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Modern marvels: Figueroa is Minors' K king

Righty baffled hitters in career that included 17 seasons on farm
@brianjstultz
January 13, 2021

MiLB.com staff combed through decades of stats to uncover Minor League hitting and pitching leaders among players active for at least one season in the 21st century. In "Modern marvels," we present their stories. Learn about the hits leaders here.

Patiño headlines crop headed to Rays in Snell deal

Padres also sending Wilcox, Hunt, Mejia to reigning AL champions
@brianjstultz
December 28, 2020

The Rays have made a deal for some important future batterymates.

The reigning American League champions finalized a trade on Tuesday to acquire No. 23 overall prospect Luis Patiño from the Padres along with fellow right-hander Cole Wilcox, catching prospect Blake Hunt

Crowe, Yean heading to Pirates in Bell deal

Two right-handers may brighten future for Pittsburgh rotation
@brianjstultz
December 24, 2020

The Pittsburgh Pirates did a little late shopping on Christmas Eve and brought home a pair of talented pitching prospects.

In sending All-Star first baseman Josh Bell to Washington, Pittsburgh acquired third-ranked Nationals prospect Wil Crowe and sixth-ranked Eddy Yean, according to

State of the System: Chicago Cubs

Amaya, Marquez form near future for the NL Central champs
@brianjstultz
December 4, 2020

Starting in October and running through the end of the year, MiLB.com's State of the System series will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each Major League organization, highlights prospects who've made the biggest strides in 2020 and offers a peek at 2021.

The Chicago Cubs are at a crossroads following

State of the System: San Francisco Giants

Bart, Ramos will play major part in ongoing youth movement
@brianjstultz
November 13, 2020

Starting in October and running through the end of the year, MiLB.com's State of the System series will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each Major League organization, highlights prospects who've made the biggest strides in 2020 and offers a peek at 2021.

Following a decade in which the San Francisco

Garcia, Astros survive Arozarena's latest fireworks

Astros No. 13 prospect posts two zeros in start; slugger ties record
@brianjstultz
October 15, 2020

Luis Garcia gave the Astros exactly what they needed from him in a win-or-go-home scenario Thursday.

Houston's No. 13 prospect worked around two walks and a hit batsman while fanning one in two scoreless frames as the Astros survived the latest power display by <a

Eco-friendly turf gem of FredNats stadium

Fredericksburg park also features LED, solar-powered lighting
@brianjstultz
October 12, 2020

When you install a turf system in a brand new stadium, questions of whether or not the players will end up liking it has to be near the top of concerns for the team’s front office staff. Luckily for the Class A Advanced Fredericksburg Nationals, who played host to the

Kirk powers Jays with perfect night at plate

Sixth-ranked Jays prospect homers, doubles in first multi-hit game
@brianjstultz
September 21, 2020

Alejandro Kirk hadn't played above Class A Advanced before he was brought up on Sept. 12. The sixth-ranked Toronto prospect had two hits in the Majors heading into Monday's game. By the end of the night, he had tripled that number.

Kirk went a perfect 4-for-4 -- smacking a homer and

The Road to The Showâ„¢: Seth Corry

Giants lefty completely dominated South Atlantic League in 2019
@brianjstultz
August 31, 2020

If the 2019 season is any indication of the career Seth Corry is going to have, opposing batters should be afraid. The 21-year-old dominated the South Atlantic League, posting a league-low 1.76 ERA while racking up a league-high 172 strikeouts for Class A Augusta.

In less than three seasons, the [fifth-ranked

Graterol, Gonzalez lead way in Dodgers' shutout

Young arms help limit Giants to just two hits in nightcap of sweep
@brianjstultz
August 27, 2020

Two of the Dodgers' top prospects, Brusdar Graterol and Victor Gonzalez, were part of a nearly unhittable effort by the Los Angeles pitching staff in a 2-0 victory to sweep Thursday's doubleheader with rival San Francisco.

Graterol, MLB.com’s No. 91 overall prospect, replaced Gonzalez with

Barons advocate for local nonprofit helping Latinos

¡HICA! among well-deserving winners for MiLB CommUNITY grant
@brianjstultz
August 25, 2020

Adjusting to a new country and language can be rough, even in normal times. Add a worldwide pandemic to the mix and those challenges become more difficult.

