The Mariners have signed Leurys Vargas, a 16-year-old Dominican third baseman, for $400,000.

Vargas, the son of former big league lefthander Yorkis Perez, turned 16 yesterday but is already a physical 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He stands out for his bat speed and raw power from the left side, though with his size he may end up moving over to first base.
Vargas played in the Dominican Prospect League and trained with Adolfo Frias, who is known as "Fifo." Frias also trained Mariners outfielder Julio Morban, who signed for $1.1 million with Seattle in 2008 and hit .313/.361/.550 in 76 games in high Class A High Desert in the California League this year.

Earlier this month, the Mariners also signed 16-year-old Brazilian lefthander Luiz Gohara, one of the top pitching prospects in this year's signing class.

The Rangers have signed Luis Terrero, a 16-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic.

Terrero, who is from Nizao, is 6 feet, 180 pounds with a strong, stocky build similar to a young Juan Uribe and has a solid righthanded bat. He's a solid runner, has good awareness in the field and has a chance to stay at shortstop, though with his build he may end up at second or third base. Terrero will likely begin his career next year in the Dominican Summer League. He trained at La Academia with Abel Guerra.

Here we present official minor league transactions, conveyed to us by Major League Baseball, for the period Aug. 21-27.

Any player listed with an asterisk (*) signed a minor league contract with the organization after being removed from the 40-man roster and clearing waivers.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Released: 1B Kyle Greene
Recalled: RHP Sam Demel, OF A.J. Pollock
Added to 40-man roster: LHP Tyler Skaggs
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Sam Demel, OF A.J. Pollock
Placed on 7-day DL: OF Adam Eaton, OF Cole Gillespie
Reinstated from DL: OF Ollie Linton

Atlanta Braves
Signed: 1B Lyle Overbay (released by Diamondbacks)
Added to 40-man roster: RHP Miguel Batista
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Juan Jaime, RHP Andrew Wilson, 2B Ruben Gotay
Reinstated from DL: RHP Adam Holland, 2B Tommy La Stella, 3B Terry Tiffee

Baltimore Orioles
Elected free agency: LHP J.C. Romero
Recalled: RHP Jake Arrieta, LHP Brian Matusz
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Jake Arrieta
Optioned to Double-A: RHP Tommy Hunter
Removed from 40-man: LHP J.C. Romero (outrighted to Triple-A) [...] Continue Reading »

Because postseason minor league all-star teams are selected by league managers, coaches, broadcasters and media they typically contain a good mix of top performers and top prospects. On this page we'll collect all the all-star teams in one place as they're announced.

Most of the abbreviations are self-explanatory, but a few are unique. Pitch is short for pitcher of the year (if the league awards one), Rook is rookie of the year (if applicable), Mgr is manager of the year, and Pros is prospect of the year (as awarded in the low Class A leagues). Many leagues select a righthanded and lefthanded all-star selection, and some also select a relief pitcher (or two). We've simply listed an asterisk (*) following the name of any lefthanded pitcher.

• According to a league press release, a host of prospects received votes for the PCL rookie of the year award, including Wil Myers (Omaha), Adeiny Hechavarria (Las Vegas), Jedd Gyorko (Tucson), Kole Calhoun (Salt Lake), Jake Elmore (Reno) and Grant Green (Sacramento). Adam Eaton's win gives Reno back-to-back PCL ROY award winners after Collin Cowgill won it last year.

• Ernesto Mejia became the third consecutive Gwinnett player to win the IL rookie of the year, following Julio Teheran last year and Freddie Freeman in 2010. [...] Continue Reading »

This season hasn't always been easy for Cardinals righthander Chris Corrigan, but he finished it up in perfect fashion.

The 24-year-old threw a perfect game in an 8-0 win against Charlotte. Palm Beach has only four games left in the season, so this was Corrigan's final start of 2012.

A 30th-round pick out of Mississippi in 2009 who features a low 90s fastball and solid curveball , Corrigan had worked predominantly out of the bullpen until recently. He worked out of the Palm Beach bullpen at the start of the year, then was promoted to Double-A Springfield in late May. He struggled significantly in his short four-game stint in the Texas League, compiling a 7.36 ERA, and was sent back to the Florida State League. Since the demotion, Corrigan has started for Palm Beach. Before Wednesday night, he had never made it out of the sixth inning in a start.

With the way Corrigan was in control on Wednesday, there was little reason to think about pulling him from the game. He set a career high in strikeouts while demonstrating the best control of his career as well.

Less than a week after the commissioner's office announced the penalty for Rays prospect Ryan Brett's failed drug test, the league handed out three more 50-game suspensions, two of them to prospects selected in the first round of recent drafts.

• Rays minor league left fielder Josh Sale, a teammate of Brett's with low Class A Bowling Green, tested positive for methamphetamine and an amphetamine, the same substances that triggered Brett's failed test. The 21-year-old Sale bashed six home runs in May, but he had cooled in the second half (.737 OPS), dragging his season line to .264/.391/.464 with 10 homers in 239 at-bats. The Rays selected him out of a Seattle high school with the 17th pick in the 2010 draft.

• The second of two Blue Jays first-round picks in June, righthander Marcus Stroman tested positive for the stimulant Methylhexaneamine. The former Duke standout and 22nd overall draft pick signed on July 3 and advanced to Double-A New Hampshire a month later after a brief stopover in the short-season Northwest League. In 15 pro relief appearances he had struck out 23, walked nine and allowed 16 hits (including one homer) in 19 1/3 innings.

• Royals minor league first baseman Mark Donato tested positive for an amphetamine. A 26th-round pick from Indian River (Fla.) JC in June, he batted .253/.305/.435 with three homers in 154 at-bats in the Rookie-level Arizona League.

• Presented here are the top pitcher game scores from weekend series. Any prospect with a game score greater than 65 is displayed.

• Augusta lefty Edwin Escobar has registered the weekend's top game score in consecutive starts, and he's gone 3-0, 0.94 with 15 hits allowed and a 29-7 K-BB ratio over 28 2/3 innings in August. Perhaps it's just low Class A batters wearing down after a grueling season, but whatever the case the Giants prospect has ended his season on a strong note. Escobar (8.6 whiffs per nine innings) and GreenJackets teammates Kyle Crick (10.3) and Clayton Blackburn (9.8) rank among the South Atlantic League's top strikeout pitchers.

• Julio Teheran's game scores have careened from 26 to 77 to 13 to 81 in his last four starts for Triple-A Gwinnett, highlighting why the Braves, even after losing Ben Sheets and Brandon Beachy and weathering inconsistencies from Tommy Hanson and Mike Minor, probably will not turn over critical innings to the 21-year-old this September. [...] Continue Reading »

The number of minor leaguers serving 50-game suspensions grew by three today when the commissioner's office announced that a trio of players—including one with more than two years of major league service—had violated the game's joint drug agreement.

• Mariners minor league righthander David Pauley incurred his penalty following a second violation for a drug of abuse. The 29-year-old veteran made a total of 10 relief appearances this year for the Angels and Blue Jays prior to electing free agency on July 6 and signing a minor league deal with Seattle. Pauley enjoyed his only measure of big league success as a reliever for the Mariners in 2010 and ’11, though that success proved fleeting after he joined the Tigers in July of last year as the other pitcher Detroit received in the Doug Fister deal.

• Tigers minor league right fielder D.J. Driggers batted just .160/.240/.234 in 94 at-bats for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League club following his selection in the 22nd round of the year's draft. The 20-year-old Middle Georgia JC product tested positive for a metabolite of Drostanolone and will sit for 50 games without pay, assuming Detroit doesn't release him.

• White Sox minor league shortstop Carlos Gonzalez of the Dominican Summer League tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol. He signed for $50,000 out of the D.R. last October and batted .215/.329/.251 in 191 DSL at-bats this year.

