Minors: Classification Reports: Low Class A
Rangers' Profar Proves Wise, And Talented, Beyond Years
Sep. 6, 2011
If nothing else, Jurickson Profar is a quick study. Take his first at-bat at this year's Futures Game in Phoenix as a shining example. [...] Continue Reading »
Third Pitch The Charm For Padres' Sampson
Aug. 30, 2011
Much has been made of the Padres' recent trade deadline acquisitions of Robbie Erlin and Jon Wieland to go with the offseason pickup of Casey Kelly from the Red Sox. But the best pitcher in the organization this year may be Fort Wayne righthander Keyvius Sampson. [...] Continue Reading »
Familiarity Breeds Success For Young Lugnuts
Aug. 11, 2011
By all accounts, minor league clubhouses aren't breeding grounds for friendships or a hotbed for camaraderie. But this year's Lansing Lugnuts have found a way to make and maintain close relationships, citing chemistry as the reason for their success. [...] Continue Reading »
Red Sox's Brandon Jacobs Finds A Home On The Diamond
Aug. 2, 2011
These days, Brandon Jacobs is one of the leading hitters in the low Class A South Atlantic League. Yet there was a time not so long ago when baseball wasn't Jacobs' main sport. Or his second sport. [...] Continue Reading »
Brewers' Miller Tries To Put It All Together
Jul. 8, 2011
With a last name synonymous with Milwaukee, Matt Miller felt right at home as he took in the moment and soaked up all the sights and sounds at Miller Park before his team took on Peoria at the big league park on June 29. Miller was, indeed, living the high life. [...] Continue Reading »
Late Start Doesn't Slow Down Nationals' Solis
Jun. 29, 2011
Sammy Solis' supposed first full professional season didn't start until May 30 with Hagerstown. Still, the 2010 second-round pick of the Nationals wasn't wasting any time. [...] Continue Reading »
Angels' Tillman Getting Chance To Shine
Jun. 10, 2011
Daniel Tillman never imagined he would have a shot at being drafted while playing Division II baseball. He really had no reason to think it was possible. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Hayden Simpson Out To Bust Myths In Debut
May. 27, 2011
Hayden Simpson would like to clear up some myths regarding his background. [...] Continue Reading »
Rockies' Parker, Wilson Making Strides On The Diamond
May. 19, 2011
The South Atlantic League and Atlantic Coast Conference share footprints that are as similar as their names. The overlapping familiarity has generated more than casual interest in a pair of players for the Asheville Tourists, who feature two starting quarterbacks in manager Joe Mikulik's lineup. [...] Continue Reading »
Orioles' Givens Adjusts To Life At Second Base
Apr. 28, 2011
For Orioles prospect Mychal Givens, every day is opposite day. The former shortstop is getting his first test at second base this season with the Delmarva Shorebirds. [...] Continue Reading »
Padres' Cates Ready To Embrace Challenge
Apr. 15, 2011
On the eve of his professional debut with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, Zach Cates wasn't nervous. He wasn't overwhelmed by the big moment on the horizon, the moment he has been waiting for since he first picked up a baseball as a child and threw it toward the plate. [...] Continue Reading »
Mikulik Makes Mark In Asheville With Rockies
Apr. 5, 2011
By all accounts, the Rockies' new spring training home, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, is a baseball palace. The arrangements also help those at the top remember from where they came. Not that many can forget, especially when they see Asheville manager Joe Mikulik. [...] Continue Reading »
Rangers' Erlin Displays Poise Beyond His Years
Sep. 15, 2010
The Rangers didn't expect Robbie Erlin to make low Class A Hickory's roster. Not only did he do that, he's been of the South Atlantic League's best pitchers. [...] Continue Reading »
Young Mariner Franklin Packs Surprising Punch
Aug. 26, 2010
If Nick Franklin wasn't one of the game's elite shortstop prospects, he just might have a career in the weight-loss industry. [...] Continue Reading »
Brewers' Odorizzi Follows Own Path To Success
Aug. 12, 2010
Jake Odorizzi's path from player to prospect went along the road less taken. While most high school prospects travel the country playing in showcases, Odorizzi played only one summer of travel ball. [...] Continue Reading »
Arenado's Learning Goes Beyond Numbers
Jul. 29, 2010
