Friday's top prospect performers
Here's a look at Friday’s top Minor League performers from each team's Top 30 Prospects list:
Tigers: Spencer Torkelson, 3B/1B (MLB No. 3), Double-A Erie
Daniel Cabrera, OF (No. 5), High-A West Michigan
On the heels of a three-hit performance last night, Torkelson launched his 10th homer of the season for Erie and smacked a double on a 2-for-4 night at the plate. The first-inning solo shot was Torkelson’s 15th overall on the year, and the Tigers’ No. 1 prospect has notched four multihit efforts in his past 10 games. He’s batting .242 with a .900 OPS, seven doubles and 25 RBIs through 37 Double-A games.
Cabrera scored two runs and drove in two on a home run in West Michigan’s 5-4 loss, giving the 22-year-old two multihit games in a row and a five-game hit streak. Through his first 72 Minor League games, the 2020 Draft pick is batting .233 with six homers, 13 doubles and 42 RBIs.
Pirates: Quinn Priester, RHP (MLB No. 31), High-A Greensboro
Liover Peguero, SS (No. 4), High-A Greensboro
Priester twirled seven innings of one-run, one-hit ball in Greensboro’s 9-1 win over Winston-Salem. The right-hander struck out five, walked one, and his only blemish came in the fifth when he allowed a solo homer. Priester moved to a 4-3 record on the year with the win, and dropped his season ERA to 3.05. In 62 innings, he has struck out 54 batters while walking 25, owns a .213 batting average against and a 1.19 WHIP.
Peguero led the way offensively for the Grasshoppers with a three-hit night hitting out of the five-spot. The shortstop drove in five and slugged his eighth jack of the year, a solo shot in the fourth inning. The 20-year-old has connected on a home run in two straight games and is riding a five-game hitting streak. On the season, Peguero is slashing .253/.314/.416 for a .730 OPS. He has 10 doubles, eight homers and 16 steals, showing a coveted power and speed combo at a premier defensive position.
Red Sox: Jeter Downs, SS (MLB No. 35), Triple-A Worcester
Cameron Cannon, SS/2B (No. 25), High-A Greenville
It has been a challenging July for Downs, but Friday’s performance in Worcester’s 6-2 win showed the shortstop’s pop that scouts have raved about. Downs went 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, four RBIs and a run scored. It was his first homer since June 29, and his first RBIs since July 20. Downs didn’t record an extra-base hit in July until Thursday’s double, and now has three extra-base knocks in his last two games. The 2017 Draft’s 32nd overall pick carries a .611 OPS following his six total base night.
Cannon led the charge for Greenville in its come-from-behind 9-8 victory over Hickory. Boston’s second-rounder in the 2019 Draft notched three hits for the second straight game in a 3-for-4 game, swatting an eighth-inning, two-out, three-run homer to tie the game at eight. Cannon added a double, a walk, and drove in a total of four runs. The 23-year-old has raked all year, slashing .302/.346/.467 with an .813 OPS and has turned it up a notch in July, batting .370 with 12 multihit games this month.
Marlins: Edward Cabrera, RHP (MLB No. 51), Triple-A Jacksonville
Cabrera set a season-high with 12 strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball, finishing one shy of his career-high set in 2019. His overpowering stuff came with some control issues, as he yielded four walks, four hits and an earned run on a solo homer in the second. Friday’s performance was especially impressive as it was the 23-year-old’s third career start at the Triple-A level. On the year, Cabrera has racked up 63 K’s in 45 1/3 innings with a 2.59 ERA and a strikeout rate of 34.8%.
Nationals: Cade Cavalli, RHP (MLB No. 77), Double-A Harrisburg
Cavalli turned in his best start at the Double-A level with a dominant performance in Harrisburg’s 8-2 win over Altoona. Pipeline’s No. 77 overall prospect twirled 6 2/3 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts, allowing two hits and one walk in a gem. It was the 22-year-old’s fifth career game with double-digit strikeouts, and his first since his 11 K day on June 24. Cavalli has punched out 124 batters in 77 innings this season, good for a K-rate of 39.2%. He has shown a knack for avoiding the long ball with two homers allowed, and dropped his Double-A ERA to 3.47 in 36 1/3 innings for Harrisburg.
