Nico Hoerner may have helped change the narrative regarding his case for the Opening Day second-base job in Chicago.The top Cubs prospect went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 11-10 loss to the Rockies in Scottsdale, Arizona. Hoerner, who had two hits in his first six
Nico Hoerner may have helped change the narrative regarding his case for the Opening Day second-base job in Chicago.
The top Cubs prospect went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 11-10 loss to the Rockies in Scottsdale, Arizona. Hoerner, who had two hits in his first six Cactus League games, boosted his average to .278 in 18 at-bats this spring.
MLB.com's No. 51 overall prospect worked a full count before delivering a two-bagger in the fifth inning. He was knocked in by Alfonso Rivas one batter later. The 22-year-old Stanford product also led off the second and sixth with base hits.
Over 75 games between Double-A Tennessee and a rehab stint in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2019, Hoerner batted .292/.349/.403 with three homers, 39 runs and 22 RBIs. He made it to the big leagues in September and impressed with a .282/.305/.436 line, three homers, 17 RBIs and 13 runs over 20 games with the Cubs.
Chicago's ninth-ranked prospect Zack Short added a hit in his only at-bat and was caught trying to steal second. No. 2 Miguel Amaya went hitless in two appearances.
Colorado rallied for five runs to walk off in the ninth, thanks in part to third-ranked prospect Colton Welker. The 21-year-old drove a one-out double to center field to tie the game at 10-10. Welker was replaced by pinch runner Eric Stamets, who scored the winning run on a single by Brian Mundell. Welker also singled in the eighth. Rockies No. 21 prospect Tommy Doyle struck out two in a spotless ninth inning to earn the win.
Twins 5, Tigers 1
Detroit's No. 18 prospect Kody Clemens accounted for all of Detroit's scoring with a solo homer. He went 1-for-2 on the afternoon and is 5-for-12 (.417) with three RBIs, a walk and a strikeout in six Grapefruit League games this spring. Twins No. 12 prospect Brent Rooker delivered an RBI double in his lone plate appearance. Box score
Yankees 9, Red Sox 1
Second-ranked New York prospect Clarke Schmidt struck out three in two innings of relief in the rout of Boston at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. In his third appearance of the spring, the 24-year-old right-hander -- who was the Yankees' first-round pick in the 2017 Draft out of South Carolina -- pitched in relief of starter Masahiro Tanaka. Schmidt allowed one run on two hits, one of which was a long ball to center by Rafael Devers in the fourth. The Georgia native has struck out six and allowed five hits in five innings this spring. Red Sox prospects Jarren Duran (No. 8) and C.J. Chatham (No. 13) went hitless in two plate appearances apiece. Box score
Cardinals 6, Astros 3
Top St. Louis prospect Dylan Carlson went 1-for-3 with a double to left off veteran Jared Hughes. Carlson is hitting .400/.520/.650 in his first eight games this spring after batting .292/.372/.542 as a 20-year-old between Double-A and Triple-A. Lefty Matthew Liberatore, the Cards' No. 3 prospect, rebounded from a rough spring debut last week to toss a perfect seventh. Houston's top prospect, Forrest Whitley, pitched a hitless frame while walking one and fanning a pair. Box score
Rays 5, Braves 2
Taylor Walls knocked in a run and Shane McClanahan struck out three in one inning of relief in Tampa Bay's win over Atlanta at CoolToday Park. Walls, the Rays' No. 15 prospect, hit into a fielder's choice in the eighth that plated Tristan Gray to cap a four-run rally. McClanahan worked around one hit in the eighth after Anthony Banda allowed a run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. Tampa Bay's No. 7 prospect struck out three. Fifth-ranked Braves prospect Shea Langeliers had one of the Braves' six hits. Box score
Nationals 5, Orioles 3
The game's No. 21 overall prospect, Carter Kieboom, went 2-for-2 in the win. Washington's No. 23 prospect James Bourque got his third Grapefruit League hold with two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 eighth. For the Orioles, No. 94 overall prospect Ryan Mountcastle went 1-for-4 with a strikeout, dropping his spring average to .333. Box score
Marlins 6, Mets 1
Miami's No. 30 prospect, Robert Dugger, worked around a hit and two walks with one strikeout over three scoreless innings before sixth-ranked Braxton Garrett did the same in the ninth. No. 66 overall prospect Jazz Chisholm went 0-for-3 with a strikeout for the Marlins. For the home team, No. 84 overall prospect Andrés Giménez doubled and Tim Tebow worked his fourth walk of the campaign. Box score
Padres 9, Brewers 0
San Diego's No. 30 prospect David Bednar secured the final three outs of the club's one-hit gem, logging one of the staff's 11 strikeouts. Third-ranked Brewers prospect Zack Brown struck out four over two perfect frames, fanning the side in the seventh. No. 5 Ethan Small struck out two batters before yielding a run on a hit and two walks. Box score
Angels 11, Indians 7
Top Los Angeles prospect Jo Adell singled and scored, while eighth-ranked Jahmai Jones knocked in a run with a base hit. Michael Hermosillo launched a three-run blast, singled, drove in four and scored twice. Cleveland's 21st-ranked prospect Yu Chang entered the game as a pinch-runner for Francisco Lindor in the fifth and scored on a homer by César Hernández. Right-hander James Karinchak (No. 14) worked around a walk and recorded a strikeout in a hitless fifth. Box score
Rangers 6, Giants 5
Eighth-ranked Texas prospect Anderson Tejeda mashed a three-run homer and walked while No. 10 Sherten Apostel walked in two plate appearances. Top Giants prospect Joey Bart struck out in his only plate appearance, and No. 29 Abiatal Avelino capped the Giants scoring with an RBI knock in the ninth. Box score
A's 6, White Sox 5
Oakland's No. 7 prospect Jorge Mateo went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a run scored and his third stolen base of the spring. No. 11 Jonah Heim also had three hits, including an RBI double in the fifth. No. 17 Skye Bolt tripled and scored in the eighth. No. 3 overall prospect Luis Robert singled, walked and scored once. Second-ranked White Sox prospect Andrew Vaughn (No. 16 overall) doubled and scored in the eighth. Fourth-ranked Nick Madrigal (No. 40 overall) contributed an RBI single in the fifth. No. 10 Zack Collins singled and walked in two plate appearances. Box score
Royals 6, D-backs 4
Arizona's No. 28 prospect Domingo Leyba roped an RBI double and scored on Josh Rojas' go-ahead blast in the third. The 24-year-old second baseman also drew a walk. Royals No. 29 prospect Josh Staumont pitched around a walk and recorded a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless inning, and eighth-ranked Khalil Lee went hitless in two at-bats. Box score
