Rays RHP Brent Honeywell Jr., Triple-A Durham: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 98 pitches, 70 strikes -- Tampa Bay's No. 2 prospect reached double digits in strikeouts for the first time at Triple-A and matched his longest outing since joining Durham on April 19.
Rays RHP Brent Honeywell Jr., Triple-A Durham: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 98 pitches, 70 strikes -- Tampa Bay's No. 2 prospect reached double digits in strikeouts for the first time at Triple-A and matched his longest outing since joining Durham on April 19. As is usually the case for the 22-year-old, he had no issues finding the zone with no walks allowed and 71.4 percent of his pitches going for strikes. Including his two outings at Double-A Montgomery this season, Honeywell is tied with Josh Staumont (see below) for second in the Minors with 52 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings, trailing teammate Jacob Faria's 58 punchouts. Focusing more on Honeywell's 2.91 FIP than his 4.05 ERA, which is inflated by a .356 BABIP, it's clear to see how the screwballer could push for a move to Tampa by midsummer.
Royals RHP Josh Staumont, Triple-A Omaha: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 10 K, 1 HBP, 109 pitches, 65 strikes -- The Royals' No. 2 prospect was Honeywell's equal when it came to K's but very much his opposite when it came to control Thursday night. Staumont's performance against Las Vegas marked the third time in seven starts this season he's fanned at least 10 batters and the second time he's walked five. It's no surprise that the 23-year-old right-hander, who has a plus fastball and curve, leads the PCL in both categories with 52 K's and 23 free passes in 37 1/3 innings. He was able to work around the walks for his first scoreless outing since April 13, bringing his ERA to a season-low 3.62. The Royals got aggressive by pushing the 2015 second-rounder to Triple-A after only 11 starts at Double-A Northwest Arkansas last year, so he'll be given plenty of time to work on his control in the Pacific Coast League. That said, this is not a new issue -- he walked a Minors-high 104 in 123 1/3 innings last season.
Cubs 2B/OF Ian Happ, Triple-A Iowa: 3-for-4, 2B, RBI, R, K -- The Cubs' No. 2 prospect has shown no signs of slowing down since a bruised left thumb put him on the disabled list from April 29-May 7. The 22-year-old slugger is 7-for-15 (.467) with a homer and two doubles in four games since returning from the injury. His slash line is up to .283/.351/.606 with nine homers and five doubles in 25 games this season. As encouraging as that must be for Chicago, the Cubs still don't really have room for Happ in the Majors, though it's notable that he's made three of four starts in right field this month. At the very least, should something happen to the Cubs' considerable big league depth, it should be a comfort to know Happ is looking increasingly ready for the challenge of the game's top level.
Mets LHP P.J. Conlon, Double-A Binghamton: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 97 pitches, 68 strikes -- The Mets' No. 22 prospect is out prove that last season's Minors-best 1.65 ERA was no fluke, and he's succeeding relatively well. Conlon's eight frames Thursday marked his longest outing of the year, yet he still managed to issue no free passes in a tough-luck 1-0 loss to Akron. The 23-year-old left-hander with a funky, over-the-top delivery owns a 2.88 ERA with 41 strikeouts and six walks in 40 2/3 innings. His 6.83 K/BB ratio is by far the best in the Eastern League, trumping second-place Sam Coonrod at 4.86, while his 2.70 FIP ranks third. Without a true plus pitch, the 5-foot-11 hurler seemed like he had a future as a lefty specialist, but he's shown enough control and deception to look like he's more than capable of pitching beyond his stuff and sticking in upper-level rotations.
Blue Jays RHP Justin Maese, Class A Lansing: 9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 103 pitches, 69 strikes -- The Blue Jays' No. 10 prospect now has two complete games this season. His first came when he tossed six innings in a loss during a twin bill on April 12. His second on Thursday fit the more traditional mold. After making 10 Class A starts last season, Maese struggled in his return to the Midwest League at first, posting a 5.79 ERA in five April outings. However, he's been much better in May with only two earned runs allowed on eight hits and five walks in 16 innings over two starts as his season ERA has fallen to a more palatable 4.09. The 20-year-old has the makings of a traditional sinkerballer with a good slider and a plus fastball that has a lot of movement. The Blue Jays aren't in any rush with the 2015 third-rounder, but he's a candidate to move to the Florida State League should these improvements continue.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.
