You’ve seen a lot recently here about outfielders who are hitting after being promoted, but there are several pitchers who are also getting comfortable in new cities. Clayton Kershaw and Ross Detwiler each had big nights on Monday while Wade Davis outdueled Gio Gonzalez.

Triple-A

Andrew McCutchen had three more hits and stole a base as Indianapolis beat Toledo. [...] Continue Reading »

Reds outfielder Jay Bruce keeps himself informed on what’s going on around the game. And not just his 2005 draft class, either. The 20-year-old outfielder for Triple-A Louisville stopped by the Q-Shack Sunday, a Baseball America favorite in the lunchtime rotation, for a long chat. We’ll have more on Bruce in the coming weeks, but here are some nuggets on his thoughts about certain players he’s faced or seen this season: [...] Continue Reading »

There’s nothing like a winning streak to get a team going. But when it’s a 19-game streak, things are a little unprecedented—even if it’s the Rookie-Level Dominican Summer League.

The DSL Phillies rolled off their 19th straight win on Friday, a day after they were rained out after leading 2-0 in the fourth inning against the Athletics. After having their Saturday game rained out, the club will aim for their 20th straight win on Monday (Aug. 20) when they face the Athletics again.
But even with a record of 42-17, the Phillies don’t have the best winning percentage in the DSL this year—that belongs to the Nationals, who own the league’s best record with a little over two weeks to play at 47-14.

“To put together that kind of run is impressive for any team at any level,” Phillies international scouting director Sal Agostinelli said. “And they’re doing it with good pitching, good defense.” [...] Continue Reading »

Sunday night was all about home runs. Juan Francisco hit three home runs to take over the Midwest League home run lead. Val Pascucci hit his 31st and 32nd home runs. Laynce Nix homered for a fifth straight day for Nashville and David Smith homered for a fourth straight night for New Hampshire.
Triple-A

Making his second start since being sent back down from the majors, Aaron Laffey allowed one runs in six innings to pick up his ninth straight win for Buffalo. [...] Continue Reading »

The vaunted outfield class of 2005 keep climbing the ladder. Cameron Maybin joined Justin Upton in the big leagues this week and now Andrew McCutchen has joined Jay Bruce in Triple-A.
The Pirates announced Friday that McCutchen and Neil Walker have been promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis. McCutchen got the call despite a mediocre production at Double-A Altoona. He was hitting .255/.327/.383 overall for the season, but he had rallied after a miserable start to the season, and was hitting .307-6-17 since July 1. [...] Continue Reading »

Portland’s Justin Masterson was one of the minors hottest pitchers in July. His August has not gone as well, and it just got a little worse as the Sea Dogs announced that the righthander is headed to the disabled list with a calf strain.

Masterson didn’t allow a run until his third Double-A start, and he followed that up with a pair of 10 strikeout starts. But he has allowed 15 runs in his last two starts (10 innings) before heading to the disabled list.

Devil Rays lefthander James Houser has been suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a performance enhancing substance.

Houser is one of the highest profile prospects to be nabbed by the minor league drug testing program. The Devil Rays’ 2003 second-round pick out of a Sarasota, Fla., high school, Houser ranked as Tampa Bay’s No. 21 prospect heading into the season after a solid 2006 season in Visalia. He ranked as high as seventh in the system as well, prior to the 2005 season. This year he was 5-4, 3.65 in 20 starts with Double-A Montgomery at the time of the suspension.

Because the suspension was instated with less than 50 games to go in the season Houser will miss the start of the 2008 season as well.

He’s the second Rays player suspended this year, following an earlier suspension of righthander Juan Salas.

Anything you can do, Justin Upton . . .

Tigers prospect Cameron Maybin has been linked to Upton since they were the top two prep hitters in the 2005 draft class, and since Upton moved to the outfield, they’ve been linked as part of a vanguard of high-ceiling outfielders who were part of that class. Now, with Upton tearing up the majors while helping the Diamondbacks seize first place in the National League West, Maybin will join him in the major leagues–and in the pennant race.

The Tigers have called up Maybin from Double-A Erie, and he’s expected to make his major league debut in Yankee Stadium this weekend. Maybin is 8-for-20 with four home runs for the Seawolves, after hitting .304/.393/.486 with 25 stolen bases, 10 home runs and 44 RBIs at high Class A Lakeland. He missed the Futures Game with a minor shoulder injury but has bounced back nicely, and now skips over the likes of Brent Clevlen and Matt Joyce on his way to the big leagues.

Steven Pearce started this season hoping to prove he was too good for high Class A. Now he’s making an argument that he’s ready for a big league callup. Craig Brazell added to his minor league home run lead while Josh Rodriguez’ amazing August just keep getting better.

Triple-A

Because it’s been spread over three leagues, it’s easy to not fully notice how good Steven Pearce’s season has been. Pearce hit a pair of home runs against Durham, his sixth since being promoted to the International League. Pearce is now hitting .385/.437/.738 for Indianapolis and .344/.407/.658 overall with 31 home runs. Evan Longoria homered in the loss for Durham.

[...] Continue Reading »

While the signing of Matt Weiters late Wednesday night overshadowed everything else going on in the Orioles’ system as Baltimore fans released a collective sigh of relief, there are also several other reasons for optimism:

Radhames Liz, rhp, Double-A Bowie: Liz struggled with his command and didn’t show his usual velocity early this season, but has come into his own since May. It’s easy to point to the 24-year-old Dominican’s nine-inning complete game no-hitter on June 1 as the beginning of the turnaround, but Liz’s emergence actually started four outings earlier.

