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 If you have a question, send it to askba@baseballamerica.com. Please include your full name and hometown if you'd like your letter to be considered for use in an upcoming column. Also, please understand that we can't respond to every question. By Jim Callis May 28, 2004 Following up on the Topps First-Year Player Card discussion from the last Ask BA, reader Rusty Lynn (Atchinson, Kan.) emailed me to identify the other five players in the set. There are three more Top 100 Prospects—Bobby Brownlie (Cubs), Alberto Callaspo (Angels) and Merkin Valdez (Giants)—plus another toolsy young Yankees prospect (since traded to the Rangers) in Joaquin Arias. Cardinals infielder Travis Hanson, the other card, is a bit of stretch, but not nearly as much as Wanell Macia (Severino). We'll get to three draft questions today. If that's not enough for you, I've answered several more this week in a pair of chats at ESPN.com and here at baseballamerica.com.
Tom DeLaRosa San Jose Windsor has been in the news with Long Beach State ace Jered Weaver as of late. He outdueled him for a 10-inning, 2-1 victory last Friday, then shared Big West Conference co-pitcher of the year honors with him this week. Tom neglected to mention Windsor's strong suit: his command, as he has a 98-16 strikeout-walk ratio in 119 innings. A transfer from West Valley (Calif.) JC, Windsor also starred for the Titans last year, going 11-2, 1.89. Oddly enough, Windsor wasn't drafted at all in 2003 despite being picked out of high school and junior college. He didn't make our Top 100 because his pure stuff is rather ordinary. He has an 86-88 mph fastball and his only plus pitch is his changeup. His ability to locate those offerings and his breaking ball makes them effective. He's an attractive senior sign, and it wouldn't surprise me if he snuck into the fourth or fifth round.
Matt Smith Anderson, Ind. Lind, who is from Anderson, is the best player on an uncharacteristically average Jaguars team this year. He earned all-Sun Belt Conference recognition by batting .392-12-60 with more walks (26) than strikeouts (21). He's a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder with a sweet lefthanded swing, and he hit well with wood last summer in the Cape Cod League. Once he turns pro, he'll become a full-time first baseman. The Twins drafted Lind in the eighth round out of high school in 2002, and he's draft-eligible as a sophomore because he'll turn 21 within 45 days of the draft. Draft-eligible sophomores can slide because of signability concerns, but on talent he should be a third- to fifth-round pick.
Casey Onaga Honolulu In terms of prospects on the island, there are no standouts. University of Hawaii lefthander Mark Rodriguez projected as the top pick before he succumbed to Tommy John surgery. Waimea High (Koloa) third baseman Leonard Zalopany is now tops on our Hawaii list but won't be an early choice. Native Hawaiian Kurt Suzuki, now a catcher at Cal State Fullerton, should go in the first three rounds. He's a perfect "Moneyball" player for the Athletics, who have six picks in the first two rounds. The Big West player of the year, Suzuki is hitting .438-13-74 with 43 walks (versus just 23 strikeouts) and a sizzling .535 on-base percentage. Among the college players on our Top 100 Draft Prospects, Suzuki has the best plate discipline and rates as the third-best defender. His arm strength is just average, but he has a quick release and blocks balls well. There's no obvious Hawaii draftee for 2005. Rainbows catcher Matthew Inouye, an athletic line-drive hitter with a knack for getting on base, is the best candidate. The best prep prospects all play for Punahou High: corner infielder Kasey Ko, shortstop Landon Nakata and righthander Jared Pate. May 25, 2004 We bought my oldest son a complete set of Topps baseball cards for his birthday. As a bonus with the set, he received five of 10 First-Year Player Cards. The subset features players making their first appearance on a Topps card, and the first three cards were Top 100 Prospects Travis Blackley (Mariners) and Ervin Santana (Angels), plus toolsy Yankees outfielder Rudy Guillen. Now I like to think I have a pretty good grasp of the minor leagues, but I never had heard of the player on the fourth card: Pirates outfielder Wanell Severino. He hit .293/.307/.393 with one homer and 28 RBIs in 52 Rookie-level Gulf Coast League games last summer at age 20. Now known as Wanell Macia, he has gone 1-for-8 in three games at high Class A Lynchburg this year. What he did to merit inclusion in this subset is beyond me. The fifth card was also a bit of a puzzler: Indians third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, a sixth-round pick out of the University of Nevada last year. He batted .272/.342/.437 with eight homers and 33 RBIs in 54 games at short-season Mahoning Valley last year and is off to a .333/.411/.551 start with six homers and 27 RBIs in 41 games at low Class A Lake County this spring. Anyone out there know who the other five players are? I understand that baseball card companies produce so many different sets that it reduces the field of players who haven't appeared in one, but the inclusion of Severino and Kouzmanoff is curious, to say the least.
