Fernando Martinez did something for the first time in his career, Dexter Fowler had deja vu in a doubleheader and Mat Gamel had yet another big night at the plate in yestersday’s Double-A games.
 
EASTERN LEAGUE
 
Prospect Of The Day
Hitting leadoff for Binghamton, Mets center fielder Fernando Martinez clubbed two home runs, going 3-for-4 with a walk. The youngest player in Double-A, Martinez had the first multi-homer game of his career–in fact, he only hit four home runs all last year in 60 games with Binghamton.
 
Prospect Nuggets
Antonio Bastardo kept piling up the strikeouts upon his promotion to Double-A Reading (Phillies), but the runs came along for the ride this time. Bastardo had seven strikeouts and no walks in five innings against Binghamton, but he also allowed five runs, four of which were earned . . . Trenton (Yankees) center fielder Austin Jackson went 1-for-4 with a walk and hit his ninth double of 2008. [...] Continue Reading »

White Sox third baseman Josh Fields was placed on the Triple-A Charlotte disabled list with patella tendinitis in his right knee, the Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzales reports.

The 24-year-od Fields slugged 23 home runs in 100 big league games last season, but found himself back with the Knights for a third straight season, in deference to White Sox starter Joe Crede. An injury (lower back surgery) to Crede last season opened the door for Fields to hit .244/.308/.480 in 373 at-bats.

But Fields was off to a sluggish start this season: .240/.318/.396 with four homers in 96 at-bats.

After Bud Norris spent 2007 with low Class A Lexington, the Astros skipped the righthander over high Class A Salem—well, not technically, since he did make one start for Salem last year—and started him in Double-A Corpus Christi this season.

So far, Norris has made a smooth transition to Double-A. Through six starts, the 23-year-old Norris has a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings and a 40-11 K-BB ratio, averaging 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings. He complements his low-90s fastball with a slider and a changeup. While the Astros are still trying to get more separation in the speed of Norris’ fastball and his changeup, the slider is Norris’ primary off-speed pitch.

"(His slider) is short and sharp with downer action," Corpus Christi pitching coach Stan Boroski said. "When he’s in the zone with it, it can also be a swing-and-miss pitch. It breaks late and it’s got some bite to it. When he stays within himself and doesn’t try to do too much with it, it’s very effective."

[...] Continue Reading »

The Indians have sent righthander Sung-Wei Tseng, the No. 17 prospect in the Indians system entering the season, from Double-A Akron to high Class A Kinston after the 23-year-old struggled in nine relief appearances with the Aeros.

Tseng, who signed out of Taiwan in 2006 for $300,000, allowed 15 runs—including three homers—in 15 1/3 innings with Akron, giving him an 8.80 ERA. He had 12 strikeouts and six walks.

In a corresponding roster move, the Indians promoted righthanded reliever Erik Stiller from Kinston to Double-A. A nondrafted free agent out of Princeton, Stiller had a 2.79 ERA and a 27-9 K-BB ratio through 19 1/3 innings in his nine appearances.

Jay Bruce kept racking up the hits, Michael Hollimon clubbed a walk-off homer, Chase Headley emerged from his funk and Greg Reynolds pitched an abbreviated game before being called up to Colorado.

Check out Friday’s Triple-A Dish.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

For a 21-year-old prospect burdened with great expectations, Louisville center fielder Jay Bruce (Reds) sure is consistent. He went 4-for-5 last night with a double (his fourth) and two runs scored in the Bats’ 8-4 win against Norfolk. And in his last three games, Bruce has eight hits in 13 at-bats.

The top prospect in the land is batting .320/.343/.541 with five homers, four doubles, four triples and seven steals in seven tries (and he leads the IL with 39 hits), but it’s his  against lefties (.333/.317/.513) and his knack for avoiding prolonged slumps (his longest hitless games streak is three) that stand out. If there’s one thing Bruce could stand to improve upon, though, it’s his walk-to-strikeout ratio, which stands at 7-to-30. He’s got plenty of time. [...] Continue Reading »

Wednesday was a fairly slow day in low Class A, as weather truncated the MWL’s schedule and only six games were played between the two leagues. But there were still some noteworthy performances by prospects, led by the efforts of Brian Rike and Kyler Burke.

