Minor League Monitor - Carolina League: Drew Pomeranz and more...

Drew Pomeranz leads a strong group of Carolina League pitching prospects with a 1.93 ERA. Joe Wieland has improved his prospect status dramatically this season and now ranks as one of the better pitchers in High-A. He has allowed just a single walk in his past 10 starts spanning 66.2 innings. In 85.2 innings he has 96 strikeouts to 4 walks and a 2.10 ERA. Jake Odorizzi's 93 strikeouts ranked second behind Wieland and his 2.71 ERA ranks 4th. Barret Loux is doing a good job of making the Diamondbacks regret not signing him. In 67.1 innings he has struck out 74 while walking 19. Loux's 1.11 WHIP ranks tied for 4th but his 3.48 is out of line with his strong play considering he has allowed only 2 home runs. Robert Ross has not produced standout numbers but he has been solid all year long. In 78.1 innings he has a 2.87 ERA with 64 strikeouts, 21 walks and a .244 AVG against. Ross is a groundball machine that has given up just one home run all year. The Texas Rangers affiliate in Myrtle Beach has been spoiled with pitching prospects this year. Robert Erlin dominated the league before being promoted and Wieland, Ross and Loux are pitching up to their pre-season prospect hype. Justin Grimm isn't as talked about but he has been putting up strong numbers as well. Grimm spent 9 games in Low-A before being promoted to Myrtle Beach where he has a 2.22 ERA in 4 starts, allowing 7.4 H/9 and 7.4 K/9. Anthony Ranaudo spent 10 starts in the South Atlantic League before earning a promotion to High-A. His ERA went from 3.33 in the SAL to 2.78 in the CARL despite a drop in K/9 from 9.8 to 6.8. His H/9, HR/9 and BB/9 have all remained relatively static.

Jonathan Schoop continues to hit after his promotion from Low-A. In 13 games he is batting .302, although with little power. Michael Olt ranks third in the league with a .903 OPS. The 22 year old third baseman is the top hitting prospect in the Caorlina League and projects as a solid option in keeper leagues. Red Sox right field prospect Bryce Brentz is right on Olt's heels as top prospect. After destroying the South Atlantic League, Brentz has carried over his success into the Carolina League. In 7 games he has 3 home runs and 2 doubles. Destin Hood is one of the most improved players in the Nationals system this year. After walking only 33 times in 537 plate appearances last year, Hood has 33 in just 262 this year. He has also improved his SLG% nearly .100 points from .388 to .467. Ryan Strausborger has been the best mix of triple slash and speed with .305/.370/.491 and 21 SB. Second baseman Rey Navarro has never put up good offensive numbers until this year in the anti-hit Carolina League. His triple slash stats of .283/.333/.484 are all career highs. His SLG% is .099 higher than ever before.