Prospect Report Vol. IV -- THIRD BASE

AAA – Denny Brinkley (20) San Francisco Giants

Probably the best international bargain in the Great American Pastime. With a signing bonus of only $6.3 million in Season 1 (albeit from the White Sox), Brinkley is the definition of “money well spent”, as he is looking to be a superstar, and could be that in a couple years, especially with a career average of .323 and an OPS of 1.008, almost all coming at the highly competitive AAA level.

AA – Kevin Watson (23) Chicago Cubs

Watson barely edged out A’s 3B Damian Takada for the AA spot, mostly due to the career season he’s having so far this year. Thus far, Watson is hitting a combined .351 between HiA and AA, and has scored 58 runs in 51 games. He is projected to take over the hot corner in Chicago in a year or two, and could provide the spark opposite Victor Parra that Cubs Management has been dreaming of.

HiA – Pedro Guerrero (18) Tampa Bay Rays

He could play virtually any position with his skill set, but for now, 3B is where the Rays need him. Guerrero is definitely a stud in the making, as he projects to be one of the best players in the game (even if that is 4 years down the road). In his first season, the 18 yr old dynamo has hit a modest .312 with 5 HR and 30 RBI in 32 games. His calling card, however, will always be the record $23.2 million bonus he received to sign with the Tampa Bay club. Hopefully his stats will soon speak for themselves.

LowA – Harry Cruz (19) Cleveland Indians

While the big club is struggling, the minor league system for Cleveland is thriving, especially with prospects like Harry Cruz. A 4^th round pick in the Season 2 draft, this Jersey boy has enjoyed great success in about one full season’s worth of action. He’s hit .352 with 26 HR and 149 RBI in 126 games between Rookie and Low A ball. Although he is obviously still raw, watch for Cruz to explode on the scene within 3 to 4 years.

Prospect Report Vol. III -- SECOND BASE

Second Base might be the most crowded position in the GAP, with a collection of prospects that would make Billy Beane drool. On Base Percentages are well over .400 and the collective OPS is known to sky past 1.000. Watch out in a couple years, as these guys fight for All-Star and Silver Slugger positioning, and look to power some very promising organizations.

AAA – Norm May (23) Arizona Diamondbacks

Highly regarded as one of the better prospects in all of the Great American Pastime going into Season 1, May has not disappointed. Working his way up the ladder in Arizona, May has a career OPS of 1.065 and has 332 RBI in only 282 career games. His most impressive stat, though? 187 walks and a career OBP of .419, making him one of the most versatile players in the GAP, as he could sit nearly anywhere in the D-backs lineup when he finally gets the call.

AA – Jim Jacome (21) Chicago White Sox

The “Bad Guys” first round pick in Season 2 has paid instant dividends, smacking the ball wherever he plays. Chicago is having a hard time deciding on a level for him, simply because wherever he lands, he just seems a little too talented to be there. This shouldn’t last too long as Jacome could very well see the big leagues by Season 4, especially if he keeps up his .338 minor league average.

HiA – John Mahoney (20) Charlotte Dukes

The up and coming Dukes are probably the major’s biggest surprise this year, and their farm system isn’t too shabby either, especially with prospects like John Mahoney. This future all-star is one of the better line drive hitters in the minors, holding an impressive career average of .368 with 199 runs scored in 206 career games played. He’s still pretty raw, but given a couple years, Mahoney could become a solid leadoff man for a stacked Charlotte squad.

LowA – Pat Taylor (20) Cleveland Indians

They may be in the cellar of the AL East, but the people of Cleveland have a lot to look forward to with a stacked system and a devoted GM. The most exciting prospect has to be Pat Taylor, who is lined up to be one of the best utility men once he hits the majors. Taylor has power to all corners of the field, and a batting eye unmatched by anyone in the league. This former Season 2 first round pick has torn up Rookie and Low A ball in an equivalent of one full minor league season, hitting .331/.441/.578/1.019 and scoring 129 runs in 117 games.

Tomorrow: 3B!

