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| Saturday, July 8 | |||||
| Future looks bright for Anderson, Garland Special to ESPN.com | |||||
| REPORT FILED: JULY 8
Here are some prospects to watch for in the second half. These are guys currently in the minors who could end up being contributors down the stretch.
Ryan Anderson, LHP, Seattle Mariners The Mariners were hoping that Anderson would take the Pacific Coast League by storm, enabling them to call him up for the second half with a minimum of grumbling from the player development folks. While Anderson hasn't exactly struggled, he has had some trouble throwing strikes after a quick start to the season. He has 121 strikeouts in 88 innings, but has walked 48 and has had bouts of control trouble. On the other hand, a 4.58 ERA is just fine by PCL standards. If Anderson does some decent pitching over the next few weeks, it's still a decent bet he could see the majors before September. Ramon Castro, C, Florida Marlins Neither of the Florida catchers (Mark Redmond and Paul Bako) have been especially productive this year, and word from Miami is that Castro could get his chance soon. He's hitting .347 with a .658 slugging percentage so far for Calgary, and has played well defensively. Castro is the catcher of the future for the Marlins, and that could be the very near future unless Redmond and Bako suddenly start hitting. Jon Garland, RHP, Chicago White Sox He's already in the majors, having replaced the struggling Kip Wells in the rotation last week. Garland was hammered in his first start, but considering how badly Wells has pitched, and how good Garland was in Triple-A, expect the Sox to give Garland a good long look in the approaching dog days. He has excellent long-term potential, but like all young pitchers, he will face the inevitable adjustment problems as he gets used to the majors. Don't expect him to make a huge impact right away. Adrian Hernandez, RHP, New York Yankees With the major league pitching staff struggling with injuries and age, the Yankees are hoping, praying, that their most recent Cuban import makes a quick adjustment to North American baseball. So far so good; he's already reached Triple-A, and threw a seven-inning complete game in his first start. Expect Hernandez to spend at least a couple more weeks at Columbus, but if he does well there is little standing between him and the Bronx. Wade Miller, RHP, Houston Astros The Astros are expected to promote Miller shortly after the All-Star break. The right-hander has a fine 3.67 ERA in 15 starts for Triple-A New Orleans. He throws a good fastball and a nasty slider, and with little left to prove in Triple-A, he could fit either as a starter or a reliever for the beleaguered Astros. Don't expect him to rack up a bunch of wins, but Miller can likely be had for a buck or two in many fantasy leagues, and could sneak some quality innings onto your staff. Tomokazu Ohka, RHP, Boston Red Sox Ohka is ready to leave Triple-A, but the Red Sox don't seem to have a clear spot on their roster for him. His name is constantly mentioned in trade rumors. Odds are, he'll be pitching for another organization come the first of August, probably in a starting role. He won't dominate immediately, but given time to adjust, he should develop into an inning-eating strike-thrower. Ramon Ortiz, RHP, Anaheim Angels Ortiz got a call to the majors and pitched a good game Friday night subbing for the injured Tim Belcher, but went back to the minors. That could be temporary. Although Ortiz's stats in Triple-A aren't great, scouts say he is making major progress harnessing his 95 mph fastball and rude slider. The Angels can't count on their fragile vets, meaning that Ortiz should get another chance sooner rather than later. Corey Patterson, OF, Chicago Cubs With the Cubs out of the race, manager Don Baylor is talking like he wants to bring Patterson to the majors in late July for an extended audition. The extremely talented young outfielder has struggled in Double-A at times this year, due to inconsistent strike zone judgment. He's still just a baby, and a rational organization would keep him in the minors for the rest of the year, gathering experience, gaining consistency, learning the strike zone, and keeping his service time clock set at 0:00. But the Cubs are not a rational organization. Reggie Taylor, OF, Philadelphia Phillies Reggie Taylor? What's Reggie Taylor doing on this list? Sabermetric types like me are down on Taylor due to his consistently poor strike zone judgment, and with good reason. Guys like Taylor who have great athletic tools but lack refinement usually disappoint. But Taylor is hitting .326 with a .567 slugging percentage in Triple-A, and has been very hot lately. If the Phillies move some veterans this month, he could get a chance to play. He'd struggle in the long run, but is the sort of guy who could rip off two weeks worth of solid numbers before the pitchers figure him out. Could be a classic buy-low, sell-high player for fantasy investors. Don't hold onto him long-term unless you feel like gambling. Barry Zito, LHP, Oakland Athletics Last year it was Mark Mulder, this year it is Zito. Anyone with a 3.43 ERA in the Pacific Coast League deserves respect, especially when it is in their first full pro season. Oakland wants Zito to get as much Triple-A time as possible, but if they need a starter down the stretch, he has a higher upside than the other available options at Sacramento, Ariel Prieto and Rich Delucia. 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 | ||||