Prospect Roundup: Games of May 29

Giants 1B/OF Chris Shaw, Triple-A Sacramento: 2-for-5, HR, 2B, RBI, R -- The Giants bumped up their No. 5 prospect to the Pacific Coast League last Wednesday and have since played him exclusively in left field, hoping he can eventually fill a Major League hole. Offensively at least, he's holding up his end of the bargain. Shaw's Memorial Day homer was his first at Triple-A, and through five games with the River Cats he's gone 6-for-21 (.286) with only two strikeouts. Shaw, who hit .301/.390/.511 in 37 games at Double-A before the promotion, doesn't really have the speed to add much value in the outfield, but he's out to show that his bat can crack a Major League lineup that already features first baseman Brandon Belt at Shaw's more natural position.

Astros OF Kyle Tucker, Class A Advanced Buies Creek: 2-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB (1 IBB), SB -- The Astros' No. 2 prospect showed off a little bit of everything Monday. His home run was his ninth of the season, while his stolen base was his 13th. He's in a race with fellow Astros prospect Derek Fisher (12 homers, nine steals) to become the second Minor Leaguer to reach double digits in both categories, following Reading's Scott Kingery (16 homers, 12 steals). Tucker has had little issue in his second full season with a .932 OPS that ranks fourth in the Carolina League through 48 games. The 20-year-old has split his time among all three outfield spots, and if Tucker continues to perform this well at the plate and on the basepaths, the Astros will find a spot for him higher up the chain.
Nationals OF Victor Robles, Class A Advanced Potomac: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB (1 IBB) -- Sticking in the Carolina League, Robles has also lived up to the hype in his second taste of Class A Advanced. The Nationals' top prospect socked his sixth homer of the season and looks well on his way to breaking his career high of nine set over 110 games last year. In reaching base three times, the 20-year-old improved his season line to .296/.391/.526 through 37 contests. Though he missed almost two weeks at the end of April with hamstring soreness, he's rebounded quite nicely in May and is tied with Tucker for fourth in the league with a 153 wRC+. Add Robles' plus-plus speed, and there have been few reasons to slow down the hype train for MLB.com's No. 5 overall prospect through the season's first two months.
Indians OF Conner Capel, Class A Lake County: 2-for-3, HR, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, K -- It's been an intriguing month for the Indians' No. 30 prospect. Capel got off to a rough start in April with a .194 average and .284 OBP through 20 games and has seen similar numbers through 26 games this month (.186 average, .287 OBP). But here's the catch -- he's hitting for a lot more power. The 2016 fifth-rounder went deep only once in 83 plate appearances in April. After Monday's dinger, he's left the yard six times in 103 plate appearances this month, and there are two days left. As a result, his slugging percentage has jumped from .292 in April to .477 in May. Part of that could be the weather as the Texas native had to grow accustomed to playing in the north for the first time. It could also be a classic case of a high-schooler struggling to transition to the pro ranks but making the proper adjustments over time. Either way, don't expect Capel to hit below the Mendoza line for long. His .213 BABIP is simply too low to be sustainable, and the hits will likely start falling before long.
Marlins 3B James Nelson, Class A Greensboro: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R, K -- Make that 15 straight games with a hit for the Marlins' No. 9 prospect -- the longest active streak in Class A. Nelson extended the streak with a single in the fourth inning of Greensboro's 11-5 loss to Lakewood but added a homer in the sixth and an RBI double in the ninth to give him multiple extra-base hits for the second time this season. The 19-year-old third baseman ranks third in the South Atlantic League in both average (.343) and OBP (.408) through 34 games. Nelson fell to the Marlins in the 15th round out of Cisco (Texas) Junior College last June but popped up on the prospect radar after hitting .284/.344/.364 over 43 games in the Gulf Coast League last season. He's only built on that status so far in 2017 and has a chance to stand out in a Marlins system that's short on hitting prospects.