Until a recent mini-slump, Nolan Arenado was maintaining an average above .300 with the Rockies' low class A affiliate, the Asheville Tourists. Considering that he's in his first full professional season, and that at age 19, Arenado is the 10th-youngest player in the circuit, that feat seems somewhat impressive. [...] Continue Reading »
Diamondbacks' Young Trio Growing Together In South Bend
Jul. 20, 2010
There was a time when potential was about all Bobby Borchering, Matt Davidson and Chris Owings had in common. Now the three 2009 draftees are cornerstones of the Diamondbacks' rebuilding farm system, and their paths have come together with the Midwest League's South Bend Silver Hawks. [...] Continue Reading »
Singleton Makes Swift Impact In Lakewood
Jul. 1, 2010
Jonathan Singleton's stunning progression has rapidly become the talk of the Phillies organization. [...] Continue Reading »
Soaring Fabio Martinez Must Keep Emotions In Check
Jun. 22, 2010
It's only the first inning and things aren't going well for low Class A Cedar Rapids righthander Fabio Martinez. Unable to harness his mid-90s fastball, Martinez is once again battling the one player in the Midwest League that continues to give him the most problems: Fabio Martinez. [...] Continue Reading »
Early Success Validates Hood's Choice In Sports
Jun. 7, 2010
Destin Hood threw a party the night Alabama played in college football's national championship game in January. But as much as he loved football, baseball always has been closest to his heart. [...] Continue Reading »
Cards' Miller Paying His Dues With River Bandits
May. 20, 2010
When the Cardinals assigned top prospect Shelby Miller to the Midwest League—instead of speed-rushing the 19-year-old righthander on to, say, Double-A—they explained that a gradual, educational experience was a proper path. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Lee Adjusting On And Off The Field In Peoria
May. 14, 2010
Hak-Ju Lee is learning American culture, whether it's the language, the music or even the game of baseball. At the same time, he desperately misses his native South Korea, its culture and traditions and his friends and family. [...] Continue Reading »
Skipworth Looking For Different Results In Return To Greensboro
Apr. 22, 2010
Kyle Skipworth could have described his 2009 season with any number of adjectives. The young catcher chose "trying" to express how his first full professional season went. [...] Continue Reading »
Braves Stock Rome With Bushelful Of Top Prospects
Apr. 9, 2010
Braves farm director Kurt Kemp explains: "We have a very talented group of young players who are in that 18- to 20-year-old range, and (low Class A) Rome is going to be the most appropriate place to put many of them." He wasn't kidding. [...] Continue Reading »
Crosby Gets His Chance To Shine For Whitecaps
Sep. 8, 2009
Before Tommy John surgery in 2007, Casey Crosby was an overpowering lefthanded high school pitcher who consistently threw his fast ball between 91 and 93 mph with the ability to occasionally touch 95 on the radar gun. After surgery, after what he called the re-birth of his arm, Crosby worked in the 92-96 mph range and touched 98 this season. [...] Continue Reading »
Sibling Rivalry Pushes Moore To Prominence
Aug. 24, 2009
Matt Moore didn't feel he was the recipient of much brotherly love while growing up, but he realizes now the tough love he garnered from his older brother has played no small part in his emergence as one of the game's top pitching prospects. [...] Continue Reading »
Decker Standing Out As TinCaps' Best Hitter
Aug. 7, 2009
The team with the best record in the minor leagues through late July was the newly re-named Fort Wayne TinCaps, playing in the brand new Parkview Field at Harrison Square. Their best player has arguably been left fielder Jaff Decker, the Padres supplemental first-round pick in the 2008 draft. [...] Continue Reading »
Norris Working Hard At The Plate And Behind It
Jul. 27, 2009
Derek Norris is more inexperienced than most of his peers in the South Atlantic League. Not only is he just 20 years old, but he was drafted out of high school in Goddard, Kan., where the weather keeps baseball seasons short. Regardless, his game has few holes. [...] Continue Reading »
Emerging Ace
Jul. 20, 2009
One of the best kept secrets in the minors, Henderson Alvarez has opponents nearly tossing in the towel when they find out he's starting on the mound. [...] Continue Reading »
Perez Shining
Jul. 2, 2009
Thanks to his ability and maturity, Martin Perez is succeeding in low Class A at a young age. [...] Continue Reading »
