HOWE SPORTSDATA MINOR LEAGUE WEEKLY ROUNDUP AUGUST 21 1998 By Jim Keller, Joe Barbieri and Vin Vitro TOP PROSPECTS IN THE MINOR LEAGUES In the third of our four-part series on the top prospects in each full season minor league, we examine the high Class-A California, Carolina and Florida State Leagues. Next week we'll look at the low Class-A leagues, the Midwest and South Atlantic Leagues. THE CALIFORNIA LEAGUE In 1997 the California League graduated outstanding everyday players in Travis Lee, Eric Chavez, Ben Davis, A.J. Hinch, Ramon Hernandez and Mike Caruso. The '98 edition trots out several power arms, but there are no position players, at least yet, that come close to the caliber of the '97 class. The league's top offensive performers are mostly minor league veteran-types, players signed to fill a hole in the organization. Probably the most gifted talents are Chad Green (Brewers), who was outstanding in a brief stint, Jhensy Sandoval (Diamondbacks) and Nathan Haynes (Athletics). Teenagers Sandoval and Haynes more than held their own against players much older and probably have the highest ceiling of anybody in the league, but they still have a ways to go. By far, the strength of the league is power pitching, especially from a pair of Diamondbacks, Brad Penny, riding a ten-game winning streak, and John Patterson. Both have explosive fastballs and have excelled in the league's best hitters' park, but Penny has also shown a combination of heat, breaking stuff, location and command that has been unhittable of late. Jose Garcia and Allen Levrault, both with the Brewers, have shown an impressive power package at young ages, and combined with Kyle Peterson, their first-round pick in 1997, give the organization three future hopefuls. 1997 first-round pick Eric Dubose (Athletics) is another power arm who had a great deal of success in the league before departing to Double-A. HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Rod Barajas, C HIGH DESERT AZ 22 .305 407 124 24 23 76 23 72 1 solid backstop has promise; bad back in '97 Jason Dewey, C LAKE ELSINORE AN 21 .296 365 108 27 15 61 58 112 8 draft-and-follow can hit/run but defense lacks Steve Hagins, C LAKE ELSINORE AN 23 .286 329 94 25 15 65 25 87 5 low pick recovered from heart surgery Giuseppe Chiaramonte, CSAN JOSE SF 22 .277 465 129 32 22 86 43 129 4 two-way talent is aggressive and has pop HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Cirilo Cruz, 1B LANCASTER SM 23 .319 505 161 37 7 97 51 112 2 big surprise; entered '98 w/ 85 RBI in 702 AB HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Adonis Harrison, 2B LNC-ORL SM 21 .296 399 118 26 4 52 71 71 28 slap hitter w/decent speed; started to hit in '97 Junior Spivey, 2B HD-TUL AZ 23 .284 384 109 22 8 47 86 83 41 low pick can run and has improved in batting HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Jason Regan, 3B LANCASTER SM 22 .291 388 113 23 18 74 95 116 7 small/gritty; OK glove; huge '97 w/bat - 31 HR Adam Piatt, 3B MODESTO OA 22 .283 460 130 36 17 97 78 88 19 solid defender with some pop and speed HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Ramon Vazquez, SS LANCASTER SM 21 .276 420 116 24 2 63 80 63 15 good defensive shortstop w/an idea at the plate Caonabo Cosme, SS-2B MODESTO OA 19 .270 382 103 23 2 39 26 134 14 19-year-old has size and can run; poor BB/SO ratio Cesarin Carmona, SS RANCHO CUCAMONGA SD 21 .251 335 84 8 2 39 13 93 