Aaron Heilman may have been the known quantity that changed teams today, but the Diamondbacks did send two Minor League players to the Cubs for the right-hander. Here's some more information on the pair:

Scott Maine, LHP: Taken in sixth round of the 2007 Draft of the University of Miami, Maine projects as a lefty reliever or specialist. He pitched at two levels in 2009, finishing with a 2.90 ERA and 61 K's in 62 IP. For his career, he's got a 3.29 ERA with a 134 K's in 120 1/3 IP.

In some ways, the 24-year-old hasn't lived up to the potential he once flashed in high school. He had Tommy John surgery early in his amateur career and never turned into the lefty ace some thought he'd be. That being said, he could have a future role. His fastball can run up to 93-94 mph and he comes from a pretty tough angle for left-handed hitters. He's got a lower arm slot that creates some deception. His secondary stuff is is a work in progress, but the arm strength from the left side has some value.

Ryne White, 1B: White just completed his first full season of pro ball after being selected by Arizona in the fourth round of the 2008 Draft. An accomplished and advanced college hitter out of Purdue, White spent the season with Visalia in the Class Advanced California League, finishing the year at .266/.371/.356. He's always shown an ability to control the strike zone and draw some walks, but he hasn't hit for much power thus far in his pro career (career .389 SLG). There are those who feel the 23-year-old will hit for power going forward, at least as a left-handed platoon type. He's kind of stocky, at 5-11, 205 lbs. At the very least, the Cubs are getting a decent organizational guy who has the chance to be a Matt Stairs type of hitter.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween weekend. While we were out picking up candy on Saturday, Arizona Fall League pitchers were collecting K's for one last day as part of Aneurysm Awareness Week.

The Arizona Fall League was teaming up with the Joe Niekro Foundation for a great fundraiser/awareness-raiser last week. Any pitcher from one of the seven organizations Joe Niekro pitched for who strikes out a batter this week helps raise money for aneurysm awareness and research. Four sponsors agreed to donate $36 (Niekro's number during his playing days) per strikeout. That's $144 per K.

The participating pitchers saved the best for last, racking up 17 K's on Saturday, the most for any one day this week. Here's how it broke down:

Steve Hirschfeld, Twins (Solar Sox) -- 2 K
James Russell, Cubs (Solar Sox) -- 1 K
Andrew Oliver, Tigers (Javelinas) -- 1 K
Thad Weber, Tigers (Javelinas) -- 1 K
Evan Englebrook, Astros (Saguaros) -- 1 K
Brandon Gomes, Padres (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Craig Kimbrel, Braves (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Jeff Lyman, Braves (Saguaros) -- 3 K
Zach Kroenke, Yankees (Rafters) -- 4 K
Day total: 17 K x $144 per K = $2448
Grand total: 77 K= $11,088

Keep in mind, these are unofficial numbers and the league will be sure to confirm the amount. Whatever it is, it was a great week for a wonderful cause. If you watch MLB Network's broadcast of the Rising Stars Showcase on Saturday, Nov. 7, you might be able to see Natalie Niekro on hand for the check ceremony.

And she might be able to celebrate more than just the $11,000+ from the fundraiser. Several teams, when they found out about the week's events, agreed to step up and make a donation in honor of their pitchers performing in the Fall League. The Cubs, Astros and Yankees all said they would make a donation, particularly if their pitchers struck out the most batters this week. Details to come on just what's being done -- and if other teams agree to join in. Here's how the standings finished:

Yankees -- 15 K
Tigers -- 15 K
Astros -- 10 K
Braves -- 10 K
Cubs -- 9 K
Twins -- 9 K
Padres -- 9 K

And, in case you were curious. Here were the individual leaders:

Robbie Weinhardt, Tigers -- 7 K
Zach Kroenke, Yankees -- 6 K
Andrew Oliver, Tigers -- 5 K
8 pitchers tied with 4

Hey all. I'm going to be very brief today as I'm in full-on Halloween prep mode with the kids. But I wanted to update everyone on the progress from Friday in terms of the strikeouts for Aneurysm Awareness Week.

