Prospect Roundup: Games of May 4

Dodgers 3B/1B Edwin Ríos, Double-A Tulsa: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 K in doubleheader -- The Dodgers' No. 22 prospect garnered some attention by hitting 27 homers with a .908 OPS across three levels in his first full season in 2016 and has shown there's more where that came from in 2017. Rios hit both his homers during Thursday's nightcap at Arkansas, his first multi-homer game since July 15 last season with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. The 23-year-old corner infielder has been one of the Texas League's best hitters through the first four weeks with a .380/.414/.663 line, six homers and 24 RBIs in 24 games. Though he's made 13 of his 21 starts at third base, Rios has made seven errors there and is likely headed to first for the long term, but if he keeps showing this type of pop at the upper levels, that won't be much of a worry.

Giants LHP Andrew Suárez, Double-A Richmond: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 92 pitches, 60 strikes -- The Giants' No. 10 prospect is back at Double-A after making 19 starts at the level last season and is settling in again. The 24-year-old southpaw lasted seven frames for the second time in his last three starts and hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in his last four outings. Thursday's gem lowered his ERA to 2.93, its first time below 3.00 in 2017. A master of control who has averaged 1.7 BB/9 during his career, Suarez has continued to limit the free passes with a 2.0 BB/9 through five starts and has started to miss more bats with 8.1 K/9, a bump from his 7.1 K/9 with Richmond last season. He has an average four-pitch mix that should keep him as a starter, but without any true plus pitch, he'll need to keep finding the zone with regularity to make the jump to Triple-A.
Royals RHP Scott Blewett, Class A Advanced Wilmington: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 93 pitches, 65 strikes -- The Royals' No. 4 prospect seems to have found his stride in the Carolina League. After giving up 11 earned runs over 16 1/3 innings in his first three starts, the 21-year-old has yielded just one over 19 frames in his last three outings, dropping his ERA from 6.46 to 3.15. Part of the reason has been his ability to keep the ball in the park. Blewett gave up four homers in his first three outings but none since. He is finally tasting Class A Advanced after spending his first two full seasons at Class A Lexington, but having only turned 21 on April 10, he's still not behind the curve by any means. The 6-foot-6 hurler was given a 60 grade for his fastball and 55 for his curve, and combined with his size, he's got a good starter kit for finding success at the lower levels. He just needs to iron out his control and command issues, and Thursday's outing was an indication that he's getting there.
Blue Jays RHP Jordan Romano, Class A Advanced Dunedin: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 91 pitches, 65 strikes -- The Blue Jays' No. 23 prospect matched a season high for strikeouts in his best start of the season. A 2014 10th-rounder who missed 2015 due to Tommy John surgery, Romano jumped into the ranking discussion with a 2.11 ERA, 72 strikeouts and a .191 average-against in 72 2/3 innings last season at Class A Lansing. The 24-year-old continues to miss bats with 33 strikeouts -- tied for fourth in the Florida State League -- over 29 1/3 innings, and that's led to a 2.76 ERA in his first five starts. The Jays' biggest point of emphasis might be getting Romano over 100 innings for the first time post-surgery, but he hasn't stopped giving himself the prospect version of helium in 2017.
Twins 1B Lewin Diaz, Class A Cedar Rapids: 3-for-5, 2 2B, RBI -- Thursday marked the second three-hit performance for the No. 10 Twins prospect in his last three games. The 20-year-old Diaz closed out April with a .244 average and .650 OPS but has bumped that up to .284 and .801, respectively, by going 7-for-13 with five extra-base hits over his first three games of May. He showed a very capable bat by hitting .310/.353/.575 over 46 games during an All-Star campaign at Rookie-level Elizabethton last season, and it'll be interesting to see his offensive performance over a full season. It looks like he's kicking into gear.