Minor League Recap 6/18

Written by Greg Fertel | 18 June 2008

Scranton was off tonight Trenton falls to Harrisburg, 9-8

Jason Jones started, and did not have his best outing. In 4 2/3 innings, Jones gave up 7 runs (only 3 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks, with 4 strikeouts. This bumped his ERA up to a still-impressive 2.49.
Anthony Claggett gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk in 1 1/3 innings.
Steven Jackson struck out 2 in a perfect inning of relief.
Ramiro Pena was 1 for 5 with a home run.
Austin Jackson was 2 for 5 with 2 strikeouts, bringing his average up to .285.
Colin Curtis was 1 for 4 with a double.
Edwar Gonzalez was 1 for 5 with a double.
Cody Ehlers was 2 for 4 with a walk.
Jose Tabata was 2 for 4 with a home run (only his 2nd of the season) and a walk. His average is up to .241 on the season, moving towards respectability.
Chris Malec was 2 for 3.
Reegie Corona was 1 for 4.

Tampa loses to Clearwater, 9-4

Michael Dunn was the starter, and was rocked. In 5 1/3 innings, the lefty gave up 8 runs on 11 hits and 2 walks, with 4 strikeouts.
Andres Perez was 2 for 3 with a double.
Jose Gil was 4 for 4 with 2 doubles, as Francisco Cervelli had the night off.
CJ Henry was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.
Roy Gomez and Kevin Smith were each 1 for 4 with a double.

Charleston was off again because of the All-Star break Staten Island defeated by Brooklyn, 9-4

Luke Greinke (brother of Zack), a 12th-round pick out of Auburn this year, was the starter. He only lasted 2 innings, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 2.
Raymond Kruml was 2 for 4 with a double and a walk.
Prilys Cuello, making his season debut, was 2 for 5 with 2 doubles.
8th-round selection Daniel Brewer was 1 for 4 with a walk.
Taylor Grote was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Brian Chavez was 1 for 3 with a double.

In draft-related news, the signings keep coming in. High school outfielder Chris Smith, famous for his over .700 batting average, signed for 5th-round slot money. He should report to the GCL soon, whose season begins tomorrow. Also, Peter Abraham reported that catcher Kyle Higashioka, the Yankees' 5th-round pick out of high school, visited the team and was given the Angelini treatment. This is probably a good indication that he is interested in signing, and that the Yankees are interested in giving him an overslot bonus, reportedly around $500,000, to buy him out of his commitment to Cal. $500,000 is the amount that Austin Romine received last year. As I mentioned, the GCL season begins tomorrow. Some players to keep an eye on include: pitcher Arodys Vizcaino, who received the 2nd-highest bonus of all Latin American pitchers last season (behind only the ballyhooed Julio Teheran), outfielder Kelvin DeLeon (who was reportedly promoted from the DSL according to BA), centerfielder Carlos Urena (another toolsy Latin American talent who was up and down last season in the DSL), Smith (will probably play left), and Corban Joseph (4th-rounder, will probably play short). In addition, once some of the other high school players sign, particularly the overslot bonus guys, we might get to see Higashioka, Brett Marshall, Gerrit Cole, and Mikey O'Brien (9th rounder).