Here’s a look at Friday’s top Minor League performers from each team’s Top 30 Prospects list:
Orioles: Grayson Rodriguez, RHP (MLB No. 8), Double-A Bowie
Kyle Stowers, OF (No. 11), Double-A Bowie
The type of dominance we’ve come to expect from baseball’s top pitching prospect was on display again as Rodriguez allowed just one hit over five scoreless innings, plus three walks and seven strikeouts. In his previous two starts, Rodriguez was uncharacteristically touched up, to the tune of seven earned runs over 8 2/3 innings. Of Rodriguez’s 21 starts this season, seven have gone at least four innings with zero earned runs allowed.
Stowers’ sour start to the month turned sweet with a 3-for-4 night in which he hit a home run and a double while driving in four runs and stealing a base. In a doubleheader on Thursday, the 23-year-old was hitless in five at-bats (plus one hit by pitch). But in the broader scope of the season, Stowers has been great. He owns a .920 OPS with Bowie in 64 games, tallying 15 homers and 15 doubles in that time. Orioles prospect stats »
Red Sox: Triston Casas, 3B (MLB No. 18), Double-A Portland
Despite what his August numbers showed, Casas wields some serious pop. The 21-year-old batted 3-for-4 with two home runs — one of which travelled an estimated 472 feet — and five RBIs in Game 1 of a doubleheader. That’s twice as many homers as Casas hit in 18 games last month, when he slugged just .377. While the power numbers have lagged recently, the on-base efficiency hasn’t: Casas has reached safely at least twice in five of his past six games. Red Sox prospect stats »
Yankees: Luis Gil, RHP (MLB No. 98), Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
With nine strikeouts over five scoreless innings, Gil looked like the guy New York called up exactly a month before. Gil debuted with the Yankees on Aug. 3 and went on to throw 15 2/3 scoreless frames over three starts. Though Gil has yet to lose in 11 games (10 starts) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, he owns a pedestrian 4.66 ERA. But perhaps his taste of the big leagues instilled some extra confidence in the 23-year-old. Yankees prospect stats »
Mariners: Brandon Williamson, RHP (No. 7), Double-A Arkansas
Williamson continued to mow batters down with eight strikeouts over six scoreless innings, recording 16 swinging strikes and a hit with three walks. The right-hander has racked up 134 punchouts in 87 1/3 innings over two levels of the Minors, High-A and Double-A. Williamson is fresh off his best month of the season, posting a 1.31 ERA in four August starts with 34 strikeouts to nine walks, but did not record a win over that stretch. Mariners prospect stats »