Thursday's top offseason prospect performers
Here's a look at Thursday’s top performers in the Fall and Winter Leagues from the top prospects in each team's farm systems.
Mets: Ronny Mauricio, SS (MLB No. 53), Tigres del Licey
Mauricio led the way for Licey offensively, going 2-for-4 with two doubles in the Dominican Winter League on Thursday. The switch-hitting shortstop has racked up five doubles and two home runs in 18 games with a .286 batting average and a .768 OPS. Mauricio set career highs in home runs (20), RBIs (64), total bases (190) and stolen bases (11) during the regular season while posting a .745 OPS in 108 games at High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton. The 20-year-old excelled in his eight-game stint at Double-A to end the season, tallying 10 hits with a home run and a double.
Braves: Drew Lugbauer, C/1B (unranked), Peoria Javelinas
Lugbauer completed Peoria’s six-run, seventh-inning comeback with a go-ahead grand slam to give his club a crucial 7-6 win, keeping them in the race to clinch a spot in the AFL Championship game on Saturday. Following his 2-for-4 performance, Lugbauer leads the AFL with a 1.233 OPS and a .750 slugging percentage, ranks second with a .483 on-base percentage and third with six home runs. The 25-year-old showcased his power during the regular season with 18 home runs in 86 games for Double-A Mississippi. More »
Cubs: Nelson Velazquez, OF (CHC 29), Mesa Solar Sox
Velazquez is putting the finishing touches on a stellar AFL campaign in the penultimate game of the season with three hits and three RBIs in Mesa’s 3-1 win. The slugging outfielder’s first-inning RBI double was hit at 111.1 mph and his fifth-inning RBI single had an exit velocity of 107.8 mph. Velazquez has been one of the best performers in the AFL, leading the league with nine home runs and 40 hits while posting a slash line of .385/.480/.712 and an OPS of 1.191. The 22-year-old is one of the top candidates for the AFL MVP and could rise on the Cubs' prospect rankings with his standout performance in the desert. More »
Nationals: Jackson Cluff, SS (WAS 19), Surprise Saguaros
Cluff tallied two hits in three trips to the plate while leading off for the Saguaros on Thursday. The 24-year-old drove in two runs with RBI singles in the third and sixth innings, boosting his season total to 13. In 21 AFL games, Cluff has a .351/.446/.468 slash line with a .913 OPS, 27 hits and six doubles. The shortstop was limited to 45 games during the regular season due to a hand injury but is ending his year with a strong showing in the Fall League.
Pirates: Ji-Hwan Bae, 2B/SS (PIT 22), Peoria Javelinas
Bae singled and doubled while leading off the Javelinas, adding an RBI on a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning and scoring a run on Drew Lugbauer’s go-ahead grand slam. The 22-year-old has posted a .258/.346/.393 slash line in 22 Fall League games, tallying 23 hits, 23 runs scored and eight stolen bases for a Peoria team that has scored the second most runs in the league. Bae’s speed is a standout tool he used to swipe 20 bags during the regular season to go along with a .782 OPS and 25 extra-base hits (12 doubles, five triples, eight home runs) in 85 games.
Yankees: Elijah Dunham, OF (NYY 24), Surprise Saguaros
Andres Chaparro, INF (unranked), Surprise Saguaros
Dunham continued to rake in the Fall League with a three-hit day in the Saguaros’ loss. The outfielder drove in a run with a ground-ball single in the fifth inning and added two more base knocks to bump his average to .370, good for seventh in the AFL. Dunham’s 11 stolen bases lead the Fall League, his 30 hits rank second and his 1.072 OPS is fourth-best in the league. The 23-year-old had a productive debut season with an .825 OPS and 40 extra-base hits (25 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs) and could rise up the Yankees' Top 30 prospect list after a stellar stretch in Arizona.
Chaparro gave the Saguaros production from the bottom of the lineup by going 3-for-3 with three doubles and three runs scored. The trio of two-baggers leaves the 22-year-old tied for second in the AFL with eight and he's produced a .269/.351/.522 slash line with an .873 OPS in 19 games. Chaparro’s performance in the Fall League is putting the finishing touches on an impressive year that saw him hit 15 home runs with a .381 on-base percentage and an .849 OPS in 101 games between Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley.