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Michael Taylor, OF, Athletics (Triple-A Sacramento): 2-for-4, 2 HR (5), 2 R, 2 RBI, K

Acquired straight up for Brett Wallace prior to the 2010 season, Taylor's .272/.348/.392 campaign was one of last year's bigger downturns among prospects, but after having his season delayed by injury, he's showing signs of a rebound. Numbers are great, but when they are back up by scouting information, they are even better, and Taylor has worked hard to get a load back into his swing while being more aggressive in his approach. At .296/.355/.490 in 24 games, the early returns are promising.

Others Of Note:

  • Dustin Ackley, 2B, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma): 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI, K. Snaps out 0-for-12 slump and up to .297/.415/.487 on the season; should be up any day now.
  • Kyle Blanks, 1B, Padres (Triple-A Tucson): 3-for-5, 2B, HR (1), 3 R, RBI, K. Back-to-back three-hit games and first Triple-A home run in five games.
  • Andrew Brackman, RHP, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K. New role (bullpen), same results; 6.92 ERA in 53.1 innings while allowing 104 batters to reach base.
  • Lorenzo Cain, OF, Royals (Triple-A Omaha): 2-for-4, HR (5), R, RBI. Almost seems to be forgotten about, but hitting .295/.365/.478 in 54 games with good center field defense.
  • Brett Cecil, LHP, Blue Jays (Triple-A Las Vegas): 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K. Second dominant complete game in last two starts; unfortunately gave up eight runs over 3.1 innings in between them.
  • Colin Cowgill, OF, Diamondbacks (Triple-A Reno): 3-for-4, HR (12), 2 R, 3 RBI, BB. 30-for-56 (.536) in last 13 games and .375/.440/.621 overall in 62; not sure how he gets a look as long as the big league club remains enamored with Gerardo Parra.
  • Zack Cozart, SS, Reds (Triple-A Louisville): 3-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB. Now hitting .491/.532/.737 in 14 June games will wondering what else he has to do to get noticed by the big league brass.
  • Mat Gamel, 1B, Brewers (Triple-A Nashville): 3-for-5, 2 HR (13), 2 R, 3 RBI. Hitting .310/.377/.548 in 62 games; hard to get worked up when he made his Triple-A debut in 2008.
  • Johnny Giavotella, 2B, Royals (Triple-A Omaha): 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 R, 2 RBI. Hitting .407 in June and up to .310/.372/.441 overall; deserves to be up.
  • Jason Hagerty, C, Padres (High-A Lake Elsinore): 2-for-6, 2B, HR (7), 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 K. Three home runs in last two games and .332/.400/.582 on the season; once again old for his level as bat remains ahead of the glove.
  • Matt Harvey, RHP, Mets (High-A St. Lucie): 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K. 36 strikeouts over 23 innings in his last four starts and has given up one or fewer earned runs in nine of 13; 2.44 ERA over 70 innings with 88 whiffs.
  • Slade Heathcott, OF, Yankees (Low-A Charleston): 0-for-4, 3 K. Hit .370 in April, has hit .209 since with 36 strikeouts in 129 at-bats.
  • Jason Heyward, OF, Braves (Triple-A Gwinnett): 1-for-3, 2B, R, BB. Rehab, back soon.
  • Marc Krauss, OF, Diamondbacks (Double-A Mobile): 2-for-4, 2B, HR (10), R, RBI, 2 K. June signs of life continue; .244/.345/.475 overall.
  • Ryan Lavarnway, C, Red Sox (Triple-A Pawtucket): 2-for-4, 2 2B, R. Triple-A debut after .284/.360/.510 line at Double-A; bat remains ahead of glove.
  • Charles Leesman, LHP, White Sox (Double-A Birmingham): 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K. Mild sleeper as big, physical lefty with solid three pitch mix but control issues; 3.36 ERA in 13 games.
  • Jake McGee, LHP, Rays (Triple-A Durham): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. Starting to find his groove back in the minors; 7.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 9 K in last five appearances.
  • Deck McGuire, RHP, Blue Jays (High-A Dunedin): 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K. Like Harvey, looking more and more like he's ready for a second half at Double-A; 3.07 ERA over 70.1 innings with 70 Ks.
  • Tommy Mendonca, 3B, Rangers (Double-A Frisco): 4-for-6, 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI, K. 12-for-19 in last four games and .315/.356/.565 overall; scouts don't think approach will keep working as he moves up.
  • Jermaine Mitchell, OF, A's (Double-A Midland): 3-for-5, 2B, RBI. It's hard to get too worked up about a 26-year-old outfielder whose prospect star has faded, but he's hitting .405 in his last 16 games and .372/.479/.657 in 60 games.
  • Jesus Montero, C, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton): 2-for-4, HR (5), R, 3 RBI, BB. Back in the lineup after hitting the bench for undisclosed purposes; .293/.339/.424 in 51 games.
  • Wil Myers, OF, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 R, RBI. First home run in ten games since return from DL; just .265/.328/.381 in30 games.
  • Andy Oliver, LHP, Tigers (Triple-A Toledo): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 5 BB, 9 K. That's everything to like and be concerned about when it comes to Oliver in one neat game line; 3.82 ERA in 11 games.
  • Rafael Ortega, OF, Rockies (Low-A Asheville): 3-for-4, 3B, R, BB, K, SB. 20-year-old Venezuelan speedster with gap power is hitting .366/.395/.537 in June to up season line to .279/.314/.393 in 53 games.
  • Wily Mo Pena, OF, Diamondbacks (Triple-A Reno): 2-for-5, 2 HR (20), 3 R, 2 RBI, K. Now second in the minor leagues in home runs, and that's just cool.
  • Jurickson Profar, SS, Rangers (Low-A Hickory): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB, K. .280/.389/.503 line in 51 games remains one of the most impressive in the minors considering age and position.
  • Trayvon Robinson, OF, Dodgers (Triple-A Albuquerque): 2-for-3, 3B, HR (14), R, RBI, BB, K. Three home runs in last six games, .409 in June, .304/.363/.567 overall and Tony Gwynn Jr. keeps getting big league starts.
  • Cody Scarpetta, RHP, Brewers (Double-A Huntsville): 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K. Follows up 3 IP, 8 R outing with best star of the year; inconsistent doesn't really do it justice.
  • Jonathan Singleton, 1B, Phillies (High-A Clearwater): 0-for-4, BB, 3 Ks. One of the biggest disappointments in prospect land; outfielder experiment didn't work and hitting just .251/.370/.333 in 54 games.
  • Mike Trout, OF, Angels (Double-A Arkansas): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, K, SB. Since dropping to .294 on May 29, he's 20-for-45 (.444) in 13 games with four triples and 11 stolen bases; .327/.430/.551 overall.
  • Dayan Viciedo, OF, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 3-for-5, R. 12-for-29 during seven-game hitting streak and .318/.365/.518 overall.

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escapeNihlism
6/14
KG: how much has Jeurys Familia's stock risen this year? double-digit whiffs on Sunday at AA.
kgoldstein
6/14
It's up considerably, with more and more believing he can remain a starter.
dsher84
6/14
Extensive speculation in this morning's Seattle Times on Ackley's call-up date. They're guessing Mon or Tues next week.

http://tinyurl.com/5rvproj
Vriez10
6/14
I was hearing that Philly was messing around with Singleton's swing at the start of the year? Is there any truth to that?
kgoldstein
6/14
I think it's easy to forget that Singleton has basically had one really big hot streak and that's it, he hit just .244/.356/.372 last year after the All-Star break.
adamcarralejo
6/14
Two questions RE Trayvon Robinson - what are scouts saying about his defense? Is he a legit CF long term or kind of a tweener? Also, this is Albequerque and he strikes out a ton for a player whose MLB game is based on speed - is there any concern that he's imagining himself a power hitter - again?
antonio
6/14
KG, any word on whether Brett Cecil's velocity is back to normal (ie, FB in the low 90s)?
bloodface
6/14
Will we be seeing you report on Adam Eaton anytime soon? His numbers, can they simply continue to be ignored?

PS-Thank you for Jurickson Profar. Shocked everyone last year at our MiLB draft taking him first in the second round, and he's been flat out amazing. That plate discipline cannot be ignored. Incredible. Are there any comparisons for age and level for that kind of plate discipline?
mushb0ne
6/14
I've been told repeatedly that Ryan Lavarnway is unlikely to ever achieve a defensive level above 'intermittently able to sustain a crouch', yet he's thrown out almost 40% of runners attempting to steal and hasn't committed an outrageous number of errors or passed balls.

Obviously, there's more to it than the scanty set of numbers I can glean from B-R, but Mike Hazen seems still to have hope for him (witness his recent promotion to AAA and Hazen's own comments) and he continues to show promise at the plate.

Have you made an assessment of his defensive ceiling? Do you think he has a chance to stick at C or do you think his bat might eventually allow him to move to a less premium position?

He's an Eli, after all, and we continue to suffer an unhealthy shortage of cable-knit sweater vests in the major leagues.
kgoldstein
6/14
The arm has never been an issue, it's always been the receiving. He's pretty rough back there, but I could see him becoming kind of borderline acceptable. Is Eli some kind of Yale thing?
mushb0ne
6/14
Yeah. Eli, Bulldog, Yalie. All the same guy. I actually once heard someone refer to a Yale grad as a "Dowling", after former Yale QB Brian Dowling (who was immortalized as B.D. in Trudeau's Doonsebury comic).

Anyway, thanks for the response, Kevin. I'll continue to root for the kid and hope he improves behind the plate.
uptick
6/14
Hey Kevin -- I read somewhere that Montero had an eye infection, but apparently he's good to go now...do you think that he'll be in the majors later in the season?
kgoldstein
6/14
I still have no idea where he fits with the Yankees, so barring a trade, not until September.
ColonelTom
6/14
Great stuff as always, Kevin. Any thoughts on Cubs outfielder Matt Szczur? Are we looking at a breakout in progress? The numbers show that he's starting to find some power to go with the high batting average.
btsully
6/14
Have you heard anything from scouts regarding the seasons Jai Miller and Shane Peterson are putting up for Sacramento? Change in approach, real growth, or just a hot couple months?
phnath
6/14
Kevin - thoughts about Luis Valbuena? Hit 2 HR last night and is now batting .315/.375/.502. It looks like they're playing him at 3B, SS and OF. Does he find a home in Cleveland this year or does he need a trade to get anything beyond a September call up?
DDriesen
6/14
Kevin - I'm in a very deep fantasy league (AL & NL) and am looking for your ranking for the rest of this year and next year of the following:
Cowgill, Giavotella, Pena and Robinson.
Any other lesser touted gems that might be available in my ridiculously deep league?
Thanks!
Scooter1027
6/14
Kevin --

Wondering what, if anything, you think of 2B/3B Taylor Green. Up to .302/.377/.558 in his first stint in Nashville now, and seems like he could look good as a left handed stick opposite the right handed (and struggling) Casey McGehee. Seems he would be a defensive upgrade as well.
Kreylix
6/14
I'd like to see what Jermaine Mitchell could do in place of Coco Crisp (and his painful .293 leadoff OBP). Sort of kills me that the A's CFs in AAA and AA are just killing the ball and yet neither is given a chance; what exactly does Beane have to lose?