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Re: Tiger Cubs

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If you believe the adage that April showers bring May flowers, Edward Olivares is in full bloom.

The Padres' No. 23 prospect recorded the first three-homer game in team history and drove in five runs to power Double-A Amarillo to an 8-5 victory over Arkansas on Sunday at Hodgetown.

It was the second straight three-hit game for Olivares, who's 10-for-23 (.435) with four homers, seven RBIs and seven runs scored in five games this month.

"Pretty much, like [Saturday], the success comes from my approach," he said through hitting coach Raul Padron, who served as an interprter. "I was looking for pitches to drive, to put a good swing on. For the most part, I was able to stick to the plan and got good swings on the ball. Thankfully, they were three home runs.

"Routine, timing and approach have helped me. My work ethic has changed. Day by day, I want to have good swings."

Gameday box score

Rodrigo Orozco started the bottom of the first inning with a single off right-hander Darren McCaughan. Olivares followed by drilling a ball off the center field wall that caromed away from Aaron Knapp while he motored around the bases for an inside-the-park homer, giving Amarillo a 2-0 lead four pitches into the game. It extended his hit streak to six games.

Signed as an international free agent in 2014, the 23-year-old from Venezuela came to the dish in the second after Padres No. 17 prospect Buddy Reed stroked a two-out double. McCaughan fell behind, 2-1, before Olivares cleared the left-field wall with another two-run homer.

Leading off the fourth against McCaughan, Olivares was in a 1-2 hole. After fouling a ball off, he struck again with a blast to left that extended Amarillo's lead to 7-0. It was his second career multi-homer game after going yard twice for Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore last Aug. 4.

"That's a first for me," Padron said. "I've been on teams where a guy had two home runs but never three. It was amazing, just a great feeling."

Olivares' bid for a perfect day ended in the fifth when he struck out against reliever Jack Anderson. He popped to first against Bryan Bonnell in the eighth.

"I love hitting," said Olivares, who had a career-best 17 long balls with Class A Lansing in the Blue Jays system in 2017. "I am trying to be consistent with my power, to drive balls. I still am working to get my body ready. I want to be that [power] guy in the lineup."

Acquired from Toronto in January 2018 in a trade for Yangervis Solarte, Olivares is 6-foot-2 and weighs 186 pounds.

"He's still young. He does need more weight," Padron said. "I definitely like the way he goes to the plate and approaches his at-bats. He's still got a lot of work to do, but I believe he can be" a formidable hitter in the middle of the order.
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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10. Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros
Team: Triple-A Fresno (Pacific Coast)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .444/.524/1.000 (8-for-18), 6 R, 1 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: While Yordan Alvarez has been dominating the Pacific Coast League during the first month of the season, Tucker has been surprisingly ineffective. Alvarez’s impressive start and Tucker’s struggles in Houston last season together make it appear that Tucker is a little further from Houston right now than he was when the 2018 season began. But it’s easy to forget that Tucker is only 22 years old. He’s younger than Adam Haseley, for one example. And Tucker is starting to finally heat up. Eight of his nine home runs have come since April 20. (JJ)

11. Edward Olivares, OF, Padres
Team: Double-A Amarillo (Texas)
Age: 23
Why He's Here: .393/.433/.857 (11-for-28), 1 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 BB, 8 SO, 3-for-3 SB

The Scoop: Olivares blasted three home runs yesterday, raising his season line to .296/.361/.593 with eight homers through 27 games. Olivares' free-swinging tendencies have hampered his ability to get on base in the past, so he has to develop a more selective offensive approach, but he has an array of exciting tools between his power, speed and arm strength. (BB)
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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9. Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox
Team: High Class A Salem (Carolina)
Age: 22
Why He's Here: .529/.588/.556 (9-for-17), 5 R, 1 2B, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-2 SB

The Scoop: When players get off to a hot start to their pro careers, it's worth raising an eyebrow. But polished college players can sometimes find the New York-Penn or Northwest League beneath their experience level, only to get exposed once they face tougher pitching or hitters. A hot start the next year makes that impressive debut more concrete. At this point, what Duran has done in stops at the New York-Penn, South Atlantic and Carolina League is reaching the point of demonstrating he's clearly better than a seventh-round pick. He's now logged 98 pro games and he's hitting .370/.412/.516 combined. He's obviously not a .370 hitter, but Duran's all-fields approach and plus-plus speed makes him an interesting, top-of-the-order outfielder. (JJ)
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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5. Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox
Team: High Class A Salem (Carolina)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .444/.515/.741 (12-for-27), 7 R, 5 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBIs, 4 BB, 5 SO, 0-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Those waiting for Duran to slow down are going to have to wait awhile longer. The early breakout star of the season extended his hit streak to 10 games with another scorching week and leads the minors with a .406 batting average this season. Duran is starting to be written up as a consensus future everyday player among scouts, especially as his center field defense continues to improve. (KG)

10. Kevin Cron, 1B, D-Backs
Team: Triple-A Reno (Pacific Coast)
Age: 26
Why He’s Here: .435/.517/1.261 (10-for-23) 8 R, 4 2B, 5 HR, 14 RBIs, 5 BB, 4 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: The new baseballs in Triple-A have helped create the conditions in which this year is more likely to see a 50-home run hitter than any other year this century. And Cron is the player most likely to reach that massive number. Cron is a consistent power hitter—he’s averaged 25 home runs a season over the past four years. And he’s playing in Reno, one of the best hitters’ parks in baseball. Yordan Alvarez may be matching Cron home run for home run, but Alvarez is a first baseman/outfielder/designated hitter playing for an American League club. The chances he gets a promotion to the majors that takes him out of the 50-home run chase is quite good. Cron is a first baseman who plays for a National League team, giving him very few paths to a big league job this year short of an injury to Christian Walker. Cron already has a three-home run game this year and he’s yet to have even a week pass where he didn’t homer. With 19 home runs (just eight off his career high), Cron is currently on pace to hit 62 home runs in 140 games at Reno. Even if he gets some short big league promotions, he’s building in some cushion in the chase for 50. (JJ)
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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3. Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros
Team: Triple-A Round Rock (Pacific Coast)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .367/.412/.933 (11-for-30), 10 R, 2 2B, 5 HR, 10 RBIs, 3 BB, 9 SO, 2-for-2 SBs.

The Scoop: The Astros called up Yordan Alvarez to the major leagues on Sunday, and then watched as he hit an opposite-field home run in his MLB debut. Tucker was ahead of Alvarez in the call-up pecking order last year, this year, he’s working to catch up. After a brutal start, Tucker has been hitting well since May rolled around. His 21 home runs are second most in the Pacific Coast League (trailing only Alvarez) as he’s already topped 20 home runs for a third straight season. He’ll likely catch his career high (25) by the midway point of the season. (JJ)

10. Anthony Kay, LHP, Mets
Team: Double-A Binghamton (Eastern)
Age: 24
Why He's Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO.

The Scoop: Kay was fantastic against Hartford, striking out nine batters across five and a third scoreless innings. The lefthander needed 94 pitches to get through his outing, throwing 62 of them for strikes. The Mets’ No. 5 starter has been consistent against Eastern League competition, and has seen more success thanks to his developing curveball and above-average changeup. (JC)
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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Re: Tiger Cubs

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Keith Law Midseason Top 50:


Per usual, klaw's top 50 is weird
1. Wander Franco
2. MacKenzie Gore
3. Jo Adell
4. Bo Bichette
5. Gavin Lux
6. Christian Pache
7. Adley Rutschman
8. Jarred Kelenic
9. Luis Robert
10. Casey Mize
11. Brendan McKay
12. Andrew Vaughn
13. Dustin May
14. Taylor Trammell
15. Alex Kiriloff
16. Luis Patino
17. KeBryan Hayes
18. Forrest Whitley
19. Kyle Tucker
20. Nolan Gorman
21. Bobby Witt Jr
22. Hunter Greene
23. Vidal Brujan
24. Corbin Carroll
25. Michael Kopech
26. Will Smith
27. Luis Urias
28. CJ Abrams
29. Deivi Garcia
30. Dylan Carlson
31. Matt Manning
32. Matt Liberatore
33. Nate Pearson
34. Royce Lewis
35. DL Hall
36. Ian Anderson
37. Riley Greene
38. Jazz Chisholm
39. Sixto Sanchez
40. Mitch Keller
41. AJ Puk
42. Leody Tavares
43. Keibert Ruiz
44. Jordan Balazovic
45. Alek Thomas
46. Xavier Edwards
47. Alec Bohm
48. Ronny Mauricio
49. Julio Rodriguez
50. Nolan Jones

Honorable Mentions: Adrian Morejon, Jordan Groshans, Justin Dunn, Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson, Anthony Kay
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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He overrates the most recent draft and current hot streaks.

I do like that he isn't beholden to any of his previous lists. He's a lot like BP that way.

MLB Pipeline and BA are a little more beholden to their historical evaluations.

All four provide great value.
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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Luisangel Acuña

Sleeper: Arrows are pointing up on Rangers SS Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña. Luisangel has a smaller, compact frame, but he swings hard, makes a lot of contact and has a good eye for the strike zone, making him one of the top prospects to watch coming out of the Dominican Summer League.
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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Anderson Tejeda went 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBI and a steal in his major league debut Thursday against the A's.
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Infielder Luis Garcia, the Nationals’ No. 2 prospect, continued his torrid hitting over the weekend by going 4-for-11, including a three-hit day on Sunday. He’s opened his career 10 for his first 28. His top exit velocity on Sunday was 107.6 mph, good for his second-best exit velo of the year, just behind a 111.1 mph missile on Aug. 18.
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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8. Luisangel Acuna | SS
Luisangel Acuna
Born: Mar 12, 2002
Bats: R Throws: R
Ht.: 5'8" Wt.: 181
Drafted: Venezuela, 2018.
Signed By: Rafic Saab.
VIEW PLAYER CARD
Hitting: 55. Power: 45. Running: 55. Fielding: 50. Arm: 60.

TRACK RECORD: The younger brother of Braves' superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., Luisangel Acuña packs a big punch into a smaller package. He lit up the Dominican Summer League in 2019, hitting .342 with more walks than strikeouts as a 17-year-old, and his bat was among the loudest during 2020 instructional league.

SCOUTING REPORT: Ask Acuña Jr., and his little brother is already hitting balls at 18 farther and harder than he did at the same age. Still, the Rangers aren’t sure what will become of the rail-thin, 5-foot-8 Luisangel. Ronald underwent a late growth spurt that the Rangers hope filters down the family tree. If not, they know Luisangel can find the barrel and has a good idea of the strike zone. He’s fearless in the box, can hit velocity and projects to reach 15-20 homers at his current size. He does need work on hitting spin. Acuña needs reps defensively, and the Rangers worked him at third base and second base in addition to shortstop, which is a crowded position in the system. He has the range and arm to play around the infield.

THE FUTURE: Aggressive as always, the Rangers are planning for Acuña to open 2021 at low Class A. He might not be as good as his older brother, but his bat and potential defensive versatility give him a chance to join him in the majors.
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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Fastball: 55. Slider: 70. Changeup: 30. Curveball: 60. Control: 40.

TRACK RECORD: Abreu was a $40,000 signing at 16 out of the Dominican Republic in 2013 who spent two years in the Dominican Summer League and didn’t reach full-season ball until his fifth minor league season. His stock has climbed since then, and he made his big league debut as a reliever in a 2019 September callup. Abreu struggled in four relief appearances for Houston at the start of 2020 before the Astros sent him down to their alternate training site in Corpus Christi.

SCOUTING REPORT: Abreu pitches at 92-95 mph with the ability to dial it up to 97, but his money-maker is his breaking stuff. He has an innate feel to spin a pair of swing-and-miss pitches with his mid-80s slider and low-80s curveball. His slider, which he threw more than any other pitch in 2020, earns plus to plus-plus grades, with hard, late break and two-plane depth. That same tight spin shows up with his curveball, a plus pitch that’s similar to his slider but with more top-to-bottom shape. He rarely uses his well below-average changeup. Below-average control has hampered Abreu, whose upper and lower halves get disconnected in his delivery.

THE FUTURE: If Abreu can straighten out his control problems, he has the stuff to pitch in the middle of a rotation.
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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29
Last: 86
Jarren Duran
Red Sox
OF
Notes:
Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 70 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 45
Skinny: The questions with Duran have mostly revolved around whether he will develop much in the way of power. The Red Sox made some alterations to his swing last summer at the alternate site and he responded by showing more juice over the winter in Puerto Rico and again at big league spring training. Extra power, paired with the possibility of sticking in center field, could add up to a very enticing player.
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Re: Tiger Cubs

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2. Mark Vientos, 3B, Mets
Team: Double-A-Binghamton (Northeast)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .400/.500/1.200 (8-for-20), 7 R, 1 2B, 5 HR, 10 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: After a poor start to the season, Vientos has caught fire the last two weeks. He extended his hitting streak to nine games with a dominant series against Reading and has homered in five of his last six games. Since June 15, Vientos has increased his batting average from .208 to .261 and his OPS from .680 to .814. (KG)

