With a middle of the pack offense that ranks seventh in the AL in runs scored per game—and ahead of only the Rangers in the West—the Mariners today called up two of their finest and hardest-hitting prospects from Triple-A Tacoma. Catcher Jeff Clement and right fielder Wladimir Balentien should be available for tonight’s game in Cleveland.

In corresponding roster moves, Seattle designated for assignment outfielders Brad Wilkerson (.232/.348/.304) and Greg Norton (.438/.500/.563). Clement, the organization’s top prospect, figures to take at-bats away from DH Jose Vidro (.209/.270/.330) and could conceivably see time behind the plate in a rotation with Kenji Johjima, who last week signed a three-year, $24 million extension, and/or Jamie Burke.

Clement was batting .397/.535/.692 for Tacoma with eight doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs in 23 games. He ranked fourth in the Pacific Coast League in average and second in on-base percentage, thanks to a 22-12 walk-strikeout ratio. Drafted third overall from Southern California in 2005 as a power-hitting, lefty-batting catcher, Clement has not disappointed as a pro, batting .276/.360/.459 in 883 minor league at-bats. [...] Continue Reading »

Even if you don’t care which minor leaguers have been signed, released or traded, you should scan the weekly Minor League Transactions blog to find out which prospects have been placed on the disabled list. This week brought news of DL trips for Gorkys Hernandez, Nick Hagadone, Gaby Hernandez, Daniel Cortes, Mike McCardell and Austin Romine.

And now two more . . .

• Second baseman Adrian Cardenas, the Phillies’ supplemental first-round pick in 2006, was placed on the disabled list with lower back inflammation. The 20-year-old, lefty-hitting Cardenas was batting .347/.373/.408 for high Class A Clearwater. He was our High School Player of the Year in 2006.

• Orioles righthander Chorye Spoone is battling shoulder soreness and was moved to the Double-A Bowie disabled list. The 22-year-old, an eighth-round pick from the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville in 2005, was 2-0, 3.00 with 13-9 strikeouts-walks in 15 innings.

Giants catcher Eliezar Alfonzo was handed a 50-game suspension Wednesday for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Though he’s playing for Triple-A Fresno now, the 29-year-old Alfonzo is a member of San Francisco’s 40-man roster.

An 12-year pro, Alfonzo spent most of 2006 in the big leagues after Mike Matheny incurred a career-ending concussion. He batted .266/.302/.465 in 286 at-bats that year, and .250/.284/.359 in 2007 before being pushed aside by Bengi Molina and Guillermo Rodriguez.

The Cardinals signed Alfonzo out of Venezuela in 1996 and he’s made stops in the Brewers, Cubs and Marlins organizations since then, as well as the independent Northern League, before latching on with the Giants in 2004. He’s batted .287/.321/.455 in 2,620 minor league at-bats.

Rockies lefthander Franklin Morales didn’t spend much time in the major leagues. He also didn’t find any success there, which is why the Rockies optioned him to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

The Baseball America cover boy made five starts for the Rockies, putting up a 6.39 ERA with 17 walks and nine strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings. Morales, 22, struggled with his command last year, but the velocity on his fastball has been down this year and the speed of his changeup has been up—not a good combination for any pitcher. Last year Morales worked off a low- to mid-90s fastball that  could touch the upper 90s when he needed, but he has struggled to reach that speed yet thus far.

David Purcey continues to deal in the IL, Lance Broadway just keeps getting batters out, Mike Hollimon continues smoking the ball, a pair of Tacoma sluggers fuel speculation by not playing, Eric Hurley stretches out his arm against Portland and Emiliio Bonifacio keeps hitting.

Check out yesterday’s Triple-A Dish.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Syracuse lefthander David Purcey (Blue Jays) had his fastball and curveball working last night as he carved up the IronPigs over eight innings. He improved to 3-1, 1.64 after striking out nine and allowing just two hits, no runs and one walk. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound lefty threw 72 of his 100 pitches for strikes and overtook Lehigh Valley’s starter, LHP J.A. Happ, for the IL strikeout lead (39).

