August AL Rookie Roundup, Pt. 1

Jason Michael Barker

Welcome back to the Rookie Roundup, which has been on vacation for nearly two months. In some ways that's a good thing -- looking at players every month is sometimes too often to see changes. That's not the case this time however, particularly for some of our players who have improved dramatically during the summer months.

This installment of the Roundup features two changes. The first is the inclusion of some new players; the second is the lack of pitchers. That isn't a statement about pitching in general, it just means that the pitchers are getting their own article early next week.

Carlos Beltran, CF, Royals
Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
22	109	483	83	143	22	4	18	80	27	89	16	7	.296	.334	.470

Supposedly the front-runner for American League Rookie of the Year honors, Beltran has the glamour numbers sure to grab the attention of the voters -- (near) .300 batting average, 18 home runs, 80 runs batted in, and 16 steals. He should wind up with around 25 homers, 100 RBI and 25 SB, which will look even better, and he probably will wind up winning the ROY.

All sarcasm aside, Beltran is having a very nice season considering his age and that he skipped AAA entirely. He only needs to up his walk rate in order to become an elite player (and he should develop more power in the next year or two), and given his age that shouldn't be an impossible task.

Eric Chavez, 3B, Athletics
Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
22	93	283	36	73	19	2	12	41	40	44	1	0	.258	.350	.466

Much like his teammate Ben Grieve (go look at his numbers if you don't believe me), Chavez has rebounded from a horrible start to the point where his numbers are starting to look decent. He hasn't come so far as to challenge for the ROY he was supposed to win heading into the season, primarily because he doesn't have the batting average people look for. Don't let his .258 mark fool you -- his 40 walks leave him with an on-base percentage nearly 100 points higher (.350) than his batting average, and his slugging percentage has been on a steady rise.

Still, Chavez is only getting the job done against right-handed pitching and continuing to struggle against lefties, the latter to the tune of a .457 on-base plus slugging (OPS), albeit in limited at-bats. As with Beltran's plate discipline, this isn't too horrible a problem given his age and relative lack of experience.

Carlos Febles, 2B, Royals
Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
23	102	379	64	100	19	7	10	47	42	74	18	4	.264	.347	.430

Two months into the season I thought Febles was a much better choice for ROY than his teammate Beltran, but I suppose that's why they play the entire season. The biggest problem has been a drop-off in his walk rate -- after drawing 10 walks in May and 15 in June, he's only walked a total of nine times since. Either he's facing better pitching or teams are developing better scouting reports on him as the season goes on... I suspect it's a bit of both. He's also been battling a nagging shoulder injury which is probably affecting his overall hitting.

Like Beltran, Febles skipped AAA ball, so his numbers this season aren't a disappointment particularly for a middle infielder. He should still develop into a very good leadoff man or number-two hitter in the near future, thanks to his speed and good plate discipline.

Corey Koskie, 3B, Twins
Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
26	78	232	29	71	11	0	8	43	21	42	1	1	.306	.369	.457

Those are very nice numbers for a rookie third baseman, however in limited at-bats. Like Chavez, Koskie is playing primarily against right-handed pitching and sitting the bench against lefties. Unlike Chavez, however, Koskie is 26 years old and doesn't have star potential. Of course, 26 makes him an old man on a team like the Twins, but that's not his fault either.

Could he have played in the majors earlier? Perhaps, but it appears he's just a late bloomer. Koskie began his career at rookie ball in 1994 at age 21, a bit older than most players at that level. To his credit, he moved up one level each season and always hit well, but was never so overwhelming that the organization had him skip a level. He's in his peak years right now, and should be a good cheap option for a few years.

Carlos Lee, LF, White Sox
Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
23	79	307	43	92	18	1	7	50	8	44	2	2	.300	.320	.433

Yet another Carlos to make the list (and yes, he too skipped AAA), Lee began his career at third base but was moved to left field full time this season after playing there in the Arizona Fall League. His glove was never really good enough for the hot corner and his bat isn't good enough for first base, plus the White Sox have a better third base prospect on the way up in Joe Crede.

You'll probably hear quite a bit about Lee because of that nice .300 batting average, but until he starts drawing walks he isn't going to be much of a player. As you can see above, he's struck out 42 times this season, yet walked only eight times -- that and his .320 OBP simply aren't going to cut it for a corner outfielder. What Lee does have is power (he averaged over 60 extra-base hits each of the last two seasons in the minors), but he needs to show the Sox that skipping AAA wasn't a mistake.

Trot Nixon, OF, Red Sox
Age	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
25	84	261	44	70	17	2	8	33	32	49	1	1	.268	.344	.441

Despite his 23-homer, 26-steal season at AAA last season (the first 20-20 season for a Boston farmhand at Pawtucket), I largely ignored Nixon because he was 24 and repeating the level. He got off to a very slow start this season, which didn't help his cause with me any. I'm sure he was quite upset about that, which probably explains why he suddenly starting hitting.

In all seriousness, Nixon is a well-rounded player who doesn't really excel in any one area, but is passable to good in nearly all. He plays good defense, has some pop in his bat, runs well, and has decent plate discipline to boot. He's not destined for stardom, obviously, but he's got three or four good years in him and would make a great fourth outfielder on a deep team.

Be sure to tune in next time, when the Roundup will feature such young American League hurlers as Freddy Garcia, Jeff Weaver and Jeff Zimmerman, plus a couple of new faces and their respective arms.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker would like it to be known that he did not throw batteries at J.D. Drew this week. Ask whether the game ended before he was able to remove his from his car's engine at jmb@strikethree.com.