TheCrew07

Peralta's command seems to have evaporated. It's crazy that he developed this delivery flaw over the winter, Tunnell thought he was making strides to correct it but apparently not.

Final: Tennessee 2, Huntsville 1 Huntsville Box Score Hiram Burgos kept it scoreless through his 5IP allowing 6H and 2BB against 3SO having thrown 50 of 83 pitches for strikes posting a 7:2 ratio. Santo Manzanillo replaced Burgos in the 6th and had a tough go of it allowing 4H, a WP, and 2ER, last year's dominance/promise has been replaced by concerns over his injured shoulder and shoddy performance. Both R.J. Seidel and Mitch pitched scoreless innings getting 2SO each. The Stars didn't do much against Cubs #4 prospect Trey McNutt, they got him for 4 hits, 2BB, and 1ER. Since McNutt is a name everyone should become familiar with here's the scouting report from the winter: Hunter Morris had the only multi-hit game and Tommy Manzella had the only XBH, a double. Kentrail Davis collected his 5th stolen base and an OF assist at 3rd. Burgos did pickoff a runner at 1B. The Stars did have runners in the 7th, 8th, and 9th but could not come up with the tying run. Huntsville Play By Play Burgos loaded them in 2nd but got out of it. Tennessee Bottom of the 2nd Rebel Ridling strikes out swinging. Justin Bour doubles (11) on a fly ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Matthew Cerda grounds out, third baseman Juan Sanchez to first baseman Hunter Morris. Michael Burgess singles on a ground ball to second baseman Scooter Gennett. Justin Bour to 3rd. Michael Brenly walks. Michael Burgess to 2nd. Trey McNutt called out on strikes. A very busy 3rd. Tennessee Bottom of the 3rd Junior Lake singles on a line drive to left fielder Lee Haydel. With Logan Watkins batting, Junior Lake caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Anderson De La Rosa to shortstop Tommy Manzella. Logan Watkins walks. With James Adduci batting, Hiram Burgos picks off Logan Watkins at 1st on throw to Hunter Morris. James Adduci singles on a line drive to right fielder Kentrail Davis. Rebel Ridling strikes out swinging, catcher Anderson De La Rosa to first baseman Hunter Morris. So close to scoring another run in the 6th. Huntsville Top of the 6th Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Michael Reed replaces Hiram Burgos. Michael Reed strikes out swinging. Josh Prince singles on a ground ball to center fielder James Adduci. Tommy Manzella doubles (2) on a fly ball to center fielder James Adduci. Josh Prince scores. Scooter Gennett pops out to third baseman Matthew Cerda in foul territory. Hunter Morris singles on a ground ball to shortstop Junior Lake. Tommy Manzella to 3rd. Anderson De La Rosa flies out to center fielder James Adduci. Santo's half of the 6th. Tennessee Bottom of the 6th Pitcher Change: Santo Manzanillo replaces Hiram Burgos, batting 9th. James Adduci singles on a ground ball to third baseman Juan Sanchez. Rebel Ridling singles on a fly ball to center fielder Josh Prince. James Adduci to 2nd. Justin Bour grounds into double play, second baseman Scooter Gennett to shortstop Tommy Manzella to first baseman Hunter Morris. James Adduci to 3rd. Rebel Ridling out at 2nd. With Matthew Cerda batting, wild pitch by Santo Manzanillo, James Adduci scores. Matthew Cerda singles on a pop up to shortstop Tommy Manzella. With Michael Burgess batting, Matthew Cerda steals (2) 2nd base. Michael Burgess doubles (8) on a line drive to right fielder Kentrail Davis. Matthew Cerda scores. Michael Burgess out at 3rd, right fielder Kentrail Davis to second baseman Scooter Gennett to third baseman Juan Sanchez.

he gets more innings to work on his control as a starter.

Yes really, that's his only MLB action of any kind, and he's just 22. I realize what his ISO currently is as I posted the relevant part of his line, however he projects to have double digit HR power at his peak. Do we really have to go through the same debate about age and stats for every single MiLB player we discuss on the MLB forum? He'll SLG in the mid .400s someplace if he makes it, CC he is not, you can't MLE his power projection. That's as silly as comparing Jurickson Profar to Royce Clayton which was done in a different forum. At least your snarky one liners are consistent.

Manny is our only mascot left, I actually forgot to vote after I posted the story... duh. Happy mascots waltz into second round

I hope the Rattler faithful and his family appreciate the feature by MiLB Rattlers mourn loss of popular Calmes Wisconsin ballpark icon celebrated by team, fans, community By Benjamin Hill / MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/31/yAR9vR87.jpg Brock Calmes' booming voice made him a fan favorite. (Photos courtesy of the Timber Rattlers) "Peanuts. Popcorn. Cotton Candy. Licorice Rope." To Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fans, these six words are far more than a rote recitation of concession stand staples. As bellowed by vendor Brock Calmes, they became nothing less than a 20-second, 12-syllable ballpark symphony -- a resonant baritone echoing from foul pole to foul pole, with the vowel sounds comically elongated, "licorice" barked at a staccato clip, and, finally, the jaunty sing-speak of "ro-ope!" Sadly, this unique vocal composition will never be heard again at Fox Cities Stadium. Calmes, who had worked for the Timber Rattlers since 1999, passed away earlier this month from a blood clot. He was just 28 years old. As tragic as it was, Calmes' death served as a life-affirming reminder that Minor League Baseball stadiums are more than just a way to spend one's discretionary income on a pleasant summer evening. They are also community gathering places, full of familiar faces who root together, laugh together and, yes, mourn together. From humble origins When Calmes first started working for the Timber Rattlers at the age of 16, he was, more or less, a concessions utility man. He'd help out wherever needed, running food from stand to stand and doing various odd jobs. But, soon enough, his true calling became apparent. And, literally, it was a calling. "As the story goes, when Brock would hear that 'Da-da da-da da-da,' he'd run to the front of the stands and yell 'Chaaaaarge!'" explained Timber Rattlers president Rob Zerjav. "And the guys who were running our food and beverage at the time, they heard that and asked him, 'Would you be interested in hawking?'" He was, of course. But a loud voice is only part of the hawking equation. A schtick is needed as well, something that draws the fans attention and then creates a Pavlovian desire to reach for the wallet. And with Calmes, it wasn't what he said. It was how he said it: Peanuts. Popcorn. Cotton Candy. Licorice Rope. "That tag line was legendary, and people came to know Brock as part of the entertainment." said Zerjav. "They'd stay in their seats, and wait until Brock got around to their section so that they could buy specifically from him. "And in the Minors, this is something we always talk about," he continued. "We need to develop characters. You can't control what's on the field, so you have to develop what you have off of it. With Brock, that [idea] really worked for us." And, indeed, Calmes was one of the Timber Rattlers' most recognizable characters -- and not just because of his booming voice. "He was always a big dude, and he had his own jersey with the name 'Brock' on the back," said Zerjav. "1 1/2 was his number, and some people would say that was because he was 1 1/2 times the size of an average person. But his parents told us that, back when we were the Appleton Foxes, that's the number that the mascot wore. So, that's why he had it." http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/31/BcpdLvVK.jpg As any follower of Minor League Baseball knows, one of the ultimate forms of celebrity is to be immortalized via the bobblehead. Calmes certainly had hoped to be recognized in such a way. "We do a 'Fan's Choice' bobblehead every year, and Brock was in the running a couple of years ago," said Zerjav. "Ever since then, he would always mention in passing, 'Boy, I'd love to have my own bobblehead.'" Brock was included on the list of this year's potential Fan's Choice honorees and, considering this tragic turn of events, it's now especially likely that he'll be the biggest vote-getter. "Vote Brock," reads a comment on the team's Fan's Choice bobblehead press release. "His passion attracted kids to the park; he was taken way before his time. Let's honor him!" A final farewell Calmes died on May 14, and when the Timber Rattlers returned home two days later, a moment of silence was held in his honor. "There were gasps throughout the crowd when we announced it," said Zerjav. "Even if you didn't know Brock personally, you still knew who he was. ... He just loved it at the ballpark. Being here was one of the highlights of his short life." With this being the case, the team felt that they should do more to honor Calmes' memory. So, with the blessing of his parents, an open house memorial service was scheduled for the evening of May 23 (while the Timber Rattlers were on the road). More than 500 fans showed up, and the event was covered by the Appleton region's four major television stations. What resulted was a poignant celebration, one attended by family, friends, fans and fellow gameday staff (one former usher flew in from North Carolina). Upon entering the ballpark, attendees came upon a concourse display featuring memorabilia from Calmes' life. This included his famous No. 1 1/2 jersey and, of course, the overloaded vendor's box that he carted all over the stadium at each and every ballgame. (Ringing the box was a semi-circle of cotton candy, a visual that, in this situation, was far more apropos than any floral display.) As attendees made their way down the concourse, they met Calmes' family in a receiving line and then watched a video appreciation that played in a continuous loop on the videoboard and concourse televisions. The bar and restaurant area was open as well, providing an informal environment in which to congregate and share stories about the unique and unforgettable ballpark presence that was Brock Calmes. The emotion was evident in Zerjav's voice as he reflected on the memorial, and what it said about Calmes, the Timber Rattlers organization and Appleton's community of baseball fans. "Brock was a vendor who knew how to entertain the crowd, but at moments like these you realize that there's a greater purpose," he said. "We touched Brock's life, and then he went on to touch the lives of so many others. And it all happened because we're a little baseball team from Appleton, Wisconsin."

I cannot make this post format properly so just going to provide a link, many divisional prospects listed here, Mass linked the breakdown by team earlier Cole, Taillon highlight FSL All-Stars

Hot Sheet Chat

Mass linked the Hot Sheet above, here's the one divisional mention: No. 8 ALEN HANSON, SS PIRATES Team: Low Class A West Virginia (South Atlantic) Age: 19 Why He's Here: .556/.619/.889 (10-for-18), 4 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-4 SB The Scoop: Say hello to the biggest breakout prospect of the year so far. Hanson has always intrigued scouts with his speed and flashes of ability to hit in games, but this year he has shown more power and a well-rounded skill set. He's hitting .345/.404/.597 on the year, good for a 1.001 OPS that ranks third in the SAL. With a 58 percent success rate stealing bases (14-for-24), he's going to have to become more efficient, but there's plenty of time for Hanson to add polish.

This has to be a season long type thing because he went from his best start of the season to his worst, and every pitcher is going to have a forgettable start or 3 over the course of a season, but his last start just happened to push his numbers into "not a legit prospect" territory with the ERA over 4. He hasn't put up shiny peripherals all season outside of that one start so maybe they were just waiting to pile on? I guess if that's the way they want to handle it then fine but if that's the way they are going to play it he should have been mentioned in last week's hot sheet for his May 22nd start, at least a mention in the team photo if nothing else.

Chris mentioned yesterday during the broadcast that the voting is complete and they are waiting on announcement, he didn't know exactly when it was going to come.

It's nice that pretty much every day is an interesting day from a pitching standpoint... Peralta, Burgos, Hall, and West today, each is intriguing for their own reasons, this MiLB season has been quite a bit of fun regardless of what has been happening with the big club.

If you ignore the fact that he hit for the cycle in a ST game which has been his very limited MLB opportunity so far then yes all he's shown is the ability to hit singles. In 217 AA ABs this season Scooter has 11 doubles, 3 triples, and 3 home runs. He's certainly not the power threat that Weeks is but he's not a slap hitting 2B either. Of course at this juncture I wouldn't replace Weeks with Gennett or Green (I just don't see Taylor being a good 2B) either but I didn't want to let that blurb about Gennett being a singles hitter go by.

Final: Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 0 Kernels quiet Rattlers By Chris Mehring / Wisconsin Timber Rattlers CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have been a tough riddle for Midwest League teams to answer in 2012. But, Eswarlin Jimenez and the Cedar Rapids Kernels had the answer on Thursday night at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Jimenez combined with a pair of relievers to shutout Wisconsin 4-0. In the first game of the series on Wednesday night, the Timber Rattlers (34-20) grabbed a lead with five runs in the first inning. On Thursday, the Kernels (24-30) jumped out to the lead with three runs in the first. Trevor Hairgrove started the inning with a triple and scored on an RBI grounder by Ryan Jones. Kaleb Cowart restarted the rally with a double and Frazier Hall cracked a two-run homer to right to put the Kernels up 3-0. Cedar Rapids added a run in the fourth inning on an RBI grounder by Hairgrove. Jimenez took that lead and ran with it through seven innings. The lefty allowed five hits, walked two, and struck out five. He left just shy of 100 pitches and turned the game over to the Kernels bullpen. Jimenez never pitched with two runners on base at the same time during the game. Logan Odom allowed a couple of base runners with two outs in the eighth, but kept the Rattlers off the scoreboard. Stephen Tromblee struck out the side in order in the ninth to close out the game. Chadwin Stang and Greg Hopkins each had two hits for Wisconsin, but the Rattlers could not avoid being shutout for the second time this season. The last time Wisconsin has held off the scoreboard in a game this season was on April 28 when they lost 6-0 at home to Bowling Green. The Timber Rattlers end their three game series with Cedar Rapids on Friday night. Lefty Will West (1-0, 3.60) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. The Kernels have Dan Reynolds (0-0, 5.40) as their scheduled starter. Game time is 6:35pm. Tune in for the broadcast on AM1280, WNAM or timberrattlers.com starting with the Miller Lite Pregame Show at 6:15pm. HOME RUN: CR: Frazier Hall (5th, 1 on in 1st inning off David Goforth, 1 out) WP: Eswarlin Jimenez (2-3) LP: David Goforth (4-4) TIME: 2:28 ATTN: 1,779 Wisconsin Box Score There isn't much to discuss here, easily the least entertaining game I listened to all season. The Rattlers didn't do much offensively and when they did get a hit, they made mistakes on the bases. David Goforth put what's become his typical outing, he went 5IP allowing 7H, 4ER, and 3BB against a single strike out. The one consistent positive so far this season for David has been his high GO:FO ratios, he posted a 9:3 tonight. Chad Pierce was pretty awesome in relief allowing only the 1H against 4SO in his 3 innings. In addition to getting beat up behind the plate yet again Rafael Neda did manage a double during the contest. Wisconsin Box Score Outs on the bases killed the T-Rats best scoring opportunities and neither of the plays were close. Wisconsin Top of the 2nd Gregory Hopkins singles on a fly ball to right fielder Ryan Jones. Gregory Hopkins out at 2nd, right fielder Ryan Jones to shortstop Wendell Soto. Rafael Neda doubles (5) on a fly ball to left fielder Gary Mitchell. Yadiel Rivera flies out to left fielder Gary Mitchell. Max Walla grounds out, shortstop Wendell Soto to first baseman Frazier Hall. Wisconsin Top of the 6th Chadwin Stang singles on a line drive to left fielder Gary Mitchell. John Dishon strikes out swinging and Chadwin Stang caught stealing 2nd, catcher Carlos Lugo to second baseman Trevor Hairgrove. Jason Rogers walks. Nick Ramirez flies out to left fielder Gary Mitchell.

Final: Tennessee 4, Huntsville 1 Huntsville Box Score Kyle Heckathorn deserved a better fate in this one as he only allowed the 1ER in 6IP allowing the just the solo HR, walking 2, and striking out 2. Kyle only threw 74 pitches but 42 were strikes and posted a 10:5 ratio, he was pulled for a pinch hitter as the Stars played small ball trying to push a run across in the top of the 7th. Darren Byrd took the loss allowing 3R but 2ER on 5H in his 1+ IP. Daniel Meadows took over Byrd's mess in the 8th and finished the contest. Huntsville only had 2 hits in the game though Josh Prince went 1-1, 3BB, and 3SB but unfortunately Scooter Gennett's hit streak came to an end with an 0-4 effort. The Stars did have a hand full of scoring opportunities with runners on 2nd and less than 2 outs but couldn't string the hits together with the exception of Tommy Manzella singling in Prince for the Stars' only run.. Michael Reed saw his first action and while he went hitless he did record an OF assist. Domnit Bolivar committed Huntsville's only error which was his 7th (fielding) and cost Byrd a run. Huntsville Play By Play Byrd's outing, just about the only action in the game. Tennessee Bottom of the 7th Pitcher Change: Darren Byrd replaces Kyle Heckathorn, batting 9th. James Adduci doubles (10) on a fly ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Rebel Ridling grounds out, pitcher Darren Byrd to first baseman Hunter Morris. James Adduci to 3rd. With Justin Bour batting, wild pitch by Darren Byrd, James Adduci scores. Justin Bour flies out to left fielder Michael Reed. Matthew Cerda singles on a ground ball to center fielder Josh Prince. Michael Burgess singles on a fly ball to left fielder Michael Reed. Matthew Cerda to 2nd. Luis Flores grounds out, shortstop Tommy Manzella to first baseman Hunter Morris. Tennessee Bottom of the 8th Elliot Soto triples (4) on a fly ball to right fielder Kentrail Davis. Junior Lake doubles (7) on a line drive to left fielder Michael Reed. Elliot Soto scores. Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Nate Samson replaces Kevin Rhoderick. Nate Samson reaches on fielding error by third baseman Domnit Bolivar. Junior Lake to 3rd. Pitcher Change: Daniel Meadows replaces Darren Byrd, batting 5th. Defensive Substitution: Matt Cline replaces pitcher Darren Byrd, batting 9th, playing third base. James Adduci strikes out swinging. Rebel Ridling out on a sacrifice fly to left fielder Michael Reed. Junior Lake scores. With Justin Bour batting, Nate Samson steals (2) 2nd base. Justin Bour flies out to center fielder Josh Prince.

Don't forget the SD was very successful in Toronto and Tampa as well.

Well the Cubs do have another SS coming but I'm surprised they are willing to part with Castro, he's someone you could sign long-term and make part of your core. From the Brewers' perspective the problem would be who do we actually trade to acquire him? All of our impact talent above rookie ball is pitching and no way am I trading young pitching within the division in an effort to win a couple of more games in 2012. The best fits for the Brewers would be teams looking for MLB talent between now and the deadline, not teams looking to pickup impact prospects to rebuild with.

