Prospect Report:
Thick in the Middle

David Cameron

We enter the hallowed grounds of the AL Central. Most of these teams are alike in their strategies; don't walk, don't pitch, don't win. It's worked to perfection so far. We'll begin with the black sheep of the division

Chicago White Sox

The Pale Hose were ostracized by other general managers for giving Stanford outfielder Joe Borchard a $5.3 million signing bonus. However, it looks like it will pay off nicely. Like most college-polished players, he's moved up the ladder quickly and is playing well in AA this season. He has power to burn and may be able to handle center field defensively. If he can, the White Sox will have one of the most powerful outfields in major league history.

Joe Crede has a very smooth swing and has marched through the White Sox system. He plays an adequate third base but is known for his stick. He has good power, will hit for a high average, and has adequate plate discipline. If he can become a little more patient, he'll be an elite player.

A bit of an unknown prospect, Tim Hummel is more than holding his own in AA at age 22. He's played both second and shortstop but will probably end up at second base in the major leagues. He has shown decent plate discipline with 48 walks in 430 at bats and has had good patience in past seasons. He has good power for a middle infielder -- 38 extra-base hits -- and could provide above average offense from either spot up the middle.

The White Sox have the most upper echelon pitching talent of any organization in baseball, even after adding Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Kip Wells, and Matt Ginter to the major-league roster. The Sox are just loaded. Last year's minor league player of the year, 6'10 Jon Rauch, has missed most of the season with arm problems but should return next season. He doesn't throw as hard as most guys his size but he has good control and a nice changeup. I don't think he'll be an ace, but he should be a third starter in the majors.

Dan Wright has pitched brilliantly in his three major league starts since being promoted from AA, and we shouldn't be surprised. He's really good. He has good control, a 94 MPH fastball, and two solid breaking pitches. He was blowing away Southern League hitters and should be in Chicago's rotation for many years to come.

In all the talk of the depth last season, no one mentioned young Corwin Malone who just may be the best of the bunch. A 20-year-old who struggled in the past, Malone is blowing away hitters in the Carolina League. He mixes three good pitches with very good control and can throw his 94 MPH fastball with great movement. He'd be the best pitching prospect in about half the systems in baseball right now.

Cleveland Indians

Victor Martinez gets the nod as the best hitting prospect here by default. He's 22 and in High-A, so he's older than I'd like, but catchers develop later than most and he's shown good plate discipline and above average power. I'd like to see him hit in AA before I pronounce him a major-league hitter.

Corey Smith, a 19-year-old third baseman, gets rave reviews from scouts and looks like he should be a major-league power hitter. However, I'm not impressed. He didn't hit in rookie ball last year and he's not hitting much in Low-A ball this year. His plate discipline is poor and he doesn't hit for a high average. He needs time.

Ryan Church gets a mention because he's the only Indians hitting prospect who knows how to walk. He just reached AA a few weeks ago and is 22 years old, so he's not on the fast track. He has a bit of power and a knowledge of the strike zone, so he could surprise.

Alex Herrera has burst onto the scene this year, showing off a power arm and good control. The Indians are very high on him, and they have every reason to be. He throws a good combination of fastball/curveball and hits his spots well.

The guy who is making Indians fans drool is this year's first-round pick, J.D. Martin. In 32 innings, he has a 1.71 ERA with six walks and 48 strikeouts in the rookie leagues. An impressive start, but he's a high-school kid with less than half a season under his belt. Calm down, Tribe fans.

Another youngster with great control is Shane Wallace, a 20-year-old left-hander with High-A Kinston. He's got a 1.61 ERA thanks to just 16 walks in 13 starts, but he only has 60 strikeouts in 84 innings.

Kansas City Royals

The Royals are the worst organization in baseball, and it shows in their farm system. Their best hitting prospect, Ken Harvey, is a .380 career hitter. He just hits and hits and hits, but as any fine Royals player, he doesn't walk. The organization preaches aggressiveness over patience and Harvey fits right in with that theory. If Harvey was with the A's, he'd be the next Jason Giambi. In KC, he's the next Kevin Young.

Angel Berroa, all the Royals have to show for Johnny Damon, is slick with the glove and he needs to be. In order to be a major-league shortstop, he better field like Bill Mazeroski because he's not going to be a valuable part of the offense. He has no concept of the strike zone and he certainly won't learn it here.

