Minor League Ball Morning Report: Monday, April 23, 2018

Good morning everyone and welcome to the Minor League Ball Morning Report for Monday, April 23rd, 2018.

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS

****Miami Marlins rookie Caleb Smith threw six strong innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, giving up two hits and two runs, zero walks, while fanning 10. Through five starts he has a 5.82 ERA with a 32/15 K/BB in 21.2 innings.

****Marlins outfield prospect Austin Dean went 3-for-5 with two homers for Double-A Jacksonville. He is an incredible 30-for-56 on the season, hitting .556 through 16 games.

****Colorado Rockies prospect Brendan Rodgers went 5-for-5 with a home run and three RBI for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats.

****Minnesota Twins pitching prospect Fernando Romero gave up one run over 6.2 innings for Triple-A Rochester in International League action, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out 10.

****More highlights can be found in Sunday’s Gameday discussion thread.

RECOMMENDED READING

****I did an All Questions Answered thread over the weekend.

****Mandatory mention of Ben Badler’s international prospect reports at Baseball America.

****Marc Hulet at Fangraphs has a prospect stock watch.

****Luis Torres has an intriguing article at Beyond the Boxscore about how increased aggression at the plate has helped the Boston Red Sox offense. He notes the difference here is less passivity, not less selectivity.