For his part, Happ went seven scoreless innings, giving up a hit and four walks to go with five strikeouts. He’s remains winless, though, thanks to the Pigs’ 3-23 record. [...] Continue Reading »

Zach McAllister stifled Augusta, Michael Burgess keeps htting and Blake Beaven made a nice debut.

South Atlantic League

Prospect Of The Day

Charleston (Yankees) righthander Zach McAllister wins the prize for Tuesday. Going up against an Augusta (Giants) lineup loaded with prospects, McAllister tossed eight innings, and although he allowed three runs, only one was earned. He permitted only five hits, struck out six, and walked none. Reports entering the season said McAllister’s two-seam fastball had become more consistent with its sink, and it looks like those may have been further validated last night as McAllister induced 14 groundouts compared to only three fly outs. McAllister was a groundball machine in his first two starts especially, when his combined groundout-fly out total was 22-3. McAllister lowered his ERA to 1.13, second best in the SAL.

Prospect Nuggets

Asheville (Rockies) right fielder Brian Rike went 3-for-6 a triple, a home run, and a pair of RBIs as the Tourists pummeled Columbus (Rays) 16-1 … Hagerstown (Nationals) right fielder Michael Burgess continued swinging a hot bat as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Burgess has 13 RBIs in his last nine games, after getting only five in his first 15 games … Greenville (Red Sox) right fielder Ryan Kalish went only 1-for-2, but his plate discipline is already coming to the surface, as he’s drawn six walks in his last three games … Rome (Braves) first baseman Freddie Freeman went 3-for-4. He’s now on a seven-game hitting streak and has raised his average to .301 … Hickory (Pirates) right fielder Austin McClune went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs as the Crawdads piled up 19 hits against Savannah (Mets) … Greensboro (Marlins) right fielder Mike Stanton homered for the first time in 11 games … And the comeback of the night goes to Lakewood (Phillies), who scored four times in the bottom of the ninth to beat Kannapolis (White Sox) 5-4. Left fielder Michael Taylor‘s single up the middle was the winner.

[...] Continue Reading »

Potomac walked to a unique victory against Winston-Salem and Rangers prospect John Whittleman had a solid night.

California League

Prospect Of The Day

Bakersfield (Rangers) third baseman John Whittleman takes the cake today after going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs in a 3-1 win over Modesto (Rockies).

Whittleman has been known for racking up some outrageous strikeout totals, but he has now played three straight games without a single whiff and raised his season line to .261/.363/.455.

Prospect Nuggets

Stockton (Athletics) right fielder Matt Sulentic went 3-for-4 with his second triple and an RBI…Visalia (Diamondbacks) righthander Barry Enright was knocked around again throwing 5 2/3 and giving up seven runs on 11 hits but avoided the loss. He is now 1-2, 8.04 in 28 innings…San Jose (Giants) DH Andy D’Alessio hit his third home run of the season, a two-run shot in the first, but High Desert (Mavericks) staged a rally and won 8-5…Rancho Cucamonga (Angels) righthander Sean O’Sullivan followed a tough act with four solid innings and a win. John Lackey made a rehab start and pitched the first three before O’Sullivan came in. O’Sullivan allowed two runs on four hits.

[...] Continue Reading »

Chris Volstad is adding more strikeouts to his outings, Chris Tillman had arguably his best outing of the 2008 season and P.J. Walters nearly threw a nine-inning complete game for Springfield in yesterday’s Double-A action.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Criticism of Marlins righthander Chris Volstad for not striking out enough batters should end if Volstad continues to pitch the way he has pitched as of late. Volstad, who consistently works ahead in the count and is one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues at inducing groundouts, has the secondary pitches to strike batters out, and now he’s using those pitches to strike batters out.

Last night against West Tenn (Mariners), Volstad allowed one run in seven innings, finishing with eight strikeouts and no walks. After striking out six batters in 17 innings through his first three games, Volstad has racked up 23 strikeouts in 21 innings in his last three games. BA subscribers can click here to read a first-hand scouting report of Volstad’s second game of the season, where he showed signs of improved offspeed pitches.

The Carolina-West Tenn game was the only game of the night in the Southern League, but Volstad’s performance would have shined even with a full slate of games.

[...] Continue Reading »

The Angels recalled shortstop Brandon Wood from Triple-A Salt Lake before last night’s game—in which he struck out in one at-bat—to provide infield insurance. Maicer Izturis, the Angels’ regular second baseman, had experienced back trouble, pushing regular third baseman Chone Figgins to the keystone. Wood received five separate callups to Anaheim last season, and not surprisingly managed to hit just .152/.152/.273 in 33 at-bats.

Wood is one of the more fascinating prospects in Triple-A, both for what he can do (hit for extreme power) and cannot do (make consistent contact). But when you can do the former and hold down a demanding, yet high profile, left-side-of-the-infield position, you’re a top prospect. The 23-year-old is back at shortstop this season after serving as Salt Lake’s third baseman in 2007.

Now about those strengths and weaknesses: [...] Continue Reading »

Wladimir Balentien went berserk (in a good way) against New Orleans, Jeff Clement joined in the barrage, Neil Walker could be on to something, Colby Rasmus went deep twice and Kevin Mulvey and Sean Gallagher each suffered their worst starts of the year.

Check out yesterday’s Triple-A Dish.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

At the end of play April 18, Indianapolis third baseman Neil Walker (Pirates) was batting just .173/.254/.385. He sat out a few games before returning to action Wednesday. Last night, Walker collected a hit in his fifth straight game, as part of a 3-for-5 night in which he scored two runs and hit his second triple of the season. Unfortunately, he struck out in his two other at-bats.

Since his reprieve, Walker has reeled off a hit in five of six games and is hitting .296/.345/.444 with two doubles and a triple in those 27 at-bats, with seven strikeouts and two walks. [...] Continue Reading »

A couple of top prospects had milestone nights in Monday’s low Class A action.

South Atlantic League

Prospect Of The Day

With only two games to choose from in the SAL last night, the award goes to Asheville (Rockies) shortstop Helder Velazquez. The 19-year-old Puerto Rican native is known more for his glove than his bat, and he’s still hitting only .211/.260/.367 on the season, but he had a strong night at the dish. He went 3-for-5 with five RBIs as Asheville beat Augusta (Giants) 6-3. His highlight of the night came in the top of the seventh when he hit a grand slam off Augusta’s Daniel Turpen, breaking a 2-2 tie.

Prospect Nuggets

Augusta second baseman Nick Noonan went 0-for-2 with two walks, breaking his seven-game hitting-streak … Greenville (Red Sox) right fielder Ryan Kalish went 0-for-4 against Hickory (Pirates), and is now 3-for-17 since arriving in Greenville from extended spring training … Hickory catcher Ronald Pena went 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, and three RBIs … Greenville first baseman Michael Jones went 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBIs, and is currently working on a 19-game hitting-streak.

[...] Continue Reading »

Home runs were the highlight of last night’s action as two prospects had two-homer games.

California League

Prospect Of The Day

We’ve been patiently waiting for results out of Lancaster (Red Sox) first baseman Lars Anderson now that he’s in the California League. His first 22 games were a lot quieter than most would expect, but last night he broke out big.

Anderson’s average jumped 33 points last night to .300 after going 4-for-4. His on-base percentage went up 24 points, while his two home runs and a double spiked his slugging percentage by 102 points. He now sits at .300/.400/.544 in 90 at-bats with five home runs.

Prospect Nuggets

Bakersfield (Rangers) third baseman John Whittleman was 2-for-3 with his third home run of the season while his teammate, outfielder Julio Borbon, went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and a stolen base … Bakersfield lefthander Kasey Kiker made his second start, throwing seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out four and walked two in the victory.

[...] Continue Reading »

The Eastern League was out of action, but Mitch Einertson hit a pair of homers, James Simmons had another excellent outing, Andy LaRoche made another rehab appearance and Mat Gamel’s glove continues to diminish his overall value despite his strong offensive contributions.

