Prospect Roundup: Games of July 18

Theme of the day

Power will get you places: Wednesday's big news was the transaction most of the baseball world had been waiting for with Manny Machado heading to the Dodgers and prospects Yusniel Díaz, Dean Kremer, Rylan Bannon, Zach Pop and Breyvic Valera going to the Orioles. Diaz is the most notable of the prospects with a profile that includes power to all fields -- he homered twice at Nationals Park in the Futures Game on Sunday. Speaking of power, Cardinals 10th-rounder Kevin Woodall bashed three homers for Rookie-level Johnson City in just his 20th professional game.

Who stayed hot

Orioles 3B Ryan Mountcastle, Double-A Bowie: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R, K -- The Orioles' top prospect -- although Diaz will likely jump over him when the rankings are updated -- seems to have Double-A figured out. Mountcastle homered for the second game in a row in a matinee at Altoona, giving him 10 long balls over 62 games. Since the beginning of June, he's produced a .335/.381/.565 line with 20 extra-base hits in 42 games. The 21-year-old third baseman opened the season on the disabled list with a hairline fracture in his right hand and he struggled with a .222 average and .605 OPS in 39 games with the Baysox a season ago. Questions remain about the former shortstop's defense, but Mountcastle has the potential to be above-average in all facets at the plate. With Machado gone and extremely unlikely to come back as a free agent, Mountcastle is the future of the Baltimore infield.

Who needed this one

Rangers OF Julio Pablo Martinez, Class A Short Season Spokane: 2-for-5, HR, 3B, RBI, 2 R -- The Rangers' No. 3 prospect had no issues dominating the Dominican Summer League during a brief stay last month but has found life in the Northwest League a little more difficult. He began the day with just a .216/.330/.375 line but saw that jump to .226/.333/.430 after his first game with multiple extra-base hits since June 26. Despite the low average, Martinez still has a 116 wRC+, thanks to his power (four homers in 25 games with Spokane), but he's still struck out more (27.8 percent) than one would expect for a 22-year-old with professional experience both in his native Cuba and in the Can-Am League. MLB.com's No. 56 overall prospect's value arises from his plus speed, but he was expected to have an above-average overall hit tool as well with below-average pop. So far, that estimation has proven to be backwards.

The unexpected

Dodgers OF Jeren Kendall, Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga: 3-for-4, HR, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 R, SB -- On a day when so many Los Angeles prospects were in the news, the Dodgers' No. 6 prospect returned from a 10-day stay on the disabled list to produce his best offensive performance in some time. Kendall's three hits, two extra-base hits, four RBIs and eight total bases each matched his season highs in those categories. Just as importantly, he did not strike out in any of his four plate appearances -- a big deal for a player with a 32.9 percent strikeout rate. This is the type of performance Kendall can deliver when everything is clicking, including the stolen base, and it's that potential and lack of consistency that can make him a frustrating prospect. With Diaz heading to Baltimore, Kendall could be the second-toolsiest outfield prospect in the system behind Alex Verdugo, and he'll need more performances like this to carve out a bigger role for himself in Los Angeles' long-term plans.

Best matchup

Dustin May vs. Jalen Miller: May was heavily rumored to be one of the Orioles' targets in the Machado deal. In the end, he stayed put and made his usual start for Rancho Cucamonga. He had to go up against the reigning California League Offensive Player of the Week in San Jose's Miller, but it was the right-handed pitcher who dominated the right-handed hitter in this matchup. May got Miller to ground out to short in the first inning, ground out to second in the second and ground out softly back to the mound in the fourth. It was an otherwise nondescript start for the Dodgers' No. 9 prospect, who gave up four earned runs on seven hits while striking out one over five innings in the Quakes' 15-6 win.

Who strengthened their promotion case

Padres LHP Logan Allen, Double-A San Antonio: 7 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 100 pitches, 65 strikes -- Make that six quality starts in his last seven outings for MLB.com's No. 97 prospect. Allen's 7 2/3 innings also marked his longest start of the season. His 2.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 113 strikeouts and .194 average-against are all tops among qualified Texas League pitchers. Having just turned 21 in May, Allen would be pretty young for the Pacific Coast League, but it's not like the Padres have held back from pushing their talented prospects before. A taste of El Paso in the coming weeks could prepare the southpaw for an ascendant 2019.