Let's hit the mailbag again. Next week we will return to our normal schedule of a prospect report early in the week and the mailbag late in the week.

Glen T. writes: How is Kansas City pitcher Orber Moreno progressing on his comeback from elbow surgery? Will he be the closer that the Royals needs in 2002?

The good news for Moreno is that he is now healthy. He has successfully rehabbed his elbow from Tommy John surgery, and appears to have both the velocity and movement back on his pitches. The key now will be getting his command back to previous levels. He fanned 25 in 21 innings at Triple-A Omaha, but he also walked eight and posted a 4.71 ERA.

I doubt we'll see Moreno in the closer mix anytime soon. He needs some time to refine his control, and there are at least three pitchers ahead of him in the pecking order (Jeff Austin, Brad Voyles, Shawn Sonnier). I imagine Moreno will be in Triple-A next year, finishing his recovery and waiting for the phone to ring.

Dave B. asks: I played with Rick Asadoorian (a first-round pick with the Red Sox in '99) for a couple years in legion ball in Massachusetts, and I have been following his career ever since. Asadoorian was signed right out of high school and hasn't had the advantage of playing year round in a southern climate. Do you think that he will become a productive player and perhaps get to the major leagues? Or was his talent overrated? If he continues to struggle, how long do you think the Red Sox will hold on to him?

Well, I don't want to say he was overrated yet, since his career is still quite young. But he needs to make some serious adjustments in order to turn his athletic tools into baseball skills. Rick hit just .212 with a .318 slugging percentage at Class A Augusta this year. He did manage to draw 47 walks, but he fanned 139 times in 116 games. For a strong man, just 13 doubles and six homers is horribly inadequate; his swing needs a lot of work. He does run well and has good defensive skills in the outfield, but unless his bat comes around, he'll be a bust.

Asadoorian has just one full year under his belt, so it is too early to give up on him, but the Red Sox have a real project on their hands. They must help him learn the strike zone and craft a swing to translate his strength to power. That's a tall order. I doubt they will give up on him quickly, especially given his New England connections.

Derek D. writes: I know you're not a fan of minor-league closers, but what do you think about Mike Neu's chances of making an impact in the major leagues? He's struck out 102 batters in 64 innings (better than 13 strikeouts per nine innings) for the Reds' Class A Mudville club. Is he too old for the California League?

Neu is 23, which isn't young for the Cal League but isn't horribly old, either. You're right, I tend to be skeptical about minor-league closers, since most of them are soft-tossing artists who struggle in Double-A or Triple-A. Neu may be an exception; he hits 90 and has a good slider, but isn't well-regarded by scouts because he is just 5-foot-10. But he has a career 2.97 ERA with 220 strikeouts in 151 innings, so he's doing something right. I'm anxious to see what he does in Double-A next year. If Neu does well there, he'll have a good shot at a middle-relief role eventually.

John C. writes: What do you think about Dustan Mohr of the Twins?. He has sort of blossomed this past year. He is 25, and was released by Cleveland before the 2000 season, and his Double-A peripherals (walks, stolen bases to caught stealings) don't catch your eye. But he has hit very well, and New Britain is supposed to be a tough hitters' park.

Mohr had a breakthrough year for the Twins in Double-A, hitting .336 with 24 homers (.566 slugging, .395 on-base percentage) before getting a promotion to the major leagues a few weeks ago. He's old for a guy in Double-A, but it was his first year at the level and he certainly didn't have problems with it. .336 at New Britain is about .280 in Minnesota, but Mohr hadn't done anything like this before, and his strike zone judgment is rather shaky. I've heard very good things about his work ethic and leadership skills.

To be honest, I want to see another year out of him before projecting him as a good bench player. He doesn't have terrific physical tools, so unless he keeps performing at this level he is unlikely to get a lot of slack from scouts and player development people.

Tom asks: I am wondering how come many pitchers lose some velocity in their first exposure to pro ball? I read a mailbag recently and saw that Beau Hale's (Orioles' first-round pick in '00) velocity has been down. I also read that Ben Diggins (Dodgers' first-rounder in '00) was throwing 88 mph and now is consistently at 92 mph. Why does this happen and what do they have to do to regain their heat?

There are a couple of factors that go into this. First of all, when you hear the phrase "95 mph fastball," take it with a grain of salt, especially about amateur pitchers. Many times the velocity report you see in the press is a bit exaggerated. If a guy throws 10 fastballs, eight at 92 mph, one at 93 mph, and one at 95 mph, he'll be listed as "throws 95" a lot of times. I try to avoid doing that, often shaving one or two mph off any velocity report I get, but even then you have to be careful. Secondly, even pitchers with genuinely great stuff (Diggins would qualify there) often do experience a velocity decline when they first enter pro ball. I think that has to do with the different patterns of work.

Pitching in the minor leagues is a lot different than pitching in college. The pattern of life is much different, and it oftentimes takes a pitcher time to adjust both physically and mentally. This is especially true if a pitcher is having his mechanics adjusted by the coaches, which is rather common when guys become professionals.

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.