, I decided to see which college pitching trio could be next in line to take the title of best weekend rotation. I saw that the most dominating duo with the highest ceiling is North Carolina's Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard, both first-round talents as high school seniors. I then saw that Nick Adenhart has committed to the Tar Heels, and with his recent injury and very uncertain draft status, it seems possible that Adenhart drops out of the first round, passes on the smaller bonus and heads to college for a few years. Talented high school seniors Andy Gale and Mike Rozier have UNC commitments as well. Which college team do you think has the potential rotation to rival Rice's, if any? Does the possible Miller/Bard/Adenhart trio have that potential?
Kiley McDaniel Odessa, Fla. I don't think we'll ever see a college pitching trio dominate as much as Philip Humber, Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend have the last three years at Rice. College baseball is more competitive than ever, and in three years they've combined to go 84-13, 2.43 with 17 saves. They have a collective 1,030-307 strikeout-walk ratio in 880 innings, and they've held opponents to a .205 average and 46 homers. They're a good bet to appear in their third College World Series in three seasons and they could lead Rice to the first consecutive championships since Louisiana State won in 1996 and 1997. That said, it's hard not to admire what the Tar Heels are putting together. If not for signability concerns, Miller and Bard probably wouldn't have lasted until the second round of the 2003 draft. They may not last that long in 2006. Miller, a lefthander, is 5-2, 2.62 with 76 strikeouts in as many innings. Bard, a righty, is 8-3, 3.27 with 62 whiffs in 85 frames and was just named Atlantic Coast Conference freshman of the year. Of course, Miller and Bard probably aren't going to spend three seasons pitching alongside Adenhart. It might just be one, as Adenhart likely will miss all of next spring after his upcoming Tommy John surgery. We've been telling you about Adenhart (Hagerstown, Md.) for a while, and given the success with elbow reconstructions these days, he has a good chance to regain the 90-95 mph fastball and nasty curve that made him as attractive as any high school pitcher in the 2004 draft class at one point. But the righthander is just one of four very interesting arms that could arrive in Chapel Hill this fall. Rozier (Stockbridge, Ga.), a lefthander who has a football scholarship at quarterback, is expected to turn down the pros, and the Tar Heels also figure to land righty Luke Putkonen (Marietta, Ga.). Gale (Durham, N.H.), another righty, was a potential first-round pick before an inconsistent spring. The son of former big leaguer Rich Gale, he also could wind up in Chapel Hill if he slides far enough in the draft. Rozier, Putkonen and Gale are all 6-foot-5 and extremely projectable. While they have a good chance to spend three seasons together, it's doubtful that all of them will play prominent roles as 2005 freshmen with Bard and Miller already at the front of the rotation.
Jimmy Garcia Lino Lakes, Minnesota The Twins didn't sign Urbina because he wanted closer money and they didn't want to give it to him and were comfortable going with Joe Nathan. It's hard to argue with that decision. Given that owner Carl Pohlad is known for being tight-fisted, there's some speculation that Minnesota will go cheap with the draft and have to base a lot of its early picks on signability so it won't bust its budget. The Twins, however, say that's anything but the case. They knew they'd have the extra choices, so they signed extra players in 2003 to fill out their two Rookie-level clubs for 2004. Their plan is to spend a little more money on the draft than they usually would, but to concentrate it on fewer players. They'll try to sign a dozen or so draft picks instead of 20-25, and they don't anticipate having to do anything more than perhaps take a college senior in the middle rounds. In the mock first round The Twins also may have interest in high school shortstop Blake DeWitt (Sikeston, Mo.), one of the better prep bats in the draft. But DeWitt figures to move to third base as a pro and is a consensus late-second-round talent.