The Arizona Fall League is teaming up with the Joe Niekro Foundation for a great fundraiser/awareness-raiser this week. Any pitcher from one of the seven organizations Joe Niekro pitched for who strikes out a batter this week helps raise money for aneurysm awareness and research. Four sponsors have agreed to donate $36 (Niekro's number during his playing days) per strikeout. That's $144 per K.

And we've continued to add to the pile. First it was the Cubs, then it was the Astros, now it's the Yankees. The Yankees have agreed to match whatever the other teams are doing in terms of making a donation in honor of their pitchers in the AFL. The idea was to put their money where their arms are, giving a donation should their pitchers strike out the most batters during the course of the week. So lets see where we are, first with yesterday's totals and then the organizational standings:

Scot Drucker, Tigers (Javelinas) -- 2 K
Robbie Weinhardt, Tigers (Javelinas) -- 4 K
Ian Kennedy, Yankees (Rafters) -- 4 K
Michael Dunn, Yankees (Rafters) -- 3 K
Daniel Meszaros, Astros (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Blake Parker, Cubs (Solar Sox) -- 1 K
Day Total: 16 K x $144 per K = $2304
Grand Total: 60 K = $8640

Organization standings (teams in bold have committed to making a donation if their pitchers win the week):

Tigers -- 13 K
Yankees -- 11 K
Twins -- 7 K
Astros -- 9 K
Cubs -- 8 K
Padres -- 7 K
Braves -- 5 K

One more day to go.

Got another exciting update on the Arizona Fall League and Joe Niekro Foundation front.

The Arizona Fall League is teaming up with the Joe Niekro Foundation for a great fundraiser/awareness-raiser this week. Any pitcher from one of the seven organizations Joe Niekro pitched for who strikes out a batter this week helps raise money for aneurysm awareness and research. Four sponsors have agreed to donate $36 (Niekro's number during his playing days) per strikeout. That's $144 per K.

But it's gotten more interesting the past couple of days. Earlier in the week, the Cubs stepped up and agreed to make a donation to the foundation if the Cubs pitchers in the AFL led the seven organizations in strikeouts for the week.

Now they are not alone. The Astros, with whom Joe Niekro spent 11 of his 22 years in the big leagues, have jumped in as well. If the group of Houston arms in Arizona end up with the most K's for the week, the Astros will make a donation to the Joe Niekro Foundation as well.

So lets take a look at what happened on Thursday and where things stand:

Mike Minor, Braves (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Wilton Lopez, Astros (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Chia-Jen Lo, Astros (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Mike DeMark, Padres (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Evan Scribner, Padres (Saguaros) -- 2 K
John Gaub, Cubs (Solar Sox) -- 2 K
Day Total: 12 K x $144 per K = $1728
Grant Total: 44 K = $6336

Nice job by those Saguaros yesterday! Looks like the Yankees' Ian Kennedy and the Tigers' Scot Drucker are both starting today. Here's the updated organizational standings (I've bolded the two teams who have officially told me they're "putting their money where their arms are"):

Tigers -- 7 K
Twins -- 7 K
Cubs -- 7 K
Astros -- 7 K
Padres -- 7 K
Braves -- 5 K
Yankees -- 4 K

It's hard to pick a Star of the Day for hitters for a change. There were no home runs hit yesterday in the Fall League. That happens about as often as Fox News is Fair and Balanced. I guess we'll give today's nod to Carlos Rivero from the Indians, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in the Saguaros' 4-0 blanking of the Desert Dogs.

There are more pitching choices from a day that saw two shutouts and a grand total of 12 runs scored. Lopez deserves a shout out for his four shutout innings (not to mention his 2 K's for the Joe Niekro Foundation), but Mike Parisi has to be the guy. The Cardinal hurler coming back from Tommy John surgery went five scoreless, allowing just two hits and walking none while striking out four as his Surprise Rafters beat Scottsdale, 3-0.

Yesterday was a really good day for the Joe Niekro Foundation in the AFL.

