Spring Training Roundup: Bundy Aims For Health, Newcomb Struggles

Baseball is back and at Baseball America, that means it’s time again to track the progress of prospects. We’ll update you each day on how some of the game’s most prominent prospects fared the day before at spring training.

Rays 10, Orioles 3

Orioles: Dylan Bundy, Baltimore’s No. 1 prospect the past five years running, is out of options after pitching just 63 innings the past three seasons. Staying healthy this spring is more important than his performance as the Orioles will have to make a decision about his future. On Thursday, he pitched one inning against the Rays, allowing a home run to Brandon Guyer. No. 3 prospect C Chance Sisco was 0-for-1 and No. 8 prospect 1B Trey Mancini was 0-for-2 with a strikeout. RHP Hunter Harvey, also hoping to stay healthy, pitched a scoreless inning and allowed two hits.
Rays: OF Mikie Mahtook, the Rays’ No. 6 prospect, had a single and RBI as he jockeys for time in a crowded Tampa Bay outfield; No. 21 prospect 3B Taylor Motter was 0-for-3.

Tigers 8, Braves 2
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Tigers: No. 3 prospect OF Mike Gerber, the Tigers’ top position prospect, was 0-for-1; Slugging OF Steven Moya, the No. 11 prospect with swing-and-miss issues, was 0-for-2 with a strikeout; No. 5 prospect IF JaCoby Jones, acquired from Pittsburgh in July for Joakim Soria, struck out in his only at-bat.
Braves: Cuban Hector Olivera, the Braves’ No. 4 prospect and No. 55 overall in our Top 100, had two singles in four at-bats and played left field; Top prospect Dansby Swanson, the No. 17 overall prospect and No. 1 pick last June, played second base and had a hit in his only at-bat. No. 2 prospect LHP Sean Newcomb, acquired in the blockbuster deal for Andrelton Simmons, struggled with control—as he did last season (5 walks per nine innings)—walking four in one inning and allowing three runs.

Astros 3, Phillies 2
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Astros: Top prospect A.J. Reed, No. 11 overall, struck out and singled in two at-bats as he fights for a big league job a year after finishing second in our Minor League Player of the Year voting. Tyler White, coming off an MVP run in the Dominican Winter League, had a hit and a run scored in three at-bats; Matt Duffy, another bat-first prospect, homered, walked and struck out; No. 3 prospect Alex Bregman, the No. 2 overall pick in June, struck out twice in two trips. Hard-throwing RHPs Michael Feliz (2 IP, 2 H, 2 SO) and Jandel Gustave (1 IP, 1 R, 2 SO) also got into the game.
Phillies: No. 2 prospect OF Nick Williams, part of the haul from the Rangers for Cole Hamels, walked twice and singled; RHP Jake Thompson, also part of that deal and the team’s No. 3 prospect, gave up an unearned run in two innings with a strikeout.

“The hype for them is so high—the talk is there and they read their names in the paper—they get excited and it gives them a lot of confidence,” manager Pete Mackanin told reporters of Thompson and fellow righthander Zach Eflin.

Cardinals 4, Marlins 3

Marlins: Xavier Scruggs, trying to catch on as a possible platoon partner for Justin Bour, played left field and was 0-for-2. Another minor league free agent, C Adrian Nieto, was 0-for-2. Hard-throwing RHP Kyle Barraclough gave up three hits and a walk but did not allow a run in two-thirds of an inning, helped by a pickoff and a runner thrown out at the plate.
Cardinals: Speedy CF Charlie Tilson, the Cardinals’ No. 13 prospect, had a hit and scored a run.

Nationals 9, Mets 4

Mets: Lefty-swinging 1B Dominic Smith, the Mets’ No. 3 prospect, had a hit and strikeout in two at-bats. No. 13 RHP Gabriel Ynoa sparkled in three innings as the control artist allowed just a hit and struck out one.
Nationals: C Spencer Kieboom was 2-for-2 as the Nats went with a largely veteran lineup in their first spring game.

Phillies 13, Yankees 4

Phillies: No. 9 OF Roman Quinn—returning from a torn quadriceps—homered and tripled and drove in two runs. Top prospect J.P. Crawford, No. 6 overall, singled and scored twice in five at-bats. No. 5 Jorge Alfaro was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and was behind the plate as the Phillies push the glove to catch up with the bat. RHP Mark Appel, acquired from Houston in the deal for Ken Giles, struggled as he walked four in two innings and did not strike out a batter.
Yankees: Giant RF Aaron Judge, the No. 3 prospect who struck out 144 times in 2015, struck out twice. C Gary Sanchez, the No. 2 prospect fighting for the backup job to Brian McCann, walked twice. LHP Jacob Lindgren, returning from surgery to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow, walked three and gave up four runs and got just one out.

