This time: Aug. 3-8
Previous installment: July 26-Aug. 2

Numbers in parentheses indicate draft rounds. Visit our Draft Database for school and signing information. Subscribers can view scouting reports for many top picks as well as search for players by last name or state.

Check out the Transactions Glossary for the key to deciphering the various inactive lists presented here.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Added to 40-man roster: OF Trent Oeltjen
Placed on 7-day DL: LHP Taylor Sinclair
Reinstated from DL: LHP Daniel Schlereth, 2B Guillermo Reyes

Atlanta Braves
Signed: 3B Chris Curley (NDFA—Campbellsville (Ky.))
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Buddy Carlyle
Placed on 7-day DL: LHP Francisley Bueno, SS Chad Lundahl
Reinstated from DL: RHP Stephen Marek, 3B Adam Coe

Baltimore Orioles
Released: C Linares Ford, OF Kraig Binick
Recalled: LHP Brian Matusz
Added to 40-man roster: C Chad Moeller
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Kam Mickolio
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP John Mariotti
Reinstated from DL: C Guillermo Rodriguez

Because of his advanced command, Matusz, the fourth overall pick in ’08, seemed like a safe bet to fly through the minors. So if you took the under on 20 minor league starts, then pat yourself on the back. The 22-year-old Matusz began in high Class A Frederick (2.16 ERA, 3.57 SO-to-BB) and improved in Double-A (1.55 ERA, 4.18 SO-to-BB), going a combined 11-2, 1.91 in 19 starts. The big leagues presented a new challenge, however. Through two starts, Matusz had allowed six runs, 13 hits (three homers) and five walks over 7 2/3 innings. [...] Continue Reading »

Our Best Tools results won’t begin to be posted until later this week, but we can give a little sneak peek–the best pitching prospect in the Florida State League is not who you might think.

Kyle Drabek pitched very well in his time in the FSL, but a majority of managers picked Fort Myers’ David Bromberg as the league’s top pitching prospect. Drabek actually got votes for the best fastball, best breaking ball and the best command, but some of the same managers who voted for Drabek on other categories picked Bromberg as the league’s best pitching prospect.

Bromberg is 11-1, 2.44 in 125 innings this year, but he wasn’t just picked by managers because of his stats.

[...] Continue Reading »

Astros Double-A outfielder Mitch Einertson will miss the remainder of the season after twice violating terms of the minor league drug-testing program, the commissioner’s office announced Friday. A 50-game suspension, effective immediately, resulted from the 23-year-old’s second failed test for a drug of abuse.

In his second season with Corpus Christi, Einertson batted .250/.321/.389 in 288 at-bats, contributing eight home runs and 13 doubles to the last-place Hooks. A six-year pro, he burst on to the scene in 2004, tying a 44-year-old Appalachian League record by bashing 24 homers in just 63 games of the Rookie-ball season. He won league MVP honors while also topping all Appy League batters in RBIs (67), slugging (.692) and extra-base hits (39). To top things off, his Greeneville team took home the title. 

Houston selected Einertson out of a Vista, Calif., high school in the fifth round of the ’04 draft. After slumping through two seasons at low Class A, he appeared to have his career back on track in ’07, when he batted .305/.365/.847 with 11 homers and 87 RBIs for high Class A Salem of the Carolina League. Since then, the 5-foot-10, 178-pound Einertson has fared only modestly in two Double-A seasons.

DURHAM, N.C.—While neither Pirates righthander Brad Lincoln nor Rays righty Wade Davis were particularly dominant in a game at Triple-A Durham on Sunday, Lincoln showed two above-average pitches and encouraging signs of progress.

Indianapolis pulled Lincoln after he racked up 72 pitches in four innings, with Lincoln departing having allowed two runs (both coming in the fourth inning), six hits and no walks to go with one strikeout.

“I felt like I pitched well until I got in a jam in the fourth inning there and was able to get out of it with minimal damage,” Lincoln said, “but my pitch count got kind of high so they went ahead and pulled me from the game. Something that I need to work on is being more efficient with pitches and getting guys out early in counts. But for the most part, most of my stuff was working. I was able to not walk anybody and make them put the ball in play.”

[...] Continue Reading »

It’s been a long first full season for Kyle Skipworth. The 19-year-old catcher, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Marlins, is hitting only .203/.257/.344 in 256 at-bats for low Class A Greensboro. He’s often looked overmatched at the plate, having a hard time catching up to fastballs or laying off breaking balls out of the zone, having struck out 89 times in 68 games. The lefty-hitting Skipworth has been especially bedeviled by lefthanded pitchers, who’ve held him to an .070/.091/.209 (3-for-43) line.

But last night, he made sure he would have at least one game to remember in what’s been a challenging season. Skipworth homered twice, the first multi-home run game of his young career, to lead Greensboro over Hickory 7-6. In the bottom of the fourth, Skipworth homered off Crawdads righthander Wilfredo Boscan, the first home run Boscan has given up to a lefthanded batter all sesaon.

Later, with the game tied 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Skipworth belted what proved to be the game-winning two-run home run to right field off reliever Jake Brigham. The shot was his seventh of the season.

"I wasn’t trying to hit a home run," Skipworth told the Greensboro News-Record about the homer off Boscan. "I was just trying not to pull off and stay through some pitches in case I got a changeup. Lucky I got a fastball and he got it up. I got out on the front part of my swing and it carried. It was nice to get the first one and get a quality at-bat off a guy who was throwing good." [...] Continue Reading »

In his newest column, John Manuel consulted with pro scouts to rank the top 10 prospects who were traded in the past month. Subscribers can read the complete analysis , but here is the rankings so everyone can comment upon them.