Jon Hale Langley, Ky. Blanton is one of the better pitching prospects in the minors and should be up with the A's by the end of the season. The 23-year-old's fastball and breaking stuff (he throws both a slider and curveball) are all plus pitches. In nine starts at Triple-A Sacramento this year, he has gone 3-1, 3.16 with a 40-13 strikeout-walk ratio and a .266 opponent average in 57 innings. I'm sure this will provoke an angry email or two, but I'll mention that the best pick out of Oakland's 2002 "Moneyball" draft thus far has turned out to be the consensus best prospect going into the draft. In other words, the A's most conventional pick has worked out better than their so-called revolutionary ones. Anderson finished third in the NCAA Division I batting race last spring at .447, behind first-round picks Rickie Weeks and Mitch Maier. After signing as a fourth-round pick, he debuted at short-season Tri-City by hitting .286/.339/.380 with three homers, 30 RBIs and 26 steals in 74 games. He has been on fire this year, hitting .330/.412/.420 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 43 games. He leads the South Atlantic League with 44 runs and 34 steals (in 38 attempts). At 21, Anderson isn't young for low Class A and deserves a midseason promotion. But he's a legitimate prospect, not just some guy beating up on more inexperienced pitchers. He has tremendous speed and excited the Astros by making a quick transition to wood bats. He plays all out all the time and there may be some more power in his bat. May 21, 2004 Mike Koblish, who has contributed a few questions to Ask BA over the years, has published a very interesting draft study on the Sons of Sam Horn website. Among the conclusions he drew from studying the 1987-92 drafts: • Those drafts produced an average of 15 good-to-great players, and another 15 useful players. • Thirty-six percent of the good-to-great players were drafted in the first round or supplemental first round. • Almost all of the players who reached the majors did not have meaningful careers. • Most draft classes didn't start to be productive in the major leagues until four years after the draft and started to peak six years after the draft. Given the dearth of quality players in a given draft, Mike wonders how much luck plays a part in a successful choice, especially after the first round. He also takes a look at the consistency of how well individual teams draft year from year, and presents charts galore. Very good stuff, very interesting reading and I highly recommend it.
Walt Greenberg Chappaqua, N.Y. I'm not sure Townsend would be quite as high as a top-five pick for me, but I do think he's being undersold a little bit. We rank him ninth on our Top 100 Draft Prospects list There are two main reasons Townsend won't go in the top five. First, his velocity has been down slightly this spring. He has pitched more at 87-91 mph than his customary 90-94, though he has reached 95 at times. That hasn't stopped him from going 10-0, 1.55 this spring, with a 121-37 strikeout-walk ratio and .162 opponent average. Second, his current lack of a quality changeup and his intensity (which can work both for and against him) lead many scouts to project that his best big league role will be closer. That may be, but I'd give Townsend every chance to make good on his potential as a starter. If he regains some of his velocity, his fastball is an easy plus pitch because he can throw it to either side of the plate. His curveball is just flat-out nasty, thought at times its excessive break can be difficult to control. He hasn't thrown many changeups at Rice, mainly because he'd just be improving the hitter's chance to make contact, but who's to say he can't turn it into a reliable third pitch once he uses it more often? He has a strong, durable starter's frame at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, and a realistic shot at becoming a No. 2 starter. That's a more valuable role than a closer. Niemann and Humber probably will get drafted ahead of Townsend. I wrote my most recent column on their strengths and weaknesses
Mike Marinaro Tampa Nelson is an extremely attractive prospect. He has made a rapid recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he has a good chance to be the best position player to come out of this draft. There are three consensus top everyday players in this draft, all shortstops, and Nelson has a better chance to stay at that position than Florida State's Stephen Drew and a better chance to hit than San Diego high schooler Matt Bush. Teams picking in the first round almost always take the best player available, regardless of position. This becomes more true at the top of the round. Most picks aren't going to contribute until at least three or four years down the line, and what currently seems like an area of strength could evaporate by then. All that said, I think the Devil Rays have to take a pitcher. Upton has a good chance to become Derek Jeter with more power and a better glove—don't get too alarmed about minor league error totals—so Nelson would project as Tampa Bay's second baseman of the future. While Nelson has a good bat, it's not a Rickie Weeks bat, so we're probably not talking about a superstar second baseman. The Rays' financial situation dictates that they build through player development. They're not going to be able to go out and sign free agents to fill their holes, and they have precious little frontline pitching in the majors or the minors. This is a pitching draft, and Tampa Bay should take advantage of it. If Long Beach State righthander Jered Weaver, Niemann and Drew go 1-2-3 as we project, the Rays would have their choice of the remaining Rice aces (Humber, Townsend), the most electric arms in college and high school (Old Dominion's Justin Verlander and Bailey) or their pick of the most polished lefties (Vanderbilt's Jeremy Sowers or Missouri prepster Scott Elbert). The Rays should take whomever they determine is the best of that group.
