10 Former Players Make Sunday's Top Prospect Performers List
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)
Rays:
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
Royals:
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:
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:
The 2018 No. 6 overall pick, whom the Mariners acquired from the Mets in the offseason trade for Edwin Diaz and
Rangers:
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
Braves:
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:
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:
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:
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