As a reminder, the Arizona Fall League is teaming up with the Joe Niekro Foundation for a great fundraiser/awareness-raiser this week. Any pitcher from one of the seven organizations Joe Niekro pitched for who strikes out a batter this week helps raise money for aneurysm awareness and research. Four sponsors have agreed to donate $36 (Niekro's number during his playing days) per strikeout. That's $144 per K.

It got more interesting when the Cubs' VP of Player Personnel Oneri Fleita stepped up to pledge he'd make a donation if his Cubs pitchers struck out the most batters for the week. I'm still hoping others from the other clubs will do the same and I'll update on here if/when they step up like Fleita did.

So lets take a look at yesterday's strikeout action. Something tells me the Cubs will be moving up the standings we've been running.

Andrew Cashner, Cubs (Solar Sox) -- 4 K
Steve Hirschfeld, Twins (Solar Sox) -- 2 K
Brandon Gomes, Padres (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Craig Kimbrel, Braves (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Zach Kroenke, Yankees (Rafters) -- 2 K
Steve Garrison, Padres (Saguaros) -- 1 K
Lee Hyde, Braves (Saguaros) -- 1 K
Michael Dunn, Yankees (Rafters) -- 1 K
Day Total: 15 K x $144 per K = $2160
Grand Total: 32 K = $4608

Those 15 K's are the highest day total of the three and nearly doubled the overall total of funds raised for the week. Nice going to this group of arms. Today, the Astros' Wilton Lopez starts for the Saguaros. Here are the team standings after yesterday's games:


Tigers -- 7 K
Twins -- 7 K
Cubs -- 5 K
Yankees -- 4 K
Astros -- 3 K
Padres -- 3 K
Braves -- 3 K

As for Star of the Day,  I think I need to just stop it and rename it the Grant Desme Award. And give it to the A's outfielder every day. He hit two more homers yesterday. That 10 in his last 10 games. He's only four off the record, set by Brandon Wood in 2005. I wonder if B-Wood, a Scottsdale native, will go to the game when his record is broken. Baseball hasn't been so good lately with people showing up for their records being broken. Hank Aaron didn't want to come to watch Barry Bonds; Ty Cobb wasn't there for Pete Rose's hit (I'm sorry, what's that? He wasn't alive? Had been gone for years? Umm, never mind).

Anyway... Desme now leads the AFL in pretty much everything: Average (.469), OBP (.544), SLG (1.143), OPS (1.687), HR (10), RBI (22), Runs (19), Hits (23), Total Bases (56). Yes, it's just 12 games, but what a dozen it's been!

While Aaron Crow made a pretty decent AFL debut yesterday, Andrew Cashner has to be the top pitcher, not only for adding four strikeouts to the Joe Niekro Foundation total, but for tossing four hitless innings.

As for Crow's outing, he started strong, then faded a tiny bit. That's to be expected in that he'd pitched in a handful of instructs outings and hadn't gone more than two innings. After walking the first batter he faced, he retired eight in a row and was extremely pitch efficient. Then he gave up a single run in the third and fourth innings. Final line: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. He got six ground ball outs, a good sign for sure. The Pitch FX on Gameday had the 12th overall pick of the 2009 Draft throwing his four-seam fastball in the 90-94 mph range, while he threw a slider around 84-86 mph, a changeup in roughly the same range, and something identified as a sinker (was it a two-seamer?) at 90 mph. He threw 59 pitches, 38 for strikes.
 

I love it when someone is willing to stand behind his team. I'll get to exactly what I mean in a minute.

As I've discussed the last couple of days, the Arizona Fall League is teaming up with the Joe Niekro Foundation for a great fundraiser/awareness-raiser this week. Any pitcher from one of the seven organizations Joe Niekro pitched for who strikes out a batter this week helps raise money for aneurysm awareness and research. Four sponsors have agreed to donate $36 (Niekro's number during his playing days) per strikeout. That's $144 per K.

But now there's more to make this interesting. Oneri Fleita is the VP of Player Personnel for the Chicago Cubs, one of the seven teams Niekro played for. When he heard about what was going on in the AFL involving his pitchers, he wanted to get involved. So he's standing behind them and putting his money where his arms are. Should the Cubs pitchers strike out the most batters this week, he will make a donation to the Joe Niekro Foundation in his pitchers' names.

