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Shelby Miller is perhaps my favorite pitching prospect and he is off to an awesome start. He has 20 strikeouts and 2 walks in 10.2 innings for a 1.69 ERA. Miller should be promoted to AA sometime this season and could be in the majors by 2012 if he continues to dominate. 2013 is the more likely ETA for the 20 year old.
FSL hitter are managing a mere .179 AVG against Matt Harvey and have struck out 20 times in 16 innings. Harvey has yet to allow an earned run in his 3 wins. The 7th overall pick in last year's draft, Harvey could be on a fast track to the bigs. High-A hitters can't handle him so a promotion could be on the horizon if he has more starts like his first 3.
Pitcher turned designated hitter Joe Savery is making the transition without a hitch. Through 11 games he is batting .550 and an FSL leading 1.306 OPS. He has hit in 10 of 11 games with 8 multi-hit games among them.
22 year old Kyle Jensen is hitting for power in 2011. He has 5 doubles and 3 HR in 12 games for a league leading .766 slugging percentage.
Due to a hand injury that won't allow him to catch but doesn't bother him when he hits, Welington Castillo is starting the year in the DH-using FSL. He has put up a.205/.289/.308 line so far. The hand injury may be affecting his hitting after-all.
Jae-Hoon Ha is having a fine season with 5 doubles, a triple and a home run to go along with a .375 AVG.
Michael Burgess is batting just .186 but has 4 home runs. He has struck out 12 times. Burgess has great power but will need to make more contact if he hopes to utilize it.
Kyle Heckathorn has struck out 15 without walking any but has given up 21 hits and 4 home runs in 17.2 innings.
Twins prospect Aaron Hicks has a .257 AVG with 6 walks and 5 strikeouts. He has been caught both steal attempts this year.
Shortstop Brian Dozier is hitting .283 with one of each extra base hit and 7 walks to 5 strikeouts.
Wilmer Flores is batting .244 with a .594 OPS. The Mets have high hopes for Flores and will need him to hit more if he is going to have the impact they had hoped for.
Jeurys Familia doesn't want to be outdone by his teammate Harvey. He has allowed a mere 6 hits in 18.2 innings with 4 walks and 17 strikeouts.
After going 5 for his first 8 Jonathan Singleton has just 1 hit in his last 14 at bats. For the year he is hitting .273 with a double.
The Cardinals John Gast could be a name you hear more often if he continues to pitch the way he has so far in 2011. He has a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings with 10 Ks. He had a 6-0 record with a 1.54 ERA in 35 innings with 36 Ks in the New York-Penn State League last year.
Alex Colome allowed 1 run in 5 innings Monday but it could only do so much to repair his ERA after 2 terrible starts to begin the season. His ERA now sits at 7.82.
The Blue Jays Chad Jenkins has a 2.08 ERA after 2 starts with a 1.00 WHIP in 13 innings.
Deck McGuire has a great 1.88 ERA in his first 14.2 innings with 14 Ks.
Brandon Morrow will be joining the Blue Jays soon but he hasn't looked good in the FSL yet. In 3 starts he has a 7.71 ERA through 9.1 innings. He has struck out 11 and walked 6.
A.J Jimenez is off to an excellent start with a .351 AVG and 5 doubles. He also has a home run and two steals.
Hak-Ju Lee is 3-7 with a stolen base in 2 games after starting his season late due to chicken pox.
Robert Whitenack is having an excellent season. He has 18 Ks and 1 BB in 17 innings with a 1.08 ERA.
Zack Cox has yet to be impressive in 2011. He has an uninspiring .644 OPS.
Minnesota's 2010 first round pick Alex Wimmers had a horrible start to the season. He allowed 6 straight walks to begin the game before being pulled without making an out.
Drew Smyly is off to a good start to his pro career. He has compiled 14 Ks, 3 BB and a 4.08 ERA in 17.2 innings.
After a down season in 2010, Gustavo Nunez is hoping for a bounce back season in 2011. So far so good. He has a .370 AVG with 4 2B, 1 3B and 1 HR.
The Marlins #2 prospect Chad James is lucky to have a 2.45 ERA after allowing 18 hits and 6 walks in 14.2 innings.
Read this week's other Minor League Monitors: