So why was I late this week? Because I am sort of weirdly anal-retentive and decided to use August 31 as my cut-off date for this edition of Diamonds in the Rough so that the next installment (and those thereafter) will encompass players brought up after the rosters expand to 40 men.

Oh, and Hurricane Irene didn’t help.

But any thoughts I had that it might be the calm before the storm (with all due respect to Hurricane Irene) was erased when, by Wednesday, I already had nine players on my follow list here and there were still more to come. By the end of Aug. 31, 15 players had debuted, and that didn’t even count the debut I’d prepped for Cleveland Indians southpaw Nick Hagadone, who was called up but returned to the minors two days later without having gotten into a game (he’s already been brought back with roster expansion) or call-ups Brian Jeroloman (Toronto catcher), Leonys Martin (Texas outfielder) or Brett Pill (San Francisco first baseman) who have yet to debut.

So if we have any gamblers here (all for fun, of course), it will be interesting to see the “over-under” — more players making their big league debuts in the span from Aug. 21-Aug. 31, or between Sept. 1-14?

JUAN ABREU
RHP, Houston Astros
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-0/180 BORN: April 8, 1985
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Atlanta Braves July 31, 2011, as part of the deal for OF Michael Bourn
PROMOTED: Recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City Aug. 23 when P Sergio Escalona went on the DL.
DEBUT: Aug. 29 in a 7-4 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates: The third of four pitchers, he gave up one run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning, walking one and getting both of his outs via strikeout.
NOTES: One of four prospects acquired from the Braves, Abreu could be the big sleeper, thanks to his blazing fastball which has hit triple digits but usually sits in the high 90s. Though he has just two big league pitches, when one checks in at 100 MPH on occasion, that could be all he needs to fill in in the back end of a bullpen. Originally signed as a free agent out of his native Dominican Republic by the Kansas City Royals in 2003, he spent his first few seasons in short-season ball and missed all of 2007 with an injury before finally making his full-season debut in 2008 at Class A Burlington. Abreu signed with the Braves as a minor league free agent in 2009. At Triple-A Gwinnett prior to the trade, he had a 2.25 ERA in 41 games of relief, striking out 77 in 57 2/3 innings and had a 1-0 record and 1.86 ERA for the Redhawks post-trade in seven games before his promotion.

BRAD BRACH
RHP, San Diego Padres
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-6/210
BORN: April 12, 1986
ACQUIRED: Selected in the 42nd round of 2008 out of Monmouth University
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Tucson Aug. 31 when OF Blake Tekotte was sent down.
DEBUT: Aug. 31 in a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers: The last of four pitchers, allowed two hits in 1 1/3 innings of shutout ball, walking one and striking out three.
NOTES: First of all, how can you not root for a 42nd-round draft pick who signed for a $1,000 bonus? And with full disclosure, how could I not root for a guy who played for Monmouth University, a school that is so close to my in-laws’ roots? But even if I wasn’t someone who rooted for the underdog, frankly, I dare anyone to show me ANY pitcher in the minors who has had more consistently SICK numbers than Brach has since the day he stepped on a mound in the Arizona League in 2008. That summer, inserted as closer after having been a nondescript starter in college, he posted a 2.01 ERA in 17 games. The next summer, in his full-season debut at Class A Fort Wayne, he notched 33 saves with a 1.27 ERA and earned MLB.com’s Class A Reliever of the Year award. In 2010, he set a California League record with 41 saves at Lake Elsinore, posting a 2.47 ERA in a hitters’ league. This summer, he opened the season at Double-A San Antonio with a 2.25 ERA in 42 games before moving up to Tucson, where he had a 3.90 ERA combining between the two stops for 34 more saves and a 2.89 ERA, fanning 94 while walking just 12 in 71 2/3 innings and limiting hitters to a .224 average. Limited to the bullpen with just one plus pitch, a tailing fastball in the low-mid 90s, he has posted 112 saves in 206 games in three-plus seasons.

JOEL CARRENO
RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-0/190 BORN: March 7, 1987
ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in October 2004
PROMOTED: Recalled from Double-A New Hampshire Aug. 20 when P Brad Mills was sent down.
DEBUT: Aug. 23 in a 6-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals: The last of three pitchers, he allowed four hits in 3 1/3 shutout innings, striking out two without walking a batter.
NOTES: The 2011 Eastern League All-Star skipped over Triple-A Las Vegas when he was summoned from the Fisher Cats rotation, where he’d gone 7-9 with a 3.41 ERA in 24 games, striking out 152 in 134 2/3 innings while limiting hitters to a .208 average. In 2010, he spent the season at Advanced A Dunedin with similarly dominant results, posting a 3.73 ERA and fanning 173 in 137 2/3 innings while walking just 30.

