What a day for top prospects. Travis Bazzana hits his first professional homer, a grand slam, and Jackson Holliday clubbed his first big league homer (also a grand slam) the same afternoon. Elsewhere, two Red Sox prospects turn in monster performances, plus an update ahead of this afternoon’s signing deadline.

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians: The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Bazzana connected for his first professional home run on Wednesday. Bazzana came to the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth and pulled a 3-2 pitch to right field for a grand slam. Bazzana went 2-for-4 with two walks, three runs and a stolen base in the Captains 17-5 win over Beloit. Three games into his professional career, Bazzana is off to a hot start. 

Similarly, Jackson Holliday also crushed a grand slam yesterday, becoming only the third Orioles player since 1954 to hit a grand slam as his first MLB home run.

Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox: Despite selling off 10 prospects at the deadline, the top of the Red Sox rankings were largely untouched. That’s good news for Red Sox fans, as players like Anthony will likely be large parts of the future core of the team. On Wednesday, Anthony showed why he’s held in such high regard, crushing two home runs including a 465-foot shot that came off the bat at 116 mph, the hardest recorded hit by a Red Sox hitter this year at any level. Anthony’s plus-plus power lines up with anyone in the game, as he’s capable of hitting the ball out of any part of the park. On Wednesday, the Red Sox No. 2 prospect collected three hits and reached base four times in the Sea Dogs win.

Mikey Romero, SS, Red Sox: Few hitters have enjoyed a better July this side of Bobby Witt Jr. and Lawrence Butler than Romero. After making the Hot Sheet in consecutive weeks, the Red Sox prospect picked up where he left off last week, with a four-hit game on Wednesday that included two home runs. In total, Romero hit two home runs, two doubles and drove in five runs while scoring three times. For the month of July, Romero hit .354/.382/.780 with seven home runs and 12 doubles. This month has been a welcomed sign for the Red Sox as Romero has shown when healthy, his bat is nothing to be played with.

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers: The first two months of the season weren’t easy on Walcott, as he hit .195/.326/.315 over his first 44 games. Since the calendar hit June 1, it’s been a different story. Entering Wednesday’s game, Walcott was hitting .297/.358/.525 over his last 41 games. Yesterday, Walcott added onto that total with three more hits in High-A Hickory’s doubleheader against Asheville. Walcott hit his 20th double of the season and continues to look like once of the most exciting players in the lower minors.

Sabin Ceballos, 3B, Giants: Well that’s one way to make a good first impression. Ceballos, who the Giants acquired from the Braves in the Jorge Soler/Luke Jackson trade, homered and hit two doubles in his first game with High-A Eugene. The 21-year-old third baseman drove in three runs and scored five. We wrote on Tuesday that Ceballos had impressive raw power and ample bat speed, even if it hadn’t translated to much in-game power yet as a pro. It did Wednesday night.

C.J. Kayfus, 1B, Guardians: It’s been a dream season for Guardians No. 11 prospect C.J. Kayfus. On Wednesday, Kayfus collected four hits including two doubles as he raised his season slash line to .325/.429/.576. Kayfus has shown advanced plate discipline with average bat-to-ball and the ability to get the most out of below-average raw power. Kayfus is a case study in the value of bat path and the ability to make consistent flush contact. Kayfus’ bat speed grades out as below-average, but he constantly shows the ability to backspin ball the efficiently.

Tyler Bell Announces Intention To Play For Kentucky Next Spring

Tyler Bell, the No. 66 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Rays, announced Wednesday he will not sign a professional contract and will instead attend Kentucky. Bell ranked as the No. 103 prospect in the class. For failing to sign Bell, the Rays will lose the $1,260,200 million slot value associated with the 66th pick from their bonus pool. They will, however, receive a compensation pick in the 2025 draft.

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

A.J. Blubaugh, RHP, Astros: Blubaugh has a deep repertoire, and now it’s a matter of refining his arsenal and waiting for his call to the majors. The 24-year-old righthander throws a four-seam fastball, cutter, two-seamer, curveball, slider and changeup. He has added the cutter and two-seam fastball to his arsenal in recent years as he climbed the minor league ladder, including an appearance in this year’s Futures Game.