PCL notes: Turner rolling with changes

Jacob Turner was in the midst of an uneventful travel day back on July 23 when his phone rang.

That one call changed everything for the Detroit Tigers' top prospect, who found out he had become the Miami Marlins' top prospect.

"I was driving to Detroit to get on a plane to go to Cleveland," Turner said. "The general manager called me and said they'd made a trade and I was involved. I guess the first emotion is probably surprised, but at the same time you understand it's a business."

A former first-round Draft pick, Turner had already bounced around quite a bit this season. He went 1-2 with a 1.66 ERA in four starts at Class A Advanced Lakeland, 4-2 with a 3.16 in 10 starts at Triple-A Toledo and 1-1 with an 8.03 ERA in three starts with the Tigers.

Now he was off to join the Marlins as the centerpiece of a trade of young players to slumping Miami for big-league veterans Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante, who were bound for pennant-chasing Detroit.

"It's definitely a whirlwind of emotions," Turner said. "You go from thinking you're doing one thing one day to doing something totally different.

"As far as moving, I don't think it's that much different, to be honest with you. Going through the Minor Leagues, you're always moving from place to place, though it's always with the same organization. You get used to that part. It's different being with a new organization. But it's been exciting too."

Turner has looked sharp in five starts with New Orleans, going 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA.

"I think any time you get a new opportunity, you've got to try to take as much advantage of it as you can," Turner said. "This is a great organization, I'm excited to be here. I'm appreciative of everything the Tigers did for me."

That included learning how to try to move easily from team to team.

"You just go step by step, don't get too stressed out about it," Turner said. "It'll all end up in the place it's supposed to be at some point.

"It took about a month for my car to get shipped. The rest of the stuff, I just packed up everything I could in one suitcase. That's what I've been living out of for the past month or so. I guess that's part of Minor League Baseball."

Turner has helped the Zephyrs move into second place in the American Southern Division while boasting the best team ERA (3.77) in the Pacific Coast League.

"It's great, we've got a lot of good pitchers," Turner said. "All the starters have thrown really well since I've been here, all have really good stuff. Our bullpen's been lights-out. That's been exciting, being able to play on a team that's winning. We're playing really good baseball right now."

Rolling with Rohan: With its roster raided by Chicago and hampered by injuries, Iowa has plugging holes left and right with a mix of Double-A players and veterans. One of the best additions has been first baseman Greg Rohan, a former Kent State standout who began the year at Class A Advanced Daytona. Rohan has hit .290 (20-for-69) with two homers and 19 RBIs in his first 17 Triple-A games.

Record setter: Albuquerque may have a reputation as a hitters' haven, but Isotopes right-hander John Ely is doing his best to disprove that notion. Ely set a team record with his 14th victory when he beat New Orleans, 3-1, on Saturday night. He is tied for the PCL lead in wins with Las Vegas' Sean O'Sullivan and leads the league in ERA (3.13) and strikeouts (159).

Happy trails: After 18 years of playing baseball, Las Vegas utility man Chris Woodward is calling it quits at the end of this season. The 36-year-old, who has spent parts of 12 seasons in the big leagues, has hit .288 (75-for-260) with two homers and 34 RBIs through Sunday. Woodward hopes to move into coaching, preferably with the Blue Jays organization, as he was drafted by Toronto in 1994 and lives near the club's Spring Training facility in Dunedin, Fla.