Prospect Report Vol. II -- FIRST BASE

Today is the first basemen of the future, and the Padres seem to take the cake with half of the entries. Some of these guys are familiar names, as they've been seen in international bidding, but others may be new to some. Check for the second base update tomorrow.

AAA – Al Bonilla (22) San Diego Padres

$12.3 million seemed outrageous for the first true international GAP prospect, but spending has increased over the first couple seasons, and it looks like right about where he would have landed for today. Bonilla was immediately thrown into the fire at AAA, and has flourished since day one. Al has been a terror at the plate, holding a career OPS of 1.127 and smacking 88 homers in only 221 career games. Season 3 looks to really be his breakout year, as he has already compiled a .385 avg with 18 HR and 48 RBI thus far.

AA – Joey Norman (22) Chicago Cubs

Norman, a Season 1 first rounder out of Central City, IA, was one of Vancouver’s prized prospects for the first couple seasons, but ended up in Chicago during the Season 2 playoffs in a blockbuster deal. Norman has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the minors, and should be hitting the majors by next season. He holds a career OPS of 1.065 and is hitting .348 so far between High A and AA in Season 3.

HiA – Don Atkins (20) San Diego Padres

A steal as a 6^th round pick in the Season 2 draft, Atkins has made the most of his time in the Padres system, blasting 37 HR and 145 RBI in only 109 career games. Atkins is still 2 or 3 years off from seeing the big club, but he should be an impressive cleanup hitter when his time comes.

LowA – Damaso Morales (20) St. Louis Cardinals

Admittedly, Cubs management didn’t quite know what they were giving up when they traded Morales during the 2^nd GAP playoffs. An early international prospect who was paid only a $2.1 million bonus, Morales has been nothing short of spectacular when given the opportunity. Through the same amount of games as Atkins, Morales holds a career average of .365 with 38 HR and 146 RBI. Even more impressive is his career OBP of .459 and OPS of 1.211. Oh yeah, he’s only 20 years old...

Prospect Report Vol. I -- CATCHER

Everyday for the next couple weeks I'm going to release another positional prospect report. It will detail one player per position/per level for positional players and 5 SPs and 4 RPs per level. Here are who I consider the best Catcher prospects at each minor league level:

AAA - Torey Camacho (24) Arizona Diamondbacks

One more year should be all it takes before “Macho” Camacho finally hits the big show. He has decent power for a gap hitter, but his real strength lies in his pitch calling. D-Back’s management has never seen a youngster call a game quite like Camacho, and that could be the edge Arizona needs in a crowded NL West.

AA - Max Baez (20) Cleveland Indians

You won’t find a better pure Catcher in the entire GAP than Baez. Comparisons to Joe Mauer might not even do him justice, as Baez has earned his nickname of “The Natural” in just a few short years. He’s only 20 years old, but could see the majors as soon as next year.

HiA – Bobby Ray Dixon (21) Oakland Athletics

For a signal caller, Dixon is merely average, but as a power hitter, he is well above that. Bobby Ray has a knack for crushing RHP, and it all stems from his presence in the batter’s box. A’s scout Ralph O’Connor put it best, “He may not be too physically imposing, but Bobby Ray doesn’t back down to anyone.” His most famous moment came in Season 2, when he was plunked in the head in a game against Seattle and went on to hit 2 HR’s in his next two AB’s.

LowA – Juan Juarez (19) Toronto Blue Jays

Although he’s only played one game, Juarez could very well be the best Catcher/DH prospect in the entire GAP (yes, even challenging “Mighty” Max Baez). At only 19, this Venezuelen natural is ready to take on the GAP with excellent power to all fields and a batting eye rivaling Barry Bonds. Don’t look for this kid to be at Low A for too long.

