Monday's slate of Memorial Day games provided no performances worthy of commemoration for future generations. Still, a handful of pitching prospects charted progress at the Double-A level.

• Rockies 2008 first-round lefthander Christian Friedrich rebounded from a dismal May 25 start (10 runs, seven hits in 1 2/3 innings) to turn in his finest effort of the season for Tulsa. His game score jumped 63 points, from 10 to 73, in limiting Frisco to one run on just two hits over seven innings. The 23-year-old notched five strikeouts against one walk and recorded 11 of 13 in-play outs on groundballs. [...] Continue Reading »

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, most every minor league team has completed more than one-third of its scheduled games. Let's take a closer look at the 10 best and the 10 worst full-season clubs. The L-30 column spells out each club's record in the last 30 games, and in a five-month season that counts for a lot.

The Giants' high Class A San Jose affiliate leads the field with a plus-113 run differential, proving to be the most balanced club in the California League. They rank second in runs scored per game (6.36) with a power-oriented attack—the Giants lead the Cal League in doubles (102) while ranking second in homers (49) and third in slugging (.444).

Last year's first-rounder Gary Brown, a center fielder, has come as advertised, batting .365/.436/.538 with five homers, 13 doubles and three triples in 197 at-bats. The 22-year-old speedster has 28 steals in 40 attempts to go with 44 runs scored in 46 games out of the leadoff spot. Other key contributors include third baseman Chris Dominguez (.289/.333/.464, nine homers) and catcher Hector Sanchez (.296/.314/.533, eight homers). [...] Continue Reading »

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

Find signing scouts for all players to make their big league debuts this season, including Charlie Furbush and Pete Kozma.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Signed: RHP Armando Galarraga*
Recalled: RHP Kam Mickolio
Added to 40-man roster: RHP Micah Owings, 3B Sean Burroughs
Removed from 40-man: RHP Armando Galarraga (outrighted to Triple-A)
Placed on 7-day DL: LHP Jordan Norberto, 1B Bobby Stone
Reinstated from DL: RHP Josh Ellis, RHP Tyler Green

Atlanta Braves
Signed: RHP Steven Shell, 2B Julio Lugo
Released: RHP Wes Alsup, RHP Tim Gustafson
Recalled: RHP Jairo Asencio, RHP Julio Teheran, OF Jordan Schafer
Added to 40-man roster: OF Wilkin Ramirez
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Cory Gearrin, RHP Julio Teheran
Placed on 7-day DL: LHP Dimasther Delgado, C Braeden Schlehuber, OF Geraldo Rodriguez
Transferred to 60-day DL: RHP Stephen Marek, LHP Chad Rodgers
Reinstated from DL: RHP Erik Cordier, RHP David Hale, C Jesus Sucre
Reinstated from inactive list: OF Mycal Jones

The Braves signed 28-year-old Steven Shell to replace Stephen Marek (Tommy John surgery) in the Triple-A Gwinnett bullpen. Shell signed on with the Royals in the offseason and pitched eight times in relief for Triple-A Omaha, notching 11 strikeouts and four walks in 12 1/3 innings. He also allowed 19 hits and three home runs, though, which explains his 8.03 ERA. [...] Continue Reading »

When the Rangers signed Jurickson Profar, many international scouts were scratching their heads.
 
As a 16-year-old kid out of Curacao, Profar scored a $1.55 million bonus from the Rangers on July 2, 2009. That was a hefty price to pay, some veteran international scouts thought, for a player who many thought was a better prospect as a pitcher than as a shortstop.

Part of that feeling in the scouting community was because Profar had shown feel for pitching with a fastball up to 92 mph and a solid-average breaking ball at 16, but the other part is that those scouts questioned how much he would hit. Profar wanted to play shortstop, though, and according to a source familiar with the negotiations, the Rangers were the only team to offer him a contract as a shortstop.
 
Time will tell whether the Rangers were right, but so far it looks like money well spent. Profar, 18, reached base four times yesterday for low Class Hickory, hitting a single, drawing a pair of walks and getting hit by a pitch. Profar’s been getting on base plenty this season, with a .275/.405/.517 batting line through 34 games and more walks (23) than strikeouts (20). Profar has plenty of arm strength, but he isn't your typical tooled-up shortstop in the mold of Jose Reyes or Elvis Andrus. His bat is plenty advanced, though, and his instincts and savvy for his age make all of his tools play up.

