Wednesday's top prospect performers
Here's a look at Wednesday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., SS (MLB No. 7), Double-A Northwest Arkansas
Not only did Witt hit his first homer of the season, but he also turned in his first multihit performance for the Naturals in a 9-2 win. The 20-year-old, who took Dodgers prospect Michael Grove deep in the third inning, went 3-for-4 and also scored a pair of runs. Royals prospects stats »
Tigers: Riley Greene, OF (MLB No. 17), Double-A Erie
Gage Workman, SS (No. 12), Low-A Lakeland
Greene broke out of a 2-for-18 slide in a big way, going 3-for-4, scoring twice and stealing his first base of the season. The 20-year-old began the season with consecutive multihit efforts before slumping over his next five games. On Wednesday, he ignited Erie’s offense from the leadoff spot to help manager Arnie Beyeler earn the 1,000th win of his Minor League career.
Workman stroked a triple and a double while scoring twice and driving in one in his fourth multihit performance in eight games this season. The 21-year-old also swiped his third base and jumpstarted Lakeland’s 15-run, 13-hit attack with his first triple of the year in the first inning. Workman is batting .257/.389/.429 with five extra-base hits through his first 35 professional at-bats. Tigers prospects stats »
Nationals: Cade Cavalli, RHP (MLB No. 85), High-A Wilmington
Cavalli, the 22nd overall pick from the 2020 Draft, was lights out for Wilmington as he yielded just one hit over five scoreless innings. The right-hander struck out the side in the second and notched at least one strikeout in each frame, finishing with eight. Cavalli did issue a trio of walks, but was able to pitch around them and has yet to give up a run this season. Through two starts he’s struck out 15 and given up two hits over 10 innings. Nationals prospects stats »
Cardinals: Masyn Winn, SS/RHP (No. 5), Low-A Palm Beach
Jordan Walker, 3B (No. 6), Low-A Palm Beach
Winn, a two-way prospect, demonstrated why St. Louis wants to keep a bat in his hands, going 4-for-5 with four runs scored, an RBI, a walk and two stolen bases while falling a homer shy of the cycle out of the leadoff spot. Although the 19-year-old 2021 second-rounder entered the day 2-for-19, his two thefts gave him six on the season and he's scored 13 runs in seven games.
Walker, the Cardinals' first-round pick in last year's Draft, batted directly behind Winn in the Palm Beach order and came through with a 3-for-4 performance, tripling, driving in three, scoring twice and walking twice. He was also charged with his first two errors of the season -- one throwing, one fielding -- at the hot corner. The 6-foot-5 18-year-old has hit safely in five of seven games while collecting four extra-base knocks and walking nine times. Cardinals prospects stats »
Red Sox: Triston Casas, 1B (MLB No. 35), Double-A Portland
Looking to get back on track following a rough first week, Casas established a career high with six RBIs on the strength of two homers and four hits, three of which went for extra bases. A first-inning single got the 21-year-old going. He later slugged his first Double-A homer and followed with his second before equaling his personal best with four hits on a two-run double in the seventh inning. Red Sox prospects stats »
Blue Jays: Alek Manoah, RHP (No. 6), Triple-A Buffalo
Yes, the sample size is small, but Manoah is simply carving up opposing lineups so far this season. The 23-year-old has been nothing short of dominant through two starts, amassing 17 strikeouts over 12 scoreless innings. While his 12-strikeout performance to start the year stands out in his game log, Wednesday’s showing was equally impressive. The right-hander threw 49 of his 76 pitches for strikes and gave up just one hit over six scoreless innings. Manoah did issue a pair of walks and also struck out five. After retiring the first seven batters he faced, Manoah got into a bit of trouble as he hit and walked a batter back-to-back. However he escaped the frame and continued to cruise through his outing, carrying a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. Blue Jays prospects stats »
Indians: Daniel Espino, RHP (No. 6), Low-A Lynchburg
Logan Allen, LHP (No. 23), High-A Lake County
Jose Tena, SS (No. 24), High-A Lake County
Espino picked up his first win of the season for the Hillcats after allowing six hits and two walks over five innings against Salem. The 20-year-old struck out five and lowered his ERA from 7.36 to 4.15.
Two career starts, two career wins for Allen, the 56th overall pick from the 2020 Draft. He fanned seven while delivering five more scoreless frames for the Captains to keep his ERA a perfect 0.00. He allowed runners on base in each of his innings except the first, scattering five hits and two walks across the outing.
Leadoff hitter Tena provided for a lot of the offense for Allen’s Captains, going 3-for-4 with a homer, three runs scored and a stolen base. The 20-year-old singled on a popup to short and crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly in the first, sent one out of the yard to right in the third and lined a single to center and scored on an infield hit in the fifth. Indians prospects stats »
Braves: Tucker Davidson, LHP (No. 8), Triple-A Gwinnett
Following up on his strong season debut in which he allowed one run over seven innings, Davidson proceeded to toss seven more, this time without surrendering a run. The 25-year-old struck out eight, walked one and allowed four hits while lowering his ERA to 0.64 in two starts. Davidson faced one over the minimum through four and was aided by a pair of doubles plays. Of the southpaw's 97 pitches, 67 went for strikes. Braves prospects stats »
Marlins: Jake Eder, LHP (No. 24), Double-A Pensacola
After twirling five scoreless innings in his first start of the season, Eder decided to do it again in his second trip to the mound. The 22-year-old, a fourth-round pick from the 2020 Draft, held the Birmingham bats in check as he threw five scoreless innings and struck out seven. Eder worked around some trouble in the first and third innings, but settled later in the outing and retired six of the final seven batters he faced. The season is still young, but the Vanderbilt product has already racked up 19 strikeouts. Marlins prospects stats »
Orioles: Gunnar Henderson, SS (No. 5), Low-A Delmarva
Kyle Bradish, RHP (No. 13), Double-A Bowie
Henderson doubled three times en route to a career-high five-RBI night in Low-A Delmarva’s 17-3 rout of Fredericksburg. He went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and has compiled a slash line of .357/.419/.786 in seven games this season.
Another start, another scoreless outing for Bradish. The 24-year-old has yet to allow a run this season after spinning five scoreless frames against Reading. Bradish, who fanned seven over 4 2/3 innings in his first start of 2021, yielded three hits and struck out nine Wednesday. He threw 54 of his 82 pitches for strikes and picked up at least one strikeout in each of his five innings. Orioles prospects stats »
Astros: Korey Lee, C (No. 5), High-A Asheville
Zach Daniels, RF (No. 12), Low-A Fayetteville
Lee rebounded from his first hitless performance of 2021, homering and equaling a career high with three hits. The 22-year-old added a double, drove in two runs and scored three times to boost his average past the .300 mark. Lee’s first-inning solo homer was his fourth in 250 career at-bats. He hit three during his professional debut in 2019.
Daniels amassed his first three-hit game of the season in his sixth appearance this year. The 22-year-old went 3-for-4 with a homer, a walk and four RBIs to key Fayetteville’s victory over Kannapolis and raise his average to .231. He popped his second long ball of the season, a two-run shot to right, in the first. He plated two runs with a single to right in the third, walked in the fifth and singled to left in the seventh. Astros prospects stats »
Mariners: Connor Phillips, RHP (No. 11), Low-A Modesto
Phillips rebounded from an uneven professional debut to toss five scoreless innings en route to his first career win. The 20-year-old allowed two hits and a walk while striking out seven during his 80-pitch outing. Five of the first eight outs Phillips recorded were strikeouts and he finished strong too, fanning the final two batters in the fifth during a 1-2-3 frame. Mariners prospects stats »