Rays SS Willy Adames, Triple-A Durham: 3-for-4, 2 R, K -- To quote Monday's Roundup about Jake Bauers, "Patience has been key for the Rays No. 4 prospect -- who entered Triple-A at just 21 years old." The same can be said for Adames, who won't turn 22 until Sept. 2.
Rays SS Willy Adames, Triple-A Durham: 3-for-4, 2 R, K -- To quote Monday's Roundup about Jake Bauers, "Patience has been key for the Rays No. 4 prospect -- who entered Triple-A at just 21 years old." The same can be said for Adames, who won't turn 22 until Sept. 2. Tampa Bay's top prospect was hitting just .222 with a .665 OPS entering Tuesday but boosted those to .238 and .689 in a 6-4 loss to Charlotte with his second three-hit game of the season. (The other was April 21 in Louisville.) Bauers and Adames entered the season as the International League's youngest players behind only Ozzie Albies with Gwinnett, and as talented as both top-100 prospects are, a grace period has always been built into their introduction to the Minors' highest level. What's more, the Rays haven't needed to push Adames with the way Tim Beckham has played in the Majors. The Dominican Republic native just needed to get his legs under him, and that seems to be happening with a .286/.340/.429 line in 12 games this month.
Dodgers RHP Mitchell White, Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 67 pitches, 55 strikes -- Time to board the Mitchell White hype train. The Dodgers' No. 10 prospect tossed the longest outing of his young career Monday with incredible efficiency, needing only 67 pitches to get through seven frames. He even struck out the side in the sixth on only 10 pitches -- one away from an immaculate inning. White's eight K's tied a season high and give him 43 in 33 frames through eight starts. His 31.2 percent strikeout rate is best in the California League, though his 4.09 ERA doesn't speak to how good he's been, even by Cal League standards. The 22-year-old right-hander -- whose fastball, cutter and curve all earned above-average grades from MLB.com -- ranks second in the Class A Advanced circuit with a 2.78 FIP, thanks to the whiffs and the fact that he still hasn't allowed a home run. Walker Buehler got most of the headlines when he was with the Quakes, and for good reason, but White could be the next Dodgers arm to emerge in 2017.
Orioles SS Ryan Mountcastle, Class A Advanced Frederick: 4-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 R, SB -- The Orioles' No. 4 prospect hasn't stopped hitting in his second full season. Monday brought his second four-hit game and raised his average to a Carolina League-best .342 through 37 contests. In his last four games alone, Mountcastle is 10-for-15 (.667) with a triple and four doubles. Though his performance has been boosted by an unusually high .374 BABIP, there are encouraging signs that the 20-year-old's performance is not just luck. He's showing more power with a .253 isolated slugging percentage, which would be a career high, trumping last season's .145. He needs only three more homers the rest of the way to match last season's high of 10 as well. What's more, Mountcastle has dropped his strikeout rate from 19.4 percent to 16.8. He still doesn't take walks -- that rate has dropped from 5.1 to 3.2 -- but the 2015 first-rounder has the ability to make consistent, solid contact. Questions remain about his ability to stick at shortstop, but the Orioles will gladly take this level of offensive production for now.
Rockies 3B Colton Welker, Class A Asheville: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R -- The Rockies' No. 15 prospect enjoys his home cooking. Following Monday's performance in which he flirted with the cycle and set a season high in RBIs, Welker is hitting .417/.451/.604 with one homer, six doubles and seven RBIs in 13 games at McCormick Field, compared to .286/.346/.414 line in 18 games away from home. Asheville is Class A's most notorious hitter's park, but the 2016 fourth-rounder can only hit where he's placed, and this is a good place to start.
Tigers RHP Kyle Funkhouser, Class A West Michigan: 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K, 96 pitches, 59 strikes -- Midwest League batters are finding it increasingly difficult to touch the Tigers' No. 6 prospect. Monday marked the fifth time in seven starts that Funkhouser has struck out at least seven batters this season. It also was the second time he's completed six innings and second straight outing in which he surpassed 90 pitches, indicating that the training wheels might be off in terms of strict early-season limits. The 23-year-old is fourth in the Minors with a 36.8 percent strikeout rate, and his 3.16 ERA and .252 average-against would be much improved if not for a .403 BABIP-against. After a down senior campaign at Louisville, Funkhouser has done a lot in these first two months to rebuild his stock and should be given a different challenge before long.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.
