Matt Harrison has moved up to Triple-A, so how soon will the majors be in the picture?

His little six-game stint in the majors might have gone extremely well, as he hit only .053, but Adam Lind has gone back to his offensive ways in Triple-A, hitting .357 since his return, with seven RBI and three runs scored. There is next to no power here however, and he looks to be in the Sean Casey / Lyle Overbay mold of hitting, with a solid average, some RBI production, but nominal home run numbers.

After dominating the South Atlantic League, the White Sox promoted Anthony Carter to the High-A Carolina League. The results were not so pleasant, as he allowed six hits, two walks, and four earned runs in five innings in his debut with the Warthogs. Carter was quite impressive at the Sally League, though, going 5-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 11 starts, with 66 strikeouts and only 11 walks, and he held the opposition to a .213 batting average. Carter should settle down soon enough.

Wilkin Ramirez just received a well-deserved promotion to Triple-A after raking for Double-A Erie. In 57 games with Erie, Ramirez hit .305 with nine home runs, 32 RBI, and 35 runs scored, and he also swiped 15 bases in 21 attempts. He went hitless in his first two games, but went 2-for-4 last night, along with his first swipe, and he should settle down nicely in Triple-A. Ramirez will make his debut in the majors at some point soon enough this year.

Another player receiving a much-deserved promotion is Indians’ pitcher David Huff. Huff is now pitching for Triple-A Buffalo after going 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA in 11 appearances (10 as a starter) with the Akron Aeros. Over 65 2/3 innings, Huff struck out 62 and walked only 14, and the opposition hit only .189 against him. His debut with the Buffalo Bisons was much of the same, as he struck out five while walking just one in six innings, and he was charged with three hits and one run in the no-decision.

Another pitcher on the move is the Rangers’ Matt Harrison, who came to the system in the Mark Teixeira trade last year. Harrison was 3-2 with a 3.33 ERA in nine starts with the Double-A Frisco Riders, with a 35:14 K/BB ratio in 46 innings, and a .263 batting average against. His debut with Oklahoma was rough, though, and he left after allowing eight hits, two walks, and four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. Harrison has solid stuff but is more of a middle-of-the-rotation starter than an ace. Look for him to probably get a cup of coffee in the bigs in September, with a legit shot of making the rotation next spring.

The Red Sox’ Michael Bowden is enjoying a nice stretch with Double-A Portland that has seen him roll off four straight quality starts and he owns a record of 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 24:3 K/BB ratio. While the Sox keep bringing Justin Masterson up when need arises, they seem content to let Bowden develop in Double-A at a comfortable pace. Look for Bowden to stay with Double-A for most of the year, and he will likely at least open 2009 in Triple-A.

Michael Brantley has been on an impressive roll for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. The Brewers’ future center fielder is hitting .368 over the last ten games with two home runs, six RBI, fifteen runs scored, and three times as many walks (9) as strikeouts (3). The only thing he has not been doing during this stretch is running, with only one steal in two attempts despite having 17, in 23 attempts, on the season. Brantley does not hit for much power, with all of two homers last year and only three so far this year, but he has an excellent batting eye, which combined with his speed makes him excellent leadoff material.

To say the Biscuits are stacked with talent offensively would be a gross understatement. There’s the above-mentioned Brantley, Mat Gamel, Matt LaPorta, and offensive catcher Angel Salome. Salome is hitting .368 with two home runs, 16 RBI, six runs, and a stolen base in his last ten games. The scary part of all this is that this lowers his batting average, and he is now hitting only .375. Salome is someone to seriously start keeping an eye on at this point – as are most players on the Stars, it seems. The Brewers are not done yet cranking out stud prospects, clearly.

Jesus Guzman has cooled off, but only slightly, over the last ten games, as he is hitting .333 during that stretch, with two home runs, eight RBI, and seven runs scored. For the year, he clocks in at .352 with 12 homers, 59 RBI, 49 runs, and five stolen bases. The Athletics might finally have their answer at third base after all. No, Eric Chavez does not count any more.