Here’s a look at Wednesday’s top performers at Spring Training from each team’s Top 30 Prospects list.
Tigers: Riley Greene, OF (MLB No. 5)
Greene’s strong spring continued on Wednesday with a 2-for-2 performance against the Phillies. He singled in the second inning and scored two batters later, then led off the fourth with a double to right field. Greene is batting .412 with two homers, a triple and two doubles in 17 Spring Training at-bats, making his case for the Tigers’ Opening Day roster. The 21-year-old ended last season in Triple-A and posted a .308/.400.553 slash line with 20 extra-base hits and 30 RBIs in 40 games.
D-backs: Geraldo Perdomo, SS (No. 8)
Seth Beer, 1B (No. 12)
Jake McCarthy, OF (No. 26)
Perdomo entered the game in the seventh inning and got both of his at-bats in Arizona’s seven-run ninth inning. The 22-year-old led off the final frame with a go-ahead solo home run and added a single after the D-backs batted around. Perdomo made his Major League debut last season, going 8-for-31 with a triple and three doubles in 11 games. In the Minors, the switch-hitter had a .716 OPS with 19 extra-base hits in 85 games. Perdomo should get a shot to stick on the D-backs roster in 2022.
Beer has been on fire in Spring Training and continued his momentum with a 2-for-3 day. Starting as the designated hitter, the 25-year-old doubled off of Germán Márquez in the second, struck out in the fourth and singled in the sixth before being replaced an inning later. Beer is 9-for-19 with a .474/.524/.842 slash line, a homer and four doubles this spring and made his Major League debut last year, going 4-for-9 with a homer and a double. Beer’s offensive production and the reinstatement of the DH in the National League will help him get playing time this season.
McCarthy is another D-backs prospect who has had a hot spring. He mashed his first Spring Training home run, a three-run shot in the ninth, and singled after entering in the seventh. The 24-year-old is 8-for-22 with a home run, a triple, a double and a .364/.417/.636 slash line in nine spring games. McCarthy reached Triple-A last season and had 15 homers, 11 triples, 14 doubles and 29 stolen bases in the 2021 regular season. He made his Major League debut, hitting two home runs and three doubles in 24 games, and his speed and defensive versatility make him a valuable piece for the D-backs.
Pirates: Diego Castillo, INF (No. 21)
Castillo made the most of his opportunity as the Pirates’ starting shortstop on Wednesday, mashing two home runs with three RBIs. Castillo has raked this spring, batting .368 with three home runs and a 1.271 OPS. The 24-year-old was part of the deal that sent Clay Holmes to the Yankees last season and reached Triple-A after joining the Pirates organization. In 104 games, Castillo hit 19 home runs and 24 doubles with an .842 OPS. His performance in Spring Training has played him into contention for a spot on Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster.
Rays: Curtis Mead, 3B/1B (No. 6)
Mead went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs before being pinch-hit for in the eighth inning. The 21-year-old has impressed in limited action in his first Spring Training, going 4-for-10 in six games. Mead broke out in his first full season last year, posting a triple slash line of .321/.378/.533 with 15 home runs, two triples and 38 doubles in 104 games. Mead continued to play well in the Arizona Fall League, batting .313 with 10 extra-base hits in 20 games.
Royals: Kyle Isbel, OF (No. 7)
Isbel is powering up just in time for the start of the regular season. The 25-year-old launched a two-run homer in the ninth inning on Wednesday, giving him long balls in three consecutive games and raising his Spring Training OPS up to 1.210 in 10 games. Isbel debuted for the Royals last year, batting .276 with a home run, two triples and five doubles in 28 games. The outfielder will have to cut down on the strikeouts in 2022 — he fanned 23 times in 83 plate appearances last year — but should have every opportunity to cement himself in the Royals’ starting lineup.
White Sox: Romy Gonzalez, SS/2B (No. 8)
Gonzalez made his impact on the game after replacing Tim Anderson at shortstop in the sixth, smacking a solo home run to lead off the seventh and spurring a five-run inning for Chicago. The 25-year-old is 4-for-19 in Spring Training, but two of those hits have been home runs. Gonzalez made his MLB debut in September last year, batting .250 with three doubles in 10 games after an impressive Minor League season in which he hit 24 homers and stole 24 bases with an .896 OPS in 93 games.
Twins: Josh Winder, RHP (No. 7)
Winder was effective in three innings of one-run ball as the Twins’ starter against the Pirates, allowing three hits and striking out four. His only blemish was a second-inning home run off the bat of Bligh Madris, but the 25-year-old worked efficiently, tossing 28 of his 43 pitches for strikes. Winder has worked exclusively as a starter in his career, but may crack Minnesota’s Opening Day roster in the bullpen. In 14 starts and 72 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season, Winder had a 2.63 ERA with 80 strikeouts to 13 walks and a 0.944 WHIP.