AL Rookies to Watch

Jason Michael Barker

Having spent the last two months or so previewing baseball's six divisions, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at a rookie (or two) from each team who you should keep your eye on this spring. This list was actually harder to compile than you might think -- some teams have three or even four potentially interesting rookies, while other veteran-laden teams have nary a rookie in sight.

Anaheim: RHP Francisco Rodriguez
Rodriguez captivated the baseball world last fall by mowing down opposing batters during Anaheim's World Series run. In case you've forgotten the numbers, here they are again: 18.2 post-season innings, 28 strikeouts, 10 hits allowed and a 1.93 ERA. This on the heels of striking out 13 batters in 5.2 innings during the regular season. Rodriguez will be back in 2003, doing what he did last fall, namely setting up Angels closer Troy Percival.

Baltimore: OF Darnell McDonald
The Orioles farm system is in horrid shape right now, so it's hard to pick a rookie who could actually contribute in 2003. The best candidate is McDonald, a former top prospect who had been all but written off before finally making good on his potential last season in the minors. The reason behind his success was what often allows players to take a step forward: improved plate discipline. McDonald hit .292/.393/.451 at AA before a promotion to AAA Rochester, where he hit .289/.353/.443 in 91 games. There's still some work to be done here, but he could be a solid centerfielder by mid-season.

Boston: 2B/SS Freddy Sanchez
Yet another team where it's hard to pick a rookie, but in this case that's more a reflection of a veteran club that's looking to win right away. Sanchez hit a combined .318 last season while splitting time between AA and AAA, though the rest of his offensive game leaves something to be desired -- he doesn't walk much and at age 25 isn't likely to develop more than his current marginal power. That said, his ability to handle both middle infield positions and steal a base or two make him a potentially cost-effective utility man.

Chicago: C Miguel Olivo
The White Sox inexplicably re-signed Sandy Alomar Jr. this winter, but given his medical history it's only a matter of time before Olivo has the job all to himself. Olivo isn't what you'd expect from catcher, in that he actually has some speed -- he hit 10 triples last season at AA, as well as stealing 29 bases in 42 attempts. Defensively, he's known for his good arm but is otherwise average behind the plate. If he can hit anywhere near the .306/.381/.479 line he put up last season, defense won't matter much.

Cleveland: 1B Travis Hafner
The Indians are a young and rebuilding ballclub, so at first glace there appeared to be numerous options for this spot. Then lefty Cliff Lee strained an abdominal muscle and took himself out of the running for a rotation spot. Catching prospect Victor Martinez is expected to start the year at AAA, while there's talk of the same fate for 2B Brandon Phillips. That leaves Hafner, the slugger acquired from the Rangers this season who is being asked to replace Jim Thome. Nobody expects him to hit like Thome this season, but after a .342/.463/.559 line at AAA last year, Hafner has nothing left to prove in the minors.

Detroit: 3B Travis Chapman
There were several options on the Tigers as well, but I like Rule 5 draftee Chapman because he's got a very good chance at landing a starting job this spring. Once stuck behind Scott Rolen in Philadelphia, Chapman hit .301/.388/.473 at AAA last season but was left off of the 40-man roster, leaving him eligible for the Rule 5 draft. The Tigers wisely saw a cheap way to fill a need at the hot corner and snatched him up. At the very least he's a far better option than Dean Palmer.

Kansas City: RHP Mike MacDougal
Despite having less than 25 innings of work at the major league level under is belt, MacDougal is considered the front-runner for the Royals vacant closer job. Only recently moved to relief after being a starter most of his career, MacDougal has been clocked as high as 102 on the radar gun but often has serious problems finding the strikezone. The current hype surrounding him appears to be a product of two things: that radar reading, and the 26.1 solid innings (29 K's, 2.39 ERA) he pitched in winter ball this year.

Minnesota: OF Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer was drafted as a shortstop, but couldn't handle the position as he filled out and was moved to third base. The results were only slightly better there, so the Twins finally decided he was a right fielder. Defense aside, Cuddyer's calling card is his powerful bat which sent 44% of his hits for extra bases at AAA last season. He had more or less taken over a starting job by the post-season, and looks to be a regular coming out of spring training. Given 500 at-bats, he could hit 30 homers next season.

New York: OF Hideki Matsui, RHP Jose Contreras
I had to list two players here, because Matsui and Contreras are something of a package deal having signed lucrative free agent contracts this winter. With very little to go on for either player -- Matsui's stats from Japan are much better that what we have on Contreras, which seems to be eight innings against the Orioles a few years back -- it's difficult to make predictions. But I won't let that stop me. A .285 average and 25 homers for Matsui, and 11 wins with a 3.30 ERA for Contreras.

Oakland: RHP Mike Neu
Strangely, the Athletics are almost a veteran team at this point. More precisely, they're still relatively young but have set players in place at each position with very little room for new players to break in. Neu, like the aforementioned Travis Chapman, was a Rule 5 draftee this winter. He stands just 5-10 and only hits 90 on the radar gun, but between AA, AAA and the AFL last season, Neu fanned 110 batters in 88 innings with a K:BB ratio of 3:1. He's in the right organization to succeed.

Seattle: UT Willie Bloomquist
Another team of veterans without much room for youthful tomfoolery, the Mariners will more than likely break camp with utility man Bloomquist on the roster. That he hit .270/.331/.383 at AAA last season might dissuade some teams from carrying him, but not the Mariners, who are much more interested in the fact that he plays the entire infield and even dabbles some in the outfield. After all, you're talking about a club which carried both Charles Gipson and Luis Ugueto last season; the two combined for less than 100 at-bats but played six positions between them.

Tampa Bay: RHP Dewon Brazelton
Brazelton spent most of last season at AA Orlando, where he posted a nice-looking 3.33 ERA in 146 innings despite some rather poor peripherals, most notably 67 walks and just 109 strikeouts. On the other hand, he did allow just 129 hits and only 7 homers, so he did have that going for him. In any event, this is Tampa Bay so he's pretty much assured of a spot in the rotation unless he has a horrid spring and falls out of favor with new manager Lou Piniella. Dewon should keep this very special phrase in mind when he's pitching: "Throw strikes, damn it."

Texas: 3B Mark Teixeira
The "3B" above is a bit misleading, because the Rangers seem to have more or less decided that Teixeira's future is at the other corner of the diamond. Given the presence of fellow prospect Hank Blalock and Rafael Palmeiro's age, that's probably the best thing for everyone involved. Even more so that with Cuddyer, defense doesn't matter in Teixeira's case because he can hit the ball with the best of them. Teixeira started the year in the high-A Florida State League, where he hit .320/.411/.593 in 38 games. Moving up a level to AA Tulsa, he hit .316/.415/.591 in 48 games. Just for good measure, he put up a .333/.437/.616 line in the AFL late last year. Very nice.

Toronto: C Kevin Cash
The first two guys I thought of -- Josh Phelps and Orlando Hudson -- each had too many at-bats last season to qualify as rookies. I thought about Jayson Werth, but Toronto's outfield situation seems pretty set at this point. Instead I'll go with Cash, a former college third baseman who threw out 45% of would-be basestealers last season. He isn't only about defense, though, as he has some pop in his bat and will take a walk. Cash had trouble making contact in late-season stops at AAA and the majors so he could find himself back at Syracuse to start the year, but he should be up with the big club sooner than later.

Tune in next week when I take a look around the National League.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker needs to hit the sack or he won't be able to function tomorrow. Sent coffee directly to jmb@strikethree.com.

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