Cliff Notes: Rough Debuts for Nik Turley, Zack Wheeler, Plus Injury Updates and Sleepers
By John Parent
It was Opening Day across the Minor Leagues on Thursday, so let’s get you caught up with some of the notable news of the day…
There was excellent news coming from the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, as prized prospect Dylan Bundy got a throwing session in and reported no problems, according to Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. Bundy was placed on the 7-day DL at Double-A Bowie, but the O’s remain optimistic that his elbow/forearm tightness is of little concern.
Former first-round pick Ty Hensley underwent hip surgery this week and is expected to miss 2-3 months in recovery. The great news is that one day after the surgery, the Yankees farm hand is already riding a bike, as he announced via twitter on Thursday. Hensley was the 30th overall selection in last June’s draft. The 19-year-old right hander appeared in five Rookie League games last season after signing his pro contract, posting a 1-2 record and allowed eight hits and four earned runs in 12 innings, walking seven while striking out 14.
As great as Tony Cingrani‘s Opening Day performance for Louisville was, things didn’t go near so well for left hander Nik Turley, who got the ball for Double-A Trenton when they visited Portland. Turley was tagged for five runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks in just 2.2 innings of work. It wasn’t just Turley that struggled in that game, however. Despite a total of 18 runs crossing the plate, Yankees prospect Slade Heathcott took an 0-for-6 on the night and on the other side, Xander Bogaerts wore an 0-for-4 that featured three strikeouts.
Zack Wheeler (Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)
Andy Martino of The New York Daily News says the Mets are hoping to stay afloat until right handed phenom Zack Wheeler is ready to make the jump to the big leagues, but he didn’t get off to a great start on Thursday while pitching for Triple-A Las Vegas. Wheeler struggled with command and wound up with a very pedestrian outing. Wheeler lasted just 3.1 innings and yielded three hits and three walks while fanning three. He managed to limit the damage to just a pair of runs, however in his 86-pitch outing.
Finally, over at Minor League Ball, John Sickles revealed the third installment of his sleeper prospects for 2013. Notable among the names is Jorge Polanco, who was able to re-establish himself in the Minnesota system last season after a couple of rough years. It was also good to see a couple of undersized second basemen on the list, who have put up better numbers than expected by scouts.