Aaaaaaand … here we are with M-Z!

JORDAN PACHECO
C, Colorado Rockies
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-1/190 BORN: Jan. 30, 1986
ACQUIRED: Selected in the ninth round of 2007 out of the University of New Mexico
PROMOTED: Recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs Sept. 6 when rosters expanded
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in an 8-3 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks: The starting third baseman, he batted eighth and went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a throwing error.
NOTES: While they played at separate levels, both Pacheco and fellow prospect Wilin Rosario both saw time behind the plate but when both came up and made their big league debuts on the same day, it was Rosario who retained the shinguards. Ironically, they batted 7-8 (Rosario-Pacheco) in the batting order in this game. Pacheco got on the prospect radar screen in 2009 when he led organization in batting with a .322 average at Class A Asheville, adding 13 homers, 79 RBI and 12 steals. He showed that it wasn’t an Asheville bandbox fluke in 2010 when he hit .321 at Advanced A Modesto and .333 in a brief promotion to Tulsa, combining for six homers and 89 RBI. In 2011 with the SkySox he hit .278 with just three homers and 50 RBI. Though given the nod by Baseball America as the Rockies prospect with the best strike zone discipline, he lags behind Rosario on defense and saw a few games at third base with the SkySox to start his eventual possible move to the infield, perhaps in anticipation of the pending day when the two would both be in the bigs. He threw out just 20 percent of runners caught stealing with Colorado Springs whereas Rosario’s career numbers in that category are over 40.

CHRIS PARMELEE
1B, Minnesota Twins
B/T: L/L H/W: 6-1/230 BORN: Feb. 24, 1988
ACQUIRED: Selected in the first round (20th overall) of 2006 out of high school in California
PROMOTED: Recalled from Double-A New Britain on Sept. 6 when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in a 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox: The starting first baseman, he batted fifth and went 2-for-4 with a strikeout.
NOTES: As it has since the day of the 2006 draft, Parmelee’s career has paralleled that of the fellow prospect taken one round after him, outfielder Joe Benson (Parmelee is 10 days older). The two were brought to the big leagues on the same day and made their debuts in the same game. Parmelee has always flashed some of the power expected of him, with 15 homers at Class A Beloit in 2007, 14 back there in 2008 and 16 at Fort Myers in 2009 but could not crack the .260 mark so he continued to work on plate discipline. In 2010, when he did so, his power numbers dropped to just eight between Fort Myers and New Britain as he hit .285. In 2011, like Benson, he put it together, hitting .287 with 13 homers, 83 RBI and 30 doubles at New Britain to earn the promotion. While he may never be a Gold Glove candidate, his defense has improved to being acceptable in the big leagues.

BRAD PEACOCK
RHP, Washington Nationals
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-1/175 BORN: Feb. 2, 1988
ACQUIRED: Selected in the 41st round of 2006 out of Palm Beach Community College and signed as a draft-and-follow in May 2007.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Syracuse Sept. 6 when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers: The third of six pitchers, he allowed one run on four hits in 1 1/3 innings, walking one.
NOTES: Pretty much a lock for Nationals Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors, Peacock combined between Double-A Harrisburg (10-2, 2.01) and Syracuse (5-1, 3.19) for a 15-3 record, 2.39 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 146 2/3 innings, limiting hitters to a .188 average. A high school shortstop who shifted to the mound later in his career, he is still refining his arsenal, which is highlighted by a knuckle-curve and changeup. In 2010 he was 4-9 with a 4.44 ERA in 19 games at Advanced A Potomac and 2-2 with a 4.66 ERA in seven games at Harrisburg, striking out 148 in 142 innings. Peacock may have been the mostly aptly named of the flock of Washington Nationals rookies who underwent MLB’s unofficial but traditional “rookie hazing day” on Sept. 11. The players who boarded the train for New York, en route to face the New York Mets, dressed up as Smurfs.