Herb Walters Lawrence, Kan. When we updated our high school prospect rankings at midseason Adenhart isn't expected to pitch again before the draft and will have an MRI at some point. With his health extremely uncertain and a possibility that he could need surgery, we decided to not rank him on the Top 100. Had Adenhart stayed on the mound and kept showing his 90-95 mph fastball and sharp curveball, he would have been right behind Bailey as the top high school pitching prospect in the nation. May 14, 2004 I know that Jose Valentin has good pop, but I was a little surprised when I saw that his home run Tuesday night was the 200th of his career. He now ranks seventh on the all-time homer list for players whose primary position was shortstop, and he could make it up to No. 3 by the end of his career:
I also noticed that Valentin's career average is just .246, which led me to wonder where he stands on the all-time homer list for sub-.250 hitters. He's currently tied for 15th, though he should crack the top 10 at some point in 2005:
Thanks to Friend of Ask BA Rob Miller (Oakland) for providing the research. Now let's get to some draft questions. The good news is that we'll start blowing out our draft preview coverage on the website beginning on Monday, so be sure to check that out. The slightly bad news is that this Ask BA will have to hold you over for a week. I'm going to skip next week's Tuesday edition in favor of churning out draft content.
Andrew Haynes Fresno In a down year for position players, Robnett has been a pleasant surprise. He was a 32nd-round pick by the Dodgers out of Santa Barbara CC as a freshman in 2002, but he sat out 2003 and there was little buzz about him coming into this year. That certainly has changed, after he went 6-for-11 with a double and two steals against Rice's vaunted pitching staff in late March. Robnett projects as a third-round pick. At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, he physically and athletically resembles a young Ray Lankford. Speed is his best tool—he runs a 6.6-second 60-yard dash—and enables him to get very good jumps in center field. He's also a strong hitter who offers power in addition to his quickness. Currently on a 25-game hitting streak, Robnett smashed four homers last weekend against San Jose State. For the season, Robnett is hitting .383/.470/.711 with 13 homers and 47 RBIs in 51 games. He also has 21 steals in 23 attempts, and he's the first Bulldog since former first-round pick Steve Hosey in 1988 to reach double figures in homers and steals in the same season.
James Smith Portsmouth, Va. Donnie is from Portsmouth, so I'm guessing this might be a question from a relative. Verlander, who looks like he'll go No. 2 overall to the Tigers, has drawn most of the attention at Old Dominion this spring. But Smith has a good arm as well, a significantly lower ERA (2.15 vs. 3.67) and he also has been tougher to hit (.194 vs. .225). He has gone 5-2 with two saves in 14 games (seven starts), posting an 82-20 strikeout-walk ratio in 67 innings. A swingman for the Monarchs, Smith projects as a pro reliever. His fastball has been clocked at 92-94 mph when he has come out of the pen, and he also has a hard slider. Six-foot-2 and 195 pounds, he has a quick arm, though there is some effort in his delivery and he probably won't develop more physically. Still, Smith presents an attractive bullpen package and should go between the sixth and 10th rounds.
