Tatis continues strong spring for Padres

While Manny Machado went 0-for-3 in a loss to the Giants in Scottsdale, the 20-year-old who could soon join him on the left side of the infield at Petco Park reminded Padres fans why that's something they'd like to see, sooner rather than later.
Fernando Tatis Jr., MLB.com's No. 2 overall prospect, smacked two doubles and delivered an RBI single in a 10-5 split-squad win over the Royals at the Padres complex in Peoria, Arizona.

The 3-for-4 day continued a dominant spring for the top Padres prospect, who's shown that the Minor Leaguer likely will be shedding that title in the coming months. Batting in the leadoff spot on Saturday, Tatis brought his spring slash line to .303/.361/.636.
While Tatis has impressed in big league camp, he's still never played above Double-A. At that level last year, before undergoing season-ending thumb surgery in July, Tatis nearly recorded his second consecutive summer of 20 home runs and 20 steals. He put up a .286/.355/.507 slash line in 88 games.
Tatis could return to Double-A Amarillo, but Triple-A El Paso is another possibility. Either way, it's unlikely his Cactus League performance results in an immediate big league callup for service time reasons.
San Diego boasts baseball's best farm system for reasons beyond Tatis, and that was on display against Kansas City. No. 26 prospect Owen Miller went 2-for-4 with a double and ninth-ranked Logan Allen allowed three runs -- one earned -- on three hits over 3 1/3 innings for the win.
For the Royals, No. 8 prospect Nicky Lopez went 2-for-3 with a run scored to boost his spring average to .326.

In other spring action:

Cardinals 8, Nationals 5
At this time last year, Nolan Gorman was in high school. On Saturday, MLB.com's No. 61 overall prospect mashed his first Grapefruit League homer. The Cards' second-ranked prospect stepped to the plate against right-hander Kyle Barraclough with one out in the seventh inning. After taking the first offering for a ball, the 18-year-old swung through the next two pitches. But the 19th overall pick in last year's Draft did not miss a fastball and deposited it well beyond the fence in right-center field. No. 16 Randy Arozarena followed Gorman and went back-to-back after crushing a 2-2 pitch from Barraclough to left for his first spring dinger. Arozarena added a single and scored twice. Third-ranked Andrew Knizner capped the St. Louis scoring with a go-ahead three-run shot in the ninth off former All-Star reliever Sean Doolittle. Tommy Edman (No. 13) doubled, tripled, drove in a run and scored twice for the Cardinals. Max Schrock (No. 28) contributed a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored. Right-hander Jake Woodford (No. 26) struck out one in a perfect ninth. Box score
Marlins 11, Mets 6
Top Mets prospect Pete Alonso lined an RBI single off fifth-ranked Marlins prospect Sandy Alcantara in the fourth inning. Alcantara was promptly removed from the game. Mets No. 27 prospect Daniel Zamora allowed a hit and fanned a pair in an inning of scoreless relief. Box score
Orioles 4, Blue Jays (ss) 3
No. 4 Orioles prospect Austin Hays clubbed his fifth Grapefruit League homer, a solo shot in the eighth inning. Fifteenth-ranked Richie Martin doubled and scored a run for Baltimore, while No. 21 Cody Carroll struck out the side around a hit in the ninth. Blue Jays No. 10 prospect Cavan Biggio lined an RBI single to right in the fifth and came around to score on a double by 24th-ranked Reese McGuire. McGuire also scored to cap the three-run outburst. Box score
Yankees 17, Blue Jays (ss) 7
Top Yankees prospect Estevan Florial singled, walked and scored twice but suffered a non-displaced right wrist fracture after colliding with the center field fence. No. 19 Thairo Estrada went 2-for-2 with a triple, double, an RBI and two runs scored for New York. Second-ranked Blue Jays prospect Bo Bichette doubled, singled and walked, while No. 3 prospect Danny Jansen laced a two-run triple in the eighth inning. Ryan Noda (No. 26) doubled and scored a run for the Jays. Box score
Astros 13, Phillies 5
Astros No. 3 prospect Yordan Alvarez lined a two-run double in the fifth and scored on a double by 23rd-ranked Abraham Toro. Toro also singled and scored a run. Fourth-ranked Josh James allowed a hit and a walk in an inning of scoreless relief. Phillies No. 18 prospect Nick Maton singled and scored a run. Box score
Tigers 6, Pirates 3
No. 8 Pirates prospect Bryan Reynolds drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single in the fifth inning. Ninth-ranked Kevin Newman singled and scored, No. 15 Will Craig walked three times and scored a run and No. 18 Pablo Reyes drove in a run with a forceout. Bucs No. 23 prospect Clay Holmes tossed a perfect inning out of the bullpen. Tigers No. 8 prospect Christin Stewart crushed a two-run blast and added an RBI single. Box score
Red Sox 6, Braves 1
Fourth-ranked Red Sox prospect Darwinzon Hernandez spun two scoreless frames, allowing two hits with a strikeout to close out the victory. The southpaw lowered his spring ERA to 0.90. No. 3 Bobby Dalbec entered as a pinch-runner in the seventh and scored on a ground-rule double by Jackie Bradley Jr. Second-ranked Braves prospect Kyle Wright took the loss after giving up two runs on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts in four innings. No. 4 Cristian Pache upped his Grapefruit League average to .462 with a pinch double. Box score

Reds 5, Rangers 2
Rangers No.24 prospect Demarcus Evans tossed a perfect seventh inning, striking out two, in his first outing in big league camp. Box score
Giants 10, Padres (ss) 3
Padres No. 4 prospect Francisco Mejía went 2-for-3 with an RBI as he boosted his average to .438. In the fourth, he smacked a single up the middle to drive in Eric Hosmer. In the ninth, 11th-ranked Josh Naylor belted his first spring homer, a two-run shot to right. No. 15 Hudson Potts added a single as he went 1-for-4. For the Giants, 14th-ranked prospect Ray Black retired two batters, walking one and striking out one. Box score
Dodgers 2, White Sox 0
Fifth-ranked Tony Gonsolin got the start and the win, yielding two hits and two walks with a strikeout in three scoreless innings. He holds a 0.00 ERA and 0.89 WHIP through nine Cactus League frames. No. 13 Edwin Ríos went 1-for-3 with a single. No. 25 White Sox prospect Caleb Frare struck out the lone batter he faced to finish the eighth. Box score
Brewers 5, Rockies 4
Top Brewers prospect Keston Hiura singled in his only at-bat, walked and stole a base. Tristen Lutz (No. 4) was 1-for-2 with a single, while 15th-ranked Adrian Houser, lowered his spring ERA to 2.16 by striking out the only two batters he faced. Box score
Indians 7, Angels 2
Indians No. 19 prospect Oscar Mercado was 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the fourth. The productive day continued a tremendous spring for the 24-year-old outfielder, who's batting .410 with a 1.179 OPS in 39 at-bats. Box score