Matt Eddy: You bet he was. The tall, flamethrowing lefty struck out seven in six innings this week, issuing only one walk. He still has yet to allow a home run to SAL batters in 34 innings.

Matt Eddy: Luke, we can only hope you're in New Britain, preparing for your game against the Sea Dogs tonight.

Matt Eddy: Seriously, Hughes was 1-for-5 yesterday with a home run. Check out Ben Badler's blog on Hughes to find out why he missed time.

Matt Eddy: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=1008

Matt Eddy: The ability to drive the ball is most crucial to Bruce's future success (and he's shown that), but the Reds want to make sure he's got a firm grasp of the strike zone before setting him loose against NL pitchers.

Matt Eddy: While we don't have data on how many bad pitches Bruce has chased this year, we do know that he's drawn seven unintentional walks in 39 games this year. I'm not trying to paint this as a concern—just pointing out the Reds' line of thinking.

Matt Eddy: Playing in the NL Central, the Reds could conceivably catch lightning in a bottle and contend in any season. And you can't write them off this year, either. Dunn won't slug .413 all year, and Bruce should give them a boost when he gets called up.

Matt Eddy: For the Reds, the stars seem to be aligning for 2010. By that time, Cueto, Volquez, Bruce, Votto and Bailey—barring injury to any of them—will all have one to two seasons of experience. And Dunn and Griffey will have been traded for younger players. Harang will be exiting his theoretical peak, but then his career arc has been so unconventional that it's anybody's guess what he'll do.

Matt Eddy: The impression I had when I ranked him third with the Mariners last year was future No. 2 or 3 type. His terrific curveball gets plenty of swings and misses in the minors, but the fastball command has to progress—as it does with almost all young pitchers—to set it up. If it does all come together, he's a 2, at worst, but he'll pitch in the big leagues one way or another.

Matt Eddy: Wieters is a safer bet for an early Double-A promotion.

Matt Eddy: Taylor's a 22-year-old outfielder drafted in 2007 (from Stanford) who's tearing up Low A competition (.400-.444-.840 last week with 3 HR). Let's wait until the Phillies move him up to Clearwater before going crazy.

Matt Eddy: Davis may not be far off. He's got 60 home runs in 231 minor league games (he turned pro in 2006, so that's not even two full seasons), and he could get his feet wet with the Rangers in the second half—especially if he continues to minimize his strikeouts while still hitting for power, as he did this week.

Matt Eddy: Disagree. Cahill is intriguing, but Kershaw has two otherworldly pitches (fastball, curveball), a 6-foot-3 frame and a track record to match. In 37 innings this season, Kershaw has struck out 40 and not given up a home run — in Double-A. Best of all, he's trimmed his walks this season. He's issued 11.

Matt Eddy: Kershaw was born March '88, and Tillman in April '88.

Matt Eddy: He's got a chance, but he might fit best as a quality bench player or second-division regular. Despite his speed and center-field defense, it would be tough to project him as a first-division regular at this point, unless he's really turned a corner offensively. But he's gotten progressively better from the midpoint of last season to now, so who knows?

Matt Eddy: Francisco is very intriguing, and he's the guy I'd go with in that group. He's a switch-hitting third baseman with power from both sides of the plate (he led the MWL in HR last season), but you do have to be a little concerned about his strike-zone discipline. A scout recently said that he loves Francisco's hitting hands and bat actions, but wonders if his swing-at-the-first-pitch approach would hinder him as he moves up the ladder.

Matt Eddy: I'll leave this one for Jim Callis. Drop him a line and I'm sure he'd relish in answering your question in Ask BA.

Matt Eddy: Jim: askba@baseballamerica.com

Matt Eddy: Upton on both counts. He's just a special player with gigantic offensive upside.

Matt Eddy: The elbow injury was, in fact, the primary reason for Garcia's exclusion. But he's pitched very well whenever healthy, and he's probably the least-appreciated pitching prospect at Triple-A right now.

Matt Eddy: The Braves probably will wait until the second half to test drive Morton, who needs time to refine his fastball command. He's also never made it through an entire year of full-season ball as a starter (not because of injuries, but because of demotions to the bullpen), so it's important to carefully monitor the number of stressful innings he throws this season.

Matt Eddy: Not the worst comp in the world, but Young is and was much more athletic. And while he's not an ideal shortstop, Young is playable at the major league level. Valaika is a hitting machine, but he'll probably break into the big leagues as a second baseman, like Young did.

Matt Eddy: He's certainly in the top handful of prospects at Low A, that's for sure, but the Braves are generally conservative in promoting their high-school drafts. They may make an exception, though, if Rome continues to play so poorly, because there's no sense in exposing Heyward to prolonged losing.

Matt Eddy: You have a point in that being a powerful lefty bat is probably working against Bruce right now because of the presence of Dunn, Griffey and Votto (and others).

Matt Eddy: Griffey really can't hit his 600th homer soon enough, can he? Once he does, the Reds have to strongly consider trading him. And Dunn, too, if they can find the right trading partner. If not, let him walk and take the draft picks. Either way, Bruce could be in Cincy by June.

Matt Eddy: Gamel was our final cut. He hit .357/.367/.750 on the week, with two doubles, three homers and 7 RBIs. I have a feeling he'll be a mainstay on future Hot Sheets.

Matt Eddy: In Feliz's 20 1/3 innings, he's allowed only one run while striking out 25. Impressive, but when you're throwing five innings a start it's harder to get noticed among the pitchers who are going six-plus.

Matt Eddy: Like the Braves, the Twins generally are conservative with first-year players out of high school, so don't count on the Fort Myers promotion. Fun Revere stat: On his brief career, he has more triples (13) than doubles (10).

Matt Eddy: Like Gamel, Italilano was considered for Hot Sheet. The number are staggering, but we're wary of fourth-year pros beating up on Low A competition. He deserves mention, though, so thanks for bringing him up.

Matt Eddy: Ramirez, but as a first baseman and not a catcher. Love the bat.

Matt Eddy: The Padres don't want to call up Headley now for two reasons: 1) they don't want him to feel as if he's there to save their season, and 2) they don't want him around the losing atmosphere right now. The Padres are an MLB-worst 15-27.