A Caterpillar building is visible from the Peoria Chiefs’ ballpark, now called Dozer Park.

Peoria Chiefs Stadium is now called Dozer Park as part of a 10-year, $2 million naming rights deal that Peoria-based Caterpillar agreed to as part of the financial restructuring agreement the Chiefs recently entered into with the city and other parties.

“The company was founded on the bulldozer,” Jim Baumgartner, Caterpillar’s director of corporate affairs, said in a press release. “We wanted to choose something that represents Caterpillar’s heritage, but also represents Peoria. This is our hometown, and it’s the region where we’ve made tractors since the company’s inception.”

The ballpark opened in May 2002 as O’Brien Field. It was renamed Peoria Chiefs Stadium after O’Brien Automotive’s naming rights deal expired.

Fried, one of the top pitching prospects in the San Diego Padres organization, struck out eight batters (matching his career best) but also walked four in 5.2 innings. Relief pitchers Matthew Shepherd, Leonel Campos (who struck out 3 in his inning of work) and Roman Madrid completed the no-hitter.

Loons SP Jharel Cotton also pitched brilliantly, giving up four hits but no runs or walks. He struck out three batters.

The game almost went into extra innings, but the TinCaps scored the contest’s lone run in the bottom of the 9th inning when CF Brian Adams walked on four pitches with the bases loaded.

Madrid earned the win, becoming the only Midwest League pitcher to lead his team in wins (4) and saves (5) this season.

* The only previous Fort Wayne no-hitter was a 7-inning no-no by RHP Simon Castro against the Dayton Dragons in 2009. He went 10-6 with a 3.33 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 140.1 IP for the 2009 TinCaps. He currently pitches for the Charlotte Knights, a Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Cueto rehabs with Dragons

Cincinnati Reds righty Johnny Cueto made a rehab start with the Dragons on Thursday night, throwing 51 pitches over three innings. He allowed one run on four hits, didn’t walk a batter, and struck out four.

The Dragons beat the Lansing Lugnuts 9-6 for their third consecutive win.

Cueto pitched for the Dragons in 2006. He went 8-1 with a 2.59 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 76.1 IP. He threw two shutouts for Dayton.

Dragons pitcher suspended 100 games

Dragons RHP Daniel Tuttle will serve a 100-game suspension for his third violation of Minor League Baseball’s drug program. The Reds farmhand started 19 games for the Dragons in 2011-12 and is assigned to Dayton again this year, but he has been on the disabled list since April 4.

Tuttle’s last suspension was in July 2011 when he was pitching for the Arizona League Reds. His third violation is for a drug of abuse. According to MLB.com,

Drugs of abuse as defined by Major League Baseball include cocaine, LSD, marijuana, opiates like heroin and morphine, Ecstasy and several others. Players who test positive for a drug of abuse are initially entered in a drug treatment program, and the violation is kept confidential. Those players are also subject to mandatory followup testing, with a second (and third) violation resulting in a suspension.

Derek Dietrich batting as a member of the 2011 Bowling Green Hot Rods.

Former Bowling Green Hot Rods infielder Derek Dietrich is set to make his major-league debut against the San Diego Padres today. He was called up by the Miami Marlins to take the place of infielder Chris Valaika, who was put on the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left wrist. According to Miami Herald sportswriter Manny Navarro, Dietrich is in today’s lineup batting 7th and playing second base.

Dietrich will become the second former Hot Rods player to appear in a major-league game, and the first former Midwest League player who was a Hot Rod. (LHP Matt Moore pitched for the Hot Rods during their only season in the South Atlantic League.)

Dietrich hit .277 with 22 HR and 81 RBI in 127 games with the 2011 Hot Rods. I wrote a bit about him in this post after the Tampa Bay Rays traded him to the Marlins for SS Yunel Escobar. Among the additional information I included in that post: the reason why Dietrich knows how to juggle really well.

UPDATE: Dietrich singled in his first at-bat, flew out to right field in his second at-bat, and struck out in his third at-bat.

Quad Cities River Bandits SS Carlos Correa on first base after hitting a single.

