Austin Romine was eligible to come off the disabled list today, but he did not. He may begin activities soon, but nothing too strenuous. Sounds like stretching would be the beginning of his road back. He went on the disabled list with a "mild" concussion last week after Travis Scott's hit on him toward the end of the Thunder's loss on June 2 against Altoona.

Melky Mesa has begun physical activities to rehab his lower-back issue. He was throwing a medicine ball with trainer Tim Lentych before the game. He last played on May 26.

Per the notes on the wall, Cory Arbiso is your starter on the 18th.

Cody Johnson was sent home today with flu-like symptoms.

Brad Suttle's Home Run



Melky Mesa's fantastic catch



Banuelos strikeout No. 1



Banuelos strikeout No. 2



Banuelos strikeout No. 3



Banuelos strikeout No. 4



Banuelos strikeout No. 5



Banuelos strikeout No. 6



Banuelos strikeout No. 7

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Against their perpetual foil from last season, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Thunder came out on top on Opening Day, thanks to a strong performance from the pitching staff.

Hun alumnus Steve Garrison started and went four shutout innings before handing the ball to Craig Heyer in the fifth.

Heyer, despite walking two men and giving up an unearned run over three innings, picked up the win.

Melky Mesa, the team’s new center fielder, started his Thunder career strong with a run-scoring double in the second frame. Mesa later added a single, finishing a solid 2-for-4 debut.
Cody Johnson and Brad Suttle also smacked two-baggers in the victory.

Most of the damage came against Zach Stewart, a top Jays prospect who was 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA in five starts against the Thunder last season.

Tim Norton and Fernando Hernandez pitched the final two innings.

If one were to look for a flaw in this win, it would be found on the defense.

Trenton made four errors last night, including two from second baseman Corban Joseph, one from shortstop Jose Pirela, and a catcher’s interference call leveled against Austin Romine.

The teams face each other again tonight, when Shaeffer Hall will make his Eastern League debut against circuit stalwart Reider Gonzalez.

The Yankees made six cuts after today's win over the Orioles. Andrew Brackman, Brandon Laird, Melky Mesa and Kevin Russo were optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, while pitchers Ryan Pope and Steve Garrison were sent to Double-A.

Garrison, Mesa and Pope are interesting because you'd figure that, with their relative levels of experience, they'd be sent to different spots.

Mesa, who hasn't played a game above High-A, figures to be the Thunder's opening day center fielder. With 371 1/3 innings of Double-A ball between them, Pope and Garrison both seem ticketed for Scranton.

The options made today are only placeholders, to be sure, but they are a bit intriguing on March 16.

Toward the beginning of the offseason, I spoke to a couple of scouts about some of the Yankees prospects at Scranton, Trenton and Tampa. I'm no talent evaluator, so I like to talk with scouts as often as possible to get a more professional opinion about what I'm seeing. Here are what a couple of them had to say about some of the hitters in the system:

MELKY MESA

He's got a lot of tools. He's a very good athlete with a lot of holes in his swing. The percentage of him making the big leagues is slim, but if he does, it will be as a starter. He's not going to be a fourth or fifth outfielder.

He's got the rare combination of power and speed. He swings and misses a lot and needs to cut down on his swing. He's susceptible to the breaking ball and gets himself out. If he can get pitchers to get him out, he has a chance to be good.

BRAD SUTTLE

He's a polished player, but not that good of an athlete. He's a slow-twitch muscle guy who knows how to play. His range is below average. He's not a Suttle guy.

CORBAN JOSEPH

He's going to hit. He makes good contact, and is going to play in the big leagues. Adequate defender. Just like Utley, his ticket to the MLB is going to be his bat. This is not to say he's as good a hitter as Utley.

AUSTIN ROMINE

He has real defensive abilities. He has the chance to be a plus defensive catcher in the MLB. Compared to Brad Ausmus who can hit.

Another scout said: Defensively, he still has to improve. When he saw him (late season), he looked worn out. Did a good job with higher velocity kids. Got a good report from the Arizona Fall League.

JESUS MONTERO

He's a gifted hitter, but is going to need to find a different position. Offense is so far ahead of the bat. If he were to be in the big leagues this year, he could survive, but you wouldn't see the real potential until the second year.

BRANDON LAIRD

Questionable defense. He'll make the big leagues, but he won't be anything special. He hits bad pitching, good pitching can get him.

A different scout said: Bat is ahead of his defense, where he seems to be limited to the corners. Not much in the run game. The bat is real. Threw out a Jeff Conine comp. His swing has strength and leverage. He takes good at-bats and is aggressive.

Every Wednesday, Minor Matters will unveil its top 10 Thunder players to watch next season. Considering that the Tampa Yankees took home the Florida State League crown in 2010, there's no reason to believe that the upcoming season will have a shortage of talent around the diamond.

No. 3 - Melky Mesa

Bio: Signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Yankees seven seasons ago as a 16-year-old, Mesa started his career in 2006, and didn't move stateside until 2008, when he excelled with the Staten Island Yankees.

2010 season: He hit .260/.338/.813 with Tampa, including 19 home runs, 74 RBIs and 31 stolen bases against just nine times caught. That the 23-year-old Mesa fanned 129 times against just 44 walks, however, doesn't portend well for his future at the upper levels. He also doubled 21 times and legged out nine triples.

What's Next: Mesa's future lies in the Thunder outfield for 2011, most likely in center field. If he is able to build on his exceptional tool set, he could be a dynamic and exciting force in the upper third of the Trenton lineup.

There's been a little bit of news from around Yankee prospectdom today, so I'm going to make the bits short and sweet.

The biggest news is that Melky Mesa was added to the 40-man roster. Chad Gaudin and Royce Ring were taken off the roster to make space. Gaudin is a free agent now.

After posting the third-most home runs and stolen bases in the system, Mesa, 22, is poised to start 2010 in Trenton's outfield. He's an absolute lottery ticket of a guy, with power, speed and a plus arm.

One scout I spoke to had this to say about him:

He's got a lot of tools. He's a very good athlete with a lot of holes in his swing. The percentage of him making the big leagues is slim, but if he does, it will be as a starter. He's not going to be a fourth or fifth outfielder.

He's got the rare combination of power and speed. He swings and misses a lot and needs to cut down on his swing. He's susceptible to the breaking ball and gets himself out. If he can get pitchers to get him out, he has a chance to be good.

Additionally, Brandon Laird, Austin Romine and Manny Banuelos were named to the Arizona Fall League's Eastern Division roster for the Rising Stars Game. This year's game comes Saturday, and will be televised on the MLB Network.

Mesa and Laird were also named by the Topps baseball card company as the Players of the Year, respectively in High-A and Double-A.