Call of the Wild

Jason Michael Barker

Although the idea of expanding major league rosters to 40 in the month of September has always seemed a bit silly -- these are the games in which post-season appearances are largely decided, and now you're going to play by a completely different set of rules? -- it nonetheless a neat thing to take note of, if only for the chance to get an early look at next year's rookie crop. Here's a look at some of the more interesting American League call-ups. Tune in next week for the NL edition.

Infielder Willie Bloomquist has always been an organizational favorite in Seattle, though nobody outside the organization is quite sure why. Once considered one-half of the middle infield of the future (along with shortstop Antonio Perez, since moved to second and another near bust), he has been turned into a utility player (2B, 3B, SS, OF) who doesn't do any one thing all that well. He did rebound to hit .270 after a very slow start at AAA Tacoma, but he didn't draw enough walks (29 against 337 at-bats, for a .331 OBP) or hit for enough power (.383 SLG, and just 25% of his hits went for extra bases) to make it anything more than an empty number.

On the other hand, Toronto's Jayson Werth hit just .257 at AAA Syracuse but made the most of it by drawing walks and hitting for power. His 67 walks against 443 at-bats made for a .354 OBP, and nearly 40% of his hits went for extra bases. In one of the best moves former GM Gord Ash ever made, the Blue Jays stole Werth, then a catcher, from the Orioles in exchange for lefty reliever John Bale after the 2000 season. He did appear in 23 games behind the plate this season, but for all intents and purposes he's an outfielder now. Along with Josh Phelps, he gives the Jays yet another promising young slugger.

Having moved Werth out from behind the plate and allowing Phelps to take up his natural position as a designated hitter, the Blue Jays have turned to Kevin Cash as their catcher of the future. A third baseman in college, Cash has a very strong throwing arm and has improved defensively each year since being converted to catcher in 2000. His bat is strong as well. Although he hit just .220 after being promoted to AAA in mid-season, he retained his strikezone judgment and saw nearly 54% of his hits go for extra bases. He may need another half season at AAA to work out the kinks, but he should be a regular in Toronto by this time next year.

On a personal note, I'd like to apologize to the reader -- assuming he's still reading -- who always emailed me to let me know that Cash, not Werth or Phelps, was really the future at catcher in Toronto, even before those two had been moved to other positions. I don't remember your name, but you know who you are. Though I remained skeptical, he emailed me several times with articles and thoughts supporting his position. So, if you're still out there, you were right and I was wrong.

The White Sox paid a pretty penny to pry Joe Borchard away from his Stanford football scholarship a few years back, but so far they have to be pleased with their $5.3M investment. Since signing he has shown good strikezone judgment and tremendous power, and he won't turn 24 until this November. He does have a great propensity to strike out, having fanned in nearly 32% of his at-bats at AAA Charlotte this season, but assuming he keeps the strikeouts under control he should be a fine hitter. The only question now is whether he can handle center field; he's a bit lacking in terms of range, but his bat should more than make up for it. Ideally he and his strong arm would be moved to right field, but there's the matter of Magglio Ordonez out there. Hmm.

Boston middle infielder Freddy Sanchez found his name in the papers early in the year when he put together a 27-game hitting streak at AA Trenton, where he hit .328/.403/.437 in 311 at-bats with 37 walks and 19 steals. He went on to hit .301/.350/.432 after a promotion to AAA Pawtucket, though his walk rate took a slight dip. He also hit a robust .348 in last year's Arizona Fall League. So far it's clear Sanchez can hit for average, steal a base or two and take some walks, but he has yet to hit for power and at age 24 (25 in December) he's unlikely to suddenly develop it. Still, having played second, short and third, he should make a solid utility player or marginal regular.

It has been quite some time since anyone talked about Age-Gate, but Baltimore's Ed Rogers was a victim this off-season. Considered by some to be a top prospect, he has never turned his physical tools into baseball skills. He was a marginal prospect when he was believed to have been born in 1981, but that year changing to 1978 this winter pretty much finished him as a prospect. If his age didn't, his .261/.300/.410 line (with just 16 walks in 422 at-bats!) at AA Bowie this year did, though I expect that he'll still be touted as a prospect by some people based on tools alone.

The Yankees acquired Robin Ventura this winter in hopes that he'd bridge the gap between Scott Brosius and prospect Drew Henson. While Ventura has performed admirably this year, Henson hasn't held up his end of the bargain. Although he showed tremendous power at AAA Columbus, Henson hit just .240 and drew 37 walks in 471 at-bats. He also struck out 151 times, or nearly one-third of his at-bats. As for the power, his .435 SLG doesn't look like much, but that's mostly a function of his low batting average -- 46% of his hits were for extra bases. There's clearly talent (and power) here, but Henson might need another half-season in the minors to tighten up his command of the strikezone.

Unlike the position players on this list, soft-tossing lefty Andy Van Hekken got a chance to star right away upon being promoted to the majors. And star he did, throwing a complete game shutout against the Indians in his major league debut. Van Hekken, who was traded to Detroit by the Mariners in exchange for Brian Hunter (yes, that Brian Hunter), followed up his debut with six innings of three-run ball against the Yankees five days later. Not too shabby. He started the year at AA Erie, posting a 3.83 ERA in 134 innings. He fanned just 97 hitters, but walked only 34 and allowed a mere ten homers. He was even better after a promotion to AAA Toledo, with a 5-0 record and 1.82 ERA in seven starts. The one concern here is his low strikeout ratio (5.7 per nine innings), but Van Hekken has always overcome that to pitch well at every stop in the minors.

The Tigers also recalled slugger Eric Munson, who appeared in the majors in both 2000 and 2001 but never for an extended period of time. Munson is up after a solid year at AAA Toledo in which he put up very similar numbers his 2001 AA season. He probably won't ever hit for average at the major league level, but he will draw walks and has very good power -- better than 45% of his hits have gone for extra bases in his minor league career. His strikeout rate (114 in 477 at-bats this season), while high, is not alarming for a power hitter. The acquisition of fellow 1B Carlos Pena clouds Munson's future somewhat, though he could easily wind up at designated hitter next year. Wherever he plays, the Tigers could certainly use his pop in the batting order.

Yet another Detroit call up, reliever Franklyn German dominated at two levels this season to the tune of a 2.53 ERA and nearly 13 strikeouts per nine innings. He pitched well at AA Midland in the Oakland organization, then was even better at AAA for the Tigers after being dealt in the Ted Lilly-Jeff Weaver-Carlos Pena three-team trade featuring the A's and Yankees. German came out of relative obscurity this season, which is always a reason to be skeptical, though his minor league numbers are stellar across the board. With a little luck he could be closing games in Detroit this time next year.

Finally, I heard a rumor that Strikethree.com Minor League Player of the Year and AA Eastern League MVP Victor Martinez had received a call-up with the Indians, but so far I haven't been able to find confirmation anywhere. In any event, Martinez is one heck of a prospect, having led the Eastern League in both on-base and slugging percentage and put together a stellar .336/.417/.576 season, all while playing the most demanding defensive position on the diamond (catcher). If he does get the call, make it a point to get out and see him if you have the chance.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker fondly remembers his call up from Usenet to Strikethree.com, though he's still waiting for his moving expenses to be paid. Tell him he's lucky to be here at all when you write jmb@strikethree.com.

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