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And Kieran Lovegrove, 3rd rounder out of HS in 2012, who has struggled at the start of his career with a nearly perfect 5 no hit innings for Mahoning Valley, walked two, fanned 5.


And BA's highlighted lines:

CLE AA Gonzalez, Erik DH 4 0 1 0 .296
CLE AA Rodriguez, Ronny 2B 2 0 1 0 .244
CLE AA Wolters, Tony C 3 0 1 0 .258 2B (11), BB (28)
CLE AAA Aguilar, Jesus 1B 4 0 1 1 .278
CLE AAA Ramirez, Jose 2B 4 0 1 0 .311
CLE HiA Rodriguez, Luigi RF 3 0 1 0 .257 BB (31), SB (8)
CLE LoA Frazier, Clint DH 5 1 2 0 .246
CLE LoA Paulino, Dorssys CF 3 0 1 0 .237 BB (21) [at least he's walking a little more often]
CLE LoA Rodriguez, Nelson 1B 4 1 1 0 .233
CLE SS Mejia, Francisco C 3 2 1 0 .279 3B (1), BB (9) [age recently misstated: he's not 19 until October 27]
CLE SS Zimmer, Bradley CF 4 1 2 0 .346 SB (2) [good start]

The only pitchers are a couple relievers:
CLE AA Armstrong, Shawn 1 1 0 0 1 2 1.89
CLE AAA Lee, C.C. 1 1 0 0 0 1 3.20 [back in good groove Maybe we won't waste space on Lowe again]
Last edited by civ ollilavad on Fri Jul 04, 2014 8:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Minor Matters

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Full box scores:

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20140703

Some notable performances by guys not on BA list:

Arizona: Nate Winfrey 3B 2 hits, walk, sac fly, 3 bi
pitcher Erick Alguin 3 innings, 3 hits, o runs, 7 K.

Carolina; Cuban SS Yandy Diaz triple, 2 walks; but he's 23 so older than Erick Gonzalez and Lindor who are in AA
pair of catchers: Lucas 2 doubles, single, 260; Monsalve single, double, 3 rbi, 255

Akron: Tony Galls single, double, hitting only 407 since his promotion about a month ago

Re: Minor Matters

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Under consideration for Dog of the Year:

Carlos Melo, RH reliever, who's been moving around among the lower levels of our organization. 23 year old combined totals for the year:

17 IP
26 Hits
26 Runs
only 19 earned
26 walks so his whip is a little more than loading the bases every inning
15 strikeouts

Re: Minor Matters

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http://www.indiansbaseballinsider.com/u ... 0-full.jpg
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Minor Happenings: Salazar looks to be back to his old form

By Tony Lastoria

July 4, 2014

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"Minor Happenings" is a bi-weekly column which recaps the important developments and news in the Indians farm system. Information in this report is compiled from my own research and through discussions with industry personnel inside and outside the Cleveland Indians organization. Unless otherwise noted, the intellectual property contained in this report is owned by IndiansBaseballInsider.com LLC, and any unauthorized reproduction of the information is prohibited.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

In this week’s Minor Happenings, I take a look at the recent surge in performance at Triple-A for right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar, how his stuff has looked and if he is getting back into the form that impacted the Indians roster late last season. I look at the breakout performance at Double-A Akron for outfielder Anthony Gallas, what it means and what has changed for him. I also provide some insight into the turnaround for Low-A Lake County righty Mitch Brown, look at the biggest change to Triple-A catcher Roberto Perez’s approach and more.

Next week I plan to post two editions of the Happenings in their regular slots on Tuesday and Thursday and should have a humongous update with tons of quotes from the front office in the Tuesday and/or Thursday edition. As a note, I will be on vacation the following week but the column will be in good hands as Jim Piascik will be filling in and do an excellent job as usual.

Also, if you missed it this week, check out Hayden Grove’s “IBI on Site” as he was in Mahoning Valley and had a chance to interview Bradley Zimmer and Sean Brady on camera.

