Sunday's top prospect performers
Here's a look at Sunday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Blue Jays: Yennsy Diaz, RHP (No. 22) -- 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (Double-A New Hampshire)
Diaz spun his longest start of the year and picked up his fifth win as New Hampshire topped Richmond, 2-1. Diaz gave up a pair of hits in the first and loaded the bases in the second, but from that point forward he retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced. The 22-year-old, whom the Blue Jays signed in 2014, threw 66 of his 97 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 3.50.
Blue Jays prospects stats »
Orioles: Yusniel Diaz, OF (No. 2, No. 76 in MLB) -- 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB (Double-A Bowie)
Diaz continued to show his improved power stroke with a two-run double in Bowie's 4-3 loss to Trenton. The Orioles' outfield prospect has slugged an extra-base hit in each of his past five contests (two doubles, three homers), helping to skyrocket his OPS in June to a scorching .972 mark. He's also knocked in 11 runs over that span.
Orioles prospects stats »
Rays: No Rays prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minors on Sunday.
Red Sox: Josh Ockimey, 1B (No. 24) -- 3-for-6, HR, 2 RBI, R (Triple-A Pawtucket)
Ockimey has struggled with swing and miss, but when he connects, it often goes the distance. That was the case Sunday, when the 23-year-old launched a two-out, two-run homer for Pawtucket in an 8-0 rout of Indianapolis. Of Ockimey's 42 hits on the season, 15 have gone for home runs and 27 for extra-base hits.
Red Sox prospects stats »
Yankees: Luis Gil, RHP (No. 13) -- 5 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K (Class A Charleston)
Gil was stuck with a no-decision, but he worked another gem for Charleston. The 21-year-old, whom the Yankees acquired via a 2018 trade with the Twins, has pitched to a 1.81 ERA this season and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his past 12 starts. Gil threw 62 of his 98 pitches for strikes Sunday, and although he dealt with baserunners in every inning, he limited the damage to just the one run.
Yankees prospects stats »
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Indians: Bobby Bradley, 1B (No. 6) -- 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI (Triple-A Columbus)
Bradley is red hot at the plate right now and is showing no signs of slowing down. The 23-year-old turned in his fourth multi-homer game of the season as he went deep in the second and sixth innings. Bradley has hit 20 or more homers in five straight seasons and has also already gone deep nine times in the month of June.
Indians prospects stats »
Royals: Michael Gigliotti, OF (No. 13) -- 3-for-5, 3B, 4 RBI (Class A Lexington)
Gigliotti extended his hitting streak to 14 games with his fourth three-hit game of the season. The 23-year-old, a fourth-round pick from the 2017 Draft, has raised his average from .278 to .309 during the streak and is hitting a ridiculous .389 this month. Gigliotti hit .320 in his 2017 professional debut, but missed the bulk of last season as he blew out his ACL just six games into the year.
Royals prospects stats »
Tigers: Isaac Paredes, SS (No. 4) -- 1-for-3, HR, RBI (Double-A Erie)
Paredes is scuffling and hitting .233 in June, but he did manage to hit his third homer of the year in Erie's win over Hartford. The 20-year-old, whom the Tigers acquired from the Cubs in 2017, is hitting .266 through 59 games this season and trying to replicate the success he had in 2018. After getting promoted from Class A Advanced Lakeland, Paredes showed he could hit at the Double-A level as he hit .321 with three homers over 39 games.
Tigers prospects stats »
Twins: Luis Arraez, 2B/OF (No. 17) -- 2-for-4, RBI (Triple-A Rochester)
Arraez, 22, is 9-for-19 (.474) over the past four games and hitting .348 through 16 games with Triple-A Rochester. Arraez, whom the Twins signed in 2013, has already played across three levels this season, including the Majors, and has hit at all three stops. Arraez hit .375 over 10 games in the Majors, however that likely isn't a huge surprise as the Venezuelan has impressive bat-to-ball skills and is one of the best pure hitters in the Twins' system.
Twins prospects stats »
White Sox: Steele Walker, OF (No. 10) -- 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI (Class A Advanced Winston-Salem)
Walker hit his fourth homer of the season and his second in three games as Winston-Salem beat Carolina, 6-2. Walker, a 2018 second-round pick, is 7-for-13 over the past three games and hitting .254 through 36 games with the Dash. Prior to his stint with the Dash, the 22-year-old began the season with Class A Kannapolis and hit .365 through 20 games prior to his promotion.
