ESPN.com: MLB - Does future remain bright for Mets prospect Escobar?

There is still time to sign up for the Baseball HQ Arizona Fall League Fantasy Baseball Symposium, but space is filling up quickly, and the early bird rate expires on Friday. The conference runs from Nov. 2-4, and you can find out more about it at: http://www.baseballhq.com/afl2001/index.htm.

Let's hit the mailbag.

Thomas Q. writes: What do you think of Red Sox lefty Greg Montalbano, pitching for the Double-A Trenton Thunder? I went to school with him, and still remain in contact with him.

In eight starts with Double-A Trenton, Montalbano is 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA, but ratios are quite good: 36 strikeouts and 11 walks in 38 innings. He's held lefties to a .167 average, but has had a bit of trouble with right-handers. Still, I like the K/BB and that is the best indicator for his future.

Montalbano was a fifth round pick in 1999 out of Northeastern University. His fastball isn't the best in the universe (that belongs to Hydroxil Regtoli of Zeta Reticuli IV, recently clocked at 214 mph), but he throws strikes with it and does a good job placing his curveball and changeup in the strike zone. As you probably know, he overcame testicular cancer in college, so he's proven his mental and emotional toughness. As finesse lefties go, I like him, and I think he is one of the bright spots in the Red Sox farm system.

A Mets fans asks: Alex Escobar has been pronounced the crowned jewel of the farm system, but has struggled at both the major-league level and at Triple-A this season. Do you believe he will still become the star five-tool player that he was forecasted to be?

We've discussed Escobar before, but with the season winding down it is a good idea to revisit.

Escobar has always had trouble controlling the strike zone, but this is the first time it has seriously hindered his production. Major-league pitchers, as well as their Triple-A counterparts, have discovered that you don't have to throw him anything in the strike zone. He does a good job getting himself out on pitches off the plate.

Escobar is hitting .256 with just a .321 OBP and a .423 slugging percentage. He does have 18 steals and has been caught just three times, but that doesn't make up for the mediocre production. His walk rate is inadequate, with 32 unintentional passes in 106 games, and his strikeout rate is dreadful: 140 whiffs.

Unless he gets the strike zone under control, he won't reach his physical potential. I think the odds are a bit less than 50-50 that he will do consistently well in the major leagues.

Scott J. writes: Having played ball with Kit Pellow in Olathe, Kansas, I have followed his pro career closely. I was wondering if you had any word on whether the Royals are going to make him a late season call-up this year. He's hitting .296 as of Wednesday, and his power has always been impressive. Surely, he's worth a look in Dave McCarty's roster spot, as McCarty has been unimpressive this year.

I haven't heard anything about whether or not the Royals will give Pellow a shot next month. It would make sense as a public relations move at the least: he is from the Kansas City suburbs, and with the Chiefs sucking up all the media oxygen right now, any positive attention for the Royals helps. Pellow is too old to be a hot prospect, but he's done enough in his career to warrant at least a brief look.

He has good power against mediocre pitching, and is actually rather similar to McCarty in what he could be expected to produce. The trouble is, the Royals gave McCarty a two-year contract last year, so unless they want to eat the money they owe him next season, there is no real spot to play Pellow. Also, he is not on the 40-man roster, so someone would have to get dumped to create a slot for Kit. It's unfortunate, because I do think Pellow's bat could help off the bench.

Joe D. asks: Beau Hale was supposed to be a great pick for the Orioles last year. His report says he throws up to 97 mph and can sit at 93. I got the chance to see him pitch this season, and I can say with certainty that this report is way off. He was nowhere near 97, much less 92. He was extremely hittable at 88-90, and his slider is nothing to get excited about. His stats are bad and from what I could tell he hasn't been good in any game, not just the one I saw. What is your take?

There is no question that Hale has been a disappointment this year. He was very strong at the University of Texas before the 2000 draft, but his velocity has not been as impressive this season, and as you point out the numbers reflect this. He is 1-5 with a 5.11 ERA in 12 games for Double-A Bowie, and hasn't pitched since Aug. 8 due to a sore elbow.

I wouldn't give up on him completely. He did have some good outings at Bowie, and he does have good control, but the drop in velocity is not a positive sign, and he wasn't able to compensate in other ways. I think we need to wait and see how his health issue plays out before concluding that this was a busted first-round pick. If Hale's elbow gets better and he regains the zip on his pitches, he could be a sleeper for next year.

Paul W. writes: In a recent Q/A, you answered a question about J.D. Martin and his excellent K/BB ratio in rookie ball. Given that, I have a question about another pitcher, Nick Ungs, from the Utica Blue Sox. He was not a high draft pick, but has done well so far, with (currently) a 1.62 ERA in 61 IP. Most impressive, however, is the fact that he has yet to walk a batter this year, with 40 strikeouts. What do you think about his performance in this his first year in the New York-Penn league?

Well, the best thing that can be said about Ungs' performance is that it is incredible. I don't care what level you are at, 40 strikeouts and zero walks in 61 innings is beyond superb, especially for someone just starting his career.

Ungs was a 12th-round pick this year from the University of Northern Iowa, which has a pretty good baseball program considering the cold spring weather in that part of the country. He was the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year, but didn't go high in the draft because he is a relatively short right-hander. His fastball is pretty good, in the 90-92 mph range, and his command is obviously outstanding. We need to see what happens to him at higher levels, since lots of guys do well in the NY-P League then fall flat on their faces later on. But so far, Ungs is having a stellar career.

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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