Onto the Happenings…

IBI Minor League Pitcher of the Week

(for games from June 24th through June 30th)

Danny Salazar (Right-handed pitcher – Columbus)
2 GS, 1-1, 2.03 ERA, 13.1 IP, 12 H, 4 R (3 ER), 1 HR, 3 BB, 16 K, .226 BAA

There were a lot of good performances this past week on the mound throughout the Indians system, but the onethat was truly dominant and carried over two outings was from right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar.

Salazar, 24, had a tough start to his season. He first made eight starts in Cleveland going 1-4 with a 5.53 ERA, and in 40.2 innings allowed 49 hits, 8 homers, 17 walks and had 47 strikeouts. His command was noticeably off and his average velocity was down a good two miles per hour from 95.9 MPH last year to 93.8 this year. The Indians optioned him to Triple-A Columbus in early May and his outings got worse as he made three starts totaling just 12.2 innings and allowed 21 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), 3 homers, 8 walks and had 15 strikeouts.

Salazar then went on the disabled list with a right triceps strain and was out for over two weeks and returned on June 15th. Since then he has looked like a different pitcher; a pitcher who is stronger, healthier and most importantly confident. In his four starts since returning from the disabled list he is 2-2 with a 3.47 ERA, and in 23.1 innings has allowed 22 hits, 10 runs (9 earned), 3 homers, 6 walks and has 29 strikeouts. His best outing was his most recent one on Monday where he not only went 7.1 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits, 1 walk and with 9 strikeouts, but of the 105 pitches he threw 74 of them were strikes (70.5%).

With Salazar pumping strikes in the zone and getting strike one on hitters, his secondary stuff has been more effective. His delivery looks much better and his arm motion and slot have been more consistent. He is back up to 97-98 MPH with his fastball and routinely sitting at 94-96 MPH, and most importantly it has that late life which makes it so impressive. The other key has been the quality of his changeup which looks to be back in midseason form and a pitch he is getting a good amount of swing and miss with two strikes. Even his slider has been better as he is throwing it when behind in the count and mixing it into his pitch sequencing effectively – something that is evident with the way he got eight of his nine strikeouts on Monday with the slider or changeup as his put away pitch and not his patented high fastball.

Some of it is Salazar getting Triple-A hitters to chase, but a lot of it is just having confidence in all three of his pitches and throwing them for strikes. With him locating his fastball better down in the zone, his secondary stuff working well, and good rhythm and tempo with his delivery, he is pitching like the frontline pitching prospect he was last season and the one who impacted the Cleveland roster down the stretch. If this continues for another three or four starts, then he very well could be changing his zip code to the Cleveland area by mid to late July and could once again be the shot in the arm the rotation in Cleveland needs down the stretch.

Honorable Mentions:

Travis Banwart (RHP, COL): 1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 2 BB, 6 K, .208 BAA
Tyler Cloyd (RHP, COL): 1 GS, 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 6 K, .200 BAA
Joseph Colon (RHP, AKR): 1 GS, 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 4 K, .125 BAA
Ryan Merritt (LHP, CAR): 1 GS, 1-0, 1.23 ERA, 7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 HR, 0 BB, 5 K, .185 BAA
Shawn Morimando (LHP, CAR): 1 GS, 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 5 K, .182 BAA
Anderson Polanco (LHP, LC): 2 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 4 BB, 6 K, .111 BAA
Mitch Brown (RHP, LC): 1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 K, .176 BAA
Sean Brady (LHP, MV): 1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 1 BB, 2 K, .158 BAA
Shao-Ching Chiang (RHP, AZL): 1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 3 K, .176 BAA
Thomas Pannone (LHP, AZL): 1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 0 BB, 7 K, .133 BAA

Previous Winners:

