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10 Former Players Make Sunday's Top Prospect Performers List

June 3, 2019

Wander Franco (Princeton 2018), Shane Baz (Bristol 2018; Princeton 2018), Meibrys Viloria (Burlington 2014), Gilberto Celestino (Greeneville Astros 2017; Elizabethton 2018), Jarred Kelenic (Kingsport 2018), Sherten Apostel (Bristol 2018), Jefrey Ramos (Danville 2017), Jorge Guzman (Greeneville Astros 2016), Nolan Gorman (Johnson City 2018), seen above, and Edward Olivares (Bluefield 2016)

Wander Franco (Princeton 2018), Shane Baz (Bristol 2018; Princeton 2018), Meibrys Viloria (Burlington 2014), Gilberto Celestino (Greeneville Astros 2017; Elizabethton 2018), Jarred Kelenic (Kingsport 2018), Sherten Apostel (Bristol 2018), Jefrey Ramos (Danville 2017), Jorge Guzman (Greeneville Astros 2016), Nolan Gorman (Johnson City 2018), seen above, and Edward Olivares (Bluefield 2016) are Sunday's Top Prospect Performers.

Rays: Wander Franco, SS (No. 1, MLB No. 5) --2-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R;Shane Baz, RHP (No. 9) -- 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K (Class A Bowling Green)
After homering on Friday, Franco, 18, went deep again Saturday in his first at-bat before Bowling Green's contest against Lansing was suspended due to rain. When it picked up Sunday, he added an RBI double en route to his eighth multihit performance during his nine-game hitting streak. He's batting .474 during said streak, with an overall season line of .326/.392/.536 through 47 games in his first full season. Baz, the PTBNL acquired by the Rays in last summer's Chris Archer trade, picked up his second straight win on the mound, striking out seven. The hard-throwing 19-year-old has completed exactly five innings in each of his five starts this season, pitching to a 1.44 ERA with 32 strikeouts and a .161 BAA in 25 innings.
Royals: Meibrys Viloria, C (No. 18) --2-for-4 (Double-A Northwest Arkansas)
Viloria has hits in six of his past seven games and has posted back-to-back multihit efforts, bringing his average up to .222. The 22-year-old, whom the Royals signed in 2013, hit .123 in April, but started picking up the pace and hit .257 last month. Viloria is getting his first taste of Double-A this season, but he did appear in 10 Major League games last year. He hit .259 (7-for-27) in that span.
Twins: Gilberto Celestino, OF (No. 15) --2-for-3, solo HR, BB, SB (Class A Adv Fort Myers)
Celestino's solo home run in the third inning accounted for all the scoring in the Kernels' loss against Beloit. He also was the only Cedar Rapids player to tally multiple hits and also reached once via a walk from the No. 2 spot in the order. Acquired from Houston in last summer's Ryan Pressley trade, Celestino, whom Houston originally signed for $2.5 million in July 2015, is batting .220/.300/.304 with three homers and nine steals in his first full season.
Mariners: Jarred Kelenic, OF (No. 2, MLB No. 42) --2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R (Class A Adv Modesto)
The 2018 No. 6 overall pick, whom the Mariners acquired from the Mets in the offseason trade for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Canó, has done nothing but hit since being promoted to the California League. He clubbed his second home run in four games for Modesto on Sunday, giving him 13 homers overall in 54 games across two levels in his first full season. To go along with the power, the 19-year-old outfielder has produced a .316 average and .396 OBP in his first full season en route to an even 1.000 OPS.
Rangers: Sherten Apostel, 3B (No. 22) --2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI (Class A Hickory)
The 20-year-old's fifth home run of the season, a solo shot in his first at-bat of the game, highlighted a two-extra-base-hit performance that included an RBI double. Apostel made his fourth start of the season at first base compared to his usual work at the hot corner, where he's committed 10 errors in 47 games. Acquired from the Pirates in the Keone Kela trade last summer, Apostel, at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, has the offensive potential to profile at either position.
Braves: Jefrey Ramos, OF (No. 25) --3-for-4, HR, 3B, 4 RBI (Class A Adv Florida)
The 20-year-old outfielder has hits in nine straight games after going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer on Sunday. He's gone deep twice during the streak while posting a pair of multihit performances. Overall, Ramos, who signed for $250,000 in July 2016, has produced a .263/.293/.420 batting line with seven homers in 52 games this season in the Florida State League.
Marlins: Jorge Guzman, RHP (No. 9) --5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 7 K (Double-A Jacksonville)
Guzman struck out the first four batters he faced and retired 14 of the first 15 as he carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning before giving up four runs on four straight hits, including a three-run homer, after he had issued a one-out walk. Consistently throwing strikes continues to be a problem for the hard-throwing 23-year-old, but he has completed at least five innings in eight consecutive starts for the Jumbo Shrimp. Overall, Guzman owns a 4.01 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 33 walks in 60 2/3 innings.
Cardinals: Nolan Gorman, 3B (No. 1, MLB No. 35) --1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB (Class A Peoria)
Gorman's home run, a two-run shot in the first inning, was his first since May 14. The top prep slugger from the 2018 Draft class -- when the Cardinals selected him with the No. 19 overall pick -- has now gone deep 10 times for the Chiefs this season while putting forth an impressive .279/.381/.521 slash line in 53 games. Gorman, a 19-year-old third baseman, blasted 17 home runs in 63 games last summer to lead all 2018 draftees.
Padres: Edward Olivares, OF (No. 20) --4-for-4, 2B, R (Double-A Amarillo)
The four hits were are a season high for Olivares, who's turned in four multihit efforts in his last six games for the Sod Poodles. He improved his season average from .255 to .271 with Sunday's performance, and he's now accrued 13 doubles and eight homers in 48 games this season. Acquired from the Blue Jays in a January 2018 trade for Yangervis Solarte, Olivares, 23, earned a post on the Padres' 40-man roster in November after a 2018 campaign in which he batted .277/.321/.429 with 47 extra-base hits (12 HR) and 21 steals over 129 games in the Class A Advanced California League.