Prospect Roundup: Games of April 26

Phillies 1B Rhys Hoskins, Triple-A Lehigh Valley: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R -- Make that hits in seven straight games for the Phillies' No. 13 prospect. Hoskins' solo shot was his fifth homer in 19 games, putting him in a tie with the Pirates' Max Moroff and the Twins' Daniel Palka for the International League lead. For those worried that the 24-year-old first baseman's breakout 2016 was fueled by playing his home games at Double-A Reading, Hoskins has quelled those concerns by hitting .344/.437/.656 over 71 plate appearances. His 1.092 OPS trails only Jason Leblebijian's 1.133 for the IL lead. A key development might be that Hoskins is keeping the ball in the air -- his 29.5 percent groundball rate would be the lowest of his career, down from 31.4 percent in 2016.

Phillies RHP Tom Eshelman, Double-A Reading: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 81 pitches, 58 strikes; 1-for-2, HR, 3 RBI, R -- Staying in the Phillies organization with another home run hitter from Wednesday, albeit a significantly less likely one, Eshelman almost single-handedly defeated Harrisburg in the Fightin Phils' 4-2 win with six two-run innings and a three-run homer off Nationals No. 2 prospect Erick Fedde. The long ball was the first hit of the 22-year-old's career after he went 0-for-7 with Reading last season and started Wednesday with a popout to second. The 2015 second-rounder was known for stellar control when he came over from the Astros in December 2015 but fell out of the Phillies' top-30 prospect rankings after posting a 4.25 ERA and .281 average-against in 120 2/3 innings between Reading and Class A Advanced Clearwater last season. He improved to 2-0 on Wednesday with a 3.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 18 strikeouts and four walks over 22 innings. He remains ever hittable with a .306 average-against and six homers allowed in four starts and will need to do a better job of limiting hard contact if he's to crack the prospect list again.

Padres RHP Cal Quantrill, Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 81 pitches, 56 strikes -- The Padres' No. 4 prospect reached an important milestone Wednesday when he lasted six innings for the first time in his professional career. That's notable for any full-season debutant, but especially for Quantrill, who spent most of 2016 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Stanford product has weathered the California League pretty well so far with a 3.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 22 strikeouts and six walks in 21 1/3 innings. With two plus pitches in his fastball and changeup and a solid slider, the 2016 eighth overall pick has all the tools to find success in his first full season but will be monitored for innings as the year progresses.
Braves OF Ronald Acuña Jr., Class A Advanced Florida: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB, 2 SB -- The Braves' No. 7 prospect hit just .209 with 18 strikeouts over his first 11 games but has turned it on lately with a six-game hitting streak. He's gone 5-for-9 with a homer, double, triple, eight RBIs and five runs scored over his last two games at home against Palm Beach to raise his season average to .271. Even when he was struggling at the plate, he managed to be a menace on the basepaths, and now his 10 steals trail only Cole Tucker and Jorge Mateo -- both with 11 -- for the Florida State League lead. The Braves never needed to be worried about Acuna's hitting, especially after he went 8-for-27 (.296) with three extra-base hits during his time with the big club in Spring Training. The 19-year-old center fielder can give opposing teams headaches at the plate, on the bases and in the field when everything's clicking.
Rays OF Jesus Sanchez, Class A Bowling Green: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R -- Sanchez jumped into the Rays' prospect ranks at No. 7 this offseason after hitting .329/.351/.549 with seven homers, eight triples and 10 doubles in 56 games at two Rookie-level stops in his first stateside season. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down at full-season ball. The 19-year-old outfielder recorded his first career two-homer game Wednesday and has multiple hits in five of his last six games. That run has pushed his season slash line to .318/.366/.545 through 16 games. If he can carry this success deeper into the summer, that should give him even more helium.