I'm hoping the other six teams involved in this great effort will see how Fleita has stepped up and will follow suit. It would make for an exciting contest -- as well as raise more money and awareness for the Foundation if every team got involved in this way. I'll be sure to update here if and when others make the same fantastic pledge Fleita has made.

With that in mind, let's see what the totals are after Day 2 of Aneurysm Awareness Week:

Andrew Oliver, Tigers (Javelinas) -- 4 K
Daniel Meszaros, Astros (Saguaros) -- 2 K
Day Total: 6 K x $144per K = $864
Grand Total: 17 K = $2448

OK, Tuesday was a little light, but there weren't that many pitchers from those organizations going. Today, the Padres' Steve Garrison gets the start for the Saguaros, as does the Cubs' Andrew Cashner for the Solar Sox (a good chance for Fleita's Flock to jump into the lead). And it sometimes works that the relievers coming in back of the starters are from the same organizations, so here's hoping for a huge Wednesday. Here are the organizational standings through two days:

Tigers -- 7 K
Twins -- 5 K
Astros -- 3 K
Cubs -- 1 K
Yankees -- 1 K

Some quick notes and Stars of the Day. Royals' first round pick Aaron Crow, discussed in this brilliant article (OK, it was written by me) not long ago, makes his AFL debut today for the Rafters. As for stars, going to make them brief:

Hitter: Jose Tabata, OF, Pirates (Scorpions) -- Hitting leadoff for Scottsdale, Tabata went 3-for-6 with a double, a homer and six RBIs. That's no easy feat, driving in a half-dozen from the leadoff spot. His home run came in the second inning off of Nick Hill, a three-run shot with two outs to highlight a four-run second. Tabata, at age 21, seems to be prepping for the start of his big-league career. He's hitting .326 and slugging .535 so far this fall and by all accounts simply punishing the baseball on a regular basis.

Pitcher: Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Nationals (Desert Dogs) -- As much as I wanted to give it to Oliver for racking up 4 K's for the Niekro Foundation, it's hard to look past what Strasburg did in this bounce-back effort. The No. 1 overall pick went four innings without giving up a hit, allowing just a single base knock in the fifth before leaving the game. In 4 1/3 IP, he gave up just the one hit and one run, while walking two and striking out five. No Pitch FX from that game, so I'm not sure what he was throwing, but it seemed to be working for him on Tuesday.

As I mentioned yesterday, the AFL is teaming up with the Joe Niekro Foundation for a great fundraiser/awareness-raiser this week. Any pitcher from one of the seven organizations Joe Niekro pitched for who strikes out a batter this week helps raise money for aneurysm awareness and research. Four sponsors have agreed to donate $36 (Niekro's number during his playing days) per strikeout. That's $144 per K. So lets see how things went for the first day:

Mike McCardell, Twins (Solar Sox) -- 4 K
Robbie Weinhardt, Tigers (Javelinas) -- 3 K
Spencer Steedley, Twins (Solar Sox) -- 1 K
John Gaub, Cubs (Solar Sox) -- 1 K
Chia-Jen Lo, Astros (Saguaros) -- 1 K
Grant Duff, Yankees (Rafters) -- 1 K
Total: 11 K x $144 per K = $1584

Not a bad start. If pitchers come up with 11 K's a day, that will lead to a donation of just over $9500 for the foundation ($9504 to be precise). I'll keep tabs every day here to keep everyone updated.

Just for fun, let's also keep a running standings of which organization racks up the most K's for this cause.

Twins -- 5 K
Tigers -- 3 K
Cubs -- 1 K
Astros -- 1 K
Yankees -- 1 K

Now on to Stars of the Day for Monday's action:

Hitter

Going crazy and giving out 2 hitter awards. The second one is more for "body of work" than just for one game, but he's still worth noting.

