High-Temperature Right Angle

David Cameron

What has happened to the Hot Corner? In baseball terms, its one of the four "power positions" where teams should get 30 home runs and 100 RBI's and live with some mediocre defense.

Yet look around the American League this past season and you'll find Eric Chavez, Troy Glaus, Corey Koskie, and not a whole heck of a lot else. The National League has a little more talent, though Phil Nevin just got bumped to first base, Albert Pujols may shift away from third full time, and we're back for our yearly Chipper Jones-to-the-outfield rumors.

Of the four American League playoff teams in 2001, three of them started black holes at third base. David Bell, Scott Brosius, and Travis Fryman combined to hit 31 home runs. The hot corner has been mild at best for several years now.

Help is on the way. The aforementioned Phil Nevin is shifting to first base not because of his own lacks -- though he is probably the worst defensive third baseman in the majors -- but because the Padres have uber-phenom Sean Burroughs to take his spot. You may remember Burroughs as the fat little right-hander who dominated the Little League World Series with his arm, throwing a couple of no-hitters.

Well, watching him play now, you'd swear he's actually lost weight in the past nine years. He's now a rather fit 21-year-old who hit .322 in AAA. He has a classic line-drive swing, sound fundamentals at the plate, a sound knowledge of the strike zone, and developing power. He's quicker than you'd think defensively and has a playable arm. With hard work, he could develop into a gold-glove third baseman.

The Padres are building the best young team in the National League and Sean Burroughs is the cornerstone of the foundation. Much like Chipper Jones coming up through Atlanta's system, he will be the key player for as long as he decides to stay in San Diego.

When the minor-league season wrapped up in September, Burroughs was considered the best hitting prospect in the land after Adam Dunn departed for the Cincinnati outfield. Burroughs hasn't done anything to have his stock diminish since then, but the streaking Hank Blalock may have passed him. Blalock is two months younger than Burroughs, turning 21 next week. His rise through the Rangers system this year has been well documented, having been named the best hitting prospect in both the Florida State and Texas Leagues.

Blalock's stock was on the way up before he went to Peoria for the Arizona Fall League. Now, its a certified blue-chip. He has just completed what is likely the best season in Arizona Fall League history. In 122 at-bats, he tied the league record with 11 home runs on his way to a .713 slugging percentage. Not bad for a line-drive doubles hitter, who also hit .344.

His signature patience was also obvious, drawing 19 walks and striking out just 20 times. He even threw in five stolen bases for good measure. There are very few reasons to believe that Blalock isn't ready for the major leagues. Texas could definitely use an impact third baseman next season and they'd be crazy to not give Blalock a shot to win the job in spring training.

There are essentially no flaws in either Hank Blalock's or Sean Burroughs' game. If you were going to build a prospect, he'd come out looking remarkably similar to what the Rangers and Padres already have. It's fairly likely that both players will spend most of the 2002 season with their major league clubs. They are your early favorites for American and National League Rookie of the Year.

Considering their similarities, they're likely to be linked together for years to come. The comparisons will come and the question as to who is better will certainly arise. When the annual top prospect lists come rolling (and don't worry, we'll roll one out here pretty soon too), you're going to find the names Burroughs and Blalock right at the top of the lists.

Who is the better prospect? Who has more upside? This is really like asking whether Bill Gates or Paul Allen is richer. When you have hundreds of millions of dollars, splitting hairs over a few thousand is pointless.

Likewise, Sean Burroughs and Hank Blalock are both top-shelf prospects that should be all-stars for most of the next decade. With Mark Teixeira and Drew Henson not too far behind, the hot corner should be getting a little spice back within the next few years. And after watching David Bell nearly make the All-Star team, it's about time.

David Cameron in fact did try to build a prospect, but he wasn't too successful, especially considering it was based on the electronics out of one of those toy robot dogs. Don't even ask about his failed attempt at building a ball girl at dac@strikethree.com.