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| Saturday, July 8 | |||||
| Prospects to watch in short-season ball Special to ESPN.com | |||||
| REPORT FILED: JULY 7
This week, we're going to take a look at some of my favorite players to watch in short-season baseball. Some are very young guys, others somewhat older college products. This isn't intended to be a "top prospect" list, but rather a look at players who have something intriguing about them.
We will revisit this at the end of the minor league season. For our purposes here, we are going to ignore anyone who was a first-round pick. You've probably already heard of them; we want the guys you may not be aware of yet.
This week we will look at the two "Short-Season A-Ball" Leagues, the New York-Penn League and the Northwest League. Next week we'll look at the "Rookie Ball" circuits.
Blair Barbier, 1B Chicago Cubs (Eugene, Northwest League) LSU and college baseball fans know about this guy. The ultimate "scrappy" player, Barbier lacks great physical skills and wasn't drafted this year, despite a long and successful career in Louisiana. The Cubs signed the college senior as a free agent after the draft. Is he roster-filler, or something more? We'll know more as he moves up, but so far he's hitting .370. Ben Cordova, OF Kansas City Royals (Spokane, Northwest League) Cordova was a third-round pick from a California high school in 1998. He's made slow progress through the system, slower than many people expected, since his bat was well-regarded in high school. Although his power has yet to develop, he hit .286 in rookie ball last year, and has an excellent walk rate. The Royals have shown the ability to develop hitters recently, so Cordova has a good organization to learn in. Ryan Doumit, C Pittsburgh Pirates (Williamsport, New York-Penn League) A second-round pick in 1999 from high school in Washington, Doumit was a teammate of Twins' first-rounder B.J. Garbe. An excellent defensive catcher, Doumit wasn't a first-round pick himself because of questions about his bat. He hit .282 in rookie ball last year, and is off to a solid start so far this season, showing some power and strike zone judgment. Switch-hitting catchers who can hit and play good defense have a lot of value. The Pirates may have a steal here. Brett Evert, RHP Atlanta Braves (Jamestown, NY-P League) Evert is a typical Braves pitching prospect: a high school pitcher on the road to developing into something interesting. A seventh-round pick last year, Evert doesn't throw a million miles an hour, but stands 6-6, has good control, is intelligent, and will throw harder as he gets older. Think about picking this guy up if you are in a fantasy league with long-term farm systems. Diegomar Markwell, LHP Toronto Blue Jays (Queens, NY-P League) A product of the Netherlands Antilles, Markwell is a 6-3 lefty who doesn't turn 20 until August. He posted a 7.58 ERA in the same league last year, but is doing much better this go around so far, with a 2.81 ERA in his first three games. Improved control is the reason: he has 19 strikeouts in 16 innings, but only five walks. We'll know more about his chances once he reaches full-season ball, but keep an eye on this guy. Darin Moore, RHP Oakland Athletics (Vancouver, Northwest League) Moore was supposed to be in the California League this year. Drafted in the fifth round last year from the University of the Pacific, Moore has a 90 mph fastball and a sharp slider. Unfortunately, he's had terrible control problems in two attempts in the Cal League. The Athletics have sent him to short-season ball to help rebuild his mechanics and confidence. Will it work? Maybe. He was very good in college. Luis Torres, RHP Montreal Expos (Vermont, NY-P League) The Expos get a lot of their talent from Latin America, and here's another find. Torres was signed from Venezuela as a free agent in 1998. He has a 93-94 mph fastball, generated from his thin-but-projectable 6-5 frame. He still needs to learn a breaking pitch, but he's only 19. The key now is to get innings and experience, and the NY-P League is a good place for that. J.R. Warner, OF Anaheim Angels (Boise, Northwest League) Warner was a 26th-round pick this year from the University of Missouri. Not considered a hot prospect, Warner is off to a .338, 3 HR, 12 RBI start in 16 Northwest League games. I saw him play in college; he has considerable power from the left side, and I think there's a chance he'll continue to hit as he moves up. On the other hand, lots of college guys rip up the short-season leagues, only to fail once they reach full-season ball. We'll know more next year, but if Warner does continue hitting, the thin Angels system will enable him to move up quickly. Josh Wilson, SS Florida Marlins (Utica, NY-P League) The Marlins drafted Wilson in the third round from high school in Pittsburgh last spring. He hit .266 with little power in the Gulf Coast League after signing, but scouts liked his quick bat and intelligent play, and he's doing very well so far this campaign. Very well is actually an understatement: try .393 with nine walks, three doubles, and three triples in 15 games. On the other hand, he's made seven errors. If he can improve his glove, Wilson has a fine future ahead of him. I'm not a huge college basketball fan, but I want to thank Roy Williams for staying at the University of Kansas. He's one of the true class acts in the sporting world, and I'm glad he's staying here in Lawrence. Thanks, Roy. John Sickels is the author of the STATS 2000 Minor League Scouting Notebook. You can email your questions to him at JASickels@AOL.com. | ALSO SEE Down on the Farm archive | ||||