Let's dig right in.
Dave A. writes: The Giants have Damon Minor, Sean McGowan, Pedro Feliz, Tony Torcato and Lance Niekro. In view of the total dearth of Giants outfield prospects, and the logjam the Giants have at the corners, which of these prospects could be switched to the outfield?
Hmm ... good question. All of these guys, especially McGowan, Torcato and Niekro, have strong bats, but none of them are super-athletic enough to move to the outfield without having to work at it. You won't see any of these guys in center field, for example, and none of them have more than average speed or range.
McGowan is off to a hot start so far at Fresno, and has played two of seven games in the outfield, with Minor at first base. McGowan is better off at first base, but can handle a corner spot without killing the defense. Niekro and Torcato are both in the California League, with Niekro playing third base and the Torcato being the DH so far for San Jose. Feliz is in the majors, playing third base.
So, in a way the Giants have already answered your question, by playing McGowan in the outfield and leaving the other guys alone so far this year. It's too early to draw any significant conclusions, other to say that the Giants will find likely find room for at least two of these guys if they hit as expected.
Fantasy players might want to take a look at McGowan. He's got a strong hitting track record but has received little notice so far.
Troy D. asks: What do you make of Alfonso Soriano's big spring and D'Angelo Jimenez's weak one? I had thought of Jimenez as the better prospect and maybe the Yankee second baseman of the (very) near future.
|  | | Alfonso Soriano is hitting .333 with five RBI through nine games. |
I saw Soriano play against the Royals twice this past weekend, and he looked really good, showing a quick bat and improved strike zone judgment. We need to see what he can do against stronger pitching of course, and the pitchers will exploit his weaknesses if he starts losing plate discipline again.
Soriano has shown much better concentration and defensive polish than he did last year, and a lot of people believe he has turned the corner from his somewhat disappointing 2000 campaign. I'm waiting to see what happens as the season progresses, but I'm cautiously optimistic about him. I think he'll hold the second base job without too much trouble.
I had also thought of Jimenez as the superior of the two, at least until his horrible car wreck last winter. He seems recovered physically but is still getting his overall game back to previous levels. He's 6-for-13 for Columbus so far, and I still expect he'll have a great career.
Evan D. writes: Hi, John. I was wondering if you could fill me in on the three
prospects the Dodgers received in the Antonio Osuna trade? I know Gary Majewski is listed by Baseball America as the Sox' 11th best prospect, but that's about the extent of my knowledge of them.
Osuna went to the White Sox for minor-league pitchers Majewski, Andre Simpson and Orlando Rodriguez.
Simpson saved 15 games for Class A Burlington in 2000, but like most minor-league closers he projects mainly as a middle reliever at best. Rodriguez is a southpaw from the Dominican Republic. He has a fairly live arm, but stands just 5-11 and posted a 4.20 ERA in rookie ball last year. He is a very long way from being ready to help in the majors.
Majewski is definitely the best prospect of the trio. He has an ideal body at 6-2, 200 pounds, throws right-handed. He's 21 years old, throws 90-93 mph, and has a good slider. He is also quite bright, and unlike many young pitchers, he is willing to work inside. He held Midwest League hitters to a .181 mark last year.
In many organizations, Majewski would have been an untouchable prospect, but the White Sox have sufficient pitching depth in their farm system that they were willing to let him go. The Dodgers system is weaker than it has been in years, and certainly appreciates the acquisition of Majewski.
Jimmy asks: Due to signability, it appears that both Mark Teixeira and Mark Prior will not be picked by the Twins (who have the top pick) and therefore one will be picked by the Cubs as the number two pick overall. Which one would you pick if you were the Cubs?
That's a toughie. Teixeira is a terrific power hitter with awesome strike zone judgment. Prior might be the best 21-year old pitcher in North America, at the college or pro level.
The Cubs have several good third base prospects, but they also have several good pitching prospects, so it's not like their system has a glaring hole that would push them towards picking one player or the other. They have sufficient revenue resources to sign either player, so that shouldn't be an issue, either.
I think I would pick Teixeira, his current broken ankle aside. Even the very best pitching prospects have a higher risk of failure than hitting prospects, and if you're gonna be spending heaps of dough on a draft pick, you might as well go with the one who historically has a better chance to succeed. Plus, the idea of Teixeira in the same lineup with Hee Seop Choi and Corey Patterson should send chills down the spine of opposing pitchers, along with ripples of pleasure through the being of Cubs fans.
Jason W. writes: Knuckleballers have always fascinated me. My question is this: why do we not see this particular type of pitch in the repertoire of today's pitchers? Is it that difficult to learn to throw it with accuracy? One would think that it would make for an incredible changeup pitch.
The knuckleball is a very difficult pitch to learn. Few pitchers try to master its intricacies, and even fewer succeed. Not everyone can be Phil Niekro, or even Steve Sparks.
That said, I've always thought that a major-league team should try and actively develop a knuckleball pitcher. It would work this way. The ideal candidate would be a pitcher coming out of a four-year college, someone who is intelligent, with a good work ethic, highly motivated, but who lacks a blazing fastball and is considered to be a less than marginal prospect.
The first step would be to convince the pitcher to be emotionally and intellectually committed to becoming a knuckleballer. Fastballs may be sexy, but if the knuckler works, it's the results that count. The team would also have to promise itself, and the pitcher, that he won't be released immediately if it doesn't work out. He will need some sense of job security to have the patience to make the adjustment. Then you'd need to hire a Niekro brother or Tom Candiotti or someone to teach him how to throw the pitch and be his personal pitching coach.
At the very least it would be an interesting experiment.
John Sickels is the author of the 2001 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at hometown.aol.com/jasickels/page1.html.
| |
|
