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	Tuesday, August 8
	Jesus Colome By John Sickels Special to ESPN.com
	REPORT FILED: AUGUST 4 The new format that we experimented with last week was popular, so from now on we will have one prospect report and some e-mail questions weekly. I did Aubrey Huff of the Devil Rays last week, and while I would not normally do another Tampa Bay player for awhile, my plans were overtaken by events. I was going to do a profile on Jesus Colome of the Athletics, but he was traded to Tampa Bay for Jim Mecir. Since I received several inquiries about Colome after he was traded, I decided to go ahead and write him up. Readers should rest assured that I'm not planning on concentrating on the Florida teams to the exclusion of everyone else. It just happened that way. Jesus Colome Tampa Bay Devil Rays Position: RHP Height: 6-2 Weight: 190 Born: 6/2/80 Year Team Level G GS IP H R ER BB K W-L ERA SV 1999 Modesto A 31 22 128.2 125 63 48 60 127 8-4 3.36 1 2000 Midland AA 20 20 110.1 99 62 44 50 95 9-4 3.59 0 2000 Orlando AA 1 1 5.0 8 2 2 0 3 1-0 3.60 0 Mecir is a very good pitcher and will strengthen the Athletics' bullpen for the stretch run. But he didn't come cheaply, and Oakland may regret giving up Colome. Oakland has an increasingly productive farm system, and a big reason is their underrated Latin American program, which has a strong presence in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Colome is from the Dominican, and is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, although his press clippings haven't caught up with his ability just yet. Although he is barely 20 years old, Colome can already buzz the radar guns at 95 mph consistently, and has been timed as high as 100 mph on occasion. Most kids who throw that hard at that age also have control troubles, and while Colome isn't exactly Greg Maddux on the mound and will walk his share of people, he's not a wild thrower, either. He has an idea about how to pitch, and while his slider and changeup still need refinement, they are pretty decent considering his age and the fact that he hasn't needed them to get people out at the lower levels. His mechanics are inconsistent, again a typical problem for a young pitcher, and there is some concern about how durable he will be. On the other hand, he has a good health record so far in his career. Colome has pitched very well against tough competition. He did well in the California League last year, and has done extremely well in Double-A this year. The Texas League is rough on pitchers, Midland in particular, but he more than held his own before the trade, and pitched well in his first start in the Tampa Bay system. A word of caution: he seems to give up a large number of unearned runs, which keeps his ERA solid but may come to haunt him as he moves up. You have to love Colome's combination of velocity, youth, and statistical performance. The two main questions for him are long-term health, as it is for any young pitcher, and his role at higher levels. The Athletics talked a bit about using him as a reliever, especially if his durability became a concern. Since he is doing well as a starter, there is no reason to make the switch just yet, but it is still a possibility. Given his youth, the Devil Rays should be cautious and give him a full year of Triple-A ball before pushing him into a major league role. Mailbag questions John M. writes: In light of Michael Cuddyer's poor performance this year at Double-A, do you now see him as something less than an A-prospect, or do you think this year has been a fluke or an insignificant bump in the road? I thought Cuddyer would break out this year, but he's been a pretty major disappointment, hitting .270 but with little power in Double-A. He's still very young, and his strike zone judgment remains good (48 walks, 70 strikeouts in 385 at-bats), so it's not like he's completely fallen flat on his face. But he's not nearly as productive as he was last year, and until he actually hits well in Double-A, you have to wonder. Another concern is his glove: he's made 30 errors, and we all know how Tom Kelly feels about guys who make defensive mistakes. On the other hand, if Cuddyer had accepted his scholarship to Florida State rather than signing with the Twins in 1997, he would have just been drafted this year. A college guy going straight to Double-A and hitting .270 with sound strike zone judgment, even without much power, would still be considered a good prospect. It is way too early to give up on Cuddyer, but we obviously have to cut his grade from where it was last year. Greg C. writes: With Scott Seabol having another fine season this year in the Eastern League, is he starting to look like a legitimate prospect instead of a one-year wonder? Seabol hit .315 with 15 homers in the South Atlantic League in 1999. This year he's hitting .293 for Norwich in Double-A, and has set a career-high with 19 homers. He's also played well defensively at third base, and with Drew Henson out of the picture in New York, Seabol may have a chance to supplant Scott Brosius at third base eventually. There are cautions. Seabol has never excited scouts: he was an 88th-round pick in 1996 from West Virginia, and it's safe to say that 88th-round picks aren't given a lot of slack as prospects. The bigger issue is age: he's 25, and this is his first year in Double-A. The fact that he's doing well there is a good sign of course, but it's not like he has a ton of development time yet. Seabol could become a good player, but he could also top out in Triple-A. The fact that he isn't an especially patient hitter is another possible negative. Richard S. writes: Will Marcus Giles get a chance to be the Braves second baseman eventually? He certainly deserves to. Giles is hitting .283 with 13 homers, 60 walks, and 20 steals for Greenville, with a solid .389 on-base percentage. He's always been able to hit, but the question was about his glove. He has worked hard to improve his defense at second base, and while he'll never be a gold-glover, he's at least adequate out there now and can flash above-average ability. Long-term, he'll make a fine player for someone. Whether it's the Braves or not, I don't know. It depends on what happens with Quilvio Veras. 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