Nevin Ashley, C, Rays (Desert Dogs): Ashley had just one hit for Phoenix, but it came at apretty good time. With the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ashley hit his second homer in as many games, a walk-off grand slam. He's now hit in all seven of the games he's played in, for a .379 average. 

Grant Desme, OF, A's (Desert Dogs): He hit his 8th homer of the AFL season on Monday and drove in three runs. That's eight home runs in 10 games, tops in the league. His 16 RBIs also lead the AFL. SLG and OPS? Yup, tops in those categories as well. The only thing he hasn't been doing is running, a little surprising after he went 30-40 during the regular season. But we'll cut him a little slack considering his 1.047 SLG looks more like an OPS and his OPS of 1.547 is ridiculous. Oh, and his .442 average is second highest in the circuit. As his AFL teammate Josh Bell said on his Twitter account (@JBellAFL): (Oakland A's Desme) Half man half amazing... DES is like a created player on a nintendo game every category 100 except his power is 200 . Then, he added: Oakland A's (Desme) is no longer half man half amazing, we have come to figure out he's not human he's a machine!!

Quote of the day comes from Ashley about Desme: "He's my favorite player right now. I tell him that every day. I try to eat what he eats, sit next to him to get the good vibes. It's been working so far."

Pitcher

Justin Cassel, RHP, White Sox (Javelinas): This isn't just because the family bloodlines make for a cool story. Yes, Cassel's brother Jack has pitched in the bigs with the Padres and Astros and was with Triple-A Columbus (Indians) this past season. His other brother, Matt, is the QB for the Kansas City Chiefs. The 2006 7th-round pick tossed four scoreless innings for the win on Monday, allowing just three hits and one walk in the process. He narrowly edges Zach Putnam, who tossed three scoreless and how has 5 IP over two outings without allowing a run.

As if a new week of Arizona Fall League action wasn't enough, games starting today have some extra meaning, thanks to a joint effort by the AFL and the Joe Niekro Foundation.

It was three years ago today that Joe Niekro, the All-Star and knuckleball expert,  had a brain aneurysm that cost him his life. His daughter, Natalie, has worked tirelessly to set up the foundatoin to raise awareness and money for aneurysm research.

Here's how the week will work. Joe Niekro played for seven Major League teams over the course of his career. Any time any pitcher strikes out a batter this week in the AFL, four different sponsors will donate $36 each to the foundation. For those of you who don't want to do the math, that's $144 for eavery K.

Natalie herself will throw out the first pitch at three different games during the week. Then, on Nov. 7 -- Joe Niekro's birthday -- she'll be at the Rising Stars Showcase (which will be broadcast on the MLB Network) to accept the check from the fund-raising effort. You can read more about the effort in the story I wrote that went up today.

I'm going to keep a running tally on here of how much has been raised via the strikeout efforts by those seven organizations' pitchers. Here are the teams and the pitchers with each club:

Cubs (Solar Sox) -- Andrew Cashner, John Gaub, Blake Parker, James Russell
Padres (Saguaros) -- Mike DeMark, Steve Garrison, Brandon Gomes, Evan Scribner
Tigers (Javelinas) -- Scot Drucker, Andrew Oliver, Thad Weber, Robbie Weinhardt
Braves (Saguaros) -- Lee Hyde, Craig Kimbrel, Jeff Lyman, Mike Minor,
Astros (Saguaros) -- Evan Englebrook, Chia-Jen Lo, Wilton Lopez, Daniel Meszaros
Yankees (Rafters) -- Grant Duff, Michael Dunn, Ian Kennedy, Zach Kroenke,
Twins (Solar Sox) -- Alex Burnett, Steve Hirschfeld, Mike McCardell, Spencer Steedley

Today, Mike McCardell will get things going. He's starting for Mesa today. 

I'm taking a break from the usual AFL Stars of the Day today. Sometimes there are things bigger than the game that are important to discuss, times when tragedy -- and the triumph of the spirit that so often shows the resilience of people -- intersects with the game.