It’s a good thing I saw Carlos Correa play last week, because the notable Houston Astros prospect was placed on the disabled list today. (LHP Joe Bircher also was put on the DL.)

I was looking forward to Wednesday’s game between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and the Quad Cities River Bandits at Modern Woodmen Park, but now it won’t be the same without Correa playing. He and Kernels CF Byron Buxton are arguably the top two prospects in the Midwest League right now — they were the top two overall picks in last year’s draft — so I had my eye on the upcoming series for awhile now.

Oh, well.

At least I got to see both prospects play last Tuesday, albeit in different games. I saw Buxton in a Cedar Rapids day game and Correa in a Quad Cities night game.

J.D. Williams (No. 2) waits for Byron Buxton to cross home plate after Buxton homered to LF.

Buxton’s home run in the Cedar Rapids game struck a tree outside the ballpark, but even more impressive was teammate Dalton Hicks’ home run over the CF batter’s eye. This shot is his actual home run swing …

Kernels 1B Dalton Hicks connects for a long home run to CF.

… but this is a better photo, of Hicks being greeted by teammates as he crosses the plate.

Dalton Hicks is greeted by teammates as he crosses the plate.

The Kernels beat the Lansing Lugnuts 5-4. It was the last game of Cedar Rapids’ 9-game winning streak. SP Matthew Tomshaw got the win after throwing five scoreless innings. He gave up four hits and struck out four.

Cedar Rapids Kernels LHP Matthew Tomshaw

As you can see in my photos, the Kernels were wearing special Minnesota Twins jerseys for that game.

Later in Davenport, the River Bandits game was not as close. Quad Cities beat the Great Lakes Loons 17-6, and I got to see a position player take the mound late in the game. That’s not too unusual, but what made it kind of unique this time is the player, Tyler Ogle, homered earlier in the game.

Tyler Ogle swings at a pitch during Tuesday’s game.

Ogle began the game as the Loons’ designated hitter. He hit a 2-run homer in the top of the 7th inning, and moved to the mound two outs into the bottom half of the inning. He pitched 1.1 innings, giving up two runs on two hits, four walks and a hit-by-pitch. He struck out two batters.

Almost everyone in the River Bandits lineup had multiple hits, but the biggest blow came off the bat of catcher Jobduan Morales, who hit a grand slam in the 6th inning. He drove in five runs with two hits.

River Bandits DH Roberto Pena had two hits, a double and a home run, that drove in four runs.

Roberto Pena bats for the Quad Cities River Bandits.

Correa went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. He also got hit by a pitch — the one that ultimately landed him on the disabled list.

* All photos by Craig Wieczorkiewicz/The Midwest League Traveler

1. Thomas Coyle, 2B

2. Byron Buxton, CF

3. Scott Van Slyke, 1B

4. Miguel Sano, 3B

5. Nick Franklin, DH

6. Stephen Vogt, C

7. Nolan Fontana, SS

8. Brian Bogusevic, LF

9. Kyle Johnson, RF

Here’s what was written about the three Midwest League players:

• Thomas Coyle is off to a hot start with Class A Bowling Green. He’s hitting .349 with 11 extra-base hits (including two homers) in 23 contests. Don’t let his 5-foot-7 frame fool you, he has some thunder in that bat. A prototypical leadoff hitter, the UNC product has a .471 OBP and he is a perfect 12-for-12 in stolen base attempts. He has walked more times (19) than he has struck out (12) and he has scored 20 Midwest League runs.
• Teenage outfielder Byron Buxton has 31 hits in 22 games, good for a .392 clip with Cedar Rapids. The Twins prospect has the ability to hit for average and power (four homers, five doubles). He’s no slouch on the basepaths, as evidenced by nine steals, and he’s averaged almost one RBI per game (21 in 22 contests). He also has a 19-17 walks-to-strikeouts ratio and a 1.194 OPS.
• Kyle Johnson is one of those players who’d serve the purpose of a secondary leadoff hitter in a fictional lineup. He has a .347 average with Burlington and has yet to be thrown out in 16 stolen base attempts. He’s drawn 15 walks in 21 Midwest League games and he has plated 10 runs from the top of the order.

Cedar Rapids Kernels CF Byron Buxton batting during a home game last week.

