Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Padres' Tatis belts first spring homer

Game's No. 2 overall prospect swats two-run shot in third inning
Top San Diego prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. played in 13 big league Spring Training games over the past two years. (Charlie Riedel/AP)
February 26, 2019

Fernando Tatis Jr. keeps giving Padres fans justification for their excitement.San Diego's top prospect blasted his first home run of the spring, a two-run shot to left-center field in the third inning off Chase Anderson that proved to be the difference in the Friars' 3-1 win over the Brewers at

Fernando Tatis Jr. keeps giving Padres fans justification for their excitement.
San Diego's top prospect blasted his first home run of the spring, a two-run shot to left-center field in the third inning off Chase Anderson that proved to be the difference in the Friars' 3-1 win over the Brewers at American Family Fields of Phoenix, Arizona.


Tatis, baseball's No. 2 overall prospect, has two hits in six big league at-bats through his first three Cactus League contests. Tuesday's tater matched his Spring Training total from 12 contests last year.
Fifth-ranked Chris Paddack allowed an unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out four in two innings. No. 3 prospect Francisco Mejía doubled for his lone hit in two at-bats, and 15th-ranked Josh Naylor went 1-for-2 off the bench. Brewers No. 16 prospectAdrian Houser walked three and struck out one in a scoreless eighth. Box score
Cardinals 6, Nationals 1
Randy Arozarena made sure to take advantage of his first start of the spring.
Batting eighth, St. Louis' No. 16 prospect collected three hits and two RBIs in the Cardinals' win. Arozarena went 3-for-3 with an RBI single in the fourth and another run-scoring single in the eighth to bring his Spring Training average up to .500 after going 0-for-3 with a walk in his first four pinch-hitting plate appearances this month.
The 23-year-old outfielder from Cuba signed with the Cardinals for $1.25 million in 2016 and reached Triple-A last season, hitting .232 with five homers, 28 RBIs, 17 steals and 16 doubles in 89 games for Memphis. He was even better at Double-A Springfield, where he batted .296 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs in 24 Texas League games.
Cardinals No. 27 prospect Ramón Urías started at shortstop and went 1-for-3. Right-hander Ryan Helsley, St. Louis' No. 11 prospect, struck out two and worked around a pair of walks in a scoreless inning of relief.
Nationals No. 3 prospect Luis Garcia went 1-for-2 while Tanner Rainey (0-1) took his first loss in relief. The Nats' No. 19 prospect was charged with four runs on four hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. Box score
Twins 6, Pirates 5
Pittsburgh suffered its first loss of the spring despite contributions from No. 11 prospect Jason Martin (2-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base), No. 6 Kevin Kramer (RBI double) and No. 8 Bryan Reynolds (1-for-2 with a double, a walk and an RBI). Top prospect Mitch Keller had a disappointing Grapefruit League debut in Fort Myers. Getting the start, he yielded two runs on three hits in one inning and did not record a strikeout. Box score
Braves 4, Mets (ss) 3
Atlanta's No. 5 prospect Austin Riley led the way after getting the start at third base, going 2-for-3 in the victory. No. 13 prospect William Contreras went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer, designated hitter Alex Jackson (No. 26) belted a solo shot and drew a walk and outfielder Greyson Jenista (No. 14) doubled and struck out in two at-bats. Pitchers Thomas Burrows (No. 19), Jacob Webb (No. 28) and Chad Sobotka (No. 30) tossed one scoreless inning of relief apiece. Sobotka earned the victory. For the Mets, slugger Pete Alonso went 1-for-3 and third baseman Gavin Cecchini doubled and drew a walk. Box score

