Prospect Roundup: Games of June 3

Theme of the day

Don't forget these guys: The 2018 First-Year Player Draft begins today. On Sunday, two of last year's high picks reminded everyone why they were the talk of the town just 12 months ago. Hunter Greene, last year's No. 2 overall pick by the Reds, earned his first professional win by striking out eight and allowing one run in five innings for Class A Dayton. Brendan McKay, the No. 4 overall selection, starred at the plate by reaching five times (thrice on walks) for Rays Class A Advanced affiliate Charlotte. It'll be fun to check in with potential draftees Casey Mize and Joey Bart in a year's time.

Who stayed hot

Phillies OF Adam Haseley, Class A Advanced Clearwater: 4-for-7, 2 2B, K, 4 R in doubleheader -- Speaking of 2017 first-rounders, the Phillies' No. 3 prospect is finally starting to catch fire in the Florida State League. Haseley has hits in 20 of his last 21 games for Clearwater and is batting .366/.441/.537 over that span. The power hasn't quite translated to the full-season ranks for the 22-year-old outfielder, though he was expected to have below-average pop. Haseley is hitting .290/.335/.410 over 51 games and needed this type of run after some early struggles.

Who needed this one

Angels 2B Jahmai Jones, Class A Advanced Inland Empire: 2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R -- Jones didn't need this particular games, perhaps -- after all, he did homer for the third time in his last five games. But the Angels' No. 3 prospect entered the weekend hitting just .234 in the California League. The 20-year-old right-handed slugger has shown some pop in the past, and his speed is a weapon. The Halos even moved him to second base this season to give him an easier way to reach the Majors. But he's been inconsistent at the plate in 2018 and needs to string together more performances like this in an ever-improving Los Angeles system.

The unexpected

D-backs RHP Emilio Vargas, Class A Advanced Visalia: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K, 87 pitches, 59 strikes -- This individual start was not so unusual, but the fact that the D-backs' No. 30 prospect is having such a remarkable season comes as a surprise. After Sunday's gem, the Visalia right-hander leads the California League with a 1.24 ERA over 58 innings. No one else in the circuit has an ERA below 2.04. He's also second with a 31.5 percent strikeout rate. This comes after the 21-year-old posted a 3.73 ERA with 167 strikeouts in 171 1/3 innings over two seasons at Class A Kane County. Though his fastball and slider are both considered solid pitches, Vargas also lacks the truly plus pitch that generally leads to standout numbers like these. He's arguably the breakout prospect of the season so far in the Arizona system, and it'll be fun to see how far he can carry this dominance.

Best matchup

Sixto Sanchez vs. Cristian Pache: The Braves' No. 9 prospect is improving offensively in his second season with a full-season affiliate, but he met his match in fellow 19-year-old Sanchez during the first game of Sunday's doubleheader between Clearwater and Florida. Pache bounced back to the pitcher in the first inning, popped out to third base in the third and grounded into a 6-4-3 double play in the sixth. To be fair, none of the Fire Frogs could handle Sanchez in their 6-0 loss. The Phillies' top prospect struck out five and allowed two hits and two walks in his first complete game of the season. MiLB.com's Chris Bumbaca wrote about that outing here.

Who strengthened their promotion case

Twins OF Alex Kirilloff, Class A Cedar Rapids: 2-for-5, HR, RBI, R, K -- This is the Twins No. 6 prospect's first season after Tommy John surgery knocked him out for all of 2017. Getting him back on the field was the biggest priority this spring. But now, Kirilloff should be looking at a second-half move to Fort Myers. After homering and collecting two hits Sunday, the 20-year-old outfielder is batting .375/.434/.680 with 22 extra-base hits and 28 RBIs over 34 games since the start of May. His 10 homers are tied for most in the Midwest League while his .983 OPS ranks second. It's time to challenge the 20-year-old in the FSL, perhaps after Midwest League All-Stars roster are announced.