Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed minor league contracts, replacing major league pacts with the same organization.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Added to 40-man roster: SS Josh Wilson
Reinstated from DL: LHP Wade Miley, C Robby Hammock

Atlanta Braves
Signed: LHP Ben Swaggerty
Voluntarily retired: OF Juan Flores
Recalled: RHP Cory Gearrin
Optioned to Triple-A: OF Matt Young
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Michael Broadway, RHP Kenshin Kawakami, RHP Cory Rasmus, C Cory Brownsten
Transferred to 60-day DL: RHP Angelo Paulino
Reinstated from DL: C Shawn McGill

Baltimore Orioles
Reinstated from DL: LHP Troy Patton, 1B Joe Mahoney [...] Continue Reading »

Alexi Amarista earned a promotion to the major leagues this week, but the Angels' best middle infield prospect is still at least a couple of years away from making an impact.

That prospect would be Jean Segura, the 21-year-old high Class A Inland Empire shortstop who went 3-for-6 with a pair of home runs yesterday, his first two of the year. Playing at High Desert with the wind blowing out certainly helps, but Segura's bat speed and ability to hit are real. Hitting .364/.417/.545 through 84 plate appearances, Segura has also made a solid transition from second base to shortstop, where he's made only one error in 17 games.

• The No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, Pirates righthander Jameson Taillon made his abbreviated pro debut yesterday for low Class A West Virginia, though inclement weather ended the night after two innings. Taillon, 19, consistently hit the mid-90s with his fastball and finished with three hits, two walks and one run allowed with no strikeouts. Taillon's debut included a matchup against Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper, who walked in his only plate appearance.

[...] Continue Reading »

The Texas League has suspended Rangers outfielder Engel Beltre for 15 games following his role in an incident in Tuesday's game between Double-A San Antonio and Frisco.

The details of Beltre's role in the altercation aren't clear, but Frisco players allegedly threw bats and trash cans from the dugout into the stands. The San Antonio Express-News has the details:

By the time the dust had settled, at least three fans were handcuffed and detained by police. The fans were subdued and detained by San Antonio police officers, including officers called to the scene to back up off-duty police working as security, but a department spokesman could not confirm whether charges were filed.

Missions president Burl Yarbrough was nearby when the melee broke out.

“I was standing there, and all of a sudden, a trash can came flying out of the dugout,” he said. “I've been here 24 years, and I've never seen anything like this.”

Frisco players were upset over a ninth-inning ruling by umpires that wiped out a potential go-ahead three-run home run by RoughRiders designated hitter Michael Bianucci.

Frisco manager Steve Buechele and pitching coach Jeff Andrews were ejected for arguing the call. The home run, which was changed to a ground-rule double by the umpires, would have given Frisco a 7-6 lead.

It's the second year in a row that Beltre will serve a suspension. He missed time last year after he instigated a brawl following a walk-off home run he hit for high Class A Bakersfield against Visalia last June. Here's video of what got Beltre in trouble last year:

While we documented a couple days ago how several Padres hitting prospects are off to fantastic starts, righthander Keyvius Sampson has been San Diego's biggest story on the mound.

Sampson, 20, turned in another dominant performance Wednesday for low Class A Fort Wayne, tossing five shutout innings and allowing only one hit against Lake County. The Captains owned the Midwest League's most productive offense, leading the league in runs and home runs and ranking second in average. Then they ran into Sampson, who did issue four walks but also struck out seven.

Sampson picked up his third win in four starts and improved to 3-1, 1.29 in 21 innings on the season. He's allowed just six hits on the season, and righthanded hitters are an astounding 1-for-32 against him. His .091 opponents average overall is tied for the minor league lead with Reds high Class A righthander Josh Ravin, who's pitched 3 2/3 fewer innings. Sampson's seven strikeouts Tuesday put him in the Midwest League lead with 28 on the year.

“He knows he has good stuff," Fort Wayne manager Shawn Wooten told the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. "He has two pitches he can throw at any time for strikes (and a) third pitch, his breaking ball, that can keep guys off balance.”

[...] Continue Reading »

Myrtle Beach's Robbie Erlin and Kinston's Drew Pomeranz have been the most effective pitching prospects thus far in the high Class A Carolina League—though the two lefthanders offer a contrast in body types and pitching styles. The 6-foot Erlin, who won the ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio titles in the low Class A South Atlantic League a year ago, has provided terrific value as a Rangers third-round pick in 2009. The physical, 6-foot-5 Pomeranz went to the Indians with the fifth pick in last year's draft, and the 22-year-old's power repertoire is evident in his CL-leading rate of 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

The 20-year-old Erlin combines fluid mechanics, three quality pitches and feel for his craft to work deep into games, as he did yesterday in completing seven shutout innings in a 2-0 win against Potomac. He allowed just two hits while striking out 10 and walking none. Erlin saved his best stuff for the heart of the Nationals' order, fanning their 3-4-5 hitters multiple times each. That works out to two whiffs by right fielder Destin Hood, three by first baseman Steven Souza and two by third baseman Stephen King. Erlin retired the final 12 batters he faced and struck out Hood (looking), Souza (looking) and King (swinging) to end his seventh and final frame.