White Sox prospects stats »
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
A’s: Jesus Luzardo, LHP (No. 1, No. 12 in MLB) -- 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K (Class A Advanced Stockton)
It's hard to imagine Luzardo's two rehab starts going any better as he's racked up 11 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball. The 21-year-old was fighting for a spot in the A's Opening Day rotation, but was shut down late in Spring Training with a shoulder strain. Luzardo, whom the A's acquired from the Nationals in 2017, is coming off an impressive 2018 campaign, during which he pitched across three levels and posted a 2.88 ERA with 129 strikeouts over 109 1/3 innings.
A's prospects stats »
Angels: Jesus Castillo, RHP (No. 21) -- 7 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K (Double-A Mobile)
Castillo gave up a plethora of hits, but was able to work his way out of jams and keep Mississippi from putting up a big inning. The right-hander, whom the Angels acquired from the Cubs in 2016, has pitched to a 3.08 ERA through 14 games (12 starts) this season. Castillo also pitched with Mobile last year, but he didn't fare well, as he posted a 4.94 ERA over 98 1/3 innings and missed about a month on the injured list.
Angels prospects stats »
Astros: Abraham Toro, 3B (No. 20) -- 1-for-5, HR, RBI (Double-A Corpus Christi)
Toro has been going through a recent rough stretch at the plate, hitting 3-for-28 over his past eight games. But he lifted a homer in the eighth inning of Corpus Christi's 8-6 loss to Springfield for just his first homer of June. The blast was also the 22-year-old's 11th of the season, with much of that coming during a six-homer month of May, during which he produced a stellar 1.029 OPS.
Astros prospects stats »
Mariners: Donnie Walton, 2B (No. 29) -- 3-for-3, 2B, RBI (Double-A Arkansas)
That's three straight multihit performances for Walton, who also has three hits in back-to-back games. What's more, the 25-year-old has turned in multihit performances in six of his past nine games and has raised his average from .258 to .300 in that stretch. Walton, a fifth-round pick from the 2016 Draft, is hitting .412 in June and already has a career-best seven homers this season. He's coming off a 2018 campaign in which he hit .273 over 119 games and reached Double-A for the first time.
Mariners prospects stats »
Rangers: Sherten Apostel, 3B (No. 22) -- 4-for-4, HR, 3 RBI (Class A Hickory)
Apostel hit his ninth homer of the year -- a career high -- and set a season high for hits. Apostel, 20, signed with the Pirates out of Curacao in 2015, but was traded to the Rangers in August 2018. The athletic third baseman still needs to develop offensively, but he has the potential to have plus power and is slugging .441 through 60 games in his full-season debut.
Rangers prospects stats »
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves: William Contreras, C (No. 7) -- 2-for-4, 2B, RBI (Double-A Mississippi)
Contreras snapped out of his 2-for-28 funk with his first two-hit game since May 25. The catcher hit .263 over 50 games with Class A Advanced Florida to begin the season and was then promoted to Mississippi, where he's gotten off to a slow start. Contreras is hitting .143 through 11 Double-A games.
Braves prospects stats »
Marlins: Sixto Sanchez, RHP (No. 1, No. 23 in MLB) -- 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (Double-A Jacksonville)
Sanchez retired 11 of the first 13 batters he faced and cruised to his second scoreless start of the season. The 20-year-old, acquired from the Phillies as part of the JT Realmuto trade, threw 61 of his 90 pitches for strikes and lowered his ERA to 3.08 with the Jumbo Shrimp. Pitching at the Double-A level for the first time, Sanchez has 35 strikeouts, compared to seven walks, over 38 innings.
Marlins prospects stats »
Mets: No Mets prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minors on Sunday.
Phillies: Rafael Marchan, C (No. 14) -- 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI (Class A Lakewood)
Marchan extended his hitting streak to five games with another multihit performance. The 20-year-old, who signed with the Phillies in 2015, put together his best year as a professional last year as he hit .301 and was named a New York-Penn League All-Star. Marchan has followed that success up this year and is producing once again, hitting .282 and making the $200,000 that the Phillies signed him for look like a bargain.
Phillies prospects stats »
Nationals: Jackson Tetreault, RHP (No. 25) -- 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 K (Double-A Harrisburg)
Tetreault threw 51 of his 70 pitches for strikes and completed five innings for the first time since late May. The 2017 seventh-round Draft pick began the year at Class A Advanced Potomac, where he made four starts before he was bumped up to the Double-A level for the first time. Pitching with Harrisburg, Tetreault has a 4.50 ERA with 27 strikeouts through 34 innings.