Major League Baseball has approved the $800,000 contract of Simon Mercedes, who made his pro debut yesterday in the Dominican Summer League.

Mercedes, 20, had originally signed with the Giants for $400,000 in 2011 using the same name and the same date of birth (Feb. 17, 1992) that he used to sign with the Red Sox, but his Giants contract was terminated and MLB declared him ineligible to sign for one year. MLB has not publicly stated the reason for the sanction against Mercedes, who recently received his visa to be able to come to the United States. MLB ruled his age undetermined, according to a source familiar with the situation, but the Red Sox decided to proceed with the contract.

Mercedes threw four shutout innings with four hits, two walks and four strikeouts yesterday in the DSL. At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Mercedes has run his fastball up to 96 mph and flashed an average to above-average breaking ball.

Royals righthander Kyle Zimmer, the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, had surgery yesterday to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, the team announced today.

The Royals said Zimmer, 20, is expected to recover in 6-8 weeks and that the "procedure on Zimmer was anticipated based on physical exam during the draft process."

Zimmer, who signed for $3 million, had made nine starts in pro ball between the Rookie-level Arizona League and the low Class A Midwest League, posting a 2.04 ERA in 39 2/3 innings with 29 strikeouts and eight walks between the two stops.

Major League Baseball has approved Juan Carlos Paniagua's $1.5 million deal with the Cubs, one year after terminating his $1.1 million deal with the Yankees that he signed using the same age and the same name.

According to a source familiar with the situation, MLB ruled Paniagua's age undetermined, a decision that put the onus on the Cubs of whether to continue forward with the contract. Paniagua received his visa from the U.S. Consulate and made his first start for the Cubs yesterday in the Rookie-level Arizona League, where he threw two scoreless innings of relief with one walk and one strikeout.

Paniagua, a 22-year-old Dominican righthander who signed with the Cubs last month, has had two previous pro contracts terminated despite using the same date of birth (April 4, 1990) to sign every time. Paniagua originally signed with the Diamondbacks for $17,000 in May 2009 as Juan Carlos Collado, pitched in 2009 and part of 2010 in the Dominican Summer League on a pending contract, but his contract was terminated due to fraudulent paperwork.

He was declared ineligible to sign for one year, then signed with the Yankees for $1.1 million in 2011 as Juan Carlos Paniagua, but MLB terminated that contract due to what the league called "falsified documents." Paniagua was again declared ineligible to sign for one year, then signed with the Cubs on July 19 once his penalty ended using the same name and the same age he used to sign with the Yankees.

Paniagua had touched 98 mph back in 2011, but more recent reports—including a May workout in Puerto Rico—have had him around 93-95 mph. His changeup has long been his No. 2 pitch but he has shown an improved 81-84 mph slider over the past year. Since Paniagua signed his contract after July 2, his bonus will count against Chicago's $2.9 million international bonus pool for the 2012-13 signing period.

Here we present official minor league transactions, conveyed to us by Major League Baseball, for the period Aug. 14-20.

Any player listed with an asterisk (*) signed a minor league contract with the organization after being removed from the 40-man roster and clearing waivers.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Traded: SS Stephen Drew to Athletics for SS Sean Jamieson
Acquired: RHP Daniel Cabrera from Pirates for cash considerations
Added to 40-man roster: LHP Mike Zagurski
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP D.J. Johnson, C Raywilly Gomez, OF Marc Bourgeois

Atlanta Braves
Signed: LHP Daniel Rodriguez (Saltillo (Mexican)), OF Karl Hoschke
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Cory Gearrin
Option transferred: RHP Erik Cordier (Triple-A to Double-A)
Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Adam Holland, 3B Terry Tiffee
Reinstated from DL: RHP Erik Cordier, LHP Andy Otero, C Braeden Schlehuber

Aussie Karl Hoschke decided to sign with the Braves after also considering an offer to sign with the Twins, according to The Australian Baseball Digest blog. Also according to that source, Hoschke is the 18th Australian to sign with a major league organization this year, the highest total since ’08. [...] Continue Reading »

Three Rays minor leaguers will miss the conclusion of the season, including the low Class A Midwest League playoffs, following a Major League Baseball announcement that each has tested positive for methamphetamine and an amphetamine. All three Bowling Green players received 50-game suspensions without pay, effective immediately.