15 kid with live body/some pop/strong arm; few BB HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Chad Green, OF STK-ELP MB 23 .340 153 52 13 0 17 12 23 22 leadoff type hurt early but impressive; few BB Luke Allen, OF SBR-SAN LA 20 .302 447 135 26 6 51 32 101 19 hard worker has shown pop; defense is ? Jhensy Sandoval, OF HIGH DESERT AZ 19 .279 365 102 19 5 49 14 115 10 young Latin has five plus tools; very young Jeff Guiel, OF LAKE ELSINORE AN 24 .288 285 82 21 16 58 75 74 18 limited tools; bat approach like brother Aaron Nathan Haynes, OF MODESTO OA 18 .260 466 121 11 1 37 51 128 40 scouts say blazing speed and classic leadoff skills Mike Byas, OF SAN JOSE SF 22 .253 483 122 10 1 34 77 94 29 slap hitter with outstanding speed; real thin PITCHERS CLUB ORG AGE W L SV ERA IP H BB SO Jim Stoops, RHP SJ-SAL-CSP SF 26 2 1 31 1.10 66 34 29 109 fringe hurler was not drafted Julian Leyva, RHP MOD-EDM OA 20 10 8 1 3.65 126 147 23 87 3-pitches including 89-92 mph heat; young Tim Hudson, RHP MOD-HVL OA 23 13 7 0 3.81 156 137 75 142 4 pitches for strikes; splitter is big pitch Luis Vizcaino, RHP MOD-HVL OA 21 7 4 0 3.38 120 95 57 121 young Dominican having breakthrough campaign Aaron Scheffer, RHP LNC-ORL SM 22 3 2 12 2.76 65 59 22 87 fringe prospect posted big SO numbers '96-'97 Patrick Dunham, RHP LNC-ORL SM 22 10 9 0 3.78 145 128 65 110 '97 3rd rder has good stuff; won nine straight Kyle Peterson, RHP STK-ELP MB 22 6 8 0 3.65 128 127 44 131 '97 1st rder is Stanford grad; not overpowering Allen Levrault, RHP STK-ELP MB 21 10 7 0 4.00 158 151 44 130 power guy throws strikes and throws 93-94 mph Luke Prokopec, RHP SBR-SAN LA 20 10 5 0 2.45 128 109 43 165 switched to mound mid '97; great curve; avg heat Ryan Jensen, RHP BAKERSFIELD SF 22 9 12 0 3.56 157 149 58 158 '96 8th rder posted solid numbers John Patterson, RHP HIGH DESERT AZ 20 8 7 0 2.83 121 98 41 140 Expos 1st-rder signed for $6 million; hits 95 mph Brad Penny, RHP HIGH DESERT AZ 20 14 4 0 3.02 152 129 32 187 hard thrower with good body/arm/command/change Russell Jacob, RHP HIGH DESERT AZ 23 3 0 1 3.97 59 66 24 58 ex-Mariner has size/power arm; past arm woes Kevin Gregg, RHP MODESTO OA 20 8 6 1 3.59 135 128 67 132 big kid with breaking ball/athleticism/arm action Jose Garcia, RHP STOCKTON MB 20 11 11 0 3.73 157 130 87 156 '96 2nd-rder has good arm/curve/build; young PITCHERS CLUB ORG AGE W L SV ERA IP H BB SO Eric Dubose, LHP VIS-HVL OA 22 11 7 1 3.45 133 123 59 132 '97 1st rder has great arm/fastball; coming fast Pete Zamora, LHP SBR-SAN LA 23 7 7 6 2.74 141 99 58 121 UCLA grad has below avg heat; good curve/change Nick Bierbrodt, LHP HIGH DESERT AZ 20 7 7 0 3.67 115 111 61 78 '96 1st-rder has size/command/90 mph heat Jeff Andra, LHP SAN JOSE SF 22 8 2 0 3.32 87 75 28 80 '97 3rd rder has pitched well; craftsman CAROLINA LEAGUE In 1998, the Carolina League experienced the coming out party for Joe Crede (White Sox), the blossoming of all-around talent Carlos Beltran (Royals) and power arms Kevin McGlinchey (Braves), Orber Moreno (Royals) and Rich Ankiel (Cardinals), perhaps the best pitching prospect in the game. Crede, a fifth-round pick in 1996 who hit .271 with five homers at low Class-A in 1997, learned to lay off pitches out of the strike zone to help him post impressive numbers both home and away while continuing his solid defense. The 20-year-old is attempting to win the league's first triple crown since 1951. Beltran and