Nationals prospects stats »
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
Brewers: Mauricio Dubon, SS/2B (No. 5) -- 3-for-5, 2B, RBI (Triple-A San Antonio)
Make that four straight multihit games for Dubon, who is also working on an eight-game hitting streak. The 24-year-old, whom the Brewers acquired in a December 2016 trade with the Red Sox, is 10-for-20 over the past four games, hitting .375 in June and .301 on the year. Dubon is likely to make his Major League debut at some point this season, but after missing the bulk of 2018 with a torn ACL, he's still getting a bit more experience under his belt in the Minors.
Brewers prospects stats »
Cubs: Brennen Davis, OF (No. 7) -- 2-for-4, 2B (Class A South Bend)
Davis has put together back-to-back 2-for-4 performances and has boosted his average to .338 in the process. The 2018 second-round pick was a multi-sport star in high school and still needs some refinement in the batter's box, but he's been impressive early in his professional career. Davis hit .298 over 18 games in his debut last season and is raking through 21 games this year.
Cubs prospects stats »
Cardinals: Conner Capel, OF (No. 17) -- 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI (Triple-A Memphis)
Capel is 5-for-11 (.455) in three games with the Redbirds. The 22-year-old began the year with Double-A Springfield and hit .216 over 58 games. However, Capel has hits in five of his past six games, including three multihit performances, and may be on the verge of a hot streak. The 2016 draftee (sixth round) was dealt to the Cardinals (from the Indians) at least year's Trade Deadline and is coming off a 2018 campaign during which he hit .257 over 118 games.
Cardinals prospects stats »
Pirates: Ji-Hwan Bae, SS (No. 13) -- 2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI (Class A Greensboro)
Bae is not regarded as a power-hitting shortstop -- he's yet to record a Minor League homer -- but when the ball finds a gap, his speed helps stretch hits for extra bases. That happened twice on Sunday, as the 19-year-old, whom the Pirates signed out of South Korea, collected two doubles to bring his season total to six doubles, matching last season's mark. Over 59 career games in the Minors, Bae is batting .280 with a .723 OPS.
Pirates prospects stats »
Reds: No Reds prospects had noteworthy performances in the Minors on Sunday.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-backs: Alek Thomas, OF (No. 7) -- 3-for-5, 2B, RBI (Class A Kane County)
Thomas is hitting .291 through 59 games of his full-season debut after his second three-hit game of the season. The 2018 second-round pick has an advanced approach at the plate and is able to hit the ball to all fields. Thomas showed why some teams viewed him as a first-round pick as he hit .333 in his professional debut and he's continued to build on that through the first half of 2019.
D-backs prospects stats »
Dodgers: Gavin Lux, SS/2B (No. 2, No. 39 in MLB) -- 3-for-3 (Double-A Tulsa)
Lux was stuck with an 0-for-4 on Saturday, but it didn’t take him long to rebound as he put together his seventh three-hit game of the year on Sunday. The 21-year-old, the Dodgers’ 2016 first-round pick, put together a breakout campaign in 2018 as he slashed .324/.399/.514 across two levels and 116 games. Coming out to prove that that wasn’t an aberration, Lux got off to a fast start in 2019, hitting over .300 in both April and May and is hitting .309 through 57 games.
Dodgers prospects stats »
Giants: Sean Hjelle, RHP (No. 6) -- 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K (Class A Advanced San Jose)
Hjelle has spun six innings in four of his past five starts, including each of his past three. The 22-year-old fired 56 of his 84 pitches for strikes and has pitched to a 2.58 ERA across two levels this season. Hjelle, whom the Giants grabbed in the second round last year out of Kentucky, features a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a low-80 knuckle-curve.
Giants prospects stats »
Padres: Esteury Ruiz, 2B (No. 24) -- 3-for-6, 2B, 3B, RBI (Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore)
Ruiz now has four three-hit games this season after his big performance in Sunday's win over Rancho Cucamonga. The Padres acquired Ruiz in a 2017 trade with the Royals and have been pleased with the 20-year-old. Ruiz showed off his unique power/speed combo with 12 homers and 49 stolen bases last year and has five homers and 25 stolen bases through 61 games this season. Ruiz has the strength needed to hit hard line drives, but at times he has trouble
Padres prospects stats »
Rockies: Terrin Vavra, SS (No. 13) -- 2-for-3, 2 2B, R (Class A Asheville)
It's not often that a pinch-runner makes a notable performance, but after replacing John Cresto, who was hit by a pitch, in the second inning, Vavra went on to hit two doubles in three at-bats for the Tourists. This is nothing new for the 22-year-old, the Rockies' third-round pick in 2018, as he has six games with two doubles this year. Vavra's 22 doubles on the year is second best in the South Atlantic League, and he's currently batting to a .324/.397/.500 line in his first full pro season.
Rockies prospects stats »