Prospect Of The Day

With the New York-Penn League in its All-Star break and with only six teams in action in the Northwest League, the POTD comes from a small pool. Yet, Salem-Keizer righthander Mike Loree (Giants) returns to POTD status. Over a month removed from a stretch where he allowed one baserunner in 20 innings, Loree allowed an unearned run on three hits, walked one and struck out six against Spokane (Rangers).

Prospect Nuggets

Spokane righthander Wilfredo Boscan did not start against Salem-Keizer. . . [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Lowell left fielder Luis Sumoza (Red Sox) has torn up the New York-Penn League during his current eight-game hitting streak. After a 3-for-4 day on Sunday that included two home runs, a double, five RBIs and a stolen base, Sumoza is hitting .484/.568/.968 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his last eight games.

Prospect Nuggets

Shortstop Danny Espinosa (Nationals) joined Vermont on Saturday and is 5-for-6 with two doubles in his first two games. . . Tri-City catcher Jason Castro (Astros) hit his first home run of the season on Sunday. . . Mahoning Valley center fielder Tim Fedroff (Indians) is on a five-game hitting streak and has hit in six of seven since joining the NYP League, hitting .414 in the process. . . Righthander P.J. Dean (Nationals) took his first loss of the season when he allowed two runs on two hits in four innings, but he still has an ERA of 0.88. . . Righthnder Carlos Pimentel (Rangers) allowed just one run in five innings and struck out five to win his fifth game for Spokane. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Third baseman Cody Overbeck (Phillies) has been thumping his way through the New York-Penn League this season for Williamsport. Last night the power was on display against Lowell when he went 4-for-4 with two home runs, driving in all four of the Crosscutters’ runs. It wasn’t quite enough, however, as Williamsport fell, 5-4. The night marked Overbeck’s first four-hit and multi-homer game as a professional and raised his season line to .276/.309/.486. The power is certainly there, as Overbeck is third in the league in home runs, but his ratio of 49 strikeouts and only seven walks over his first 54 games is a bit of a concern. Overbeck was the Phillies’ ninth-round selection this year out of Ole Miss and led the Rebels in batting average (.356), on-base percentage (.428), slugging percentage (.621), hits (90), doubles (16) and home runs (17). [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Andrew Cashner (Cubs) was a reliever at Texas Christian, but the Cubs have been pitching him every fifth day and increasing his workload each time out. The 19th-overall selection in this year’s draft started his third game for Boise last night and proved that the third time is a charm by not allowing a hit against Spokane over four innings. The 6-foot-6 righthander notched four strikeouts and lowered his Northwest League ERA to 7.45 through his first 9 2/3 innings pitched. Cashner, however, was a little wild as he also walked two and threw a wild pitch.

Prospect Nuggets

While Cashner was lights out on the mound, Boise’s offense continued putting up runs in bunches, defeating Spokane 12-4. The onslaught was led by first baseman Ryan Keedy (Cubs) who went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Left fielder Drew Rundle (Cubs) and third baseman Josh Vitters (Cubs) both went 2-for-4 with a double. . . [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Jharmidy DeJesus (Mariners) just joined the Northwest League, but after a 3-for-4 debut, DeJesus had been 1-for-his-last-23 in six games. He did not receive a night off during the slump and sticking with him paid off for his Everett team, as DeJesus went 2-for-3 with his first home run in short-season ball. It was a solo shot in the first inning and it was not even the most impressive part of DeJesus’ night. With the game tied and runners on first and third with one out in the top of the ninth, DeJesus bunted home the winning run. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Vermont righthander P.J. Dean (Nationals) has pitched very well in the New York-Penn League at just 19 years old. The Nationals’ seventh-round pick in 2007 had his best outing yet on Monday, pitching six shutout innings. He allowed five hits, walked none and struck out a season high 10 batters. Dean has coughed up just two earned runs in 37 innings pitched this season, but falls a few innings short of qualifying for the league lead in ERA.

Prospect Nuggets

Brooklyn shortstop Reese Havens (Mets) returned on Saturday after missing three weeks and is 3-for-11 with a double and a triple in three games. After being the designated hitter on Saturday, Havens has started at shortstop in each of the last two games. . . [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Tri-City lefthander Christian Friedrich (Rockies) looks better and better following his rough start in the Northwest League. After allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings in his previous start, Friedrich surrendered an unearned run on three hits, walked one and struck out a season high 10. The start came against Everett (Mariners), the first time since Friedrich’s debut, when he allowed two runs in two innings.