An intriguing outfielder is a 20-year-old named Alexis Gomez, who struggled in A-ball last year but is holding his own in AA this season. He needs work, but he's putting up a .750 OPS as one of the youngest players in the league, and scouts love his tools.

Chris George draws a lot of comparisons to Tom Glavine because he's left-handed and throws a curveball, but he's got some work to do before he wins a Cy Young. His K/IP rate in AAA was a bit low, especially for someone with his stuff. He needs to work on spotting his fastball more and relying less on his curveball. If he can do that, he'll be a top notch starter.

Jimmy Gobble is a left-handed control freak with good movement who should fit in to the Royals rotation pretty soon. He doesn't get as much hype as George or Mike MacDougle, but he's a legit prospect. The aforementioned MacDougle was said to have the "best stuff in the organization, majors included." Too bad he doesn't have much control or any idea how to harness his stuff. He's struggling in AAA, not throwing strikes, and his K/IP rate is low enough to worry. He needs a lot of work.

Minnesota Twins

Michael Cuddyer got to AA and lost his power last year as a 21-year-old top third base prospect. He's found it this year while repeating the level. He has good patience, 30-35-HR power, and a level swing that will allow him to hit for average at higher levels. He could force Corey Koskie to another position within a year.

Justin Morneau made a splash by hitting .400 in rookie ball last year and hasn't stopped since. He hit .356 in low-A before being promoted to high-A despite being just 19. He's hitting .301 in Fort Myers. He could stand to walk a little bit more, but his eye is acceptable. He has good power and an obviously good stroke. The Twins are going to have to find a spot for this sweet-swinging lefty.

Michael Restovich is hitting for a lot of power in AA and is only 22, which is a great sign for the future. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts and walk a little more, but he has 54 extra-base hits in 428 at-bats. He's a legitimate power hitter and should fit in well with the Twins' up-and-coming sluggers.

The Twins have shown part of their future, promoting Adam Johnson to make a few starts before the Rick Reed trade. Johnson has a live arm and a fantastic breaking ball. He's handled AA in his first professional season and should be able to step in and help the Twins rotation next year.

A 23-year-old Australian, Brad Thomas has emerged as a top southpaw prospect. He mixes a 93 MPH fastball with two good breaking pitches and has good control of all three. He needs to improve his change-up and work on finishing hitters off, but he should be a solid starter next year.

Kyle Lohse has made more improvements this year than any other pitcher on the planet. Last year, he had an ERA of 6 and lost 18 games in AA. This year, he blew away AA, AAA, and has been a part of the Twins rotation for the past month. He has an above average curveball to compliment nice control and a moving fastball. He needs a third pitch, but at 22, has plenty of time to develop that.

Detroit Tigers

Eric Munson was supposed to be the future at first base when the Tigers took him as their first round pick, but he's struggled with back injuries and mediocre performances. He's showing good patience and decent power in AA but strikes out a lot and doesn't make good contact. He could still become a good major league hitter, but probably won't ever win an MVP.

Mike Rivera is hitting like Mike Piazza in Erie, with a .620 slugging percentage in AA. He turns 25 in September but you can't ignore numbers like that out of a catcher. The Tigers would do well to let him try to hit AAA pitching and give him a look next spring.

Michael Woods has shown good patience and decent power for a second baseman in low-A and he's only 20 years old. He could use a full season at Lakeland next year, but he's definitely one to keep an eye on.

The Tigers recently promoted their best prospect, Nate Cornejo, to the big leagues to get a look at him. He's got great command of all his pitches and mixes his fastball and curveball well. He's not the hardest thrower, but he succeeds with intelligence and control. I think he's going to be a top notch starter for years to come.

Kenny Baugh is the opposite of Cornejo in that he throws gas and just needs to refine his control. He just got promoted to AA Erie where he's been better than he was in Low-A. He's maturing as he goes along and he's definitely a big part of the Tigers' future.

Andy Van Hekken, whom the Tigers stole from Seattle in the Brian Hunter deal, is your typical "crafty lefthander" who doesn't throw very hard but succeeds with curve balls and change-ups. He has very good control and should have a nice career ahead of him, especially if he stays in pitcher-friendly Comerica Park.

Next week we visit the National League Central, and get a load of that hard-throwing Ankiel guy who is leading the Pioneer League in ERA and Slugging Percentage.

about the author

The first time he saw the low-A Everett Aquasox play, David Cameron was disappointed when the players all took the field sporting the standard white hose. Suggest a less genteel eye for fashion at dac@strikethree.com.