The 85 Club

Few players attain the elusive overall rating of 85 or higher. As GAP’s season 3 has gotten underway, the Reds’ SS Andres Mieses and the Cardinals’ SS Barry Clayton are now at 84, and with a bit of diligent effort are poised to join this prestigious club. The current members of the Club are:

96 Cliff Simms, SP, New York Mets
90 Brian Snyder, SS, San Francisco Giants
90 Chuck Hoover, 2B, Minnesota Twins
89 Tom Buchanan, SP, Detroit Tigers
88 Douglas Diaz, CF, Cincinnati Reds
88 Joe Warden, LF, Detroit Tigers
88 Todd Linebrink, SS, Oakland Athletics
88 Danny Taylor, SP, New York Yankees
88 Harry Wilfredo, SP, Seattle Mariners
88 Greg Stewart, SP, Cleveland Indians
87 Clyde Valentin, RF, Oakland Athletics
86 LaTroy Franco, LF, Cleveland Indians
86 Mark Moore, 3B, Atlanta Braves
86 Clarence Cooke, SP, San Francisco Giants
86 Wilton Chang, SP, Chicago White Sox
85 Joe Linden, 2B, Atlanta Braves
85 Nick Alexander, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
85 Nipsey Morris, C, New York Mets
85 Brandon Freeman, SP, Detroit Tigers

Oddly enough, 10 of these 19 players have not made the All-Star team in GAP’s first 2 seasons, and only 3 members of this fraternity (the Tigers' Freeman and the Indians’ Stewart and Franco) appeared in both All-Star games. Seven others (Simms, Alexander, Cooke, Linebrink, Moore, Valentin and Morris) had one All-Star appearance in the first 2 seasons.

These players certainly don’t make their mark on the defensive end of the game, as the only Gold Gloves in this group went to SS Moore and C Morris in season 2.

Profile: Cleveland Indians

It's fun writing about my own team, but probably pretty boring to read. Instead, I'm going to go through and profile each of the AL teams. (If hatt wants to do something similar in the NL, that'd be cool.) Today, I'll kick things off with the Cleveland Indians:

Steady As She Goes
The philosophy for whboone and the Indians, from Day 1 of the GAP on, has been consistency. With payroll budgets of $83m, $80m, and $83m, the Indians refuse to sacrifice the future to win now. They've been able to make the moderate payrolls work, with two AL East titles in two years. All the while, they've been commiting millions to scouting, training, and medical, ensuring that the pipeline that is the minor leagues will continue to fill future openings.

Over The Hump
84-78 got it done in a weak division in S1, so the first-round playoff exit was no surprise. But in S2, the Wahoos put up an impressive 101-61 mark, winning the division by 31 games. They earned a bye, but the en fuego Texas Rangers bumped them off en route to a World Series appearance.

Cleveland has started out slowly this year, at 7-7. However, the division appears to remain weak, and they are just one game out after two weeks. Could this be the year Cleveland gets over the hump and wins a playoff series, or more? Let's take a look....

Franco-American
Any discussion of the Indians' personnel has to begin with one LaTroy Franco. The 31-year-old lefty from Texas has two All-Star appearances, two Silver Slugger awards, and an S1 MVP. In his MVP season, he put up a .312/.400/.740 with 62 HR, (121 XBH), 179 RBI, and 35 SB in just 40 attempts. He slipped a tad in S2, down to a 980 OPS with 50 HR and just 94 XBH, and 22 steals in 33 attempts. Is this the beginning of the end for the Cleveland LF? He's got 6 HR in 14 G this year and 6/6 SB, with a 1007 OPS, so while he may not return to MVP form, he remains a formidable keystone in the lineup.

Order of Protection
Don't think Franco has to carry his lineup, however. The Cleveland batting order brings plenty of protection for Franco. Yorrick Rowand, Dario Selby, and Raul Carrara all do their share of damage on offense. Rowand, a 30-year-old CF, is not a slugger (17 HR in 1256 AB) but has stolen at least 70 bases in each of his first two seasons. Selby, 31, has played a little RF, 1B, and DH in his three seasons, and is one of the most underrated players in the GAP. He ripped 55 HRs in S1, and then led Cleveland with 56 more dingers in S2 when his power rating peaked at 101. He's off to an even-better start this year as his career OPS of 942 is dwarfed by the 1119 he has in the early going in S3.