Keith Maxwell Dayton, Ohio Loney was fairly unbelievable in spring training, hitting .343/.385/.571 with six extra-base hits and seven RBIs in 35 at-bats at age 19. His age was pretty much the only thing that kept him from making the Dodgers, and their offense will be better off once he's at first base and Shawn Green returns to the outfield and pushes Juan Encarnacion or Dave Roberts to the bench. Loney broke the tip of his left middle finger on April 12, when he was trying to break up a double play and was struck by a throw from Greenville second baseman Aaron Herr. Loney initially was expected to miss only a few days, but the finger became infected and required minor surgery. He has only one at-bat since getting hurt, a pinch-single on April 22. He should return sometime within the next week. May 11, 2004 Prized Cubs lefthander Justin Jones finally returned to the mound, putting up a 5-3-1-0-1-3 line yesterday for low Class A Lansing after missing the first month with elbow soreness. Jones dominated the Midwest League last year when he wasn't sidelined by a tired arm, and could be a special pitcher if he stays healthy—always a big if.
Steve Shaw Evanston, Ill. Fear not, as scouts know all about Happ. The strength in the 2004 Illinois draft crop is college lefthanders, led by Southern Illinois' Eric Haberer, who could go as high as the third round. Happ is the next-best southpaw in the state, followed by Illinois-Chicago's Dave Haehnel and Illinois State's Kyle Bloom. Happ generates a lot of life on a fastball that sits in the high 80s and reaches 92 mph at times. His curveball ranges from an average to an above-average pitch. His changeup is more of a work in progress. He has a long, loose, projectable body at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, and a history of missing bats in college and on the Cape. If signability isn't a concern—I haven't heard that it is, but it often is an issue with a Northwestern junior—Happ could go from the fourth to seventh round.
Dale Carriger San Francisco Fair or not, Teahen always will be linked to "Moneyball," because the best-seller quotes scouting director Eric Kubota thusly: "I hate to say it, but if you want to talk about another Jason Giambi, this guy could be it." Both were high picks (Teahen a supplemental first-rounder, Giambi a second-rounder) out of California colleges (St. Mary's for Teahen, Long Beach State for Giambi) as third basemen with gap power and plate discipline. I think the comparison ends there, however. Teahen isn't going to develop Giambi's big league power, unless perhaps he goes on a workout regime than pumps him up by 50 pounds, like Giambi did. I do like Teahen, though, and he is one of the top position players in Oakland's system. After he hit four homers in his first 193 pro games, he seemed to turn a corner last fall in instructional league, pulling pitches more often and using his legs better in his swing. He's batting .355/.438/.555 with three homers and 21 RBIs in 31 games right now. Teahen is solid defensively at third base, but he's not as good with the bat or glove as Eric Chavez, who isn't leaving Oakland for a while. To play first base, Teahen will need to develop at least 20-homer power. He may be able to do that, though I wouldn't expect more out of him. He'd be more productive than Oakland's current Scott Hatteberg/Eric Karros combo, but he wouldn't be a standout. It's also possible that Teahen could handle the defensive responsibilities at an outfield corner, though again he'd have to show more power to play there.
Heath Curry Iola, Kan. We'll let our primary man on the college beat, national writer Will Kimmey, handle this one. In his latest version of The Regional Chase, released last Friday, Will projected the Shockers as one of the 16 regional hosts. But after Wichita State lost three of four games to Creighton, he has changed his mind: Wichita State, like Nebraska and Notre Dame, generally has an edge in hosting regionals because it's one of the few Midwestern programs consistently in the national picture. For the NCAA selection committee, it's nice to have a representative host from this area for two reasons. One is to make travel cheaper and easier on schools located nearby, and the other is to spread the wealth so all regionals aren't played in the Sun Belt. Notre Dame is in pretty solid shape to host a regional this year, but both Wichita State and Nebraska are in some peril. The Cornhuskers simply haven't played very well in the Big 12. Nebraska salvaged the final game of its weekend series with Oklahoma State, but still sits in seventh place at 10-11 in the league and 31-16 overall. Wichita State, meanwhile, has done just fine in Missouri Valley Conference play (20-4 even after its trouble with Creighton), but really has struggled in nonleague games. The Shockers are 34-12 overall, but 0-5 against Top 25 teams and 4-7 in games against teams from the Big 12, Big West, Pacific-10 and Southeastern conferences. Wichita State's best nonconference wins have come against UCLA, the fourth- or fifth-best team from the Pac-10, and its current RPI is in the 40s. That doesn't add up to a strong case for the Shockers to host. The Shockers look like they'll wind up as a No. 2 or 3 three seed, probably traveling to either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. To have a good chance at hosting, they probably have to win nine of their last 10 regular-season games (including both against the Sooners), then take the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, and even that might not be enough. May 8, 2004 Long Beach State's Jered Weaver was at it again last night, adding the school's single-game strikeout record to the season and career marks he established earlier this season. He fanned 17 Pacific hitters and didn't walk a single one, spinning a complete-game two-hitter. Weaver needed just 115 pitches, 84 of which were strikes. The most impressive stat line in college baseball got that much more impressive. In 14 starts, Weaver is now 13-0, 1.29 with 163 strikeouts and 13 walks in 104 innings. Opponents are hitting .147 with three homers.
