Southern notes: Powell getting noticed

The new Boog Powell would like to meet the old Boog Powell and sample his barbecue. Only when the situation is right, though.

"Friends have said I should go to Baltimore and introduce myself," the Montgomery outfielder said. "I want to wait until I get to the Major Leagues. Then I'll be happy to see him at Camden Yards and maybe have some barbecue."

This Boog Powell is nearly 100 pounds lighter than the former slugging first baseman, and the 22-year-old California native specializes in getting on base rather than clearing them.

The Tampa Bay Rays, though, are hoping that the fellow left-handed hitter can also distinguish himself with a long big league career.

Powell -- no relation to his namesake -- finished May ranked ninth in the Southern League batting race with a .321 average and was fifth in the Double-A circuit with a .411 on-base percentage.

That would get you noticed, even if you didn't have a familiar baseball handle.

His real name is Herschel Mack Powell IV. His father went by Mack, and at first he was called Little Mack.

"But my baseball teammates started calling me Boog, and then it spread to school," Powell said. "At first I hated the nickname, but then I started to like it. It was a good connection to baseball and I started to learn who Boog Powell was."

Actually, Powell could have had another baseball name connection.

"I think my dad wanted to call me Willie Mays Powell, but my mom nixed that fast," he said.

Powell, the Rays' No. 16 prospect, is just 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, so power isn't his game. But he has gotten on base everywhere he's played, posting a .318 batting average and .412 on-base percentage in 220 Minor League games.

He had a breakout season a year ago, hitting .335 in the Class A Midwest League and .377 in the Class A Advanced California League.

Powell, though, tested positive for amphetamines while with Stockton and was suspended for 50 games.

"It was a mistake," said Powell, who doesn't try to alibi the situation. "It will never happen again."

Powell, a 20th-round Draft choice by Oakland in 2012, made it back for the California League playoffs and then hit .300 in the Arizona Fall League.

That and the fact that Powell had more walks than strikeouts in his career caught the attention of Tampa Bay. Soon he was part of the trade that sent Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar to the Athletics.

"At first I didn't know how to react," Powell said. "I was in shook."

He didn't have time for lingering thoughts about the deal, though. The Rays were about to start their week-long winter development camp at Tropicana Field. Powell hustled to Florida.

"I started to feel comfortable right away," he said.

Shortstop Daniel Robertson, ranked No. 60 among MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects, came to the Rays with Powell, and they have given Montgomery a highly productive top of the batting order.

Powell has been consistent overall with the Biscuits, hitting .330 in May after batting .306 in April. But his splits definitely favor hitting at Montgomery's Riverwalk Stadium.

In 22 home games, Powell had a .388 average. On the road, he was batting .259 in 21 contests.

"Montgomery is a great place to play," he said. "But I like the whole league. It is my first time in the Southeast, and it is nice to see all the green."

Powell is away from the green and gold of the A's, but he appears to have found a home in the eastern part of the United States. Maybe it won't be too long before he gets to make that trip to Baltimore with the Rays.

In brief

Best of best: Biloxi won three of the four games in a rain-shortened series at Chattanooga that matched the division leaders in the Southern League. Biloxi finished May atop the South with a 30-19 record, while Chattanooga topped the North at 29-19. The Shuckers' record was especially impressive because they have yet to have a true home game, since their new ballpark in Biloxi won't be ready until at least June 6. The prospect-laden Lookouts have had the hottest stretch in the league so far, going 20-5 to start May. Their only victory over Biloxi was 3-2 on May 28 behind the strong pitching of Jose Berrios, who improved to 6-2 with a 2.84 ERA. He is Minnesota's No. 4 prospect and ranked No. 30 on MLB.com's Top 100 list.

Holes to fill: Tennessee first baseman Dan Vogelbach landed on the disabled list May 27 because of a strained hamstring. He was hitting .320 with 17 extra-base hits and 24 RBIs in 43 games. Even more impressively, Vogelbach was second in the Southern League in on-base percentage (.436) and walks (32). Vogelbach, 22, was a second-round pick in the 2011 Draft and is the Chicago Cubs' No. 14 prospect. The Smokies also lost C.J. Edwards, the Cubs' No. 2 prospect, who was promoted to Triple-A Iowa after striking out 36 in 23 2/3 innings over 13 relief appearances. Edwards is No. 42 on MLB.com's Top 100 list.

Big league call: Biloxi right-hander Tyler Wagner, who was 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA, made his Major League debut for Milwaukee with a spot start against Arizona on May 31. The 24-year-old struggled in a no-decision, but the game was a nice reward for going 29-19 over parts of four seasons in the Minors. Wagner, a fourth-round pick out of the University of Utah, was 13-6 with a 1.86 ERA for Brevard County in the Class A Advanced Florida State League last year. The Brewers' No. 11 prospect was optioned back to Biloxi after his start.

Back on shelf: Left-hander Danny Hultzen, trying to come back from surgery on his labrum and rotator cuff, was put on the Jackson disabled list May 26 because of shoulder fatigue. He was to be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 Draft out of the University of Virginia made three starts for the Generals, his last on May 17 at Tennessee. He worked two innings in that game after a total of six innings in the first two. Hultzen, who missed the entire 2014 season, dominated the Southern League in 2012, going 8-3 with a 1.18 ERA before being promoted to Triple-A Tacoma. The shoulder surgery dropped him to No. 23 on Seattle's prospect list.