If like me you remember Reggie Jackson as a Yankee and Nolan Ryan as an Astro than you probably share my disbelief at seeing guys born in 1990 succeeding in pro baseball, but that’s exactly what we saw on Monday, as it was a day for the youngsters.

Angel Villalona may still be 16 years old, but he hit his third pro home run yesterday. Carlos Triunfel went 6-for-6 while playing in the California League.

Triple-A

Jeff Niemann left Monday’s game after only five pitches because of a sore right shoulder, but Durham went on to win without him, beating Indianapolis 6-3. New acquisition Calvin Medlock allowed only one hit in three innings to pick up the win.

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Dodgers hitting coordinator Bill Robinson was found dead in his Las Vegas hotel room Sunday. He was 64.

Robinson was in his second season in the Dodger organization following four years as a member of the Florida Marlins coaching staff, where he was the hitting coach for the 2003 World Championship team. He also served in that role for the New York Mets for five seasons during the 1980s, which included their 1986 World Series title.

“Bill was a wonderful family man and a great baseball player, coach, manager and friend to everyone he met,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said in a release. “Even though he never played for the Dodgers, it was an honor that he chose to be a part of the organization. Everyone he came into contact with was better for having known him.

“He had everyone’s best interest in mind at all times and he cared deeply about the development of our young players.”

The McKeesport, PA native spent 16 years as a player in the majors and compiled 1,127 hits, 166 home runs and 641 RBI as an outfielder for the Braves, Yankees, Phillies and Pirates from 1966-83. He played in a career-high 148 games for the 1979 world champion Pirates and batted .264 with 24 homers, 75 RBI and 13 stolen bases that season.

His best year was in 1977, when he batted .304 and set career highs in hits (154), runs (74) homers (26) and RBI (104), which ranked eighth in the NL. He also finished 11th in National League MVP voting that season. In 1978, Robinson ranked sixth in the NL with 36 doubles and in 1976, his 21 homers were the eighth-most in the National League.

In addition to his major league career as a coach, Robinson served as the hitting coach for Triple-A Columbus in the Yankees’ organization (1999-2001) and was a minor league coach and manager in the Phillies’ farm system from 1994-98. He managed the Caracas Leones to the Venezuelan League championship and a berth in the Caribbean Series in 1988.

Mobile manager Brett Butler is said to be resting comfortably as he recovers from a mild stroke he suffered Friday night. The former 17-year major leaguer and cancer survivor is in his second season as a minor league manager. While he recovers former Giants and Diamondback third baseman Matt Williams has stepped in as the team’s interim manager. [...] Continue Reading »

Joba Chamberlain is headed to the Scranton bullpen in a tuneup for a callup to the big leagues. Edinson Volquez keeps winning and walking guys in Triple-A and there were strong pitching performances throughout the minors on Sunday.

Triple-A

Edinson Volquez was almost knocked out of Sunday’s start in the first innings, as he gave up three runs before recording his second out. But he wiggled out of the jam after allowing only one more run, struck out the side in the second and didn’t allow another run as he picked up his third win in three starts since being promoted to Oklahoma. There still are some reasons to be concerned about Volquez, as he’s walked 11 in 18 innings since the promotion. Jason Botts went 4-for-4 to lead the Redhawks while Adam Jones doubled and stole a base for Tacoma.

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Marlins’ righthander Chris Volstad was expected to make his Double-A debut Sunday, after going 8-9, 4.50 in 126 innings at high Class A Jupiter.

Volstad, Florida’s first-round pick in 2005 and No. 1 prospect overall, was called up to Carolina late Saturday and was scheduled to take the mound for the Mudcats against Jacksonville.

• Tigers’ righthander Yorman Bazardo pitched a nine-inning complete game in Triple-A Toledo’s 4-1 win against Richmond. Bazardo allowed an unearned run on four hits, struck out four and walked two and improved to 8-5, 3.93 in 110 innings for the Mud Hens. [...] Continue Reading »

Delmarva righthander Zach Clark is probably not a prospect. He was a non-drafted free agent in 2006 out of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and is 24 years old in low Class A.

All that aside, Clark was on in a big way Saturday night against low Class A Greensboro. Clark retired the first 13 hitters he faced, striking out three, before Grasshoppers right fielder Spike McDougall doubled on a line drive to right field that squirted out of the glove of a diving Brandon Tripp and spoiled the bid at a perfect game. [...] Continue Reading »

Two Orioles first-round picks, Brandon Snyder (2005) and Billy Rowell (2006), have battled through some setbacks in their young pro careers, but recently are showing no signs of slowing down.

Rowell injured his right oblique during spring training and went to extended spring training to rehab and get back to playing.

“It was pretty depressing,” Rowell said. “You can’t do anything but wait it out.” [...] Continue Reading »

This weekend we’ll start with the Red Sox, as both righthanders Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden took the mound Friday.

Buchholz allowed a pair of runs on three hits and struck out seven in Triple-A Pawtucket’s 4-2 win against Toledo. In three Triple-A starts, Buchholz is now 0-1, 4.50 with 21 strikeouts in 12 innings.

Meanwhile in the Eastern League, Bowden is doing his best to anchor the Portland rotation in Buccholz’s absence. Bowden has won two of his last three starts, and allowed a pair of runs on six hits and struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings of the Sea Dogs’ 9-2 win against Connecticut.

In July, Bowden is 2-1, 3.70 with a 22-8 strikeout-walk ratio—by far his best numbers since being called up from high Class A Lancaster.

• Chase Wright’s return to Double-A didn’t go so well, as the Yankee lefthander allowed 10 runs on 11 hits over 4 1/3 innings of Trenton’s 13-5 loss to Reading. Wright, who last started for the Thunder on April 28, was reassigned with righthander Tyler Clippard to make room for 2006 first-rounders Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. [...] Continue Reading »

Diamondbacks shortstop Donnie Sadler, who has spent most of the season with Triple-A Tucson, failed a drug of abuse test and was suspended for 50 games.