TEXAS LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Corpus Christi (Astros) center fielder Mitch Einertson is one of the best hitting prospects in a thin Astros farm system, yet he batted eighth last night in the lineup. His lineup slotting worked out yesterday, as Einertson went 2-for-4 with two home runs and drove in four runs. Einertson, a two-time MVP (Appalachian League, 2004 and Carolina League, 2007), originally signed with the Astros as a fifth-rounder in 2004 as a California prep player. Einertson’s big night only brought his average and on-base percentage up to .235 and .286, respectively, but his slugging is up to .482 now that 13 of his 20 hits have gone for extra bases.

[...] Continue Reading »

This week’s installment considers all transactions reported by MLB between April 19 and 25.

Last week’s transactions available here.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Signed: OF Alex Romero
Released: RHP Roberto Familia
Optioned to Triple-A: OF Alex Romero
Placed on 7-day DL: LHP Jon Coutlangus
Reinstated from DL: RHP Chris Kinsey
Reinstated from inactive list: RHP Roberto Familia
Activated player who signed in 2007: RHP Jeff Dietz

Atlanta Braves
Signed: RHP Andy Shibilo, OF Jason Perry
Recalled: RHP Phil Stockman, LHP Chuck James
Optioned to Triple-A: LHP Chuck James
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Jairo Cuevas, RHP Michael Nix, OF Gorkys Hernandez
Reinstated from DL: RHP Chris Vines, 3B Van Pope

Hernandez pulled his hamstring as he rounded second base in a game against Lynchburg. He still sits atop the high Class Carolina League in triples (five) and extra-base hits (12).

Baltimore Orioles
Signed: RHP Tim Spooneybarger (hasn’t played since 2005)
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Chorye Spoone, SS Pedro Florimon, OF David Cash
Reinstated from DL: 3B Bill Rowell

Spooneybarger, a Braves draft-and-follow from 1998, seemed destined for middle-relief success, but he couldn’t quite replicate his minor league results in the majors. Oh, and two Tommy John surgeries didn’t help. Spooneybarger, one of the pitchers acquired by Florida for the Braves’ taking Mike Hampton off their hands, hasn’t pitched professionally since 2005, when he spent a mere four games in the Marlins system.

UPDATE : Spoone is experiencing shoulder soreness (April 30). [...] Continue Reading »

A pair of Scranton Yankees give the big league club something to think about, Jay Bruce is heating up (naturally), Ian Stewart and Greg Reynolds double-team the River Cats and Nick Adenhart keeps the Bees rolling.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

It may be a cop out, but the first IL Prospect Of The Day distinction goes to a pair of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre righthanders—only one of whom is technically considered a prospect.

If the hand-wringing in the Bronx continues over the slow starts of Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes, the Yankees may look hard at Darrell Rasner, who improved to 4-0, 0.87, with six strong innings against Syracuse last night in the first game of a double-header. He struck out six and walked one, lifting his ratio on the year to 27-6, and he still hasn’t allowed a home run. The 27-year-old Rasner, who did not appear in our most recent Prospect Handbook because he had logged 52 big league innings, told The (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) Times Leader that control was key to his success.

"My curveball was very good today. The cutter was good and the ability to get ahead in the count and being aggressive (helped).”

[...] Continue Reading »

Righthanders Trevor Cahill and Jeremy Hellickson put the finishing touches on their dominant April performances, while Indians outfielder Nick Weglarz continues to walk at a furious pace.

CALIFORNIA LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

On any given day, there’s a good chance you might find one of the members of the Stockton (Athletics) rotation in this section. The Ports rotation took a hit when righthander Henry Rodriguez was promoted to Double-A Midland, but Rodriguez may have company there before long if Trevor Cahill continues his dominance of Cal League hitters.

In seven innings at Rancho Cucamonga (Angels), Cahill struck out 12 and walked none, allowing one run (unearned) on five hits. Cahill has been nearly unhittable through five starts, posting a 39-5 K-BB ratio (he’s also hit five batters) with a 1.80 ERA in 30 innings.

[...] Continue Reading »

Chris Parmelee keeps on slugging for Beloit, Todd Frazier has had no problems switching positions and Zach Braddock is back.

