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Around the Minors: The week of May 17

Sights and sounds from action across Minor League Baseball
May 23, 2021

That didn't take long On Saturday, the Cubs' top-ranked position prospect saw his first game action of the season with High-A South Bend. On his second day, Brennen Davis smacked the stuffing out of a baseball.

That didn't take long
On Saturday, the Cubs' top-ranked position prospect saw his first game action of the season with High-A South Bend. On his second day, Brennen Davis smacked the stuffing out of a baseball.

May 23

Not gonna go in the bicycle spokes
An autographed 2019 Bowman Chrome card featuring baseball’s top prospect, Wander Franco sold at auction for nearly $200,000 on Saturday.

Just like they drew it up
Yep, it was probably exactly what Baltimore envisioned when selecting Adley Rutschman with the top pick in the 2019 Draft -- a game-tying three-run homer with two outs in the ninth. The textbook example helped Double-A Bowie rally to victory.

Talk about a Workman-like approach
It took batting around in the ninth inning, but Detroit's No. 12 prospect Gage Workman was able to hit for the cycle by picking up a single and a double in the final frame for Low-A Lakeland.

Keeping his Witt about him
The only doubt about this home run by Bobby Witt Jr. was whether it was going to stay fair for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The distance? No problem whatsoever.

Sign him up
Charles Hecht turns a home run into a web gem with a delicate balancing act at the High-A Jersey Shore game.

May 22

Turning two the hard way
Triple-A Memphis preserves a tie game in the ninth inning after turning this wild 6-4-3 double play.

Two for one
File this under: things you don't see every day. The Reno Aces escape a two-on, one-out jam the unconventional way ... but it still counts!

Ready for SHOWtime
Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro showing no signs of rust as he finds the seats twice during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville.

Lookout below
Chattanooga's TJ Hopkins takes extra bases away with a leaping catch into the fence that opens the bullpen door ... but he still holds on!

Better together
After starter James Proctor whiffed 11 over five frames, Vincent Timpanelli, Ricky Karcher, Nick Hanson and Carson Spiers combined to toss a no-hitter for Low-A Daytona.

Jackpot!
This lucky fan just got PAID.

Smooth criminal
Top Tigers prospect Spencer Torkelson doesn't even need to get dirty to steal his third bag of the year.

Five alive
MLB Pipeline's No. 93 overall prospect Jarren Duran notched his second career five-knock effort -- going 5-for-5 with a pair of dingers and a double -- for Triple-A Worcester.

We have lift off
Last year's No. 1 overall Draft selection Spencer Torkelson clubbed his first professional dinger with High-A West Michigan.

Custom threads
The FredNats were rocking can't miss custom jerseys on Saturday night.

May 21

Going...going...going...gone
Ninth-ranked Royals prospect Nick Pratto slugged a trifecta for Double-A Northwest Arkansas and finished with three knocks and five RBIs. It's the first multi-homer game in Pratto's career.

Running up that hill
Dodgers outfield prospect Drew Avans climbs the hill in center and makes a leaping backward catch for the out before popping right back up for the style points.

Flashing the leather
Known more for his bat, MLB Pipeline's No. 17 overall prospect Austin Martin shows he can make an impact on both sides of the ball with this sensational diving play at shortstop to start a double play.

Feels like the very first time...
Low-A Fredericksburg nails down its first 'W' in franchise history with a 2-1 victory over Salem at home. Nats starter Karlo Seijas twirled a gem to set the table: scattering three hits -- without issuing a walk -- and fanning a career-high eight over seven scoreless frames.

First of many
Red Sox hurler Rio Gomez, son of late sports reporter Pedro Gomez, records his first Double-A strikeout with the Sea Dogs on Friday.

Head on a swivel
Nothing to see here. Just your standard 5-2-5-4 double play by Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

May 20

Showing his Patriotism
What else would Glenn Otto punctuate his 14-K outing for Double-A Somerset with than another strikeout? The No. 28 Yankees prospect allowed two hits and a walk over 5 1/3 frames on his career night.

More power to him
A night after matching his career high with five RBIs, MLB Pipeline's No. 16 overall prospect Riley Greene went yard twice for Double-A Erie. It marked the 20-year-old's first multi-homer game since he made his professional debut for the Gulf Coast League Tigers on June 24, 2019.

Two ways of going airborne
Double-A Curve right fielder Cal Mitchell left his feet in the first inning to make a catch. The Pirates outfield prospect later turned to offense in the fifth with a solo home run.