Carrara, meanwhile, is one to watch. At just 21, he is in his third ML season, platooning in RF. He mashes RH pitching, but struggles against the lefties. After two solid seasons in the low 900s (OPS) and an average of 27 HRs, he is out to an 1119 start, 6 HRs in just 43 ABs.

Eminem Probably Hits Better Than MM
Michael Martin is another one to watch, but for a different reason. whboone seems committed to this guy, with 361 ABs last year and all 14 starts at 1B this year, but he just can't get it going. He has solid ratings (55 58 56 64 63), but his 789 career OPS leaves a lot to be desired, especially from a first baseman. Even worse is the 747 he has this year, .245/.339/.408. For a first baseman. Ugh.

GAP Greg Stewart or Real-Life Dave Stewart?
Ace Greg Stewart was the highest-ranked pitcher (#3 overall) on jakaitis' S2 GAP Player Ratings. Along with that accolade, Stewart has two all-star appearances and the S2 AL Cy Young Award. He's 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA already this year. His 0.85 WHIP is jaw-dropping, and his 26 K in 29.1 IP is impressive as well.

Let's compare his Cy Young S2 to the RL Dave Stewart's best year (1990):

Record - Greg 25-4, Dave 22-11
ERA - Greg 2.90, Dave 2.56
WHIP - Greg 1.13, Dave 1.16
IP - Greg 245, Dave 267
K - Greg 237, Dave 166

Greg holds up pretty well. The GAP's best Montanan is worthy of taking on the nickname from his namesake, so we'll call him "Smoke" Stewart from now on.

Smoke and Mirrors
The rest of the Indians pitching staff leaves a bit to be desired. SP/LR Lonny Lowry is off to a nice start, posting a 1.47 ERA through 18.1 innings, and setup man Del Nakajima has been solid again, with a 1.25 WHIP in 7 appearances. But 37-year-old Yorrick Brand, who took over closing duties last year, has struggled mightily. He converted 28 of 31 opportunities in S2, with a 2.16 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. This year, in his last three appearances, he has failed to retire a batter while giving up 5 earnies. He has an ugly 45.00 ERA and 7.00 WHIP.

Hitch Up the Wagner?
The Indians and whboone have to be anxious to let Kevin Wagner loose. In over a thousand MILB ABs, the 22-year-old RF has an OPS of 1095. He might not be quite ready (939 OPS in AAA last year, 833 out of the gate this year), but it won't be long. He hits lefties well, so he could be a platoon answer to Carrara for a long time.

Random thoughts about the Royals

We're 14 games into S3 of the GAP. First, a glance at the standings. It's oddly satisfying to see the Rangers 7 games behind my Royals in the early going. Don't get me wrong, sergei is a great guy, and an asset to the GAP. I thought he had a contender in S1, but his squad wobbled all the way to a 71-91 finish. Last year, I thought I was going to only have to get by the Rays to win the AL South, but sergei's boys came out of nowhere.

Speaking of the Rays, "Big Nick" Alexander is looking at a two-month stint on the DL. Tampa Bay will need to keep it close over the next 60 or so games to make a run in the second half.

I'm thrilled to get off to a hot 11-3 start, of course. I don't have a .786 team, but I have the GAP lead in runs scored, at 115. I've done it without my .300/20/100 SS, Clark Hardy, who is about to come off the DL. 24 y/o Michael Cedeno (1092 OPS) has filled in awfully well at 2B, with Jose Silva moving to SS. Silva has struggled, so it will likely be him going to the bench when Hardy gets back. 23 y/o 3B Pedro Jose (1029 OPS) has stepped in nicely as well, and of course, my boy Theo Haney is putting up a 1078 OPS at just 21 years of age.

My younger players have to keep it up, as I have no cap room to pick up any vets. I'm paying S1 FA signees Rizzo and Hudler a combined $38,300,000 this year (and next). My two rookie SPs, Vosberg and McCartney, are a combined 3-0 with 2.74 and 4.58 ERAs. If they can keep it up, and Faulk and Hudler keep doing their thing, I might be able to wire-to-wire this thing.