Prospect Roundup: Games of June 20

Dodgers OF Alex Verdugo, Triple-A Oklahoma City: 3-for-5, R -- Most of the Dodgers' fan base rightly paid attention to the power show being put on by Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger on Tuesday, but don't let Verdugo's performance of late slip through the cracks. The Dodgers' No. 2 prospect has multiple hits in four straight games and is riding a 12-game hitting streak overall. Over those dozen contests, he's gone 24-for-48 (.500) with two homers, a triple and six doubles while raising his average from .299 on June 7 to .340, the fifth-highest mark in the Pacific Coast League. The Dodgers outfield is a bit crowded with Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor and Franklin Gutierrez all options out there, and that situation has allowed Verdugo to thrive at Triple-A. He might still be behind 40-man roster members Trayce Thompson and Scott Van Slyke, should that outfield depth take a hit, but if this hot trend continues, he could force the Dodgers' hand in the second half.

Mets 1B Dominic Smith, Triple-A Las Vegas: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R -- The Mets' No. 2 prospect continues to be a dependable presence in the Vegas lineup during his first Triple-A season. He extended his hitting streak to eight games in an 8-4 win at Reno, pushing his season slash line to .323/.374/.469 through 72 games. Notably, Smith owns a .926 OPS with six homers in 143 plate appearances at home compared to a .773 OPS with one homer in 170 plate appearances on the road. But MLB.com's No. 54 overall prospect's profile remains much the same from what it was at the beginning of the year; his best asset is his overall hit tool but he won't provide the big-time power typical of a first baseman. Lucas Duda is a free agent this offseason, and Smith remains on course to be the starting first baseman in Queens for 2018, if not sooner.

Athletics SS Franklin Barreto, Triple-A Nashville: 4-for-6, R, BB, SB in doubleheader -- The A's continued to show a willingness to give their young talent a chance last week when they brought up third baseman Matt Chapman, and top prospect Barreto is doing his best to force the issue himself. The 21-year-old had two hits in both ends of Tuesday's doubleheader and is now batting .359 over his last 10 contests. He's hitting .279/.321/.431 over 66 games on the season, numbers that don't pop in the offense-friendly PCL, but it's worth remembering that Barreto was the PCL's second-youngest player on Opening Day. (Only Verdugo was younger.) If this latest run is his way of showing he's caught up to the league, he could push for a second-half promotion of his own, especially if the A's make trade deadline moves in the infield.
Astros OF Kyle Tucker, Double-A Corpus Christi: 2-for-4, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R -- This may have been Tucker's best offensive performance since his move to the Texas League on May 30. His solo homer in the sixth inning tied the Hooks' game with San Antonio at 1-1, and he gave the team the lead for good with a two-run double in the eighth of what would be a 6-1 win. With a .250 average and 25.6 percent strikeout rate through 20 games, Tucker hasn't exactly come flying out of the gate in Double-A, but he's shown plenty of pop. He's homered in back-to-back games and has seen 11 of his 21 hits with the Hooks go for extra bases. The Astros were aggressive in sending the 20-year-old outfielder to Double-A this quickly, but it certainly hasn't sunk him to this point.

Rockies OF Pedro Gonzalez, Rookie-level Grand Junction: 4-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB, CS -- The Rockies' No. 17 prospect was mentioned in Tuesday's Roundup, and his performance in Grand Junction's wild 17-11 win over Idaho Falls yesterday deserves mention as well. Gonzalez is 7-for-9 with a homer, a double and four RBIs in his first two games back in the Pioneer League. That's one easy way to show he's ready to build on last season's performance with Grand Junction in which he hit .230/.290/.394 over 58 games.