Astros' Correa, Dodgers' Pederson go yard

For those fans who think, "I'll believe it when I see it." Carlos Correa and Joc Pederson are making believers of Astros and Dodgers fans respectively.

Correa, MLB.com's No. 3 prospect, went 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI double Wednesday afternoon to lead the Astros to a 7-1 drubbing of the Phillies in Grapefruit League play.

Correa, starting at shortstop and batting seventh in the Houston lineup, opened the scoring with a double in the second frame off Philies starter Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez that brought home Matt Dominguez. Two innings later, he took Gonzalez deep to left field for his second homer of the spring, a solo blast. Hank Conger made it back-to-back shots with a homer to right. Correa nearly added a third hit in the sixth, but his infield single was changed to an error on Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis.

A non-roster invitee to Major League camp, Correa has held his own, batting .297 with two homers, a double, five RBIs and a stolen base in 17 games this spring. He had a .325/.416/.510 slash line with six homers, 57 RBIs and 20 steals in 62 games at Class A Advanced Lancaster last season before a broken right fibula -- suffered while making a feet-first slide -- ended his season prematurely in late June. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart noted that Correa's sixth-inning slide into third base Wednesday was head-first.

The 2012 first overall pick has drawn raves for his bat, earning 70 and 65 grades on the 20-80 scale from MLB.com for his hitting and power tools respectively. The 20-year-old is ticketed to start at Double-A Corpus Christi this spring. 

Pederson goes yard again: The Dodgers' third-ranked prospect slugged his fourth homer of Cactus League action off resurging Padres pitcher Jason Lane, who also homered in Los Angeles' 9-5 victory.  

MLB.com's No. 14 overall prospect is battling for a spot on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster and has put forth a strong spring campaign. Pederson has started 16 of the 18 games he's played in, 13 of those in center field.

Pederson, who turns 23 next month, has made his presence known at the plate as well, posting a .409/.477/.750 slash line with five multi-hit games and eight extra-base hits.

After joining the 30/30 club in the Minors last season, the California native made his Major League debut, collecting four hits over 28 at-bats in the Dodgers' push for the playoffs.

Rodon excels in best start: Carlos Rodon looked every bit the part of a third overall pick Wednesday while dominating the Royals, as the White Sox won 6-0. The left-hander struck out nine and allowed four hits over four shutout innings, lowering his Cactus League ERA to 3.65 in five outings. Rodon, who has struggled at times this spring, did not issue a walk.

The top White Sox prospect has provided a mixed bag this spring, having not allowed a run in three of his five appearances. In his other two appearances, he's surrendered five runs in 5 1/3 innings. His strikeout totals have remained consistent, though, as Rodon has racked up 19 punchouts in just 12 1/3 frames.

It's not official yet, but the 24-year-old will probably start the season with Triple-A Charlotte, where he ended 2014.

In relief of Rodon, Chicago's No. 13 prospect Chris Beck gave up two hits and struck out two over three scoreless innings. 

Keon Barnum broke the game open with a three-run homer in the eighth and Trey Michalczewski doubled in his only at-bat for the White Sox.

Royals' No. 18 prospect Brian Flynn fanned one in a perfect final frame.

Norris continues strong spring: Daniel Norris did his best to tighten his grip on a spot in the Blue Jays rotation with another impressive outing. Toronto's top prospect struck out seven and allowed one run on three hits in his six frames to lead the Jays to a 5-2 win over the Orioles.

Per John Lott of the National Post, Norris credited a new sinking changeup with striking out Baltimore star Adam Jones twice on the afternoon. 

The 21-year-old left-hander improved to 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA and 21 strikeouts in five starts spanning 18 2/3 innings this spring. He's competing with Aaron Sanchez and Marco Estrada for the final two spots in the Toronto rotation. Estrada has an injured ankle that has pushed him back two starts and could hamper the veteran's chances.

Butler collects first spring win: Eddie Butler began his fourth spring appearance with 4 2/3 scoreless frames before running into trouble in the fifth against the Giants. The Rockies' second-ranked prospect worked around a run to close out the frame and pick up his first win in the Cactus League. While competing for a spot in Colorado's rotation, MLB.com's No. 36 overall prospect has allowed four runs on 13 hits while fanning six over 8 2/3 frames this spring.

DeSclafani dominant in longest Cactus outing: Reds righty Anthony DeSclafani frustrated the Rangers for six scoreless innings, scattering four hits and three walks while striking out nine en route to his first decision of Spring Training in a 5-0 win. The effort lowered his Cactus League ERA to 1.83, and although he hadn't previously gone deeper than 4 2/3 innings in a spring game, the New Jersey native is on course to open the season as Cincinnati's No. 4 starter. Outfield prospects Ryan Rua and Delino DeShields each had a hit for the Rangers.