Pitchers of the Week

Here's a look at the top pitching performers in each league for the week ending May 3:

International League
Adrian Sampson, Indianapolis
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 7 K)
In his lone start last week, Sampson dominated against Lehigh Valley in a 4-0 Indianapolis victory. Sampson tied a season high for strikeouts in the win, which was his first of the season. The 23-year-old spent most of 2014 at Double-A Altoona, where he managed a 2.55 ERA in 24 starts. He's posting similar results this year as an Indian, managing a 2.45 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings through five starts.

Pacific Coast League
Noah Syndergaard, Las Vegas
(2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 14 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 19 K)
Weeks don't get much better than the one Syndergaard just had. The Mets' top prospect earned his first two victories of the season, including a seven-inning shutout. First, on April 27, he struck out nine over seven scoreless in an 8-0 win over Albuquerque, calling it "the best performance of my life." Then, on May 2, he pitched his squad to a 3-0 win over Reno, striking out 10 over seven innings in the process. The 22-year-old has a 1.66 ERA in four starts. He's struck out 26 in 21 2/3 innings and allowed just one home run in the hitter-friendly PCL.

Eastern League
Ben Lively, Reading
(2-0, 2.08 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 13 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 1 HBP, 2 BB, 16 K)
Acquired from Cincinnati in exchange for Marlon Byrd during the offseason (our Lively Q&A from January), Lively struggled out of the gate for the Fightin Phils but righted the ship last week. After uncharacteristically allowing five walks over his first two starts, Lively pounded the strike zone last week, racking up eight times as many strikeouts as walks. The 23-year-old is touted as a potential No. 4 starter thanks to his advanced feel for pitching. His ERA in four starts dropped to 2.16 with last week's results.

Southern League
Jared Mortensen, Montgomery
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 4 BB, 5 K)
The British Columbia native has worked his way from the independent American Association to a Double-A rotation over the past few years. This week, he did all he could to prove he belongs. The 26-year-old slimmed his ERA to 1.16 through five starts and has yet to allow a home run in 31 innings this season. Mortensen has held opponents without an earned run in three of his five outings this year.

Texas League
Colin Rea, San Antonio
(1-0, 1.20 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 15 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 18 K)
The 24-year-old's most recent outing was the best of his career. Rea set career highs with 12 strikeouts and eight innings pitched in the Missions' 3-0 win over Midland. Through five starts, the Indiana State product has a 1.00 ERA and a 34-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 36 innings. Rea told MiLB.com that he tried to pitch more with his fastball in the May 2 start, something that might spill over into his next few starts, based on the results.

California League
Blake Perry, Visalia
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 5 K)
An oblique injury kept Perry in extended spring training through most of April. Finally cleared for full-season action last week, Perry dominated in his first California League start, pitching Visalia to a 2-0 win over San Jose. The 23-year-old has pitched in Class A South Bend each of the past three seasons but had yet to advanced to Class A Advanced prior to this week. A few more outings like his debut, and Perry might not have to toil quite so long with the Rawhide before his next promotion.

Carolina League
Tyler Skulina, Myrtle Beach
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 8 K)
In an April 26 outing against Winston-Salem, Skulina was tagged for six earned runs in four innings, ratcheting his ERA up to 7.07. In response, the 23-year-old shaved more than two runs off his ERA on Sunday, logging six scoreless innings during a 2-1 win over Lynchburg. The right-hander told MiLB.com that the big difference was an adjustment to his pace on the mound. "That was one thing my pitching coach [David Rosario] and I talked about," Skulina said. "My tempo was a little slow in my last couple outings and I was getting a little predictable. So today, I just wanted to make sure I had a good tempo, get strike one right away."

Florida State League
Will Anderson, Palm Beach
(1-0, 1.13 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 5 K)
In his lone start last week, the 22-year-old set a career high for innings in a 4-1 win over Jupiter. The 2013 26th-round pick was making his first Florida State League start after making one relief appearance with Palm Beach in 2014. The right-hander was drafted out of Cal State Monterey Bay and has a 2.97 ERA in 142 1/3 innings as a professional, including a 2.37 ERA in four appearances with Class A Peoria to open 2015.

Midwest League
Daniel Missaki, Clinton
(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 7 K)
The Brazilian right-hander is in his first year with Class A Clinton and has shown a knack for finding the strike zone. Missaki has 30 strikeouts and just four walks over 29 1/3 innings, including seven punchouts in Clinton's 2-0 win over Cedar Rapids on May 1. The 19-year-old has a 3.68 ERA through five starts and has yet to allow a home run.

South Atlantic League
Carlos Polanco, Asheville
(1-0, 1.29 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 0 BB, 10 K)
Polanco tied a career high with 10 strikeouts in the Tourists' 4-1 win over the Lexington Legends on May 1. The right-hander flirted with a no-hitter during the gem, and the win pulled his ERA down to 4.37 through four starts in his full-season debut. He's striking out nearly a batter per inning and has just five walks to date. The Dominican hurler had a 5.62 ERA in 15 starts with Rookie-level Grand Junction in 2014.