Prospect Report:
Fall Back

David Cameron

Welcome back to the Prospect Report, which took a one-week vacation but is back at full throttle, though that lady with a cane is still passing us.

A quick note on the new Prospect Ten: Underrated, in this case, means players I like more than most. Austin Kearns isn't really underrated in the traditional manner, but I think he's better than most people realize. These are just the ten prospects that I view more highly than most, making them underrated to me. Check it out and feel free to let me know just how wrong I am.

While most of the baseball world is gripped with the playoffs -- and let's face it, who wouldn't be excited about Randy Johnson versus Rey Sanchez -- 26 teams are sitting at home, providing their fans no entertainment whatsoever. Odds are your team is one of those 26, and if we have another Yankees-Braves World Series, we're going to have a lot of baseball fans looking for something else to watch.

Have no fear; the Arizona Fall League is here! The AFL has actually been going for two weeks now and is in full swing. Each team has sent six prospects to Arizona to make up a six-team league where 180 AA and AAA prospects compete against each other. Some of the best players on the planet have graced the AFL in the past, including Nomar Garciparra, Mike Piazza, and J.D. Drew. The best part about the league is that every team sends a collection of players, so even if you are a Pirates fan, there's something interesting to watch.

I'm planning on taking a trip down to the AFL in a few weeks so I can give you a report on who looks good, but for now, we'll do some reports on who is dominating the leader board.

After going 0-4 last night, Austin Kearns' average now sits at a paltry .412. He leads the league with three home runs, is second with a .524 OBP, and is second with a .667 SLG. He's drawn 12 walks in 51 at-bats, has scored 14 times, and has driven in 17. Kearns was a top prospect after a big 2000 in the Midwest League and most ranked him ahead of teammate Adam Dunn. He had a disappointing start at AA and than an injury wiped out his season.

However, he appears to be fully healthy and is poised to make a big run at rejoining Dunn in the majors next year. As I noted in the new Prospect Ten, I'm still not sure Kearns doesn't have as much talent as Dunn does. He's not the prodigious power hitter, but he's got more speed, is a better defender, and will probably hit for a higher average. Austin Kearns is a player in the mold of Bobby Abreu and Shawn Green and Reds fans are going to love watching what could be one of the best outfields of all time.

Chin-Feng Chen has just continued rolling after his monster second half in the Texas League. He's hitting .364 AVG/.408 OBP/.614 SLG in 44 AB, and seven of his 16 hits are for extra bases. He's made a strong comeback from a terrible 2000 season and once again looks like a true all-star talent. He's got above average power and a good eye, but he makes contact and can run a bit as well.

With Gary Sheffield and Shawn Green pretty much locked into the corner outfield spots in LA, I wouldn't be shocked if the Dodgers tested Chen to see if he could handle centerfield. It may be a stretch, but he's athletic enough where he could be passable out there and he'd be a gigantic improvement offensively over Tom Goodwin and Marquis Grissom. Than again, so would half of you guys.

Bill Ortega is going to get some Cardinals fans excited if he can parlay his hot start into a solid AFL campaign, but he's not someone I'm real high on. He's hitting .442/.529/.628, but he's one of the oldest prospects in Arizona. He hit a weak .287/.344/.392 in AAA this year, and for some odd reason got put in the Futures Game. His future is as a fifth outfielder, but maybe he'll open some eyes in Phoenix and beat out Kerry Robinson for a job next spring.

The name making the biggest impact is Orlando Hudson, who quietly had a very good season in AAA and is now tearing apart the AFL. In 50 at-bats, he's hitting .400/.516/.760 with 12 walks and 10 extra-base hits. He's also stolen 7 bases and only been caught once. Oh yeah, and he's an infielder. He's played 11 games at second and three at third, but his position in the majors is probably second base. He didn't get the recognition he deserved during the year, but I'm sure his hot start in the AFL will get people to remember his name.

The presence of an infielder like Hudson makes the Blue Jays look absolutely insane for giving Alex Gonzalez a long-term contract to be a hole at shortstop. If they can find someone to take A-Gone off their hands, they could have a nice middle infield with Hudson and Lopez producing for pennies for the next few years.

Some players really step forward during the AFL and improve their stock, so if you are looking for a little October baseball that doesn't include tributes to Derek Jeter every five minutes, get down to Arizona and watch a few games. You'll see some outstanding players playing in 85-degree weather in the beginning of November. Just keep in mind: your other option is Tim McCarver.

David Cameron wishes it could be fall all year round. Tell him he's a sick, sick man at dac@strikethree.com.