Prospect Roundup: Games of May 30

Mariners RHP Andrew Moore, Triple-A Tacoma: 8 IP 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 97 pitches, 63 strikes -- The Mariners' No. 4 prospect turned in his best Triple-A start yet in his longest outing of the season. Tuesday's gem, his first scoreless outing since joining Tacoma on May 8, lowered his Pacific Coast League ERA to 3.03 through five starts (32 2/3 innings). With only his changeup rated above-average, Moore thrives on control and has exhibited that with the Rainiers, walking only 4.8 percent of the batters he's faced. He does rely on a good amount of contact, and a .216 BABIP-against at Triple-A has helped keep his ERA lower than his 4.28 FIP. But a start like Tuesday's keeps the 22-year-old firmly on Seattle's radar for a Major League debut at some point this summer.

Royals LHP Foster Griffin, Double-A Northwest Arkansas: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 86 pitches, 55 strikes -- It was a good night to be a Royals pitcher debuting at a new level. No. 3 prospect Eric Skoglund tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the Major League club, and Griffin tossed his own gem two levels lower. Kansas City's No. 21 prospect has seen his stock drop after he was taken 28th overall in 2014, thanks to a 5.44 ERA in 2015 and a 5.43 mark last season. He was much more effective in his return to Class A Advanced Wilmington this year with a 2.86 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 60 strikeouts over 56 2/3 innings before getting the bump this week. Still only 21, the southpaw has an impressive changeup to go with an average fastball and curve. The Royals would've likely been happy just to see Griffin reach Double-A in his third Minor League season -- the fact that he's already there and seen success must feel like a bonus, given the way he took his lumps earlier in his career.
Athletics 2B Max Schrock, Double-A Midland: 4-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R, K -- The No. 16 A's prospect hadn't played since last Wednesday but returned by setting a season high with four hits and extending his hitting streak to nine games. Schrock pushed his average above .300 for the first time in 2017 to .303 through 41 games. The 22-year-old second baseman, who was acquired from the Nationals last August, is best known for his hit tool after batting .331 across three levels in 2016. It was slow going in the Texas League with a .228/.282/.380 line over 19 games in April, but Schrock has seen a big jump in May, hitting .371/.398/.506 with two homers and six doubles in 22 games.
Cardinals RHP Zac Gallen, Class A Advanced Palm Beach: 8 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 97 pitches, 66 strikes -- The Cardinals' No. 24 prospect came close to his first career nine-inning shutout Tuesday night. Instead, he was lifted for pitch count with two outs in the ninth and saw his scoreless night vanish when the runner he left stranded scored on Will Allen's home run. Gallen, who notched his fifth win, had to settle for his second outing of eight innings or more in his last three starts. The 2016 third-rounder leads the Florida State League with a 2.16 FIP while ranking second in both ERA (1.62) and WHIP (0.97) and striking out 56 in 55 2/3 innings. With FSL All-Star rosters expected to come out this week, the Cardinals might just be waiting for Gallen to get his due recognition before pushing him to Double-A Springfield for a tougher test.
Pirates RHP Luis Escobar, Class A West Virginia: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP, 92 pitches, 54 strikes -- The Pirates' No. 13 prospect was looking like one of 2017's potential breakout stars after striking out 45 batters over 27 1/3 innings in April. Then he walked seven batters in a May 6 start and added five more May 13, and it was clear Escobar still had some work to do. Tuesday was a significant step forward in that it was the 21-year-old right-hander's first start of the season without an earned run allowed. His 31 percent strikeout rate ranks third in the South Atlantic League, but his 11 percent walk rate is fourth-highest, resulting in a middling 3.86 ERA and 3.94 FIP. There's a lot to like in the way Escobar misses bats, but he'll have to do a better job working in the zone to be truly effective.