With the Trade Deadline looming later this week, prospects around Minor League Baseball are playing under as much of a microscope as they will all year. Who will switch organizations by week's end as part of a deadline deal? Now's the time prospects can make an impression without even knowing it, because everybody is watching.
Sunday's top performers flexed, showing off their best in-game power, while a couple of talented right-handers racked up punchouts on the mound. Here are the top performers:
Carson Benge, OF, Binghamton (NYM No. 4/MLB No. 68)
Benge achieved his first career multihomer game by the second inning for Binghamton, homering in his first two at-bats -- once going back-to-back with Ryan Clifford (NYM No. 7) -- as part of a tremendous all-around day at the plate. He matched a season high with four hits, reached base five times, scored four runs and drove in three. The performance continued a torrid stretch for the 2024 first-rounder, who has hit safely in eight straight games and 14 of 16 this month. In 21 Double-A games, Benge is batting a robust .350 with a 1.046 OPS. Gameday
Leo De Vries, SS, Fort Wayne (SD No. 1/MLB No. 3)
The power stroke is beginning to re-emerge for De Vries after he hit only one homer over May and June. He turned around a 95-mph fastball on the inside corner, pulling it over the right-field wall for a solo home run, his eighth of the season at High-A. De Vries has homered on consecutive Sundays -- the latest was his third in July. Interestingly, it was also the seventh (of eight) he's hit as a left-handed batter this season. During his pro debut at Single-A last season, De Vries swatted seven of his 11 long balls from the right side of the plate. Gameday
Kevin McGonigle, SS, Erie (DET No. 1/MLB No. 6)
McGonigle propelled himself into the game's top 10 prospects behind an enormous first half, earning a promotion to Double-A right before the All-Star break. He's steadily showing why he belongs, producing an .858 OPS through his first 12 games at the level. He socked two doubles in the latest effort, driving in two runs and scoring another in his second consecutive multihit game. Gameday
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Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Sacramento (SF No. 1/MLB No. 17)
Eldridge is still relatively inexperienced at Triple-A. Though he reached the level down the stretch last season, he's been limited to 25 games with the River Cats so far this season due to some early injuries. But the Giants' 2023 first-rounder seems to be finding his stroke. Eldridge blasted his fourth homer in six games, a three-run jack that broke the game open. He added another RBI on a walk. The 20-year-old has driven in 13 runs in nine games since returning from the IL. Gameday
Eduardo Tait, C, Jersey Shore (PHI No. 4/MLB No. 56)
The 18-year-old backstop had his most productive game at the dish since reaching High-A. He hammered three hits, including two doubles, and drove in two runs. The three doubles Tait has in six games at the new level are indicative of the way he can impact the game. He had 19 doubles and 11 homers before his promotion, though this was his first two-double game of the season. It was also Tait's eighth game this season with three or more hits. Gameday
Jesús Rodriguez, C/3B, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY No. 27)
It's not every day that you see a catcher batting leadoff, but then again, it's not every day that a team gets as much punch out of that spot as the Triple-A RailRaiders did with Rodriguez. The 23-year-old backstop cranked two three-run homers in his first multihomer game of the season for a career-high six RBIs. Though he was playing as the designated hitter, Rodriguez is Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's regular catcher. He has been having a stellar year at the plate, hitting .320 with a .394 OBP, ranking in the top five in the International League in both categories, with 17 steals. Gameday
Gage Stanifer, RHP, Vancouver (TOR No. 7)
A 19th-round pick in the 2022 Draft, the 21-year-old Stanifer struck out eight across five innings of one-hit ball at High-A, one of his finer efforts since reaching the level in mid-May. It's been an uneven run for Stanifer, though. He began July with a similar five-inning, one-hit effort, and sandwiched in a scoreless three-inning start on July 13. But in between, he allowed 10 earned runs in five innings across two other starts. Gameday
Didier Fuentes, RHP, Gwinnett (ATL No. 8)
The Braves have challenged the 20-year-old Fuentes this year. He began the year at High-A and rose three levels, making four starts in the Majors, where he had some difficult results. Back at Triple-A, it all came together in his latest outing. Fuentes tied his season high with nine strikeouts across five strong innings to earn his first victory. It was his third start this season with at least nine strikeouts out of 12 total outings. Gameday