Prospect Roundup: Games of June 4

Pirates SS Kevin Newman, Double-A Altoona: 3-for-6, 3 2B, RBI, R -- The Pirates' No. 3 prospect may already be calling June his favorite month of the season. Newman ended May with a .225 average and .599 OPS through 42 games. In four games since, he's gone 8-for-19 (.421) to raise those numbers to .245 and .641. His performance Sunday matched his season high for hits and marked the first time in 2017 he had multiple extra-base hits in one game. The loudest tools for MLB.com's No. 50 overall prospect has been his ability to make contact and hit for a high average, but it's been a rough go in his second season at Altoona. (He did take a pitch to the head May 10 but returned to two days later.) Despite his low numbers, he's only struck out in 11.9 percent of his plate appearances, and his .273 BABIP (35 points lower than 2016 at the same level) would indicate that a longer turnaround is possible. He'll need just that to push his way back into the Triple-A conversation for the second half.

Yankees RHP Zack Littell, Class A Advanced Tampa: 7 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 92 pitches, 66 strikes -- Littell can seemingly be penciled in for seven innings with one earned run allowed at this point, given this was the third straight start in which the Yankees' No. 20 prospect has produced such a line. In fact, it was the fourth consecutive outing in which he'd lasted exactly seven innings. The 21-year-old right-hander ranks third in the Florida State League with a 1.94 ERA and was named a North Division All-Star last week, the first All-Star nod of his pro career. Though he's fanned only 47 in 60 1/3 innings, Littell thrives on his command as evidenced by a 5.3 percent walk rate. With 128 1/3 innings of Class A Advanced experience, he's a candidate to make the jump to Double-A Trenton around the All-Star Game, if not before, now that he can officially put that accolade on his resume.
Dodgers OF Yusniel Díaz, Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga: 3-for-4, HR, 3B, RBI, R, K -- The Dodgers' No. 5 prospect entered the weekend with two homers in his first 46 games. He then went deep Saturday and again Sunday. He's collected multiple hits in three straight games, going 8-for-14 with two homers, a triple and a double to improve his line from .227/.308/.302 to .253/.325/.371. The 20-year-old outfielder is well-regarded for his speed and fielding ability at all three outfield spots, so he doesn't exclusively need the bat to bring value. However, he's 10-for-23 on the basepaths in his career and 3-for-8 in stolen base attempts this campaign. There remains a lot to work on for the Cuba native in his second season stateside.
Twins 3B Travis Blankenhorn, Class A Cedar Rapids: 3-for-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R -- The Twins' No. 7 prospect was happy to see May come to an end after hitting .221/.309/.295 with five extra-base hits in 27 games. Since the calendar flipped, he's 6-for-17 (.353) with two homers and a double over his first four games of June. The Twins have taken it slow with the 20-year-old infielder after selecting him in the third round of the 2015 Draft. He started 2016 at Rookie-level Elizabethton, making this campaign the first time he'd opened with a full-season club. He's hitting .241/.324/.403 with six homers in 53 games, resulting in a 107 wRC+, and if he can maintain these types of numbers -- which he's done at lower levels before -- he should be a well-above-average Midwest League bat before long.
Phillies LHP JoJo Romero, Class A Lakewood: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HBP -- Lakewood leads the South Atlantic League with a collective 3.21 ERA over 57 games, and the Phillies' No. 25 prospect has done his part. Romero lowered his ERA to 2.04 with Sunday's gem, which also marked just the second time in 10 starts that he's lasted seven innings or longer. The 20-year-old left-hander was taken in the fourth round of the 2016 Draft out of Yavapai Junior College in Arizona and has shown a four-pitch mix that's been effective against Class A bats. It can be tough to stick out in a rotation that boasts the organization's No. 7 prospect, Sixto Sanchez, and No. 15 Adonis Medina, but Romero is finding a way in his first full season.