TAYLOR GREEN
2B, Milwaukee Brewers
B/T: L/R H/W: 5-11/200 BORN: Nov. 2, 1986
ACQUIRED: Selected in the 25th round of 2005 out of junior college and signed as a draft-and-follow in May 2006.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Indianapolis Aug. 27 when P Tim Dillard was sent down.
DEBUT: Aug. 31 in an 8-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals: Pinch-hitting for starting pitcher Randy Wolf in the fifth inning, he singled.
NOTES: Brought up to fill the utility infielder spot left open when veteran Felipe Lopez was designated for assignment, the scrappy and versatile Green finally has overcome a string of unusual injuries to make it up to the bigs. The injury bug first bit him during Arizona Fall League in 2008, when he was beaned during a game and broke his nose, and it sank its teeth in harder in 2009 when he underwent wrist surgery which cost him half the season. The native of British Columbia stayed the course and lived up to his early billing this season when he was hitting .336 with 22 homers and 88 RBI when promoted. The Brewers’ Minor League Player of the Year in 2007 when he hit .327 with 14 homers and 86 RBI at Class A West Virginia, he now joins a likely playoff-bound team with a shot at winning a post-season roster spot.
The arrival, belated as it may be, of Green to the big leagues is doubtless special to the Brewers’ Scouting Director, Bruce Seid. Seid was the scout who fought hard to get Green drafted by the Brewers. To read more about that, in my feature on Green written for MLB.com back during the 2008 season, you can check out this link … http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080801&content_id=3235546&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil

MARK HAMBURGER
RHP, Texas Rangers
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-4/195 BORN: Feb. 5, 1987
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Minnesota Twins for P Eddie Guardado in August 2008
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Round Rock Aug. 30 when P Darren O’Day went on the DL.
DEBUT: Aug. 31 in a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays: The last of six pitchers, he tossed one perfect inning.
NOTES: Originally signed by the Minnesota Twins out of an open tryout camp in 2007 after playing junior college ball in Mesabi, Minn. But Hamburger may have been better known for his perennial fine showings in MiLB.com’s Moniker Madness brackets, including the 2010 season when he made it to the semifinals before losing to eventual winner Rowdy Hardy. But his numbers haven’t exactly been chopped liver (or sirloin). This year, between Double-A Frisco, where he posted a 1.83 ERA, and Round Rock, where it was a respectable 3.88, he combined to go 8-4 with a 3.39 ERA and four saves, striking out 70 in 82 1/3 innings, walking 25 and limiting hitters to a .217 average. In 2010, between Advanced A Bakersfield and Frisco, he had a 2.20 ERA and 21 saves.

JERAD HEAD
OF, Cleveland Indians
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-1/205 BORN: Nov. 15, 1982
ACQUIRED: Signed as a non-drafted free agent in August 2005 out of Washburn University in Kansas
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Columbus Aug. 28 when P Nick Hagadone was sent down.
DEBUT: Aug. 28 in a 2-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals: The starting left fielder, he batted ninth and went 1-for-3, collecting one of the Indians’ five hits in the game.
NOTES: With the season-ending wrist injury suffered by Michael Brantley, the Indians summoned this long-time farmhand. The Topeka, Kansas native was hitting .284 with 24 homers and 70 RBI at Columbus, to go with 67 runs scored and 28 doubles. He brought a career .266 average into the 2011 season with some pop to go with it. At Double-A Akron in 2010 he hit .312 with 15 home runs and 51 RBI.

CHRIS MARRERO
1B, Washington Nationals
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-3/210 BORN: July 2, 1988
ACQUIRED: Selected in the first round (15) of 2006 out of high school in Florida
PROMOTED: Recalled from Triple-A Syracuse Aug. 27 when P Ryan Mattheus went on the DL.
DEBUT: Aug. 27 in a 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds: The starting first baseman, he batted seventh and went 1-for-4 with a strikeout, also committing two errors.
NOTES: The Nationals continued to give fans a look at the future with the addition of power-hitting former first-rounder Marrero from Syracuse. With the Chiefs, the Miami native was hitting .300 with 14 homers, 69 RBI and 30 doubles in 127 games, ranking fifth in the International League in batting at the time of his promotion. He was also second in the loop with 145 hits. A three-time All-Star during his minor league career, he batted .294 with 18 homers and 82 RBI for Double-A Harrisburg in 2010. Coming back from a broken leg and torn ankle ligaments which cost him much of 2008, Marrero has plus-plus power but is only adequate defensively (which you might have guessed from his pro debut). His brother, Christian, is also an up-and-coming prospect in the minors with the White Sox.

