Prospect Roundup: Games of April 27

Rockies OF Raimel Tapia, Triple-A Albuquerque: 3-for-4, 3B, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB -- The Rockies' No. 5 prospect pushed his average to .381 with his second straight three-hit game Thursday night. In fact, Tapia has a collected at least one hit in 13 of his 14 games with the Isotopes and multiple hits in half of those contests. The 23-year-old's success at Triple-A is beginning to escape small-sample territory as he's produced a .359/.385/.527 line over 179 plate appearances in the Pacific Coast League. The Rockies already brought him up for a two-game stint from April 14-18, during which he went 0-for-7 with a strikeout, but they shouldn't hesitate to do so again should the need arise. The trouble is an already crowded Colorado outfield will get even more jammed when David Dahl returns from his rib injury next month. All Tapia can do is continue to build a case that he's worth a longer look, and he's accomplishing that goal over the season's first month.

Reds RHP Tyler Mahle, Double-A Pensacola: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 94 pitches, 64 strikes -- The Reds' No. 10 prospect followed up last Saturday's perfect game with another gem Thursday. Mahle hasn't allowed more than one run in any of his five starts this season and sports a 0.55 ERA with 34 strikeouts and only six walks in 32 2/3 innings. His 0.52 WHIP is tops among Double-A pitchers and ranks second in the Minors behind Sam McWilliams' 0.40 for Class A Kane County. The 22-year-old has been known for stellar control over his five seasons in the Minors and is using his four-pitch mix to do more than just find the zone with regularity. With 19 career Double-A starts under his belt, he's a prime candidate to move to Triple-A Louisville in search of a bigger challenge at some point in the first half.
Blue Jays C/1B Max Pentecost, Class A Advanced Dunedin: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R -- After shoulder issues limited him to 99 games over his first three pro seasons, the Blue Jays' No. 12 prospect is showing why he's still highly thought of in the Toronto system. Thursday's homer was his fourth in six games and fifth on the season, putting him in a tie for third on the Florida State League leaderboard. Pentecost was Dunedin's DH on Thursday and has played three games at first and two at catcher this month. The Jays would love for him to stay behind the plate, but with the way he's hitting, he could still be valuable at first base.
Mets OF Desmond Lindsay, Class A Columbia: 2-for-3, HR, 5 RBI, R, BB, K, SB -- It hasn't been the easiest transition to full-season ball for the Mets' No. 5 prospect, but perhaps Thursday will provide the boost he needs to close out April on a high note. Lindsay got his first homer of the season -- a three-run shot in the eighth -- just before the Fireflies' 8-7 loss was called early due to fog. Entering the day with four RBIs in 17 games, he plated five from the eighth spot in the lineup. Thursday also marked his first multi-hit performance since April 7 and pushed his season line to .169/.311/.271 over 74 plate appearances. The Mets have remained high on Lindsay, even after hamstring injuries kept him off the field for extended periods in 2015 and 2016, and with just a .250 BABIP through 18 games, there were reasons to believe his numbers would turn around over time. He'll need to make more consistent contact, however, with a season-opening 32.4 percent strikeout rate. 
Braves LHP Joey Wentz, Class A Rome: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 74 pitches, 48 strikes -- It's been smooth sailing for the Braves' No. 13 prospect since he allowed four earned runs in four innings during his full-season debut on April 10. Since that outing, he's given up only two earned runs while fanning 14 and walking five over 16 innings. Thursday's outing was the longest in the young career of the 2016 40th overall pick, despite the fact that he needed only 74 pitches to complete those six frames. With three above-average pitches in his fastball, curve and changeup, Wentz would be a standout arm in most other systems. The 6-foot-5 southpaw stands as the eighth-ranked pitcher in the Braves' system but could climb higher if he continues to improve over his first professional season.