[...] Continue Reading »

After an April he'd like to forget, Mariners third baseman Alex Liddi has found himself in May with Triple-A Tacoma. The 22-year-old hit just .210/.292/.358 in 81 April at-bats but has come around to hit .293/.375/.598 thus far in May.

Coming into yesterday's game with Nashville, Liddi had been in a bit of a dry spell, with just three hits in his last six games. He pulled out of it by going 3-for-6 with two doubles and four RBIs. Though Liddi's a righthanded batter, lefty pitchers have given him fits this year, holding him to 6-for-40 (.150) line. Liddi went 0-for-2 yesterday against Nashville starter Chase Wright, a lefty, but he feasted on the succession of righthanders coming out of the Sounds' bullpen after Wright was knocked out in the fourth.

Tacoma pounded out 15 runs on 17 hits in the game, so Liddi wasn't the only Rainier to have a big night. Among the others leading the way was Mariners' top prospect Dustin Ackley, who reached base four times, going 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and two walks. The 23-year-old second baseman leads the Pacific Coast League in walks with 35, and like Liddi, he's come alive after a slow start. Ackley's hitting .326/.425/.579 in 95 at-bats for the month of May, upping his season line to .268/.381/.442. [...] Continue Reading »

This week's rundown of players on disabled lists includes bad news for a couple of young big league pitchers–Brandon Beachy and Aroldis Chapman both are now on the DL–but even worse news for A's catching prospect Max Stassi, who needs shoulder surgery. [...] Continue Reading »

A pair of picks from the 2010 draft continued having fun in the warm California League sun. Since the beginning of May, high Class A Lake Elsinore third baseman Jedd Gyorko ranks third in the minors with his 1.247 OPS. San Jose center fielder Gary Brown checks in at No. 6 with a 1.181 mark.

Gyorko, a Padres' second-rounder from West Virginia, upped his seasonal average to .396 with a 4-for-5 game that included two doubles and two RBIs in a 16-4 win for Lake Elsinore against Lancaster. He leads the Cal League with 45 RBIs and 34 extra-base hits, but after going 0-for-7 over the weekend, Gyorko trails Visalia's Adam Eaton (.402) for the top spot in the batting race.

The Giants' first-round pick in 2010, Brown also went 4-for-5 with two doubles, but he upped the ante with a pair of stolen bases, giving him a Cal League-leading 28 on the year. However, Brown still trails the Reds' Billy Hamilton for the minor league leads. Remarkably, Hamilton has collected 37 stolen bases despite a .197 average and .291 on-base percentage. Contrast that with Brown's work: .378 and .451. [...] Continue Reading »

Bryce Brentz left a fitting going away present. On Friday morning, Brentz went 3-for-5 with a home run for low Class A Greenville in the Drive's win over Savannah. Later that day he got the word that he was moving up to high Class A Salem. He quickly established that he won't be awed by facing more experienced pitchers.

In his first game with Salem on Saturday, he homered. On Sunday, he homered again, giving him 13 for the season.

Brentz's promotion was part of a cascade of Red Sox outfield promotions. Center fielder Che Hsuan-Lin was bumped up to Triple-A Pawtucket from Double-A Portland. Jeremy Hazelbaker went from Salem to Portland. Brentz replaced Hazelbaker in Salem while Henry Ramos was freed from extended spring training to go to Greenville.

"He still gets out of it at times because he's an aggressive swinger, but we're trying to allow that swing to play in the zone to impact the baseball. When he gets a little out of control with his swing sometimes, that's when the swing-and-miss comes in. But when he keeps that effort level where it needs to be, he's a pretty dangerous hitter. This is probably long overdue for him," Red Sox farm director Mike Hazen told the Providence Journal about Brentz. [...] Continue Reading »

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

The Royals have debuted seven shiny new rookies this season, and they're not done yet. Mike Moustakas and Mike Montgomery are heating up for Triple-A Omaha. Keep up with all 2011 big league debuts, complete with their draft/signing status and their signing scouts.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Tyler Green

Atlanta Braves
Signed: SS Kyle Davis
Released: 1B Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg
Placed on suspended list: OF Mycal Jones
Added to 40-man roster: RHP Scott Proctor
Placed on 7-day DL: C Jesus Sucre
Reinstated from DL: 3B Donell Linares, 3B Dan Nelson, OF Adam Milligan

Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg won MVP honors in the ’09 Appalachian League for hitting .359 and winning the batting title, but he's done little of note since. The 23-year-old batted .188/.212/.266 (12-for-64) for high Class A Lynchburg prior to his release.

