)
5 G, .333/.391/1.095, 7 R, 1 2B, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K

No Minor Leaguer has hit more home runs this season than Cron, who’s now gone deep 39 times in just 72 games this season. He hit five of them last week, including three in one game on Tuesday -- his second three-homer game of the year and the fourth of his career. The 26-year-old’s MiLB-leading total is also an Aces franchise record as well the most homers in the Minors since 2016 (Dylan Cozens, 40).

2B: Jeremiah Jackson, Orem Owlz (Rookie)
(Angels’ No. 5 prospect)
6 G, .375/.448/1.208, 8 R, 2 2B, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP, 1 SB

Jackson, 19, went yard in each of his first three at-bats for Orem on Thursday night en route to a career-high five RBIs. The multihomer performance was his second of the week -- following a two-homer game on Monday -- and his sixth of the season in 54 games with the Owlz. The Angels’ 2018 second-round pick is batting .271/.343/.648 on the year and leads the Pioneer League with 21 homers, 52 RBIs and 136 total bases.

3B: Tyler Callihan, Greeneville Reds (Rookie)
(Reds’ No. 5 prospect)
5 G, .368/.381/.842, 1 R, 3 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K

Callihan posted multiple hits in three of five games for Greeneville and capped his week by hitting his fifth home run of the season on Sunday after notching a triple in three of his previous four contests. After signing for nearly twice his slot’s value as the Reds’ third-round pick, Callihan has opened his career by batting .260 with 19 extra-base hits, 23 RBIs and eight steals over 42 games in the Appalachian League.

SS: Noelvi Marte, DSL Mariners (Rookie)
(Mariners’ No. 13 prospect)
5 G, .571/.625/1.000, 10 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K, 4 SB

Marte had a huge week in the Dominican Summer League as he recorded four multihit performances that included a 4-for-5 showing on Saturday in which he tallied three extra-base hits and drove in four runs, matching his career-high mark. The 17-year-old shortstop has turned in multihit performances in eight of his past 10 games, during which he’s batting .465 with 14 RBIs, while his overall season line sits at .295/.358/.480 through 60 games.

OF: Julio Rodriguez, West Virginia Power/Modesto Nuts (Class A/Class A Advanced)
(Mariners’ No. 3 prospect/No. 52 overall)
6 G, .474/.524/.947, 3 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP

Rodriguez put on a show in his California League debut on Friday with a four-hit game that included a double and a booming grand slam in the seventh inning. It was the second slam of the week for the 18-year-old outfielder, who also hit one on Tuesday in a career-best six-RBI game for West Virginia. Rodriguez’s 13 RBIs on the week led all Top 30 prospects and gives him 54 RBIs in 70 games on the season. He’s also batting .304/.370/.511, with 11 homers and 21 doubles.

OF: Travis Swaggerty, Bradenton Marauders (Class A Advanced)
(Pirates’ No. 4 prospect)
8 G, .483/.515/.828, 6 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 HBP, 2 SB

Swaggerty, 22, showed off his power on Saturday with his first career multihomer game, hitting a pair of solo sots in Bradenton’s 3-2 win over Lakeland. He ultimately recorded five multihit performances last week while hitting safely in all eight games Marauders. After a nondescript first half in the Florida State League, the 2018 first-round pick from South Alabama is batting .352/.407/.509 in 43 games since July 1.

OF: Luis Robert, Charlotte Knights (Triple-A)
(White Sox No. 1 prospect/No. 5 overall)
6 G, .357/.387/.821, 9 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 SB

Robert’s week began with a four-hit performance and three straight multihit games. He proceeded to go 0-for-9 in his next two games before erupting to hit a pair of impressive home runs Sunday in his fourth multihomer game of the season. The 22-year-old phenom is showing no signs of slowing down in what has been a remarkable breakout campaign. After his big week, Robert owns a .335/.387/.625 line with 27 home runs, 66 extra-base hits and 36 steals in 108 games across three levels.

LHP: Kris Bubic, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Class A Advanced)
(Royals’ No. 6 prospect)
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 0.22 WHIP

Bubic, 22, took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before completing a one-hit shutout in Class A Wilmington’s 1-0 win over Lynchburg on Thursday. He struck out 11 and faced one over the minimum in the outing, throwing 65 of 99 pitches for strikes. It was Bubic’s second straight 11-strikeout gem as well as his seventh double-digit strikeout performance in 23 starts -- he’s recorded four of them in 14 starts with the Blue Rocks -- this season across two levels. Overall, the southpaw has pitched to a 2.24 ERA with a Minor League-leading 174 strikeouts in 132 1/3 innings.

RHP: Logan Gilbert, Arkansas Travelers (Double-A)
(Mariners’ No. 2 prospect/No. 49 overall)
2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 GS, 11 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 16 K, 0.91 WHIP

Gilbert, the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2018, settled in at the Double-A level in earnest last week by tossing a pair of eight-strikeout scoreless starts for the Travelers. The 6-foot-6 right-hander completed six innings on Tuesday, scattering four hits, and then yielded just two hits over five innings on Sunday. Gilbert has been nothing short of dominant in his first pro campaign, compiling a 1.95 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 154/30 K/BB in 124 2/3 innings (24 starts) across three levels.

RP: Blake Walston, AZL D-backs (Rookie)
(D-backs’ No. 14 prospect)
0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0.00 WHIP

Walston posted a pair of perfect two-inning outings in the Arizona League last week, striking out four in each. A 6-foot-5, 18-year-old lefty whom Arizona took with the No. 26 overall pick in June, Walston has fanned 11 batters and allowed two hits in five pro innings.