California League

Prospect Of The Day

Center fielder Greg Halman fell a double short of the cycle in High Desert’s (Mariners) 9-6 loss to Rancho Cucamonga (Angels). Halman was 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple and two RBIs, lifting his season line to .268/.317/.568 in 190 at-bats.

Prospect Nuggets

Center fielder Peter Bourjos was 2-for-5 with his fifth triple in the Quakes’ win. He also scored a run and knocked one in…Rightfielder Josh Reddick was 2-for-5 with a couple of runs and a triple as Lancaster (Red Sox) blanked Lake Elsinore (Padres) 5-0…Barry Enright got his record above the .500 mark by tossing six innings for Visalia (Diamondbacks), allowing only five hits and a walk while striking out three. He is now 4-3, 5.37.

What To Watch For Today

Lancaster is tied for first place with High Desert and starts a series with Lake Elsinore today. The Storm is just one game back of the JetHawks and Mavericks. [...] Continue Reading »

Life goes on in the IL even without Jay Bruce . . . Charlie Zink had the Yankees off balance, J.A. Happ continued his turnaround, Nate Schierholtz hit for the cycle and Taylor Teagarden kept his hitting streak alive.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

We certainly wish Jay Bruce luck as he embarks on his big league career with the Reds, but we sure are going to miss writing about him as a minor leaguer. The 21-year-old center fielder batted .364/.393/.630 in 184 at-bats with 10 home runs, nine doubles and eight stolen bases for Louisville. He leaves the IL as the frontrunner for No. 1 prospect status in our year-end ranking.

But the show must go on . . . Yesterday’s top performer has been pitching well all season, but still you may not be familiar with him. Pawtucket righthander Charlie Zink (Red Sox) has started the season 6-2, 2.59 and ranks seventh in the IL in ERA and fifth with 62 2/3 innings. Respectable numbers, to say the least, but the reason that the 28-year-old Zink may be unknown is that he’s a knuckleballer—well, that and he went undrafted out of Savannah (Ga.) College of Art & Design and signed with Boston in 2002 only after playing in the independent Western League.

Behind six home runs by Pawtucket yesterday, Zink cruised to his sixth win, going eight innings against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out three and threw 69 of 101 pitches for strikes. Zink’s knuckler was dancing with the wind blowing out of Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium, and even though he pitched out of trouble in the first inning, his catcher George Kottaras told the Providence Journal:

“He was in some jams and worked out of them with minimal damage. He’s been pitching really well for us recently, and it’s good to see him do that.”

Incidentally, the IL features another youngsh knuckleballer in Charlotte’s Charlie Haeger (White Sox), who has gone 3-4, 5.21 and ranks second in the IL in with 65 2/3 innings, but also first with 34 walks. Haeger is just 24 years old. [...] Continue Reading »

The Dodgers could see one of their best arms return to game action as early as next month. Lefthander Scott Elbert, the Dodgers’ first-round pick in 2004, missed nearly all of last season to have surgery to remove scar tissue from his labrum and has yet to pitch in a game this season.

"He was throwing the ball really well," pitching coordinator Marty Reed said while at Carolina to watch Double-A Jacksonville. "He had a minor setback, just a little bit of inflammation. They gave him a little bit of medicine and he’s coming through that now. I wouldn’t be surprised if in two or three weeks he was up here pitching."

Elbert, 23, pitched in 2007 for Jacksonville, where he had 24 strikeouts in 14 innings and a 3.86 ERA. In 2006, Elbert had a 3.61 ERA and a 76-44 K-BB mark in 62 1/3 innings with Jacksonville after a callup from high Class A Vero Beach, where he had a 2.37 ERA and a 97-41 K-BB ratio in 83 2/3 innings.

"He’s still throwing 92-95 (mph)," Reed said. "You can protect him a little bit more in extended spring (training); you can’t run him out here right now. The biggest thing is, it’s not how he’s throwing–he’s throwing the ball fine–it’s how he bounces back. He’s getting back into shape. In two weeks, three weeks, he should be back up here."

Nick Noonan was all over the place against Charleston, Engel Beltre hit a home run and Blake Beavan had another strong outing.

South Atlantic League

Prospect Of The Day

Augusta (Giants) second baseman Nick Noonan went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, and four RBIs as the GreenJackets teed off on Charleston (Yankees) starter Dellin Betances (3.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO). He did much of his damage early. With Augusta trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the third and a man on first, Noonan hit an RBI double that tied the game, then stole third and scored the go-ahead run when Charleston third baseman Brandon Laird couldn’t handle the throw. He followed that up with a two-out, two-run homer in the fourth, the first in a set of back-to-back home runs (Garrett Baker hit the second) that spelled the end of Betances’ day. Noonan added an RBI single in the sixth that made the score 9-4 at the time, but proved to be the difference in the game as the RiverDogs scored four times in the eighth before the GreenJackets escaped with a 9-8 win. Noonan raised his line to .283/.310./.429.

