Minor League Ball Gameday, April 25

Good morning prospect watchers. My wife is feeling much better, but now my oldest son is sick. However, he's 14 years old, so basically he just wants to be left alone in his room to sleep. The bottom line is that I'm back to operational status around here and the pace will pick up again.

***Tomorrow morning I will have a requested Prospect Retrospective for Andres Galarraga. Robbie Grossman of the Houston Astros will be Prospect of the Day tomorrow.

***Yesterday's Minor League Ball Gameday Thread as all the important highlights from Wednesday's minor league action.

***Remember Colorado Rockies pitching prospect Chad Bettis? He missed all of 2012 with a shoulder problem, but he's back in action for Double-A Tulsa and looking excellent thus far in 2013, fanning 11 in a complete game against Arkansas last night.

***Minnesota Twins pitching prospect Trevor May threw seven shutout innings for Double-A New Britain as part of a double-header last night.

***Detroit Tigers prospect Nick Castellanos homered in his second-consecutive game for Triple-A Toledo.

***If you are looking for an extreme sleeper type, you might consider Washington Nationals pitching prospect Blake Schwartz, who threw six shutout innings in his debut for Potomac in the High-A Carolina League last night. A 17th round pick from Oklahoma City University last June, Schwartz has average velocity but features a full arsenal of secondary pitches, and impressed Midwest-area scouts with his pitchability, makeup, and instincts during his college career. He has a 26/3 K/BB ratio in 20 innings so far this season.

***Good start for Trevor Bauer yesterday: five innings for Triple-A Toledo, with two runs and eight strikeouts allowed. He now has 2.50 ERA with a 24/6 K/BB in 18 innings. The latest thing to pick on him about is his comment about needing to reprogram his neuromuscular subroutines. Personally, I give Bauer credit for the fact that he's willing to express unconventional ideas without caring if people make fun of him.

***Someone asked me why Yankees Cuban import Ronnier Mustelier wasn't playing in Triple-A. He hurt his knee (a bone bruise) at the end of spring training and is currently on the shelf.

***Today's slate of minor league games.

***Charlie Adams looks at the issue of small sample sizes. At what point are they no longer too small?

***Bryan Smith at fangraphs looks at the year in rookies so far.

***Al Skorupa looks at Philadelphia Phillies prospect Adam Morgan, currently pitching very well in Triple-A.