Prospect Nuggets

Eugene center fielder Blake Tekotte (Padres) went 2-for-3 and hit his fifth home run to keep is hot streak at the plate alive. . . Hudson Valley righthander Tyree Hayes (Rays), is the son of former major leaguer Charlie Hayes, who squeezed the last out of the Yankees’ 1996 World Championship. The younger Hayes does not wear the same protective face mask his father was known for because he is a pitcher and he had his best professional outing yet on Sunday. After turning 20 on Friday, Tyree threw a complete game shutout, scattered three hits, walked four and struck out a season high six. . . [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Brooklyn righthander Christopher Schwinden (Mets) allowed two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in his first game this season, but has allowed just two earned runs in 33 innings since then. His best performace of the season came on Thursday, as Schwinden yielded just one hit and one walk to Lowell and struck out 12 in seven innings. Schwinden, who lowered his ERA to 1.02 was a 22nd round pick from Fresno Pacific this summer. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

There is just no stopping Ryan Flaherty (Cubs) these days. The Boise shortstop is scorching the ball in a week that will certainly merit Hot Sheet consideration tomorrow. He went 2-for-5 with a home run yesterday to extend his extra-base hitting streak to six games. Meanwhile, in his last six, Flaherty has seven RBIs and has struck out just three times in 27 at-bats.

Prospect Nuggets

Nineteen-year old righthander Arquimedes Nieto (Cardinals) has been difficult enough to hit all season, but he took things up a notch on Wednesday. The Batavia pitcher from Panama held Auburn to one hit, walked two and struck out a season-high six in five innings. . . [...] Continue Reading »

 Prospect Of The Day

Although there were a couple of other worthy performances, today’s POTD is rightfielder Sawyer Carroll (Padres). Carroll’s power is top-notch, but with it comes a lot of strikeouts. In five at-bats yesterday, Carroll did neither. If you aren’t familiar with Carroll, seeing him go 4-for-5 with four singles is like seeing Adam Dunn put up that line. Even with the strikeouts, Carroll’s average is up to .308. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Adam Amar (Blue Jays) wasn’t drafted after his Memphis playing days ended and instead he tried his hand in independent ball, including a stint with Reno. Amar got looks in the spring and the Blue Jays assigned him to Auburn, where he has not disappointed. He leads the New York-Penn League in hitting (.353), is tied for third in home runs (8) and fourth in RBI (32). Yesterday, Amar went 2-for-4, hit a home run and had five RBI. However, Amar is the designated hitter at a low level in the minors. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

There are a great deal of hitting prospects playing for Boise, the Northwest League’s short-season affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. We have noted many of them on occasion in the past, but today we will note hitters 2-7 in the order as the POTD, as each had a noteworthy performance yesterday. Left fielder Andrew Rundle has not done well at two other levels this season, but he is hitting .352 for Boise after a 4-for-5 day yesterday that included two doubles. Third baseman Josh Vitters capped a solid weekend at the plate, including a home run on Saturday, with a 1-for-6 day. His lone hit was a double. Shortstop Ryan Flaherty helped the cause with two doubles in a 2-for-4 effort. Designated hitter Sean Hoorelbeke waited until an opportune time to go deep for the first time this season. He was 1-for-5 with a grand slam. Ryan Keedy merited some Hot Sheet consideration last week. He is now hitting .571 (20-for-35) over his last eight games after a 2-for-5 day, that included a double, yesterday. After obtaining Kyler Burke in the Michael Barrett deal last year, the Cubs had him start the season in low Class A. But after hitting .206 at that stop, Burke was exiled to Boise, where he also started slow. He is getting hot now and hit a double and a home run, his second in three games. Finally, catcher Michael Brenly chipped in with a 2-for-4 day that included his seventh double and raised his average to .356. Add it all up and these hitters combined for 14 of the Hawks’ 15 hits, helping Boise score 13 runs in yesterday’s game. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Again, without Jason Castro (Astros) in the lineup, the Tri-City (NYP League) offense was alive and well, led by centerfielder T.J. Steele. Steele went 5-for-6 (four singles and a double) with two runs and three RBI.