No CL pitcher can top Erlin's 22 innings on the season—or his 0.68 WHIP—and only Pomeranz has more than his 26 strikeouts.

Pomeranz had to leave his start early on Monday with a tight hamstring. He told the Kinston Free Press that the hamstring responded well to treatment and he doesn't expect to miss his next start. [...] Continue Reading »

If you were faced with the question of which team's hitting prospects has had the best April, you might want to answer the Padres.

Third baseman James Darnell (.482/.589/.804) is second in the minor leagues in batting. Coming off of an up and down and injury-plagued 2010 season, outfielder Jaff Decker (.359/.481/.859) has been on a three-week tear to start 2011. Fellow outfielder Blake Tekotte (.359/.461/.641) gives the Missions another outfielder who's mashing. Shortstop Beamer Weems has always impressed with his glove, but now he's hitting .377/.443/.585 for San Antonio. At high Class A Lake Elsinore, third baseman Jedd Gyorko (.391/.474/.594) has hit like he did in college.

Add to the homegrown prospects the fast start for first baseman Anthony Rizzo (.420/.487/.768), who was picked up in the offseason Adrian Gonzalez trade, and San Diego has a large number of intriguing prospects having fast starts at the plate. The pitching prospects haven't been as successful, but Keyvius Sampson (2-1, 1.69) has been a revelation for low Class A Fort Wayne. [...] Continue Reading »

Here is this week's review of which prospects are currently on the disabled list. With five of their top 30 prospects on the disabled list, the Cardinals "win" the prize for the most prospects currently injured. There haven't been as many notable injuries this week, although it is notable that both Everett Williams and Donovan Tate are still on the disabled list after their collision 10 days ago.

[...] Continue Reading »

This time: April 12-19

Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed minor league contracts, replacing major league pacts with the same organization.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Traded: OF Chris Rahl to Nationals for future considerations
Recalled: RHP Josh Collmenter, RHP Esmerling Vasquez
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Kam Mickolio
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Chase Anderson
Reinstated from DL: LHP Mike Belfiore, LHP Clay Zavada

Atlanta Braves
Released: OF Gavin Dickey
Acquired: OF Stefan Gartrell from White Sox for cash considerations
Recalled: RHP Jairo Asencio
Optioned to Triple-A: C J.C. Boscan
Placed on 7-day DL: LHP Chad Rodgers
Reinstated from DL: LHP Jose Lugo

The White Sox outrighted Stefan Gartrell off the 40-man roster and immediately traded him to Atlanta. Last season in Triple-A, he launched 16 of his 27 home runs at home in Charlotte, but his long swing and shaky plate discipline led to 152 strikeouts and 41 walks in 534 at-bats.

Known as Luis Valdez when last he pitched for the Braves in ’09, Jairo Asencio spent all of the ’10 season on the restricted list after an identity investigation turned up his new name and age, precluding him from acquiring a work visa. [...] Continue Reading »

Even before last night, Cubs center fielder Brett Jackson had been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues this season.

Last night's performance for Double-A Tennessee only padded Jackson's stats, as he was just a single short of the cycle, though he did trot down to first base once thanks to a walk. The Cubs' top prospect, Jackson has reached base in all 13 games he's played in this year, hitting .419/.544/.721 with six steals in eight attempts.

Pitchers have attacked the 22-year-old Jackson with breaking balls to get him to swing and miss, but while he'll never be a pure contact hitter, Jackson does a good job of not expanding his strike zone. He recognizes ball and strikes and lays off pitches outsize of the zone, which is why he drew 73 walks last year and already has 12 this year.

• No team has better catching prospects than the Yankees, who have catchers among the Top 100 prospects with Jesus Montero in Triple-A, Austin Romine in Double-A and Gary Sanchez in low Class A. Yesterday Montero showed why he's one of baseball's best hitting prospects, going 3-for-5 with a double, while Romine topped his effort by hitting his first two home runs of the season in a 3-for-4 night to bring his numbers to .310/.420/.500 through 11 games. Montero still hasn't drawn a walk yet, but he also has produced three-hit days in six of his 11 games en route to a .423/.423/.558 start.

