Minor League Notes, May 2, 2012

Minor League Notes, May 2^nd, 2012

**Atlanta Braves shortstop prospect Andrelton Simmons went 2-for-5 yesterday for the Double-A Mississippi Braves in the Southern League, giving him a season line of .325/.383/.434 with eight walks and just nine strikeouts in 83 at-bats. He's also stolen six bases in seven attempts, and has made only one error so far. He shows excellent range in addition to his superior reliability. Simmons is a better long-term prospect than Tyler Pastornicky, and we should be seeing him in the majors within the next year. He was drafted out of Western Oklahoma State Junior College as a second-rounder in 2010, but originally hails from Curacao.

**Chicago White Sox outfield prospect Jordan Danks is having a hot streak for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights of the International League, hitting .361/.400/.528 in his last 10 games and posting a season line of .296/.410/.457 with 17 walks and 25 strikeouts in 81 at-bats. He's also playing excellent defense in center field. A seventh round pick from the University of Texas in 2008, Danks is a left-handed hitter with above-average speed, power, and a willingness to take walks, but he also strikes out frequently (155 times in 133 games/463 at-bats last year, 151 in 119/445 the year before) and is entering his third full season in Triple-A at age 25. If he stays hot he could get an opportunity with the White Sox later this season. He isn't likely to hit enough to seize a regular job over the long haul, but his skills could be useful on the bench.

**Los Angeles Angels prospect Cam Bedrosian took the mound yesterday for Low-A Cedar Rapids in the Midwest League, throwing 4.1 shutout innings against West Michigan, walking two but fanning three and giving up no hits. His velocity was reportedly in the low-90s and his slider was effective, good news for a guy who missed all of 2011 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 29^th-overall pick in the 2010 draft, Bedrosian is the son of former major leaguer Steve Bedrosian. The keys now are building up his stamina and working on his changeup.

**Heading the opposite way, San Diego Padres outfield prospect Donavan Tate is injured again, this time moving onto the disabled list at Low-A with a hamstring injury. Tate was hitting just .205/.284/.218 in 22 games for the Fort Wayne Tincaps of the Midwest League, with eight walks and 18 strikeouts in 78 at-bats. He's stolen four bases, but has also been caught four times and has just one extra-base hit (a double) on the ledger. The third-overall pick in the 2009 draft, Tate still has the premium athletic tools that made scouts drool, but he's been a huge disappointment as an actual baseball player, beset by a combination of injuries, a drug suspension, and balky swing mechanics. He didn't need another trip to the DL.