Here's the Prospect Team of the Week
MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances from the previous seven days. Any Minor Leaguer currently on an organization Top 30 Prospects list in our Prospect Rankings is eligible.
We liked our Week 5 Prospect Team of the Week so much, we’ve decided to bring back three members of that squad this time around.
The Yankees’ Anthony Volpe, A’s Cody Thomas and Reds’ Graham Ashcraft are having a mini-reunion this week, and they're joined by one 2021 two-time participant, a two-timer making his first appearance since 2018, a three-time Prospect Team of the Week representative and four newcomers on this week’s PTOW, covering games from June 21-27.
C: Korey Lee, Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A)
(Astros No. 5)
.409/.500/1.045, 6 G, 22 AB, 6 R, 9 H, 1 3B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 3 SO
Lee kicked off his week with three hits on Tuesday, including a triple and a homer, the first of three straight games he homered in. It’s been a continuation of a strong start for Lee in Double-A since his promotion on June 15, as he’s hit in all but one of his games with Corpus Christi and has slashed .333/.400/.778 with six homers and 14 RBIs in 12 games at his new level.
1B: Jose Miranda, Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A)
(Twins No. 16)
.481/.517/.778, 6 G, 27 AB, 4 R, 13 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 SO
Usually when you start your week with a four-hit game, as Miranda did on Tuesday, that’s your best line of the week. But Miranda also had a five-hit performance on Thursday and two multi-hit games over the weekend to boot. It’s been a torrid June (.370/.427/.610) for the infielder and he’s now up to .345/.408/.588 with 13 homers for the year, tying him for first in home runs in the Double-A Central.
Others receiving votes: Mark Vientos, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A, Mets)
2B: Nick Allen, Midland RockHounds (Double-A)
(A’s No. 3)
.480/.500/.800, 6 G, 25 AB, 5 R, 12 H, 1 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2 SB, 1 CS
This is Allen’s second appearance on PTOW at second base as he continues to see time at both middle infield positions. The question with Allen, a slick defender, was always how much impact with the bat he will have After a week that included five multi-hit games and saw him extend his hitting streak to 13 games, he’s now slashing .385/.407/.577 in June and .333/.383/.483 for the year. He has four homers, doubling his career total, to go along with eight stolen bases.
3B: Mark Vientos, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A)
(Mets No. 8)
.400/.500/1.200, 5 G, 20 AB, 7 R, 8 H, 1 2B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO
Vientos got votes at both corner-infield spots because he split the week evenly between them, but we knew he belonged somewhere. He picked up hits in all five games he played and homered in four of them, hitting two out on Thursday. That gives him nine homers in June and 12 for the year, which now puts him in a tie for third in the Double-A Northeast.
Others receiving votes: Joe Perez, Asheville Tourists (High-A, Astros)
SS: Anthony Volpe, Tampa Tarpons (Low-A)
(Yankees No. 11)
.389/.542/.833, 5 G, 18 AB, 8 R, 7 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 6 SO, 3 SB
Volpe makes his second PTOW in four weeks thanks largely to closing out the week by going 5-for-9 with three extra-base hits over his last two games. It’s a continuation of a red-hot June that has seen the 2019 first-rounder hit .392/.515/.848 to bring his full-season debut line up to .310/.439/.620, and he leads the Low-A Southeast in home runs (9) and has gone 19-for-22 in stolen-base attempts while walking more than he’s struck out.
OF: Cody Thomas, Las Vegas Aviators (Triple-A)
(A’s No. 22)
.308/.357/.962, 6 G, 26 AB, 8 R, 8 H, 1 3B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 10 SO
Thomas has always hit for power, and he’s showing he brought his home run stroke with him to the A’s organization, which he joined in February via trade. He homered three times over his first two games of the week and went long in three straight dating back to the end of the previous week to make his second PTOW in four weeks. He added a homer on Friday and another on Sunday and now has 11 homers this month and 13 for the year after a slow start in May.
OF: Micker Adolfo, Birmingham Barons (Double-A)
(White Sox No. 6)
.333/.462/.952, 6 G, 21 AB, 6 R, 7 H, 1 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 6 SO
Adolfo kicked off his week on Tuesday with a two-homer game, then hit another one on Wednesday and closed out with grand slam on Sunday. The power outburst vaulted him into a tie for first in the Double-A South with 12 homers and he’s now second in SLG (.531) and fourth in OPS.
OF: Jarred Kelenic, Tacoma Rainiers (Triple-A)
(Mariners No. 1/MLB No. 4)
.333/.467/.750, 6 G, 24 AB, 9 R, 8 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 3 SO, 2 SB
Much of Kelenic’s production came over two days -- a two-homer performance on Thursday and a four-hit outburst on Friday -- falling just a home run shy of the cycle in that contest. He also drove in seven of his eight runs over those two games. He now has five homers and four steals in 16 June games since his demotion from the big leagues.
LHP: Sam Weatherly, Fresno Grizzlies (Low-A)
(Rockies No. 16)
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO, 0.60 WHIP
While it remains to be seen if Weatherly will start or relieve long-term, he’s now put up back-to-back strong outings this month. Two weeks ago, he gave up just one hit over four innings but walked three. This past week was better command-wise, as he tossed five shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out nine. There’s no question the lefty’s stuff is dominating Low-A West hitters, as he’s struck out 14.8 per nine and is third in the league in punchouts overall (61), despite tossing only 37 innings.
RHP: Graham Ashcraft, Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A)
(Reds No. 18)
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 9 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO, 0.22 WHIP
Ashcraft was the RHP on this squad four weeks ago and is back with a rarity these days: a complete-game shutout, in his Double-A debut no less. He didn’t give up a hit until the seventh and gave up a bloop hit in the ninth, but faced just one batter over the minimum while striking out eight and inducing 12 ground-ball outs. The right-hander hasn’t given up an earned run since a rough outing back on May 25, a span of 32 innings.
RP: Eddy Yean, Bradenton Marauders (Low-A)
(Pirates No. 12)
1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 6 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO, 0.17 WHIP
After a rough start out of the gate in May, Yean seems to be figuring it out while being used in a bit of a piggyback system. His “relief” outing this week was a six-inning affair that saw him allow just one hit and no walks while striking out nine. He’s recorded 13 K/9 this month while holding hitters to a .197 average and this was his second straight outing where he didn’t allow an earned run.
Others receiving votes: Ryley Gilliam, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A, Mets); Reid Schaller, Wilmington Blue Rocks (High-A, Nationals)