Tuesday's top Spring Training prospect performers
Here's a look at Tuesday¡¯s top performers at Spring Training from each team's Top 30 Prospects list.
Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., 3B (MLB No. 1)
A hot spring continued for baseball¡¯s top prospect with two more singles in three at-bats and an RBI. Witt has at least one hit in seven of the eight games he¡¯s played this year including six straight. Against the Mariners on Tuesday, Witt bounced a run-scoring single up the middle in the top of the first before reaching on a single to third base in the fifth. In 23 total plate appearances over eight contests this spring, Witt is now hitting .476/.522/.857.
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Giants: Joey Bart, C (MLB No. 31)
San Francisco¡¯s second-ranked prospect put together his first multihit game of the spring with his second home run. After being called out on strikes in the second, Bart hammered a two-run blast to left-center in the third. The backstop then added a single to right in the bottom of the seventh. Bart played 67 games with Triple-A Sacramento last year and hit .294/.358/.472 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs.
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Reds: Nick Lodolo, LHP (MLB No. 42)
Cincinnati¡¯s top prospect came on in relief for the first time this spring and twirled three scoreless innings. The left-hander faced just one over the minimum, striking out three and allowing one hit. Lodolo cruised through his three frames on just 16 pitches, all for strikes to continue his tremendously efficient work. In 7 ? innings over three appearances, Lodolo has thrown just 51 pitches, only five of them outside the strike zone. In 13 starts last year between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville, Lodolo went 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA, striking out 78 against just 11 walks in 50 2/3 innings.
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Twins: Jhoan Duran, RHP (No. 6)
Minnesota pitchers combined to strike out nine straight Rays batters, and Duran did his part by fanning the side in his lone inning of work. The right-hander did so while touching 101 mph in his latest impressive appearance. Over three scoreless outings, Duran has allowed just one hit in five innings, striking out seven with one walk. The 24-year-old is making up for lost time after working just 16 innings at Triple-A last year due to elbow issues.
Red Sox: Kutter Crawford, RHP (No. 25)
Crawford tossed two innings for the first time in three appearances as the last man out of the Boston bullpen on Tuesday. The 25-year-old allowed two baserunners on a single and a walk while striking out five. Crawford has a 2.25 ERA with eight strikeouts and just one walk in four Grapefruit League innings. The 2017 16th-round Draft pick posted a 4.28 ERA in 20 appearances (19 starts) across two Minor League levels last year. He limited opponents to a .232 average and fanned 131 in 94 2/3 innings. Crawford made his Major League debut last September.
D-backs: Jake McCarthy, OF (No. 25)
McCarthy did a little bit of everything offensively, reaching base three times to lift his Cactus League slash line up to .300/.364/.450 in 20 at-bats. The 24-year-old doubled, singled, walked and stole his second base of the spring. McCarthy¡¯s double was his second extra-base hit to go along with a triple, two walks and two stolen bases. The Pennsylvania native earned his first big league action in 2021, hitting .220 with a pair of homers in 24 games. McCarthy posted a .832 OPS, 40 extra-base hits, 15 homers, 57 RBIs and 29 stolen bases in 85 contests with Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno last season.
Guardians: Nick Mikolajchak, RHP (No. 29)
After surrendering three runs in consecutive outings, Mikolajchak came back strong. The 24-year-old struck out three over two perfect frames in Cleveland¡¯s victory. Despite a 5.40 ERA and 1.80 WHIP, Mikolajchak has tallied seven strikeouts against one walk in five innings this spring. The Guardians¡¯ 11th-round Draft pick in 2019 performed well in relief last season, posting a 3.18 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and a 57-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 39 2/3 innings for Double-A Akron.