Bus Leagues Express: July 13

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Castellanos heads out to right field: For the first time in his pro career, Nick Castellanos took the field somewhere besides third base. In Erie’s 11-7 win at Binghamton Thursday, Detroit’s top prospect went 2/5 with a pair of runs scored. It’s pretty easy to see the motive here. Detroit’s right field production is second worst in the league behind only Houston, not exactly great company to keep. They’re known to be aggressive in promoting their prospects, and they’re likely hoping he shows enough in Erie to make them believe he could handle the majors for the stretch run. In limited action with Erie, he’s batting .311 but only has a .315 OBP.

Halladay solid in rehab appearance: In his first action since the end of May, Roy Halladay allowed an unearned run in three innings of work in his rehab start in Clearwater. In the first inning, the leadoff batter reached base when first baseman Jim Murphy dropped a throw from Albert Cartwright. After he stole second base, Daniel Santana came around to score on a Joe Benson double that he rocketed off the center field wall. Halladay would settle in and strike out four batters, at least two of which came on his curveball. He’s expected to be activated off the DL next week if he’s healthy after a weekend bullpen session.

Another night, another no-hitter: The worst part about the internet crashing last night and preventing the Express from going up yesterday was that Jordan Shiper’s no-hitter for Clinton did not get the recognition it deserved. Just a night later, the 11th no-hitter of the minor league season was thrown by Jose A. Ramirez of Tampa in their 1-0 win over St. Lucie. Because it was the second game of a doubleheader it was only seven innings, but a no-hitter is a no-hitter. Ramirez struck out seven in six innings with a walk and pair of hit by pitches before Branden Pinder recorded the save in the 7th. St. Lucie has one of the better offenses in the league, but runs could be tougher to come by without Wilmer Flores.

GCL Braves end woes in doubleheader split: The GCL Braves have had a rough go of things this year, culminating in an 11 game losing streak dating back to June 28th. Fortunately for them, the Blue Jays have also struggled this year, and they have company at the bottom of the GCL North division. The streak ended in the first game of a doubleheader Thursday when they hung on to beat the GCL Yankees 2-1. With two outs and a runner on second, the Braves hit three consecutive singles to bring home both runs. The Yankees pulled within one in the bottom half of the inning but were limited to only one baserunner the remaining two innings. Despite allowing the unearned run, Shae Simmons got the win.

Andrew Heaney may not sign: The signing deadline isn’t until 5 PM, but it appears as if the Marlins won’t be signing the 9th overall pick, Andrew Heaney. The recommended value for the pick is $2.8 million, but the Marlins reportedly won’t top their offer of $2.6 million. Last year’s 9th overall pick, Javier Baez by the Cubs, received over $2.6 million even though the slot value of the pick was less than $2 million. If he ends up not signing with the Marlins, Heaney could return to Oklahoma State for his senior season or sign with an independent team.

Beras deal approved: Over the offseason, the Rangers’ aggressive international spending continued when they signed outfielder Jairo Beras to a $4.5 million bonus. This upset many teams who were under the assumption that he was 16 and wouldn’t be eligible to sign until July 2nd, but the Rangers secured him with information that indicated he was already 17. After a five month investigation that handcuffed the team’s July 2nd plans, MLB concluded that the contract could stand, but he would be suspended for a year. This is a win for Beras and the Rangers and really just a slap on the wrist. He’ll still get his contract, the Rangers still get their player, and he’ll still be allowed to work out and practice until his suspension ends July 1st, 2013.

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