McGlinchey both returned to the league after subpar '97 campaigns at a tender age, excelled and moved on to Double-A. Carlos showed all-around skills and an excellent body, though the Royals still say teammate Dermal Brown is their top prospect, as Brown did recover nicely after a terrible start. Kevin, a three-game winner in '97, won nine times by throwing his 90+ mph fastball and developing slider for strikes. Moreno, a thin youngster whose fastball has gone from 88 to 95 mph over the past two years, allowed eight hits and ten walks in 33 innings while striking out 50 batters before going to Double-A. Ankiel, who joined the league at 18, fanned ten or more hitters in six of seven starts shortly thereafter and has allowed batters a .206 average against while fanning 148 in 103 innings. He has also permitted fellow lefties just four hits in 51 at-bats with 26 strikeouts. Another outstanding performer is 20-year-old shortstop Brent Butler (Cardinals), an advanced hitter who has been able to hold down shortstop in a middle infield-rich organization. The league also had on display solid hot corner-types in Kevin Haverbusch (Pirates), Ivannon Coffie (Orioles) and Jose Leon (Cardinals). HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Fernando Lunar, C DANVILLE 97'S AT 21 .220 286 63 9 3 28 6 52 1 highly touted receiver; 45% caught stealing Charles Alley, C FREDERICK OR 21 .267 300 80 23 7 39 58 54 0 '95 2nd rder known for defense; knows strikezone Josh Paul, C WINSTON-SALEM WS 23 .241 398 96 18 10 49 35 83 18 versatile, smallish but loves action; defense ? HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Garrett Long, 1B LYN-CAR PI 21 .272 346 94 29 7 43 54 94 7 good bat prospect/Yale student playing full time HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Kevin Haverbusch, 3B-SSLYN-CAR PI 22 .335 284 95 17 9 55 17 49 5 '97 NYP MVP has power stroke; outgrew SS Mike Hessman, 3B DANVILLE 97'S AT 20 .213 389 83 20 18 58 22 141 2 good power but swing has plenty of holes; poor BB:K ratio Ivanon Coffie, 3B-SS FREDERICK OR 21 .251 423 106 16 13 67 44 98 16 solid all-around player with bat/glove and arm Jose Leon, 3B PRINCE WILLIAM SL 21 .289 384 111 26 15 59 44 125 4 has power bat/arm/reactions; slow runner; raw Jose Amado, 3B WILMINGTON KC 23 .263 236 62 17 4 28 24 28 6 solid hitter slowed by recurring arm woes Joe Crede, 3B WINSTON-SALEM WS 20 .316 433 137 29 20 76 48 85 9 triple crown hopeful; started season at 19; pure hitter HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Jerry Hairston, SS-2B FRE-BOW OR 22 .308 432 133 30 9 56 41 44 16 solid all-around offensive skills; defense ? Brent Butler, SS PRINCE WILLIAM SL 20 .296 406 120 25 10 65 38 61 2 future star with bat; may switch to 2B or 3B HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Carlos Beltran, OF WIL-WCH KC 21 .313 336 105 25 15 65 42 62 15 all-around talent coming into own; impact player Tyrone Pendergrass, OF DANVILLE 97'S AT 22 .276 474 131 19 4 33 43 82 38 one of fastest players in minors; little pop Julian Redman, OF LYNCHBURG PI 21 .249 449 112 24 5 40 30 61 30 '96 5th-rder can bunt/run/defend; bat is ? Luis Saturria, OF PRINCE WILLIAM SL 22 .279 394 110 18 11 65 24 96 24 Rule V returnee has great arm/speed/some power Mark Hamlin, OF SALEM CO 24 .270 200 54 16 8 36 19 57 0 low-round pick has hit himself into prospect Dermal Brown, OF WILMINGTON KC 20 .257 389 100 28 9 50 41 101 20 '96 1st rder has awesome power/build; struggled early in '98 McKay Christensen, OF WINSTON-SALEM WS 23 .274 292 80 13 2 24 48 45 17 former Angel is Brett Butler-like; still raw PITCHERS CLUB ORG AGE W L SV ERA IP H BB SO Alberto Garza, RHP KIN-AKR IN 21 5 8 0 3.14 117 83 63 116 sleeper with durable power arm is worth watching Josh Towers, RHP FRE-BOW OR 21 9 7 1 3.34 151 142 11 123 good change; 85 mph fastball; no BB Jason Lakman, RHP W-S-BIR WS 21 3 9 0 5.61 138 135 54 156 sleeper with size/power arm fanned 16 in '97 Kevin McGlinchey, RHP DVL-GRV AT 21 10 9 0 3.37 160 143 38 136 has power arm and developing slider; solid change Orber Moreno, RHP WIL-WCH KC 21 3 3 12 2.09 60 32 20 80 dominated with consistent 95 mph heat; watch Rob Bell, RHP DANVILLE 97'S AT 21 6 8 0 3.18 159 153 39 170 '95 third rder has size/command/great curve\avg heat Jason Marquis, RHP DANVILLE 97'S AT 19 2 11 0 4.88 111 115 39 129 93-94 mph heat; other pitches need work; bad year Brian Falkenborg, RHP FREDERICK OR 20 5 4 0 4.08 64 69 13 54 '96 2nd-rder better than '97 numbers; hurt '98 Dave Mastolanardo, RHP FREDERICK OR 23 1 6 15 5.33 49 53 27 61 tryout camp signee led Appy in relief points '97 Dave Riske, RHP KINSTON IN 21 1 1 30 2.54 50 45 13 60 56th-rd pick has 3/4 deceptive delivery; sleeper Jamie Brown, RHP KINSTON IN 21 9 9 0 4.05 158 156 39 135 solid arm and good command; body needs work Jason Karnuth, RHP PRINCE WILLIAM SL 22 6 1 0 1.56 86 64 10 45 hurt early '98; has been standout since return Doug Walls, RHP SALEM CO 24 5 12 0 4.48 141 135 57 147 solid velocity; shoulder problems last 3 years Chad Durbin, RHP WILMINGTON KC 20 10 6 0 2.89 131 113 47 143 throws upper-80s fastball and good breaking pitch PITCHERS CLUB ORG AGE W L SV ERA IP H BB SO Paul Ah Yat, LHP LYN-CAR PI 23 10 6 0 3.02 161 150 29 119 craftsmen with command and location; sleeper Scott Mullen, LHP WIL-WCH KC 23 15 6 0 2.99 142 121 46 92 '96 7th-rder has subpar heat, good slider Mike Bacsik, LHP KINSTON IN 20 9 8 0 2.86 148 132 33 115 craftsman pitching well after disastrous '97 Kris Lambert, LHP LYNCHBURG PI 22 8 9 0 3.74 135 138 33 125 '97 NYP top winner has 3 solid pitches/command Sam McConnell, LHP AUG-LYN PI 22 12 7 0 3.02 158 147 31 111 big lefty with great control opened eyes Rich Ankiel, LHP PEO-PRW SL 19 10 6 0 2.74 138 90 46 189 bonus baby with power arm could be minors best! Jason Navarro, LHP PRINCE WILLIAM SL 23 6 7 0 4.39 131 139 64 102 '97 fifth-rounder has allowed plenty of baserunners Todd Thorn, LHP WILMINGTON KC 21 9 5 0 3.07 132 106 27 94 good breaking ball and command; hit hard in '97 FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE The 1998 crop of FSL players contains a solid mixture of pitchers and position players. Just about every first-round hurler who graced the league for the majority of the season had success. There were several talented middle infield prospects and an outstanding prospect-laden team at Charlotte and as usual, several players who had breakthrough years. Many first-round pitchers impressed. Matt Anderson (Tigers) dominated early in the season, and was followed by Ryan Bradley (Yankees), who was the most impressive. Jake Westbrook (Expos), Billy Koch (Blue Jays), Adam Eaton (Phillies) and R.A. Dickey (Rangers), who had success as a closer despite just an average fastball, also made favorable impressions. After hitting .227 with six homers in 135 games a year ago, shortstop Kelly Dransfeldt (Rangers), an already proven defender, returned to the league this season and turned on the power, batting .322 with 17 doubles, 18 homers and 76 RBI in 67 games before his promotion to Tulsa. After Dransfeldt, the oldest of the middle infield prospects, small and tall shortstops showed they could play. On the smallish side, Jimmy Rollins (Phillies), Dennis Abreu (Cubs) and Luis Rivas (Twins) excited FSL crowds with their athleticism and are definite big league prospects, though Rollins and Abreu may be forced to change positions. Tallish 6-foot-2 Joey Lawrence (Blue Jays) showed offensive potential but scouts aren't sure if he'll be able to handle the middle infield in the future. Tomas De la Rosa (Expos), another 6-foot-2 shortstop, impressed scouts with his size, speed, bat potential and ability to make the plays in the field. Over at second base, Chad Meyers (Cubs) has the makings of an outstanding leadoff hitter and he has improved his defense while Brent Abernathy (Blue Jays) is a solid all-around player who can hit, run and defend. Along with Dransfeldt, the Charlotte Rangers had several other prospects contribute for the league's best team: 1B Sean Gallagher, a 20-year-old high school phenom who came into his own, outfielders Mike Zywica and Craig Monroe, second baseman Tom Sergo and starting pitchers Derrick Cook, Dan DeYoung (traded to the Marlins in the Todd Zeile deal), Trey Poland and Doug Davis along with Dickey. 1998 served as a breakthrough season for several other players. Three Toronto farmhands, Casey Blake, the minors' leading hitter, Peter Tucci, who was making a run at the league's all-time doubles and home run record before getting promoted, and Ty Hartshorn, who went 9-0, 1.29 ERA in nine starts, all performed well above expectations after mediocre '97 campaigns. 19-year-old Nick Johnson (Yankees), a much more heralded player coming in than the Jays trio, was considered by many as the best hitting prospect, showing an ability to hit for average and power and work the strike zone. HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Chad Moeller, C FTM-NBR TW 23 .302 394 119 31 11 58 52 66 4 Team USA catcher known for defense; 17% caught stealing Brad Ramsey, C DAYTONA CC 21 .278 273 76 20 4 30 30 58 4 decent hitter but bat/glove/arm could be short Brian Schneider, C CPF-JUP EX 21 .285 393 112 17 10 53 33 38 9 solid receiver with strong arm; will he hit? Steve Lomasney, C SARASOTA RS 20 .253 380 96 21 16 49 52 119 12 excellent defender is developing offensive game HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Andy Tracy, 1B JUP-HRB EX 24 .256 398 102 25 17 74 56 112 7 '96 low pick has shown pop entire career; sleeper Julio Zuleta, 1B DAY-WTE CC 23 .347 444 154 33 17 96 39 77 6 FSL bat leader emerging; little too big Juan Diaz, 1B VB-SAN LA 22 .279 408 114 21 30 80 31 92 1 was on pace to break FSL season homer record when promoted Shawn Gallagher, 1B CHARLOTTE-FSL TX 21 .297 462 137 30 20 101 51 105 15 great HS/'95; breaking out after poor '96-97 Tommy Peterman, 1B FORT MYERS TW 23 .314 458 144 32 18 98 54 79 2 slugger having breakthrough year; mobility? Kevin Burns, 1B KISSIMMEE HO 22 .277 415 115 23 17 71 65 110 10 big lefty slugger has hit better than expected Bryon Gainey, 1B SLU-MTS NY 22 .272 298 81 14 19 55 12 105 0 power bat slow to develop; few BB Nick Johnson, 1B TAMPA YA 19 .336 265 89 13 13 50 63 64 1 great pure hitter with power/great