Mike A. asks: I know that high school-drafted pitching prospects are tough to predict, but if you had to pick a few, who would you say were among the best in the minors today?

Two of my favorite prospects are high school pitchers who came out of the 2001 draft, Kris Honel of the White Sox and Gavin Floyd of the Phillies. We discussed Honel a couple of weeks ago. Floyd also needs attention. Another guy I like, from the 2000 draft, is Joel Hanrahan of the Dodgers. Here is a comparison of the three. This is not any sort of comprehensive list, these are just three guys I think are worthy of close attention.

Name	DOB	HT	WT	2002 Team	W-L	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
Kris Honel	11/07/82	6-5	180	Kannapolis	9-8	153	128	52	152	2.82
Gavin Floyd	1/27/83	6-6	210	Lakewood	11-10	166	119	64	140	2.77
Joel Hanrahan	10/06/81	6-3	210	Vero Beach	10-6	144	129	51	139	4.25

I like Honel because of his excellent curveball/fastball combination. His numbers in the Sally League were fine, very good for a pitcher from a cold weather state (Illinois). For more details about him, check out the link above.

Floyd was the fourth-overall pick in the 2001 draft, out of high school in Maryland. As you can see, he matched Honel's numbers in the same league this year. His strikeout rate was a bit lower, but he also gave up fewer hits. His fastball is excellent, his curve is above-average, and he shows sharp command. I do wonder if the Phillies are pushing him a bit. 166 innings is a lot for a kid his age. But he's clearly one of the best pitching prospects in baseball; you will be hearing his name a lot next year.

Hanrahan has received less attention, but I like him a lot. He was a second-round pick in '00, out of Norwalk, Iowa. He's not quite the overall athlete that Honel and Floyd are, but he has a strong body that promises durability. He throws in the low 90s, throws strikes with his slider and changeup, and pitched much better for Vero Beach than his 4.25 ERA implies. He did excellent work in Double-A when promoted for the playoffs last month.

There has been a strong batch of high school pitching in the last three drafts. Some of the guys drafted this year, Scott Kazmir of the Mets in particular, look really outstanding. A few years ago, scouts were complaining about a dearth of strong arms in the high school ranks, but that seems to be changing. Talent runs in cycles; perhaps this is the start of a pitching renaissance? Of course, we need to see how many of these kids manage to stay healthy.

Ron L. writes: The Pirates have had a lot of players that seemingly have talent, but have not been able to put it all together. It looks like Walter Young is someone that they drafted as a project and might be starting to really turn into a baseball player. J.J. Davis also seems to have turned the corner by growing up this year. Do you think they have shots to be impact players?

Young was a 31st-round pick in 1999, from high school in Mississippi. He's huge, 6-5 and tipping the scales over 300 pounds at times. He can definitely whack the ball, hitting .333 with a .563 slugging percentage this year. He also totaled 34 doubles, 25 homers, and 103 RBI for Hickory in the Sally League. This was his first exposure in full-season ball; at age 22, he'll have to prove out at higher levels. Young has Cecil Fielder-sized power, but he also has Cecil-sized weight and defense issues at first base. His bat is certainly interesting, though he does need to tighten up the strike zone. I'm not sure where the Pirates will play him.

Davis is a much better natural athlete than Young, but until this year was a massive disappointment, a former first-round pick without a strong track record of hitting. There were rumors last year he might turn to pitching, but he's remained an outfielder, and hit .287 with 20 homers this year in Double-A. He's 23, so it is possible he turned a corner this year, although he was repeating the league. His strike zone judgment still needs work, but if he can build on what he did this year, it's conceivable he could end up being a good player. He drew comparisons to Dave Winfield in high school, but that seems unlikely now. If he does continue to improve, he might be Jermaine Dye. We'll know more after he faces Triple-A pitching next year.

Andrew S. asks: As a student at Clemson, I had the pleasure of watching Khalil Greene play college baseball. I recently read that Padres GM Kevin Towers said Greene might reach the big leagues as soon as next season. I would like to hear your opinion on this possibility and what you think of Khalil and his major-league potential.

I'm a big Khalil Greene fan. He was the best player in college baseball this year, then hit .317/.368/.535 in the California League after signing. He's a polished hitter with good power, is fundamentally sound, hustles, and is underrated as a defensive shortstop, in my opinion. Some people think he'll have to shift to second base eventually, but if David Eckstein can play shortstop, Khalil Greene certainly can.

I think it would be a long shot for him to be the starting shortstop in San Diego next April, but it would not surprise me at all to see him in a Padres uniform by September, or earlier if he does well in Double-A/Triple-A. We need to see what he does against higher level pitching, but so far he has not found a level he can't master. My ETA for him would be the second half of next year or the first half of 2004, but it's possible he could be up sooner, if he's blistering hot in the spring and the Pads don't have anyone else.

Mike S. writes: I'm a longtime Jays fan and I really like the young position players we've seen on the team for the second half this year (as does almost everyone else in baseball). The thing we keep hearing about is that they need some young pitchers to step in after Roy Halladay. Unfortunately I haven't heard much news there. Is there anyone in their system you've seen who you think could have an impact soon?

The Blue Jays under former GM Gord Ash made a fetish of drafting and signing raw arms, guys with strong fastballs but lacking polish, on the theory that they could be turned into pitchers. With few exceptions, it didn't work. Under current GM J.P. Ricciardi, the Jays are focusing more on pitchability and command. Stuff is extremely important, of course, but if you don't know how to use your fastball, all the velocity in the world won't help you.

I don't see many young pitchers poised for an immediate earth-shattering impact next spring, although the Jays have several names I like in the medium and long terms. Mike Smith and Pasqual Coco at Triple-A Syracuse have major-league arms, although I don't see either one making a huge splash soon. I've liked Smith a lot in the past, but he got hammered in his major-league time this year, and his strikeout rate is down. Coco could be anything, good bad or in between. The best bet in Double-A looks like Vinny Chulk, who went 13-5, 2.96. He has good stuff, including a 90-mph fastball and a hard slider, although some people think he projects more as a reliever than a starter. He could help next year.

In the medium and long terms, I like Francisco Rosario, who has blistering stuff and made Class A hitters look foolish this year. He gave up just 33 hits in 63 innings at Dunedin. Class A Charleston featured several intriguing hurlers, including Neomar Flores, Jesse Harper, Dustin McGowan, and Chris Mowday. Short-season Auburn's roster had names you could hear more about next year, including rapidly-advancing 2002 draftee David Bush (10 saves, 39 strikeouts in 22 innings), D.J. Hanson (51/11 K/BB in 48 innings), and projectable Brandon League.

In short, I don't see a whole bunch of top-notch immediate pitching help for 2003, but there is hope for the future.

John Sickels is the author of the 2002 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. He is currently writing a biography of Bob Feller. 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 johnsickels.com.