Minor League Ball Gameday, June 15

Happy Weekend prospect watchers. Onward and upward.

***Monday morning I will publish the "Integrating Baseball Knowledge" post.

***Yesterday's Minor League Ball Gameday thread.

***The College World Series gets underway today! Lee Warren in Omaha will be providing some coverage for us.

***Big rash of 2013 MLB Draft signings over the last 24 hours. Key signings include first-rounders Clint Frazier (Indians, $3,500,000) and Jonathan Crawford (Tigers, $2,001,700), second-rounder Dustin Peterson (Padres, $1,400,000), and third-rounder Jonathan Denney (Red Sox, $875,000). Frazier was slightly under slot; Crawford was exactly at slot; Peterson and Denney were over slot but were worth the money. Denney is a particularly good value for the Red Sox even with an above-slot bonus: he has first-round talent as a power hitter and a chance to stick behind the plate.

***Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Gregory Polanco made his debut in Double-A yesterday, going 3-for-5 with two RBI for Altoona. He was hitting .312/.364/.472 with 24 steals in 57 games for High-A Bradenton, so the promotion was very deserved. Keep in mind that Polanco was struggling to hit well in rookie ball two years ago. He has developed very rapidly and is still just 21 years old.

***San Francisco Giants prospect Chris Stratton threw six strong innings for Low-A Augusta last night, fanning nine and allowing one run on six hits and two walks. Overall he is 7-3, 3.56 ERA with a 72/23 K/BB in 66 innings with 58 hits allowed. These are solid numbers, though not as spectacular as you might want from an advanced college pitcher (Mississippi State) and first-round pick going up against Low-A competition.

***Today's minor league baseball schedule.