Though Sadler, 32, has amassed 418 big league games—the majority of them for the Red Sox—he was hitting just .214/.348/.366 in the Pacific Coast League this season. Ever the utilityman, Sadler had also seen time at second and third base as well as all three outfield spots.

Tom King, a righthanded reliever who was recently released by the Giants, has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for a performance enhancing substance.

King was actually quite effective for low Class A Augusta going 0-0, 2.70 with one save in 13 innings. He had not pitched since May 31 however and was released by the Giants in late June. [...] Continue Reading »

In his second full pro season Jed Lowrie has made it to Triple-A. The Red Sox announced that they have promoted the shortstop after he hit .297/.410/.501 at Double-A Portland while leading the Eastern League with 31 doubles. It’s been a breakout season for Lowrie who struggled to hit for average or power last season, and he’ll now join former Portland teammates Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury. [...] Continue Reading »

Hitting for the cycle is rare enough that you could go years without seeing one. But fans all around the minors got the chance on Thursday as Visalia’s Derek Bruce, Louisville’s Chris Dickerson and Lexington’s Jordan Parraz all completed the feat. We could have seen two more cycles as well if John Shelby and Nick Mahin’s bids hadn’t been thwarted by the lack of a double.

Triple-A

Louisville had plenty of stars on Thursday. Chris Dickerson hit for the cycle, Joey Votto added two home runs, Jay Bruce doubled and Phil Dumatrait held Scranton to one run in five innings.

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Devil Rays third baseman Evan Longoria collected his 20th homer and 20th double of the season in Double-A Montgomery’s 6-5, 10-inning win against Mobile on Wednesday.

It’s been steady as she goes for the third overall pick last year out of Long Beach State, hitting .307/.406/.529 in 361 at-bats for the Biscuits.

“Things have been going well,” Longoria said, “but i try not to get too caught up in the numbers. I’m just trying to remain consistent on a daily basis. If you do that, the numbers will show that in the end. I’m not thinking about the big leagues or anything like that now. That stuff is nice, and it’ll be there . . . but I know there are certain areas where I need to improve. I’m always learning something.” [...] Continue Reading »

The Phillies called up outfielder Greg Golson and lefthander Josh Outman to Double-A Reading Thursday, adding some prospect bulk to the R-Phils’ roster. [...] Continue Reading »

Joba Chamberlain found strikeouts just as as easy to come by in Triple-A as he did in Double-A and Rick Ankiel homered again on a busy night around the minors on Wednesday.

Triple-A

Joba Chamberlain struck out 10 in five scoreless innings in a very impressive Triple-A debut as he picked up the win. According to the Scranton Times-Tribune, Chamberlain’s fastball sat between 94 and 97 mph for most of the night and he displayed an impressive slider and changeup as well. Chamberlain had Jay Bruce’s number as he struck him out twice, but once Chamberlain left the game Bruce hit a three-run home run. It was Bruce’s fifth extra-base hit in the past five games.

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Anyone here in Durham, NC who saw Indians righthander Adam Miller’s July 14 start against the Bulls knew all was not right with the 22-year-old phenom.

After allowing five runs in 2 2/3 innings at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Miller made one more start–allowing eight runs on 11 hits over just four innings against Charlotte–before the Tribe shut him down.

“I really felt OK in that start at Durham, but didn’t really have a feel for my two-seamer or my changeup,” Miller said. “I was fine out of the windup, but I just couldn’t get a feel for those two pitches out of the stretch. As far as Charlotte goes, I felt fine, but they were just hitting everything. I mean they were just putting everything in play.” [...] Continue Reading »

Braves first baseman Kala Kaaihue was promoted to Double-A Mississippi, after the 22-year-old batted .298/.410/.583 at high Class A Myrtle Beach.

Signed as a nondrafted free agent out of Iolani HS in Honolulu in 2005, Kaaihue has huge power to all fields. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound first baseman blasted 22 home runs for the Pelicans, leading Myrtle Beach manager Rocket Wheeler to compare him to a former big leaguer . . . with big power. [...] Continue Reading »

Philip Hughes is one step closer to New York, while Adam Miller is further away from Cleveland.

Triple-A

Indians prospect Adam Miller is sidelined for at least two weeks with a sore elbow. The righthander will be shut down for the next two weeks due to inflamation of the elbow. A similiar injury forced Miller to sit out much of the 2005 season.

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Brewers catcher Angel Salome will sit out 50 games after garnering a suspension today for failing a performance-enhancing drugs test.

The 21-year-old backstop is hitting .318/.341/.465 with six homers and 20 doubles for high Class A Brevard County. Though he made strides defensively in his repeat of low Class A West Virginia in 2006, Salome struggled this season to nab opposing basestealers. He had caught just six of 46 (13 percent) at the time of his suspension.

The Brewers took Salome from a New York City high school in the fifth round of the 2004 draft.

This week’s installment considers all transactions reported between July 16-20.

Last week’s transactions available here.

Draft picks are presented alphabetically by position here, but to see each team’s draft in chronological order, be sure to check out our Draft Database.

For even more detailed information, like scouting reports for most players in the top six rounds, check out the fully-searchable subscriber-only Advanced Draft Database.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Draft picks signed: RHP Bryan Augenstein (7)
Released: RHP Ramon Castro
Optioned to Triple-A: OF Jeff Salazar
Placed on temporarily inactive list: RHP Barry Enright

Augenstein was a preseason third-team All-American who had an up-and-down junior season at Florida, going 8-5, 4.98 with 105 strikeouts in 112 innings. [...] Continue Reading »