Minor League Monitor - Florida State League: Carlos Martinez Debuts in High-A

Carlos Martinez - Cardinals SP  DOB: 09/02/91

Martinez made his FSL debut on Thursday and lasted 6 innings, giving up 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 walks and striking out 7. The 19 year old advanced for his age and we could be seeing him in AA as a 20 year old.

Tyler Thornburg – Brewers  SP  DOB: 09/29/88

Thornburg dominated the Midwest League and he is doing the same in Florida. After going 7-0 with a 1.57 ERA in 12 Low-A starts he is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 2 FSL starts. He has given up just 3 hits in those 2 starts and has struck out 16. The Greinke trade left the Brewers system pretty barren but the emergence of Thornburg as a top prospect helps fill the hole a bit.

Wilmer Flores - Mets  SS  DOB: 08/06/91

Flores' bat took the month of May off but went back to work in June. He hit .293 and improved his plate discipline, drawing 7 walks to 11 strikeouts. Flores, much like Martinez, is advanced for his age and could see time in AA next season as a 20 year old.

Jonathan Singleton - Phillies  LF/1B  DOB: 09/18/91

Singleton's power numbers vanished to start the season but he is building them back up piece by piece. He has a .611 SLG% over the past 10 games. His .278/.394/.397 triple slash doesn't leap off the page but in relation to the rest of the league it is quite good. Add the fact that Singleton is the league's youngest regular and he remains one of the game's top prospects despite the less than eye popping numbers.

Deck McGuire - Blue Jays  SP  DOB: 06/23/89

McGuire has strung together 3 good starts resulting in a 1.04 ERA. His 2.79 ERA ranks 5th in the league and his 80 strikeouts rank 7th. McGuire has the build to be a workhorse for the Blue Jays and his early results suggest he could end up one of the game's top fantasy performers in his prime.

Aaron Hicks - Twins  CF  DOB: 10/02/89

Hicks is an interesting prospect for fantasy purposes. He has an excellent glove and superb on base skills so there is a very good chance he will stick in the majors when he gets there. The problem is he lacks a defining skill that will set him apart from the rest of the fantasy field. He has some speed but will top out at 25 steals. He is remarkably similar to Denard Span in terms of skill set.

Jarred Cosart - Phillies  SP  DOB: 05/25/90

Cosart only made 3 starts in June after dominating in 5 of his 6 May starts. Cosart is only striking out 6.7 batters per 9 innings, a much lower number than expected. He may not be getting outs on strikes but he is keeping runners off the bases by allowing only 6.9 H/9. He will be making his second Futures Game appearance in Arizona.

Pedro Alvarez - Pirates  3B  DOB: 02/06/87

Alvarez' comeback is off to a slow start. In 6 FSL games he is hitting .188 with one home run. His 3 home runs between the majors and the minors is a far cry from the 30 many expected from him this year.

Rainel Rosario – Cardinals  LF  DOB: 03/29/89

Rosario had a good couple of weeks and is batting .361 since June 24th. He also has 12 RBI in that time. For 2011 he is batting .289/.358/.418 with 9/4 SB/CS. He is 21 and playing in High-A so he is advanced for his age but we will need to see him hit a bit more before he can project as anything more than a 4th outfielder.

Kristopher Davis – Brewers  LF  DOB: 12/21/87

Davis bumped his AVg up to .331 with a hot couple of weeks. He also has 33 extra base hits and 10 stolen bases. He has a discerning eye at the plate and has drawn 40 walks to 57 strikeouts. Davis had 52 extra base hits last season and his strong play in a pitcher's league this year makes him one to target in keeper leagues. A promotion may be on the horizon for Davis and how he handles AA pitching will determine how high he rises on prospect charts. If he continues to mash he will easily be a top 100 prospect.