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Mets third baseman Danny Murphy went deep three times, Marlins center fielder Cameron Maybin homered in the tenth but still lost to Tyler Colvin’s Tennessee squad, and Royals righthander Dan Cortes was able to neutralize the Frisco lineup in Memorial Day action.

EASTERN LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day
With Nick Evans making noise in New York for the Mets, Evans’ former teammate Danny Murphy reciprocated down in Binghamton. Murphy slugged three home runs, going 3-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and five RBIs. With eight home runs on the season, the 23-year-old third baseman is batting .332/.379/.518 in 193 at-bats. It wasn’t all gravy for the Mets though; righthander Eddie Kunz blew the save, allowing three runs in the final 1 1/3 innings as Reading (Phillies) stole an 8-7 victory.

Prospect Nuggets
In the victory, Reading center fielder Greg Golson went 2-for-5 with his 16th stolen base. Phillies catcher Lou Marson only got one at-bat as a pinch-hitter, but he singled t extend his hitting streak to nine games. The 21-year-old catcher is hitting .345/.462/.460 32 walks and 31 strikeouts . . . Trenton (Yankees) right fielder Jose Tabata went 2-for-5, but his offensive performance this year has still been underwhelming. The 19-year-old is batting .236/.317/.287 in 174 at-bats with just seven extra-base hits . . . It was a good day for offense in Portland (Red Sox), which beat New Britain (Twins) 15-11. Eight of Portland’s nine starters had multi-hit games. New Britain shortstop Trevor Plouffe went 2-for-4 with his 12th double, bringing his averages to .283/.340/.422 in 173 at-bats . . . Harrisburg center fielder Justin Maxwell went 0-for-4 yesterday. He went 0-for-3 on Sunday, his first game back after missing a week with a wrist injury . . . Bowie (Orioles) right fielder Nolan Reimold went 2-for-4, raising his slash stats to .277/.373/.468 in 188 at-bats with 29 walks and 26 strikeouts . . . New Hampshire (Blue Jays) lefthander Brett Cecil was yanked after 2 2/3 innings, allowing three runs and five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. DH Travis Snider provided some run support by going 2-for-4 with a solo homer as the Fisher Cats beat Bowie 6-5.

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Hard-luck Indians righthander Adam Miller got a late start to this season when blisters on his pitching hand sidelined him during spring training and forced him to begin the season on the disabled list. Now, the Buffalo News reports that a broken callous on his right hand forced Miller from his start Sunday and back on to the DL.

In 28 2/3 innings with Triple-A Buffalo this season, the 23-year-old Miller has struck out 20, walked 12 and posted a 1.88 ERA. Injuries also limited Miller, the 31st overall pick out of McKinney (Texas) High in 2003, to just 65 innings last year and to just 71 innings in 2005.

Daryl Thompson didn’t encounter much trouble with Double-A Chattanooga. The righthander will get a new challenge now with Louisville, as the Reds promoted Thompson to Triple-A.

Thompson, 22, made 10 starts for Chattanooga and had a 1.76 ERA in 61 1/3 innings with 56 strikeouts (8.2 per nine innings) and 14 walks (2.1 per nine). Thompson’s ERA and strikeout total each ranked second in the Southern League.

Thompson was sizzling in April, allowing just two earned runs through five starts in 31 1/3 innings for a near-invisible 0.57 ERA and a 36-4 K-BB mark. He has slowed somewhat through five starts in May, posting a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings with 20 strikeouts and 10 walks.

Related:

Daryl Thompson Q & A

First Person Report: Daryl Thompson (subscriber only)

The Rangers have promoted first baseman Chris Davis from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Oklahoma, reports BA correspondent Evan Grant.

"Our hope with him, as well as a lot of our young players, was that they’d develop and progress through the system this year," assistant general manager Thad Levine said. "He’s demonstrated what type of hitter he is. It’s time to give him a new challenge, to raise the bar."

In 46 games, Davis dominated the Texas League. The 22-year-old Davis batted .333/.376/.618 with 13 home runs, the most in the TL. He ranked sixth in batting average, second in slugging, first in extra-base hits (27), first in runs scored (43), third in hits (63) and second in RBIs (42).

Righthander Greg Reynolds and second baseman Jonathan Herrera, two of the Rockies’ more promising upper-level prospects, already have been called to the big leagues out of necessity. Now two more—third baseman Ian Stewart and corner outfielder Seth Smith—are getting their shot.

