Here’s a look at Wednesday’s top Minor League performers from each team’s Top 30 Prospects list:
Pirates: Nick Gonzales, 2B (MLB No. 28), High-A Greensboro
The Pirates’ top prospect finished the day 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and two RBIs in the Grasshoppers’ 6-2 win over the Crawdads. Although his home run was just his second since mid-July, Gonzales has hit the ball well in his past 16 games. Gonzales has hit .381 across his past 63 at-bats, with nine multihit games in that span.
Marlins: Dax Fulton, LHP (No. 8), Low-A Jupiter
Fulton had a career day in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Tampa. After never striking out more than seven in a game, the 19-year-old fanned 10 batters and surrendered only one hit across five innings. It was also the first time all season that Fulton didn’t walk a batter. The 6-foot-7 southpaw threw 41 of his 62 pitches for strikes and fanned the first six batters he faced and eight of his first 10. The only hit he allowed was a two-out single in the fourth, but he retired the next batter on three pitches and ended his outing with two more punchouts to reach double-digits. Fulton owns a 4.70 ERA in 14 games (13 starts).
Red Sox: Connor Seabold, RHP (No. 14), Triple-A Worcester
Seabold twirled a gem in his second Triple-A start this season, tying his career high in strikeouts (10) and giving up just one hit and one walk across six scoreless innings. Seabold has been dealing with elbow issues this year and got roughed up for four runs on eight hits in his previous start for Worcester, but he was determined to put that outing behind him after he struck out the side to begin his night. Seabold fanned five of the first six batters he faced as he threw 59 of his 85 pitches for strikes. Across 20 innings this season, Seabold has fanned 28 batters and walked eight.
Rockies: Jameson Hannah, OF (No. 13), Double-A Hartford
Ryan Feltner, RHP (No. 23), Double-A Hartford
Hannah led the Yard Goats’ offense from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a career-high four RBIs. Through his first full season in Double-A, the 23-year-old has posted career-best marks in average (.282) and OPS (.735) through his first 47 games and is batting .389 over his past 36 at-bats.
Feltner threw a season-high seven scoreless innings and allowed two hits, one walk and struck out nine against New Hampshire. The righty gave up a leadoff single to begin the third inning, but followed that up by retiring the next 15 batters he faced and recording six of his nine strikeouts before his day was done after throwing 86 pitches (58 strikes). Feltner has thrown six or more innings in five of his past six outings.
Royals: MJ Melendez, C (No. 13), Double-A Northwest Arkansas
The 22-year-old Melendez has hit with authority this season for the Naturals and showed that power during Game 1 of Northwest Arkansas’ doubleheader against Arkansas. Melendez connected for two homers and drove in two in Game 1, giving him a total of 27 long balls on the season. After posting a .571 OPS in 2019 with High-A Wilmington, Melendez has a 1.017 OPS and has driven in 64 runs in 75 games with the Naturals.
Tigers: Colt Keith, 3B (No. 16), FCL Tigers
In his first game of a rehab assignment, Keith tallied three hits, scored two runs and drove in two more, his second three-hit game of the season. The 2020 fifth-rounder smacked his third double of the year and added a walk to his performance. Through 30 games this season he’s batting .320 with 18 walks, 14 RBIs and 23 runs scored.
Yankees: Beck Way, RHP (No. 18), Low-A Tampa
Mitch Spence, RHP (No. 27), High-A Hudson Valley
Way set season highs in both innings (six) and strikeouts (eight) in a three-hit performance in Game 1 of a doubleheader against Jupiter. The only run he allowed was both unearned and unconventional. In the fourth, the leadoff man reached base on a single and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. After Way struck out his fifth batter of the day, the runner stole third and scored after the catcher made a throwing error. But that would be the only blemish on Way’s day. The 2020 fourth-rounder has given up three earned runs or fewer in each of his first 12 games, giving him a 3.57 ERA and a .177 BAA.
Coming off a five-inning scoreless outing on July 30, Spence threw six scoreless innings and allowed two hits and struck out five batters during his start Wednesday for Hudson Valley. The 23-year-old dropped his ERA to 3.15 in the process. Spence has been especially effective over his past six starts. Since giving up four runs in 2 2/3 innings on June 27, the righty has a 1.60 ERA over his past 33 2/3 innings.