06/17/14 to 06/23/14 – Joseph Colon (RHP, Akron)
06/03/14 to 06/16/14 – Luis Lugo (LHP, Lake County)
05/27/14 to 06/02/14 – Luis Lugo (LHP, Lake County)
05/20/14 to 05/26/14 – Joseph Colon (RHP, Akron)
05/13/14 to 05/19/14 – Robbie Aviles (RHP, Lake County)
05/06/14 to 05/12/14 – Adam Plutko (RHP, Lake County)
04/29/14 to 05/05/14 - Robbie Aviles (RHP, Lake County)
04/22/14 to 04/28/14 - Jordan Milbrath (RHP, Lake County)
04/10/14 to 04/21/14 - Ryan Merritt (LHP, Carolina)
04/03/14 to 04/14/14 - Duke von Schamann (RHP, Akron)

IBI Minor League Hitter of the Week

(for games from June 26th through July 2nd)

Anthony Gallas (Outfielder - Akron)
.464 AVG (13-28), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K, 1.288 OPS

One of the hottest hitters for the Indians over the past few weeks, if not the hottest hitter in the system, has beenDouble-A Akron outfielder Anthony Gallas. After a nice showing at High-A Carolina where he hit .276 with 8 HR, 31 RBI and .810 OPS in 58 games, even though he was struggling a little with the bat at the time he got a promotion to Akron in mid-June when Bryson Myles went down with an injury.

That opening in the door was all Gallas needed to bust it down as that is exactly what he has done since his promotion to Akron. In 20 games at Akron he is hitting .407 with 4 HR, 14 RBI and 1.104 OPS. That is a player who is showing his organization that he belongs in Double-A and should have been there from the start of the season. He was a guy caught up in the numbers game at the start of the season and thus was forced to go back to High-A Carolina for a third straight season (fourth straight year at High-A).

Gallas, 26, has already set career highs in almost every offensive category this season. In 78 combined games between Carolina and Akron he is hitting .311 with 12 HR, 45 RBI and .889 OPS, and the 12 homers are already four more than in any season, the 45 RBI are just eight short of the 53 he had in 2012, the 94 hits are just four less than the 98 he had in 2012 and the 29 doubles are just five less than the 34 he had in 2011. Even his .889 OPS is on pace to blow away his previous career high of .774 back in 2011, and his .311 average is better than his career best .272 he had in 2010.

The question now is what exactly does this all mean. Is he a player who is just finally healthy and is playing as he would have if not for injury issues the previous two seasons? Or, is he simply just an older player at 26-years old taking advantage of some questionable pitching and having a lot of success as a result? That is tough to figure out.

I have asked a few scouts about Gallas and a lot just don’t believe he will sustain this. He has never been close to this kind of hitter in the past, doesn’t have the history or prospect pedigree and may just be having one of those years a guy has when they get hot for an extended period of time. He has certainly raised his stock, but his approach is a giant concern as for as well as he is hitting in Akron he has just one walk and overall this season has an 18-66 walk to strikeout ratio. Even though he is hitting .311 and 48 points higher than the .263 he hit in his breakout year in 2011, his on-base percentage this season of .349 is just three points higher than the .346 he had in 2011. He also has a .435 BABIP at Akron which is something that should eventually level out considerably as the season wears on.

That all said, credit should be given where credit is due with Gallas. While we sit here and try and figure out and overanalyze why he is having such a good season or whether he can keep it up, you have to love what he has done this year by making the most of what looked to be a season in doubt before it even began. He opened spring training as a player on the roster bubble and on the short list to be released, but he had a very good spring training, earned a spot with a full season team, did not whine about the assignment to Carolina and has since just gone out and performed and now really solidified himself as at worst an extra outfield option at Akron the rest of this season and probably next season.

Gallas has done a nice job of just being consistent. What has really helped is that he is healthy. Last season he had a torn labrum in his right hip which limited his ability to drive through the ball and reach the outside pitch. He eventually had surgery to correct the issue and missed almost the entire season as a result, but has come out this season like a new man and is once again pounding the gaps and getting some good extension on balls to the outside part of the plate. Even though he lacks much patience at the plate he has relaxed a lot when he steps into the box and is just a confident hitter looking for something he can drive. Once he gets better on laying off pitches early in the count that he can’t drive then the walks will go up a little and his at bats will only get better.

