NL Rookie Roundup

Jason Michael Barker

Last week I called the American League rookies "pretty weak" as a collective group. Fortunately for those of you reading this article, and for me who's typing it, the National League crop seems to be a bit stronger so far this season. As with the AL rookies, the players I'm going to talk about today differ greatly from those I previewed two months ago. Only two players -- Philadelphia SS Jimmy Rollins and Milwaukee P Ben Sheets -- are repeat offenders, in fact.

Before getting to the top rookies in the Senior Circuit, here's a quick look at what happened to the players from two months ago who didn't make this list:

Kurt Ainsworth, Giants. Ainsworth entered spring training as a long shot to make the starting rotation, and sure enough, he began the year at AAA Fresno. If he wants to make the big club soon, he certainly isn't showing it with his pitching -- he has a 6.91 ERA and has walked 16 batters in 27.1 innings.

Pedro Feliz, Giants. Unlike Ainsworth, Feliz did make the Giants this spring but so far just hasn't played all that much. He's hitting .242/.278/.273 in 33 at-bats, with most of the 3B at-bats in San Fran going to superstar Russ Davis (that's sarcasm, folks).

Craig House, Rockies. Working in relief for AAA Colorado Springs, House has struck out 21 batters in 17.1 innings but has struggled with his control, walking 10 and throwing four wild pitches. I still expect to see him with the Rockies later this year.

Xavier Nady, Padres. I was way off on this one -- when the Padres gave Nady four at-bats in the majors last season after drafting him out of college in June, I took it as an indication that they thought he was close to "the show." Wrong-o! Nady is currently playing first base in the high-A California League, and hitting quite well (.316/.373/.525).

Corey Patterson, Cubs. Often called the top outfield prospect in the game, Patterson is off to a rough start at AAA Iowa -- .255/.299/.391 in 100 at-bats, with poor strikezone judgement. He's still extremely young and a player to watch, however.

Milton Bradley, Expos. Much like Peter Bergeron last year, Bradley is off to a slow start in Montreal, hitting only .183 with marginal strikezone judgement. Check it out -- I made it though this comment without making a bad board game joke.

Now on to the players worthy of a real mention.

Three years ago, Luke Prokopec tore though the California League on his way to many top prospect lists. He struggled mightily in the AA Texas League in 1999, but returned to San Antonio last season and pitched extremely well, earning a late-season trial with the Dodgers. This winter the Dodgers spent a ton of money on both Darren Dreifort and Andy Ashby, but Prokopec has out-pitched both of them this season, all for a paltry $200,000 salary -- 3.16 ERA, with only 17 hits and five walks allowed in 25.2 innings, and all five of those walks came in his last start.

If there's an early favorite for NL Rookie of the Year honors, it has to be Albert Pujols, who has played third, first and both outfield corners. A number of people (myself included) scoffed when the Cardinals thought they could trade Fernando Tatis to make room at the hot corner for a guy who had only 95 at-bats above low-A ball, but so far he's made a believer out of me. Just 21 years of age, he's hitting .361/.426/.676 this season with a decent walk rate. He's going to cool down, but WOW.

Chris Reitsma was once a top prospect in the Red Sox farm system, but he broke his elbow in 1997 (ouch!) and got off-track for a few years. He pitched well last season, splitting time between high-A Sarasota and AA Trenton, allowing 173 baserunners in 154.2 innings (10.1 per nine). He's right around 12 runners per nine this year in six starts, and his 4.11 ERA is a bit lower than you might expect given that number and his low strikeout rate (5.4 per nine innings). He has pitched well so far, but look out -- his secondary numbers are weak and he could hit the wall any minute.

Much like Reitsma, Ben Sheets' 3.70 ERA doesn't really reflect how he has pitched this season, as he has allowed 26 hits and 13 walks in 24.1 innings. Actually, this is quite similar to how he pitched in the minors last season, where his ratios were far from stellar. Because they're the Brewers, Sheets is learning his craft in the majors. He was sent down temporarily after a couple of rough outings early in the year; the Brewers claim it was because they didn't need a fifth starter and wanted him to get regular work. Whatever the reason, Sheets has pitched much better in his last two starts since being recalled.

Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins probably should have gone in the first section of this piece, but I made a big deal about him two months ago and I figured I should stand by my comments. I even went so far as to say Rollins was my pick for Rookie of the Year honors in the NL. First, I don't think anyone had any idea how good Albert Pujols was going to be. Second, Rollins just isn't hitting yet -- .243/.298/.324 in 111 at-bats, mostly in the second spot in the batting order. Manager Larry Bowa has been patient with him so far, and his defense (only one error in 93 chances) has justified his playing time thus far. I still think Rollins will come around, and he's only 22, but there's a big difference between AAA and the majors.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker fancies himself as the Albert Pujols of Strikethree.com, but everyone else thinks that's kind of silly since he's been around for ahwile, didn't come out of nowhere, and isn't tearing up the 'Net. Suggest he's more of a Craig Paquette-type when you write to jmb@strikethree.com.

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