[...] Continue Reading »

It may feel like Rangers lefty Martin Perez is a grizzled veteran of the Texas League. He debuted with Double-A Frisco at the tail end of 2009 and is in his second full season there. But then you remember that Perez is just a few weeks past his 20th birthday.

It was only five innings, but Perez was perfect on Tuesday night against Arkansas. The lefthander retired all 15 batters he faced before weather forced the game to be called in the top of the 6th with Frisco leading 1-0. He retired the hot hitting Mike Trout on a pair of fly outs, and on the night he recorded seven outs on the ground, five in the air and three by strikeout. He threw 42 of his 67 pitches for strikes.

Perez has found his stride again after an up-and-down 2010, when he had flashes of dominance early on but went 5-8, 5.96 in 100 innings on the season. Going back to his last start, he's now thrown 10 straight scoreless innings allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out 12. And he's doing this while still being the Texas League's youngest pitcher. [...] Continue Reading »

The Double-A Arkansas Travelers last season hit just 21 home runs as a team at home and 63 at the other seven Texas League venues, easily the largest disparity in the league. Hardly an isolated incident, North Little Rock's Dickey-Stephens Park is a notorious pitcher's park.

That foreknowledge didn't stop Angels center field uber-prospect Mike Trout from homering in yesterday's 15-inning, 4-3 win by Arkansas against Frisco. The 19-year-old racked up seven total bases and scored twice in batting 3-for-6 with a single and a double to go with his homer. The jump to Double-A after 50 games in high Class A a year ago has done little to deter Trout, who now is batting .318/.412/.659 with four homers and a 7/9 walk/strikeout ratio on the young season.

Angels pitching prospect Garrett Richards, a righthander, pitched the first eight innings for Arkansas, limiting Frisco to two runs on 10 hits. He struck out four and walked none, improving his season ratio to 14-to-7. [...] Continue Reading »

Here's a look at which prospects from the 2011 Baseball America Prospect Handbook are on the disabled list entering the third week of the minor league season. There are several additions to the list this week, including Padres' prospects Donovan Tate and Everett Williams. They were both hurt in an outfield collision last Tuesday night. Williams is expected to return to the lineup shortly, but it may be a little longer for Tate, who hyperextended his knee in the collision. [...] Continue Reading »

The recovery rate from Tommy John surgery has reached the point where it's often taken for granted. The news of the elbow replacement surgery is often viewed as a 12-to-15 month setback in development time, but little else.

The Diamondbacks' top prospect Jarrod Parker is offering a reminder that the road back from TJ isn't a breeze. As Ben Badler reported last week (for subscribers), Parker's velocity is already back to nearly what it was before he went under the knife. But his command and his slider are not nearly back to 100 percent yet.

The Mississippi Braves took advantage of that on Sunday. Parker allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks in only 3 1/3 innings. Without the slider that is normally a strikeout pitch, Parker was held to one strikeout on Sunday. He gave up a three-run home run in the first and a two-run home run in the fourth that helped chase him.

Command and the secondary stuff are often the last things to return to normal after elbow surgery–it takes more time for the feel to come back than the velocity–so this isn't a long-term cause for concern. But that doesn't make it any more fun for Parker. [...] Continue Reading »

This time: April 6-12

Players listed with an asterisk (*) signed minor league contracts, replacing major league pacts with the same organization.

This time we have a dense transactions installment even though most names present here won't be playing right away. Teams made liberal use of the disabled list to whittle minor league rosters down to 24 (for Double-A and Triple-A) or 25 (Class A) players. The restricted list comes into play for those players who are serving out suspensions or are otherwise unready to go.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Signed: LHP Ron Mahay
Placed on restricted list: OF Alfredo Marte
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Matt Gorgen, RHP Juan Jaime, RHP Reid Mahon, RHP Andrew Wolcott, LHP Mike Belfiore, LHP Pat McAnaney, LHP Wade Miley, LHP Clay Zavada, C Robby Hammock, 3B Ed Rogers, OF Chris Rahl

Atlanta Braves
Added to 40-man roster: C J.C. Boscan
Optioned to Triple-A: LHP Mike Minor
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Thomas Berryhill, RHP Brett Butts, RHP Erik Cordier, RHP Angelo Paulino, RHP Jay Sborz, LHP Jose Lugo, LHP Cole Rohrbough, C Shawn McGill, SS Mycal Jones [...] Continue Reading »

Gary Brown has come as advertised—in some ways, at least.

The Giants drafted Brown in the first-round with the 24th overall pick last year in part due to his blazing speed, an asset getting down the line with his contact-oriented bat, on the basepaths and in center field, where he’s a plus defender.

Brown, 22, hasn't electrified the high Class A California League with his numbers yet—he's 8-for-29 (.276) and doesn't have an extra-base hit so far. Yesterday's box score line for Brown wasn't anything fancy—he went 1-for-5 with a pair of strikeouts—yet he also managed to create his own run without help from any of his teammates.