For all the damage Gallas has done he is still a lower level prospect in the organization simply because of his age, pedigree and how his skills are graded. He is going to need to keep hitting and keep hitting a lot in order to have any shot at Triple-A or a Major League opportunity down the road. Lots of players have gone on hitting binges like he has at the Double-A level, so he needs to stay consistent and just keep doing what he is doing. He is still a long way from being an option in Cleveland or for the 40-man roster for that matter, but a strong finish this season and a good showing next year could put him in the big league discussion. At this point he is looking like another Jared Goedert type of player who has some good pop in the bat and could make a long career at the Triple-A level - and who knows - maybe someday gets that cup of coffee at the big league level.

Honorable Mentions:

Roberto Perez (C, COL): .412 AVG (7-17), 2 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 1.206 OPS
Giovanny Urshela (3B, COL): .333 AVG (8-24), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1.110 OPS
Tyler Holt (OF, COL): .400 AVG (10-25), 8 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SB, 1.004 OPS
Jordan Smith (OF, AKR): .407 AVG (11-27), 7 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K, 1.006 OPS
Ollie Linton (OF, AKR): .381 AVG (8-21), 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 SB, 1.006 OPS
Adam Abraham (INF, AKR): .348 AVG (8-23), 5 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, .984 OPS
Alex Monsalve (C, CAR): .444 AVG (8-18), 3 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 1.140 OPS
Claudio Bautista (2B, LC): .333 AVG (8-24), 5 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 SB, 1.051 OPS
Taylor Murphy (OF, MV): .375 AVG (6-16), 3 R, 1 2B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K, .849 OPS
Nobby Bradley (1B, AZL): .444 AVG (8-18), 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K, 1.278 OPS
Nathan Winfrey (3B, AZL): .308 AVG (4-13), 3 R, 0 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 3 K, 1.130 OPS

Previous Winners:

06/19/14 to 06/25/14 – Luigi Rodriguez (OF, Carolina)
06/05/14 to 06/18/14 – Tyler Naquin (OF, Akron)
05/29/14 to 06/04/14 – Audy Ciriaco (INF, Columbus)
05/22/14 to 05/28/14 – Tyler Holt (OF, Akron/Columbus)
05/15/14 to 05/21/14 – Claudio Bautista (2B, Lake County)
05/08/14 to 05/14/14 – Paul Hendrix (SS, Lake County)
05/01/14 to 05/07/14 – Matt Carson (OF, Columbus)
04/24/14 to 04/30/14 – Roberto Perez (C, Columbus)
04/17/14 to 04/23/14 – Jose Ramirez (2B, Columbus)
04/03/14 to 04/16/14 - Jesus Aguilar (1B, Columbus)

IBI Minor League Pitcher of the Month

(for June)

Mitch Brown (Right-handed pitcher – Lake County)
5 GS, 1-0, 1.71 ERA, 26.1 IP, 16 H, 7 R (5 ER), 2 HR, 9 BB, 25 K, .180 BAA

This is why I love the minor leagues. After a rough season last year in which Low-A Lake County right-handedpitcher Mitch Brown struggled with an injury and inconsistency, he came back this season and the struggles continued for the first two months of the season. A lot of people were starting to lose faith in him as a prospect, but then something clicked and he put together one heck of a month and is finally back to pitching like the top prospect he was coming out of the 2012 Draft.

Brown, 20, has now made 17 starts this season and is 2-6 with a 3.61 ERA, and in 82.1 innings has allowed 68 hits, 3 homers, 41 walks and has 68 strikeouts. After a rough start to his season where he went 0-5 with a 6.87 ERA in his first six starts (24.2 IP, 28 H, 0 HR, 16 BB, 19 K), he has really turned it on over his last 11 starts going 2-1 with a 2.34 ERA (57.2 IP, 40 H, 3 HR, 25 BB, 49 K). The big improvement has been his ability to throw strikes as he has dropped his walk rate from a 5.8 BB/9 his first six starts to a 3.9 BB/9 over his last 11 starts. That may not seem like much and the walks are still an issue, but by being more consistently on the plate it has allowed him to better use his stuff and pitch deeper into games.

