Minor League Monitor - Carolina League

Chris Balcom-Miller, Robert Erlin and Arodys Vizcaino have graduated to AA but there is still plenty of top pitching prospects remaining in the Carolina League. Jacob Odorizzi (12.3), Drew Pomeranz (11.7), Joe Wieland (10.1) Andre Rienzo (9.9), Barret Loux (9.7), Giovanni Soto (9.2) all have promising K/9s. Of that group only Pomeranz (3.7) and Rienzo (5.1) have BB/9s above 3.0 with Joe Wieland's 0.5 being the best of the bunch and his 20.25 K/BB is miles ahead of the competition.

Michael Olt was ripping apart the league's great pitching with a .903 OPS that ranked third among regulars before a broken collar bone knocked him off the field. Joseph Terdoslavich leads the league with 11 home runs and ranks second with 19 doubles. Bryce Bentz earned a promotion to Salem and continues to rake. In 2 games he has a pair of home runs and a double.

Player profiles after the jump...

Tyler Townsend - Orioles  1B  DOB: 05/14/88  .317/.340/.576, 4/52 BB/K

Townsend hit .325/.395/.563 last season and is nearly matching those numbers this year. The biggest difference is his BB/K which went from 20/35 to 4/52. Pitchers at highers levels will likely take advantage of that, knowing they don't need to throw strikes. Despite his flaws he have put up good numbers this year and is helping his prospect stock reach new levels.His 118 total bases tie him with Ryan Strausborger for the league lead.

Clayton Cook – Indians  SP  DOB: 07/23/90  3.17 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 3.6 BB/9

Cook is one of the youngest pitchers in the league but he has been holding his own due to his ability to avoid the home run (0.3 HR/9). He doesn't have overpowering stuff but he has managed to put up solid ERAs at each stop in the minors and has compiled a 3.09 pro ERA.

Ryan Strausborger - Rangers  CF  DOB: 03/04/88  .299/.358/.484, 21/6 SB/CS

Strausborger is turning out to be a steal of a deal as a 16th round pick. His .842 OPS is among the best in the league and his 21 steals rank second.

Eury Perez – Nationals  CF  DOB: 05/30/90  .291/.301/.346, 16/6 SB/CS

Perez doesn't hit for much power with only 7 extra base hits in 189 plate appearances. He makes consistent contact and uses his wheels to leg out hits but will need a BB% higher than 2 if he hopes to be lead-off material. In the past he has put up solid walk totals so there is hope he can regain that skill in the future. If he does he will become one of the better lead-off prospects in the minors because of his MiLB career .308 AVG and 139/38 SB/CS.

Jonathan Schoop – Orioles SS/3B  DOB: 10/06/91  .324/.381/.506

Schoop was promoted to High-A, becoming the league's youngest player. His youth hasn't been a problem so far since he is sporting a .379 AVG in 7 games. His first full season in pro ball is going off without a hitch at the plate but his glove has been another story. It is looking doubtful he will stick at shortstop where he would hold most value in fantasy since his bat would be above average for the position. His bat will hold up as a third baseman but he may end up merely average at the hot corner. Still, only 19 he will be able to develop his bat over the next few years.