Pipeline preview: Brault featured in duel of the day

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

Hitter to watch: Nick Senzel (Reds’ No. 1), Dayton at West Michigan (7 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)

Senzel’s torrid pro debut continued Friday when he connected on his seventh home run as part of a 2-for-4 effort for Class A Dayton. The 2016 No. 2 overall Draft pick has hit .309 through 45 games for the Dragons, with 26 RBIs, 13 stolen bases and a 24-36 walk-to-strikeout ratio.

Pitcher to watch: David Paulino (Astros’ No. 6), Fresno at Albuquerque (9:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)

Paulino, No. 80 on the Top 100, will be making his debut for Triple-A Fresno after breezing through the Double-A Texas League, where he posted a 1.83 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP over 14 appearances (nine starts) for Corpus Christi. The 22-year-old right-hander compiled 72 strikeouts against 11 walks over 64 innings, during which he also held opposing hitters to a .204 average and just three home runs.

Duel of the day: Robert Stephenson (Reds’ No. 4) vs. Steven Brault (Pirates’ No. 15), Louisville vs. Indianapolis (6:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)

Stephenson has scuffled of late for Louisville, having allowed six or more earned runs in two of his past four starts. During that stretch, the No. 64 overall prospect’s ERA has jumped from 3.69 to 4.29, the highest it’s been all season. Issuing 61 walks in 121 2/3 innings has compromised the 23-year-old righty’s efforts in 2016, though he’s still missing a fair number of bats (104 strikeouts) while proving difficult to hit (.230 opponents’ average).

Brault was a …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com