Pipeline preview: Means throwing in duel of the day

Here’s a look at top prospects to watch Thursday in Minor League action:

Hitter to watch: Daniel Palka (Twins’ No. 28) Chattanooga vs. Birmingham 8:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV After hitting a pair of homers in Wednesday’s win, Palka will be looking to provide more offensive fireworks Thursday night. In Palka’s first season with the Twins – he was acquired in a trade with the D-backs during the offseason — and at the Double-A Level, Palka is hitting .268 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 48 games. Wednesday’s two homer game may be a sign that Palka is about to get hot at the plate, but a big offensive performance won’t come easy Thursday as he is set to face Carson Fulmer, the No. 33 overall prospect.

Pitcher to watch: Braden Shipley (D-backs’ No. 1) Reno vs. Las Vegas 7:05 p.m. on MiLB.TV Shipley is 3-3 with a 3.18 ERA through 10 starts this season and is coming off his longest start of the year as he pitched eight innings. The D-backs’ top prospect was victimized by the home run ball in his last outing — he gave up a trio of blasts — but has only given up a total of four homers in 62 1/3 innings this season so it’s reasonable to expect he will do a better job of keeping the ball in the yard Thursday.

Duel of the day: John Means (Orioles’ No. 28) vs. Tyler Beede (Giants’ No. 2) Bowie vs. Richmond 6:35 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV Up until his last start, it was hard to find any flaw in Means’ 2016 campaign. The Orioles’ prospect has pitched exceptionally well and despite giving up four …

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