Rays OF Jesús Sánchez, Double-A Montgomery: 2-for-4, 3 RBIs -- Last season's 27-game stint with the Biscuits following his promotion to the Southern League did not have many positives for Tampa Bay's fourth-ranked propsect. But 2019 is off to a much better start for Sanchez, who plated a pair of
Rays OF Jesús Sánchez, Double-A Montgomery: 2-for-4, 3 RBIs -- Last season's 27-game stint with the Biscuits following his promotion to the Southern League did not have many positives for Tampa Bay's fourth-ranked propsect. But 2019 is off to a much better start for Sanchez, who plated a pair of runs with an opposite-field single in the third inning and added an RBI knock the following frame. MLB.com's No. 36 overall prospect had a 1-for-3 showing in the opener of the doubleheader against Mobile. After going hitless in his previous two games, the native of the Dominican Republic raised his batting average to .302. He's also driven in 11 runs through 14 games after totaling 11 RBIs in 27 games at Double-A last season. Gameday box score
Dodgers INF Omar Estevez, Double-A Tulsa: 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI -- The Dodgers' No. 19 prospect finished a triple shy of the cycle against Arkansas while raising his slash line to .421/.452/.649. He clubbed his second homer of the year for his 11th RBI. After repeating the California League with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga last season, Estevez is demonstrating why he's worthy of the elevation to the Texas League. Over 57 at-bats, he's smacked seven doubles, scored seven runs and struck out only six times. Gameday box score
Twins P Griffin Jax, Double-A Pensacola: 6 IP, 1 R/ER, 5 K, 5 H, 3 BB -- Jax lowered his ERA to 0.54 through three starts and also picked up a win for his first decision of 2019. The right-hander loaded the bases in the first inning but escaped by coaxing a groundout from Luis Aviles Jr. Following a 1-2-3 second, Trent Grisham led off with a single, but the Twins' No. 23 prospect got Weston Wilson to ground into a double play. Jax retired eight in a row before Grisham singled again, this time to lead of the sixth. The 2016 third-round pick eventually allowed a run on Bruce Caldwell's two-out single through the right side, but he rebounded by fanning Aviles to conclude the outing. Gameday box score
Indians 3B Mark Mathias, Triple-A Columbus: 2-for-4, 6 RBIs, 1 R -- Twice, Mathias came up with the bases loaded and twice, he emptied them with a double. The first instance came in the first, when he lined a 3-2 offering to center field on the eighth pitch of his battle against Toledo starter Kyle Funkhouser. When the Indians prospect came up again with the bags juiced in the ninth -- this time facing reliever Jose Cisnero -- he replicated his first hit of the night with another two-bagger to center. It tied the game and guaranteed extra innings, with the Clippers ultimately coming out on top. Gameday box score
Nationals 1B KJ Harrison, Class A Hagerstown: 4-for-4, 3 RBIs, 2 BB, 1 R -- A useful tactic to skyrocket one's on-base percentage is to reach in all six plate appearances, and Harrison did just that on Friday. A trio of singles and an RBI double, plus a pair of walks, kept him at a perfect 4-for-4. The Nationals prospect is enjoying an 18-for-40 start to his season, which includes seven extra-base hits (two homers) and 12 RBIs with six walks and six strikeouts. This is the 22-year-old's first year in the Nats system as the Brewers included him in their package for lefty Gio Gonzalez last Aug. 31. Gameday box score
Nationals RF Justin Connell, Hagerstown: 3-for-6, 3 RBIs, 2 R -- Hitting must have been contagious in the Suns lineup Friday. Like Harrison, Connell plated three runs and scored twice while missing the cycle by a triple. He did, however, smack his first long ball of the season and had more total bases (seven) in this contest than he had in his first four games of the year (six). The 20-year-old is 6-for-18 to begin his first full season in the Minors. Gameday box score
Tigers CF Reece Hampton, Class A West Michigan: 3-for-3, 3B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB -- Hampton needed only seven innings to reach in five plate appearances. Batting leadoff helps, but the Charlotte product certainly made the most of his time in the box. He scored the first run in the Whitecaps' rout of Fort Wayne and made it 8-0 in the third by roping a run-scoring triple to right for his first extra-base hit and RBI of the season. Gameday box score
Angels P Chris Rodriguez, Class A Advanced Inland Empire: 4 IP, 0 R 7 K, 4 H, 0 BB -- As the Angels' 11th-ranked prospect builds up steam from a back injury that sidelined him all of last year, Rodriguez pitched 2 2/3 innings in each of his first two starts for the 66ers. So this marked the first time he completed four innings since Sept. 2, 2017 for Class A Burlington. The right-hander scattered four hits and matched his career high with seven punchouts. Gameday box score
Astros 3B Abraham Toro, Double-A Corpus Christi: 2-for-5, 2 RBIs, 2B -- After going 1-for-12 in the first three games of the season, the Astros' No. 23 prospect has hit safely in 12 consecutive games. In this one, the switch-hitter provided some insurance with a two-run double to center field in the ninth inning. The Hooks ended up needing those runs to hang on against Amarillo. Gameday box score
Chris Bumbaca is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