1. Brett Wallace, 3b/1b, Athletics (from Cardinals).
2. Zach Stewart, rhp, Blue Jays (from Reds).
3. Nick Hagadone, lhp, Indians (from Red Sox).
4. Aaron Poreda, lhp, Padres (from White Sox).
5. Jason Knapp, rhp, Indians (from Phillies).
6. Tim Alderson, rhp, Pirates (from Giants).
7. Josh Bell, 3b, Orioles (from Dodgers).
8. Lou Marson, c, Indians (from Phillies).
9. Jason Donald, inf, Indians (from Phillies).
10. Carlos Carrasco, rhp, Indians (from Phillies).

And John Manuel also listed five honorable mentions:

Dexter Carter, rhp, Padres (from White Sox).

Tyler Ladendorf, ss, Athletics (from Twins).
Roque Mercedes, rhp, Diamondbacks (from Brewers).
Mauricio Robles, lhp, Mariners (from Tigers).
Hunter Strickland, rhp, Pirates (from Red Sox). 

Prior to the beginning of the July 2 international signing period, it seemed to be only a formality before the Red Sox would sign Dominican lefthander Victor Payano for a $900,000 bonus on July 2.

Yet Payano remains unsigned, as he did not pass his physical with the Red Sox, according to Baseball America correspondent Alex Speier. Payano, 16, is a projectable 6-foot-4, 180 pounds and throws his fastball in the mid- to high-80s with a slurvy breaking ball and an occasional changeup.

Payano is not the only high-profile Latin American signing who remains unsigned (more on them in the coming weeks). Some of them, including Dominican shortstop Miguel Sano, remain in limbo as they await Major League Baseball’s completion of their background checks.

Other players still have asking prices that teams have yet to meet. The thought from some international sources is that those players will likely wait until after Aug. 17 (the deadline for draft picks to sign) with the hopes that they can create a better market by involving teams that are unable to sign their top picks.

Always among the most active teams internationally, the Mariners today announced the signing of 10 international free agents.

The Mariners confirmed the previously-reported signing of lefthanded outfielder Guillermo Pimentel, an advanced 16-year-old power hitter from the Dominican Republic who signed for $2 million.

"(Pimentel is) a kid with a lefthanded power bat," Mariners international scouting director Bob Engle said in a press release. "He’s extremely strong with a good approach to hitting. He has a crisp, compact stroke and both drives and lofts the ball."

International scouts from outside the organization said that, among the Mariners Latin American signings, the biggest hauls outside of Pimentel were 16-year-old Dominican outfielder Alfredo Morales and 16-year-old Venezuelan third baseman Andres Brito. Morales is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound lefthanded hitter.

"(Morales) has a great approach to hitting," Engle said. "Very good rhythm and uses his hands well. Solid-average arm and a plus runner. A quiet, intense worker." 

[...] Continue Reading »

This time: July 26-Aug. 2
Previous installment: July 16-25

Numbers in parentheses indicate draft rounds. Visit our Draft Database for school and signing information. Subscribers can view scouting reports for many top picks as well as search for players by last name or state. Check out the Transactions Glossary for the key to deciphering the various inactive lists presented here.

Trade Central crackles with life after a flurry of July trades. Stay tuned for further updates. They’re coming.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Optioned to Triple-A: C Luke Carlin
Placed on 7-day DL: C Jhoan Pimentel, OF Marc Krauss
Reinstated from DL: SS Justin Parker

Atlanta Braves
Draft pick signed: RHP Ryan Weber (22)
Released: LHP Bryan Dumesnil
Recalled: 1B Barbaro Canizares
Optioned to Triple-A: 1B Barbaro Canizares
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Tyrelle Harris, C Jose Camarena, 1B Ernesto Mejia, OF Jhadiel Santamaria
Reinstated from DL: RHP Moises Hernandez, 3B Stephen Shults
Reinstated from inactive list: C Phillip Britton

Baltimore Orioles
Traded: LHP George Sherrill to Dodgers for RHP Steve Johnson and 3B Josh Bell
Recalled: RHP Kam Mickolio
Added to 40-man roster: RHP Chris Tillman
Option transferred: RHP Radhames Liz (Double-A to Triple-A)
Reinstated from DL: OF Joey Gathright

Mickolio, everyone’s favorite 6-foot-9 reliever from Utah Valley State, quietly was putting up a fine season with Triple-A Norfolk, posting a 3.35 ERA in 30 games to go with a 44-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Everything the 25-year-old throws is hard, with his fastball sitting at 93-97 mph with sink and his slider made even filthier by the fact that he throws from a low three-quarters slot and across his body. To righthanded batters, it looks like Mickolio is delivering the ball from third base. The Mariners selected him in the 2006 draft’s 18th round, but included him less than two years later in the ill-fated Erik Bedard trade. [...] Continue Reading »

Yankees correspondent George King reports that Double-A catcher Jesus Montero figures to miss the last month of the minor league season after sustaining a fractured middle finger on his left hand.

According to King, the 19-year-old Venezuelan suffered the injury on Saturday night while catching a game with Trenton. His timetable for return was set at six weeks, meaning that a winter ball stint, either in the Arizona Fall or the Venezuelan league, is not out of the question.

Disappointingly, this injury likely removes Montero from serious consideration for our Minor League Player of the Year award. He batted .337/.370/.562 in 347 at-bats, mashing 17 home runs and driving in 70 runs in 92 games split almost evenly between Trenton and high Class A Tampa.