- Full name Wilmy Caceres
- Born
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Organization Prospect Rankings
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The Angels have struggled to come up with a shortstop as Gary DiSarcina has missed most of the last two seasons with injuries. While they’re high on Brian Specht and Tommy Murphy, they felt they needed an insurance policy who could be ready this year or next. So in the first trade of the 2000 Winter Meetings, Anaheim sent 1998 first-round pick Seth Etherton to Cincinnati for Caceres. It was a curious deal, to say the least, because Etherton figured to be in the 2001 rotation while Caceres is a career .266 hitter who has shown no power or on-base ability. He’s still young, switch-hits and makes contact, so there’s hope for him yet. He needs to be more patient and keep the ball on the ground more frequently. For now, Caceres’ forte is baserunning and defense. His considerable speed makes him a threat to steal and gives him plenty of range. This season he’ll head to Triple-A, where he’ll be on call should DiSarcina get hurt again.