Aaron Myette of the White Sox and Eric Gagne of the Dodgers. Gagne, in fact, made his major-league debut Tuesday against the Marlins and pitched shutout ball for six innings, striking out eight and walking one.

Today we will look at Myette, but that is no knock on the other guys. The Sox have done a fine job acquiring pitching in the amateur draft, as well as the trade market. Don't forget, Cubs fans, Jon Garland came to the other side of town in exchange for Matt Karchner last year.

Myette came to the White Sox via the draft, as a supplemental first-round pick in 1997 from Central Arizona Junior College. He pitched effectively in rookie ball, then really came into his own last year in Class A ball, pitching very well for Hickory, and doing even better in six Carolina League starts for Winston-Salem.

Myette moved up to Double-A this season and encountered some command problems early on. He had trouble keeping his mechanics consistent the first two months, but ironed out his troubles in June and ended with solid overall numbers at Birmingham. He will have a shot at a rotation spot next spring, but his command still needs some sharpening and a half-season of Triple-A is probably in order.

There is certainly nothing wrong with his physical package. Myette is tall and strong, with an ideal pitcher's build. His fastball is consistently in the low-to-mid 90s and he has a solid slider. He sometimes has trouble with the changeup, but it is an effective offering when he has it going. His command can waver, as shown by his borderline walk rate this year, which is one reason why he could use a bit more experience. He is aggressive, knows how to pitch, and has shown a very durable arm. Overall, Myette has the physical talent and mental skills to be a well above-average major league starter.

The same can be said, of course, for Garland, Wells, and Barcelo. The key for all of them will be staying healthy. If history is any guide, only one or two of them will have the career that scouts project. My instincts say that Myette will be one of them.

Myette has had some exposure as a prospect, but for some reason Eric Gagne of the Dodgers hasn't, despite pitching for a media-intensive organization. That should be changing soon.

Gagne is a French Canadian, originally signed as a non-drafted free agent back in 1995. His name is pronounced in the French style, NOT Americanized like Greg Gagne. He was signed for a $75,000 bonus, which is a lot of money for a guy not picked in the draft. He pitched well in the South Atlantic League in 1996, then missed all of 1997 after elbow surgery.

Gagne pitched solid ball for Vero Beach in the Florida State League in 1998, with a fine K/BB ratio in particular, but didn't draw much notice as a prospect. He moved up to the Texas League this season, and after an excellent campaign, he should start drawing attention by the mainstream press.

There is certainly nothing wrong with his numbers. San Antonio is a pitchers' park, but a 2.63 ERA is still excellent for the Texas League, which is great for hitters overall. There are no holes in his other numbers. He struck out 185, gave up just 122 hits, with a decent walk rate in 167.2 innings.

He does his work with solid stuff. His fastball runs 92-93 mph -- with movement -- and he combines it with a sound curveball and changeup. He is very aggressive about throwing inside, demonstrating a great deal of confidence on the mound, which sometimes borders on arrogance. He has been accused of "trash-talking" his opponents at times, although that probably impresses as many people as it irritates.

Gagne has an ideal combination of numbers and talent, and is the pitcher in the Dodgers farm system closest to helping the big-league club. There are two main obstacles in his future: Albuquerque, and injury. The Pacific Coast League will test his abilities to their greatest extent yet, as it does for all young pitchers. Injury is a risk for any young pitcher, and since he has already broken down once in his career, the Dodgers should be careful with his workload.

If he can overcome those two obstacles, he should have a fine career.

John Sickels is the author of the STATS 1999 Minor League Scouting Notebook. You can email your questions to him at JASickels@AOL.com.