'Deer on skates'
Triple-A Durham's Taylor Walls makes an off-balanced toss to throw Charlotte's Luis González out. The No. 7 Rays prospect lunged to his right and stumbled but hit the target provided by Kevin Padlo at first.

Seven strong breezes
There were a lot of swinging strikeouts early in the start by Double-A Bowie's Kevin Smith -- seven in a row, to be exact. The No. 16 Orioles prospect's run started with one out in the first and stretched into the third against the Flying Squirrels.

Stating their case
The Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals are taking issue with having to face two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom during the Mets right-hander's rehab assignment with St. Lucie.

May 19

These K's go to 11
Top Reds prospect Nick Lodolo fanned a career-high 11 over 7 1/3 one-hit frames for Double-A Chattanooga. As you can see from all the Ks, he had pretty decent slider working.

Nothing but netting
Double-A Patriots left fielder Matt Pita came up with a web gem. The Yankees prospect tracked a foul ball by the Yard Goats' Taylor Snyder down and then bounded into the net separating the field from the stands.

Baty-ing around
Fourth-ranked Mets prospect Brett Baty matched career highs by posting four hits and four RBIs for High-A Brooklyn. His Little League "grand slam" proved to be the highlight.

How it started ... how it's going
Coming into the night, Riley Greene hadn't driven in a run since May 9. The second-ranked Tigers prospect quickly dispatched that stat with a two-RBI single. By the end of the game, he was the walk-off hero for Double-A Erie and had plated five runs.

Taking it all in Strider
Ten strikeouts in 3 1/3 hitless innings for Low-A Augusta? Yeah, that more than qualifies as a dominant outing for Spencer Strider, Atlanta's No. 21 prospect.

Leather and Lacy
The third time was the charm for the No. 24 overall prospect in the game. Asa Lacy twirled scoreless ball for the first time this season en route to his first win for High-A Quad Cities. The lefty scattered three hits and two walks over five frames while setting a career high with six strikeouts.

Still, Waters running deep
Make that three home runs in four at-bats for Drew Waters. The second-ranked Braves prospect started off Wednesday's game for the Stripers with a long ball off Sounds southpaw Wade LeBlanc.

May 18

Your daily Mariners update
Couldn't let a night go by without pointing out an exceptional performance or two in the Seattle system. Tuesday's came courtesy of Low-A Modesto. Cade Marlowe went yard in his fourth straight game, while No. 7 Mariners prospect Noelvi Marte racked up three hits and a career-high five RBIs.

Flying through the air with the greatest of ease
D-backs prospect Tra Holmes runs a long way, then leaps to haul in a fly ball that surely would have gone for extra bases against the Hops.

Doffing the TinCap
Agustin Ruiz not only put together a career night for himself with a grand slam, a three-run homer and an RBI single, he also matched a 28-year-old Fort Wayne record by plating eight runs. Tom Knauss and John Schroeder accomplished the feat in 1993 and '96 respectively.

What it means to be 'unhittable'
Double-A Erie's Elvin Rodriguez has made three starts this season. He hasn't given up a hit in the past two. The right-hander struck out five over 5 1/3 frames in his latest outing against Binghamton.

This round goes to Meyer
Max Meyer, the No. 3 Marlins prospect, struck out a career-high nine over 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the Double-A Blue Wahoos. He was facing another 2020 Top-10 draftee, Reid Detmers. The second-ranked Angels prospect allowed two runs in the first, but settled down after that, fanning six in five frames for the Trash Pandas.

May 17

Express train to the bench
Five of the six Sugar Land batters who faced Round Rock right-hander Demarcus Evans went down swinging against the No. 27 Rangers prospect.

Putting the Sugar into the Skeeters
Jose Siri just clears the fence for his second grand slam of the young season for Triple-A Sugar Land. The Astros outfielder leads Minor League Baseball with 24 RBIs.

Mourning a loss
The 2017 King of Baseball, Lee Landers, passed away Monday. His career in the game began in 1959 in Fresno and included stops in Modesto, Twin Falls, Little Rock, Tulsa, New Orleans and Springfield, Illinois. He took the reins of the Appalachian League in 1996 and served as the circuit's president for 23 years.

When you're hot, you're hot
Taylor Trammell, Seattle's No. 6 prospect, starts off the new week a lot like the old one, with a homer in his third straight game -- and fourth of the last five -- for Triple-A Tacoma.

The week that was
There were assorted milestones -- no-hitters, three-homer games and a triple play -- as well as dynamic performances by an array of top prospects during the week of May 10. Check out all the action here.