Police arrested Mycal Jones early on the morning of May 13 and charged him with DUI. The Braves converted the erstwhile shortstop (43 errors in 125 games last year) to center field at Double-A Mississippi this season. [...] Continue Reading »

In a season that has already seen Eric Hosmer, Danny Duffy, Aaron Crow and Tim Collins jump to the big leagues, the Royals farm system got some potentially bad news on Thursday night.

Lefthander John Lamb, considered one of the best pitching prospects in the system and one of the most promising lefthanders in the minors, left his start for Northwest Arkansas after only two-thirds of an inning because of elbow discomfort, according to the Naturals' radio broadcaster. The news was Tweeted by Lamb's father, James Lamb as well as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals' official Twitter feed.

Lamb had battled a sore lat muscle earlier this spring, and has been pitching largely at 89-91 mph, well below the 90-95 mph he pitched at last year.

Teams don’t get into bidding wars in the international market over Dominican righthanders who are under six feet tall.

While the Reds spent $4.5 million combined on outfielders Juan Duran and Yorman Rodriguez in 2008, it’s fellow 2008 signee Daniel Corcino who has been the most impressive thus far for low Class A Dayton. A 5-foot-11, 165-pound righthy, Corcino struck out 11 and allowed only one hit in six shutout innings yesterday.

Since getting tagged for 12 runs (nine earned) over 7 2/3 innings in his first two starts, Corcino has silenced Midwest League hitters. Even after a rocky start, Corcino’s ERA is down to 2.83 in 41 1/3 innings with 48 strikeouts and 12 walks. Corcino’s not doing it with smoke and mirrors, either. His fastball sits in the low 90s and he can crank it up to 97 mph, backing it up with an above-average breaking ball. The Reds have a hitter-heavy farm system—Aroldis Chapman and  Kyle Lotzkar were the only arms in their top 10 coming into the year—so the emergence of Corcinio has been a major boost for Cincinnati.

• Duran, 19, has been a mixed bag this season. In the first game of a doubleheader yesterday, Duran went 2-for-3 and hit his fourth home run of the year. The 6-foot-7 left fielder is showing plenty of power and some surprising ability to draw a walk given his supersized strike zone, with a .248/.350/.455 line and 16 walks in 117 plate appearances. In the second game of the doubleheader, Duran went 0-for-3 and struck out twice, giving him an alarming 45 whiffs (38 percent of his PAs) already. His outfield play has also been shaky with six errors in 29 games, a remarkable number of miscues for an outfielder.

[...] Continue Reading »

It's understandable if a player struggles when he gets moved up to a level that may be advanced for his age, which makes it all the more impressive when a player in that situation excels.

And then there's Brett Lawrie.

With the Brewers' Double-A Huntsville affiliate last year, Lawrie was the Southern League's second-youngest regular while hitting .285/.346/.451. For an encore, the 21-year-old has torn up the Triple-A Pacific Coast League after coming over to the Blue Jays in the offseason trade that sent Shaun Marcum to Milwaukee. Lawrie, the PCL's youngest position player and second-youngest player overall to 20-year-old Astros righthander Jordan Lyles, has hit .337/.395/.615 through 169 at-bats for Las Vegas.

Lawrie's latest feat came Tuesday afternoon against Round Rock, going 3-for-3 with a walk and finishing a double short of the cycle. Lawrie hit an opposite field home run in the third inning, his ninth of the season, and added his third triple of the year in the eighth, helping spark a rally that saw the 51s overcome an 8-3 deficit for a 9-8 win. Lawrie walked and went on to score the winning run in the ninth.

