By Josh Boyd
March 18, 2003

VERO BEACH, Fla.--Though he only worked two innings in major league spring training, righthander Andrew Brown made quite an impression on the Dodgers coaching staff. Brown was up to 96-97 mph before being joining the Double-A club in minor league camp. He completely overmatched the Cardinals Double-A squad on Sunday, and has been the most impressive player I've seen in the Grapefruit League this spring.

An imposing 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, Brown, who was acquired as a throw-in in the Gary Sheffield trade last spring, didn't just blow hitters away with his 93-96 mph heat with late life in the zone, but he spun a good downward-biting curveball and a hard, short slider. He has a long, easy arm action and gets good extension out front, so the ball gets on hitters in a hurry. Throw in his 85-86 mph straight changeup, and Brown, BA's 14th-best prospect in the Dodgers organization, is poised for a big year in Jacksonville. The 22-year-old went 10-10, 4.11 and held opponents to a .215 average for Class A Vero Beach last year.

• The Dodgers top-rated prospect James Loney went 2-for-12 as an 18-year-old in major league spring training games before being re-assigned to Vero Beach. The Dodgers brass was impressed with how he handled himself and with his comfortable approach against veteran major league pitchers. One of his hits came off Orioles closer Jorge Julio. Less than a year ago, Loney was facing high school pitching. The Dodgers were anxious to see how Loney responded this spring after breaking his wrist in a game for Vero at the end of last season. He's completely healthy, as he demonstrated in an eye-opening round of B.P., but he pulled off the ball during the game. One scout suggested he may be trying too hard to answer questions about his power potential.

• Shortstop Joel Guzman was much improved from a year ago. A physical specimen at just 18, Guzman did a better job of hanging in and laying off breaking balls after nearly jumping out of the batter's box against them last year. He showed top-of-the-scale raw power during B.P., and then hammered an 0-2 fastball to right-center for a double in his only at-bat on Saturday. The ball jumps off his bat. In the field, while some project a move to third base down the road because of his size, the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder was agile and smooth, plus his arm strength was rated at least a 65.

• Righthander Jonathan Broxton, drafted in the second round last year out of a Georgia high school, was throwing 91-93 mph from a high three-quarters slot. His hard slider reached 84 and featured good tilt at times. Another enormous prospect at 6-foot-4, 240, Broxton was working on keeping his delivery together on the side.

• Outfielder Reggie Abercrombie has been sidelined on a day to day basis with a tight hamstring.

• Righthander Yorman Bazardo is an intriguing live-arm. At 6-foot-2, 160 pounds the 18-year-old Venezuelan consistently pumped 92-94 mph heat by Dodgers Class A farmhands. After spending last year in the short-season Jamestown bullpen, Bazardo has worked on his breaking ball and at times showed the ability to spin a solid curveball for strikes. While Bazardo has a quick arm and explosive fastball Marlins coaches will keep his delivery under closer surveillance. He was 5-0, 2.72 in 36 innings last year.

• Another power-armed righty Ronald Belizario took the mound on the opposing high Class A field. The 20-year-old Dominican emerged as one of the organization's top 15 prospects last year and drew scout's comparisons to Antonio Alfonseca during the second half of his 2002 campaign at low Class A Kane County. The wiry 6-foot-2 Belizario went 6-5, 3.46 in 22 starts and 140 innings last year, but his secondary stuff lagged behind his lively fastball. His developed his changeup over the course of the season and then showed a tremendous feel for it in instructional league last fall. While some scouts feel he could blossom into a dynamite closer prospect, he will remain in the rotation for now honing his breaking stuff and building stamina. Slightly built, Belizario has a fast arm capable of generating 98 mph gas, but while he sat in the 90-93 mph range last year for Kane County, he was 87-90 on Sunday. The Alfonseca comparisons spur from the movement on his stuff, as well as the velocity. He gets heavy run and sink to both sides of the plate, and his 77 mph slider features hard bite in on lefties.

• Second baseman Kevin Randel showed a quick, compact stroke from the left side and some power potential by turning on a Jonathan Broxton 93 mph fastball for a home run. Randel, 21, hit .277-7-27 for Jamestown last season after signing as a 13th-rounder out of Long Beach State. After committing 22 errors in the field (14 at shortstop; eight at second) for Jamestown last year, Randel displayed good hands and looked comfortable on the pivot at second.

