Prospect Roundup: Games of May 15

Athletics OF/1B Matt Olson, Triple-A Nashville: 3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R, K, SB -- Could this be the performance that keys Olson's turnaround? The No. 3 A's prospect notched his first three-hit game of the season Sunday in Nashville's 6-3 home win over Fresno to push his slash line up to a still lowly .183/.300/.330 through 34 contests. Olson was featured in a Toolshed column last week, noting that his .211 BABIP should normalize in the weeks ahead and lead to a better average, which at the time stood at just .167. Well, his season BABIP is up to .239, and the average is appropriately up as well. It'll still take plenty of time yet before Olson's offensive numbers begin to resemble something closer to his career Minor League line of .245/.367/.470, but a performance like Sunday's is an encouraging start.

D-backs RHP Archie Bradley, Triple-A Reno: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K -- Bradley settled in nicely in his first start back in Reno following a May 9 start with the big club. Sunday's 9-3 win over Iowa marked the second straight Triple-A start in which Arizona's No. 2 prospect lasted seven frames as he improved to 4-1 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 38 strikeouts and 15 walks in six starts (32 2/3 innings) in the Pacific Coast League. Besides the innings count, two other numbers stand out about Sunday's solid start: his 14 forced groundouts (compared to zero flyouts) and the one walk. The focus in the offense-rich PCL is always to keep the ball down, and that's something Bradley has been able to do increasingly well as the season has progressed. After Sunday, he's averaging 3.25 groundouts for every air out. As for the walk, Sunday marked the first time the 23-year-old right-hander has issued only one free pass in a start at any level in 2016. With an average of 4.6 BB/9 at all stops this season, control continues to be a bugaboo for MLB.com's No. 68 overall prospect, and if Sunday represents a turning point in that regard, it'll be a welcome one as Bradley tries to crack Arizona's rotation for good rather than be an emergency option this summer.

Indians OF Clint Frazier, Double-A Akron: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R, BB -- The Indians' No. 2 prospect smacked his second homer in four games to continue what's been an impressive second month in his introduction to Double-A. Through 14 games in May, Frazier has hit .283/.433/.509 with two homers, a triple, four doubles, eight RBIs, 14 walks and 13 strikeouts with the RubberDucks. The 21-year-old outfielder is making improvements across the board in his third full season, but if there's one tool that seems to pop the most, it's his power with his .496 slugging percentage on the season (a career high if he can maintain it) as well as his .219 ISO. Scouting reports have always indicated that Frazier has the bat speed to be a plus power hitter some day, and even if the tool isn't at elite levels yet, it appears to be progressing toward its full potential. The Indians didn't move Frazier in the middle of a season during his first three years in the system, but the organization could be convinced that he'll need to be tested at Triple-A Columbus if his productive May continues into June and July.

Giants SS Lucius Fox, Class A Augusta: 3-for-5, 3B, 2B, RBI, R, BB, K -- The Giants' No. 4 prospect collected his first three-hit game in the Minors to push his average to .240, its highest point since the second game of the season. The triple and double were also his first extra-base hits since April 26. With a .240/.342/.344 line in 26 games for Augusta, Fox hasn't exactly sprinted out of the gate in his first Minor League season, but the Giants aren't in any rush to push the Bahama native, who signed for $6 million last July, especially with Brandon Crawford holding down short in the Majors and top prospect Christian Arroyo also playing the position at Double-A Richmond. This is a year to get comfortable in the pros, and with Fox collecting hits in eight of his last nine games, the hope for San Francisco is that that is starting to happen.

Phillies RHP Franklyn Kilome, Class A Lakewood: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 HBP -- The Phillies' No. 8 prospect, Kilome allowed at least five earned runs and had major control problems in each of his first three starts, going 0-3 with a 15.83 ERA, seven strikeouts and 10 walks in 9 2/3 innings in the first month. In three starts in May, however, the 20-year-old right-hander has allowed only three earned runs total and has a 1.80 ERA with 18 strikeouts and five walks in 15 frames. His start Sunday was his longest in 2016 and marked his career high for strikeouts in a game. That's more like it from the 6-foot-6 hurler who has drawn raves for his fastball and curve in the past. The Phillies said this spring that fastball command was going to be the biggest concern for Kilome in his first full season, and if he's finally corraled that, he may be able to start focusing on developing his changeup and making other adjustments that should help him on the road to becoming a legitimate Major League starting pitcher.