Blue Jays 10, Pirates 8

Blue Jays: Powerful 1B Rowdy Tellez was 0-for-1, while SS Richard Urena, the No. 4 prospect, was 0-for-2.
Pirates: OF Harold Ramirez had a double and single and scored twice. No. 3 prospect 1B Josh Bell had a two-run double.

Brewers (SS) 2, Cubs 1

Cubs: Top prospect SS Gleyber Torres, No. 41 overall, was 0-for-1. Dan Vogelbach, perhaps a man without a position, doubled home a run.
Brewers: Jacob Nottingham, acquired from the A’s for Khris Davis, was the DH and doubled twice. LHP Josh Hader impressed with three strikeouts in two innings. “Josh doesn’t have to do any more than that. That’s plenty good enough,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters.

Dodgers 6, White Sox 1

White Sox: OF Courtney Hawkins struck out and OF Jacob May walked and went 0-for-1.
Dodgers: C Austin Barnes, L.A.’s No. 8 prospect, had a hit and drove in a run; CF Trayce Thompson, the former White Sox outfielder acquired in the three-team deal involving Todd Frazier, was 0-for-3.

Reds 9, Indians 1
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Reds: Rule 5 pick OF Jake Cave had a walk and scored a run in two at-bats; No. 6 prospect Jesse Winker was 1-for-3 with an RBI. No. 7 prospect Alex Blandino was 1-for-2.
Indians: No. 6 prospect OF Tyler Naquin, fighting for a job in the outfield following Abraham Almonte’s suspension, had a hit in three trips while being at DH.

Brewers (SS) 8, Giants 7

Brewers: OF Michael Reed doubled home two runs; Top prospect SS Orlando Arcia—No. 8 overall—struck out twice. RHP Zach Davies pitched a scoreless inning, No. 2 RHP Jorge Lopez pitched two innings and allowed a run on two hits, while RHP Adrian Houser—acquired in the Carlos Gomez deal—pitched two scoreless innings.
Giants: LHP Ty Blach threw two scoreless innings with two whiffs.

Rangers 10, Royals 0

Rangers: No. 2 OF Lewis Brinson had a hit and scored a run; Jurickson Profar, the No. 1 overall prospect in 2011-12 who had just 43 at-bats the past two seasons, singled, walked and scored a run. Top prospect Joey Gallo, he of the massive strikeout rate, whiffed twice in three at-bats, but singled and drove in a run.
Royals: Top prospect Raul A. Mondesi—No. 29 overall—was hitless in one at-bat and played second base. No. 4 prospect RHP Miguel Almonte struck out three in two scoreless innings.

Rockies 6, Diamondbacks 5

Rockies: SS Trevor Story, competing for a big league job with Jose Reyes on administrative leave, hit a three-run homer in the third inning; Ryan McMahon, the slugging third baseman who struck out 153 times in 2015, whiffed twice Thursday.
Diamondbacks: Peter O’Brien, who the Diamondbacks will try to get back behind the plate, played left field and struck out twice in three at-bats. Doubles machine Brandon Drury doubled and scored a run.

Angels 8, Athletics 2

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Athletics: Renato Nunez struck out and walked and made the diving play above. Slugger Matt Olson—a three true-outcomes player—struck out twice. SS Chad Pinder was 0-for-2 with a whiff.
Angels: High-priced Cuban SS Roberto Baldoquin—who had a 70/9 strikeout/walk ratio a year ago, was 1-for-1.

Mariners 6, Padres 5

Mariners: Speedy CF Boog Powell, acquired from the Rays with Nate Karns in a five-player deal, was 0-for-3.
Padres: Carlos Asuaje, part of the package from Boston for Craig Kimbrel, was 0-for-2; Slugging OF Jabari Blash, a Rule 5 pick later traded to San Diego, was 0-for-2, as was versatile Jose Pirela, acquired from the Yankees. Hunter Renfroe, fighting for a major league job, had a hit in two trips, while Manuel Margot doubled and drove in a run.

Red Sox 6, Twins 5
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Red Sox: SS Deven Marrero was 1-for-3, while converted position player LHP Williams Jerez gave up Danny Santana‘s two-run homer.
Twins: No. 1 prospect Byron Buxton—No. 2 in the game—struck out twice; Korean slugger Byung Ho Park had an RBI single in the third off Rick Porcello. Adam Brett Walker—who struck out 195 times in 2015—struck out in his only at-bat.