Isaac perfect, powerful in Hot Rods double dip

A doubleheader provided Xavier Isaac not one but two opportunities to get his engine revved up.

The Hot Rod didn't disappoint.

Isaac homered twice, collected five hits and reached safely in all seven plate appearances during High-A Bowling Green's twin bill on Thursday at Bowling Green Ballpark. MLB's No. 51 prospect did the majority of his damage during the second game, finishing 4-for-4 with both long balls, including the go-ahead sixth-inning jack that led to an 8-7 win over Greensboro.

Isaac amassed 13 total bases, drove in seven runs and established a pair of single-game personal bests with four hits -- all for extra bases -- and five RBIs in the nightcap.

Isaac homered in his second at-bat of the second game, just his second dinger since April 13. Then he helped stave off a potential doubleheader split with his second roundtripper of the contest, turning a 7-6 deficit into an 8-7 lead. It was the third multihomer game for the 20-year-old, who did it twice in a 10-day span late last season with Bowling Green.

A first-inning double kicked off Isaac's breakout performance in Game 2, which also included a fourth-inning double. Isaac's four-hit game came on the heels of his strong, albeit quieter, opening contest as he singled and walked twice in three plate appearances during the Hot Rods' 6-3 win.

The evening continued a strong month for the Rays' No. 3 prospect, who is slashing .333/.448/.708 with eight RBIs and five extra-base hits in seven May games. Although Isaac drove in 19 runs in April, he posted a .705 OPS and struck out 25 times in 68 at-bats.

The North Carolina native has sliced that number to five this month.

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Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 240 pounds, Isaac cuts an imposing figure at the plate. Selected 29th overall in the 2022 Draft, he broke out in 2023 during his first full pro season, posting a .916 OPS with 19 homers and 72 RBIs in 102 games across two Minor League levels.

“It was fun. It’s a long season, but I love baseball so much, I can play it every day. I loved it,” Isaac told MLB.com last September. “People thought I just had power. I’m more hit and power. It’s been working."