Top 10 Future Scouting Directors Scouting Is Only Part Of The Equation edit. Here's the Brewers' portion. Times Change, But Scouting Remains The Same

Baseball America's prospect coverage has slowed as it typically does this time of year with the holiday and draft coverage becoming the priority. Once we get past the draft the BA prospect coverage will pickup again.

a couple of divisional mentions here Offensive Players of the Week For the week ending May 27 By John Parker / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/25/mU9PhVwV.jpg The 66ers' Travis Witherspoon had 15 hits, seven walks and a cycle this week. (Fernando Gutierrez) International League Corey Brown, Syracuse (.474/.474/1.316, 4 G, 9-for-19, 2 3B, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 5 R, 0 BB, 5 K) Brown only needed four games to outpace the rest of the IL this week -- he had at least two hits (one of them a home run) in each contest and racked up 10 RBIs. A first-round pick by the A's who came over to the Nationals organization in a 2010 trade, Brown's two-run shot on Friday night marked his fifth straight game with a longball, setting a Syracuse team record. The power surge quickly paid dividends for the Oklahoma State product: he was summoned to the Majors over the weekend. Brown blasts three-run shot for Chiefs Pacific Coast League Brooks Conrad, Nashville (.417/.481/1.083, 6 G, 10-for-24, 1 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 2 K) After a 13-game stint with the Brewers in which he went 0-for-21 with nine strikeouts earlier this month, Conrad returned to Nashville and rapidly rediscovered his stroke. The 32-year-old switch-hitter homered in his first game back with the Sounds on Monday, went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs on Tuesday, then rattled off four straight games with a longball from Wednesday to Saturday. Having gone deep in his last three games (April 30-May 2) before his callup, Conrad has now homered in eight of his last nine PCL games while driving in 22 runs. He was recalled by the Brewers on Monday. Eastern League Tyson Gillies, Reading (.500/.560/.909, 6 G, 11-for-22, 0 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 SB, 2 CS) Going into last weekend, Gillies was mired in a six-game slump that saw him go 1-for-28 with eight strikeouts and no walks. The Vancouver native bounced back with a pair of hits last Sunday, then kept going with four more multi-hit games in a row. Gillies, a 23-year-old center fielder, had only one hit on Friday, but it was his second home run of the year. He's now riding a seven-game hitting streak in which he's scored in all but one contest. Southern League Andrelton Simmons, Mississippi (.417/.500/.917, 6 G, 10-for-24, 3 2B, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 8 R, 4 BB, 4 K) Despite having never played above Class A, Simmons vied for Atlanta's starting shortstop job in Spring Training this year. He lost out to Tyler Pastornicky but has shown fans in Mississippi why he's MLB.com's No. 59 prospect. The 22-year-old Simmons scored in each of his six games this week and ranks eighth in the Southern League with a .380 on-base percentage. Simmons' week was highlighted by a 4-for-4 performance at Pensacola on Wednesday that included a home run and a pair of doubles. His three longballs this week were his first of the season. Mississippi's Simmons goes deep Top prospect: Andrelton Simmons Texas League Jonathan Singleton, Corpus Christi (.500/.520/1.042, 6 G, 12-for-24, 1 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 8 R, 1 BB, 3 K) Part of the deal that sent Hunter Pence to Philadelphia at the trade deadline last year, Singleton has been all the Astros could have hoped for this season. The No. 38 prospect leads the Texas League in runs scored, ranks third in RBIs and on-base percentage, fourth in batting and sixth in slugging. Still just 20 years old, Singleton had an enormous week that featured a 4-for-5 game on Thursday followed by a two-homer, five-RBI performance the next night and yet another longball Saturday. When the southpaw slugger solves left-handed pitching -- against which he is hitting just .196/.281/.314 -- he will be fearsome indeed. Hooks' Singleton hits his second homer of the game Top prospect: Jonathan Singleton California League Travis Witherspoon, Inland Empire (.682/.759/1.091, 6 G, 15-for-22, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 8 R, 7 BB, 3 K, 3 SB, 2 CS, cycle on 5/24) When a player can hit (.314) and hit for power (.475 SLG) and run (five triples, 19 stolen bases), good things happen. Though the rest of his week was understandably overshadowed by his cycle at Lancaster on Thursday night, the Angels' No. 19 prospect did it all with 15 hits and seven walks in six games. The 23-year-old center fielder, who leads off for the 66ers, reached base in 22 of his 29 plate appearances. After this remarkable stretch of six straight multi-hit games, Witherspoon ranks fourth in the Cal League with 40 runs scored. Carolina League Jake Skole, Myrtle Beach (.500/.600/1.000, 6 G, 8-for-16, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB, 1 K, 1 SB) It's been a tough season thus far for the 20-year-old Skole, who is hitting .217/.301/.315 in his first 42 games. This week may have marked a turning point for the 15th overall pick in the 2010 Draft, however. Skole went 4-for-4 with his second and third home runs of the season on Friday, adding a double, a walk and four runs. Along with his 3-for-3 outing the night before, the Georgia native reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances. Florida State League Gabe Jacobo, Dunedin (.429/.452/.821, 7 G, 12-for-28, 5 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K) Jacobo's presence in the FSL may not be entirely fair -- he spent last season in the Double-A Texas League -- but he won't be there long at this rate. The first baseman, whom the Blue Jays acquired in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft last December, closed out his week with five consecutive multi-hit games. Jacobo doubled in each of those contests and has reached base in all 22 of his games with Dunedin this season. Had he the at-bats to qualify, the 25-year-old would rank fourth in the league in hitting. Midwest League Kyle Waldrop, Dayton (.526/.571/.842, 5 G, 10-for-19, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 SB, 1 CS) Waldrop, not to be confused with the other Kyle Waldrop, had at least two hits in four of his five games this week and smacked his first two homers of the season. Unfortunately for Dayton, Waldrop's outburst was not enough to help the Dragons avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of first-place Lansing. The 21-year-old outfielder ranks second on the Dayton club in on-base percentage, runs scored and RBIs. South Atlantic League Rougned Odor, Hickory (.364/.500/.727, 7 G, 8-for-22, 5 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 SB, 1 CS) Previously best known for his 2011 Moniker Madness semifinal performance, Odor made a name for himself with his bat this week. The 18-year-old shortstop doubled in each of his final five games and leads the Crawdads with a .488 slugging percentage despite his 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame. With a .313/.383/.506 line in 22 May games, the Venezuelan native is (of course) enjoying the sweet smell of success.