BRETT PILL
1B, San Francisco Giants
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-4/210 BORN: Sept. 9, 1984
ACQUIRED: Selected in the seventh round of 2006 out of Cal State Fullerton
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Fresno Aug. 31 when OF Aaron Rowand was designated for assignment.
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in a 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres: The starting first baseman, he batted sixth and went 1-for-3, including hitting a home run on the first pitch he saw in the majors from Padres starter Wade LeBlanc.
NOTES: Pill became the first Giants player since April 1986 to homer in his first plate appearance, no less his first pitch. The last one to do so was Will Clark who did it versus Nolan Ryan. Pill has topped the 100-RBI mark twice in the last two seasons, hitting .298 with 19 homers and 109 RBI at Double-A Connecticut in 2009 and batting .312 with 25 homers and 107 RBI when brought up from Fresno right before rosters expanded. In 2010 at Fresno he hit .275 with 16 homers and 84 RBI, and has had at least 30 doubles in each of his five full-season campaigns.

DREW POMERANZ
LHP, Colorado Rockies
B/T: R/L H/W: 6-5/190 BORN: Nov. 22, 1988
ACQUIRED: Via trade July 31 from the Cleveland Indians as the player to be named in the trade for P Ubaldo Jimenez.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Double-A Tulsa Sept. 11 when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 11 in a 4-1 win against the Cincinnati Reds: The starting pitcher, he earned the win, allowing two hits in five shutout innings, walking two and fanning two.
NOTES: Pomeranz is a young man whose life’s key dates seem to be ones that lodge in the collective memory. He was born on the 25th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. And he made his big league debut, unexpectedly, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Originally taken in the first round of 2010, with the fifth pick overall, by the Cleveland Indians out of Ole Miss, he signed too late to play so 2011 has served as his pro debut and a quick training ground for the big leagues. He dominated when healthy, starting his career at Advanced A Kinston where he posted a 1.87 ERA in 15 starts, with a brief move up to Double-A Akron before landing in Tulsa post-trade. He almost immediately underwent an appendectomy which limited him to just 10 innings of shutout ball for the Drillers, but between the three stops combined for an impressive pro debut of a 1.78 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 101 innings, success he maintained in his big league debut. Pomeranz, the younger brother of former St. Louis Cardinals prospect Stu Pomeranz, was Southeast Conference Pitcher of the Year at Ole Miss and throws a plus fastball and a hard 12-6 curve.

AUSTIN ROMINE
C, New York Yankees
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-0/220 BORN: Nov. 22, 1988
ACQUIRED: Selected in the second round of 2007 out of high school in California
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Sept. 11 when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 11 in a 6-5 win against the Los Angeles Angels: A late-inning replacement for starting C Jesus Montero, he did not bat.
NOTES: The son of former big leaguer Kevin Romine and younger brother of Angels rookie infielder Andrew Romine, Austin made his big league debut playing against his brother’s team (Andrew did not play in the game) as he was brought up from Scranton when that team was eliminated from the International League playoffs. Joining fellow catching prospect Jesus Montero in the big leagues, Romine hit .286 with six homers and 47 RBI back at Trenton this season and .133 in four games at Scranton before the post-season. In 2010 at Double-A Trenton, he batted .268 with 10 homers and 69 RBI after hitting .276 with 13 homers and 72 RBI at Advanced A Tampa in 2009. He and Montero give the Yankees a happy dilemma of riches in a premium position.

WILIN ROSARIO
C, Colorado Rockies
B/T: R/R H/W: 5-11/200 BORN: Feb. 23, 1989
ACQUIRED: Signed as free agent out of Dominican Republic February 2006
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Double-A Tulsa Sept. 6 when rosters expanded
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in an 8-3 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks: The starting catcher, he batted seventh and went 0-for-3 with a run scored and a passed ball.
NOTES: Considered by many to be the top prospect in the system. the young catcher struggled a bit at the plate with Tulsa this season, batting just .249, but showed his power with 21 homers and 48 RBI in 102 games for the Drillers. Slowed early this season as well as last year due to a torn ACL in his knee suffered during a rundown at home plate, he remains the best defensive catcher in the system with a career mark of over 40 percent of runners caught stealing. At Tulsa before the injury last year, he hit .285 with 19 homers and 52 RBI and has great power potential.

