The reincarnation of Teddy Ballgame lives on.Kyle Tucker, whose teammates nicknamed him "Ted" after analysts compared him to Ted Williams, added another big game to his Spring Training resume. The Astros' second-ranked prospect went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in a 9-5 split-squad loss to the Mets on
The reincarnation of Teddy Ballgame lives on.
Kyle Tucker, whose teammates nicknamed him "Ted" after analysts compared him to Ted Williams, added another big game to his Spring Training resume. The Astros' second-ranked prospect went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in a 9-5 split-squad loss to the Mets on Tuesday in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
"He continues to get to pitches and put some good swings on it," Astros manager A.J. Hinch told MLB.com "Man, this guy can really hit. He's got great balance in the batter's box. Obviously, when he gets a pitch to hit, he doesn't miss too many of them. It's an impressive showing."
Tucker slapped a game-tying single to right field in the fourth inning, then followed it up with a go-ahead solo shot off Hansel Robles in the seventh before the home team took the lead for good.
Tucker boosted his Grapefruit League average to .400, going 10-for-25 in nine games. MLB.com's No. 16 overall prospect has four roundtrippers, 10 RBIs and three multi-hit contests in spring action.
Astros No. 8 prospect David Paulino pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Ninth-ranked J.D. Davis (No. 9) went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Garrett Stubbs (No. 24) contributed an RBI single.
Mets No. 11 prospect Tomás Nido went yard, top prospect Andrés Giménez singled and scored a run and 10th-ranked Luis Guillorme knocked an RBI single.
In other spring action:
Braves 5, Blue Jays 1 (Box)
Mike Soroka, MLB.com's No. 31 overall prospect, struck out two over a pair of scoreless innings in the win. The 20-year-old right-hander allowed one hit and did not walk a batter while lowering his spring ERA to 1.80. Austin Riley, the Braves' No. 8 prospect, went 2-for-3 with a solo shot, his second of the spring. Catcher Alex Jackson (No. 14), finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. Blue Jays No. 27 prospect Jordan Romano struck out one in a perfect ninth.
Cardinals 4, Marlins 4 (Box)
Jack Flaherty made his third start of the spring his longest. MLB.com's No. 38 overall prospect struck out seven over four innings, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk. Cardinals No. 9 prospect Andrew Knizner spelled Yadier Molina behind the plate and belted his second spring homer in the eighth. Top Miami prospect Lewis Brinson hammered a two-run homer, his first in the Grapefruit League, in the fourth. Acquired from the Cardinals in December, third-ranked Marlins prospect Sandy Alcantara pitched three hitless innings against his former team, walking two and striking out one.
Astros (ss) 10, Nationals 5 (Box)
Nationals No. 4 prospect Erick Fedde allowed a run on three hits in two innings out of the bullpen, fanning two without a walk. José Marmolejos (No. 22) belted a two-run homer in the fifth from ninth spot in the Washington lineup.
Yankees 7, Tigers 2 (Box)
Yankees No. 19 prospect Billy McKinney launched a three-run homer, his third of the spring, in the ninth inning to power the winners. Fourth-ranked Miguel Andújar went hitless in three at-bats, dropping his average to .364, but No. 17 prospect Cody Carroll struck out all three batters he faced and No. 30 prospect Trevor Lane retired two more in relief.
Red Sox 9, Rays 1 (Box)
Santiago Espinal slugged a solo shot in the ninth and Red Sox No. 24 prospect Tzu-Wei Lin went 1-for-2 in a rout of the Rays. Tampa Bay's lone run came on a monster homer by No. 5 prospect Jake Bauers. It was one of the Rays' six hits.
Twins 9, Orioles 8 (Box)
Top Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey yielded one run on two hits and two walks over two innings in his second spring start. The 23-year-old right-hander, a 2013 first-round pick, struck out one and gave up a solo homer to shortstop Jorge Polanco. Twins No. 15 prospect Zack Littell notched the win after allowing one run and fanning three in two frames.
White Sox 6, Brewers 4 (Box)
Sixth-ranked White Sox prospect Dane Dunning retired the first six batters he faced but ended up allowing a run on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings for the win. No. 11 prospect Micker Adolfo slapped an RBI double and No. 14 Luis Alexander Basabe scored after entering as a pinch runner. Sixth-ranked Brewers prospect Brett Phillips walked and came around to score.
Reds 7, Indians 6 (Box)
Fourth-ranked Reds prospect Jesse Winker went 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. Indians No. 9 prospect Greg Allen singled and scored a run. Francisco Mejía, Cleveland's top prospect, exited in the eighth inning after being hit on the right foot with a pitch. He walked off the field unassisted after a conversation with manager Terry Francona and a member of the Indians medical staff.
Cubs 9, Dodgers 5 (Box)
No. 12 Dodgers prospect Edwin Ríos drilled a two-run homer, while No. 23 prospect Matt Beaty added a solo shot and second-ranked Alex Verdugo doubled. Dennis Santana (No. 10) worked around a hit by striking out two in a scoreless inning.
Padres 5, Royals 4 (Box)
Making his second Cactus League appearance, No. 40 overall prospect Cal Quantrill picked up the win for San Diego, striking out two over two perfect frames. The strong outing followed a March 1 game in which the Rangers got to him for four runs -- all earned -- on four hits, a walk and a hit batter in one inning. Entering in the eighth on Tuesday, he struck out hot-hitting Royals No. 16 prospect Donnie Dewees and coasted from there. Third-ranked Padres prospect Luis Urías delivered a game-tying, two-run single in his only at-bat.
Although No. 8 overall prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts, he turned heads all the same with an athletic grab at shortstop to rob Alex Gordon of a hit.
Dewees was 1-for-2 with a stolen base and a run scored, raising his average to .417 in eight spring games. Eighth-ranked Kansas City prospect Eric Skoglund tossed two scoreless innings of the bullpen, fanning two and yielding one hit.
Rockies 3, Mariners 2 (Box)
No. 41 overall prospect Ryan McMahon singled and Rockies No. 11 prospect Tom Murphy cracked his second spring dinger. Jairo Díaz, ranked 23rd in the Colorado system, struck out two in a shutout inning. Fifth-ranked Mariners prospect Braden Bishop was 1-for-1, while No. 8 prospect Art Warren fanned three while working around two hits in a scoreless frame.
