Fraley launches two homers for Arkansas

Known more for his strong glove and speed, Jake Fraley is now seeing his power emerge early this season.
The 14th-ranked Seattle prospect collected a career-best two homers on a 4-for-5 night with four RBIs and three runs scored as Double-A Arkansas topped Frisco, 13-2, on Thursday night at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

Fraley has hits in five of the past seven games -- going 11-for-28 -- to raise his average 60 points to .306. 
On Thursday, the 2016 second-round pick singled to right field in the first inning off RoughRiders starter Emerson Martinez (1-1). Facing the right-hander again in the third, he lined a homer over the right-field wall to give the Travelers a 3-2 lead.
"I knew what they were trying to do, the way they were attacking me," said Fraley, who went 5-for-18 with a homer and three RBIs in that series. "The way our schedule worked out, we faced Frisco last week. They came in hard on me and I did well, I did some damage.
Gameday box score
"[For the start of the current three-game series,] they switched up -- soft away and hard in. Tony Sanchez, Frisco's catcher, he calls a good game. He knows what he's doing back there. ... I just stuck to my approach -- see it, react to it."
Fraley struck out in his third at-bat against Martinez, but highlighted the Travelers' six-run sixth with his second long ball of the game, a two-run shot to right-center off righty Jefferson Medina. The LSU product has five dingers, topping the career high of four he set last season with Class A Advanced Charlotte.
Facing lefty James Jones in the eighth, Fraley grounded a single to center. He crossed the plate on Logan Taylor's grand slam to cap off the scoring. In the ninth, Fraley reached for the fifth time when he was plunked on a 2-0 pitch by righty Jairo Beras.
"That's the cool thing about baseball. The game is over and I'm 0-for-0. I'll eat, go to sleep and we'll play again tomorrow. You have to take everything with a grain of salt," said Fraley, acquired as part of the trade that sent Mike Zunino to Tampa last November.

As for his power surge, the 6-foot center fielder is confident he can deliver 12 to 15 homers each year. "I changed my swing two offseasons ago," the Maryland native said. "Last year, the power numbers would have been there," but he noted the Florida State League ballparks are not launching pads. "I crushed some balls last year that were flyouts, maybe even off the walls. Here, the balls have started carrying. I do what I do every day. I hone my craft and work."
Fourth-ranked Mariners prospect Evan White collected three hits, scored three times and drove in a run for the Travelers.
Frisco's Juremi Profar finished a triple shy of the cycle with two RBIs and a run scored.
MLB.com's No. 86 overall prospectJustin Dunn (2-1) yielded two runs on five hits while striking out six across seven innings to earn the victory.