FSL notes: Mahle catching up to brother

Greg Mahle made it to the Major Leagues with the Los Angeles Angels in less than two years, becoming the eighth player from the 2014 Draft to do so when he debuted in April.

Tyler Mahle has already put in more Minor League time, and that once might have meant a put-down from his older brother.

"He used to be on me all the time," said the Daytona right-hander. "He always wanted to have the upper hand."

But that was then and this is now. Sibling rivalry has disappeared. Now it is a mutual admiration society.

"I think it is the coolest thing in the world that he is in the Major Leagues," the younger brother said of the left-handed relief pitcher. "To do it so fast as a 15th-round pick is awesome."

Tyler -- 21 years old to Greg's 23 -- is still putting in his apprenticeship, but his baseball career appears well on its way. Passing up a chance to play with his brother at UC Santa Barbara, the younger Mahle signed with Cincinnati for an over-slot bonus of $250,000 as a seventh-round pick in 2013 and has vaulted to No. 11 on the Reds prospect list. Cincinnati's 2015 Minor League Pitcher of the Year wasn't No. 2 prospect Robert Stephenson or No. 4 Amir Garrett. It was Mahle.

He tied for the Class A Midwest League ERA title at 2.43 in his full-season debut while posting a 13-8 record and has continued to impress with the move up to the Florida State League in 2016. In his first 11 starts with Class A Advanced Daytona, Mahle is 6-3 with a 3.13 ERA and has a league-best 63 strikeouts to 17 walks in 63 1/3 innings.

"The hitters are a little more selective, but there isn't that much of a difference in leagues," he said. "You have to get your other stuff over or they will sit on your fastball."

Angels reliever Greg Mahle is 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA in 20 games in the Majors this year. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Mahle, who at 6-foot-4 is two inches taller than his big brother, has a curve, slider and changeup to go with a fastball that now can sit in the mid-90s. Control isn't an issue, as shown by the 135 strikeouts to 25 walks he had with Dayton a year ago.

Drawing attention, though, isn't easy for a pitcher in the Cincinnati system. The rebuilding Reds are loaded with impressive young arms.

"There are so many good starters, it says a lot if you are moved up in this organization," Mahle said. "You have to really earn it."

The Mahle family lived 10 minutes from Angels Stadium in Anaheim, but father and sons were Los Angeles Dodgers fans. Now Greg has a family rooting section for Angels games and Tyler can't wait to be a visiting player with the Reds at Dodger Stadium.

The brothers didn't become college teammates, but they hope to share the Major League life together in the near future.

"We didn't really bond until he went to UC Santa Barbara," Tyler said. "We couldn't stand each other growing up. But then we got close and I was really looking forward to being with him in college. When we were young, we were always at each other's throats. Now I'm his biggest fan and he's mine."

There have been a number of brother pitching combinations in the Major Leagues. The Mahle brothers want to add to the list.

In brief

Newman beaned: Bradenton shortstop Kevin Newman suffered a left orbital fracture when he was hit in the head by a pitch from Jupiter's Esmerling De La Rosa in the eighth inning on May 26. Newman, second in the Florida State League batting race with a .346 average, was placed on the disabled list the next day. Five batters were hit by pitches during the game. Newman, a first-round pick in the 2015 Draft out of the University of Arizona, is Pittsburgh's No. 11 prospect.

Stewart hits No. 15: Lakeland left fielder Christin Stewart surpassed the top 2015 home run total in the FSL when he went deep for the 15th time with two runners on base in the first inning May 29 at home against Clearwater. The first-round choice of the Tigers in the 2015 Draft out of the University of Tennessee leads the Minors in home runs. Detroit's No. 4 prospect also walked three times against Clearwater and had a .363 on-base average despite a .232 batting average thanks to a league-high 35 free passes. Stewart, 22, was second in the league with 35 RBIs in 50 games.

Ciuffo red hot: Charlotte catcher Nick Ciuffo had a 4-for-4 game and batted .391 during an 11-game hitting streak that came to an end against Fort Myers on May 29. Tampa Bay's No. 25 prospect had his batting average up to .284 and had thrown out 17 of 27 base runners trying to steal. Ciuffo, 21, was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2013 Draft. The left-handed hitter had five multi-hit games during his streak.

Wood promoted: Right-hander Hunter Wood was promoted from Charlotte to Double-A Montgomery on May 29. He was second in the Florida State League with a WHIP of 0.91 and third in strikeouts with 55 over 61 1/3 innings. Opponents were batting just .156 against the 22-year-old Arkansas native, who had a 1.76 ERA and 3-3 record. Wood was a 27th-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2013 Draft out of Howard College in Texas.