Minor League Baseball News

NEW YORK (AP) _ Minnesota Twins minor leaguer Eli Tintor was suspended for 50 games Monday following a positive test for a drug of abuse under the minor league program. The 22-year-old outfielder's suspension will take effect at the start of the 2008 season. There have been 27 suspensions this year under the minor league program and four under the major league drug plan. Tintor, of Hibbing, Minn., played for the class-A Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League. ...

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ Tulsa Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh died after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a game. The Texas League game was suspended in the ninth inning Sunday after the former major leaguer was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Tino Sanchez. Coolbaugh, 35, a former Toronto Blue Jays draft pick, was taken to Baptist Medical Center-North ...

New York Yankees pitching prospect Hector Noesi was suspended Thursday for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance under baseball's minor league drug program. The Dominican right-hander, who turns 20 on Jan. 26, pitched in five games last season for the Gulf Coast League Yankees from July 31 to Aug. 18. He was 0-0 with a 1.29 ERA and one save, striking ...

Four minor league umpires quit working in the Dominican League after one of them was threatened by a fan. Andrew Vincent, Steve Fritzoni, David Rackley and Russel Barrett informed Major League Baseball officials of their decision to return home, league administrator Marcos Rodriguez said Monday. The threat occurred Friday when a fan spotted one of the umpires outside his Santo Domingo hotel, Rodriguez said. ``He appeared to recognize him, turned ...

The Pacific Coast League drew the most fans this season, helping Minor League Baseball set an all-time attendance record of 41,710,357. The PCL had 7,413,505 fans, and the minors set a record for the third consecutive season with an increase of 377,078 from 2005. Two years ago, the minors drew 39,887,755, breaking a record that had stood for more than 50 years. Other leagues that set records this year were ...

The New York Yankees might end their 28-year affiliation with the Columbus and align with another triple-A team. The International League team said Friday the Yankees have informed them of their intentions. ``While we have enjoyed working with the New York Yankees, we also understand that baseball is a business and the Yankees have every right to explore new relationships that may be better suited for the goals of their ...

An outfielder in the Seattle Mariners' minor league system was suspended Tuesday for 50 games by the commissioner's office after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The suspension for Welington Dotel will be effective for the 2007 season. Dotel hit .261 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 52 games for the Mariners' rookie league team in Peoria, Ariz., this season.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) _ The bright lights, big crowds and media hype of the Little League World Series can get to a 12-year-old baseball player sometimes. So coaches and parents look for distractions. Some get away from baseball entirely. The kids from Venezuela went to the mall. The Phoenix team bagged practice Monday and planned to picnic at a serene lake in the Poconos. Friends and family members of players from Lake Charles, La., saw Amish ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ The Los Angeles Angels recalled outfielder Reggie Willits from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday and optioned right-hander Chris Bootcheck to their top farm club. Willits was in the starting lineup Monday night, batting ninth and playing centre-field against Randy Johnson and the New York Yankees in the finale of a four-game series. This is Willits' third stint with the Angels this season. He was 3-for-10 with ...

 Vinny Castilla, a fan favourite in two stints with the Colorado Rockies, agreed to a minor-league contract with the team and is expected to join the expanded roster in September. The 39-year-old third baseman was released by the San Diego Padres on July 21 after hitting .232 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 72 games. Castilla is a career .276 hitter and was a member of the Rockies' only ...

NORWICH, Conn. (AP) _ The Eastern League's Connecticut Defenders will continue its ``Rehab'' bobblehead series next week with one featuring New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams. The bobbleheads pay homage to the players that appeared in Norwich uniform while on a rehabilitation assignment. Also included in the series are pitchers Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and David Cone. Williams played three games with Norwich in 1996 when he was rehabbing a ...