Rangers' Profar Proves Wise, And Talented, Beyond Years
Sep. 6, 2011
If nothing else, Jurickson Profar is a quick study. Take his first at-bat at this year's Futures Game in Phoenix as a shining example. [...] Continue Reading »
Third Pitch The Charm For Padres' Sampson
Aug. 30, 2011
Much has been made of the Padres' recent trade deadline acquisitions of Robbie Erlin and Jon Wieland to go with the offseason pickup of Casey Kelly from the Red Sox. But the best pitcher in the organization this year may be Fort Wayne righthander Keyvius Sampson. [...] Continue Reading »
Familiarity Breeds Success For Young Lugnuts
Aug. 11, 2011
By all accounts, minor league clubhouses aren't breeding grounds for friendships or a hotbed for camaraderie. But this year's Lansing Lugnuts have found a way to make and maintain close relationships, citing chemistry as the reason for their success. [...] Continue Reading »
Red Sox's Brandon Jacobs Finds A Home On The Diamond
Aug. 2, 2011
These days, Brandon Jacobs is one of the leading hitters in the low Class A South Atlantic League. Yet there was a time not so long ago when baseball wasn't Jacobs' main sport. Or his second sport. [...] Continue Reading »
Brewers' Miller Tries To Put It All Together
Jul. 8, 2011
With a last name synonymous with Milwaukee, Matt Miller felt right at home as he took in the moment and soaked up all the sights and sounds at Miller Park before his team took on Peoria at the big league park on June 29. Miller was, indeed, living the high life. [...] Continue Reading »
Late Start Doesn't Slow Down Nationals' Solis
Jun. 29, 2011
Sammy Solis' supposed first full professional season didn't start until May 30 with Hagerstown. Still, the 2010 second-round pick of the Nationals wasn't wasting any time. [...] Continue Reading »
Angels' Tillman Getting Chance To Shine
Jun. 10, 2011
Daniel Tillman never imagined he would have a shot at being drafted while playing Division II baseball. He really had no reason to think it was possible. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Hayden Simpson Out To Bust Myths In Debut
May. 27, 2011
Hayden Simpson would like to clear up some myths regarding his background. [...] Continue Reading »
Rockies' Parker, Wilson Making Strides On The Diamond
May. 19, 2011
The South Atlantic League and Atlantic Coast Conference share footprints that are as similar as their names. The overlapping familiarity has generated more than casual interest in a pair of players for the Asheville Tourists, who feature two starting quarterbacks in manager Joe Mikulik's lineup. [...] Continue Reading »
Orioles' Givens Adjusts To Life At Second Base
Apr. 28, 2011
For Orioles prospect Mychal Givens, every day is opposite day. The former shortstop is getting his first test at second base this season with the Delmarva Shorebirds. [...] Continue Reading »
Padres' Cates Ready To Embrace Challenge
Apr. 15, 2011
On the eve of his professional debut with the Fort Wayne TinCaps, Zach Cates wasn't nervous. He wasn't overwhelmed by the big moment on the horizon, the moment he has been waiting for since he first picked up a baseball as a child and threw it toward the plate. [...] Continue Reading »
Mikulik Makes Mark In Asheville With Rockies
Apr. 5, 2011
By all accounts, the Rockies' new spring training home, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, is a baseball palace. The arrangements also help those at the top remember from where they came. Not that many can forget, especially when they see Asheville manager Joe Mikulik. [...] Continue Reading »
Rangers' Erlin Displays Poise Beyond His Years
Sep. 15, 2010
The Rangers didn't expect Robbie Erlin to make low Class A Hickory's roster. Not only did he do that, he's been of the South Atlantic League's best pitchers. [...] Continue Reading »
Young Mariner Franklin Packs Surprising Punch
Aug. 26, 2010
If Nick Franklin wasn't one of the game's elite shortstop prospects, he just might have a career in the weight-loss industry. [...] Continue Reading »
Brewers' Odorizzi Follows Own Path To Success
Aug. 12, 2010
Jake Odorizzi's path from player to prospect went along the road less taken. While most high school prospects travel the country playing in showcases, Odorizzi played only one summer of travel ball. [...] Continue Reading »
Arenado's Learning Goes Beyond Numbers
Jul. 29, 2010