DARIN MASTROIANNI
OF, Toronto Blue Jays
B/T: R/R H/W: 5-11/190 BORN: Aug. 26, 1985
ACQUIRED: Selected in the 16th round of 2007 out of Southern Indiana
PROMOTED: Recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas Aug. 24 when the Jays dealt a pair of players, Aaron Hill and John McDonald, to Arizona and had open roster spots to fill.
DEBUT: Aug. 24 in a 4-3 win against the Kansas City Royals: The starting center fielder, he batted ninth and went 0-for-2 with a sac bunt and a strikeout.
NOTES: A “one and done” as the Jays received Kelly Johnson from Arizona, the ultra-speedy Mastroianni made his big league debut two days before his 26th birthday. He has great makeup and should be back up soon. He started the 2011 season at Double-A New Hampshire before moving up to Vegas, combining to hit .266 with 28 steals. He had a career-best 46 stolen bases at New Hampshire in 2010, when he hit .301.

ANDY PARRINO
2B/SS, San Diego Padres
B/T: B/R H/W: 6-0/185 BORN: Oct. 31, 1985
ACQUIRED: Selected in the 26th round of 2007 out of LeMoyne College.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Double-A San Antonio Aug. 26 when IF James Darnell was sent down.
DEBUT: Aug. 26 in a 5-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks: Pinch-hitting for P Ernesto Frieri in the seventh innings, he flied out in his lone at-bat.
NOTES: Though Parrino’s name might not be well-known outside the circle of diehard Padres fans, the Brockport, N.Y., native has put up some fine numbers over the last two seasons to earn the promotion. With the Missions in 2010, he hit .246 but added 11 homers, one more than he had combined for in his first three seasons. This year he hit .327 at Triple-A Tucson and .303 at San Antonio, combining for a .315 average, 12 home runs and 56 RBI for his best campaign yet, earning Texas League All-Star honors.

ZACHARY PHILLIPS
LHP, Baltimore Orioles
B/T: L/L H/W: 6-1/200 BORN: Sept. 21, 1986
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Texas Rangers in July 2011 for IF Nick Green
PROMOTED: Recalled from Triple-A Norfolk Aug. 31 when P Mike Gonzalez was traded to Texas.
DEBUT: Aug. 31 in a 13-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays: The fourth of five pitchers, he allowed two hits in one scoreless inning, walking one and fanning one.
NOTES: Phillips was summoned on short notice from Norfolk before rosters expanded to 40 men when Gonzalez departed, but it’s only coincidental that Gonzalez was dealt to the team from which Phillips had been acquired just over a month earlier — two separate deals. A starter when he was originally drafted in the 23rd round of 2004 and signed the next spring as a draft-and-follow, his conversion to the bullpen in 2009 has clearly been a smart move. After posting a 5.54 ERA in 28 starts at Advanced A Bakersfield (admittedly a terrible park for pitchers) in 2008, he went on to dominate out of the pen in 2009 with a 1.23 at Bakersfield and a 1.60 at Double-A Frisco, combining for a 1.39 ERA in 36 games and limiting hitters to a .163 average. In 2010 he combined for a 2.69 between Frisco and then-Triple-A Oklahoma City, and this year showed the Orioles his stuff after the trade with a 2.63 ERA in 14 games for the Tides pre-promotion.

ANTHONY RECKER
C, Oakland Athletics
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-2/240 BORN: Aug. 29, 1983
ACQUIRED: Selected in the 18th round of 2005 out of Alvernia (Pa.) College.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Sacramento Aug. 23 when C Landon Powell was sent down.
DEBUT: Aug. 25 in a 22-9 loss to the New York Yankees. The starting catcher, he batted eighth and went 0-for-4.
NOTES: It was a debut to remember for Recker, though perhaps not for the reasons he might have imagined. Given the start as regular starter Kurt Suzuki rested due to his familiarity with starter Rich Harden, Recker goes into the record books in a game during which the Yankees set a major league record with three grand slams in one game. The Allentown native is a fine hitter who has posted a .271 average over six pro seasons coming into 2011 and was hitting .287 with 16 homers, 48 RBI and a .501 slugging percentage prior to his promotion.

ERIC SURKAMP
LHP, San Francisco Giants
B/T: L/L H/W: 6-4/190 BORN: July 16, 1987
ACQUIRED: Selected in the sixth round of 2008 out of North Carolina State
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Double-A Richmond Aug. 27 when OF Nate Schierholtz went on the DL.
DEBUT: Aug. 27 in a 2-1 11-inning win against the Houston Astros: The starting pitcher, he didn’t get a decision, allowing one run on six hits in six innings, walking three and fanning four.
NOTES: The strikeout artist was already on his way back to the minors — until the Sept. 1 roster expansion — before the ink was dry on his impressive scorecard in an apparently pre-planned “one-and-done” outing (which, on a totally personal note, completely screwed up my fantasy baseball domination dreams as I’d put in a winning bid on him, only to have it negated when he got sent down. Grrrrrrrrr). At Richmond this season, he’d been nearly untouchable with a 10-4 record, 2.02 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 142 1/3 innings. He’d limited Eastern League hitters to a .213 average and his last outing was eight innings of two-hit shutout ball. In a combined 250 innings coming into 2011, he’d fanned 300. Coming back from a dislocated hip which required surgery and cut his 2010 campaign short, Surkamp succeeds with a deceptive sinking fastball and an assortment of above-average off-speed pitches.

AARON THOMPSON
LHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
B/T: L/L H/W: 6-2/190 BORN: Feb. 28, 1987
ACQUIRED: Claimed off waivers from the Washington Nationals in December 2010
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Indianapolis Aug. 23 when OF Ryan Ludwick went on the DL
DEBUT: Aug. 24 in a 2-0 win against the Milwaukee Brewers: The starting pitcher, he did not figure in the decision despite tossing 4 1/3 innings of four-hit shutout ball, walking two and fanning one.
NOTES: Brought up as a “one and done” pitcher and sent back to the minors after his outing, Thompson was originally one of five pitchers selected by the Florida Marlins in the first round of 2005 out of high school in Houston. He was dealt to the Nats for 1B Nick Johnson in a deadline deal in 2009. He brought a 4.31 ERA over six seasons into 2011, with just one game above Double-A, but this year combined to post a 4-7 record and 5.16 ERA at Double-A Altoona and ten an 0.77 ERA in three games at Indy prior to his callup, with 60 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings.

ANTHONY VASQUEZ
LHP, Seattle Mariners
B/T: L/L H/W: 6-0/175 BORN: Sept. 19, 1986
ACQUIRED: Selected in the 18th round of 2009 out of Southern California
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Tacoma Aug. 23 when P Dan Cortes went on the DL.
DEBUT: Aug. 23 in a 12-7 win against the Cleveland Indians: The starting pitcher, he earned the win, allowing six runs — five earned — on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out two while allowing two homers.
NOTES: Vasquez was the lucky recipient of an offensive barrage by his teammates who scored 10 runs in the first four innings to help him get that first W in his debut. Bringing a 3.09 ERA into the 2011 season after a brief pro career, a span in which he’d fanned 176 in 230 innings, he started the season at Double-A Jackson where he had a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts, then continued his success at Tacoma with a 3.21 ERA in eight more starts, combining for a 3.57 ERA in 153 2/3 innings. In 2010, his lone full season, he cruised through three levels — Class A Clinton, Advanced A High Desert (normally pitcher hell) and Double-A West Tenn (same team, new name) for a 2.46 ERA over 171 2/3 innings.

NEIL WAGNER
RHP, Oakland Athletics
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-0/195 BORN: Jan. 1, 1984
ACQUIRED: Via trade from the Cleveland Indians in May 2010 for cash considerations.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Sacramento Aug. 30 when P Graham Godfrey was sent down.
DEBUT: Aug. 30 in a 6-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians: The last of four pitchers, he allowed one hit and fanned one in one shutout inning.
NOTES: Originally drafted by the Indians, against whom he made his big league debut, in the 21st round of 2005 out of North Dakota State University, Wagner made a big impression in his 2006 pro debut when he posted a 1.39 ERA and collected 17 saves at short-season Mahoning Valley to earn New York-Penn League All-Star honors. After posting a 2.95 ERA at Double-A Akron and striking out 69 in 61 innings in 2009, he was dealt early in the 2010 season to Oakland. This year he started the summer at Double-A Midland before a promotion to Sacramento, combining for a 3.26 ERA in 50 games out of the bullpen, striking out 87 in 66 1/3 innings and limiting opposing hitters to a .232 average.