Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Three Notable Promotions
2. Notable MLB Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Three Notable Promotions
The Big News in the World
The big news in the world — besides the fact that you and I haven’t shuffled off this mortal coil — is that three notable prospects either (a) have just been or (b) are about to be promoted to the majors.

Who They Are
Here are the names of those three prospects. Names accompanied by facts. Facts enriched by notation.

Player: Trevor Bauer, RHP, ARI
Line: 93.0 IP, 11.23 K/9, 4.65 BB/9, 0.48 HR/9, 3.02 FIP* at Double- and Triple-A
Notes: While Bauer has not been officially promoted to the majors (so far as I can tell), Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona — and probably a number of other sources — confirm that Bauer will be recalled on Thursday and also will start that day. If you’re reading these words, you’re likely familiar with Bauer. He was selected third overall in the 2011 draft out of UCLA. Our Marc Hulet ranked him first among Diamondbacks prospects entering the season. He (Bauer, not Hulet) has real ideas about pitching. Of course, if you’re not reading these words — are, for example, having them read aloud to you by an intern or manservant or something — then you don’t really need to know who Trevor Bauer is, probably.

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Yesterday, in these pages, I suggested that possibly — if not probably — Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander could have entered the seventh inning of his Sunday start against Pittsburgh in pursuit of his third career no-hitter. The basis for that suggestion rested on the fact that both of the hits he allowed before that seventh inning were (a) of the infield variety and (b) hit in the direction of Miguel Cabrera, who is generally speaking considered to be something of a defensive liability at third base.

With that in mind, I provided video footage of the two hits — a bunt single by outfielder Alex Presley and an infield hit for catcher Michael McKenry — allowed by Verlander through the first six innings. With regard to each hit, I asked the learned, bespectacled readership to answer a single question — namely, “Do you think a league-average third baseman would convert this batted-ball into an out?”

Now here are the results:

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On April 30, the Los Angeles Angels had a record of 8-15 and sat 9.5 games behind the first-place Texas Rangers. Today, the Angels are 40-33. They are now only 4.5 games behind the Rangers, and tied for the second wild card with the Tampa Bay Rays. Much of the focus for the Angels success in May and June has been on rookie sensation Mike Trout, Albert Pujols‘ re-found stroke, and the overall play of Mark Trumbo.

But don’t overlook the Angels’ bullpen. After a poor start, Angels relievers have been hugely important to the team’s revived play. And it wasn’t just the addition of Ernesto Frieri in early May that turned things around for the Angels’ relief corps.

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Few players have had the swings of fortune that Anthony Rizzo has experienced.

After being drafted in the sixth round by the Red Sox in 2007, he had an unspectacular but promising debut for an eighteen year-old in rookie ball (.286/.375/.429). Then he found out he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma and spent most of 2008 eating, sleeping, and getting chemotherapy. It took him until 2010 to really bounce back, but that year he hit .263/.334/.481 in Double-A for the Red Sox and suddenly appeared on prospect lists. Then he was traded to the Padres and hit .141 with the big league club in 153 plate appearances. Then he hit 26 home runs in Triple-A. Then he was traded to the Cubs. Then he hit 23 home runs in 284 Triple-A plate appearances.

Now the 22-year-old first baseman has been called up a second time, perhaps to stay. That’s a lot of back-and-forth swings for Rizzo. It should be no surprise, then, that his fortunes hang on his ability to sustain the changes he’s made to his swing.

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Delino DeShields Jr., 2B, Houston Astros
Current Level: A
2012 Top 15 Prospects Ranking: 8th
Current Value: Increasing

When it comes to prospects and stolen bases, Cincinnati’s Billy Hamilton gets all the love. However, former first rounder DeShields has been quietly having a nice year in low-A ball. The 19-year-old second baseman is repeating the level (130 wRC+) after struggling there in 2011 (79 wRC+) but he’s already surpassed his steals from all of last year (30) with 51 in 58 attempts. He’s doing a better job of getting on base, both in terms of hitting for average (.274) and walking (13.4 BB%), and he’s starting to chip away at the too-high strikeout rates. DeShields’ development is going to require patience but the reward could definitely be worth the wait.

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A month ago, I wrote a piece highlighting the contrast between Josh Hamilton’s results (amazing!) and Josh Hamilton’s approach at the plate (awful!). At that time, Hamilton was succeeding with a plan of attack that could essentially be described as swing-at-absolutely-everything. I finished the piece by saying that I wasn’t sure pitchers should throw Hamilton a strike ever again.

Well, after two months of getting abused, pitchers have adjusted to Hamilton. They’re still throwing him strikes on occasion, but nearly every pitcher is attacking Hamilton the same way now: away, away, away.

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If Mat Latos rebounds from the early struggles that have marked his first season with Cincinnati Reds, Monday’s start against the Milwaukee Brewers might have been the turning point. Latos dominated a division rival. He struck out 13 batters and allowed only one run in his first complete game since May 13, 2010.

Things were not so rosy from the start — Latos walked Norichika Aoki and allowed a bunt single to Nyjer Morgan to begin the game. After striking out Ryan Braun, Latos then went to a 2-1 count against Aramis Ramirez. Latos blew a 92.1 mph fastball by Ramirez for strike two. Typically, such a pitch would not be so notable, but this one began a stretch of 24 strikes in a row — a stretch that would set the tone for the rest of Latos’s night.

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Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Early Returns on More First-Round Picks
2. Notable MLB Games (Including MLB.TV Free Game)
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

Early Returns on More First-Round Picks
What Happened Yesterday
In yesterday’s edition of the Notes, we looked at first-round picks from the recent draft who had not only (a) already signed with the organizations by which they were selected, but also (b) been assigned to, and started playing for, minor-league teams within those organizations.

Regarding the Public, Their Reaction to That Post Yesterday
The public reacted to yesterday’s post with praise, mostly. Effusive praise, one might say. Overwhelming praise, another one might say.

What’s Happening Today
What’s happening today is that same thing as yesterday — except, whereas yesterday we looked at picks from the top half of the first round, today we look at picks from the bottom half.

What the Public’s Reaction Is Likely to Be
More praise, one imagines. Fawning praise, perhaps. Unending praise, also perhaps.

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