Second baseman Ryan Brett, who headed the organization's depth chart at the position coming into the year, is the most notable name on the list. The 20-year-old batted .285/.348/.390 with six homers and 19 doubles in 410 at-bats for Bowling Green. A 2010 third-rounder out of high school, Brett ranked second in the MWL with 48 stolen bases in 56 attempts.

A pair of Hot Rods relievers also face 50-game suspensions: righthander Charlie Cononie (24th round, 2011, Towson) and lefty Justin Woodall (26th round, 2010, Alabama).

Bowling Green clinched a MWL playoff spot by virtue of capturing a first-half wild card.

Aug. 24 Update

According to Brett's agent Nik Lubisich, the Rays prospect claims the positive test could only have been triggered by a "single incident in which the evening before this random drug test he took an energy pill that was described to him as caffeine-like, but which apparently turned out to be a common form of attention-deficit disorder medication Adderall." [...] Continue Reading »

The Dodgers have signed Julio Urias, a 16-year-old lefthander from Mexico.

Some scouts considered Urias, whose rights were transferred from Mexico City of the Mexican League, to be one of the better pitching prospects on the market. He has touched 92 mph and shown good feel for pitching for his age. Baseball America subscribers have access a complete scouting report on Urias.

Terms of Urias' deal were not immediately available, but whatever the Dodgers did pay to secure his rights, not all of it will count against their $2.9 million international bonus pool for the 2012-13 signing period. MLB has said that for Mexican League transfers of Mexican-born citizens, only the amount that goes to the player (usually 25 percent) will count against the team's international bonus pool.

Fittingly, Billy Hamilton speedily eclipsed Vince Coleman tonight.

In the first game of a doubleheader against Montgomery, the Reds shortstop prospect stole four bases to surpass Coleman's single-season minor league record. Hamilton now has 147 steals, two more than Coleman. Hamilton's 147 steals are a record for any professional league. Rickey Henderson holds the Major League record with 130 steals.

Hamilton led off the bottom of the first by walking. He took off for second base as Biscuits pitcher Kyle Lobstein tried to pick him off. Lobstein's throw was wide of the mark, allowing Hamilton to reach second on the error. He then stole third for his 144th steal. Hamilton's next at-bat came with two outs in the third. He singled to right field, then quickly stole second and third before Ryan LaMarre struck out. When Hamilton swiped the record-breaking base, he quickly called time before breaking out in a large grin. Grounds crew quickly exchanged the batting helmet he was wearing and the base he stole to set them aside.

Hamilton added another steal in the eighth inning. With 43 steals since his promotion to Double-A Pensacola, he now leads all of Double-A in steals. With 104 steals for high Class A Pensacola before his promotion, he also leads all Class A players. In the second game of the doubleheader, Hamilton was held without a steal.

[...] Continue Reading »

The Indians are promoting 17-year-old shortstop Dorssys Paulino to Mahoning Valley, making him the youngest player in the New York-Penn League and only the third July 2 signing from 2011 to reach the short-season level.

Paulino, Cleveland's top international signing last summer for $1.1 million, was considered one of the best Dominican hitters in last year's international signing class and has been even better than advertised in his debut. In 41 games in the Rookie-level Arizona League, Paulino hit .355/.404/.610 with six home runs, 15 walks and 31 strikeouts in 188 plate appearances, although with 20 errors there's still plenty of room for growth in the field. Paulino's 1.015 OPS ranked third in the AZL.

Paulino joins Mariners righthander Victor Sanchez and Blue Jays righthander Roberto Osuna (both in the Northwest League) as the only other 17-year-olds from last year's July 2 international signing class in short-season ball. Paulino is making a fast rise and would now appear to be on schedule to start next year in low Class A Lake County as an 18-year-old.

Dominican righthander Simon Mercedes has received his visa from the U.S. Consulate, putting him one step closer to officially joining the Red Sox.

Mercedes will still need official approval of his contract from Major League Baseball, but a visa is a major step toward the end of the process.

Mercedes, 20, signed with the Red Sox for $800,000 in March. He had previously signed with the Giants for $400,000 in 2011, but that deal fell apart and MLB declared him ineligible to sign for one year, although MLB has never publicly stated why Mercedes received the penalty. He is still using the same name and date of birth he used to sign with the Giants.

At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Mercedes has touched 96 mph with his fastball and has flashed an average to above-average breaking ball, though he'll need to smooth some things out with his mechanics. Since Mercedes signed before July 2, his bonus will not count against Boston's 2012-13 international signing bonus pool of $2.9 million.

The Cardinals have signed 16-year-old righthander Ronald Medrano, one of the top Nicaraguan prospects for July 2.

Medrano is 6 feet, 170 pounds and pitches to both sides of the plate with a fastball that sits around the high-80s and has touched 90-91. He has shown good pitchability for his age and feel for his secondary stuff, including a curveball with good spin that could become an above-average offering, as well as a changeup. Medrano trained at the Nicaragua Baseball Academy run by former major league righthander Dennis Martinez and Gary Wendt.

Medrano is the fourth confirmed international signing for St. Louis so far since July 2. The Cardinals also signed Panamanian shortstop Edmundo Sosa as well as catcher Joshua Lopez and outfielder Luis Bandes, who are both from Venezuela.

Last week the Yankees signed lefthander Corby McCoy, who was considered one of Nicaragua's top pitching prospects along with Medrano.

• Presented here are the top pitcher game scores from weekend series. Any prospect with a game score greater than 65 is displayed.

• The Giants identified Edwin Escobar as sufficient compensation from the Rangers for Rule 5 pick Ben Snyder during spring training 2010, and while the lefty has progressed slowly, reaching low Class A Augusta this season, he's also shown consistent swing-and-miss stuff and the potential for much more in the results department. Case in point: his start at Charleston on Sunday, in which he allowed one hit in a career-high 8 2/3 innings. The 20-year-old Escobar walked his first batter of the game with two outs in the ninth, sacrificing his chance to notch the complete game. He's gone 6-7, 3.24 in 20 starts this season and ranks sixth in the South Atlantic League ERA race and fifth with 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

• Phillies lefty Jesse Biddle continues his quiet domination of the Florida State League. He's gone 9-5, 3.26 in 24 starts with a strikeout rare (9.5 per nine innings) bettered only by former high Class A Clearwater teammate Adam Morgan among FSL starters. Biddle tossed seven no-hit innings against Brevard County on Friday, but the Threshers bullpen lost the no-hit bid with one out in the ninth. [...] Continue Reading »

The commissioner's office announced today that three minor league players have been suspended for 50 games without pay following their violations of the drug prevention and treatment program.

• Nationals minor league catcher Mike Albaladejo tested positive for the stimulant Methylhexaneamine. Signed as a nondrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic in July, the 22-year-old batted .234/.294/.234 in 47 at-bats in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

• Rays minor league outfielder Deshun Dixon failed two tests for a drug of abuse. A 2010 10th-round pick out of high school in Jackson, Miss., he batted .193/.283/.264 in 140 at-bats for short-season Hudson Valley this season.

• Free agent righthander Vince Payne also failed two tests for a drug of abuse. The Pirates released the 21-year-old, a 12th-round selection in 2010 from Cypress (Calif.) JC, after he logged a 9.00 ERA and 2.13 WHIP over 23 relief innings for low Class A West Virginia. Payne's suspension takes effect if and when he signs with another major league organization.