Sunday's top prospect performers
Here's a look at Sunday's top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
D-backs: Geraldo Perdomo, SS (No. 3), Double-A Amarillo
Seth Beer, 1B/OF (No. 13), Triple-A Reno
Perdomo is heating up, and heating up in a hurry. The shortstop crushed his first home run since May 26, part of a two-hit day in which he also chipped in a double. Perdomo has struggled mightily this season, but has now reached base in seven consecutive games, totaling six walks and nine hits during this stretch. Perdomo is now slashing .290/.421/.516 in August in what has easily been the best baseball he’s played all season.
Beer is just about hotter than the surface of the sun. The first baseman continued his white-hot August with two more home runs on Sunday, his second multi-homer game of the season and the fourth of his professional career. In August, Beer is hitting .391 with five extra-base hits, four of them being home runs. Should Beer continue this pace, there’s a good chance he’ll have a .300/.400/.500 slash line by the end of the month. D-backs prospect stats »
Athletics: Daulton Jefferies, RHP (No. 4), Triple-A Las Vegas
Perhaps the one-start stint that Jeffries had with the A’s several weeks prior served as a confidence booster, because since returning to Las Vegas, the right-hander has been in top form. Jefferies had one of his better starts of the season on Sunday, pitching six innings of shutout ball with four strikeouts and no walks, his first quality start this season where he didn’t allow a single earned run. Jefferies began the month by making a spot start for Oakland, allowing three runs across five innings. Since returning, Jefferies has allowed just two runs across 12 innings (1.50 ERA) in two starts. A’s prospect stats »
Blue Jays: Kevin Smith, SS/3B (No. 23), Triple-A Buffalo
Smith put together his best game of the season: four hits, two doubles, four RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. It’s the first time this year and just the third time in his career that Smith has notched a four-hit game, and it’s the third time in 2021 that he’s collected four RBIs. The 2017 fourth-rounder got the scoring started with a two-run single in the third, and a two-run double in the eighth pushed Buffalo’s lead to 6-1. Smith is slashing .286/.371/.576 with a team-leading 23 doubles (tied for the most in the East division) in 82 games. Blue Jays prospect stats »
Braves: Braden Shewmake, SS (No. 4), Double-A Mississippi
This month hasn’t been all that kind to Shewmake, but the shortstop had an encouraging day at the plate, totaling two hits and smacking his first home run since July 28. After slashing .357/.379/.643 in July, Shewmake has come crashing back down to earth, posting an OPS of less than .600 in August thus far. The shortstop has been showing some signs of life as of late, recording a hit in four of his last five games. Braves prospect stats »
Cubs: Chase Strumpf, 2B (No. 13), Double-A Tennessee
Tennessee wasn’t lacking for notable stat lines as they poured 12 runs on Rocket City, but Strumpf had the most loaded of them all. Strumpf had two hits (including a home run), four RBIs and a walk, racking up six total bases in one game for the second time this season. Strumpf has had his struggles since being promoted to Double-A, hitting a combined .162 in June and July, but has come alive in August. This month, Strumpf is slashing .304/.385/.522 across 13 games, raising his OPS with Double-A by 70 points in the process. Cubs prospect stats »
Indians: Brayan Rocchio, SS (No. 7), Double-A Akron
Rocchio extended his hitting streak to six games by stuffing the box score, hitting his 12th homer of the year, smacking two doubles and driving in a career-high four runs. Rocchio also tied his single-game career high of eight total bases as well. Rocchio has been on a home run tear as of late, hitting three in his last five games. During this six-game hitting streak, Rocchio is 9-for-25 (.360) with six extra-base hits (three homers, three doubles). Indians prospect stats »
Mariners: Levi Stoudt, RHP (No. 11), Double-A Arkansas
How’s that for a debut? In his first start with Arkansas, Stoudt put together his best start of the year, allowing just one run across seven innings with six strikeouts. For Stoudt, it was just the second time this season he’s pitched at least seven innings. Since the calendar flipped over to July, Stoudt has shown dramatic growth in his ability to limit walks. Over his last five starts, Stoudt has walked just five batters across 30 2/3 innings, or 1.47 per nine innings. In May and June, by contrast, Stoudt was walking an eye-popping 5.80 per nine innings. Mariners prospect stats »
Mets: Oscar De La Cruz, RHP (No. 22), Double-A Binghamton
De La Cruz struck out a season-high 10 batters as he went 5 2/3 innings of five-hit, one-run ball in Binghamton’s 4-3 extra-innings win. The only blemish on De La Cruz’s day was a solo home run in the third, but he otherwise worked around five hits and two walks to limit Hartford to one run while he was on the mound. In 10 starts for Binghamton, the Dominican Republic native has amassed 51 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings. Mets prospect stats »
Orioles: Kyle Bradish, RHP (No. 12), Triple-A Norfolk
Bradish tossed five innings and struck out seven in Norfolk’s win over Memphis in Game 1 of a doubleheader. The 2018 Draft pick allowed only three baserunners on two hits and one walk as he tossed 50 of his 76 pitches for strikes. Bradish began his day by striking out the side, and the only real threat he had to face was a one-out double in the third. Otherwise, Bradish pitched with no pressure and was able to spin his second scoreless outing in a row. The 24-year-old owns a 4.34 ERA with 71 strikeouts through 58 innings in Triple-A. Orioles prospect stats »
Reds: Allan Cerda, OF (No. 14), Low-A Daytona
Cerda enjoyed his second multi-homer game in the last 10 days by clubbing two long balls and tying his season-high of eight total bases on Sunday. The outfielder had a nearly identical box score on Aug. 5, also hitting two home runs and recording eight total bases. Cerda has been showing off the pop this month, currently posting a .660 slugging percentage with eight extra-base hits in August (five home runs, two doubles, one triple). Reds prospect stats »
Twins: Matt Canterino, RHP (No. 7), High-A Cedar Rapids
If most pitchers are supposed to be rusty after missing more than two months, Canterino didn’t get that memo. In his second appearance back from the injured list, Canterino was flat-out dominant, throwing three no-hit innings with eight strikeouts, the only blip on his pitching line being one lone walk. When healthy, Canterino has carved up his opposition, allowing just two runs across 23 innings (0.78 ERA) with 45 strikeouts to four walks. Even with the limited sample size, Canterino has pitched even better than his first professional season in 2019, when he had a 1.44 ERA across 25 innings. Twins prospect stats »
White Sox: Blake Rutherford, RF (No. 8), Triple-A Charlotte
Rutherford, like many of his Charlotte teammates, had a big day at the plate in the Knights’ blowout win. The lefty scored two runs, drove in three and tallied three hits as he ultimately fell a triple shy of the cycle. Rutherford’s RBI double in the first was the first of Charlotte’s 14 runs on the evening, and his two-run home run in the third firmly put the game out of reach at 10-2. A single in the fifth rounded out his day. Rutherford has tallied at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games, bringing the 24-year-old’s average up to .249 with six home runs (one shy of his career-high), 23 doubles and 40 RBIs in 79 games this season. White Sox prospect stats »