South Atlantic League

Prospect Of The Day

Asheville (Rockies) right fielder Brian Rike wins the prize for Wednesday. Rike went 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored in the Tourists’ 9-3 victory over Charleston (Yankees), pulling them within a half game of the first-place RiverDogs. This was Rike’s second three-hit game in a row after he went 3-for-5 on Wednesday night against Savannah (Mets), raising his season line to .311/.421/.557.

[...] Continue Reading »

California League

Prospect Of The Day

Outfielder Julio Borbon lifted Bakersfield (Rangers) to a 10-6 win over Modesto (Rockies). He went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs, four RBIs and a stolen base.

He is now hitting .305/.351/.381 on the year and has been caught stealing just once. He has eight doubles on the season and those are his only extra-base hits.

[...] Continue Reading »

Allen Craig blasted a pair of home runs, David Huff and Michael Bowden threw a pair of gems in the Eastern League, Daryl Thompson finally struggled, John Jaso had a big night at the plate and Luke Hughes extended his hitting streak in yesterday’s Double-A action.

EASTERN LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day
Akron (Indians) lefthander David Huff allowed seven earned runs through 8 2/3 innings in his first two outings. In his last five starts, Huff has been dominant, allowing just four earned runs in 30 2/3 innings for a 1.19 ERA with a 35-8 K-BB ratio. That stretch inludes last night’s performance against Altoona (Pirates), in which Huff allowed just one run in seven innings, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out eight. On the year, Huff has a 2.52 ERA in 39 1/3 innings with a 41-10 K-BB ratio.

[...] Continue Reading »

This week’s installment considers all transactions reported by MLB between April 26 and May 6. Last week’s transactions available here.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Released: RHP Luis Caro, RHP Ivan Cedeno, LHP Mark Rosen
Recalled: RHP Max Scherzer
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Yusmeiro Petit
Reinstated from DL: RHP Esmerling Vasquez

It’s hard to imagine a pitcher getting off to a better start than Scherzer, 23, did with the Sidewinders. Of the 82 Pacific Coast League batters to oppose him, 38 struck out (46 percent), three walked (four percent), one was hit by a pitch and just 12 reached via a hit (.146 average). Fresno’s Justin Leone took Scherzer deep, providing the only blemish on the righthander’s record.

Atlanta Braves
Recalled: RHP Phil Stockman, LHP Jo-Jo Reyes
Added to 40-man roster: SS Brent Lillibridge
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Phil Stockman, SS Brent Lillibridge
Designated for assignment: RHP Zach Schreiber
Outrighted off 40-man roster: RHP Zach Schreiber
Placed on 7-day DL: LHP Steve Evarts, LHP Carlos Sencion, OF Carl Loadenthal
Reinstated from DL: RHP Michael Nix, C Ray Serrano
Placed on temporarily inactive list: LHP Francisley Bueno
Reinstated from inactive list: LHP Francisley Bueno [...] Continue Reading »

Ian Kennedy had much more than Charlotte could handle, Jay Bruce kept plugging away, John Mayberry proves he belongs at Triple-A and Ian Stewart shows signs of breaking free of his slump.

Check out yesterday’s Triple-A Dish.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre righthander Ian Kennedy (Yankees) struggled to an 8.37 ERA in his first six games with New York, so he gets a reprieve with the Dunder-Mifflin Yankees. Reprieve may not be the right word, though. In attendance were Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras.

The early returns were overwhelmingly positive. Kennedy held Charlotte scoreless through 7 1/3 innings—and hitless through the first six—while striking out eight and allowing a lone hit. After the game, Contreras told The New York Times’ Chad Jennings: “That was a better game tonight than any game he pitched here last year.”

If you’re wondering why a pitcher who started the year in the big leagues is in our prospects roundup, the answer is, Kennedy has just 43 big league innings on his resume, so he’s still a prospect by our standards. [...] Continue Reading »