Steve Krebs Houston Janish entered the season with the reputation as a defensive specialist, and he has more than lived up to it. He has made just three errors in 39 games at shortstop, while continuing to show a strong arm, soft hands and solid range. He's not a flashy, highlight-reel defender, but he makes all the plays at shortstop. There were a lot of questions about Janish's bat. He hit just .296 with six homers in his first two seasons, and went just 4-for-30 (.133) in two College World Series. He struggled even more with wood bats last summer, hitting .105 for Team USA. Janish has helped himself with his performance at the plate this year, though he still could stand to add more strength and shorten his swing. He's doing a better job of using the whole field than he has in the past. As we've said several times and will say several more times leading up to the draft, this is a very poor year for position players. There are few true shortstops available, so Janish probably will get selected somewhere from the third to fifth round. Rice is perhaps the toughest school to sign a junior from, so it's possible that he could return for his senior season. If that happens, Rice would give him a chance to pitch next year. He doesn't have a better arm than the Baker/Humber/Niemann/Townsend class, but Janish is intriguing. His fastball tops out at 93 mph, and he backs it up with a slurve and a changeup that have their moments. At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, he's not as physically imposing as his heralded pitching teammates. Scouts are interested in seeing Janish pitch, but I think he has more of a future as a shortstop.
Adam Van Arsdale Ann Arbor, Mich. Goleski is an offense-only prospect, but his bat has carried him a long way so far and doesn't show any signs of slowing down. At Eastern Michigan, he set a Mid American Conference record with 51 career homers and also broke school marks for single-season homers (22) and single-season (70) and career RBIs (167). He broke a bone in his right hand while defending a teammate attacked on campus last April, and came back with his fingers taped together to hit three homers in three NCAA regional games. In his pro debut last summer, Goleski made the short-season New York-Penn League all-star team after hitting .296/.358/.473 with eight homers and 37 RBIs in 64 games. This spring, he has batted .375/.452/.683 with seven homers and 29 RBIs in 28 contests. He ranks second in the South Atlantic League in all three triple-crown categories, as well as in slugging percentage. Goleski is 22, so he's a bit old for the SAL, and if he keeps mashing like this he'll probably earn a midseason promotion. He's a big guy at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, nothing special as an athlete, right fielder or runner. But he is a legitimate prospect until pitchers at some level prove they can mute his power on a consistent basis.
Jason Theodorakos St. Louis I love and respect college baseball as much as just about anyone. I was BA's primary guy on the college beat from 1989-97 and I've vacationed at the College World Series every summer since. But I wouldn't come close to likening college baseball to Double-A. The top college players, maybe a handful each year, could step in to pro ball and handle Double-A. On the highest level of college baseball, teams might have a couple of players who could hold their own in high Class A and a few who would be ready for low Class A, but the majority of them would be equivalent to short-season and upper-level Rookie ball players. Of course, even the best college teams are going to have several players who aren't even going to play pro ball. On a whole, I'd say the upper echelon of college baseball is equivalent to short-season ball, maybe low Class A if you're looking at it from the pitching side and want to give them extra credit for facing aluminum bats. But even the most powerful college lineups are not the equal of a high Class A lineup. They might be in the middle of the lineup, but not from one through nine. May 4, 2004 Two of my favorite prospects to follow, outfielder Jason Bay and infielder Freddy Sanchez, were supposed to be regulars for the Pirates this season before they were sidetracked by injuries. Bay, who had December surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder, finally got back on the field last night. On a rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville, Bay went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk. He had some tightness in the back of his shoulder while recovering in extended spring training, but should be able to join Pittsburgh within a couple of weeks. Sanchez had a bone spur removed from his right ankle in November. He has been playing in extended spring training games but isn't ready to start a rehab assignment, so we may not see him in the majors until June or July.
