Not much action in the minors last night --- New Haven and Dunedin were rained out again, while Charleston didn't play -- but there are some scores to report, along with odds and ends of news. To start with, the Futures Game Rosters have been released, and two Jays prospects will be on the World squad, New Haven's Alexis Rios and Guillermo Quiroz. Those two guys are part of what some prospect-watchers are calling the best team in the entire minor leagues.
Elsewhere, the John-Ford Griffin trade was finally completed when Toronto sent Dunedin first baseman Jason Perry to Oakland. You may recall Perry ripping apart the Pioneer League last summer (a 1.300 OPS) before jumping to the FSL, where he started slow but was coming around nicely: his stats at deal time were .304/.356/.422 in 135 AB (11 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR) and a 10/32 BB/K rate. The Jays' farm system is not long on hitting prospects, but I'd rather they surrender a fairly replaceable quantity like a first baseman than one of their young arms. Perry is interesting, but offer me the choice between him and Griffin, and I'll take Griffin every time. As PTBNLs go, this is a good trade for the Jays.
On to the games:
Syracuse 6, Louisville 0
Josh Towers threw 8 shutout innings (8 baserunners, 6 Ks), but the more interesting news is that Kevin Cash's bat is finally coming around. Last night, he singled, doubled, tripled and drove in two runs, bringing his season totals up to .268/.319/.389 -- still not great, but better than the .240/.284/.352 he was sporting June 1. His numbers are approaching the level of respectability that could warrant a promotion, but with Greg Myers scorching and Tom Wilson doing great, there's no need for Cash to be anything but a September callup. It's good to see the progress, though.
Auburn 14 Jamestown 4
The Doubelday Express rolls on. I missed his big-league debut, but last night Aaron Hill had 4 hits in 6 trips, driving in 2 and scoring 2, on 3 singles and a double. Leadoff man Juan Peralta outdid Hill with 2 doubles and a home run, scoring 3 times, while first baseman Vito Chiaravolotti hit his second round-tripper and drove in 3 (Jason Who?). Best of all, perhaps, was the second start for Josh Banks, who threw five shutout innings (3 H, 0 BB, 5 K). Auburn has started the year 6-1.
Bluefield 8, Pulaksi 2
Another typical Appalaichan League game in June: Pulaski committed 5 errors, such that starter Brian Grant allowed 4 runs in 3 IP (5 H, 2 BB, 1 K), but none were earned. Catcher and 2003 draftee Joey Reiman singled, doubled and was hit by a pitch, and hence was the hitting star. I won't normally report on Pulaski games, bcause at this stage, the results don't tell you a heckuva lot about the progress of the players, many of whom were playing college ball this time last month. If anything really interesting happens down there, I'll make a note.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030624122411999