Brown led off the game with an infield single to the shortstop, stole second base, then proceeded to steal third and came home on the catcher’s errant throw to third base. It was his only hit of the night, but it was his ninth stolen base of the year, putting him second in the minors behind fellow Giants farmhand Emmanuel Burriss, who has already swiped 12 in 12 attempts with Triple-A Fresno.

One of the knocks on Brown was that his lack of patience at the plate could be an obstacle in pro ball, both in terms of his ability to get himself into hitters’ counts and limiting his potential to get on base. Yet just one year after drawing nine walks in 50 games at Cal State Fullerton, Brown has already drawn five walks in seven games (with just three strikeouts). Between that and his brief pro debut last summer, Brown has drawn 11 walks in 19 professional games.
 
We’ll still need a larger sample of information to see whether those walks are a sign of truly improved plate discipline or just a blip, but it’s certainly an encouraging sign early in Brown’s career.

[...] Continue Reading »

It's often said that going from Class A to Double-A represents the biggest adjustment a young player has to make. Well, Mike Trout's adjustment period looks like it lasted all of two days.

Trout homered twice on Tuesday night for Double-A Arkansas, and the Angels center fielder has gone deep three times in six games on the year. He hit a grand slam in the second inning last night off Frisco starter Wilfredo Boscan, then added a solo shot later on. Since going hitless in his first two Double-A games, Trout has gone 7-for-16.

It's easy to forget that Trout is still just 19 years old and won't turn 20 until August. And for all his accolades of a year ago, when he hit a combined .341/.428/.490 between low Class A and high Class A, he hit just 10 home runs. He's been projected to have at least average power though, and it looks like he shouldn't have much trouble surpassing last year's power numbers. [...] Continue Reading »

Indians righthander Trey Haley (second round, 2008) began his third season in the low Class A Lake County rotation on a much sweeter note than he finished either of the first two. The same pitcher who went 9-19, 5.81 with 154/151 strikeouts/walks in 46 appearances for the Captains in 2009-10 tossed three hitless innings against Dayton last night to kick off a three-pitcher no-hitter, the minors' first this season.

Dayton's Juan Duran (Reds) drew a walk to lead off the third inning, advanced to second on a Haley wild pitch, stole third and then scored on a second Haley wild pitch, so despite collecting zero hits the Dragons tallied one score and lost by a 3-1 count.

Haley worked three innings, striking out four and walking two. Lefty Francisco Jimenez (Dominican Republic, 2007) and righthander Clayton Ehlert (NDFA, 2010) completed six shutout innings and preserved the no-hitter.

[...] Continue Reading »

The Commissioner's office announced the suspensions of three minor leaguers Monday, only one of them a Dominican. That was righthander Robinson Fabian, formerly of the Nationals organization. The current free agent received a 25-game suspension for violating the minor league drug and prevention program, a suspension that becomes effective when he signs with another club.

Phillies lefthander Ryan Sasaki received a 50-game suspension for an elevated testosteron/epitestosterone ratio. He didn't pitch last year after being a 13th-round pick in 2009 out of an Austin, Texas, high school. He signed for $100,000 and pitched in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in '09.

Also suspended for 50 games was Royals infielder Justin Trapp, who had opened the season on the roster for low Class A Kane County. The South Carolina prep product hit .269/.346/.323 in 2010 at Rookie-level Idaho Falls, with 21 stolen bases. He signed for $125,000 as a 34th-round pick in 2009 and tested positive for Phentermine.

When Paul Goldschmidt was at Texas State, he set the career home run record with 36, but it was Texas State, not the Texas Longhorns.

In his debut at Rookie-level Missoula in 2009, he led the Pioneer League with 18 home runs, but he was an experienced college player stepping into a rookie league. Last year, he led the California League with 35 home runs, but hey, it was the California League, where a pop fly can sometimes turn into a home run.

If Goldschmidt keeps this up, there will quickly be no more qualifiers when people talk or write about his power. Four games into the season with Double-A Mobile, Goldschmidt has four home runs. And he's doing it as an age-appropriate 23-year-old in the Southern League, not exactly a league known for crazy offensive numbers. [...] Continue Reading »

Age isn't everything, but when you are talking about prospects, it means an awful lot. A 23-year-old tearing up the Midwest League isn't nearly as impressive as an 18-year-old who's managing to survive in the same league. With that in mind, here's a look at the 10 youngest players in each full-season league at the beginning of the season. In compiling this list, it's notable how few non-prospects populate this list–if an organization is willing to push you quickly to a level, it's usually a good sign for a player's potential. [...] Continue Reading »