Prospect Nuggets

First baseman Phil Disher (Astros) also contributed to Tri-City’s offense escapade. The consistent hitting Disher went 2-for-5 and hit his ninth home run. . . Josh Vitters (Cubs) is back in the Northwest League. He went 1-for-7 with a double in Boise’s 13 inning win. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

The young Marlins catcher we’re supposed to be ga-ga over is Kyle Skipworth, but Miguel Fermin (Marlins) is the one producing results at the plate. Fermin went 2-for-3 with a solo home run on Tuesday and the catcher from the Dominican Republic leads the NYP League in home runs and average (.367). At 23 years old, he is too old for the league, but his results can’t be ignored. Fermin hit .336/.386/.474 in 116 at-bats in the Dominican Summer League in 2007. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Vermont catcher Derek Norris (Nationals) had a huge game in the Lake Monsters’ 18 inning win over Lowell. (More on the game below.) Norris made nine plate appearances and reached in eight of them, going 3-for-4 with a home run and five walks. The 2007 fourth-rounder out of high school now leads the New York-Penn League in walks (30) and OBP (.456) at just 19 years old.

Prospect Nuggets

After Vermont tied the game at 4-4 with a run in the seventh, the teams played 10 scoreless innings until the Lake Monsters scored the winning run in the bottom of the 18th. After James Keithley and Blake Stouffer (Nationals) walked to start the inning, Norris singled to left, but Luis Sumoza (Red Sox) threw out Keithley at the plate and Stouffer moved to third. The next hitter was Michael Guerrero (Nationals), who hit a walk-off single to left to score Stouffer. The game lasted five hours, 31 minutes. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

The son of Cubs’ broadcaster Bob Brenly is on quite a run with Boise. Catcher/first baseman Michael Brenly (Cubs) was just a 36th round pick this summer, but he is .383/.471/.483 after a 2-for-3 day yesterday in which he also stole his first base of the season. Brenly is hitting .539 with four doubles over his last 10 games. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

Just a few days after David Francis (Braves) struck out 16 in six innings, Brad Holt (Mets) fanned 14 in six innings of shutout ball. The Brooklyn righthander now leads the league with 51 strikeouts. Holt told a reporter he is throwing his curveball more often, so he could be developing another pitch to go with his 94 mph fastball.

Prospect Nuggets

Spokane lefthander Martin Perez (Rangers) is just 17-years old, but he has had a successful campaign in the Northwest League. Martin pitched five shutout innings, scattered two hits and walked none. He struck out five and has allowed more than one earned run just twice in eight starts. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect Of The Day

First baseman Shane Peterson (Cardinals) continues to show gap power with Batavia. He went 1-for-3 with his ninth double and four RBIs on Wednesday. The second-rounder from Long Beach State is hitting .340/.443/.430 on the year, so his slugging is a bit disappointing given his other numbers, albeit in just 94 at-bats.

Prospect Nuggets

Ryan Flaherty (Cubs) returned to action for Boise and played shortstop. The supplemental first-rounder went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks. . . First baseman Phil Disher (Astros), a 15th-round pick, continues to stay hot and went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. . . A couple of leading pitchers in the New York-Penn League and Northwest League got rocked on Wednesday. Tri-City (Northwest League) righthander Brad McAtee (Rockies) made his own mistakes, walking five in three innings. The 45th-round pick allowed three runs. Meanwhile, Nick Barnese (Rays) also struggled with free passes. He allowed six runs – four earned – on five hits and walked four. Barnese continues to lead short-season ball with 47 strikeouts, including six on Wednesday.

What To Watch For Today

Kyle Weiland (Red Sox), a third round pick out of Notre Dame, tests his 1.88 ERA for Lowell, but the righthander is still looking for his first win.

Prospect Of The Day

Joel Carreno (Blue Jays) turned in six shutout innings and struck out 11 for Auburn. The righthander allowed three hits, walked two and lowered his ERA to 1.80. Carreno’s 40 strikeouts are one off the league lead in the New York-Penn League.

Prospect Nuggets

Wilfredo Boscan (Giants) left after 2/3 inning with an ankle injury. He had already allowed a run and walked one, but both of the outs the Salem-Keizer righthander had recorder were of the strikeout variety. . . Catcher Jason Castro (Astros) had his first multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 (both singles) for Tri-City. . . Spokane centerfielder David Paisano (Rangers) went 3-for-5 with a double and a solo home run.

What To Watch For Today

Tri-City righthander Brad McAtee (Rockies) may qualify for the Northwest League lead in ERA (1.44 heading into tonight) after tonight’s game, when he takes the mound against Eugene.

Prospect Of The Day

Vancouver lefthander Carlos Hernandez (Athletics) has dominated the Northwest League in his first seven starts this season. Though he sports just a 1-0 record (including another no-decision yesterday), Hernandez has a 1.82 ERA in 39 2/3 innings to lead the league. Hernandez went seven shutout innings on Monday and allowed three hits, walked none and struck out five. [...] Continue Reading »