Thursday's top prospect performers
Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Thursday.
:: Complete prospect coverage ::
No one in Minor League Baseball had more home runs entering play Thursday than Seuly Matias, the Royals' No. 3 prospect. And then Matias went out and added to his total with his 28th and 29th homers of the season during Class A Lexington's 11-0 rout of Asheville.
Each was a solo shot -- one in the fifth inning and one in the sixth -- as part of a 3-for-5, four-RBI performance from the 19-year-old outfielder. Matias is slashing .216/.294/.562 in 81 games this season.
Other top prospect performances from Thursday's action:
• No. 1 overall prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays' No. 1) continued his season-long torrid performance at the plate, extending his current hitting streak to 11 games with his 13th homer of the season in Double-A New Hampshire's 7-3 victory over Hartford. Guerrero is slashing .403/.451/.663.
MILB Video - Title: Guerrero hits a homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2312925783
• White Sox No. 1 prospect (No. 3 overall) Eloy Jiménez also launched a homer, connecting for a two-run shot in the first inning of Triple-A Charlotte's 8-2 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It was Jimenez's 16th homer of the season, and he's hitting .328/.377/.582 in 75 games.
MILB Video - Title: Jimenez goes yard - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2312536983
• Reds No. 2 prospect (No. 18 overall) Hunter Greene continued to light up the radar gun, reaching 102-mph with his fastball during Class A Dayton's 2-1 win over Fort Wayne. The 102-mph fastball set a new Fifth Third Field record (the previous mark was 101 by three pitchers, including Greene and Aroldis Chapman).
Greene started and tossed two hitless innings before leaving the game with an illness that was said to be nothing serious, walking one and striking out four. In 18 starts overall this season, he's posted a 4.48 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings.
• No. 1 overall Draft pick Casey Mize made his Gulf Coast League debut, and the Tigers' No. 1 prospect (No. 20 overall) tossed two hitless innings while walking one and striking out four in the GCL Tigers West 4-2 victory over GCL Yankees East.
• Brendan McKay, the Rays' No. 3 prospect (No. 30 overall), tossed three scoreless frames in Class A Advanced Charlotte's 6-5 loss to St. Lucie. In six appearances (four starts) for Charlotte, he has a 4.10 ERA. He's also made eight starts between the GCL Rays (two) and Class A Bowling Green (six), posting a 1.17 ERA over 30 2/3 innings. Across all three levels, he's struck out 83 and walked only seven.
• Twins No. 2 prospect Alex Kirilloff (No. 31 overall) remains red-hot at the plate for Class A Advanced Fort Myers, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs in a 9-8 victory over Daytona. He's hit safely in 10 straight games, and has multiple hits in six consecutive contests. During the 10-game hitting streak, the outfielder is hitting .585 (24-for-41).
• Meanwhile, Rays No. 6 prospect Matthew Liberatore (No. 68 overall) tossed four scoreless innings vs. the GCL Twins, giving up two hits and striking out four to lower his season ERA to 2.70 in four starts (10 innings). Liberatore was the No. 16 overall selection in this year's Draft.
• William Contreras, the Braves' No. 13 prospect, had a big night in Class A Rome's 14-5 win over Columbia, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and a triple. Over his last three games, the catcher is 7-for-12, and on the season he's hitting .296/.360/.456 with 10 homers in 78 games.
MILB Video - Title: Contreras collects fourth hit - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2313064283
• Brewers No. 4 prospect Corey Ray continued his hot streak at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double in Double-A Biloxi's 9-5 loss to Jackson. The fifth overall selection in the 2016 Draft is batting .439 (18-for-41) with four homers over his last 10 games, and is slashing .265/.352/.518 with 20 home runs and 32 steals in 100 games this season.
• Dylan Cozens, the Phillies' No. 17 prospect, went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in Triple-A Lehigh Valley's 7-6 victory over Gwinnett. The homer was the outfielder's 16th of the season, and he's hitting .237/.341/.507 in 64 games.
• Will Craig, the Pirates' No. 18 prospect, continued his homer binge by belting his 18th of the season in Double-A Altoona's 8-7 win over Binghamton. The homer was his seventh this month and fifth in his last eight games. He's slashing .251/.324/.476 in 95 games.
MILB Video - Title: Watch: Craig launches homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2314390183
• Rays No. 25 prospect Genesis Cabrera was brilliant over 7 1/3 scoreless innings for Double-A Montgomery in a 1-0 Biscuits win over Jacksonville. The left-hander gave up only three hits, walking none and striking out nine to lower his season ERA to 4.12 over 21 appearances (20 starts).
MILB Video - Title: Cabrera's ninth strikeout - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2313033583