Dylan Cease is spending his first Spring Training in pale hose, and he's making it count.The No. 5 White Sox prospect struck out four and scattered a hit and two walks over two scoreless innings Monday in a 9-9 tie against the A's at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. Cease
Dylan Cease is spending his first Spring Training in pale hose, and he's making it count.
The No. 5 White Sox prospect struck out four and scattered a hit and two walks over two scoreless innings Monday in a 9-9 tie against the A's at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. Cease has yet to allow a run in either of his two Cactus League outings so far with his 0.00 ERA holding up over 3 1/3 frames overall.
"I just wanted to be relaxed. Relaxed with my body and attack and not over think it," the 22-year-old told MLB.com. "I felt very relaxed out there. Felt like I could have kept going, which is always a good sign."
The 22-year-old right-hander struck out the side in the first inning getting Dustin Fowler and Khris Davis to go down swinging and Matt Olson looking. He also got Bruce Maxwell with his fourth strikeout in the second frame.
"No matter the situation, I can bear down and get the job done," Cease told the site, noting the confidence boost from such an outing. "It definitely helps. If anything, it gives me more motivation to go back and do the little things and continue that process of getting ready for the next one."
Cease was acquired by the White Sox along with outfield prospect Eloy Jiménez and two others last July in the deal that sent left-hander Jose Quintana to the Cubs. He was invited to big league camp by the South Siders despite having never pitched above Class A, though he has shown signs of dominance at that level.
Cease posted a 3.28 ERA with 126 strikeouts and 44 walks over 93 1/3 innings between South Bend and Kannapolis last season. His 32.5 percent strikeout rate was the best among the 130 Class A pitchers with at least 90 innings during that campaign. Because of his swing-and-miss stuff including a plus-plus fastball and a plus curveball, Cease enters 2018 as MLB.com's No. 61 overall prospect with his negatives coming in his lack of a third pitch, some control issues and history with Tommy John surgery.
"He's a very composed young man," White Sox manager Rick Renteria told MLB.com. "He is an individual who knows what he's capable of, I believe. It's just a matter of it all coming together."
No. 17 White Sox prospect Ian Clarkin was charged with four unearned runs on three hits and tw walks in two innings of relief.
Fowler, the A's No. 5 prospect, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts out of the leadoff spot. No. 8 prospect Sean Murphy, acting as a pinch hitter, walked and scored a run as part of Oakland's four-run ninth that tied the game at nine.
In other spring action:
Astros 5, Marlins 3 Box
No. 16 overall prospect Kyle Tucker continued his hot Grapefruit League campaign by going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in the Astros' win in West Palm Beach. It was the second time over eight games that the outfielder collected multiple hits in a contest, and the effort bumped his spring average to .381. No. 16 Astros prospect Framber Valdez earned the save after giving up one earned run on two hits while fanning three over 2 1/3 innings. No. 7 Marlins prospect Magneuris Sierra went 1-for-2 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot while No. 8 prospect Isan Díaz singled and scored as a late-game replacement.
Braves 7, Pirates 5 Box
Ronald Acuña Jr. Jr. extended his hitting streak to six games by going 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch as the No. 5 hitter in the Braves lineup. MLB.com's No. 2 overall prospect is 10-for-16 (.625) over the streak after starting Grapefruit League play 0-for-7 in his first two games. No. 15 Braves prospect A.J. Minter struck out one and walked one in 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Pirates No. 23 prospect Jordan Luplow hit a solo homer for his first long ball of spring in the loss.
Phillies 4, Twins 3 Box
Twins No. 2 prospect Fernando Romero struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth and No. 26 prospect Zack Granite went 1-for-3 in a losing effort to Philadelphia. Romero has yet to allow a run this spring in three outings, while Granite saw his average rise to .167 with a hit - the outfielder began the spring 0-for-9.
Cardinals 2, Nationals 1 Box
Cardinals No. 14 prospect Austin Gomber struck out two and allowed a pair of hits over two innings to pick up his first win of the spring as St. Louis scored twice in the fifth to edge Washington. Gomber faced 13 batters and worked around three walks in relief of starter Luke Weaver before lefty Ryan Sherriff, the Cards' No. 29 prospect, worked a perfect eighth inning. Andrew Stevenson, the Nationals' No. 12 prospect, homered in the third inning off Weaver, his first of the spring, for Washington's lone run.
Mets 4, Tigers 2 Box
Tigers No. 5 prospect Jake Rogers singled and scored a run. No. 12 prospect Dawel Lugo plated a run with a single, and 17th-ranked Victor Reyes went 2-for-2 with a double. Mets No. 30 prospect Jacob Rhame struck out two and allowed one hit in one inning.
Angels 7, Reds 5 Box
Top overall prospect Shohei Ohtani finished hitless after he was robbed of extra bases on a diving catch in the gap by Cincinnati outfielder Billy Hamilton, but Matt Thaiss (No. 9 in the Angels system) and Taylor Ward (No. 14) each collected a knock, with Thaiss doubling and scoring. Tenth-ranked Los Angeles prospect Michael Hermosillo walked and also crossed the dish. No. 4 Reds prospect and No. 82 overall prospect Jesse Winker collected his third Cactus League double and scored a run, and Alex Blandino (No. 19) singled, walked, knocked in a run and scored. Aristides Aquino (No. 15) was 1-for-2.
Dodgers 8, Indians 1Box
Second-ranked Los Angeles prospect Alex Verdugo slugged a two-run homer in his only at-bat while sixth-ranked DJ Peters added a solo shot.
Cubs 5, Rockies 4Box
Rockies No. 10 prospect Yency Almonte was having a great game, twirling two perfect frames with a strikeout, but then in the ninth, Alis Solis nailed him with a line drive and things went off the rails from there. The right-hander insisted on staying in the game, as he ended up allowing a go-ahead homer by Ryan Court and walks to Wynton Bernard and Jacob Hannemann, plus he threw a wild pitch before being relieved. On the other end, Cubs No. 3 prospect Oscar De La Cruz walked one and fanned two in a hitless ninth for the save.
Rangers 5, Giants 4 (Box)
Willie Calhoun, the No. 53 overall prospect, put Texas on the board with an RBI single in the first and plated another run with an eighth-inning groundout. The 1-for-4 day puts his spring average at .364. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the Rangers' No. 26 prospect, cracked an RBI double. No. 23 Giants prospect Miguel Gómez was 1-for-2 with a walk. Left-hander D.J. Snelten, ranked three spots behind Gomez, recorded two outs without incident.
D-backs 10, Padres 3 (Box)
Fourteenth-ranked Arizona prospect Sócrates Brito bashed his first long ball of the spring and also tallied a walk and two runs scored. No. 25 Jack Reinheimer went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs. Luis Almanzar, San Diego's No. 27 prospect, crossed the plate for the Padres.
