First of all, I want to thank everyone who writes in with questions for the mailbag. I get more questions than I can possibly respond to (at least if I want to have time left over for eating, sleeping, changing diapers, paying small amounts of attention to my wife, and watching NYPD Blue,) so please bear with me if you don't receive a reply, either here or through e-mail.
I read every question, and I appreciate every one. Thanks for your interest.
And now, to business.
Tony M. writes: With Mitch Meluskey out for the season, what are the odds Detroit sticks with Brandon Inge? And if they do, do you see him being able to perform well at the major-league level with very little Triple-A experience?
Inge is holding the job so far, hitting .273. His defense has been both promising and shaky, in the sense that he shows good mobility and athletic ability, but is error-prone. Since he was an infielder three years ago, this is not unexpected. His hitting is likely to tail off; his career minor-league average is .242, and he has neither power nor plate discipline.
Inge's main competition is Javier Cardona, who has a stronger minor league track record, at least with the bat, but who is not a favorite of scouts. I think the best Inge can be is a switch-hitting Brad Ausmus, but I doubt that will happen this year. He'll be lucky to hit .250 this year, and won't produce much power.
Brad A. writes: I am really bummed out about the death of Mets' prospect Brian Cole. He was one of my favorite prospects, and not just because he was a Met farmhand. I really liked his performance in the minor leagues, and I thought he would turn into an excellent major-league ballplayer. His rise
from an 18th-round pick to solid prospect pleased me because I always root for the underdog. Cole will be missed.
I received several questions about Brian following his tragic death in a car accident just after spring training. Some of these were actually a bit tacky, on the order of "how does this effect the Mets farm system." I didn't think it was appropriate to address that until after a reasonable time had passed, out of respect for Brian and his family.
I, too, rooted for Cole, for much the same reasons you did: I like underdogs. I was a bit concerned about his low walk rate, but was very impressed with his combination of power and blazing speed. The Mets farm system is quite thin in position talent, so it was a big blow from a purely pragmatic standpoint.
Of course, the important thing is the loss of a young life from something so unfortunate as a car accident. Sadly, things like that happen every day, but we only hear about it on a national scale when it involves an athlete or celebrity.
Greg C. asks: With the Brewers actually trying to build up a team around a talented young core of players, where does farm system rocket armed prospect Nick Neugebauer fit in the picture? Is he finally gaining some control of his gazillion mile per hour pitches?
Neugebauer has a killer arm. His fastball is more in the quintillion range, having been clocked consistently at 99 mph last year. He also throws a 90-mph slider, and has shown some touch with a changeup. His control is rather shaky, however; his mechanics are very inconsistent. He dominates as readily as he struggles.
He is 0-3, 5.79 in four Double-A starts this year. Although he has fanned 28 in 18.2 innings for Huntsville, he has also walked 10 and allowed 27 (27!) hits.
A lot of people think Neugebauer will be better off in the bullpen, and that may turn out to be the case. Despite his arm strength, I would not expect to see him in the major leagues for at least a year.
C.F. writes: What is the progress of the flame-throwing Josh Beckett out of Spring High School in Houston, Texas. I know he was drafted in the first round in '99 and got a huge signing bonus, but have heard little since.
Beckett pitched well in 2000, but missed much of the season with a sore arm. The Marlins were very careful with him, and he is clearly one of the best pitching prospects in the game today.
This year, Beckett has been overpowering. In 17.2 innings for Brevard County in the Florida State League, Beckett has yielded two runs, neither earned, for a nice, tidy ERA of 0.00. He has fanned 24, while allowing just six hits and four walks. He has his 95-mph fastball and nasty curve in good working order, and obviously there is nothing wrong with his control or command this year.
We will deal with Beckett in more detail in the coming weeks.
Josh F. asks: Do you think it is time for the Twins to give up on Ryan Mills? The guy simply does not look as if he will ever get his pitching motion fixed. Also, is there any chance the Twins might take the plunge and draft Mark Teixeira? This guy would provide what the Twins need most -- power.
The big problem for the Twins with Teixeira is money. There is speculation that their fast start this year may convince skinflint owner Carl Pohlad to open the purse strings for Teixeira, or perhaps USC right-hander Mark Prior, but that remains to be seen. The Twins have a good third baseman in Corey Koskie, and I think they are more likely to draft Prior than Teixeira. They may also go for Minnesota high school catcher Joe Mauer, who is a top quarterback recruit but has a strong power bat.
As for Mills, the 1998 first-rounder out of Arizona State, it's hard to know what to think. No one wants to give up on a guy who can still hit 95 mph, but his control has been awful and he seems to get down on himself when things don't go well. He has a 6.00 ERA through three starts at Double-A New Britain, which obviously isn't good. A positive sign is that he's walked just four in 15 innings.
If I were the Twins, I would consider moving Mills to the bullpen. I know they want to make him a starter, but something about that just isn't working. Sometimes a change in roles can work wonders for a guy like Mills. Maybe they should just tell him to come in and throw hard for an inning or two at a time, and not worry about pacing himself or changing speeds. Nothing else seems to help.
By the way, a lefty to watch in the Twins system is Brad Thomas, who may turn out to be everything that Mills was supposed to be.
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.
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