(Note: Beginning Dec. 10-Jan. 3, SportsTicker's Insider Report will consist of the top prospects by position, beginning with right-handed pitchers and concluding with outfielders on Jan. 3.)

When an organization is looking to rebuild for the future, a good place to start might be with left-handed arms. That was part of the Cleveland Indians' philosophy when they dealt away Roberto Alomar and Bartolo Colon.

In addition to landing a top middle infield prospect in Brandon Phillips, the Indians were able to procure two of the minors' top lefties in Billy Traber and Cliff Lee in separate deals.

Traber, who came over from the Mets along with Matt Lawton and a sampling of other prospects, shined in his first season in the Indians organization and was rewarded with a spot on SportsTicker's 2002 All-Prospect team.

The 23-year-old Traber, who went a combined 17-5 with a 2.94 ERA between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo in 2002, could make the Indians starting rotation out of spring training.

Lee could be in the mix with him. At the time of the deal, Lee was enjoying a breakout season (7-2, 3.23 ERA in 15 starts) in the Expos organization, and the trade to Cleveland accelerated his path to the majors. After just 11 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, the 24-year-old found himself wearing an Indians uniform in September. In two starts with the Tribe, he posted a 1.74 ERA with just six hits allowed in 10 1/3 innings.

The barrage of young lefties in Cleveland's system doesn't end there. Brian Tallet, standing at 6-7, impressed with a combined 12-4 record in the upper levels of the minors and made two starts for the big club. There's also hard-throwing Alex Herrera, who could become a valuable ingredient to Cleveland's bullpen.

With quality southpaws included in their wealth of young talent, the Indians rebuilding project could pay dividends sooner than later.

Top 10 left-handed pitchers
(Note: Players with less than 60 major league innings were considered)

1. Sean Burnett, Pirates
Burnett, the Pirates' first-round pick in the 2000 draft, has been masterful. The 6-1, 175-pounder dominated the advanced Class-A Carolina League last year, going 13-4 with a 1.80 ERA and putting together a 31-inning scoreless streak. The 20-year-old is not a particularly hard thrower, cranking it up in the low-90s range, but gets great movement on all of his pitches, especially his sinking fastball and devastating changeup. Even with the diverse movement on his pitches, Burnett always maintains control, walking just 69 batters in 347 2/3 career innings pitched.

2. Dontrelle Willis, Marlins
Acquired in the deal that sent Antonio Alfonseca and Matt Clement to the Cubs, Willis impressed his new organization to the tune of a 12-2 record and 1.83 ERA over 24 starts at two Class A levels. The 20-year-old is equipped with a sinking fastball that can hit the mid-90s, a changeup with good movement and a solid curve. The 6-4 Willis, who posted two separate scoreless streaks of at least 24 innings, keeps both right-handed and left-handed hitters in the dark with his three-quarters arm angle delivery. Also impressive were the 24 walks he issued in 157 2/3 innings.

3. Billy Traber, Indians
The 16th player taken in the 2000 draft, Traber led all minor league lefties with 17 wins, including seven straight at one point last season. The 6-5, 200-pounder, who was a four-year starter at Loyola Marymount, is a polished pitcher with great composure on the mound. He works both sides of the plate effectively and, with good command of a fastball that flirts with 90 mph, curve, changeup and splitter, can take control of a game.

4. Cliff Lee, Indians
A fourth-round pick in the 2000 draft, Lee is a strong hurler with an intimidating fastball among his four quality offerings. After falling 2 1/3 innings shy of qualifying for the ERA title in the Class A Florida State League in 2001, Lee made the seamless jump to Double-A last year by going 6-1 with a 2.39 ERA and a .185 batting average against in his first 11 starts. Lee, who has held the opposition to a .214 average since turning pro, should mirror Traber's progress in the Indians organization.

5. Ben Kozlowski, Rangers
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Kozlowski, a 12th-round pick of the Braves in 1999 who was dealt to the Rangers in April, has emerged as Texas' top pitching prospect. After posting a 2.05 ERA and .219 average against in 79 innings at Class A, the 22-year-old dominated the hitter-friendly Double-A Texas League. Helped by a scoreless streak that reached 23 2/3 innings, he went 4-2 with a 1.90 ERA and a stingy .155 average against before working 14 straight hitless innings in the league championship. A late-moving, low-90's fastball teamed with a solid curve and improving changeup, Kozlowski may turn his September call up with the Rangers into a full-time job.

6. Jonathan Figueroa, Dodgers
Though playing at just 18 years old, Figueroa looked like a man playing against boys in his eight starts in the Class A South Atlantic League last year. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder went 5-2 with a 1.42 ERA, .148 batting average against and 57 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings pitched. The native of Venezuela, armed with a fastball that approaches the mid-90's, fanned 12 batters over 5 2/3 innings in his last start of the season. Figueroa, a converted first baseman, is a long way from making a run at the Dodgers' rotation, but he has definitely gotten off on the right foot.

7. Mike Bynum, Padres
Rebounding from an injury-ruined 2001 campaign, Bynum re-emerged as a force in the Padres' system last season. Though not being able to start until June following knee surgery, the 24-year-old Bynum showed no rust by going 4-0 with an ERA of 0.82 in six outings at Double-A Mobile. Gaining momentum in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast league (3-2, 3.51 ERA in seven starts), he found himself with the big club by mid August. Bynum, a first-round pick out of North Carolina in 1999, has displayed one of the best sliders in the minors and could make a push to join fellow young lefty Oliver Perez in the Padres' rotation out of spring training.

8. Macay McBride, Braves
The Braves' first-round pick in the 2001 draft, McBride aced his first full season as a pro last year. In the Class A South Atlantic League, the 5-11, 180-pounder won five straight starts, during which he posted 24 consecutive scoreless innings, on his way to going 12-8 with a 2.12 ERA. The 20-year-old McBride, who limited the opposition to just three hits over a 17-inning span in midseason, afforded foes a .209 batting average overall. With low-90's heat, a big looping curve and a nasty slider, McBride has the weapons to fly through the Braves system.

9. Mike Gosling, Diamondbacks A second-rounder in the 2001 draft, Gosling more than passed the test of being tried in the Double-A Texas League as a first-year pro. The 22-year-old posted 14 wins, including a pair of three-hit shutouts, with a 3.13 ERA in 27 starts. Gosling, a product of Stanford University, held foes to a .238 average and was actually better against righties than lefties. Expect Gosling, who hits his spots with a low-90's fastball, curve and changeup, to come quickly.

10. Erik Bedard, Orioles
The 23-year-old Bedard would have ranked higher on this list if he hadn't needed Tommy John surgery performed on his pitching elbow last summer, likely costing him the entire 2003 season. Before going under the knife, Bedard showed he is a complete pitcher with a well-placed though not overpowering fastball, a knuckle curveball and a changeup. Demonstrating excellent mound presence, the 6-1, 180-pounder went 6-3 with a 1.97 ERA in the Double-A Eastern League. Look for Bedard to resurface on the prospect radar in 2004.

Others worth watching: John Rheinecker (A's), Jeriome Robertson (Astros), Danny Borrell (Yankees), Neal Cotts (A's), Mark Phillips (Padres), Craig Anderson (Mariners), Jon Switzer (Devil Rays) and Alex Graman (Yankees).