Stewart, 23, and Smith, 25, both made their big league debuts last September and both have starred for Triple-A Colorado Springs this season. They’re taking the roster spots of shortstop Clint Barmes and right fielder Brad Hawpe, who both were placed on the disabled list.

The Rockies have tried Stewart, their first-round pick (10th overall) in 2003, on an outfield corner and at second base at various points during the past two seasons, but he profiles better at third base, where he has above-average potential offensively and defensively. Rockies manager Clint Hurdle indicated that Stewart will primarily fill in at third base, at least in the short term. [...] Continue Reading »

Pawtucket shortstop Jed Lowrie has not played in a week after sustaining a wrist injury in a second-base collision in a May 16 game at Buffalo. The 24-year-old switch-hitter was struggling to get it going in the International League, batting just .200/.365/.375 through 40 at-bats. It was a different story, though, during his 17-game callup to the Red Sox. While predominately filling in for an injured Mike Lowell at third base, Lowrie batted .310/.340/.476 in 42 at-bats.

First baseman Brandon Moss, Lowrie’s Pawtucket teammate in each of the past two seasons, returned to IL action Thursday after an appendectomy shelved him for nearly a month. The injury came at an inopportune time for the 24-year-old Moss, who had started in right field (his natural position) in four straight games for Boston, going 2-for-4 with a homer in the last of those, and had a chance to earn more playing time. Still rusty after the layoff, Moss went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in his first game back, but he redeemed himself with a 2-for-3 showing (with a triple) last night. He’s batting .267/.327/.433 in 90 at-bats for Pawtucket.

Further down the line, high Class A Lancaster first baseman Lars Anderson hasn’t played since May 17 and is day-to-day with a wrist injury. Still just 20, Anderson is hitting .277/.383/.484 in 159 California League at-bats. While he’s certainly played well considering his age and experience, the 6-foot-4 lefthanded hitter has managed a modest .231/.355/.397 away from Lancaster’s supercharged Clear Channel Stadium.

Contributing: Ben Badler, Nathan Rode

Reid Brignac kept his extra-base hit streak alive and Eric Hurley threw seven scoreless innings.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Durham shortstop Reid Brignac’s (Rays) earned his place on this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet with his 3-for-5 showing last night, during which he doubled twice. He’s collected an extra-base hit in five consecutive games, and he’s batting .362/.352/.638 in 69 May at-bats, with three homers, 10 doubles . . . but also zero walks.

Prospect Nuggets

After recovering from an appendectomy, Pawtucket 1B Brandon Moss (Red Sox) played in his first game since May 2. The results weren’t pretty (0-for-5, three strikeouts), but at least he’s back on the field . . . Durham RHP Mitch Talbot (Rays) continued his hot pitching, as he went eight shutout innings against Richmond, striking out seven, walking none and allowing just five hits. He also kept the ball on the ground, collecting 12 groundouts and five fly outs. [...] Continue Reading »

EASTERN LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day
Sure, there have been plenty of strikeouts this year for New Hampshire (Blue Jays) DH Travis Snider. But when he connects, watch out. Snider went 3-for-4 yesterday with two home runs and a double, bringing him to .228/.350/.465 through 28 Double-A games.

Prospect Nuggets
Bowie (Orioles) right fielder Nolan Reimold went 0-for-2, but he reached base three times via the walk . . . Akron (Indians) lefthander Chuck Lofgren found hard times against Altoona (Pirates). Lofgren walked five and struck out two in 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs.

What To Watch For Today
Snider will try to build upon last night’s performance as the Fisher Cats visit Bowie (Orioles).

[...] Continue Reading »

California League

Prospect Of The Day

Outfielder Josh Reddick did his part in Lancaster’s (Red Sox) 6-3 win over Stockton (Athletics). He went 3-for-4 with two doubles a run scored and two RBIs lifting him to a .327/.339/.542 line.

Prospect Nuggets

It was a quiet night as one game was postponed and the others didn’t have a lot of action. Visalia (Diamondbacks) righthander Wes Roemer went six innings, allowing five runs on ten hits and two walks while striking out just one. He was handed his third loss of the season…Inland Empire (Dodgers) third baseman Josh Bell was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and four men left on base…San Jose (Giants) righthander Kevin Pucetas gave up five runs on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings, but still managed to remain perfect (6-0, 2.81) as his counterpart gave up 12 runs over the same frames. He also had two walks and six strikeouts.

What To Watch For Today

Lefthander James Adkins takes the hill for Inland Empire against High Desert (Mariners).