Rays 11, Orioles 5
No. 39 overall prospect Jesús Sánchez cranked a three-run homer to highlight a 10-run eighth for the Rays in a game that was called in the bottom half of that frame. Shortstop Lucius Fox singled twice, scored twice and plated a run during the big inning. Second baseman Brandon Lowe went 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a walk and first baseman/designated hitter Nate Lowe was 1-for-5 with two RBIs as Tampa Bay starters. No. 2 Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle doubled in his only at-bat before the rain while Baltimore outfielders Yusniel Díaz and Austin Hays both went 1-for-3. Box score
Tigers 14, Mets (ss) 4
Visiting Detroit thrashed New York at First Data Field, but it was the pitchers who stood out among prospects. No. 19 Spencer Turnbull allowed two hits over two scoreless innings out of the bullpen while No. 27 Sandy Baez struck out two and allowed one hit in his lone scoreless frame. Willi Castro, Dawel Lugo and Sergio Alcántara contributed a single and a run scored apiece in the rout. Daz Cameron (0-for-3, walk) and Jake Rogers (0-for-2, walk) reached base, but went otherwise hitless in starts in center field and at catcher respectively. No. 25 Mets prospect Eric Hanhold gave up one earned run on two hits and struck out a batter after entering for the ninth. Box score
Marlins 3, Astros 0
Houston's No. 15 prospectMyles Straw and No. 23 Abraham Toro each collected one of Houston's five hits. Tyler Ivey, the Astros' 26th-ranked prospect, allowed three runs and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning of relief. Box score
Offseason MiLB include
Giants 4, Reds 3
San Francisco held off host Cincinnati for its first Cactus League win with No. 11 prospect Chris Shaw going 1-for-2 and scoring once. Ray Black (No. 14) and lefty Travis Bergen (No. 30) tossed a scoreless inning apiece and top pitching prospect Shaun Anderson yielded a pair of unearned runs on three hits over the final two frames. Reds No. 29 prospect Alfredo Rodriguez went 2-for-2. Box score
Angels 13, Athletics 5
The Halos thrashed their AL West foes with a little help from notable prospects. Top prospect Jo Adell singled, drove in a run and scored during a seven-run eighth inning in which eighth-ranked Matt Thaiss stroked an RBI double. No. 3 Brandon Marsh walked with the bases loaded to bring home the second run of the big frame, and No. 26 Jake Jewell struck out a pair in a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. A's No. 8 prospect Jorge Mateo went 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored on an otherwise quiet day for Oakland. Box score
D-backs 5, Cubs 4
Arizona's No. 16 prospect Emilio Vargas struck out one over two perfect innings as the only D-backs pitcher to go multiple frames in the win. Top prospect Jazz Chisholm went 0-for-2 with a strikeout, a walk and a run scored after getting the start at shortstop. Box score
White Sox 9, Royals 7
Fifth-ranked Chicago prospectNick Madrigal started at second base and went 2-for-3, while No. 21 prospect Jimmy Lambert started on the mound and allowed one hit and two walks while striking out one over two innings. Royals No. 7 prospectNicky Lopez reached three times out of the leadoff spot -- including two singles -- and scored once, and fifth-ranked MJ Melendez hit a two-run homer to right-center against right-hander Carson Fulmer. No. 29 Foster Griffin allowed three runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings after starting the game, and 11th-ranked Josh Staumont allowed one hit and struck out one in two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Box score
Indians 5, Rockies 3
Cleveland's No. 22 prospect Daniel Johnson clubbed a solo shot, tripled and drove in a pair of runs. Tenth-ranked Sam Hentges got the start for Cleveland and tossed a perfect inning. Rockies No. 2 prospect Colton Welker singled and scored, while No. 30 Brian Mundell laced a two-RBI double in the ninth for Colorado. Box score
Royals 8, Dodgers 2
Second-ranked Kansas City prospect Khalil Lee finished 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. No. 18 prospect Emmanuel Rivera singled, knocked in a run and scored, and Sebastian Rivero (No. 28) went 1-for-1 with a walk and a run. Right-hander Scott Blewett (No. 15) earned his first spring victory after posting two scoreless frames of relief, working around a pair of hits for Kansas City. Omar Estevez knocked in the Dodgers' final run with a bloop single to center in the ninth. Box score
Rangers 4, Mariners 4
Seattle's No. 11 prospect Braden Bishop got the scoring started with an infield RBI single in the second, and 14th-ranked Jake Fraley clubbed a two-run shot in the ninth. Right-hander Nick Rumbelow (No. 24) and lefty Ricardo Sánchez (No. 26) each tossed a scoreless frame of relief for Seattle. Sanchez allowed a hit and fanned two. Box score