A series of strong performances by top Minor League Baseball prospects marked the latest round of games, with several players showing notable improvements and achievements.
Colt Emerson, a shortstop and third baseman for Double-A Arkansas in the Seattle Mariners organization, recorded his first multihomer game as a professional. Emerson, who was selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, had not hit a home run since August 9 before this recent game. He has improved his batting statistics significantly since June 1, hitting .300 with an on-base percentage of .402 and a slugging percentage of .514 over 65 games.
Jesús Made, a shortstop for High-A Wisconsin in the Milwaukee Brewers system, continued his productive stretch at the plate. Following up his first four-hit game at this level, Made added three more hits and made a key defensive play during a no-hitter attempt by his team. Over his last ten at-bats, he has collected seven hits and raised his season average to .286 across two Minor League levels.
Bryce Eldridge, playing first base for Triple-A Sacramento in the San Francisco Giants organization, contributed to his team’s offense with a 470-foot home run—his 16th for Sacramento and 23rd overall this season. Eldridge has nine home runs in August alone and has driven in 27 runs during that period.
Justin Crawford of Triple-A Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Phillies) hit a home run for the third time in four games and drove in two runs while drawing a walk. Crawford is known primarily for his speed but has increased his power output recently. Over his last four games, he is 9-for-19 and leads the International League with a .333 batting average. “The son of former All-Star Carl Crawford is 9-for-19 over that span, lifting his International League-leading average to .333, the third-highest mark in the Minors. Crawford has hit .290 or above in every full month this season, including .357 in August.” Gameday
Other standout performances included Tyson Lewis of Single-A Daytona (Cincinnati Reds), who went three-for-three with a walk and stolen base; Aidan Smith of High-A Bowling Green (Tampa Bay Rays), who had his third multihomer game this year; and Joey Oakie of Single-A Lynchburg (Cleveland Guardians), who struck out eleven batters over five hitless innings after struggling earlier in the season.
“Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball.”
