Two of baseball's top 10 prospects -- teammates Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle (Tigers) -- flexed their muscles right off the bat to highlight a busy night of Minor League action. Reds backstop Alfredo Duno put his name in the club record books for Single-A Daytona, while Spencer Jones (Yankees) sits alone yet again in the race for the Minor League home run crown.
Max Clark, OF, Erie (DET No. 2/MLB No. 9)
Detroit's top two prospects got things going immediately for Double-A Erie, providing a tantalizing glimpse of what could soon be in the Motor City. Clark led off the contest with his second homer in as many games and Kevin McGonigle (DET No. 1/MLB No. 2) followed with a long ball of his own. Clark, who also singled and drove in three runs, has slugged 14 roundtrippers this season and seven in 37 games since his promotion to Double-A, where he owns an .834 OPS. Gameday
Josue De Paula, OF, Great Lakes (LAD No. 1/MLB No. 12)
After struggling through much of the summer and missing three weeks with a right knee injury, De Paula looks to be getting back in a groove for High-A Great Lakes. The 20-year-old doubled and picked up three hits for the second time in four games to extend a hot streak that dates back to the final days of August. Despite his inconsistencies, De Paula still holds an .819 OPS this season and has hit safely in seven of his past eight games, going 13-for-31 (.419) with five extra-base hits and eight RBIs. Gameday
Alfredo Duno, C, Daytona (CIN No. 3/MLB No. 72)
With the end of the season looming, Duno is on the verge of finishing his first full-season campaign as one of the best-hitting catchers in the Minors. The 19-year-old left the yard for the second time in three games and collected four hits for the first time since 2023. In the process, Duno drove in a pair of runs that lifted his total for the season to 80, which established a new club record for Single-A Daytona. The native of Venezuela is slashing .352/.492/.736 with 17 extra-base hits and 29 RBIs in 28 games since Aug. 1. Gameday
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Carlos Lagrange, RHP, Somerset (NYY No. 2/MLB No. 79)
Lagrange had his entire arsenal of pitches working and the result was his second scoreless outing of the season -- first since July 13. The 22-year-old allowed a hit in each of the first two innings but proved unhittable moving forward, yielding one baserunner and striking out 10 in five scoreless frames. Lagrange has held opponents to a .198 average in 23 appearances (22 starts) and has struck out 163, the second-highest total in the Minors. Gameday
Spencer Jones, OF, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY No. 3/MLB No. 88)
The back-and-forth chase for the Minor League home run crown tilted back in Jones' favor after the 6-foot-7 slugger launched his 33rd of the season and 17th for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 24-year-old has a .944 OPS, 53 extra-base hits, 71 RBIs and 26 stolen bases across two Minor League levels this season. Gameday
Johnny King, LHP, Dunedin (TOR No. 5)
King's debut season has gone as well as can be expected despite a brief hiccup toward the end of last month. Coming off two subpar outings, the 19-year-old rebounded by recording seven punchouts over 4 2/3 scoreless frames for Single-A Dunedin. King, who is averaging 15.3 K/9 across two Minor League levels, has fanned 64 in 37 2/3 innings and is holding opponents to a .203 average since his promotion to the Florida State League. Gameday
Ty Johnson, RHP, Montgomery (TB No. 19)
Johnson's second double-digit strikeout performance of the season punctuated his best start in a long line of notable outings for Double-A Montgomery. The 23-year-old retired the first 10 batters he faced and allowed two baserunners -- a single and a walk the fourth inning -- during his six scoreless frames. Johnson lowered his ERA to 2.52 and his WHIP to 0.93 in 25 appearances (19 starts) this year. Gameday