CHRIS SCHWINDEN
RHP, New York Mets
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-3/215 BORN: Sept. 22, 1986
ACQUIRED: Selected in the 22nd round of 2008 out of Fresno Pacific
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Buffalo Sept. 6 when rosters expanded
DEBUT: Sept. 8 in a 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves: The starting pitcher in the first game of a doubleheader, he took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits in five innings, walking one and striking out four.
NOTES: A Triple-A All-Star during the mid-season game this year, Schwinden began the season at Double-A Binghamton but was quickly promoted to Buffalo where he went 8-8 with a 3.95 ERA in 26 starts, fanning 134 while walking 48 in 145 2/3 innings. In 2010, between Advanced A Port St. Lucie and Binghamton, he combined for a 4.43 ERA (1.83 at St. Lucie), striking out 92 in 113 2/3 innings while walking 24.

ATAHUALPA SEVERINO
LHP, Washington Nationals
B/T: L/L H/W: 5-9/170 BORN: Nov. 6, 1984
ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic Feb. 13, 2004
PROMOTED: Recalled from Triple-A Syracuse when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in a 7-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers: The fourth of six pitchers, he tossed one-third of an inning, striking out one.
NOTES: The man whose first name is likely to get butchered time and time again in print is pictured here )in the blue sweatshirt) enjoying the farewell lunch at the 2009 Rookie Career Development Program. Though he signed in 2004 with the then-Expos, he didn’t take the mound professionally until 2006, when he dominated for the next two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, with an 0.99 ERA in 2006 and an 0.48 in 2007 before moving up to the Gulf Coast League stateside later that summer, where he had a 2.94 ERA. As he moved up, he continued his success, including a perfect 10-0 record between Advanced A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2009, with a 2.62 ERA and 15 saves. In 2010 he made his first venture to Syracuse with a 3.34 ERA in 54 games, and this season, in 35 games in relief for the Chiefs, he had a 4.50 ERA and fanned 38 in 32 innings.



NATE SPEARS
3B, Boston Red Sox
B/T: L/R H/W: 5-11/175 BORN: May 3, 1985
ACQUIRED: Signed as minor league free agent Dec. 2009
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Pawtucket Sept. 6 when rosters expanded
DEBUT: Sept. 6 in a 14-0 win against the Toronto Blue Jays: A late-game blowout replacement for OF Carl Crawford, came on in left field and batted seventh, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout
NOTES: Originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2003, he was dealt to the Cubs in January of 2006 and earned the “Best Hustler” award in the Double-A Southern League in 2008 when he hit .299 with seven homers and 51 RBI at Tennessee. He hit .272 with 20 homers, 82 RBI and 13 steals at Double-A Portland for the Sox in 2010 and .248 with eight home runs, 45 RBI and 13 steals for the Pawsox this past summer, and has been caught stealing just twice in the last two seasons.

KYLE WALDROP
RHP, Minnesota Twins
B/T: R/R H/W: 6-5/215 BORN: Oct. 27, 1985
ACQUIRED: Selected in the first round (25th overall) of 2004 out of high school in Kentucky.
PROMOTED: Contract purchased from Triple-A Rochester Sept. 4 when rosters expanded.
DEBUT: Sept. 5 in a 4-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox: The second of four pitchers in the nightcap of a doubleheader,. he allowed two runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out one.
NOTES: Despite being a former first-rounder, Waldrop had seemingly fallen off the radar after being out all of 2008 with injury issues, despite boasting a perfectly respectable 3.60 ERA in six active seasons coming into 2011. At Rochester this season he continued his transition from pre-injury starter to post-injury reliever with a 3.87 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 79 innings over 56 games. With the Red Wings in 2010, he was impressive with a 2.57 ERA in 59 games, fanning 60 while walking 22 in 88 innings.