Texas notes: Wong proving his worth Cardinals second baseman playing up to high expectations By Todd Traub / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/28/8D9IWyV8.jpg Kolten Wong is hitting .320 with four homers and 21 RBIs for Springfield. (Shawn E. Davis/MiLB.com) It's good to have friends in high places -- or at least in the middle infield. In 2011, Springfield's Kolten Wong became the first second baseman drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the opening round in 25 years. But the University of Hawaii product might not be where he is without the intervention of his former college teammate and current double play partner, Greg Garcia. "My first year in Spring Training they asked me about Kolten when he was still in school and I told them, 'Great baseball player, great guy, hard worker,'" Garcia recalled. "So I knew they had interest in him. Then I saw he went in the first round and I couldn't be happier for him." Garcia split time between second base and shortstop at Rookie ball in 2010 and during two Class A stops last year, but was glad to slide to short full time at Springfield to make way for his one-time college teammate. And Wong was glad to see a familiar face when he arrived at Double-A to start this year after just 47 games with Quad Cities last season. "The first day we got to Springfield we were kind of like, 'Wow, we're actually going to get to be able to play with each other on the same field,'" said Wong, the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals system. Both players said it didn't take long to get back in the groove. "Once we got back to it and got to playing, we kind of remembered how each person was and reacting to balls and what we could get to and couldn't," Wong said. "It actually helped us make a lot more plays." Garcia hit .284 his first two seasons and played his way to Springfield while Wong was already seen as a fast-moving prospect thanks in large part to his hitting. He was impressive as MVP of the wood-bat Cape Cod League before his final year at Hawaii, then hit .378 last spring. "I had a good summer ball at the Cape, and the year before that I played for Team USA," said Wong, whom the Cardinals took 23rd overall in the 2011 Draft. "I guess they had an idea that I could handle the wooden bat decently well to allow me to play with them and skip [Class A Advanced] like I did." With Wong's numbers and ability, somebody was going to draft him. It just might not have been St. Louis without Garcia's input. "I talked to him about it," Wong said. "And he said they were asking about me during Spring Training and he put in a good word, and I guess I fit what they were looking for." Not since Luis Alicea have the Cards made a second baseman a first-round pick, and Wong hasn't disappointed. He batted .335 with five homers and 25 RBIs last year while helping Quad Cities to the Midwest League Championship. Wong has hit above .300 for most of this season. Wong is a line-drive hitter with some power who can also bunt and work the count. And though he only switched to second from catcher and outfield a couple years ago, Wong is a plus fielder, a quality that shouldn't suffer with Garcia on the left side. "I thought maybe somewhere down the road we might be able to be teammates again, so it's been real fun," Garcia said. In brief Profar, so good: Texas Rangers top prospect Jurickson Profar was hitless for the second time in three games last Wednesday but walked against Tulsa to extend his on-base streak to 41 games, best in all of pro baseball. The shortstop added two hits Thursday, two more Friday and one each Saturday and Sunday to run the streak to 45. Ripple effect: Arkansas Travelers hitting coach Francisco Matos was promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake to replace Jim Eppard, who was called up to the Los Angeles Angels to replace Mickey Hatcher. With three seasons in Arkansas, Matos had been the team's longest-tenured hitting coach since Arkansas affiliated with the Angels in 2001. Freiman remains: San Antonio teammates Cody Decker and Nathan Freiman were battling for the league home run lead prior to Decker's promotion to Triple-A Tucson last week. Decker and Freiman have 14 Texas League blasts apiece, while Wil Myers, recently promoted from Northwest Arkansas, has 13.

