2001 AL Rookie Watch

Jason Michael Barker

With spring training just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about the youngsters who'll be making a difference in Major League Baseball this coming season. Some of these, such as Kansas City's Dee Brown, are top prospects whose time has finally come. Others, such as Detroit's Adam Bernaro (if you find yourself asking "who?", don't worry), are unheralded types who find themselves in the right situation at the right time.

In Oakland, Billy Beane moved 2B Randy Velarde to the Texas Rangers this winter just in time to make room for Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Jose Ortiz. He enters the spring with the job his to lose, but somehow I doubt even a horrific pre-season would convince the A's that Miguel Cairo is better suited for the job. Ortiz hit a robust .351/.408/.575 last season, and his diminutive 5-9 frame produced 24 homers in 518 at-bats. His strikezone judgement, while still needing some work, is dramatically better than it used to be -- and you know the A's will continue to work with him on it.

Moving north, the Mariners have a pair of rookies set to make an impact in 2001. The first is Japanese sensation Ichiro, the seven-time batting champion who has drawn comparisons to the likes of Johnny Damon and Tony Gwynn for his bat control and ability to hit to all fields. Seattle paid a pretty penny for his services this winter, and he should start the season as the regular rightfielder for Lou Piniella's club.

Next up is LHP Ryan Anderson, who despite his tremendous ability is not a lock to make the club out of spring training. Few people doubt that he'll see the majors some time this season, however. The Mariners have been very patient with Anderson, giving him full years at AA and AAA each of the past two seasons. Still, there are reasons for concern -- he's wildly inconsistent from start to start, he still hasn't mastered his mechanics, he walks too many batters, and he had some minor arm trouble last season. Given his age -- he won't turn 22 until July -- there's no reason to rush him.

The Indians have a pair of interesting pitchers in LHP C.C. Sabathia and RHP Danys Baez who could see time in the majors this season. Sabathia stands 6-7, hits 97 on the radar gun and also throws a devastating curve ball, but is extremely young (20) and has just 90 innings of work above single-A. He might start the season in AAA, but at the very least he should get a September call-up in 2001.

Baez was talked about as a potential starter for the big club heading into last season after he defected from Cuba, but the Tribe wisely started him in the minors. He struggled a bit in high-A ball, but pitched better upon a promotion to AA, and showed excellent control with just 55 walks in 152.1 innings overall. Baez throws 94 and has an improving curve, but scouts say he needs to work on his change-up if he's going to have success in the majors. He might have an outside shot at Cleveland's fifth starter job this spring.

Was there anyone happier in Kansas City happier about the Johnny Damon trade than Dee Brown? Brown was angry about not making the club out of spring training last season, then sulked his way to a disappointing .269/.324/.491 season at AAA. Most upsetting was his walk rate, which slipped dramatically after having always been good in the minors. He's still a tremendous power hitter, however, and should hit if given a chance. Unfortunately for Brown that's no guarantee with the Royals, whose treatment of him is right out of the Tom Kelly school of handling young players.

If you've never heard of Adam Bernaro, don't worry -- you're not alone. Bernaro wasn't even drafted coming out of college, but the Tigers saw fit to sign him as a free agent and so far the decision has paid off. After posting a 2.54 ERA with an excellent 80:23 strikeout-to-walk ratio at single-A in 1999, he breezed through AA and AAA last season, posting ERA's of 2.79 and 2.47 respectively. That performance earned him a late-season trial in Detroit, where he posted a 4.19 ERA in 34.1 innings. He's a good sleeper at the back of the Tigers rotation, and with the big ballpark he could put up some nice numbers.

Another young hurler to watch this year is Minnesota's Matt Kinney, who was stolen from the Red Sox a few years back. He pitched well at AA last season, earning a promotion to AAA Salt Lake City, where he turned in a solid performance despite pitching in a notorious hitters park. A fastball-slider-curveball pitcher, Kinney tops out in the mid-90's and is a big kid at 6-5. He should be a lock for Minnesota's starting rotation coming out of spring training.

Is this the year we get to see former super prospect Vernon Wells in a Toronto uniform? You might remember Wells, who was pushed through the minors in 1999 and won "top prospect" honors in three different leagues before finally landing with the Blue Jays late in the season. He clearly wasn't ready, and returned to AAA last season for more seasoning. He hit just .243, but displayed decent strikezone judgement, hit 16 homers and stole 23 bases in 27 attempts all while playing a stellar defensive centerfield. He's still only 22, and might need a trade -- Shannon Stewart, Jose Cruz Jr. or Raul Mondesi -- to open up a spot with the Blue Jays, as he'd be better off playing everyday in AAA than twice a week as a fourth outfielder.

The Yankees boast two of the more highly regarded infield prospects in baseball in D'Angelo Jimenez and Alfonso Soriano, yet neither one has a place to play next season. Of the two, I'm a bigger fan of Jimenez because he's younger, can handle shortstop, and does a better job controlling the strikezone, but the Yankees seem to prefer Soriano because of the pop in his bat and because he didn't miss all of last season with a serious neck injury, as Jimenez did after an off-season car wreck. There's a good chance one of them will be traded (rumors about a deal with the Mariners for bullpen help surfaced last week), while the other might wind up with a utility job in the Bronx next season.

One guy who should have a job next season is Brent Abernathy, acquired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last season in exchange for Steve Traschel. Abernathy figures to take over at second for the departed Miguel Cairo, and while no star, he should be a cheap productive player over the next couple of years. A .304 career hitter in the minors, Abernathy should hit for average but doesn't walk enough to get his on-base percentage up over the .350 mark, and isn't much of a power hitter either. Still, he's the sort of guy who'll play solid defense with a bat that won't hurt his team.

A player you may have forgotten about is Luis Rivera, who went from the Atlanta Braves to the Orioles last season as part of the B.J. Surhoff trade. Rivera found himself and his tremendous stuff in the majors early last season, but struggled with an annoying blisters problem, then had some arm trouble as well. He only pitched 41.2 innings last season, so his arm should be nice and fresh this spring, and the Orioles could certainly use someone with his talent on their staff.

That's all for now, but tune in next week for a look at the top youngsters in the National League.

about the author

When we asked his friends to describe Jason Michael Barker, the one thing that stood out was "trouble." Tell him to behave himself, thank you very much, when you write to jmb@strikethree.com.

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