• Lefthander Scott Olsen, drafted in the sixth round last year out of an Illinois high school, was promoted from the short-season work group to the low Class A Greensboro squad and looked like he belonged even another level higher. Olsen dealt 91-93 mph heat and a hard slider. On the opposing field, Expos lefty Mike Hinckley was clocked at 90-94.

• Righthander Nick Stocks has been limited to just 128 innings over the last two seasons after logging 150 in 2000, his first season. Drafted in the supplemental first round out of Florida State in 1999, Stocks was hampered by shoulder and knee problems and pitched 44 innings at three levels.

Capable of working in the low-90s and touching the mid-90s in the past, Stocks was hitting 83 last year. On Sunday, however, the 24-year-old was encouraging in a three-inning stint for the Double-A Tennessee. Stocks pitched between 87-89 mph with occasional tail and showed command of a good 76 mph curveball with sharp three-quarters break. He has a feel for his changeup, and needs to develop it as an effective third weapon if his velocity stays around fringe average.

For all the injuries Stocks has endured, including Tommy John surgery in college, he has a good delivery with a clean and quick arm action.

• Righty John Novinsky showed a solid three-pitch mix with his moving fastball hitting 88-90, a tight curveball from a three-quarters slot and a changeup with good action to it. Like so many of the Cardinals young guns, Novinsky battled injuries last year and is a member of the Tommy John surgery fraternity. He went 7-6, 4.27 for high Class A Potomac in 59 innings. After elbow inflammation kept him out of action for nearly two months, he moved from the rotation to the bullpen.

• The Cardinals saw righthander Josh Axelson make progress down the stretch last year in Potomac. After being bounced from the rotation after a rough start in April, he finished the year by going at least seven innings, including two complete games, in his final 12 starts. Axelson, 24, worked between 87-89 mph on Sunday with a three-quarters breaking curveball and decent changeup.

• Outfielder Skip Schumaker, 23, demonstrated top of the order tools with above-average wheels and a quick line-drive stroke from the left side. He showed off a 60 arm with above-average accuracy and the range and instincts for center field.

• Shortstop John Nelson and third baseman Gabe Johnson didn't get at-bats on this day, but a glimpse during infield provided a chance to see them show off their arm strength. Nelson, who became the shortstop at low Class A Peoria by default last year, looks like he belongs at the position with good hands and athleticism. The ball comes out of his hand easy from an effortless arm action generating well above-average (65) arm strength. Johnson looked solid at the hot corner with good agility and a solid average 55 arm.

• Righthander Fernando Nieve topped out in the mid-90s last year at Rookie-level Martinsville and established himself as one of the Astros top 20 prospects. He didn't quite bring that type of overpowering velocity in his first spring outing against the Indians low Class A counterparts, but Nieve reached 90-91 mph with an easy arm action. His slider, which was inconsistent throughout last season, lacked bite on Saturday.

• Lefty Billy Traber will not be in the Indians starting rotation, as manager Eric Wedge said that Ricardo Rodriguez and Jason Davis have won the fourth and fifth starter jobs. The odds were stacked against him because he isn't on the 40-man roster yet and doesn't have to be added until after the 2003 season. Stuff-wise the 23-year-old, coming off a 17-5 season between Double-A and Triple-A, hasn't been overwhelming with his 83-85 mph fastball. But in his eight innings, he's managed to keep hitters off balance with his slider, splitter and deceptive delivery. Additionally, top prospect Brandon Phillips has won the second base job.

• With the top two catching prospects--Victor Martinez and Josh Bard--in the system on the verge of becoming big leaguers in 2003, the best prospect behind the plate in the lower levels is David Wallace. Signed as a nondrafted free agent in August 2001, Wallace hit .255-3-17 in 145 at-bats for short-season Mahoning Valley in his pro debut last summer.

A backup quarterback at Vanderbilt, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder passed for 678 in eight games as a freshman in 1998. The 23-year-old shows tremendous raw power and plus arm strength. He'll move up to low Class A Eastlake this year.