The Prospects Team of the Week recognizes the best performances from the previous seven days. Any player who is part of an organization’s Top 30 Prospects list is eligible.
No player has been selected more than three times to our Prospects Team of the Week so far this 2021 season. This week’s ninth, covering games September 6-12, welcomes a new member of the club of those who have been elected three times and others who are appearing for the second time. Two of our four pitchers are finishing strong, with two picks for our team in the last four weeks.
C: Yainer Díaz, Asheville Tourists (Class-A High)
(Astros # 14)
.480 / .536 / 1.160, 6 JJ, 25 BV, 10 C, 12 H, 2 2B, 5 HR, 13 CI, 3 BB, 2 K
This is the second time the Dominican has appeared on the Prospects Team of the Week, both times after he was traded to the Astros from the Indians in the middle of the year. Diaz had hits in all of his games last week and had two or more in five of them. He homered in four straight games Thursday through Sunday after hitting a grand slam to start the week on Tuesday. Since being promoted to Class-A High in mid-August, Diaz has not stopped hitting, hitting .384 / .432 / .836, plus 10 homers and 26 RBIs in 20 Asheville games.
1B: Brendan Donovan, Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A)
(Cardinals # 18)
.474 / .583 / .842, 6 JJ, 19 BV, 8 C, 9 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 8 CI, 4 BB, 3 K, 3 BR
Donovan had three games with two hits or more last week, homered on Wednesday and Saturday. After starting the year in Class-A High, he rose to Triple-A, where he has a line of .328 / .429 / .603 in 19 games for Memphis.
2B: Matthew Lugo, Salem Red Sox (Class A Low)
(Red Sox No. 12)
.435 / .536 / .652, 6 JJ, 23 BV, 7 C, 10 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 CI, 4 BB, 6 K, 1 BR, 1 OR
Lugo earned his spot here thanks in large part to a tremendous weekend, going 9-6 between Saturday and Sunday. Now, his offensive line in September is .395 / .481 / .651 with 11 RBIs in 12 games.
3B: Jordan Walker, Peoria Chiefs (Class A High)
(No. 3 Cardinals / No. 59 MLB)
.381 / .458 / 1.000, 5 JJ, 21 BV, 6 C, 8 H, 1 2B, 4 HR, 10 CI, 3 BB, 8 K, 1 BR
Walker is our third baseman of the week for the third time this season. This season, between the two levels of Class-A, the 2020 first-round draft prospect is hitting .324 / .396 / .549 with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases.
SS: Geraldo Perdomo, Yellow Sod Poodles (Double-A)
(No. 9 of D-backs)
.429 / .500 / .857, 5 JJ, 21 BV, 8 C, 9 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 CI, 3 BB, 6 K, 4 BR
The Dominican continues to straighten course after going through a slump for most of 2021, hitting in all five games he played last week to stretch his chain to eight. He is now hitting .385 / .479 / .718 in 39 at-bats in September, after hitting .306 / .398 / .472 in August and improving his batting average by nearly 80 points.
OF: Dominic Fletcher, Yellow Sod Poodles (Double-A)
(D-backs # 19)
.458 / .481 / 1.167, 6 JJ, 24 BV, 9 C, 11 H, 1 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 8 CI, 2 BB, 5 K
Fletcher was second only to Diaz among qualified prospects last week with a total of 28 bases hit and five games with more than one hit, to become the second Sod Poodles player on our prospect team this week. He has a robust .400 / .419 / .850 offensive line this month.
OF: Luis Matos, San Jose Giants (Class A Low)
(No. 3 Giants / No. 79 MLB)
.563 / .696 / 1.063, 5 JJ, 16 BV, 7 C, 9 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 CI, 6 BB, 2 K, 1 OR
The 19-year-old Venezuelan posted his best numbers over the weekend, going 9-11 between Friday and Sunday. He homered in two of three games, driving in all five of his runs for the week. That improved their numbers in September to .324 / .444 / .595. In total, he is .311 / .353 / .487 with 14 homers and 21 stolen bases this season.
OF: Jordan Brewer, Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Class A Low)
(Astros # 22)
.556 / .667 / .944, 5 JJ, 18 BV, 6 C, 10 H, 1 2B, 2 HR, 5 CI, 5 BB, 4K, 4 BR
Brewer is on a 10-game hitting streak and last week had three games of two hits or more. That allowed him to raise his line this season to .275 / .375 / .410, with 21 stolen bases in 23 attempts.
LZ: Chris Murphy, Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A)
(Red Sox No. 11)
1-0, EFE of 0.00, 1 JI, 6 IP, 2 H, 0 C, 0 CL, 0 BB, 11 K, WHIP of 0.33
This is the second time in four weeks that Murphy has been our selection as a left-handed pitcher. He had just 76 pitches in his six-inning gem on Friday, his first start since Aug. 31. Adding his performance between two levels in 2021, he averages 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
RHP: Tommy Romero, Durham Bulls (Triple-A)
(Rays # 18)
1-0, EFE of 0.00, 1 JI, 7 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 C, 0 CL 1 BB, 13 K, WHIP of 0.39
Romero started the year dominating Double-A hitters and is ending it by doing the same at Triple-A. He has shot 12.2 scoreless innings in two September starts, and opponents are hitting .186 in nine starts.
LR: Dylan Coleman, Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple-A)
(No. 29 of Reales)
1-0, 1 SV, EFE of 0.00, 2 JL, 3 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 C, 0 CL, 1 BB, 7 K, WHIP of 0.55
After throwing two blank episodes last week, Coleman has been our reliever on the Prospects Team of the Week in two of the last three editions of this ranking. He has a 1.93 ERA and a 15.4 K / 9 rate in his last 10 appearances.
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