THIS & THAT

Mahoning Valley (Niles, Ohio) left-hander Brady Aiken, a two-time first-round pick and top pick overall (2014), needed 11 games at two levels (rookielevel Arizona League and shortseason New York-Penn League) before earning his first professional victory.

Aiken, who missed last season while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery, struck out six and scattered three hits over five innings at Batavia (N.Y.). He was 1-4 with a 6.47 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) over the two levels.

Bakersfield’s Zack Littell has had little trouble adjusting to the high-octane Class A California League after moving up from the less offensive-minded Midwest League in July. Littell, the Seattle Mariners’ 11th-round pick in 2013, is 7-1 in nine games (eight starts) with the Blaze.

He has a 1.77 ERA, striking out 50 and walking six in 56 innings. He went 5-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 16 Midwest League starts.

The Toronto Blue Jays fired amateur scouting director Brian

Parker and national crosschecker Blake Davies last week. Both were hired before team President

Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins came over from the Cleveland Indians.

The Parker-Davies tandem didn’t hit on any stud prospects since Parker assumed duties in 2012, but he did draft Matt Boyd and Kendall Graveman in the sixth and eighth rounds, respectively, in 2013. They ended up as trade chips in the deals that landed David Price and Josh Don

aldson, both of whom helped Toronto reach the 2015 playoffs.

Sixto Sanchez, an 18-yearold native of the Dominican Republic, has made quite an impression in his first 10 starts in North America. Sanchez was 4-0 with a Gulf Coast League-leading 0.56 ERA in 48 innings through Aug. 20 for the Phillies. He also had a league-leading 0.81 WHIP.

He is a big reason the Phillies were tied with the Blue Jays for the most victories (36) in the Gulf Coast League and were second in team ERA (2.61).