Royce Lewis' second dinger of the spring was a sight to behold.The top Twins prospect unleashed on the first offering he saw from Phillies newcomer Zack Wheeler and deposited it onto the roof of the tiki hut that sits on the concourse beyond the left field seats at Clearwater's Spectrum
Royce Lewis' second dinger of the spring was a sight to behold.
The top Twins prospect unleashed on the first offering he saw from Phillies newcomer Zack Wheeler and deposited it onto the roof of the tiki hut that sits on the concourse beyond the left field seats at Clearwater's Spectrum Field.
Lewis' solo shot accounted for all of Minnesota's offense on Tuesday as the Twins were upended 5-1 by the Phillies.
MLB.com's No. 9 overall prospect mashed 12 taters last season between Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Double-A Pensacola. The 2017 No. 1 overall Draft pick finished the year with a .371 slugging percentage and 42 extra-base hits over 127 games.
No. 2 Minnesota prospect Alex Kirilloff laced a double to right in three at-bats. Third-ranked prospect Trevor Larnach went 0-for-2 but reached base twice after working a walk in the fourth and being hit by a pitch in the ninth, while Brent Rooker (No. 12) went 2-for-3 with a couple of singles.
Second-ranked Phillies prospect Spencer Howard worked around a pair of hits to post a scoreless eighth in his spring debut. The right-hander struck out one.
Rangers 9, White Sox 2
Michael Kopech provided immediate fireworks in his first appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018. The third-ranked White Sox prospect reportedly hit triple digits on his first four pitches and retired the side in order in the first inning. Kopech, MLB.com's No. 20 overall prospect, froze Greg Bird with a 101 mph fastball to end the frame for his lone strikeout. No. 10 White Sox prospect Zack Collins delivered an RBI single in the eighth in his only at-bat. Rangers No. 10 prospect Sherten Apostel doubled and scored an insurance run in the eighth. Box score
Braves (ss) 3, Astros (ss) 0
Braves No. 2 prospect Drew Waters struck out in his only plate appearance, while No. 15 Trey Harris collected a single in his only at-bat and made a spectacular catch in left field. Astros No. 3 prospect Abraham Toro went 1-for-3 with a base hit, while Jeremy Pena (No. 7) entered in the sixth inning and contributed a single. Right-hander Bryan Abreu (No. 5) issued a pair of walks and struck out one over 1 1/3 hitless frames. Box score
Orioles 6, Braves (ss) 3
O's No. 7 prospect Yusniel Díaz stroked an RBI triple and scored a run to help erase a three-run deficit. Fifth-ranked Austin Hays added a single in three at-bats. No. 11 Keegan Akin was charged with three runs on four hits and a walk in three innings, striking out four, in his fourth Grapefruit League appearance and third start. Dillon Tate (No. 27) picked up the win after allowing one hit with two punchouts in two shutout frames. Top Braves prospect Cristian Pache supplied all of the offense with a three-run homer, his second of the spring. Ninth-ranked William Contreras singled in his lone at-bat. On the mound, Ian Anderson (No. 3) shined in his first start, striking out two in three perfect frames. Tucker Davidson (No. 10) and Philip Pfeifer (No. 28) combined to allow a run on one hit and a walk with two strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings. Box score
Red Sox 3, Cardinals 2
Teenager Nolan Gorman, MLB.com's No. 47 overall prospect, continued to rake for the Cardinals, singling in his lone at-bat in a loss to the Red Sox. Cardinals No. 10 prospect Junior Fernandez took the loss, allowing two runs on a hit and three walks while recording two outs. Box score
Mariners 3, Angels 1
Logan Gilbert, MLB.com's No. 38 overall prospect, remained unscored upon in two Cactus League starts after striking out three over two perfect frames. Mariners No. 21 prospect Sam Delaplane fanned one and worked around a hit in the ninth to notch his first save, while 28th-ranked Ljay Newsome yielded a hit and struck out one in two scoreless innings. Top M's prospect Jarred Kelenic singled in three at-bats, while No. 9 Jake Fraley doubled and scored a run. Box score
Marlins 3, Nationals 2
Marlins No. 28 prospect Sterling Sharp walked one and struck out two over two hitless innings. Nats No. 23 prospect James Bourque struck out three of the four batters he faced over 1 1/3 perfect frames out of the bullpen. Box score
Blue Jays 4, Yankees 2
Santiago Espinal homered and Reese McGuire went 1-for-2 in Toronto's win over New York in Tampa. Espinal, the Blue Jays' No. 22 prospect, connected on a two-run shot in the ninth inning after taking over for Joe Panik at shortstop. The 25-year-old is batting .350 with two homers and four RBIs this spring. Brandon Lockridge, the Yankees' No. 26 prospect, went 0-for-1. Box score
Mets 7, Astros 4
Cristian Javier surrendered three runs in one inning to suffer the loss as Houston fell to the Mets in West Palm Beach. Javier (0-1), the Astros' No. 6 prospect, struck out one in the eighth before Tyler Ivey, Houston's 16th-ranked prospect, whiffed a pair in a scoreless ninth. Mets No. 3 prospect Andrés Giménez walked and scored a run in three plate appearances. Box score
Reds 5, Rockies 5 (tie)
Reds No. 5 prospect Jose Garcia belted his fourth spring homer, cranking a leadoff shot in the fifth inning against Rockies right-hander Peter Lambert. Box score
D-backs 10, Reds 2
D-backs No. 26 prospect Kevin Cron homered for the third time this spring. The 27-year-old first baseman put some distance on Arizona's already comfortable lead with a two-run blast in the ninth inning. Cron's homer came against top Reds prospect Nick Lodolo, who was making his first appearance in big league Spring Training. Lodolo, MLB.com's No. 48 overall prospect, was charged with two runs on two hits with a pair of strikeouts in one inning. Fourth-ranked Cincinnati prospect Jonathan India singled in his lone at-bat but was assigned to Minor League camp after the game. Box score
Royals (ss) 4, Athletics 2
Nick Heath -- Kansas City's No. 26 prospect -- singled for one of the Royals' six hits, walked, stole two bases and scored a run. A's No. 14 prospect Greg Deichmann notched a single and an outfield assist. Box score
Cubs 16, Giants 3
Top Chicago prospect Nico Hoerner went 2-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and a pair of runs scored, boosting his Cactus League line to .310/429/.414. After a chilly February (1-for-11), the 24th overall pick in the 2018 Draft has eight hits and 11 total bases over seven games in March. Cubs No. 27 prospect Alfonso Rivas walked and scored a run. Giants No. 13 prospect Jaylin Davis singled, walked and scored a run, while right-hander Dany Jimenez (No. 29), allowed one run on one hit and one walk while picking up a punchout over two innings. Box score
