Sunday's top Spring Training prospect performers

Here's a look at Sunday’s top performers at Spring Training from each team's Top 30 Prospects list.

Mariners: George Kirby, RHP (MLB No. 32)
Matt Brash, RHP (MLB No. 98)
For Mariners fans, it was an exciting sight to behold as two of the organization’s top three pitching prospects each spun stellar three-inning outings against the A’s. Kirby, ranked No. 3 on Seattle’s Top 30, came on in relief of Brash and fanned six while working around three hits and a walk. The 24-year-old struck out Elvis Andrus to start, but got into trouble when he allowed a double, single and a walk to load the bases with two outs. He got Billy McKinney to fly out to center to end the inning and allowed his last hit of the day in the next frame, a single by Tony Kemp, before getting Andrus swinging again for another punchout. He struck out the side in the sixth to put an emphatic end to his outing. It was a promising sign for Kirby, who was tagged for six runs on five hits across 1 2/3 innings in his first spring outing against the D-backs.

Brash was a tough act to follow, though, because he was perfect in his three innings of work with six swinging strikeouts. He recorded one strikeout in the first, two in the second and struck out the side in the third, sending Cristian Pache, Skye Bolt and Kemp down in order. The 23-year-old has only allowed a hit and a walk in five innings this spring while racking up seven strikeouts after a stellar 2021 campaign in which he notched a 2.31 ERA with 142 strikeouts and a .180 BAA in 97 1/3 innings across High- and Double-A.

Phillies: Bryson Stott, SS (MLB No. 45)
Mickey Moniak, OF (No. 18)
Stott is hitting his way into contention for an Opening Day roster spot. The Las Vegas native cranked his first homer of the spring -- a two-run shot in the fifth -- and drove in three runs, adding two walks and a strikeout to his final line. Stott got the start at third base as the Phillies’ look to add defensive versatility to his skillset and is 5-for-12 with five walks in six Spring Training games. Stott hit 16 homers with an .876 OPS last season and led the Arizona Fall League in walks with 24 in 26 games.

Moniak drilled a fastball to left-center field for a two-run shot in the sixth inning and has now homered in three consecutive Spring Training games. All four of the 23-year-old’s hits this spring have gone for extra-bases and have come in his past four games. Moniak, the 2016 Draft’s No. 1 overall pick, flashed his ability to hit for extra-bases at Triple-A last season with 15 home runs, eight triples and 15 doubles but struggled in 21 games for the Phillies. The outfield is crowded in Philadelphia and Moniak will have to break out offensively to carve out playing time in the Majors.

Twins: Joe Ryan (MLB No. 97)
Ryan had everything working as he carved through the Red Sox lineup on Sunday. The 25-year-old tossed three scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing one baserunner on a walk. Ryan was acquired in last year’s trade that sent Nelson Cruz to the Rays and made his Major League debut shortly after. The San Francisco native made five starts in September, posting a 4.05 ERA with 30 strikeouts to five walks in 26 2/3 innings and holding hitters to a .168 batting average. He’s expected to play a big role in the Twins' rotation as they look to contend for an American League Central title after a busy offseason.

Rockies: Ezequiel Tovar, SS (No. 6)
Tovar continued his terrific start to the spring with two more hits, including a double. The sixth-ranked Rockies prospect also drove in a run and stole a base while bumping his slash line to .550/1.100/1.650 through nine Cactus League games so far. Tovar has hits in seven of those nine contests, and of the 20-year-old’s 11 hits, five have gone for extra bases, all coming over his last six games.

Astros: Jeremy Peña, SS (No. 1)
Hitting out of the leadoff spot, Peña collected two hits off Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo – a single to left on the very first pitch of the game and another base knock to left off a curveball in the third. After going hitless in his first game of the spring, the 24-year-old has recorded at least one hit in each of his last two games, totaling three hits in eight at-bats (.375). Peña got his first taste of Triple-A last year and fared well when he was healthy, hitting .287/.346/.598 with 10 homers and 19 RBIs in 30 games.

Royals: Kyle Isbel, OF (No. 7)
Isbel wasted no time making his impact on Sunday’s game versus the Cubs, launching Kyle Hendricks’ second pitch over the fence for a leadoff home run. The 25-year-old manned left field and center field, adding a walk in his 1-for-3 day. Isbel hit 15 home runs with an .801 OPS in 105 games for Triple-A Omaha last year and made his Major League debut on Opening Day, batting seventh and starting in right field. In 28 games, Isbel had 21 hits and eight extra-base hits with a .772 OPS. He’ll have an opportunity to stick in the Majors this season as Kansas City looks to fill out its Opening Day outfield.

Cubs: Ed Howard, SS/2B (No. 14)
If anybody needed a good game, it was Howard, who had a disappointing pro debut in 2021 and had yet to record a hit in Spring Training before Sunday. The 20-year-old played a big part in the Cubs’ 13-12 win, notching two hits, scoring two runs and driving in two after replacing Jonathan Villar at shortstop in the sixth. Howard’s first hit was a double to right, and he eventually came around to score. After the Cubs got within three runs in the following frame, the infielder laced a two-run single to center to make the score 10-9, and he crossed the plate as the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Howard is a plus-plus defender but will need to continue developing his offensive game to make meaningful strides in 2022.

Rays: Heriberto Hernandez, C/OF/1B (No. 16)
The wait to get into a Grapefruit League game was worth it for Hernandez, who left the yard and enjoyed a perfect day at the plate. The 22-year-old snapped an eighth-inning tie with a three-run homer after lining a single to center in his first at-bat in the seventh. Hernandez went deep 12 times in 73 games with Single-A Charleston last season. Overall, the Dominican Republic native batted .252 with a .834 OPS and 44 RBIs.

Rangers: A.J. Alexy, RHP (No. 25)
Alexy is putting forth quite a push to make the big club when camp breaks next month. Making his first start of the spring, the 23-year-old retired all nine batters he faced, striking out a pair. Alexy has yet to allow a run through two Cactus League appearances spanning five innings. He’s yielded one hit and a walk with three whiffs. The Dodgers’ 11th-round pick in the 2016 Draft was used judiciously in 2021, tossing 65 innings spanning 16 appearances, including 10 starts. Alexy limited opponents to a .176 average and owned a 76-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio while posting a 1.66 ERA across two Minor League levels. He started four times and made one relief appearance for the Rangers in September.