Tuesday's top prospect performers
Here's MLB Pipeline's roundup of the top prospect performances in the Minor Leagues on Tuesday.
The ball was flying out of the park across the Minor Leagues on Tuesday as a trio of hitters ranked on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list enjoyed multihomer performances for their respective clubs.
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Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego's top-ranked prospect, accomplished the feat for a second this season and the third time in his career as the No. 7 overall prospect connected on a pair of solo shots for Double-A San Antonio. The 19-year-old shortstop hit a leadoff homer to put his team on the board and added another solo blast in the fifth inning before finishing 2-for-4.
After slashing .177/.231/.333 over 24 games during the season's first month, Tatis has looked more like himself in May, posting a .333/.441/.719 batting line and five home runs in 14 games for the Missions.
Ryan McMahon's (No. 38 overall) two home runs for Triple-A Albuquerque were his first of 2018, as the Rockies' No. 2 prospect hit a solo and three-run shot in his first two at-bats, respectively, in a 10-3 victory over Las Vegas. It was an encouraging performance by the 23-year-old, who's now hitting .255/.305/.418 in Triple-A after batting just .180 in 50 at-bat with Colorado to begin the season.
Angels' top prospect Jo Adell (No. 57 overall) belted a solo homer followed by a two-run shot in his first two at-bats as he filled out the box score in Class A Burlington's 9-2 win against Kane County. The 19-year-old outfielder would later add a two-run double to finish 4-for-5 with five RBIs as he improved his average from .292 to .325 with his third four-hit game this season.
The rest of the best performances from top prospects Tuesday
• No. 11 overall prospect Bo Bichette (Blue Jays' No. 2) connected on his first homer with Double-A New Hampshire, a game-tying solo shot in the seventh inning that he punctuated with an equally impressive bat flip. The 20-year-old shortstop finished 2-for-6 with two RBIs at the plate, helping the Fisher Cats edge Hartford, 7-6, in 11 innings.
• No. 14 overall prospect Mitch Keller (Pirates' No. 1) logged his third seven-inning start of the season, all victories, for Double-A Altoona. The 22-year-old righty yielded one earned run on four hits, walking two and striking out seven in the performance. He also generated eight ground-ball outs and threw 63 of his 95 pitches for strikes. Will Craig (No. 17) powered the Curve's offense with a team-high two hits including a three-run blast, his second homer in as many games.
MILB Video - Title: Keller's seventh strikeout - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2048371383
• Brewers' No. 6 prospect Corey Ray homered twice and collected a career-high four hits, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base as Double-A Biloxi fell to Pensacola, 10-8. It also marked the first career multihomer game for the 23-year-old, who's now gone deep three times in his past three games, giving him five homers through 38 games in his first Double-A campaign. He's slashing .269/.349/.481, with 20 extra-base hits and seven steals, on the season.
MILB Video - Title: Ray's second homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2048465683
• Zac Gallen received more run support than he needed, as the Marlins' No. 12 prospect scattered seven hits over six scoreless innings in Triple-A New Orleans' 16-0 rout of Omaha. Throwing 60 of his 91 pitches for strikes, Gallen issued one walk, struck out a pair and induced nine ground-ball outs. Having completed at least five innings in each of his eight starts en route to a 2.25 ERA in 48 innings in the Pacific Coast League, the 22-year-old right-hander has little left to prove in the Minor Leagues.
• Indians' No. 8 prospect Shane Bieber's overall ERA sits at 1.43 after the 22-year-old posted 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a no-decision for Triple-A Columbus. He allowed five hits in the outing while striking out seven and throwing 76 of his 103 pitches for strikes. He's compiled 46 strikeouts and three walks over 50 1/3 innings between Columbus and Double-A Akron, giving the right-hander a 229-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 247 2/3 career innings.
• Mets' No. 4 prospect Peter Alonso put a bow on his third career two-homer game with a walk-off blast, powering Double-A Binghamton past Erie, 6-5. He hit a pair of solo shots, as well as a single, in the contest to finish 3-for-5 with three RBIs. The 2015 second-rounder's hit 11 homers this season, good for a share of first place in the Eastern League, a circuit that he also paces in OPS (1.173) and total bases (89). Altogether, Alonso has produced a robust .367/.478/.695 batting line with 47 hits and 33 RBIs in 36 games.
MILB Video - Title: Alonso's walk-off homer - Url: http://www.milb.com/r/video?content_id=2047792183
• Red Sox No. 24 prospect Chad De La Guerra had plated five of Double-A Portland's seven runs when the game was suspended due to rain after the top of the ninth inning, with the Sea Dogs trailing Reading, 9-7. He did much of his damage with a second-inning grand slam, his second homer of the year. Due up fourth for Portland in the bottom of the ninth when the game resumes, De La Guerra will be seeking a triple to complete his cycle. The two clubs will finish the game Wednesday morning before playing the regularly schedule game.
• Reds' No. 12 prospect Aristides Aquino's two homers were key in helping Pensacola outslug Biloxi, 10-8. He went 2-for-5 in the contest, finishing with three RBIs. The 24-year-old outfielder has hit six home runs in 38 games this season after a 17-homer 2017 campaign over 131 games in the Southern League.
• Twins' No. 6 prospect Alex Kirilloff extended his extra-base-hit streak to 13 games with his sixth home run before finishing 3-for-4 with a triple and three runs scored for Class A Cedar Rapids. With an extra-base hit in his next contest, the 20-year-old outfielder will tie the Major League record shared by Paul Waner (1927) and Chipper Jones (2006). Kirilloff's streak has done wonders for his slash line, too, pushing it from .254/.289/.451 to .317/.356/.618.
• Yankees' No. 14 prospect Trevor Stephan racked up a career-high 11 strikeouts in a seven-inning complete game, the first of his career, as Class A Advanced Tampa defeated Dunedin in Game 1 of a doubleheader. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound righty allowed two earned runs on five hits and also hit one batter in the outing. He matched his season high by throwing 91 pitches, including a season-best 70 strikes. In his first full season, Stephan leads the Florida State League in WHIP (0.78) and strikeouts (49) and ranks fifth in ERA (1.98).