Jarren Duran, Triple-A Worcester (Red Sox)—Duran added two more home runs to his ledger, giving him eight in 84 at-bats in June since returning from his time with Team USA. The 24-year-old outfielder hit a solo shot in the first and a three-run blast in the ninth in a loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Duran is hitting .282/.372/.615 with 15 home runs, 30 RBIs and eight stolen bases.
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Blake Walston, High-A Hillsboro (D-Backs)—Walston turned in the longest outing of his career and struck out a personal best 11 hitters to earn the win against Eugene. The 20-year-old lefthander allowed one run on two hits and a walk over eight innings, bringing his season line to 3-3, 3.47 with 88 strikeouts and 25 walks in 62.1 innings between the Class A levels.
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2. Blake Walston, LHP, D-Backs
Team: High-A Hillsboro (West)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 2.08, 13 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 20 SO, 3 HR

The Scoop: After earning rave reviews at Low-A Visalia to start the season, Walston hasn’t missed a beat since being promoted to High-A Hillsboro late last month. The lanky lefthander pitched eight innings with only two hits and one run allowed, one walk and 11 strikeouts in a dominant performance at Eugene in his first start last week and followed with five innings, two earned runs allowed and nine strikeouts against Eugene again on Sunday. With a 91-94 mph fastball he powers downhill, a curveball that’s an out pitch in the strike zone, a slider that’s a chase pitch out of the zone and a changeup with late action that gets swings and misses, all combined with a good delivery and an aggressive, attacking mentality, Walston is rising quickly into the upper echelon of lefthanded pitching prospects. (KG).
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Just 20 HR in July for a 21-year-old in AA:

Mark Vientos, Double-A Binghamton (Mets) — Tucked into the top of a system with Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty, Vientos has spent this season continuing to reaffirm his credentials as another big bopper. The 21-year-old crushed a pair of home runs on Thursday night, pushing him past Altoona's Mason Martin for the league lead.
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Dax Fulton, Low-A Jupiter (Marlins) — The Marlins went all pitching in their 2020 draft, a risky proposition in any situation considering the volatility of pitchers even under the best circumstances. Five of the six were collegians, however, leaving lefty Dax Fulton as the lone high school arm of the bunch. On Wednesday, he spun a gem against Tampa. Fulton, who had Tommy John surgery before being drafted, whiffed 10 over five shutout frames. And he was efficient, too. He threw 61 pitches, 47 for strikes, and got 17 swings and misses (all but one of his whiffs were swinging). His fastball topped at 96, and his curveball's spin rate peaked at 2,716 rpms.
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Chris McMahon, High-A Spokane (Rockies)—McMahon pitched a career-high seven innings to earn the win against Hillsboro. The 2020 second-rounder from Miami struck out eight, walked one and allowed one run on four hits. McMahon has pitched to a 7-3, 4.34 mark with 95 strikeouts and 27 walks in 93.1 innings in his debut season.
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Despite being the second-youngest player in Double-A Northeast, Vientos boasts the highest OPS and the second highest wRC+ in the league. He was swinging a hot bat and riding an eight game hitting streak into the month of August, but was left out of the lineup starting on August 4 due to “health and safety protocols” and missed two weeks. In his first game back with the Rumble Ponies on Tuesday, Vientos went hitless with two strikeouts, but last night’s game was a return to form. His first inning home run, which came off his bat with a reported exit velo of 100 mph, was his 21st of the season, which puts him sixth in all of Double-A. Even more impressive is that he’s reached that mark in only 63 games – the next-lowest game total among the league’s top-10 home run hitters is 75.
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Ryne Nelson, RHP, Double-A Amarillo (Diamondbacks)—Nelson turned in another impressive performance in a loss to San Antonio, pitching six innings for the seventh time this season. The 23-year-old righthander struck out four and walked one while allowing two runs on three hits. Nelson, a 2019 second-rounder from Oregon, made 43 of his 48 appearances out of the bullpen in college, but he's excelled in a starting role in his first year of full-season ball. He is 6-4, 3.14 with 139 strikeouts and 38 walks in 97.1 innings between High-A and Double-A.
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Ryne Nelson, RHP, Double-A Amarillo (Diamondbacks)—The 23-year-old righthander turned in his longest outing of the season to earn the win against Tulsa. Nelson struck out nine, walked none and allowed one run on five hits to collect his seventh win. Nelson, one of the biggest risers in the D-backs system this season, has pitched to a 7-4, 3.02 mark with 148 strikeouts and 38 walks in 104.1 innings between High-A and Double-A.
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