By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are minor-league highlights from the week of April 11-17.

Bregman’s power trip

It was a jaw-dropping week for No. 1 Astros prospect Alex Bregman. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft tore up Double-A pitching with a total of 5 HRs — more than he hit in all of 2015 — and 12 RBIs on .440 hitting, including three HRs over a stretch of eight at-bats. They weren’t your average round-trippers, either. The 22-year-old shortstop hit two HRs on Monday (including a walk-off shot in the 12th inning), a solo shot on Tuesday (4/12/2016), and a grand-slam HR on Friday. Best sign that Bregman is playing at the right level? He only struck out three times. Don’t be surprised if Bregman is named the Texas League’s Player of the Week. He has hit safely in all 10 games this season. In 2015, Bregman hit a total of 4 home runs. Check out this article on his rapid progress.

Bregman’s grand slam

Kalish’s on-base onslaught

Opposing pitchers couldn’t keep former major-leaguer Ryan Kalish off the base paths last week. Playing for the Cubs’ Triple-A team, the 28-year-old left fielder hit .438, walked 4 times, and didn’t strike out once.

Meyers’ triple threat

Mike Meyers, a left fielder with Boston’s High-A club, tripled twice last week. He’s one of only five Carolina League players with 2 or more triples so far.

Sonabend’s surprise

Adam Sonabend‘s future in pro ball looked dim. He went undrafted out of college, an experience so painful that he blogged about it on Gabe Kapler’s website. Although the San Francisco Giants signed him as an undrafted free agent, he spent the entire 2015 season as a bullpen catcher, logging only two at-bats. But the Giants must have seen something in the 23-year-old catcher, because Sonabend’s already caught three games for the franchise’s Low-A team, where he’s hitting .308 with 1 RBI. He’ll have to do something about opposing runners, however, who are 8-for-8 in stolen bases against him so far.

Want our news updates sent free to your e-mailbox? Click here