glove; young HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Chad Meyers, 2B DAY-WTE CC 23 .302 424 128 22 3 48 81 64 49 can hit/take a walk and steal; needs work at 2B Tom Sergio, 2B CHL-TUL TX 23 .292 442 129 27 3 32 48 56 32 smallish; can hit/run/make contact; fringe Brent Abernathy, 2B DUNEDIN BJ 20 .325 425 138 29 2 57 35 32 26 gamer makes contact and has hit; former SS; great prospect David Eckstein, 2B SARASOTA RS 23 .301 445 134 28 3 55 70 49 42 good bat discipline/great speed; tools short HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Casey Blake, 3B DUN-KNX BJ 24 .354 444 157 37 15 88 43 96 15 solid all-around; breakout with 31-gm hit streak Chris Truby, 3B KIS-JCK HO 24 .303 482 146 35 26 101 36 72 13 high pick finally living up to billing; good glove Ron Walker, 3B DAYTONA CC 22 .264 311 82 16 20 65 43 70 5 has legitimate pop; defernse/weight are concerns Junior Zamora, 3B SLU-MTS NY 22 .284 320 91 17 9 46 23 52 4 has been limited by back; crude; big & strong HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Kelly Dransfeldt, SS CHL-TUL TX 23 .287 435 125 30 24 106 43 134 15 big, physical SS w/power/speed; hitting in '98 Jim Rollins, SS CLEARWATER PH 19 .256 414 106 17 6 31 35 52 19 switch-hitter with great speed; arm may push to 2b Dennis Abreu, SS DAYTONA CC 20 .267 498 133 20 2 53 29 124 21 Bob's brother is exciting hitter; 50+ errors @ ss Joe Lawrence, SS DUNEDIN BJ 21 .282 393 111 27 9 30 90 76 7 pure hitter with power bat/arm; may outgrow SS Luis Rivas, SS FORT MYERS TW 18 .262 404 106 15 1 41 13 70 31 youngest full-season player in '97; tremendous SS Tomas DelaRosa, SS JUPITER EX 20 .260 331 86 20 2 33 34 53 21 exciting youngster with two-way skills; watch Julio Lugo, SS KISSIMMEE HO 22 .312 462 144 18 6 58 44 68 47 another Astros young infielder w/multiple skills Eddy DelosSantos, SS ST. PETERSBURG TB 20 .241 377 91 10 0 31 16 63 6 kid has size and good legs; inexperienced HITTERS CLUB ORG AGE AVG AB H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB Peter Tucci, OF DUN-KNX BJ 22 .307 436 134 31 27 92 35 117 10 power bat emerged in '98; defense is ? Roosevelt Brown, OF DAY-WTE CC 23 .326 359 117 23 15 62 32 67 6 decent bat, pop, speed; subpar '97; Rule V pick Glenn Davis, OF-1B VB-SAN LA 22 .242 422 102 14 25 72 76 120 13 '97 1st rder surprised club with power production Tony Mota, OF VB-SAN LA 20 .290 445 129 26 8 52 28 55 27 switch-hitter with great tools; young for league Mike Zywica, OF CHL-TUL TX 23 .339 439 149 35 16 89 52 87 22 not "tools" player but breakthrough year with bat Julio Ramirez, OF BREVARD COUNTY FL 21 .279 499 139 15 10 49 43 132 62 five-tool talent missed part of '97/wrist injury Jon Heinrichs, OF BREVARD COUNTY FL 23 .295 414 122 16 10 53 45 63 18 solid all-around player with pop and speed Craig Monroe, OF CHARLOTTE-FSL TX 21 .254 414 105 26 14 65 62 89 44 passed FSL repeat yr; can run & has power Cesar Bolivar, OF FORT MYERS TW 19 .267 442 118 14 4 43 25 92 13 youngster can hit for avg and steal bases Anthony Felston, OF FORT MYERS TW 23 .285 417 119 8 0 43 83 64 85 sleeper speedster has chance if he hits higher up Chris Wakeland, OF LAKELAND DE 24 .286 426 122 23 15 69 55 99 15 '96 NYP leader in slg, obp leveled off in '97 Alex Sanchez, OF ST. PETERSBURG TB 21 .333 483 161 14 1 45 30 59 64 high pick can run/hit/defend; still raw; smallish Richard Brown, OF TAM-YAN YA 21 .307 254 78 11 10 36 42 52 10 FSU football