[...] Continue Reading »

You would expect to see plenty of 95 mph fastballs in a matchup of Clayton Kershaw and Jacob McGee. One of the two pitchers lived up to expectations on Wednesday. Cameron Maybin keeps on slugging in Erie as well.

Triple-A

Nashville’s Adam Pettyjohn carried a perfect game into the seventh inning before Fernando Tatis spoiled his bid for perfection with a double. Pettyjohn improved to 10-3 with the win. [...] Continue Reading »

This week’s installment considers transactions reported between Aug. 4-13.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Draft picks signed: OF Tyrell Worthington (5)
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Dustin Nippert, RHP Yusmeiro Petit
Placed on minor league disabled list: RHP Cody Evans, RHP Derik Nippert, SS Blake Sharpe
Reinstated from disabled list: LHP Dana Eveland
Option transferred: LHP Dana Eveland (Triple-A Tucson to high Class A Visalia)
Rehabilitation Assignment: OF Carlos Quentin (Triple-A Tucson) [...] Continue Reading »

Radhames Liz almost picked up his second no-hitter of the season and Josh Rodriguez and Travis Vetters kept up their home run binges.

Triple-A

Jason Pridie hit five home runs all last year for Double-A Montgomery. Now he’s hit his seventh home run in 44 games since being promoted to Durham. Pridie’s home run was part of a three-run seventh that gave Durham a 4-3 win over Charlotte.

[...] Continue Reading »

If you’re looking for a theme to Monday’s game, it could be called redemption. Jo-Jo Reyes and Kendry Morales are proving themselves again in Triple-A after struggling in the big leagues. Greg Halman is doing the same in Everett after a disastrous stint in Wisconsin. And Angel Berroa, who has gone from Rookie of the Year to being demoted to Omaha, had a 4-for-4 night as he tries to prove he deserves another chance in the big leagues.

Triple-A

Nick Blackburn’s great season got a little better. Blackburn lowered his ERA to 2.14 with seven scoreless innings to beat Ottawa.

[...] Continue Reading »

Righthander Jair Jurrjens will get the call-up from Double-A to start Wednesday night in Cleveland in his major league debut. He will oppose righthander Fausto Carmona.

The 21-year-old Jurrjens has showed good command for Erie with 94 strikeouts and 31 walks in 112 2/3 innings to go with his 3.20 ERA. He has pitched particularly well in his last five starts, posting a 2.16 ERA with 36 strikeouts and five walks in 33 1/3 innings. Jurrjens works in the low-90s with his fastball, but can crank it up as high as 97 mph.

The Tigers made another roster move, as Baseball America correspondent Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Tigers sent Triple-A infielder Jack Hannahan to the A’s for Triple-A outfielder Jason Perry. Neither Perry nor Hannahan are on either team’s 40-man roster.

Hannahan, 26, is hitting .295/.422/.476 for Toledo. Against righthanders, he is hitting .307/.443/.486, and away from pitcher-friendly Fifth Third Field, he is hitting .306/.416/.503.

Perry, who turns 27 Saturday, is hitting .268/.367/.521 for Sacramento. Most of his at-bats have come against righthanders, against whom he is hitting .288/.397/.585. Perry has also found greater success outside of a pitcher-friendly ballpark, hitting .310/.413/.595 on the road.

Ryan Royster’s impressive run of six straight games with a home run finally ended, but Cameron Maybin is working on a streak of his own–he’s hit a home run in all three games since being promoted to Double-A.

Triple-A

Jeremy Sowers isn’t dominating, but he is showing signs of returning to form. Sowers allowed two runs in seven innings to beat Scranton thanks in part to Ben Francisco’s eighth home run. Sowers has now allowed two runs or less in four of his past five starts.

[...] Continue Reading »

If 2007 is the year of the hitting streak (with four streaks of 30 games or more), this is the week of the home-run streak. Ryan Royster and Josh Rodriguez have both homered in each of their past four games while David Cook has homered five times in seven games since being promoted to Double-A Birmingham. The night also saw the Double-A debuts of Jacob McGee and Clayton Kershaw although neither will have fond memories of their first starts.

Triple-A

You wouldn’t know it from the final score but J.A. Happ pitched outstandingly well in Ottawa’s 8-7 win over Buffalo. Happ allowed only two hits and no walks in seven shutout innings. But Buffalo scored seven runs over the next four innings before Ottawa won in 11 innings. Javon Moran double and tripled for Ottawa. [...] Continue Reading »

The education of Cameron Maybin will continue at the Double-A level, as the Tigers announced today that the 20-year-old center fielder has been promoted to Erie.

Having batted .304/.393/.486 with 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 296 at-bats for high Class A Lakeland this season, Maybin should, at season’s end, be able to elucidate on all species of Flying Tigers and Sea Wolves. [...] Continue Reading »

Blue Jays outfielder Adam Lind has not appeared in a game for Triple-A Syracuse in nearly two weeks. But he’s not on the disabled list.

In the same July 29 home game in which he hit a game-winning, two-run home run, Lind incurred what Chiefs manager Doug Davis labeled a headache after Lind crashed on Alliance Bank Stadium’s Fieldturf during a diving attempt at a catch. The ball popped out of Lind’s glove and he left the game in the bottom half of that fifth inning. [...] Continue Reading »

Nine years after he made the majors as one of the top young lefthanders in the game and three years after he gave up on pitching Rick Ankiel is back in the majors. The one-time minors top pitching prospect has proved to be a pretty impressive hitting prospect as well.

The Cardinals announced on Thursday that they were purchasing Ankiel’s contract and adding him to the big league roster. He’s expected to be in the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Padres. [...] Continue Reading »