Prospect Roundup: Games of April 13

Red Sox LHP Brian Johnson, Triple-A Pawtucket: 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 100 pitches, 72 strikes -- This was quite a performance from the No. 11 Red Sox prospect, considering he was a question mark to make the start at all after being hit in the head by a comebacker in his season debut on April 8. Unfortunately, Johnson has a history of being hit in the head while on the mound, getting struck by a liner with Class A Short Season Lowell in 2012 and by a wild throw from catcher Mike Zunino while at the University of Florida. In other words, the 26-year-old could've been forgiven for missing his spot in the Pawtucket rotation. Instead, he looked like a starter who could help Boston's pitching depth at times this summer. Johnson has allowed just two earned runs and fanned 15 over 10 2/3 innings during his two starts to begin 2017.

Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers, Double-A Portland: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, K -- Staying in the same system, Boston's top prospect continued to churn out hits Thursday with his second three-hit performance of the young season. Devers has hits in each of his first six games at Double-A and is 10-for-25 (.400) with a homer, three doubles and six RBIs. That's impressive by any measure, but it's especially notable after his slow start in 2016. By comparison, it took 18 games for Devers to reach 10 hits last season for Class A Advanced Salem. Chalk it up to small sample, but the 20-year-old is showing last season may have been more of a fluke than an indication he'll be a slow starter in his career.

Pirates 2B Kevin Kramer, Double-A Altoona: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R -- Altoona has quite a middle-infield pairing in Kramer and Pirates No. 4 prospect Kevin Newman. Ranked No. 20 in the system by MLB.com, Kramer notched his first career two-homer game Thursday in the Curve's 3-2 win over Akron. With three homers in seven games, the 2015 second-rounder only needs one more long ball to match his entire 2016 total over 118 games at Class A Advanced Bradenton. A big part of that has to do with getting out of the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, but it could be a sign that the 23-year-old is focusing more on his power in his second full season. No one expects Kramer to become a big-time power threat, but this will bear watching over the coming weeks.

Pirates RHP Mitch Keller, Class A Advanced Bradenton: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 79 pitches, 52 strikes -- Keller's first outing was rough as he allowed fine earned runs on five hits (including a homer) in 2 1/3 innings. In Thursday's outing, he did a much better job showing off his strengths. The Pirates' No. 3 prospect worked efficiently against Tampa, needing only 79 pitches to get through his six frames. That was his calling card during his breakout 2016 campaign in which he issued only 19 walks in 130 1/3 innings. There will be challenges ahead for the 21-year-old, including proving he can stay healthy for a second straight campaign, but don't be surprised if his season opener ends up being his worst start of 2017.
Nationals SS Carter Kieboom, Class A Hagerstown: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 K -- Make that two straight three-hit games, three straight multi-hit games and seven straight games with a hit for the Nationals' No. 4 prospect to begin his first full season. The 28th overall pick in last year's Draft has roared out of the gate in the South Atlantic League, going 14-for-29 (.483) with a homer, two doubles and four RBIs in his first seven games with the Suns. That puts him tied atop the Sally League leaderboard for hits with teammate and No. 3 Washington prospect Juan Soto and Lakewood outfielder Cord Sandberg. The Nats liked the 19-year-old's bat when they took him last June, and if he can show enough range to stick at shortstop, his stock may go even higher as he gains experience.
Cubs RHP Dylan Cease, Class A South Bend: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 75 pitches, 47 strikes -- Cease has swing-and-miss stuff with a fastball that can reach the upper-90s and a plus curveball, and he showed that off by fanning seven West Michigan batters in his five frames. MLB.com's No. 72 prospect has struck out 15 batters over nine innings in his first two starts with South Bend but has shown some of the same control issues from 2016 with five walks in that span. There's no doubt Cease, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014, could climb quickly with a move to the bullpen, but the Cubs would love to see their No. 3 prospect stick as a starter, if he can rein in his control and add even an average changeup. The 21-year-old showed Thursday why starting remains on the table.