Brown’s best outing of the season came his last time out on Wednesday when he went 6.0 strong innings and allowed just 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, no walks and had 7 strikeouts. He really seems to be settling in and avoiding the walks as he has now made six straight starts where he has allowed two or less walks. His success has mostly come from his ability to get ahead with the fastball early in the count and throw it more consistently for strikes down in the zone and to both sides of the plate. This has allowed him to better mix up his pitches and use his deep secondary arsenal to his advantage rather than have the hitter sitting dead red on a fastball like they were earlier in the season when he was constantly behind in the count.

With two months left in the season, Brown needs a strong finish to firmly reestablish his prospect standing in the organization. He already is a good prospect for the Indians, but his inconsistency has cast some doubts on his future and hurt his once very promising stock. With the return of his confidence and effectiveness on the mound, he could once again be a Top 20 guy in the organization – though will need a strong, consistent finish to the season to make that happen.

Honorable Mentions:

Travis Banwart (RHP, COL): 6 GS, 2-1, 2.56 ERA, 31.2 IP, 31 H, 10 R (9 ER), 2 HR, 12 BB, 33 K, .254 BAA
Joseph Colon (RHP, AKR): 6 GS, 4-2, 3.60 ERA, 35.0 IP, 38 H, 16 R (14 ER), 2 HR, 11 BB, 22 K, .286 BAA
Will Roberts (RHP, AKR): 6 GS, 4-2, 2.72 ERA, 39.2 IP, 32 H, 15 R (12 ER), 2 HR, 5 BB, 31 K, .224 BAA
Ryan Merritt (LHP, CAR): 4 GS, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 28.0 IP, 17 H, 5 R (4 ER), 1 HR, 6 BB, 20 K, .170 BAA
Shawn Morimando (LHP, CAR): 5 GS, 2-0, 1.78 ERA, 30.1 IP, 17 H, 6 R/ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 22 K, .162 BAA
Ben Heller (RHP, LC): 8 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 12.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 HR, 3 BB, 27 K, .095 BAA
Luis Lugo (LHP, LC): 5 GS, 3-2, 3.95 ERA, 27.1 IP, 21 H, 13 R (12 ER), 5 HR, 5 BB, 26 K, .210 BAA

Previous Winners:

May – Tyler Sturdevant (RHP, Akron)
April – Trevor Bauer (RHP, Columbus)

IBI Minor League Hitter of the Month

(for June)

Roberto Perez (Catcher - Columbus)
.312 AVG, 12 R, 6 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 11 BB, 25 K, .932 OPS

The magical season for Triple-A Columbus catcher Roberto Perez rolls on. In 50 games this season he is hitting.315 with 8 HR, 40 RBI and .957 OPS, and has already surpassed his career high for home runs (6) and RBI (38) in almost half the at bats.

Perez, 25, has always been lauded for his defense and patient approach at the plate. He is an above average defensive catcher who can more than hold his own at the position at the Major League level. The question was always whether the bat would play and if his patient approach was much too passive to have much success beyond the upper levels of the minors. Well, this season he has been a lot more aggressive with his approach while still maintaining a good eye with an exceptional 14.9% walk rate. That more aggressive approach has seen his power jump significantly from the .085, .081 and .086 isolated power percentages he had respectively from 2011-2013 to the .226 isolated power he has had this season.

The jump in power is extraordinary and is something that is hard to explain. He has basically seen about a 140 point improvement in his ISO going from a poor power hitter to a very good power hitter in the snap of a finger. This brings some concern as you wonder if it is for real, though for all the naysayers that say the power is inflated by the bandbox that is Huntington Park it should be noted he has a .233 ISO at home and .213 ISO on the road, so from a power perspective there is not much difference whether he hits on the road or at home.

