Huisman could help Royals bullpen

By Jim Callis
April 9, 2004

The Royals don't have much leeway with their budget, so general manager Allard Baird has had to resort to minor trades in an attempt to upgrade his big league club. He used nine minor leaguers in five deals last summer, and he was at it again on Friday, picking up Justin Huisman from the Rockies for minor leaguers Zach McClellan and Chris Fallon.

Huisman, a 24-year-old righthander, signed as a 15th-round pick in 2000 out of the University of Mississippi, where he played with his brothers Jason (a former Angels minor league outfielder) and Josh. Justin was a two-way player for the Rebels but has concentrated on relieving as a pro. He spent last year at Double-A Tulsa, going 7-2, 1.75 with 26 saves in 57 appearances. In 62 innings, he had a 46-7 strikeout-walk ratio and held opponents to a .234 average and one homer. Huisman, who has a 2.22 ERA in four pro seasons, baffles hitters with a high-80s sinker that drops straight down as it arrives at the plate. He also has an average slider, pinpoint control and a deceptive delivery (which has some effort to it). The Royals likely will assign him to Triple-A Omaha, and he's a candidate for a callup later in the year. He became expendable when the Rockies removed him from their 40-man roster.

McClellan, a 25-year-old righty, was a 2000 fifth-round pick out of Indiana University. He went 8-8, 2.84 in 30 games (23 starts) in 2003 at high Class A Wilmington. He had a 100-39 K-BB ratio in 133 innings, while opponents batted .212 with six homers against him. McClellan's heart is more impressive than his stuff. He has an average 88-92 mph fastball and a quick, hard slider in the 80-84 mph range. His changeup is below average and he doesn't work on it enough. Long term, he projects more as a reliever and pitched well in that role in the Arizona Fall League last offseason, going 4-0, 2.77 in 11 games. McClellan was assigned to the Double-A Wichita roster before the trade and probably will join Tulsa.

Fallon, a 25-year-old first baseman, was a 22nd-round pick from St. John's in 2001. He's more of an organization player than a prospect, though he's a good organization player. He can hit for a decent average and draws walks, but he's a line-drive, opposite-field hitter who doesn't have enough power to project as a big league first baseman. Fallon batted .272/.386/.401 with 11 homers and 79 RBIs at Wilmington last year. Sent back to high Class A to begin 2004, he went 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks in the Blue Rocks' opener on Thursday.