MIDWEST LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

It’s never a good sign when a prospect is asked to repeat a level, but if you’re going to ride the same bus trips you took the year before, the best thing you can do is to dominate in your repeat trip.

If you look at Beloit outfielder Chris Parmelee’s batting average you would think that he’s struggled in his return to the Midwest League. But in reality, the 20-year-old is more than holding his own. Parmelee hit his fifth home run of the season on Sunday, raising his slugging percentage to .587 to go with a solid .372 on-base percentage. The home run also helped stop a serious slump for Parmelee–he was 1-for-his-last-22 coming into the game.’

Prospect Nuggets

Few believed that Reds prospect Todd Frazier’s long-term future was at shortstop. Now that Zach Cozart is healthy, the future appears to be now. Frazier has played third base and first base almost exclusively since Cozart joined Dayton on April 21. He’s still hitting though, as he added his eighth double on Sunday. Cozart hit a grand slam in the ninth for his first home run of the season . . . In that same game, Kane County’s Craig Italiano (Athletics) struck out eight in five scoreless innings, but he was bettered by Dayton starter Luis Montano. Montano was supposed to be a reliever for the Dragons, but he was thrust into the starting rotation because of injuries. The 23-year-old has responded by going 4-0, 1.27 in five starts. He allowed only one hit for a second consecutive start and retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced . . . Peter Kozma, the Cardinals first-round pick in 2007, had two hits to raise his averages to .341/.421/.500. Kozma has hit safely in nine of the last 10 games . . . Cedar Rapids’ Jordan Walden (Angels) dropped to a hard-luck 1-3 with a loss to West Michigan. Sunday was Walden’s worst start of the year (5 IP, 7 hits, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks), but he has a 2.83 ERA overall.

[...] Continue Reading »

Triple-A batters had provided little opposition thus far for Diamondbacks righthander Max Scherzer, so Arizona called him up for Sunday’s game, reportedly to pitch in relief. He had been scheduled to start for Tucson on Sunday.

Righthander Yusmeiro Petit was called upon for 2 1/3 innings of relief Saturday, and that day’s starter, righthander Micah Owings, left the game after injuring his ankle while running the bases. Because Scherzer, 23, had been a starter with Tucson, but seems well-suited to a big league relief role, he could conceivably fill either void, if needed.

It’s hard to imagine a pitcher getting off to a better start than Scherzer has with the Sidewinders. Of the 82 Pacific Coast League batters to oppose him, a league-leading 38 have struck out (46 percent), three have walked (four percent), one was hit by a pitch and just 12 have reached via a hit (.146 average). Fresno’s Justin Leone took Scherzer deep on Tuesday, providing the only blemish on the righthander’s register.   [...] Continue Reading »

Blue Jays minor league catcher Jonathan Jaspe received a 50-game suspension, effective immediately, for testing positive for nandrolone metabolites, a performance-enhancing substance.

The switch-hitting backstop signed with Toronto out of Venezuela in 2003 and made his debut the following year in the DSL. Jaspe, 23, has enjoyed modest success as he’s moved up the ladder—batting a career .283/.353/.429 entering the season—but he’s been overshadowed by other Blue Jays catching prospects, such as Curtis Thigpen, Robinzon Diaz, J.P. Arencibia and Brian Jeroloman.

Repeating with low Class A Lansing this season, Jaspe was batting .341/.364/.512 with two doubles, a homer and 12 RBIs.

BA’s Red Sox correspondent Alex Speier reports that lefthander Nick Hagadone is scheduled to visit famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham on Monday to determine if he will need  Tommy John surgery, Sox farm director Mike Hazen confirmed. 

Hagadone, the Sox’ supplemental first-round pick last June, left his April 16 start with low Class A Greenville after two innings with elbow pain; a Greenville official said Hagadone was holding his elbow in discomfort as he left the field.

The 22-year-old Hagadone, who spent his college career at Washington, had yet to give up an earned run in three starts in his first full professional season. He had struck out 12 and walked six in 10 innings of work. He went 0-1, 1.85 last season with short-season Lowell (New York-Penn League), striking out 33 and walking eight in 24 innings.