Prospect Roundup: Games of July 3

Reds 3B Nick Senzel, Double-A Pensacola: 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, CS -- The Reds' top prospect belted his first Double-A homer Monday and collected three hits for the first time with the Blue Wahoos in a 13-5 loss to Montgomery. Over 11 games for Pensacola, Senzel has continued to live up to his impressive hit tool with a .306/.405/.417 line that bears some similarities to the .305/.471/.476 he produced in 62 games at Class A Advanced Daytona to start the season. If there's a hole in his offensive game right now, however, it's power as Monday's blast was just his fifth of the year. Part of that probably comes from playing most of the season in the cavernous Florida State League. (He's still tied atop the FSL leaderboard with 26 doubles, despite having not played there since June 20.) The over-the-wall pop might come in time, but for now, there's plenty to like about Senzel's offensive profile in his first full season.

Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers, Double-A Portland: 2-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, IBB, K -- Monday was a rousing success for another top third baseman as the No. 1 Red Sox prospect improved to 11-for-22 (.500) with four homers, two doubles and 11 RBIs over his last six games, raising his season slash line to .308/.373/.597. His .970 OPS ranks second in the Eastern League, trailing only recently promoted Scott Kingery (.987), while his 18 homers are tied for third in the circuit. The Red Sox keep citing Devers' defense as the reason why they haven't pushed him to Triple-A Pawtucket at least, and indeed, he does have the most errors among EL third basemen with 12 in 61 games. But there's no reason why that work can't continue in the International League, where Devers would get the pitching challenge he's not getting at Double-A. Boston recently signed veteran Jhonny Peralta to be a potential stopgap at third and assigned him to Pawtucket, and Pablo Sandoval is rehabbing with that club as well. But Devers is the future at the position in Boston, and as he continues to crush Double-A arms, he should force the organization's hand soon.

Indians RHP Aaron Civale, Class A Advanced Lynchburg: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K, 85 pitches, 62 strikes -- This type of performace felt imminent from the Indians' No. 19 prospect. Since being promoted on May 30, he had yet to post a scoreless start in his first six outings with Lynchburg but also hadn't allowed more than three earned runs with the Hillcats. He also hadn't issued a walk in four consecutive outings before Monday's gem, a stretch that extended to 33 innings after the 3-0 win over Frederick. The 22-year-old right-hander's 93/8 K/BB ratio through 100 1/3 innings between Lynchburg and Class A Lake County has been awfully impressive as the Northeastern product continues to show the control that made him a third-round pick in 2016. He's got a solid fastball and slider that have been effective against lower-level bats, but he'll need to improve the curveball and changeup -- both of which received 45 grades from MLB.com this past offseason -- as he climbs the ladder as a starter.
Blue Jays RHP Jordan Romano, Class A Advanced Dunedin: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HBP, 93 pitches, 61 strikes -- The Blue Jays' No. 22 prospect tossed perhaps his best start of the season Monday in a 5-0 blanking of Daytona. It was his longest scoreless outing of his year, trumping the 4 1/3 zero-filled frames he tossed April 23. The 24-year-old righty continues to look strong as he works deeper into his second full season following Tommy John surgery, which knocked him out for all of 2015. His 85 2/3 innings this year are already a career high, beating out his 72 2/3 frames last season, and over that current span, he's posted a 2.63 ERA with 96 strikeouts and 31 walks. His seven K's Monday pushed him into the FSL lead, beating out teammate Ryan Borucki. Performances like these should hold off those who believed he'd be headed for the bullpen -- at least until he's tested more at Double-A.
Cubs OF D.J. Wilson, Rookie-level AZL Cubs: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R -- Here's how to announce your return with authority. The Cubs' No. 8 prospect notched his first career two-homer performance in his first game as part of a rehab assignment at the complex-level Arizona League. The 20-year-old center fielder began the season at Class A South Bend but was placed on the disabled list May 22 with an undisclosed injury. He was hitting just .208/.286/.357 with three homers and eight steals in 39 games in the Midwest League before the DL trip. Wilson was a fourth-round pick out of an Ohio high school back in 2015 and remains especially raw offensively. His best tool is his plus speed, which makes him a threat on the basepaths and an effective fielder in center. A two-homer game in the AZL, while nice, isn't a clear sign that he'll be an immediate threat with the bat upon his return to South Bend, but all involved will take it.