It’s been established in this spot that a lot of top-flight prospects make their way through the Carolina League. Heck, Wilmington’s 2006 opening-day lineup included two players in the bigs today—Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie.

This brief three-game homestand for the Hillcats opens in less than an hour, and two of the Carolina League’s top prospects will be on display. Pittsburgh’s No. 1 prospect—third baseman Pedro Alvarez—will bat third for Lynchburg. Kansas City’s No. 1 prospect—third baseman Mike Moustakas—will hit third for Wilmington. There are more similarities between the two. Both were No. 2 overall picks in the MLB first-year player draft—Alvarez in 2008, Moustakas in 2007. Both waited until the very end to sign contracts. Both, not surprisingly, are represented by baseball super agent Scott Boras, who seemingly has the ability to wring a few extra pennies out of a lump of coal. Both were touted for their power and quick hands. Moustakas hit a California high-school record 24 home runs as a senior at Chatsworth High.

The only difference is in age. Alvarez played three years at Vanderbilt and was touted as a nearly big-league ready prospect. Of course, it hasn’t worked out that way. Though Alvarez ranks third in the Carolina League with 26 RBIs, he’s batting just .200 and has struck out 36 times in 115 at-bats. Moustakas, who had an abbreviated stint in rookie league ball in Idaho Falls after signing, hit 22 home runs and drove in 71 in low-A Burlington last season. In his first year in the Carolina League, he’s got five homers and 25 RBIs, which ranks fourth in the Carolina League.

Other notes heading into the series:

* Wilmington’s starter tonight—lefty Danny Duffy—is Kansas City’s No. 6 prospect according to Baseball America. Duffy has gotten off to a solid start in his first year in high-A ball. He’s 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 32 innings against just nine walks. Duffy owned the low-A Midwest League last season. Check out these numbers: 8-4, 2.20 ERA in 17 starts. He allowed 56 hits in 81 2/3 innings, struck out 102 and walked just 25.

* Welcome to the power zone Matt Hague. Lynchburg’s cleanup hitter had 27 hits in his first 110 at-bats. Only five went for extra bases—all doubles. Hague finally found a power stroke Thursday in Winston-Salem, slapping a solo home run in the 10th to push Lynchburg to its 14th come-from-behind win of the season. Hague showed some power last year in Hickory, hitting six home runs in 215 at-bats. So perhaps that was the hit that will get him going more consistently in that regard.

* Next time I need a golfer to complete a foursome, I’ll ask Hillcats manager P.J. Forbes, who hit a hole-in-one Monday during the Hillcats’ booster golf tournament at Poplar Grove. He aced the par-3 17th hole. I’m lucky if I can keep the ball out of the water there.

* Hillcats INF Ray Chang isn’t in the lineup tonight, but he extended his hitting streak to a season-best nine games Thursday at Winston-Salem.

* Dustin Molleken, one of the Pirates’ “priority relievers,“ pitched at Winston-Salem Thursday and extended his streak of scoreless innings to 13. He won’t pitch tonight.

That’s all for now.