Thursday's top prospect performers
Here's a look at Thursday’s top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C (MLB No. 1), Triple-A Norfolk
Baseball’s top prospect is adjusting to Triple-A rather nicely, collecting three hits in his third game with Norfolk. In his brief time with the Tides, Rutschman has six hits in 13 at-bats with four RBIs. On the season as a whole, Rutschman is slashing .279/.395/.513 with 18 home runs. Orioles prospect stats »
Tigers: Spencer Torkelson, 3B (MLB No. 2), Double-A Erie
Riley Greene, OF (MLB No. 13), Double-A Erie
Have yourself a day, Spencer Torkelson. The Tigers’ top-ranked prospect combined to go a perfect seven-for-seven with three home runs. When the day began, Torkelson had an OPS of .865. By evening’s end, Torkelson’s OPS had ballooned to .968, an increase of more than 100 points. In his past four games, Torkelson has accumulated 24 total bases with four home runs.
Greene couldn’t quite match Torkelson’s otherworldly day, but did slug a home run in each game of the doubleheader, including a grand slam in the first game. Greene has been scorching in August, slashing .364/.417/.727 with four home runs in 10 games. Tigers prospect stats »
Marlins: JJ Bleday, OF (MLB No. 12), Double-A Pensacola
Zach McCambley, RHP (No. 20), Double-A Pensacola
Hey, hey, look at Bleday. The Marlins’ top prospect has struggled for much of this season, but is showing signs of life, now having slugged two home runs in as many days. In his last five games, Bleday has gone 5-for-15 with seven RBIs.
McCambley shook off a four-homer outing to deliver five hitless innings with eight strikeouts to two walks. It was a sign of progress for McCambley, who has had a couple tough starts since being promoted to Double-A. Marlins prospect stats »
Cardinals: Nolan Gorman, 3B (MLB No. 25), Triple-A Memphis
Gorman’s fingerprints were all over Memphis’ narrow win on Thursday as he collected four hits and drew a walk. It was the first time Gorman had reached base five times in a single game since Aug. 4, 2018. In his last four games, Gorman is 8-for-17 with two extra-base hits. Cardinals prospect stats »
Reds: Reds: Austin Hendrick, OF (MLB No. 64), Low-A Daytona
Jose Barrero, SS (MLB No. 82), Triple-A Louisville
Hendrick enjoyed the finest night of his professional career thus far, recording a career-high four hits and career-high eight total bases with a homer. Hendrick has tallied eight extra-base hits in 10 games this month.
Remember when Barrero struggled out the gates after being promoted to Louisville? Those days are long gone, and a 3-for-4 evening with two home runs and 10 total bases is proof of that. In his past 25 games, Barrero is hitting .353 with nine homers. Reds prospect stats »
Mets: Brett Baty, 3B (MLB No. 70), Double-A Binghamton
Junior Santos, RHP (No. 10), Low-A St. Lucie
When your slugging percentage goes up nearly 100 points, it’s safe to say it was a good day. Baty went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs, his 11 total bases being the most he’s ever had in a single game as a professional. In August, Baty has hit safely in nine of 10 games and is slashing .378/.455/.676.
Santos, 19, twirled the best start of his professional career, allowing one run across a career-high seven innings with six strikeouts to one walk. The right-hander had completed six innings on four separate occasions this season, but hadn’t crossed the seven-inning threshold until Thursday. Over his past five starts, Santos has allowed just seven runs across 28 2/3 innings (2.51 ERA). Mets prospect stats »
A’s: Brady Feigl, RHP (No. 28), Double-A Midland
Feigl put together a solid night at the office, allowing two runs (none earned) across five innings with five strikeouts. It was the right-hander’s first outing where he’s pitched at least five innings and allowed no earned runs since June 20. A’s prospect stats »
D-backs: Ryne Nelson, RHP (No. 18), Double-A Amarillo
If there’s one thing Nelson has earned a reputation for, it’s racking up the strikeouts like few starters can. Nelson had 12 strikeouts across five innings of one-run ball, the third time this season he’s had double-figure punchouts. Over his past five starts, Nelson has a 1.59 ERA across 28 1/3 innings with 47 strikeouts. Across 80 1/3 total innings this season, Nelson has struck out an astounding 124 batters, or 13.89 batters per nine innings. D-backs prospect stats »
Mariners: Cade Marlowe, OF (No. 27), High-A Everett
In a game filled with beefed up stat lines, Marlowe separated himself from the pack. Marlowe had three hits and six RBIs, the bulk of which came by way of his first professional grand slam. The outfielder is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak, totaling 11 hits in 33 at-bats with three home runs. Mariners prospect stats »
Rangers: Luisangel Acuña, INF (No. 6), Low-A Down East Wood
Acuña is heating up and doing so in a hurry. The 19-year-old totaled three hits and three RBIs, extending his hitting streak to six games. Over these past six games, Acuña is 9-for-27 (.333) with three steals and nine RBIs. Rangers prospect stats »
Yankees: Everson Pereira, DH (No. 13), High-A Hudson Valley After tallying six hits during his first seven games at the High-A level, Pereira nearly matched that total on Thursday night alone. The 20-year-old went 5-for-5 out of the leadoff spot with a pair of home runs, his third and fourth in his last four games. Pereira singled to right field in the first inning before homering to center in the third and to left in the fifth, both solo shots. The Venezuelan-born prospect then rapped a two-run single to left in the sixth and reached on an infield single to second base in the eighth. Yankees prospect stats »