A little over two months ago, Fernando Tatis Jr. was celebrating his 19th birthday. On Sunday, MLB.com's No. 8 overall prospect stood out among long-tenured Major Leaguers.The Padres' top prospect collected five RBIs, going 4-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in a 7-6 split-squad win over the White Sox at
A little over two months ago, Fernando Tatis Jr. was celebrating his 19th birthday. On Sunday, MLB.com's No. 8 overall prospect stood out among long-tenured Major Leaguers.
The Padres' top prospect collected five RBIs, going 4-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in a 7-6 split-squad win over the White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.
"It's felt great, man," Tatis told MLB.com. "I've been working hard, been working every day with my hitting coach [Mark McGwire]. It's paying off right now. They've been telling me to stay more consistent, be a little more quiet with my swing, staying through the ball. Same swing, just more control."
The perfect afternoon boosted Tatis' Cactus League average to .381 (8-for-21) with 14 total bases, three steals in three tries and eight RBIs in eight games. Of course, outshining more experienced competitors is nothing new for the shortstop, who last year became the first 18-year-old player in Midwest League history to tally at least 20 homers and 20 thefts -- he had 21 and 29, respectively. He jumped directly to Double-A San Antonio in August and held his own there.
Tatis kicked off his big day by singling in two runs off No. 10 White Sox prospectCarson Fulmer in the first inning. Leading off against left-hander Héctor Santiago in the third, the right-handed hitter slapped an opposite-field single. His third single, a knock to left field in the fifth against righty Jeanmar Gómez, brought in another run. He lined a two-run double to left off 29th-ranked Thyago Vieira in the seventh. No. 11 Padres prospect Gabriel Arias took his place on second as a pinch-runner.
"It's obviously a little bit better over here [than in Minor League camp]," Tatis told MLB.com. "The pitchers have more control. It's close to the same, just a lot more control. ... It helps me a lot, knowing I can hit no matter where I'm at."
Franchy Cordero, ranked directly ahead of Arias, had a double, two walks and two runs scored. No. 20 prospect Edward Olivares singled, stole a base and scored.
Joey Lucchesi, San Diego's ninth-ranked prospect, started and earned the win. He struck out a pair and yielded one hit over two scoreless innings. Fellow southpaw Eric Lauer took over in the third and turned in a pair of perfect frames, striking out the side in the fourth.
In other spring action:
Phillies 4, Blue Jays 2 (Box)
Scott Kingery's Spring Training efforts are unlikely to result in a Major League roster spot, but the Phillies' No. 2 prospect is undeniably establishing hismelf as a big league hitter. The 23-year-old second baseman continued to tee off on Grapefruit League pitching on Sunday, going 2-for-3 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored.
Kingery is blocked from Philadelphia not only by César Hernández but by service time rules. If the Phillies send him from spring camp to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and keep him there through April 13, they'll maintain team control for an extra year. But the No. 35 overall prospect has played like a man on a mission, totaling four extra-base hits -- including three home runs -- in seven Grapefruit games.
"I think if he was thinking about making the team, if he had no pressure on him, if he was in Double-A, if he was in the World Series, you'd see the same thing out of Scott Kingery," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told MLB.com last week. "The same exact approach to the game."
Phillies No. 7 prospect Jorge Alfaro went 1-for-3 and threw out a would-be basestealer.
Seranthony Domínguez, ranked 13th in the Philadelphia system, blew a save but logged 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He walked one, fanned one and wound up with the win.
Nationals (ss) 6, Tigers 2 (Box)
In his second plate appearance of the spring, No. 90 overall prospect Carter Kieboom drilled a double to center field off Joe Jiménez. The third-ranked Washington prospect is 20 years old and has a total of 97 pro games under his belt since being drafted 28th overall in 2016. Andrew Stevenson, the Nationals' No. 12 prospect, recorded an outfield assist. No. 24 prospect Wander Suero struck out three and allowed one hit in a scoreless inning. Tigers No. 25 prospect Sergio Alcántara was 1-for-1. Right-hander Gerson Moreno, ranked 28t in the Detroit system, worked around a walk and fanned one in a scoreless frame.