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Michael Burgess had a big night, Devin Mesoraco had his best night so far, and Matt Dominguez had three hits in his second game off the disabled list.

South Atlantic League

Prospect Of The Day

Hagerstown (Nationals) right fielder Michael Burgess wins the award for Thursday. The 19-year-old Burgess is on an eight-game hitting streak, and yesterday against Lexington (Astros) he turned in his second three-hit game in three days, going 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs as the Suns won 7-2.

Prospect Nuggets

The Greensboro (Marlins) lineup got a boost with the return of third baseman Matt Dominguez off the DL. Dominguez went 0-for-3 in his season debut on Tuesday, but bounced back with a 3-for-4 effort against Lakewood (Phillies) yesterday … Charleston (Yankees) DH Austin Romine went 1-for-3 with a double in his return from the DL … Greenville (Red Sox) lefthander Felix Doubront (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO) didn’t get any offensive support and suffered just his second loss of the season as the Drive dropped a 5-2 decision against Charleston … The best pitching matchup of the night was in Hickory (Pirates) where Duke Welker (5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) outdueled Columbus’ (Rays) Alex Cobb (6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO). Welker notched his first win in five starts for the Crawdads ,,, Savannah (Mets) righthander Maikel Cleto had easily the best outing of his young career. The 19-year-old Dominican native pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout against Augusta (Giants). He struck out two, walked one and picked up his first win of the season.

[...] Continue Reading »

Athletics correspondent Casey Tefertiller brings us the latest injury news on some of Oakland’s most promising young arms. Be sure to check out all of Casey’s work with our Organization Reports. He writes:

Sometimes things are just too good to be true.

The A’s system began the year with a surfeit of pitching talent, much of it acquired in a series of trades during the offseason. Within a week, there has been a significant talent drain, as a series of injuries have hit the system.

Righthander James Simmons, Oakland’s first-round pick from UC Riverside last year, went down with a tired arm, enduring what was described as a dead arm period during his last three starts for Double-A Midland, according to A’s farm director Keith Lieppman. Simmons will meet with doctors in the Bay Area for further diagnosis.

Lefty Brett Anderson, acquired from the Diamondbacks in the Dan Haren trade, went down with a left thumb strain, which prevents him from properly gripping the ball. Anderson was placed on the high Class A Stockton disabled list.

Fautino De Los Santos, the flame-throwing Stockton righthander acquired from the White Sox in the Nick Swisher trade, has gone down with a sore elbow. [...] Continue Reading »

This week’s installment considers all transactions reported by MLB between May 9 and 17.

Last week’s transactions available here.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Placed on 7-day DL: 3B Clayton Conner, SS Mark Hallberg

Atlanta Braves
Recalled: RHP Phil Stockman, LHP Chuck James
Optioned to Triple-A: LHP Chuck James
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Dustin Evans, C Ray Serrano, 2B J.C. Holt, OF C.J. Lee
Reinstated from DL: LHP Cole Rohrbough
Reinstated from inactive list: C Benji Johnson

Baltimore Orioles
Added to 40-man roster: SS Alex Cintron
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Bob McCrory
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Pedro Beato
Reinstated from DL: OF Adam Stern
Reinstated from inactive list: 3B Scott Moore [...] Continue Reading »

As San Diego keeps digging deeper and deeper into the NL West basement, Chase Headley just keeps getting hotter and hotter.

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Reid Brignac (Rays) homered in both halves of a doubleheader. Brignac went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run in the opener, and followed it up with a home run as part of a 1-for-3 nightcap. The shortstop hasn’t torn up the International League, but it’s also easy to forget that as a 22-year-old, he’s one of the youngest players in the league. He’s now hitting .286/.313/.487 thanks to 14 doubles.

Prospect Nuggets

I know it’s getting repetitive, but we almost tapped Jay Bruce (Reds) at the POTD again. Bruce had another two hits on Wednesday for his third-straight multi-hit game raising his International League-best batting average to .369. He’s now hitting .443/.474/.800 in May, and has seven multi-hit games in his last 10 games . . . Jeff Niemann (Rays) has been kept on a very short leash–he’s thrown only 10 1/3 innings in his last three starts, but it was an effective four innings on Wednesday as he allowed four hits and an unearned run in four innings . . . Chuck James (Braves) knows how to pitch in Richmond, it’s pitching in the National League that gives him problems. James allowed two runs in seven innings to raise his IL ERA to 1.88 in four games. His big league ERA is a much uglier 8.22 in five starts . . . Hayden Penn (Orioles) outdueled James, allowing no runs in six innings.