Garcia powers Bandits' 12-run inning Cards prospect homers twice, collects career-high six RBIs By Robert Emrich / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/30/bTGerfgW.jpg Anthony Garcia has a 1.017 OPS in 19 games this month. (Paul R. Gierhart/MiLB.com) By the time the first inning was over, Anthony Garcia had a pretty amazing night. The Cardinals prospect drove in five runs in a 12-run first inning and finished with two homers and a career-high six RBIs on Wednesday as the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits pounded the Beloit Snappers, 20-3. Batting with the bases loaded in the opening frame, Garcia doubled to center field to stake the River Bandits to a 4-0 lead. With two outs, he launched a two-run homer to cap the 12-run outburst. "He got a pitch that was a little bit up in the zone and hit in the gap," Quad Cities hitting coach Joe Kruzel said of Garcia's first at-bat. "He put a good swing on it and hit it hard. Once [the second one] left his bat, you knew it was gone." An 18th-round pick in 2009 Draft, Garcia added a solo shot in the fourth, eclipsing the career high he set last Aug. 10, when he homered twice and drove in five runs for Rookie-level Johnson City. "Anthony is a strong young man and the second homer was hit dead left into the wind," Kruzel said. "If he gets a ball out over the middle of the plate and up, he's got a chance to hit it hard and do some damage. What was good about Anthony tonight was that he stayed in the strike zone." In his first full Minor League season, Garcia is batting .290 with four homers and 29 RBIs in 41 games. After a sluggish April in which the 20-year-old outfielder hit .240, he's turned it around in May with a .343 average and 1.017 OPS. "I give him credit, he worked hard," Kruzel said. "He got got off to a rough start; this was the first time he played in cold weather. "Once he made a couple of adjustments, you could see the way the ball came off his bat. He's worked more on being down and through the baseball. Early on, he was getting beat and was under the ball. "This is his first full season. He just has to learn to show up to the ballpark and put your work in. You don't want to just show up to the ballpark, this game will humble you in a heartbeat." Quad Cities went on to score 20 runs for the second time this season, having drubbed Peoria, 20-5, on May 5. "It's one of those nights. Yesterday, we had four or five hits and won, 3-1," Kruzel noted. "These nights don't happen very often. It's just one of those days where it seems like everything we hit got the barrel on the ball and found holes. I don't think I've ever seen the first 10 hitters of the game reach base. We were fortunate." Virgil Hill went 3-for-5 with four runs scored, Nick Martini slugged a three-run homer and Tyler Rahmatulla reached base four times and scored three runs for the River Bandits. Sam Gaviglio improved to 3-3 after allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings.

It's elementary for Watson in FSL debut Cardinals prospect gives up one hit in first full-season outing By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/30/pFqaENQD.jpg Brad Watson went 10-4 with a 2.07 ERA as a senior at Wartburg College. (Wartburg College) Held back for extended spring training, Brad Watson missed the first two months of the year. His full-season debut was well worth the wait. The Cardinals prospect allowed one run on one hit -- a solo homer -- over six innings Wednesday as Class A Advanced Palm Beach rallied for a 3-1 victory over St. Lucie. Watson set down the side in order in the first inning, but Mets' No. 6 prospect Wilmer Flores homered to left field leading off the second. It was the first longball allowed by the 22-year-old since turning pro. And it was Flores' 10th of the season and eighth off right-handed pitching. Richard Lucas drew a two-out walk, but he was the final Met to reach base against Watson, who retired the last 13 batters he faced and finished with four strikeouts. Selected in the 37th round of last year's Draft out of Wartburg College in Iowa, Watson made 11 Gulf Coast League appearances, including eight starts, in his first pro season. He went 5-1, ranked fourth in the Rookie-level circuit with a 2.22 ERA and struck out 37 while walking only five over 48 2/3 innings. Watson led all Cardinals Minor Leaguers with a 7.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio and ranked third with a 1.15 WHIP. Palm Beach trailed, 1-0, when Watson exited, but Jonathan Rodriguez smacked a three-run homer in the seventh to make a winner of Aidan Lucas (1-0). The 24-year-old righty walked one over two hitless innings and Chase Reid pitched around a two-out hit in the ninth for his third save of the season. Mets starter Chase Huchingson (5-4) was charged with two runs on four hits over 6 1/3 innings, walking two and fanning seven.

