10 (David Phelps; DJ Mitchell; Zolio Almonte; JR Murphy; Kyle Higashioka)

Minor Leagues Report — By Tom K on July 18, 2010 11:42 pm

Scranton:

David Phelps is starting to make a case to get himself to the majors this season.
Phelps threw six innings of one run, seven hit ball while striking out ten hitters in a 3-2 victory.

Phelps, who didn’t get the decision, now has a 2.04 ERA since joining Scranton (17.2 IP, 21 H, 0 BB, 19 K, 0 HR)
Overall on the season, he is 7-1 in 17 starts with that same 2.04 ERA (106 IP, 84 H, 23 BB, 103 K, 2 HR). The 14th round pick from the 2008 draft is really making the Yankees look good. He’s been one of the biggest surprises from recent drafts.

Jonathan Albaledjo pitched a scoreless ninth for his 31st save (0.96 ERA), while Rumolo Sanchez threw a scoreless inning of his own, though he did walk two during it. Sanchez has given up one run in 14 innings as a reliever.

Eduardo Nunez went 0-for-2, but contributed two walks while Jesus Montero put up a 1-for-3 day. Reegie Corona had the big hit of the day, hitting a two-run triple (his fifth). Greg Golson added his sixth home run of the season.
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Trenton:

DJ Mitchell gave up three runs in the first inning before settling down…but that was all Reading would need in a 4-0 victory.
Mitchell ended up going seven innings, allowing those three runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out three. All three runs were given up on a three-run homer in that ill-fated first inning.

Mitchell is now 7-4 with a 4.61 ERA (95.2 IP, 97 H, 48 BB, 63 K, 8 HR, 1.96 GO/AO).

Brandon Laird had one of Trenton’s three hits.
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Tampa:

Shaeffer Hall threw five effective innings, while Zolio Almonte went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI to lead Tampa to a 9-2 win.

Hall allowed two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out two. The 22-year old lefty is now 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA for Tampa (33.1 IP, 35 H, 4 BB, 31 K, 1 HR, 2.09 GO/AO). He doesn’t have the best fastball, but if he can hold down the walks and keep the grounders high, he may just be able to make something out of himself.

Almonte is now hitting .250/.333/.276 in 76 at-bats for Tampa, after putting up a .278/.341/.485 line in Charleston. At the age of -21, I would say his season has been a success overall.

Melky Mesa contributed two hits, an RBI, and his 24th stolen base to the effort.

Charleston:

A good day for the catching prospects in Charleston.
JR Murphy (who played DH) and Kyle Higashioka each had three hits, but the Charleston offense as a whole couldn’t get anything going in a 3-1 defeat.

Murphy (19) is now hitting .249/.288/.340 in 209 at-bats. He has 11 doubles, a triple, two home runs, 31 RBI, and 25 runs scored. He has walked 13 times while striking out 39 times.
Higashioka (20) is now hitting .210/.285/.323 in 291 at-bats. He has been pretty consistent most of the season, which isn’t exactly great when you have a .608 OPS. But he is still very young so the talent may eventually come through. But it just puts into perspective how advanced Montero is to be 20 years old and holding his own in the highest minor league level. A lot of 20 year old prospects are doing what Higashioka is doing.

Sean Black gave the team seven impressive innings, allowing one run on three hits. He walked nobody and struck out five. In 18 games (17 starts), he is 4-6 with a 4.54 ERA (85.1 IP, 91 H, 33 BB, 63 K, 5 HR, 1.39 GO/AO). His season has been a bit of a yo-yo: 6.66 ERA in April; 2.78 ERA in May; 4.79 ERA in June; and thus far, he has put up a 3.31 ERA in July. What makes this more interesting (and could perhaps be explained by a poor infield by Charleston): Black’s best month (May) was the month where he gave up the fewest ground balls. This I guess is what happens when you have Jimmy Paredes and his 34 errors playing middle infield positions.
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Lower Minors:
Kevin Mahoney went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored in Staten Island’s 9-5 victory. Mahoney, a 23-year old infielder drafted in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft, is hitting .283/.396/.478 in 92 at-bats….Kelvin DeLeon went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored in the victory. The 19-year old outfielder is hitting .266….Kyle Roller had two hits, including a double and an RBI….21-year old Mike Gipson made the start and earned his first professional win with six innings of two hit, one run ball. He was a 31st round pick in this year’s draft out of Florida Atlantic….Preston Claiborne, a 17th round pick out of Tulane, earned his second save of the season. In 13 innings, he has allowed eight hits while walking three and striking out 16. As a polished college reliever entering the organization, he has a shot to move quickly….