recruit is athlete with great speed Marcus Thames, OF TAMPA YA 21 .291 399 116 17 11 54 19 65 12 decent skills with size and power bat; few BB PITCHERS CLUB ORG AGE W L SV ERA IP H BB SO Matt Anderson, RHP DETROIT DE 22 2 1 0 2.05 26 24 17 22 LAK-JAX 2 0 13 0.66 41 25 13 45 first player in '97 draft has power arm and slider Ryan Bradley, RHP TAM-NRW-COL YA 22 9 4 7 2.20 127 71 44 140 '97 first rder has dominated with power arm; had no-hitter Keith Evans, RHP JUP-HRB EX 22 12 8 0 3.46 148 152 29 82 command/big breaking ball have led to success Joe Mays, RHP FTM-NBR TW 22 11 4 0 3.82 132 142 40 112 combines solid arm w/good control; great '97 #'s Ty Hartshorn, RHP DUN-KNX BJ 24 14 5 0 3.55 155 163 54 97 mediocre prospect added velocity and emerged '98 Dan DeYoung, RHP CHL-BRE FL 22 13 7 0 4.70 134 136 41 68 Appy ERA leader has size and arm strength R.A. Dickey, RHP CHARLOTTE-FSL TX 23 1 5 33 3.48 54 53 19 47 '96 1st rder w/shaky elbow moved to closer Derrick Cook, RHP CHARLOTTE-FSL TX 23 11 6 0 3.68 147 153 56 95 '96 2nd rder has solid build and good results Adam Eaton, RHP CLEARWATER PH 20 9 7 0 4.19 131 148 46 89 '96 1st rder started fast; 90+ mph heat/plus curve Chris Gissell, RHP RKF-DAY CC 20 8 6 0 3.55 155 164 51 125 subpar '97; Cubs love size/power/slider/instincts Billy Koch, RHP DUNEDIN BJ 23 13 7 0 3.79 119 114 40 102 former Olympian making great comeback from elbow Yan LaChapelle, RHP DUNEDIN BJ 22 9 6 0 4.20 99 92 48 99 smallish Canadian with 90 mph heat and "spike" curve Matt Kinney, RHP SAR-FTM TW 21 11 7 1 3.76 141 125 78 113 young power arm idolizes Clemens, lots of SO/BB Antonio Armas, RHP JUPITER EX 20 10 8 0 2.98 133 123 54 113 Tony's son coming into own; has great "feel" Jake Westbrook, RHP JUPITER EX 20 9 5 0 3.37 147 147 57 73 '96 1st rder has fastball/curve/command John Nicholson, RHP JUPITER EX 20 10 6 0 3.65 141 129 47 113 has size, a sinking fastball and good curve Russ Spear, RHP LAKELAND DE 20 8 7 0 4.73 97 101 44 78 young Aussie with avg fastball and good curve Kenny Pumphrey, RHP ST. LUCIE NY 21 10 6 0 2.67 138 114 56 95 4 pitch pitcher with good arm; needs focus Grant Roberts, RHP ST. LUCIE NY 20 2 4 0 4.50 56 59 26 50 top prospect but had elbow surgery late '97 Sun Kim, RHP SARASOTA RS 20 11 6 0 4.92 135 144 34 122 Korean has plus arm and good command PITCHERS CLUB ORG AGE W L SV ERA IP H BB SO Phillip Norton, LHP DAY-WTE CC 22 9 8 0 3.20 169 156 61 164 '96 10th-rder has big breaking curve/decent heat Derek Root, LHP KIS-JCK HO 23 9 4 4 2.51 111 99 31 97 ex-1Bman impressed with heat and great curve; sleeper Trey Poland, LHP CHARLOTTE-FSL TX 23 6 4 0 3.91 127 134 48 117 command and changeup got younger hitters out Doug Davis, LHP CHARLOTTE-FSL TX 22 10 6 0 3.27 140 120 66 150 fringe talent having big year; sleeper Jeriome Robertson, LHP KISSIMMEE HO 21 10 9 0 3.74 159 169 45 119 fringe type with decent arm; good numbers 96-98 Bryan Braswell, LHP KISSIMMEE HO 23 11 7 0 4.29 134 148 39 95 '96 4th rder; 90 mph/change of speeds, control Cedrick Bowers, LHP ST. PETERSBURG TB 20 5 5 0 2.98 136 105 70 142 lacks command but throws hard/good curve; high SO GAME OF THE WEEK San Antonio (AA-Texas League) exploded for 12 runs in the top of the 11th inning to break a scoreless tie and beat Wichita 12-1 on August 19. The Missions homered five times in the frame, a new 1998 minor league-high and a total that tied the Texas League record (Houston, vs. Tyler, August 16, 