Perez is just having a nice, consistent season and showing that some players are late bloomers. If the bat is for real with him then the Indians have themselves a nice, quality catcher in reserve for the next few years and a guy who should be a nice backup to Yan Gomes in Cleveland. The days of Carlos Santana catching for the Indians are rapidly coming to a close, and having Perez around and solidifying himself as a Major League option is a great thing for the Indians to have right now.

Honorable Mentions:

Audy Ciriaco (INF, COL): .271 AVG, 16 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 20 K, .979 OPS
Carlos Moncrief (OF, COL): .309 AVG, 17 R, 7 2B, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 6 BB, 23 K, 1 SB, .895 OPS
Giovanny Urshela (3B, COL): .297 AVG, 19 R, 10 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K, .891 OPS
Tyler Naquin (OF, AKR): .333 AVG, 17 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 10 BB, 20 K, 3 SB, .842 OPS
Joe Wendle (2B, AKR): .300 AVG, 12 R, 5 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 6 BB, 16 K, 1 SB, .837 OPS
Luigi Rodriguez (OF, CAR): .329 AVG, 14 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 16 BB, 15 K, 2 SB, .979 OPS
Joe Sever (INF, CAR): .358 AVG, 8 R, 3 2B, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 7 BB, 11 K, 1 SB, .811 OPS
Claudio Bautista (2B, LC): .309 AVG, 14 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 0 BB, 18 K, .877 OPS

Previous Winners:

May – Paul Hendrix (INF, Lake County)
April – Jesus Aguilar (1B, Columbus)

Follow Tony and the Indians Baseball Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller

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Gabriel Meija, a SS from the Dominican Summer League, is looking like a kid to keep an eye on. Through 30 games this year he is hitting .343 w/ a .454 OBP ... 21 BB to 21 K ... 33 SB ... He has no power tho. ... Last night he went 1-2, 2 BB, 3 R, and 3 SB

Tyler Holt extended his hitting streak to 8 straight games. During the streak ... 14-33 10R 2(2B) 1HR 3RBI 2BB 3SB .424 AVG

Re: Minor Matters

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A few updates from Lastoria's latest ...

Francisco Lindor (SS, Akron): 3-for-4, 2B, RBI. Lindor has looked a little rusty at the plate since missing about a week after getting hit in the face by a bad hop. Prior to this game he was just 1-for-15 at the plate since his return, so this was a welcomed performance from him.

Clint Frazier (DH, Lake County): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K. Many may disagree, but Frazier is putting together a solid pro debut. In 70 games he is now hitting .249 with 7 HR, 27 RBI and .707 OPS. Yes, the 93 strikeouts are a concern, but he is off to a nice start in July (.318 AVG, .984 OPS). Also, remember, some guy named Lindor hit .257 with a .707 OPS in his pro debut with Lake County in 2012.

Greg Allen (RF, Mahoning Valley): 2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 SB, A. After a fast start going 5-for-9 in his first two pro games, Allen then went 5-for-31 over his next eight games before this much needed multi-hit effort. Ripping off three stolen bases is also impressive.

Bradley Zimmer (CF, Mahoning Valley): 0-for-2, 2 BB, SB, E. He has only played in nine games but so far Zimmer has been as advertised. He is hitting .323 (10-for-31) with a 4-5 walk to strikeout ratio and also has 3 stolen bases.

Bobby Bradley (1B, AZL Indians): 2-for-4, 3 RBI, E. I know it is the Arizona League where offensive numbers are ridiculously inflated, but you have to love the start Bradley is off to in his career. He is showing some power and some on-base ability.

Justus Sheffield (SP, AZL Indians): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 2 K. This was Sheffield's pro debut. He ony went 1.1 innings because his pitch count is still being built up after he had some time off the mound with the conclusion of his high school season.