Prospect Roundup: Games of May 1

Theme of the night

Angels in the outfield: The Los Angeles system is loaded on the grass -- this is the organization, after all, that moved Jahmai Jones from center field to second base -- and it showed Tuesday. No. 10 prospectMichael Hermosillo stole the show with a cycle for Triple-A Salt Lake that also featured the first grand slam of his career.At the other end of the spectrum, No. 5 prospect Brandon Marsh enjoyed his first career multi-homer game with two blasts on a 3-for-6 night with Class A Burlington. In fact, all three Bees outfielders, including Torii Hunter Jr. and Spencer Griffin, had three hits in their 10-8 loss to Dayton. The Halos already have the game's most gifted outfielder in Mike Trout, but there's lots to be excited about below him on the depth chart.

Who stayed hot

Blue Jays 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Double-A New Hampshire: 1-for-1, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB -- Reading's hurlers seemed afraid to pitch to the Jays' top prospect, and few could blame them. Guerrero walked in his first two plate appearances, seeing only one strike, before adding a sacrifice fly and a double in a 5-4 win at home. The 19-year-old slugger's two-bagger in the ninth inning extended his hitting streak to eight games, and pushed his season line to .388/.455/.600 through 21 games. Only Binghamton's Peter Alonso (1.288) and teammate Cavan Biggio (1.078) have a higher OPS in the Eastern League -- and both are four years older than Guerrero. The way the third baseman is able to inflict damage offensively at his age is nothing short of astounding, and it raises the question of whether he's even being challenged at Double-A.

Who needed this one

Braves RHP Ian Anderson, Class A Advanced Florida: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 87 pitches, 54 strikes -- Atlanta knew the 6-foot-3 right-hander was raw when it took him third overall out of an upstate New York high school in 2016. Fits and starts are part of the package, but it still was a relief when Anderson tossed five scoreless innings Tuesday, dropping his season ERA from 7.07 to 5.21. The Braves' No. 5 prospect allowed only one walk for the first time in his five starts with Florida. The 20-year-old has three potential above-average pitches in his fastball, curveball and changeup that have allowed him to fan 24 over 19 innings. But he needs to continue to work better in the zone to reduce his 12.6 percent walk rate.

The unexpected

Indians 1B Bobby Bradley, Double-A Akron: 3-for-4, HR, 3B, 3 RBI, R, K -- Bradley is a 20-grade runner who doesn't notch too many triples, and the game was his first three-hit effort -- and just his second multi-hit performance -- of the season. He's hitting .157/.237/.325 over 22 games in his second season with the RubberDucks. (A 30.1 percent strikeout rate has a lot to do with that.) Seven of his 13 hits this season have been for extra bases, but he'll need more than simply power to break through to the International League.

Best matchup

Michael Kopech vs. José Bautista: The No. 10 overall prospect is moving closer to the Majors with each passing start for Triple-A Charlotte, and there's no better way to measure the right-hander than against a six-time All-Star. Kopech walked Bautista to open Tuesday's game but got him to fly out to right in the second and ground out to short in the fourth. (Bautista would later hit his first homer in the Braves system with a two-run shot in the ninth off reliever Gregory Infante.) Kopech would finish with four runs allowed (three earned) on seven hits and two walks while fanning six in six innings. He threw 60 of his 100 pitches for strikes. It may have been his roughest outing of the season, but still goes in the book as a quality start. The hard-throwing right-hander owns a 2.67 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 35 strikeouts and nine walks in 27 innings, and these two could face each other again next week when Charlotte travels to Gwinnett for a four-game set.

Who strengthened their promotion case

Astros 3B/1B/OF J.D. Davis, Triple-A Fresno: 4-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, R, K -- Houston's No. 9 prospect opened the season on the Major League roster but was optioned to Fresno on April 12 upon the activation of Yuli Gurriel. He's done nothing but hit since. Davis notched his third straight multi-hit game Tuesday and is now hitting .391/.447/.623 with three homers and seven doubles in 17 games since joining the Grizzlies. He's mostly played his natural position of third base, but continues to get time at first and left field as well. Regular at-bats for the right-handed slugger are unavailable in the big leagues right now, but he continues to give his parent club a lot to think about in his second Triple-A season.