Minor League Ball Gameday, April 5

Good morning prospect watchers! Minor League Baseball got cranking yesterday and I think everyone had a good time in the Gameday Discussion thread. For you newcomers, the Gameday thread is posted every day and is a great place to share observations and minor league news as it happens.

FOUR NOTABLE PROSPECT PERFORMANCES FROM YESTERDAY:
***Cincinnati Reds prospect Tony Cingrani fanned 14 over six hitless innings for Triple-A Louisville in a 4-3 victory of Toledo. Cingrani relied almost entirely on his fastball, which is interesting because his breaking ball is the thing he needs to work on to ensure major league success.

***New York Mets catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and four runs scored for Triple-A Las Vegas in their 10-5 triumph over Sacramento.

***Houston Astros shortstop prospect Carlos Correa went 2-for-5 with three RBI as the Low-A Quad Cities River Bandits defeated Kane County in Midwest League action.

***San Francisco Giants prospect Clayton Blackburn, often dissed as a prospect because he doesn't throw 97 MPH, threw five shutout innings for High-A San Jose yesterday, fanning six and allowing two hits.

THREE NOTABLE GAMES TO TRACK FOR TODAY:
***Minnesota Twins prospect Kyle Gibson takes the mound for Triple-A Rochester in afternoon action against Buffalo.

***Cuban lefty and Seattle Mariners prospect Roenis Elias takes the mound for Double-A Jackson, challenging Marlins prospect and Jacksonville mounsdman Matthew Montgomery, who missed almost all of 2012 with injuries.

***Kansas City Royals top pitching prospect Kyle Zimmer goes up against Texas Rangers pitching prospect Luke Jackson in the match between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach in the High-A Carolina League.

***There are a whole slew of interesting matches today. Other prospects taking the mound include Nick Tropeano, Gerrit Cole, Zach Lee, Lance McCullers, Nick Kingham, Max Fried, and Starling Peralta.

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST:

***Yesterday, April 4th, Gameday Discussion.

***Charlie Drysdale at PurpleRow has a detailed look at the new Dominican Academy built by the Colorado Rockies. That's a must-read if you have any interest in player development. Take a look.

***Lots of DH talk today. Rob Neyer looks at the Ten Best Designated Hitters in History. Grant Brisbee says the DH is coming, like it or not. Personally, I grew up with the DH and have never been a purist about it.

***Scott Kazmir is injured (big surprise) and the Cleveland Indians are promoting Trevor Bauer to take his spot in the rotation.

***Don't forget Brendon Booth's Weekend College Baseball Preview.

***If you are a fan of animated .gifs, you should check this out.

***My main goal this afternoon is to finish the Index of 2013 Baseball Prospect Lists.