[...] Continue Reading »

Having spent the better part of the past three seasons in Akron, Ohio, playing Double-A ball for the Indians, John Drennen at least had minor league free agency to look forward to this offseason. He still does, but now such freedom comes with the caveat that he has run afoul of baseball's drug testing program. The 24-year-old Drennen, a corner outfielder, faces a 50-game suspension for testing positive for Clomiphene, a performance-enhancing substance.

Cleveland did not foresee Drennen's pro struggles when they selected him 33rd overall in the 2005 draft out of Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego. The organization saw explosive bat speed that made it willing to look past fringy supporting tools. But then Drennen spent parts of the 2006-09 seasons with high Class A Kinston, batting .246/.329/.355 with 16 home runs in 296 games, and most of the bloom left the rose.

Drennen rebounded somewhat to bat .300/.355/.434 in 440 at-bats for Akron last season. He managed a similar line this season—minus a few singles—batting .256/.367/.444 with three homers in 117 at-bats for the Aeros. [...] Continue Reading »

The Rangers whitewashed the White Sox last night by a count of 4-0, but fans of the organization might point with equal pride to performances by two of the system's finest prospects.

A solo home run by low Class A Hickory shortstop Jurickson Profar, leading off the ninth inning, tied the game and allowed the Crawdads to survive for an additional two innings. They ultimately lost to Augusta 6-5 in 11 innings, but the 18-year-old Profar showed off the wide range of tools that mark him as a big leaguer in the making.

Batting lefthanded, the switch-hitting Profar took GreenJackets closer Stephen Harrold deep to right field for his only hit in three official at-bats. He reached base two other times via hit by pitch and walk, scoring in the latter instance after stealing third base.

In an active six-game hitting streak, Profar has batted 8-for-23 (.348) with four doubles, a homer, six runs scored, three walks (against five strikeouts) and a stolen base. His average climbed from .197 to .232 in the span of a week. Billed as a stronger hitter from the right side, he's obliged by hitting 8-for-24 (.333) as a righthanded hitter with two of his four homers this season. [...] Continue Reading »

This week's Medical Report includes a lot of injured players who have been spending their time in extended spring training but are now popping up on official disabled lists. It continues to have plenty of bad news for the Orioles as eight of the O's top 30 prospects heading into the season are currently on the disabled list.. [...] Continue Reading »

If Bryce Brentz challenges Mitch Hilligoss' four-year-old South Atlantic League record for hitting in 38 straight games, then Sunday's contest will be the one remembered for making it possible.

The 22-year-old Red Sox right fielder came into the ninth inning carrying an 0-for-3 line (he'd also walked). Brentz needed at least two low Class A Greenville batters to reach in order to come to the plate a fifth time. The first two batters flied out, but then Felix Sanchez singled. Heiker Menses then tripled, giving Brentz one more chance to extend the streak. He responded by hitting a home run, his 10th of the year, that easily cleared the fence in straightaway center field. 

Brentz also homered in his final at-bat on Friday to keep his streak alive. He now leads the SAL in average (.388), home runs, RBIs (35), hits (57), slugging (.701), runs scored (40), total bases (103) and extra-base hits (23).

END OF THE STREAK: While Brentz's streak lives on, Bryce Harper's 18-game streak ended on Sunday with an 0-for-4 day against Lakewood. Playing for low Class A Hagerstown, he had extended his streak with two hits on Saturday night. After going hitless in three of his first five games, Harper has now been held without a hit only five times in his last 30 games. [...] Continue Reading »

Before either team could record an out, an unusual benches-clearing brawl erupted in a game between Red Sox and Yankees affiliates, with Yankees outfielder Slade Heathcott in the middle of it all.

In the top of the first inning, low Class A Greenville righthander Miguel Celestino hit Heathcott in the shoulder with the second pitch of the game. Rather than jog to first base or even charge the mound, Heathcott turned and attacked Greenville catcher Christian Vazquez, shoving him in the face and tackling him to the ground. A brawl ensued as both benches cleared. The entire incident was caught on video:

Heathcott and Charleston reliever Kelvin Perez were ejected, as were Vazquez and Greenville righthander Garret Rau. According to sources in attendance, tensions between the two clubs were high after the teams shared some heated words during their last series three weeks ago in Charleston.

