The “Curtain Call” will be a countdown of the night’s best performances from the game’s best prospects around the minor leagues. Yesterday’s edition can be seen here.
10. Acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Chris Johnson trade a few weeks ago, Astros prospect Bobby Borchering belted a three-run home run and added another RBI for double-A Corpus Christi of the Texas League in a 9-3 win over Springfield. The 6’-3”, 205-pound switch-hitter now has 24 home runs and 84 RBI over 114 games this season.
9. After going 11-6 with a 2.77 ERA and 170 K/53 BB over 139.2 innings in 2011, the St. Louis Cardinals had high expectations for their top prospect, Shelby Miller. Control issues have plagued him this season, as well as being prone to giving up home runs (21 over 22 starts). Working on his mechanics, the 6’-3”, 200-pound power-righty turned it another gem on Saturday, allowing three runs over 5.2 innings, striking out 10 to no walks. Over his last 29.2 innings, the 21-year-old has now struck out 31 batters while not allowing a single walk for triple-A Memphis.
8. A ninth-round selection by the New York Mets out of Stetson in 2010, 24-year-old Jacob DeGrom is putting together an impressive season across two levels this year. The 6’-4” right-hander tossed seven shutout innings for St. Lucie of the Florida State League on Saturday, allowing just one hit while striking out eight batters. Over 16 starts, he is now 7-3 with a 2.33 ERA and 86 K/17 BB over 96.2 innings. DeGrom features a low-90s fastball, an above-average slider and has great control of his pitches.
7. Chicago Cubs prospect, Jorge Soler, the prize of the free-agent, non-draftee signings this year, crushed a grand slam to dead center field as Peoria downed Beloit, 5-3. The 6’-3”, 215-pound right-hander has shown off his tremendous power and speed across two levels this season. Over 16 games, the 20-year-old has four home runs, 16 RBI and eight stolen bases.
6. Stryker Trahan, a left-handed hitting catcher who was the 26th overall selection by the Diamondbacks this year, went 3-for-4 with a double, home run and four RBI for the AZL Diamondbacks. At 6’-1” and 215 pounds, Trahan has great power to all fields, an advanced approach at the plate, as well as the best name in the draft. Over 35 games this year, he is hitting .286 with seven doubles, three triples, four home runs, 22 RBI and five stolen bases. He has also drawn 32 walks for a .439 OBP.
5. David Dahl, the Rockies first-round pick this year, has been the best hitter in the minor leagues over the last month. The 6’-1”, 190-pound left-hander went 4-for-10 over two games of a double-header for Grand Junction of the Pioneer League and extended his hitting streak to 23 games. He added two stolen bases and an RBI as Grand Junction split with Ogden. Over his 23-game streak, he is 46-for-103 (.447) with 31 runs, six doubles, five triples, three home runs and 22 RBI.
4. Seth Mejias-Brean, a ninth-round selection by the Reds out of Arizona, had another monster day at the plate, something that is turning commonplace for the 6’-2”, 215-pound third baseman. He went 4-for-5 with a double, two home runs and three RBI for Billings, who fell 11-10 in a wild game against Missoula that Billings was leading 9-0 at one point. Mejias also had a 5-for-5 game on July 22, and for the season, is now hitting .364 with 10 doubles, seven home runs, 35 RBI and a 1.043 OPS over 32 games.
3. Wilfredo Rodriguez, a seventh-round pick by the Rockies out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, the same school first overall pick Carlos Correa and Dodgers first-round pick Jesmuel Valentin attended, knocked the tar out of the baseball on Saturday for Grand Junction. The 5’-11”, 200-pound catcher went 4-for-4 with three doubles, a home run and four RBI. On the season, the 18-year-old is now hitting .330 over 26 games with 10 doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI.
2. Not many players saw their stock soar higher heading into the 2012 draft than Jose Berrios, a flame thrower out of Puerto Rico who had been clocked as high as 97 mph with his fastball to go along with a devastating hammer curve. The Minnesota Twins knew they were getting a special player when they grabbed him with the 19th overall selection, but even they would admit they didn’t know he would be this good, this soon. In his second start of the season, the 6’-1”, 195-pound right-hander tossed four shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five to one walk. On the season, he is now 1-0 with a 0.87 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and 32 K/4 BB over 20.2 innings for Elizabethton of the Appalachian League.
1. Corey Seager, the Dodgers first-round pick this year, has been on a ridiculous tear at the plate of late. He went 4-for-5 in the first game of a double-header for Ogden of the Pioneer League on Saturday, with four runs, a double, home run, three RBI and a stolen base. Over his last six games, he is now 17-for-32 (.532) with 12 runs, a double, triple, four home runs, 12 RBI and three steals. The 6’-3”, 200-pound left-hander is the younger brother of Mariners’ third baseman Kyle Seager and his ceiling is much higher, especially the power.