Until a recent mini-slump, Nolan Arenado was maintaining an average above .300 with the Rockies' low class A affiliate, the Asheville Tourists. Considering that he's in his first full professional season, and that at age 19, Arenado is the 10th-youngest player in the circuit, that feat seems somewhat impressive. [...] Continue Reading »
Diamondbacks' Young Trio Growing Together In South Bend
Jul. 20, 2010
There was a time when potential was about all Bobby Borchering, Matt Davidson and Chris Owings had in common. Now the three 2009 draftees are cornerstones of the Diamondbacks' rebuilding farm system, and their paths have come together with the Midwest League's South Bend Silver Hawks. [...] Continue Reading »
Singleton Makes Swift Impact In Lakewood
Jul. 1, 2010
Jonathan Singleton's stunning progression has rapidly become the talk of the Phillies organization. [...] Continue Reading »
Soaring Fabio Martinez Must Keep Emotions In Check
Jun. 22, 2010
It's only the first inning and things aren't going well for low Class A Cedar Rapids righthander Fabio Martinez. Unable to harness his mid-90s fastball, Martinez is once again battling the one player in the Midwest League that continues to give him the most problems: Fabio Martinez. [...] Continue Reading »
Early Success Validates Hood's Choice In Sports
Jun. 7, 2010
Destin Hood threw a party the night Alabama played in college football's national championship game in January. But as much as he loved football, baseball always has been closest to his heart. [...] Continue Reading »
Cards' Miller Paying His Dues With River Bandits
May. 20, 2010
When the Cardinals assigned top prospect Shelby Miller to the Midwest League—instead of speed-rushing the 19-year-old righthander on to, say, Double-A—they explained that a gradual, educational experience was a proper path. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Lee Adjusting On And Off The Field In Peoria
May. 14, 2010
Hak-Ju Lee is learning American culture, whether it's the language, the music or even the game of baseball. At the same time, he desperately misses his native South Korea, its culture and traditions and his friends and family. [...] Continue Reading »
Skipworth Looking For Different Results In Return To Greensboro
Apr. 22, 2010
Kyle Skipworth could have described his 2009 season with any number of adjectives. The young catcher chose "trying" to express how his first full professional season went. [...] Continue Reading »
Braves Stock Rome With Bushelful Of Top Prospects
Apr. 9, 2010
Braves farm director Kurt Kemp explains: "We have a very talented group of young players who are in that 18- to 20-year-old range, and (low Class A) Rome is going to be the most appropriate place to put many of them." He wasn't kidding. [...] Continue Reading »
Crosby Gets His Chance To Shine For Whitecaps
Sep. 8, 2009
Before Tommy John surgery in 2007, Casey Crosby was an overpowering lefthanded high school pitcher who consistently threw his fast ball between 91 and 93 mph with the ability to occasionally touch 95 on the radar gun. After surgery, after what he called the re-birth of his arm, Crosby worked in the 92-96 mph range and touched 98 this season. [...] Continue Reading »
Sibling Rivalry Pushes Moore To Prominence
Aug. 24, 2009
Matt Moore didn't feel he was the recipient of much brotherly love while growing up, but he realizes now the tough love he garnered from his older brother has played no small part in his emergence as one of the game's top pitching prospects. [...] Continue Reading »
Decker Standing Out As TinCaps' Best Hitter
Aug. 7, 2009
The team with the best record in the minor leagues through late July was the newly re-named Fort Wayne TinCaps, playing in the brand new Parkview Field at Harrison Square. Their best player has arguably been left fielder Jaff Decker, the Padres supplemental first-round pick in the 2008 draft. [...] Continue Reading »
Norris Working Hard At The Plate And Behind It
Jul. 27, 2009
Derek Norris is more inexperienced than most of his peers in the South Atlantic League. Not only is he just 20 years old, but he was drafted out of high school in Goddard, Kan., where the weather keeps baseball seasons short. Regardless, his game has few holes. [...] Continue Reading »
Emerging Ace
Jul. 20, 2009
One of the best kept secrets in the minors, Henderson Alvarez has opponents nearly tossing in the towel when they find out he's starting on the mound. [...] Continue Reading »
Perez Shining
Jul. 2, 2009
Thanks to his ability and maturity, Martin Perez is succeeding in low Class A at a young age. [...] Continue Reading »
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