Prospect Roundup: Games of May 22
Theme of the dayYou get a promotion and you get a promotion and you get a promotion: Some days, the on-the-field action takes a back seat to the news off the diamond. Three of MLB.com's top 100 prospects moved up a level and made their debuts with new clubs Tuesday
Theme of the day
You get a promotion and you get a promotion and you get a promotion: Some days, the on-the-field action takes a back seat to the news off the diamond. Three of MLB.com's top 100 prospects moved up a level and made their debuts with new clubs Tuesday -- Willy Adames with Tampa Bay, Nick Gordon with Triple-A Rochester and Jo Adell with Class A Advanced Inland Empire. It's not quite moving season in the Minors, but all these promotions in a single day leave one wondering who could be next.
Who stayed hot
Red Sox SS C.J. Chatham, Class A Advanced Salem: 2-for-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, R, BB, K -- The No. 10 Boston prospect hasn't gotten off to a great start, but Chatham is starting to show the skills that made him a second-round pick in 2016. The 23-year-old shortstop has multiple hits in three straight games, and both of his homers this season have come in his last four contests. The long ball in Salem's 13-11 win at Frederick was a grand slam -- the first of Chatham's career. The right-handed slugger had issues with a hamate bone in 2016 and a hamstring last season, limiting him to only 42 games in his first two years of pro ball. But he looks healthy now and is hitting .325/.372/.550 with two homers and three doubles in 10 games since joining Salem on May 8. Chatham played shortstop for the first time with Salem on Tuesday after making his other nine starts at designated hitter.
Who needed this one
Reds LHP Scott Moss, Class A Advanced Daytona: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 94 pitches, 63 strikes -- The No. 21 Reds prospect entered the day with a 6.05 ERA through his first eight starts with Daytona but saw that drop to 5.12 with this gem. It was not only Moss's first scoreless start of 2018 but also his longest. The 2016 fourth-round pick, who was a reliever in college at Florida, has two average pitches in his fastball and slider and needs to make the most of his extension and deception to get the most out of his stuff. Along with the 5.12 ERA, he's posted a 1.36 WHIP with 37 strikeouts and 13 walks.
The unexpected
Dodgers SS/2B Errol Robinson, Double-A Tulsa: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, K -- The Dodgers' No. 20 prospect had hit two homers on the season and hadn't gone deep at all since May 2 -- a stretch of 16 straight games. Then, he notched his first career two-homer game in Tulsa's 9-6 win over San Antonio. A sixth-round pick in 2016, Robinson's power is by far his weakest tool, receiving a 30 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale from MLB.com last offseason. However, he has the potential to be an average overall hitter with good speed and should be a solid fielder at either middle-infield spot. He's hitting .271/.336/.411 with four homers, six doubles and nine steals in 36 games this season.
Best matchup
Franklin Barreto vs. Corbin Burnes: Both top-100 prospects were struggling heading into Tuesday's game between Colorado Springs-Nashville at First Tennessee Park, so something had to give. It ended up being the Sounds slugger getting the better of his Sky Sox counterpart. After grounding out to short in the first, Barreto walked in the fourth inning and led off the sixth inning with a solo homer. Even though the A's No. 3 prospect has hit just .235 with a 29.6 percent strikeout rate through 32 games, he has shown power with six homers and a .445 slugging percentage, giving him a slightly above-average 109 wRC+. Barreto left the game early in the seventh, but MLB.com's Jane Lee believes he may be on standby for a Major League promotion with Khris Davis dealing with a groin strain. Meanwhile, Burnes finished with three earned runs allowed on four hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings in a 4-2 loss. He now owns a 4.82 ERA through nine starts.
Who strengthened their promotion case
Phillies RHP Enyel De Los Santos, Triple-A Lehigh Valley: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 101 pitches, 73 strikes -- The Phillies' No. 12 prospect doesn't have much left to prove at Triple-A. De Los Santos tossed his fourth straight quality start and improved to 5-1 with a 1.39 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings this season. No other qualified pitcher in the International League has an ERA lower than 1.86, and his 2.92 FIP ranks third. Zach Eflin (1.56 ERA in three starts) is currently holding down the fort as Philly's No. 5 starter, but should he falter in the weeks ahead, De Los Santos can help a club that sits just 1 1/2 games back in the NL East.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.
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