Russ Oates Whitestone, N.Y. Russ is right on, according to assistant managing editor John Manuel, who's coordinating our draft coverage in the Southeast. Scouts are following Owings strictly as a third baseman/outfielder at Gainesville (Ga.) High. He has a tremendous pro body at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, along with enticing raw power. His swing might be a bit long, and he doesn't have Micah's arm strength or upside on the mound. Owings could go as high as the third or fourth round based on talent, but he's considered a tough sign and probably will wind up at Clemson. Micah, a second-round pick out of Gainesville High by the Rockies in 2002, is a draft-eligible sophomore at Georgia Tech. His 69 homers at Gainesville are the fourth-highest total in national high school history, and he has improved his approach at the plate this year, batting .339/.414/.631 with 13 homers and 42 RBIs through 48 games. He has the power and arm to play right field, and possibly could handle third base if he got some time to work at the position. Because he pulls double duty, most of his at-bats have come as a DH. Micah could get drafted as a power bat, but it's more likely he'll go as a righthanded pitcher, most likely in the supplemental first or the second round. He has a tough sinker that has drawn comparisons to that of Kevin Brown, another former Georgia Tech star. Micah's velocity ranges from 89-92 mph as a starter to 92-95 as a reliever. He also throws a power slider and a changeup that can be a plus pitch at times. In 12 games (nine starts) this spring, he has gone 6-2, 3.25 with a 74-27 strikeout-walk ratio in 72 innings. Opponents are batting just .198 against him, though they have touched him for 10 homers.
Erik Hult Ann Arbor, Mich. Is Mike Morse for real? I believe he already has equaled his career total for homers this season, and he's hitting for a good average. Craig Reed Austin Morse hasn't equaled his career total for homers, but he is off to a tremendous start. A career .248/.307/.369 hitter with 18 homers and 162 RBIs in 337 games entering 2004, he's batting .333/.371/.690 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 20 contests. The White Sox projected Morse as an offensive middle infielder when they drafted him in the third round of the 2000 draft out of a Florida high school, and at age 22 he's starting to deliver on that promise. He's probably playing over his head, however, because he has 18 strikeouts versus just four walks in 84 at-bats. Plate discipline never has been his strong suit and until he improves in that regard, pitchers should be able to find a way to exploit him. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Morse is huge for a shortstop. He has a good arm, good hands and adequate range, but he projects as a third baseman for the long term.
Hunter Thornton Greenville, S.C. Danks, a Texas high school lefthander taken ninth overall last June, is legitimate. At 19, he's one of the youngest pitchers in the low Class A Midwest League, so he's facing a stern test. He's passing it easily thus far, going 1-1, 1.96 through six games (three starts). He has a 28-5 K-BB ratio in 18 innings, and opponents are batting .200 with just one homer. Danks has effortless mechanics, the best curveball in the system and a low-90s fastball. He's so polished that he may not need much more than two full seasons in the minors before joining the Rangers. Sinisi, one of the best pure hitters available in 2003, fell to the second round because of signability concerns. After helping Rice win the College World Series, he signed for $2.07 million, by far the highest bonus after the first round last year. He has been more solid than spectacular in the hitter-friendly high Class A California League. He's batting .306/.371/.469 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 25 games. Sinisi projects to have plus pop but has shown more gap power to this point. With 20 strikeouts in 98 at-bats, he needs to make more contact but there's little doubt that he'll hit. He's making the transition from first base to left field, thanks to the presence of Adrian Gonzalez in the organization, and Sinisi has the athleticism to pull that off. Unless he just goes off, I'd expect that Sinisi will spend his first full year in high Class A and could be ready for the majors at some point in 2006. |
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