MiLB recognizes Henry, Jenkins

Minor League Baseball announced its weekly awards today. Clinton LumberKings CF Jabari Henry was named the Midwest League Offensive Player of the Week, and Peoria Chiefs SP Tyrell Jenkins was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week.

Henry, who I saw homer off Hot Rods SP Taylor Guerrieri yesterday, went 9-for-22 with 2 doubles, 3 home runs and 7 RBI last week. Jenkins got the nod by turning in the best performance of his young career, a 9-inning complete game in which he gave up only three hits and one walk while striking out five.

Peoria Chiefs SP Tyrell Jenkins warms up in the bullpen before a game in April.

Sanchez takes no-hitter into seventh

There are several day games in the Midwest League today. The first one to finish took place at Dow Diamond, where the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers beat the Great Lakes Loons 3-1 despite Loons SP Angel Sanchez turning in a masterful performance.

Sanchez took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before giving up a leadoff double to Timber Rattlers RF Michael Reed. Sanchez was taken out of the game after that inning, having thrown seven scoreless frames. He struck out eight batters while giving up only one hit and one walk.

The Hot Rods raced off to a hot start this season, but have been scuffling lately, losing four of their first five games in May. Their starting pitcher on Sunday was RHP Taylor Guerrieri, who gave up two earned runs on eight hits and a wild pitch in five innings. He struck out four and walked none.

Bowling Green Hot Rods RHP Taylor Guerrieri

Baseball America has Guerrieri ranked third among all Tampa Bay Rays prospects, calling him “a potential frontline starter.” He got hung with the loss Sunday.

His Clinton counterpart, LHP Scott DeCecco, earned his third win of the season after giving up only one run on four hits, a wild pitch and a hit batter in six innings. He struck out four and walked none.

Clinton LumberKings LHP Scott DeCecco

Clinton’s offense had DeCecco’s back, cranking out 12 hits that included a 2-run homer by CF Jabari Henry in the 5th inning and back-to-back doubles by 3B Jordy Lara and 1B Taylor Ard that plated three runs in the 6th inning.

Clinton LumberKings CF Jabari Henry heads back to the dugout after the top half of the 6th inning.

Lara went 3-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI. He also committed a fielding error, his first of the season. DH Patrick Kivlehan went 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

Clinton’s Patrick Kivlehan breaks for third base.

C Luke Maile (2-for-4) was the only Hot Rods player with more than one hit.

Bowling Green Hot Rods catcher Luke Maile (left) gets a fist bump from manager Jared Sandberg.

Odorizzi involved in another no-hitter

Rays prospect Jake Odorizzi combined with three Durham Bulls relievers to no-hit the Pawtucket Red Sox on Sunday.

Odorizzi (2010 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) threw seven hitless innings before yielding to LHP Frank De Los Santos (2009 Bowling Green Hot Rods), RHP Kirby Yates (2010 Bowling Green Hot Rods) and LHP Jeff Beliveau (2009-10 Peoria Chiefs) for the final two innings. (Watch Beliveau strike out the last batter here.)

Odorizzi struck out three and walked four. He was also involved in a no-hitter when he was with the Timber Rattlers; in that game he struck out 10 in 8 IP.

The old O’Brien Field signage will be coming down at Peoria Chiefs Stadium.

Last night the Peoria City Council approved a financial restructuring plan for the Peoria Chiefs that should play a significant role in keeping the team in the city for the near future.

Here are some details from the Journal Star:

By a 9-1 vote Tuesday night, the City Council approved a plan that calls for forgiveness of about $1.2 million in debt the minor-league baseball franchise owes the municipality. Repayment of that bond issue will take place over the next eight years.

The city’s share is part of a $7.35 million package — most of it funded privately — that secures the Chiefs’ future in Peoria, according to the team president (Rocky Vonachen). …

The deal includes $2 million over 10 years from Caterpillar Inc., which will acquire ballpark-naming rights. Over that span, Bradley University will pay the Chiefs an additional $250,000 in rent for its baseball team to play at the stadium. Currently, BU pays $75,000 per year.