Enter Hannah Echols, marketing and promotions coordinator for the Birmingham Barons, who knew exactly the group she wanted to nominate for Minor League Baseball's

Dreams Go On for worthy cause close to Curve

Local nonprofit among five MiLB CommUNITY grant recipients
@brianjstultz
August 24, 2020

It didn’t take long for Altoona's Annie Choiniere to decide which organization she wanted to nominate for Minor League Baseball's CommUNITY grant program. It was Dreams Go On, and for excellent reason.

The Road to The Showâ„¢: Matthew Liberatore

No. 3 Cardinals prospect working his way up with new team
@brianjstultz
August 17, 2020

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken to reach the brink of realizing his Major League dream. Here's a look at St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore. For more player journeys on The Road to The Show, click here.

Matthew Liberatore might just be 20

Phillies' Howard to make MLB debut Sunday

No. 36 overall prospect to start against Braves in Philadelphia
@brianjstultz
August 8, 2020

The wait for Spencer Howard is almost over.

The second-ranked Phillies prospect will be called up from the team's alternate training site to make his Major League debut on Sunday against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park, MLB.com reported.

“I have no official announcement,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi told reporters on Saturday, “but

Tumor survivor comes home to Pensacola park

Summerlin and teammates enjoy stay at Blue Wahoo's Airbnb
@brianjstultz
August 5, 2020

Caleb Summerlin and his buddies weren’t going to waste their chance. Given the opportunity to stay the night in a Minor League ballpark and, being teenagers, not needing sleep, they stayed up until close to 4 a.m. playing a game as steeped in Americana as baseball itself: hide-and-seek.

“We were going

Nats' Barrera suspended 80 games for PED

Club's No. 19 prospect made his MLB debut last September
@brianjstultz
July 25, 2020

NEW YORK -- Catcher Tres Barrera, the Nationals' No. 19 prospect, has been suspended for 80 games without pay, Major League Baseball announced on Saturday.

Barrera tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT). After the suspension was announced, he released a statement through the Major League Baseball

Prospects in the Reds' 2020 player pool

Lodolo, Santillan lead group of powerful arms for Reds
@brianjstultz
July 22, 2020

_As part of the new rules for the 2020 Major League season, each of the 30 organizations will maintain a 60-man player pool for the duration of the campaign. Some members of the player pool will feature on the active Major League roster while others will work out at an

Chihuahuas lend helping hand to El Paso nonprofits

With new program, team, staff find way to give back to community
@brianjstultz
July 22, 2020

Brad Taylor was not worried about a lack of responsiveness when he asked his fellow El Paso Chihuahuas employees to volunteer for the community during this pandemic. No, he knew that they were hankering to pitch in however they could.

"They jumped at the opportunity to help and realized it was

Prospects in the Brewers' 2020 player pool

Turang, Small, Feliciano headline 14 prospects in Summer Camp
@brianjstultz
July 14, 2020

_As part of the new rules for the 2020 Major League season, each of the 30 organizations will maintain a 60-man player pool for the duration of the campaign. Some members of the player pool will feature on the active Major League roster while others will work out at an

Prospects in the Cubs' 2020 player pool

Batterymates Marquez, Amaya open camp in South Bend
@brianjstultz
July 2, 2020

_As part of the new rules for the 2020 Major League season, each of the 30 organizations will maintain a 60-man player pool for the duration of the campaign. Some members of the player pool will feature on the active Major League roster while others will work out at an

2020 Draft recap: Cincinnati Reds

Reds' selections full of upside, power on mound
@brianjstultz
June 24, 2020

Following the five-round 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft, MiLB.com takes an organization-by-organization look at each pick with help from team scouting executives.

2020 Draft recap: Milwaukee Brewers

Brew Crew loads up on athletic players, bypasses pitching
@brianjstultz
June 22, 2020

Following the five-round 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft, MiLB.com takes an organization-by-organization look at each pick with help from team scouting executives.

2020 Draft recap: Chicago Cubs

North Siders load up on left-handed pitchers
@brianjstultz
June 18, 2020

Following the five-round 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft, MiLB.com takes an organization-by-organization look at each pick with help from team scouting executives.

New Tribe prospect Burns has the game in his blood

Competitive balance pick still learning baseball lessons from father
@brianjstultz
June 18, 2020

Tanner Burns always had advanced tools on the diamond. At one point, they were downright dangerous.

“I remember one time he was playing shortstop and he ran out to center field to be the cutoff [man], and he cut it off, and the little boy was running full and all of