Just over two years ago, the baseball world was shocked by the news that Minor League coach Mike Coolbaugh was killed after being struck by a foul ball while he was coaching first base. He left behind his wife, Mandy, and now three children (Mandy was pregnant with their daughter at the time). The story sent shock waves around and outside of the game. Rather than retell the story, I'll just encourage everyone to read S.L. Price's wonderful book, "Heart of the Game: Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America." You can also read my story about the book here.

As tragic as the story is, what's happened since is truly remarkable tale of one man's legacy and how those who loved him have battled with grief by trying to make sure that legacy is handed down and expanded to as many people as possible. Mandy Coolbaugh is a true inspiration, a woman who is raising three children on her own and trying to ensure her husband's name continues to stand for the values that made him so special. She was gracious enough to write this first-person account on the two-year anniversary of Mike's death.

And the work continues. In just two weeks (Saturday, Nov. 7), the third annual Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Tournament will take place at the Tapatio Springs Golf Resort in the San Antonio, Texas area. The event includes golf and a dinner, complete with a wonderful silent auction. The event, designed initially to provide help for Mandy and her kids, now has a wider focus. On the homepage of the site, it says:

This year Mandy would like to give back to others in her community and promote safety in baseball nationwide. She feels that so many people have blessed her family with heartfelt messages and cards as well as donations, she wants to help others. The proceeds from this year's tournament will go partially to help support Mandy and the kids, but also to start a baseball clinic for kids from San Antonio who have lost a family member. She also wants to do what she can to promote safer conditions for baseball players, coaches and fans at every level. Please join us to help support this heartfelt mission.

I would love nothing more than to be there to do just that, but it's looking like it's not in the cards for me. So I'm going to blog about it. And blog about it again. And then again. Look for several Coolbaugh-related messages on here from now until the event takes place. There's still time to sign up to go if you're going to be in the area and there are plenty of ways to donate. If yo have items you want to donate (memorabilia collectors, now's your chance), send it to:

Cheryl Coolbaugh
11844 Bandera Rd. #447
Helotes, TX 78023-4132

I hope that as you read this, you look around your life and appreciate what you have. In getting to know the Coolbaugh family, in seeing Mandy's heroism -- and that's not a word I toss around carelessly -- I know my perspective of my own good fortune has shifted. Life is so fleeting -- this tragedy painfully points that out -- so I encourage all of you to live it to the fullest. To me, one of the best ways to fulfill that mission is to help others. Donating to this cause would be a really good first step.

****

I'm on a little bit of an "activist" kick, so stay tuned on Monday for a post (as well as a story on MLB.com) about a great team effort with the Arizona Fall league and the Joe Niekro Foundation for Aneurysm Awareness Week!

Hey guys, I'm going to keep this brief because I'll be back a little alter on today to talk about a few things that are a little more important (in life), so stay tuned.

Hitter

Brandon Snyder, 1B, Orioles (Desert Dogs): There was just a tiny bit of offense in Phoenix on Wednesday as the Desert Dogs piled up 17 runs on 17 hits. There could be many choices for a Hitter of the Day from the DD lineup, what with Grant Desme homering twice to give him five for the AFL season, Josh Bell going 4-for-5 including his first homer bringing his average up to a league-leading .600. But they pale in comparison to the week's worth of stats Snyder compiled in one game. The 2005 first rounder went 4-for-5 with a pair of homers and seven -- that's right, seven -- RBIs. He hit a two-run shot in the third against Nick Hill and a three-run homer in the seventh off of Phillippe Aumont. His 12 RBIs now lead the AFL and he's sixth in both SLG and OPS while his .481 average places him fourth in the circuit. Not only does he have a six-game hitting streak going, but he's picked up multiple hits in four consecutive contests.

Pitcher



Danny Gutierrez, RHP, Rangers (Rafters): Well, he gave up a hit this time, but he is the first B3 two-time winner of Star of the Day. Gutierrez picked up his second win by tossing 3 2/3 innings of shutout ball. He gave up two hits and two walks, while striking out one, but managed to not allow any runs  to cross the plate for the second straight outing. His 6 2/3 total innings are the most of any pitcher in the league thus far to have not allowed an earned run. That's no small feat in a league where three teams are hitting over .320 and a fourth is at .299.