Prospect Roundup: Games of July 30

Mets 1B Dominic Smith, Triple-A Las Vegas: 2-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB -- Last week's trade that sent first baseman Lucas Duda to the Rays seemingly hasn't affected the Mets' plans for their 22-year-old first baseman. No matter, the team's No. 2 prospect keeps proving with his bat that he's ready whenever they are. Sunday brought his sixth multi-hit performance in his last seven games, during which he's gone 14-for-29 (.483) with three homers and two doubles and pushed his season average to .343 and OPS to .935. His 16 homers are already a career high, eclipsing the 14 he hit last season at Double-A Binghamton -- a hopeful sign that he's growing into the power typical of his position. The Mets have used Jay Bruce and Wilmer Flores at first since Duda's departure, but Smith has the bat and above-average glove to take over now in Flushing. He has little else to prove in Vegas.

Phillies SS J.P. Crawford, Triple-A Lehigh Valley: 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R, K -- Crawford is closing out the most powerful month of his Minor League career. Sunday's homer was his eighth in 27 July games, tied for fourth-most among Triple-A hitters. The Phillies' No. 4 prospect went deep only six times in 153 games at Triple-A before July. He also entered the month with a .203/.321/.276 line but has seen it jump to .225/.340/.377 following Sunday's contest. Obviously, one hot month isn't going to make everyone declare Crawford fixed for the long haul. His issues at the Minors' highest level date back to last season, and it'll take a longer sample of dominance for him to look like a top-10 overall prospect again. He fell from No. 7 on MLB.com's preseason ranking to his current spot of No. 62 at the midseason update, but the 22-year-old shortstop is certainly hitting in such a way to help his stock.

White Sox RHP Alec Hansen, Class A Advanced Winston-Salem: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K, 94 pitches, 74 strikes -- This was Hansen's first career complete game as Winston-Salem fell to Lynchburg, 3-0, in the second game of a doubleheader, and he did his best to make it count. The 12 strikeouts were the 22-year-old right-hander's most since getting promoted to the Carolina League on June 22 and his second-highest total of the season, trailing only the 15 he accrued May 28 with Class A Kannapolis. The No. 9 White Sox prospect ranks fifth in the Minors with 138 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings, thanks to a plus-plus fastball and above-average slider and curve. With a 2.78 ERA in seven appearances for the Dash, it's enough to make one wonder if Hansen, a 2016 second-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma, would've been better challenged by beginning the season in the Carolina League, but that's easy to say in hindsight. He needed to make improvements in the control department, and he's seemingly done so with his walk rate falling from 9.7 percent last season to 8.4 this year. He's not quite at the level of Michael Kopech, Reynaldo López, Lucas Giolito or Dylan Cease yet, but he gives the Sox another intriguing arm.
Athletics SS/3B Sheldon Neuse, Class A Advanced Stockton: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, K -- Alongside Jesus Luzardo and Major League reliever Blake Treinen, Neuse was part of the package the A's acquired from the Nationals 11 days ago for relievers Ryan Madson and Sean Doolitte. Oakland pushed its new No. 12 prospect to Class A Advanced right away, after he'd spent his previous 77 games with Class A Hagerstown, and Neuse has richly rewarded the assignment. Sunday's home run was his third in as many games, and over 10 contests with the Ports, the 2016 second-rounder is 15-for-40 (.375) with three homers and one double. He split his time between shortstop and third base in the Nats system and continues to do so with the A's, though he's a better long-term fit at the hot corner. Either way, with a .301 average and 12 homers this season, the former Oklahoma Sooner is showing his bat can handle the jump to the pros, and he could be a solid part of an Oakland system looking like it's about to enter a rebuilding phase.
Angels OF Jahmai Jones, Class A Advanced Inland Empire: 3-for-6, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R -- Speaking of players who have taken well to the California League, the Angels' No. 2 prospect smacked his first Class A Advanced home run Sunday in his second three-hit game at the level. Jones has at least one hit in 10 of his 11 games with Inland Empire and has gone 16-for-50 (.320) with the homer and four doubles in that span. A second-round pick in 2015, Jones is approaching 100 games played for the first time as a pro -- he started last season in the Rookie-level Pioneer League -- and he's showing few signs of slowing down. Between his time with Inland Empire and Class A Burlington, the 19-year-old outfielder is batting .308/.376/.525 with 14 extra-base hits and five steals in 28 games this month. Jones has enough speed to add value on the basepaths and in center field, and with his bat continuing to grow, he has the potential to be a solid all-around prospect in a system that needs as much of those as it can get.