Down on the farm

There are currently eight former Wild Things in the minor leagues (might be a record for one time) and, of course, Vidal Nuno is pitching in the major leagues for the Arizona Diamondbacks .Nuno gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings with no walks and six strikeouts but did not get a decision in the opening game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Cleveland.

Here is a look at how the seven former Wild Things are doing in the minors:

C.J. Beatty (OF, Winston-Salem, Class A, California League, Chicago White Sox)
Beatty made his debut with Winston-Salem Tuesday night after having his contract purchased by the White Sox. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and also threw out a runner at home plate in his first game, then went 1-for-4 with a run Wednesday night. Beatty has been playing right field for the Dash.

Robbie Garvey (OF, Rancho Cucamonga, Class A, California League, Los Angeles Dodgers)
Garvey played 56 games for the Wild Things in 2012. This year, he's batting .240 in 106 games for the Quakes. He didn't show much power with the Wild Things, but Garvey has 15 doubles, nine triples and seven home runs in the hitter-friendly California League. He has 22 stolen bases and has been caught stealing only five times.

Stewart Ijames (OF, Missoula, Short-season, Pioneer League, Arizona Diamondbacks)

Ijames

Ijames is in a league with players who are typically a couple of years younger than he is, but many of those younger players have more affiliated experience. Since joining Missoula, Ijames has been hitting Pioneer League pitching just like it was Frontier League pitching. He is batting .328 with seven home runs and 24 RBI in 18 games. He was named the Pioneer League Player of the Week for Aug. 4-10.
Quincy Latimore (OF, Harrisburg, Class AA, Eastern League, Washington Nationals)
Latimore played for Washington during the second half of the 2013 season. He is having a solid season for Harrisburg, batting .278 with 10 home runs in 97 games.

Steven Messner (P, Augusta, Class A, South Atlantic League, San Francisco Giants)
Messner pitched in eight games for Washington at the end of last season, then was signed by the Giants in the offseason and pitched well enough in spring training to make a full-season Class A team. He has a 6-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 28 outings (9 starts). In a start against Rome on June 26, Messner threw eight shutout innings.

Chris Smith (P, Tampa, Class A, Florida State League, New York Yankees)

Smith

Smith was very good for the Wild Things in 2012, when he had a 9-6 record and 2.92 ERA and struck out 116 in 129 1/3 innings. After playing in Washington, Smith was signed by the Yankees but suffered an injury that caused him to miss the 2013 season. This year, Smith has pitched well in setup relief, compiling a 1-1 record and 2.78 ERA in 27 outings for Tampa, the Yankees' top Class A team. Opponents are hitting only .225 against Smith, who began the year with low-A Charleston before moving promoted to Tampa.

Nate Striz (P, Tula, Class AA, Texas League, Colorado Rockies)
Striz pitched in nine games, getting three saves, for the 2012 Wild Things before he was signed by Boston. He moved to the Colorado system and began this year in the Class A California League, making 16 appearances before being advanced to Class AA Tulsa, where the Drillers' hitting coach is former Wild Things manager Darren Everson. Striz has 2-1 record, 6.83 ERA and two saves in 23 games for Tulsa.

Mark Williams (P, Brevard County, Class A, Florida State League, Milwaukee Brewers)
Williams, who played for Washington in 2011, was having a dominant season, with a 1-2 record, 12 saves and 1.86 ERA in 19 outings for Brevard County. He had allowed only nine hits in 22 1/3 innings. However, he was suspended for 50 games without pay after testing positive for an amphetamine in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. He is currently serving the suspension.