Rays 9, Yankees 1 (Box)
No. 64 overall prospect Jake Bauers went 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored for Tampa Bay, giving him his second multi-hit game of March after going hungry in four February contests. Rays No. 21 prospect Yonny Chirinos recorded three ground-ball outs in a 1-2-3 inning. Yankees No. 19 prospect Billy McKinney singled, walked and scored, while 22nd-ranked Giovanny Gallegos turned in a perfect frame out of the bullpen.
Pirates 9, Twins 3 (Box)
Eighth-ranked Pittsburgh prospect Colin Moran was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored and No. 45 overall prospect Austin Meadows singled and also scored a run. Twins No. 13 prospect LaMonte Wade Jr went 1-for-2 and catching prospect Mitch Garver walked, scored and threw out a would-be thief. John Curtiss, ranked 21st in the Minnesota system, struck out one and walked two in a scoreless inning.
Braves 5, Marlins 2 (Box)
No. 2 overall prospect Ronald Acuña Jr. Jr. reached base twice, singling and drawing a walk for Atlanta. He's batting .429 (9-for-21) in seven Grapefruit games. Isan Díaz, the Marlins' No. 8 prospect, was 1-for-2 with an RBI, while Braxton Lee (No. 17) also had a hit. Sixteenth-ranked Merandy Gonzalez struck out one in a perfect eighth for his second straight scoreless appearance for Miami.
Astros 4, Cardinals 2 (Box)
Myles Straw, the No. 21 Houston prospect, went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Cardinals No. 5 prospect Harrison Bader was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while red-hot Yairo Muñoz (No. 12) doubled, singled and scored a run. No. 16 prospect Edmundo Sosa chipped in a single for St. Louis, which got 2 2/3 scoreless innings from right-handers Dakota Hudson and Jake Woodford.
Orioles 10, Red Sox 8 (Box)
Eighth-ranked Baltimore prospect Anthony Santander singled and scored a run. No. 21 prospect Tanner Scott and No. 27 Pedro Araujo each worked around a hit to turn in a shutout frame, with Scott striking out two and notching the save. Fifth-ranked Red Sox prospect Sam Travis was 1-for-3, boosting his spring average to .320.
Nationals (ss) 7, Mets 3 (Box)
Pedro Severino, Washington's No. 20 prospect, went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while 10th-ranked Kelvin Gutierrez and No. 21 Rafael Bautista each had a hit and an RBI. Sixth-ranked Luis Garcia singled in his first Grapefruit League plate appearance and No. 17Jefry Rodriguez logged an inning of perfect relief. Mets No. 24 prospect P.J. Conlon gave up a hit and a walk while punching out a pair in three scoreless innings.
Royals 10, Reds 3 (Box)
Royals No. 16 prospect Donnie Dewees went 2-for-2 with an RBI and 18th-ranked Ryan O'Hearn singled and scored a run. The 24-year-old is hitting .455 with a homer and two RBIs in 11 Cactus League at-bats. Twelfth-ranked Miguel Almonte struck out two in a scoreless inning for Kansas City.
Dodgers 9, Giants 3 (Box)
Steven Duggar slugged a solo homer, his third in 17 Cactus League at-bats. The Giants' No. 3 prospect is hitting .412 with six RBIs and two stolen bases in seven spring games as he vies for the Opening Day center field job. Dodgers No. 12 prospect Edwin Ríos stroked an RBI double and scored a run.
Mariners 10, Rangers 7 (Box)
Mariners No. 16 prospect Mike Ford hit a three-run homer, his first in the Cactus League, and walked in two plate appearances. No. 17 Ian Miller singled and drove in three runs, while Braden Bishop singled twice and scored a run. Bishop, ranked fifth in the Seattle system, is batting .467 in 15 spring at-bats.
Angels 7, Rockies 6 (Box)
Rockies top prospect Brendan Rodgers hit a two-run homer, his second of the spring. He's tied for the team lead with five RBIs and five runs scored. Seventh-ranked Garrett Hampson followed Rodgers' blast with a roundtripper of his own. No. 7 Angels prospect Jaime Barria struck out three and walked one in two hitless innings to pick up the win.
A's 12, Padres (ss) 4 (Box)
Third-ranked A's prospect Franklin Barreto hit a two-run homer and No. 15 Kevin Merrell went 2-for-3 with a solo dinger and two runs scored. Barreto is tied for the team lead with two homers and ranks second with five RBIs.
