Baseball America Prospect Report -- May 14, 2019

Terrin Vavra, DH, Rockies. Vavra had a four-hit night for low Class A Asheville, making his first appearance ever as a DH. He had two doubles and two home runs from the leadoff spot. Vavra hadn’t done much in his previous seven games, collecting just two hits in his last 24 at-bats prior to Monday. Even though he is still far from the big leagues, The Rockies’ No. 14 prospect has feel for the game and shows good bat-to-ball skills with versatility to move around the infield.

Israel Pineda, C, Nationals. Pineda collected two hits in four at-bats and walked twice for low Class A Hagerstown. He doubled and hit a two-run home run in the second inning. His season had gotten off to a sluggish start, batting just .183/.266/.254 for the month of April. Pineda is starting to see more success recently, with two of his past three games resulting in multi-hit performances The Nationals’ No. 15 prospect is seen as a good catch-and-throw backstop who shows bat-to-ball skills and uses the entire field.

Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox. Duran just keeps on hitting for high Class A Salem, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. Duran had two doubles, a single and also walked twice from the leadoff spot. It was his third three-hit game in a four day span, with seven of his nine games in the month of May being multi-hit performances. Boston’s No. 12 prospect is a dangerous weapon on offense, considering he has an above-average hit tool and 70-grade speed.

Jeremy Pena, SS, Astros. Pena went two for four and scored twice for low A Quad Cities. He tripled to center field in the third inning and once again in the seventh inning. Pena is holding his own in his first season of full season pro ball, although he has shown a propensity to strike out more than he did last season. Even if he doesn’t hit much, Pena’s value is tied to his defensive, which is above-average at shortstop.

Buddy Reed, OF, Padres. Batting at the very bottom of the order, Reed had a major impact for Double-A Amarillo. The Padres’ No. 25 prospect collected four hits and drove in two runs while scoring once. He fell a triple short of the cycle, hitting two singles, a double and a solo home run in the second inning. Reed while his slashline mimics the struggles that he had after being promoted to Double-A last season, Reed is slowly cutting down on strikes and has already blasted seven home runs in 111 at-bats.

Daulton Varsho, C, Diamondbacks. Varsho had a four-hit game from the cleanup spot. He started out with two singles, then doubled to left field followed by a double to right field. The Dbacks’ No. 3 prospect is off to a solid start during his first taste of the upper minors, batting .295/.375/.505 with 12 extra-base hits in 105 at-bats. All of his in-game power has come against righthanded pitching, with zero extra-base hits against lefties. Varsho shows feel for finding the barrel, and his athleticism may help him to provide value at multiple positions down the road.

Brendan Rodgers, SS, Rockies. Colorado’s top prospect had a four-hit game for Triple-A Albuquerque after being beaned in the head by a pitch on Saturday. He homered to open in the scoring in the top of the first inning and smacked another one in the top of the sixth. Rodgers didn’t fare all too well in 19 games at the affiliate last season, but has adjusted to the tune of a .351/.419/.641 slashline with 19 extra-base hits in 131 at-bats. Rodgers continues to make adjustments, showing that he can be a plus hitter at the big league level shortly.

Brady Feigl, RHP, Athletics. Feigl tossed seven scoreless innings for high Class A Stockton. The righthander allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out three. It was the lowest hit total he had given up all season, and a certain improvement upon the back-to-back eight hits allowed in each of his previous two starts. Oaklands’ No. 26 prospect works mostly with a fastball-curveball combo with some deception. Even though his changeup lags behind those two offerings, Oakland will continue to roll him out as a starter for the time being.

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