Reds: Jose Barrero, SS (MLB No. 85), Triple-A Louisville
Bryce Bonnin, RHP (No. 15), Low-A Dayton
Barrero packed his damage into the first five innings of Louisville's game that was suspended by rain. The 23-year-old went 2-for-2 with a home run, a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Barrero has seen time at both Double-A and Triple-A this year, and has gotten better since his callup to Louisville. In 100 at bats and 27 games for the Bats, Barrero is hitting .330 and slugging .600 with six doubles, seven long balls and 26 RBIs.
Bonnin has dominated in his first taste of professional baseball, and continued to roll with five more scoreless innings for Dayton on Friday. The 2020 third-rounder struck out nine and yielded three hits in his third scoreless start of over five innings on the year. Bonnin has dealt to the tune of a 0.95 ERA in four starts and 19 innings for Dayton, striking out 30 batters and allowing three walks with a 0.53 WHIP and a .111 batting average against.
Angels: Alexander Ramirez, OF (No. 11), ACL Angels
Ramirez launched a home run and legged out a double on a 2-for-3 day at the plate, driving in three runs and scoring two. The 18-year-old has recorded at least one hit in seven of his past 10 games, and he’s hitting .302 with four homers, four doubles, four triples and 17 RBIs in 21 games.
Cardinals: Luken Baker, 1B (No. 14), Double-A Springfield
Baker had never hit two home runs in a game before Wednesday. Now, he’s got two multihomer efforts in three games as he smacked a pair of solo shots on a 2-for-4 day at the dish. The 24-year-old slugger just keeps adding to his career-high total -- he’s launched 19 dingers this season and is two RBIs shy of tying his career-high mark of 53 he set in 2019. In his past 10 games, Baker is slashing .306/.405/.806 with four multihit games, two multihomer games and 29 total bases.
Dodgers: Andy Pages, OF (No. 6), High-A Great Lakes
Pages set a career-high for home runs in a season and drove in all five runs for Great Lakes in its 5-4 win on Friday. The 20-year-old finished the game 3-for-5 with two homers, a double, five RBIs, two runs and a strikeout to his final line. Pages’ first homer was a three-run shot in the third, and he added a solo dinger in the fifth to finish the day with 21 jacks on the year. It was his second multihomer effort of the season and the fifth of his career. Pages has been on a tear in High-A all season, slashing .258/.376/.547 with a .923 OPS.
Phillies: Ethan Lindow, LHP (No. 23), High-A Jersey Shore
Lindow was masterful in his seven-inning shutout of Brooklyn in Game 2 of a doubleheader. The 22-year-old needed only 79 pitches (59 strikes) to earn a 3-0 victory as he amassed seven strikeouts, gave up only four hits and walked none. He struck out two batters in each of his first three innings, and he worked around a one-out single in the second and a two-out single in the third to prevent any damage. He needed seven pitches to get through the fourth, and after Mets’ top prospects Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Alvarez both singled to lead off the seventh, he induced a double play ball and promptly retired his final batter on two pitches. The seven innings of work are a career-high for the 2017 fifth-rounder, and he lowered his ERA to 2.15 through nine appearances (eight starts) in High-A.
Twins: Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF (No. 20), FCL Twins
Rodriguez collected the first multihomer game of his young career, adding three RBIs to his 2-for-4 performance. The 18-year-old lefty has two multihit efforts in his past 10 games, and he’s smacked four homers and driven in 10 runs through his first 12 Minor League games.
Rockies: Michael Toglia, 1B (No. 3), High-A Spokane
The 2019 first-rounder clubbed a grand slam in the first inning and added another solo shot in the seventh for his third career multihomer game and second of the 2021 season. His five RBIs in the 15-11 win over Vancouver also set a career high. Toglia, a switch-hitter, leads High-A West with 17 homers in his first full season.