Prospect Roundup: Games of April 19

Twins SS Nick Gordon, Double-A Chattanooga: 4-for-8, 3B, 2B, R, 2 K in doubleheader -- The Twins' top prospect doubled in his first at-bat Tuesday before his home game against Biloxi was suspended in the top of the third inning. When the two sides picked up the action Wednesday, so did Gordon, who finished 3-for-4 with two extra-base hits from the leadoff spot in the first game of a twin bill. He added another single and run scored in Game 2. The 21-year-old hasn't had much trouble acclimating to Double-A, going 16-for-48 (.333) over 12 games with the Lookouts. He still hasn't shown much pop with only three of those hits going for extra bases, but that isn't likely ever to be part of his game. A solid offensive performance paired with above-average defensive tools should be enough to get him to the Majors within the next two seasons.

Cubs RHP Jen-Ho Tseng, Double-A Tennessee: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 83 pitches, 51 strikes -- Tseng fell out of the Cubs' top-30 prospect ranks this offseason after posting a 4.29 ERA with just 69 strikeouts in 113 1/3 innings for Tennessee last season. Back with the Smokies, he's been rebuilding his reputation, and Wednesday's outing was the standout performance in three starts thus far. The 22-year-old has allowed just three earned runs on 11 hits and one walk while fanning 12 over 16 frames. Tseng has always been able to throw strikes during his four seasons in the Minors, but the Taiwan native hasn't shown the stuff to miss bats with regularity. His ability to break into Triple-A might come down to how much soft contact he can keep initiating in the Southern League.
Braves 3B Austin Riley, Class A Advanced Florida: 4-for-5, 2B, 2 R -- The Braves' No. 12 prospect has flirted with the Mendoza line for most of season but bumped his average to .250 with a career-best four hits Wednesday night. His .250/.311/.393 line through 14 games results in an above-average 113 wRC+ for the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, but it's not encouraging for those hoping Riley would carry his second-half performance from Class A Rome -- when he hit 17 homers and posted a .929 OPS in 66 games -- into his second full season. Perhaps like last year, the 20-year-old needs time to adjust to the new level, and it's possible that Wednesday was the start of a better learning curve.
Rockies RHP Peter Lambert, Class A Advanced Lancaster: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 80 pitches, 52 strikes -- With High Desert out of the picture, Lancaster becomes the toughest California League locale for pitchers. That makes Lambert's latest gem all the more impressive. With winds blowing out at 23 mph to right field, the No. 10 Rockies prospect kept the ball low in the zone with eight of his 18 outs coming on the ground Wednesday. Though he struck out only two, the 20-year-old is capable of picking up K's with three above-average pitches in his fastball, curve and changeup, evidenced by nine punchouts over 4 2/3 innings in his season opener April 8. The Cal League catches up to most pitchers eventually, but Lambert's ability to post a 2.25 ERA in his first three Class A Advanced starts should make him an intriguing prospect to follow as the season progresses.
Pirates SS Stephen Alemais, Class A West Virginia: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, K -- The Pirates grabbed Alemais in the third round out of Tulane for his glove and arm at shortstop and above-average speed on the bases. On Wednesday, he showed his bat can be of value as well with his first career two-homer game. Pittsburgh's No. 18 prospect only went deep once in 210 plate appearances last season between both West Virginia-based Pirates affiliates. Surprisingly, his power has been his best offensive asset through his first nine games back in the South Atlantic League with six of his nine hits going for extra bases, resulting in a .600 slugging percentage. This could be small-sample noise, but some pop over an extended period would do a lot for Alemais' stock in his first full season.