The banks that oversee the stadium mortgage are to forgive $1.2 million in debt, a discount of 30 percent. The Chiefs’ ownership group of about 50 is to provide $2.7 million in new investment, in cash and equity.

An advisory committee, appointed by the team, also is to be created. According to City Manager Patrick Urich, that group is to monitor financial operations and help suggest growth opportunities for the Chiefs, a Class A affiliate of the major-league St. Louis Cardinals.

(Read the entire Journal Star article here.)

The Pete Vonachen statue inside Peoria Chiefs Stadium.

Lutz became the 58th former Dragon to play in a major-league game when he pinch-hit in Monday’s Reds game, grounding out to second base in the seventh inning.

Lutz had a great season for the Dragons in 2011, when he hit .301 with 20 HR and 75 RBI in 123 games. He was only the second Dragon to bat .300 and hit 20 HR in a season; the other was Austin Kearns (.306, 27 HR, 104 RBI, 18 SB in 136 games with 2000 Dragons).

Lutz also is the last player to hit for the cycle in the Midwest League, against the Peoria Chiefs on July 21, 2011. I was at that game in Dayton. Here’s a photo I shot of him with then-Dragons manager Delino DeShields at third base:

Donald Lutz listens to Dragons manager Delino DeShields at third base during a 2011 game in Dayton.

I was sitting in the front row by third base, so DeShields was standing just a few feet from me when he was in the coach’s box. In the above photo, Lutz had just arrived at third base after tripling.

Vasquez went 4-for-5 with a triple, 4 RBI and two stolen bases. Baseball America ranks the 19-year-old outfielder No. 6 among Detroit Tigers prospects, projecting him as a solid hitter with plus power potential:

Vasquez has an advanced approach at the plate and good pitch recognition for his age. He has explosive bat speed and a compact, balanced swing. He has a quiet load, creates natural leverage and has a knack for centering the ball. He shows advanced feel for driving pitches the other way and has power to all parts of the park.

Dwight Smith Jr. joins Lugnuts

The Toronto Blue Jays assigned OF prospect Dwight Smith Jr. to the Lansing Lugnuts. His father, Dwight Smith Sr., is best remembered as a Chicago Cubs outfielder who finished second to teammate Jerome Walton in the 1989 National League Rookie of the Year vote.

Dwight Smith Sr. played in the Midwest League in 1986, on a Peoria Chiefs team that included Joe Girardi and Mark Grace. Smith hit .310 with 11 HR, 57 RBI and 53 SB in 124 games; Girardi hit .309 with 3 HR and 28 RBI in 68 games; Grace hit .342 with 15 HR and 95 RBI in 126 games.

The elder Smith is also remembered for occasionally singing the National Anthem before baseball games. He made his pregame singing debut in 1986 when he was with the Chiefs.

“I left my hat on that time,” he told The Spokesman-Review in 1995. “I was so worried about doing it. But I did get all the words right.”

Could a Dwight Smith Sr. rendition of the National Anthem be in the cards for the Lugnuts this season? I hope so.

Tigers sign Valverde, promote Rondon

On Tuesday the Detroit Tigers made a pair of moves to shore up their bullpen, and they both involved former Midwest Leaguers.

They signed former closer Jose Valverde to a one-year deal and announced that he will be the team’s closer again. “Papa Grande” pitched for the South Bend Silver Hawks in 2000, going 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA, 14 saves, 25 walks and 39 strikeouts in 31.2 IP.

The Tigers also promoted RP Bruce Rondon, who was considered for the closer’s job during spring training despite being a rookie. He went 2-2 with a 2.03 ERA, 19 saves, 34 walks and 61 strikeouts in 41 IP for the 2011 West Michigan Whitecaps.

Bowling Green’s impressive start

At the start of the day, the Bowling Green Hot Rods had an impressive 14-4 record — the best in the Midwest League. Chris Kleinhans-Schulz, one of the Hot Rods’ radio guys, noted on Twitter that only two teams in affiliated baseball have better records: the Florida State League’s Fort Myers Miracle (15-4) and the National League’s Atlanta Braves (15-5).

That’s pretty impressive. If you get a chance to check out the Hot Rods in action, do it — they could be the team to beat in the Midwest League this year.