Prospect Roundup: Games of May 24

Yankees OF Clint Frazier, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: 2-for-5, HR, 2B, RBI, R, CS -- The Yankees' No. 2 prospect hit his eighth homer of the season in the first inning and added his International League-leading 15th double in the third of the RailRiders' 5-0 win at Columbus. With 23 extra-base hits, Frazier trails only Rhys Hoskins (25) and teammate Dustin Fowler (24), who also went deep Wednesday, on the IL leaderboard. After a slow April, it's been an impressive May for the 22-year-old outfielder, who's hit .280/.354/.561 with five homers and eight doubles in 20 games. Frazier and Fowler are both competing to be the first RailRiders outfielder to force the big club's hand this summer, and there's an opening in the Bronx with Jacoby Ellsbury hitting the disabled list with a concussion. It's unlikely for now that the Yankees will use up a 40-man spot on either player, but the duo is doing its best to stay in the conversation.

Braves RHP Patrick Weigel, Triple-A Gwinnett: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 96 pitches, 55 strikes -- The Braves' No. 15 prospect needed an outing like this one. After being promoted to Gwinnett on May 9, Weigel wobbled in his second Triple-A start last Thursday, allowing eight earned runs on seven hits (two homers) and a hit batsman over just one inning. It took 61 pitches to record those three outs as well. On Wednesday he was much more efficient, needing 96 pitches to get through six frames. Weigel's Triple-A ERA dropped from 12.38 to 7.71, and with the 22-year-old right-hander's mix of four above-average to average pitches, expect the quality starts to continue as he adjusts to the Minors' highest level.
Braves RHP Mike Soroka, Double-A Mississippi: 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 100 pitches, 66 strikes -- Sticking in the same system, Atlanta's No. 4 prospect set a career high with 10 strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a 2-1 win against Pensacola on Wednesday. That outing also represented the first time in nine starts this season that Soroka has reached the 100-pitch mark. Much was made about the Braves' decision to push the 19-year-old right-hander to Double-A to begin his second full season, but he's held his own with a 2.96 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .194 average-against and 51 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings. His 25.6 percent strikeout rate ranks eighth in the Southern League.
Astros C Jake Rogers, Class A Advanced Buies Creek: 3-for-3, 2 HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R -- A third-round pick out of Tulane last June, the Astros' No. 21 prospect is known primarily as a defensive catcher with his fielding and arm tools graded as 65's on the 20-80 scale by MLB.com. Those weren't his only skills on display Wednesday. The 22-year-old backstop recorded his first multi-homer game and matched a career best with three hits in what ended up being a five-inning affair. The Astros started Rogers at Class A Quad Cities but moved him up last week after he hit .255/.336/.520 with six homers in 27 games. Don't worry. He's remained impressive behind the dish as well, throwing out 12 of 26 attempted basestealers between his two stops this season.
Blue Jays RHP Justin Maese, Class A Lansing: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 12 K, 2 HR, 97 pitches, 71 strikes -- It was a mixed bag Wednesday for the Blue Jays' No. 10 prospect. On one hand, he leapfrogged his previous career high of eight strikeouts, did not issue a walk for the first time this season and tossed his third complete game of 2017. On the other hand, he allowed four earned runs -- with three of those coming on a pair of Lake County blasts. The fact that Maese was able to make so many Captains miss makes the outing a positive one, but there's such thing as pitching too much in the zone, and he flirted with that Wednesday. Maese now owns a 4.21 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 16 walks in 57 2/3 innings during his second trip to the Midwest League.
Red Sox RHP Michael Shawaryn, Class A Greenville: 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 1 HBP, 92 pitches, 60 strikes -- Wednesday marked the second time in his last four starts that the No. 12 Red Sox prospect has reached double digits in K's. Shawaryn now leads all Class A hurlers with 69 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings, placing him third among all Minor Leaguers. If that's not enough, his 35.6 percent strikeout also ranks fourth in the Minors. Shawaryn posted a 3.18 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 99 innings during his junior year at Maryland but fell to the fifth round due to worries that his three-quarters slot delivery could eventually move him to the bullpen. The Red Sox have said they're willing to give him plenty of rope as a starter, and the 22-year-old right-hander is using his fastball-slider-changeup mix -- all of which received above-average grades from MLB.com this offseason -- to great effect in these first two months.