It was quite the day for the 20-year-old Heathcott, who entered the season as the Yankees' No. 9 prospect. Earlier in the day, the Charleston Post and Courier published Gene Sapakoff's in-depth profile of the off-field problems Heathcott has gone through both as an amateur and since signing with the Yankees as a first-round pick out of high school in 2009. It's a must-read story, so just click through the link, but the highlights include pointing a gun at his father (who who spent part of Heathcott's high school years behind bars), living out of his truck and issues with alcohol both in high school and while with the Yankees. 

Here's another video of the incident (this one with sound) that managed to catch the second half of the brawl:

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

Arizona Diamondbacks
Released: LHP Ron Mahay
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Barry Enright
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Chase Anderson, RHP Josh Ellis, OF David Winfree
Reinstated from DL: RHP Charles Brewer, OF Adam Eaton

Atlanta Braves
Signed: RHP Jeremy Haynes, 1B Chris Garcia (re-signed)
Released: RHP Jay Sborz
Recalled: SS Diory Hernandez
Added to 40-man roster: RHP Julio Teheran
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Julio Teheran, SS Brandon Hicks
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Jason Lowey, 2B Mike Brownsten, 2B Matt Weaver, 3B Donell Linares, 3B Dan Nelson, OF Willie Cabrera, OF Adam Milligan, OF Kyle Rose
Reinstated from DL: RHP Jay Sborz, SS Mycal Jones, OF Willie Cabrera

The Braves cut Chris Garcia on April 3 but recently re-signed him to play first base for low Class A Rome after promoting Barrett Kleinknecht to high Class A. The R-Braves last night cleared the 10-win hurdle (10-24), leaving the Mariners' low Class A Clinton outfit (9-26) as the only minor league club with a single digit in the win column. Garcia, by the way, ranked No. 3 on last year's Independent Leagues Top 10 Prospects list.

Top pitching prospect Julio Teheran served up a home run to Ryan Howard in his big league debut, a 4 2/3 inning stint in which he yielded three runs. A scout recently weighed in on Teheran's projected impact, both immediate and long-term. [...] Continue Reading »

Joey Votto is hitting like an MVP again this year. He's not going anywhere.

The way Yonder Alonso is hitting for Triple-A Louisville, the Reds either have their left fielder of the future or one of baseball's most valuable trade chips.

Playing in Rochester yesterday, Alonso hit a home run, a triple and a double yesterday, taking his averages up to .313/.362/.530 through 30 games. At 24, Alonso has a good approach, uses the middle of the field and has the power to hit 20-plus home runs. Alonso's defense isn't Raul Ibanez/Lance Berkman bad, but he's still a slow-footed outfielder and a defensive liability. Still, the Reds are living with Jonny Gomes' well-below-average defense in left field as he hits .194/.341/.407, so seeing Alonso in left field in Cincinnati is a very real possibility.

• The Bryce Harper show goes on. The would-be high school senior went 4-for-5 and hit his eighth home run, extending his hitting streak to 15 games, a stretch that includes 11 multi-hit games. He's been everything the Nationals could have hoped for, as the 18-year-old outfielder is hitting .396/.472/1.184 with an OPS that ranks fifth in all of the minor leagues.

[...] Continue Reading »

Both Kevin Frandsen and Joe Dickerson faced uncertainty at the end of spring training upon being released by, respectively, the Padres and Twins. That feeling is magnified with Major League Baseball's announcement today that both players must sit out 50 games without pay after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

The 28-year-old Frandsen, who tested positive for Ritalinic acid, signed with the Phillies on April 1 and had batted .330/.377/.514 with three homers in 109 at-bats for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The utility infielder appeared in 54 games for the Angels last season, chiefly as a fill-in at third base for Brandon Wood, and has taken 626 plate appearances in parts of five seasons in the big leagues. Most of that playing time came with the ’07 Giants, the organization that drafted him in the 12th round in ’04 out of San Jose State.

Dickerson tested positive for an amphetamine, but his suspension will not begin unless or until he signs with a major league organization. A Royals' fourth-round pick out of an Anaheim high school in ’05, he earned his release by Kansas City last June after batting .284/.358/.416 over five seasons spent almost exclusively in the low minors. He finished out the ’10 season in the independent Golden League, batting 1-for-12 for St. George. The Twins brought him to spring training on a minor league deal this spring.