Friday's top Spring Training prospect performers

Here's a look at Friday’s top performers at Spring Training from each team's Top 30 Prospects list.

Phillies: Bryson Stott, SS (MLB No. 45)
Matt Vierling, OF
Stott continued his hot start this spring with two hits and a walk against the Yankees. Batting second and playing shortstop, Stott singled off of Luis Severino in the first and second innings and drew a walk off Aroldis Chapman before being replaced in the seventh. The Phillies’ first-rounder in the 2019 Draft is now 4-for-10 with three walks in five Spring Training games. Stott is competing for a spot in the Phillies’ Opening Day lineup after posting an .876 OPS with 44 extra-base hits in the regular season and a .934 OPS in 26 Arizona Fall League games.

Vierling ripped a bases-clearing double off of Severino in the first inning for his only hit of the game, driving in three runs. The 25-year-old is 4-for-14 with two doubles and five RBIs this spring. The Phillies’ got an extended look at Vierling in 2021 after his Major League debut on June 19. The outfielder hit .324 with two home runs, a triple and three doubles in 34 games, with the majority of his playing time coming in September. Vierling is well-positioned to earn an Opening Day roster spot as a productive fourth outfielder.

Royals: MJ Melendez, C (MLB No. 51)
Melendez made the most of his lone at-bat, hitting a solo home run as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth. Melendez has carried the momentum from his monster 2021 season by going 5-for-12 with a home run, a double and three RBIs in seven Spring Training games. The 23-year-old led the Minor Leagues in home runs last season with 43, adding 22 doubles, 103 RBIs, 75 walks and a .288/.386/.625 triple slash line. He finished as one of seven qualified players with an OPS over 1.000 and gives the Royals an exciting prospect to replace Salvador Pérez behind the plate in the future.

Rangers: Ezequiel Duran, INF (MLB No. 83)
Duran blasted his first career Spring Training homer and drove in three runs on two hits while getting the start at second base for the Rangers. The 22-year-old was acquired at the 2021 Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Joey Gallo to the Yankees in the midst of the best season of his professional career to date. Duran hit 19 home runs, six triples and 22 doubles while stealing 19 bases with an .828 OPS in 105 High-A games.

Guardians: Brayan Rocchio, INF (MLB No. 84)
Rocchio roped two singles and scored two runs as the starting shortstop for the Guardians prior to his sixth-inning exit. It was his first multihit game of the spring and the switch-hitter is now 3-for-12 in seven games. Rocchio had an .806 OPS in 108 games between High-A and Double-A last year, but excelled after his call-up to Akron. The 21-year-old posted a .293/,360/.505 slash line with six homers, four triples, 13 doubles and 30 RBIs and 44 Double-A games.

Red Sox: Jarren Duran, OF (MLB No. 85)
Duran had his second multihit game of the spring in the Red Sox loss to the Braves. Starting in center field and hitting second, he singled off of Ian Anderson and stole second in the first inning and added another single off Anderson in the third. The 25-year-old is 6-for-17 in eight Spring Training games. Duran’s blazing speed is his top-graded tool (he also stole a bag on Friday), but he surprised people with his power output in 2021, slamming 16 home runs for Triple-A Worcester. Duran got a taste of the Majors in 2021 and he is expected to play a big role for the Red Sox as they look to reclaim the American League East title for the first time since their 2018 World Series run.

Astros: Hunter Brown, RHP
In his second spring outing, Brown was able to work around trouble (two hits and three walks) to hold the Mets scoreless through three innings. He struck out Luis Guillorme twice, caught Dom Smith looking and got Daniel Palka out swinging for four punchouts on the day. His shining moment was getting out of a bases loaded, one-out jam by inducing a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Tomas Nido to retire the side. The 23-year-old has allowed only three hits and one run in 5 2/3 innings of work in Spring Training.

D-backs: Seth Beer, 1B
Beer continued his strong spring with his first dinger of 2022: a 411-foot, two-run blast to right that was quick to leave the yard with a 111.2 mph exit velocity. The 25-year-old has racked up six hits in six games so far this spring, with a homer, two doubles, four runs scored and five RBIs. Beer enjoyed brief success in Arizona when he was called up for his Major League debut last season – he homered in his first at-bat and collected four hits and three RBIs in five games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery from an injury he suffered just a week after his first game.

Dodgers: Ryan Pepiot, RHP
Following a rough Spring Training debut on March 19, Pepiot struck out three in two scoreless innings, allowing one baserunner on a walk. The 24-year-old struck out Trent Grisham, Luke Voit and Wil Myers while facing the minimum amount of batters possible. Pepiot has a fastball that touches 98 mph and a changeup that is regarded as one of the best in the Minors. He has had control issues in the past but registered 127 strikeouts in 101 1/3 innings at Double-A and Triple-A last season.

Orioles: John Rhodes, OF
After replacing fellow prospect Kyle Stowers in right field in the seventh, Rhodes made the most of his at-bat by blasting his first Spring Training home run, a solo shot to left-center. A third-round pick in last year’s Draft, the 21-year-old Rhodes logged 94 at-bats for Single-A Delmarva in 2021, notching 25 hits in 23 games while driving in 18 runs and stealing six bases. He’s collected a hit in each of his at-bats so far this spring.

Rockies: Elehuris Montero, 3B/1B
Ezequiel Tovar, SS
It was a scoring barrage for the Rockies, who put up 17 runs in their spring contest against the Cubs. Batting as the DH, Montero collected two extra-base hits – a solo homer to left and a double to center – and scored two runs. The 23-year-old is coming off a strong 2021 season in which he batted .279/.360/.529 with a career-best 28 homers (he had previously never hit more than 16) in 120 games across Double- and Triple-A.

Starting the game at short, Tovar clubbed his third long ball of Spring Training when he deposited a ball over the fence in left-center for a two-run blast. That would be his only hit of the day, but he later reached on a scoring error and came around to plate Colorado’s ninth run of the day. The 20-year-old has been one of the hottest hitters this spring, now swatting dingers in back-to-back games and hitting safely in six of seven contests. In his first year of full-season ball in 2021, Tovar slashed .287/.322/.475 with 15 homers, 72 RBIs and 124 hits in 104 games.