Prospect Roundup: Games of May 14

Rays OF/1B Jake Bauers, Triple-A Durham: 3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R -- Patience has been key for the Rays' No. 4 prospect -- who entered Triple-A at just 21 years old and hit .229 with a .619 OPS in 21 April games -- and it's starting to show at the Minors' highest level. Sunday's performance was Bauers' first three-hit game of the season. Through 11 contests in May, the left-handed slugger has put together a .268/.434/.512 line with two homers, six doubles and an impressive 11/12 K/BB ratio. A high on-base percentage has been MLB.com's No. 67 overall prospect's calling card, and it looks like he's figuring out Triple-A arms to make it part of this season as well. The Rays might want to see a little more power than his three homers as they figure out his future position, but they'll gladly take the gains he's been making.

Rangers OF Leody Taveras, Class A Hickory: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R, K, SB -- Speaking of patience, the Rangers' top prospect will be 18 for the entirety of his first full season. So when his OPS was .670 on April 28, there wasn't a need for panic. As expected, Taveras has adjusted to the level and is hitting .375/.380/.604 with a homer, two triples, four doubles and three steals in 12 games this month -- a run that's pushed his season OPS to .786. Taveras' speed and defensive capabilities in center field have prevented him from being a liability for Hickory, regardless of his performance at the plate, but it's been encouraging to see him take to the South Atlantic League better than he took to the Northwest and Arizona Leagues in 2016. His homer Sunday was his fourth of the season through 36 games; he went deep only once in 73 contests last season. 
Marlins LHP Braxton Garrett, Class A Greensboro: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K -- The Marlins' top prospect enjoyed another impressive start in his second career outing. The 19-year-old left-hander gave up his first earned run on a solo shot by Yanio Perez in the fourth inning but improved on the three walks he issued during his first outing on May 8. MLB.com's No. 37 overall prospect has given up three hits and fanned eight over 9 2/3 innings since joining the Grasshoppers last week. Garrett said the Marlins held him back in extended spring training see he could work on his changeup and fine-tune his delivery, and after the delayed start to the season, he's flown out of the gate in the South Atlantic League. 
Braves LHP Joey Wentz, Class A Rome: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 73 pitches, 48 strikes -- The Braves have been so loaded with pitching prospects who've down well in 2017 that Wentz -- the 40th overall pick in last year's Draft and Atlanta's No. 13 prospect -- has fallen through the cracks over the season's first month. He showed why he shouldn't be forgotten Sunday in his second scoreless outing of the season. The 19-year-old tied his career high with seven strikeouts and didn't issue a free pass for the third time in seven starts. Though his 3.44 ERA might not seem spectacular, his 2.02 FIP ranks second in the Sally League. (A circuit-high .396 BABIP might indicate that luck hasn't been on his side.) Wentz has three above-average pitches in his fastball, curve and changeup, and the fact that he's locating them so well should make the Braves and their fans ecstatic.

Nationals OF Daniel Johnson, Class A Hagerstown: 3-for-4, HR, RBI, R, K, SB, CS -- The Nationals' No. 28 prospect went deep for the third straight game Sunday and moved into sole possession of second place on the Sally League leaderboard with nine homers in 32 games. A fifth-round pick last season out of New Mexico State, Johnson is known more for his speed on the basepaths and in center field, but he's shown plenty of pop in his first full season. His .602 slugging percentage ranks third in the circuit, while his .960 OPS ranks fifth. Hagerstown has exhibited the SAL's best offense this season, but its core took a big hit when Juan Soto and Carter Kieboom were both placed on the disabled list this month. However, Johnson is showing that the Suns should still have plenty of firepower as those two recover.