Interesting feature story about a Reds prospect, Drew Gagnon notes that bottom MWL Notes: O'Rear bounced into ball Dayton Dragons pitcher transitions from court to diamond By Curt Rallo / Special to MLB.com http://www.milb.com/images/2012/05/31/VqkWQKrh.jpg Lucas O'Rear compiled a 6.97 ERA through his first five outings of the season. (Dayton Dragons) Major League Baseball players generally don't look up recent signees who are trying to find their way around the Minor League complex. Lucas O'Rear was the exception at the Cincinnati Reds complex following the 2010 NCAA basketball tournament. "At Spring Training, a couple of big league guys looked me up and let me know that I ruined their bracket," laughed O'Rear, who helped Northern Iowa stun No. 1 seed Kansas, 69-67, in the Round of 32 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. It was the first time a No. 1 seed fell at that stage of March Madness since UAB and Alabama each pulled off the trick against Kentucky and Stanford respectively in 2004. Not everybody was mad at O'Rear and the No. 9 seed Northern Iowa team for pulling off a shocker. "There's actually a guy from Kansas State who is on the Dayton team right now, and he absolutely loved that game," O'Rear said of teammate James Allen. "He came up to me and said how awesome that was that we beat Kansas." O'Rear, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound pitcher, wants to be known in the Reds organization for more than his basketball ability. Northern Iowa basketball coach Ben Jacobson said that O'Rear's fierce competitiveness and understanding of teamwork have fueled his athletic success in two sports. "Lucas has a great demeanor about him," Jacobson said. "He's a terrific [competitor] and he's a big-time teammate. Those are the reasons why he was able to have a lot of success with our basketball program and have success on the baseball field. He's made that way. ... It's the intangible things that have really helped him to have success in two different sports to the level that he has. "Kids are specialized at such an early age these days. That's the thing to do. You aren't going to find many guys like Lucas who can have success beyond high school in two different sports." Jacobson said that O'Rear's basketball experience will help his climb in baseball. "What Lucas found out with the group he played with and what that team was all about, was that supporting each other, trusting each other, sticking up for each other, that it works," Jacobson said. "For us, he was asked to come off the bench and be the best sixth man, and he accepted that and wanted to do that and really thrived in that role. His competitiveness and grit really shined through for us in big moments. It certainly showed up in that Kansas game to get us to the Sweet Sixteen." Though O'Rear was a mainstay for the UNI basketball team, he only pitched 17 innings in his Northern Iowa career. He didn't play baseball his freshman season, played a limited amount his sophomore season, and then the university discontinued the baseball program his junior year. O'Rear said a conversation with the baseball coach at UNI got him back into the sport. "The baseball coach asked me if I was going to play my sophomore year," O'Rear said. "I told him that I wanted to play again, that I missed the game a lot." O'Rear, who clips 94 mph on the radar gun, caught the attention of the Reds. Cincinnati drafted him in the 13th round. "Lucas is a two-sport guy, and he didn't get to play baseball his last year at Northern Iowa, so we knew he'd be a raw guy," Reds' assistant director of player development Jeff Graupe said. "But he's a good athlete for a big guy. He's got good arm strength. ... He's got a good make-up. The make-up and the arm strength were the big reasons we liked him. "You have to look at him as a special case. The biggest thing with a young pitcher is consistency. He's doing a better job of flashing his plus stuff more often. With time and repetition, it will all work out." O'Rear said that getting drafted was another special chapter in his life. "I'm just so grateful that the Reds chose me in the Draft and are giving me a chance," O'Rear said. "It's a lot of fun and a really neat experience. Baseball is different than basketball. Baseball throws you curves all the time. You think you've got it figured out, and you don't." O'Rear was surprised that he received attention for his baseball talents. "After I got playing basketball, the scouts asked me if I was going to play baseball," O'Rear said. "I told them 'Probably not.' I told them that I was just going to work out on basketball, but they asked me to try throwing a couple of times. I did, and they liked what they saw, and Cincinnati invited me to a workout. "I started to think that maybe somebody would take a chance on me, maybe in the 40's, possibly the late 30's. Then the Reds told me it would be more like between the 12th and 15th rounds. I was like, 'Really?' That was a surprise. They were excited, because I hadn't played in a year and a half, and I was throwing in the low 90s." In brief Getting the thumb: Fort Wayne manager Jose Valentin, pitching coach Willie Blair, and players Matt Stites and Travis Whitmore were all ejected Tuesday night in an 8-2 loss to Bowling Green. Blair got the boot in the fifth inning, and Valentin and Stites were tossed in the eighth inning on a disputed home run by Bowling Green's Matt Rice. Whitmore was told to take a walk in the ninth inning after being called out on strikes. Falling short: Dayton pounded out 16 hits, but it wasn't enough to deliver a victory for the Dragons on May 23. Lansing rallied for a 9-8 victory behind a bases-loaded two-out double by Carlos Perez in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Dragons led 8-5 going into the ninth. Big turnaround: Wisconsin right-handed pitcher Drew Gagnon is having an outstanding start to the 2012 season on the heels of a rough finish to 2011. Gagnon, who was drafted in the third round last season out of Long Beach State, was 0-3 with an 8.03 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts) for Helena. This season, Gagnon is 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA.

I can see why you think that's what I meant but I was working from the angle that he doesn't belong in AA as he's at least a AAA pitcher, sorry for the confusion.