[...] Continue Reading »

California League

Prospect Of The Day

Visalia (Diamondbacks) righthander Barry Enright seems to have found a groove. He’s now had three consecutive quality starts and has picked up two wins. Last night he allowed just three unearned runs on five Bakersfield (Rangers) hits in seven innings of work while striking out six and walking none. He is now 3-3, 6.02 on the year.

Prospect Nuggets

High Desert (Mariners) shortstop Carlos Triunfel has returned from his suspension for violating team rules and he picked up right where he left off. He went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs in a 13-8 win over Inland Empire (Dodgers) … Sean O’Sullivan gets to start his own games now with John Lackey back in the big leagues and it looks like he has to adjust again. He lasted 3 1/3 last night, allowing six runs on six hits and four walks while striking out just one. He was bailed out though when the Quakes rallied to beat Lake Elsinore (Padres) … Cedric Hunter has also found a groove, homering in his third straight game as part of a 3-for-4 night in which he scored three times.

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Jhoulys Chacin had another outstanding outing, Matt Mitchell had his best outing of the year, and Edward Paredes flirted with a no-hitter.

South Atlantic League

Prospect Of The Day

Few prospects in the Sally League look like they’re on their way to a better breakout season than Asheville (Rockies) righthander Jhoulys Chacin. Chacin has won his last six decisions and is at or near the top of SAL pitching leaderboards in several important categories: second in ERA, second in strikeouts, tied for first in wins and first in innings pitched. Chacin threw another gem yesterday against Rome (Braves), going eight innings, allowing two runs (one earned), on three hits, with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Chacin struck out Braves top prospect Jason Heyward twice, one of which came in the top of the eighth when Chacin caught Heyward looking to punctuate his afternoon. Even though Rome is one of the SAL’s weaker offensive clubs, you have to give Chacin some extra credit considering he’s posted a 1.70 ERA despite pitching half his games in Asheville, which is easily the SAL’s most hitter-friendly environment.

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A pair of Yankees prospects had big days, Jake McGee has a reason to hate bus trips and Shane Robinson just keeps on hitting.

EASTERN LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

Heading into last Friday’s game, Austin Jackson (Yankees) had seven RBIs for the entire season, a pretty pathetic amount, even if he’s batting second in the Trenton order. He’s fixed that problem. Less than a week after a four RBI night, Jackson tripled, homered and drove in seven for the Thunder. Jackson had struck out in his first two at-bats during yesterday’s day game, but he made up for that with a grand slam in the fourth inning. He later added a three-run triple.

Prospect Nuggets

When Jose Tabata (Yankees) injured his hamate bone last year, the thought was that it might take a while for his power to return. It definitely has, as Tabata finally hit his first home run of the season on Wednesday. It raised his slugging percentage to .294 . . . When Oswaldo Sosa (Twins) was dominating the Florida State League last year, there were still some concerns that his 88-90 mph fastball/cut fastball aresnal would have more trouble against more advanced hitters. That’s definitely been true this year, as Sosa has been rocked to the tune of a .300 opponents batting average this year. But he did respond with one of his best starts of the season on Wednesday, holding Harrisburg to two hits and one run in six innings, lowering his ERA to 6.37 . . . Jordan Zimmerman (Nationals) has flown through the Nationals system. The 2007 second-round pick is having nearly as much success in Harrisburg as he did with high Class A Potomac. Zimmerman allowed one run in four innings, lowering his ERA in three starts with Harrisburg to 2.76. Even more impressively, he has a .217 opponents batting average and a 16-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 16 innings . . . It’s been an up-and-down year for Jon Niese (Mets). The 21-year-old righthander has been very good at times, allowing one run or less in seven starts. And he’s also been pretty bad as control difficulties have kept him from working into the sixth in six of his 10 outings. He was good and bad on Wednesday–he allowed only one run and four hits against Connecticut, but he continued to struggle with his control, walking four in 5 2/3 innings. He’s now walked 21 in 48 2/3 innings . . . Travis Snider (Blue Jays)  hit his fifth home run in 27 games since being promoted to Double-A New Hampshire. Snider’s averages are still ugly (.206/.336/.381), but he is hiting .246/.363/.508 since May began . . . When the Pirates signed Yoslan Herrera before the 2007 season, there was some speculation that the Cuban defector could help out the Pirates very quickly. Instead, he’s adding weight to the theory that many Cuban defectors are overrated. Herrera, making his 34th start as an Altoona Curve, allowed five hits and four runs in 2 1/3 innings. Herrera has actually been OK this year–3-4, 3.25, but his 27 strikeouts in 44 innings are a reminder that he seems to have left some of his fastball back in Cuba. 

[...] Continue Reading »