Prospect Team Of The Month: June — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Zack Granite hit .470 at Triple-A Rochester in June. (Tom DiPace)

An all-star team comprised of prospects, based on their performance in the minors during the month of June. Monthly all-prospect team archives available here.

The runs above average (RAA) estimates are calculated by Baseball America. For batters, weighted on-base average (wOBA) is used to calculate RAA, and for pitchers, runs allowed per nine innings (R/9) is used.

C Francisco Mejia • Indians
Double-A Akron (Eastern)

Mejia led all minor league catchers with a .361 average in June and has continued to produce hits and extra-base hits with a high-contact approach. The 21-year-old switch-hitter led the Eastern League batting race (.339) as the season gave way to Futures Game weekend.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RAA
83	18	30	6	1	6	19	9	16	4	1	.361	.421	.675	10.1

1B Ryan McMahon • Rockies
Triple-A Albuquerque (Pacific Coast)

The 2013 second-round pick led all minor league batters with 21 extra-base hits in June while compiling a 1.183 OPS. The 22-year-old McMahon slammed 14 home runs through 80 games between Albuquerque and Double-A Hartford, and he was well on his way to eclipsing his personal high mark of 18 bombs.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RAA
117	22	50	14	0	7	28	9	16	4	0	.427	.457	.726	16.3

2B Nick Solak • Yankees
High Class A Tampa (Florida State)

A second-round pick last year, Solak followed Louisville teammates and first-rounders Corey Ray, Zack Burdi and Will Smith off the board. Solak doesn’t produce much power, but he’s a top-of-the-lineup pest who draws walks (fourth in the Florida State League), rarely strikes out and owns a .312 average in pro ball.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RAA
75	19	29	4	1	3	14	10	13	6	1	.387	.448	.587	10.1

3B Rafael Devers • Red Sox
Double-A Portland (Eastern)

Power separated Devers from a crowded field of third basemen in June that included the Twins’ Travis Blankenhorn (11.5 RAA) at low Class A and the Astros’ J.D. Davis (10.4) at Double-A. Devers ranked fourth among all minor league batters with a .402 isolated slugging percentage for the month.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RAA
92	18	29	9	2	8	21	8	17	0	0	.315	.370	.717	9.7

SS Bo Bichette • Blue Jays
Low Class A Lansing (Midwest)

The 2016 second-rounder’s historic season in the Midwest League gained steam in June, when he hit .400 for the month for the first time this season. As of July 6, Bichette led the MWL in average, hits, doubles, on-base percentage, slugging, extra-base hits and runs. He led the minors with a .383 average.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RAA
95	15	40	12	1	3	16	5	17	6	2	.421	.455	.663	13.5

OF Yusniel Diaz • Dodgers
High Class A Rancho Cucamonga (California)

Diaz may be repeating the California League this season, but he still is just 20 years old and is in just his second season in the U.S. after leaving Cuba. He turned his season around in June, when he eliminated the pre-pitch movement in his setup, and began producing for average and power.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RAA
101	20	40	9	2	5	17	9	15	2	4	.396	.438	.673	11.5

OF Zack Granite • Twins
Triple-A Rochester (International)

Granite emerged as a prospect in 2016, when he led the minors with 56 stolen bases, and completed his breakout this June, when he hit an astonishing .470 in 117 at-bats. With that performance, Granite rocketed to the top of the International League batting race at .365.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RAA
117	23	55	11	3	2	12	14	16	8	4	.470	.527	.667	19.9

OF Austin Hays • Orioles
High Class A Frederick (Carolina)

Few 2016 draftees have improved their stock more than Hays, a third-rounder from Jacksonville. The 22-year-old righthanded batter hit .328/.364/.592 with 16 home runs in 64 games at Frederick to earn a June 22 promotion to Double-A Bowie, where he compiled a .927 OPS through his first 14 games.

AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	RAA
110	15	41	8	0	8	22	4	14	1	3	.373	.397	.664	11.0

LHP Steven Brault • Pirates
Triple-A Indianapolis (International)

The Pirates have seen Brault’s velocity tick upwards since they acquired him from the Orioles for Travis Snider in early 2015. He turned his season around in May when he started attacking hitters and working in more advantage counts, and since May 1 he has recorded a 1.31 ERA and allowed one home run in 87 innings.

W	L	ERA	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	SO	BB	SO/9	BB/9	AVG	RAA
5	0	1.32	5	34	26	5	5	0	33	5	8.7	1.3	.211	12.0

RHP Corbin Burnes • Brewers
Double-A Biloxi (Southern)

Burnes assumed the overall minor league ERA lead at 1.13 by allowing just five runs in his first six Double-A starts. Earlier this season, the 2016 fourth-rounder pitched his way out of high Class A Carolina by going 5-0, 1.05 in 10 starts. Burnes also ranks second in the minors with a 0.84 WHIP.

W	L	ERA	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	SO	BB	SO/9	BB/9	AVG	RAA
2	1	1.53	5	29.1	17	5	5	0	32	5	9.8	1.5	.165	8.3

LHP Matt Hall • Tigers
High Class A Lakeland (Florida State)

Hall had one of the best curveballs available in the 2015 draft, and he has used the pitch to great effect by carving up low-level competition with 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. He turns 24 in July and is too advanced for the Florida State League, but recording a 0.00 ERA for an entire month is difficult, regardless of level.

W	L	ERA	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	SO	BB	SO/9	BB/9	AVG	RAA
3	0	0.00	5	25.2	15	1	0	0	31	6	10.9	2.1	.169	10.7

RHP Zack Littell • Yankees
High Class A Tampa (Florida State)

The Yankees must feel good about their November 2016 trade with the Mariners that netted them Littell for James Pazos. Littell had pitched his way to Double-A Trenton by late June, while ranking among the organization leaders with a 1.89 ERA (12th in the minors) and 82 strikeouts.

W	L	ERA	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	SO	BB	SO/9	BB/9	AVG	RAA
5	0	0.58	5	31	17	3	2	0	36	9	10.5	2.6	.156	11.1

RHP Mike Soroka • Braves
Double-A Mississippi (Southern)

Soroka might be a teenager in Double-A, but he sure hasn’t pitched like one. He ranks third in the Southern League ERA race at 2.55 after a typically excellent showing in June in which he allowed three earned runs in five starts.