1932). They became the second minor league team this year to hit for the home run cycle (Indianapolis is the other) in an inning as OF GLENN DAVIS ripped a solo shot, 1B JUAN DIAZ launched a two-run blast, 2B MIKE METCALFE cracked a three-run drive and C ANGEL PENA smacked a grand slam. Pena also followed Diaz's homer with a solo dinger to become the fourth player this year to go deep twice in an inning. He also tied this season's minor league-high with five RBI in the frame, capping a 5-for-5 night. Wrangler reliever LHP STEVE PRIHODA suffered the defeat. His line read: 1 IP, 10 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 2 BB, 1 WP, 1 HP. TRIPLE CROWN UPDATE Through August 20, Winston-Salem 3B JOE CREDE (A-Carolina League) was leading the league in batting (.314), homers (20) and RBI (76), trying to become the first player in the league since 1951 to win the Triple Crown... Bowie AA-Eastern League) 1B CALVIN PICKERING was leading the league in home runs (28) and RBI (98). His .306 average was fourth highest, 12 points off the league lead. The last Triple Crown in the Eastern League was achieved by George Scott in 1965...Macon (A-South Atlantic League) 2B MARCUS GILES was leading the league in homers (35) and RBI (102) and was third in batting (.331), also 12 points off the league lead. The last Triple Crown in the South Atlantic League was achieved by David Rivera in 1978. MINOR LEAGUE LEADERS (Through August 20) AVERAGE (Minimum 360 TPA): Casey Blake, Knoxville, .354; ON BASE PERCENTAGE: Mitch Meluskey, New Orleans, .462; SLUGGING PERCENTAGE: George Arias, Las Vegas, .651; HITS: Joe McEwing, Memphis, 180; HOME RUNS: Chris Hatcher, Omaha, 38; RBI: Gabe Kapler, Jacksonville and Ty Horne, Arkansas, 128; STOLEN BASES: Anthony Felston, Ft. Myers, 85; DOUBLES: Joe McEwing, Memphis, 48; TRIPLES: Eric Stuckenschneider, Albuquerque, 17; RUNS: Jason Conti, Tulsa, 120; WALKS: Jason Regan, Lancaster, 96; STRIKEOUTS: Corey Pointer, Lynchburg, 159; ERRORS: Troy Cameron, Macon, 61. BEST ERA (110 IP): Mike Kusiewicz, New Haven, 2.17; WORST ERA (110 IP): Brian Cooper, Midland, 7.49; WINS: Shannon Withem, Syracuse; Dan Perkins, Salt Lake; Scott Mullen, Wichita and John Sneed, Hagerstown, 15; SAVES: Brent Stentz, New Britain, 38; COMPLETE GAMES: Mark Corey, Indianapolis, 7; GAMES: Mike Walker, Indianapolis, 67; INNINGS PITCHED: Mark Harriger, Lake Elsinore, 185.2; STRIKEOUTS: Josh Kalinowski, Asheville and John Sneed, Hagerstown, 201. BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE/CLUB (FULL SEASON): Columbia, 85-45 (.654); Wilmington, 78-46 (.629); High Desert, 82-49 (.626). BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE/CLUB (SHORT SEASON): Arizona Rockies, 36-11 (.766); Bristol, 41-19 (.683); Gulf Marlins, 36-18 (.667). BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE/ORGANIZATION: Blue Jays (.561); Royals (.560); Twins (.542). PREVIOUS WEEKS LEADERS - Week 1 - Mets; Week 2 - Tigers; Week 3 - Expos; Week 4 - Mets; Week 5 - Expos; Week 6 - Expos; Week 7 - Expos; Week 8 - Blue Jays; Week 9 - Blue Jays; Week 10 - Blue Jays; Week 11 - Blue Jays; Week 12 - Blue Jays; Week 13 - Blue Jays; Week 14 - Royals; Week 15 - Royals; Week 16 - Royals; Week 17 - Royals. AMERICAN LEAGUE NOTES Angels Class-A RHP BRENDON COWSILL pitched a three-hit, 7-0 shutout against Peoria (9 IP, 0 BB, 3 SO) August 18. After allowing a single to lead off the game, he permitted just a fourth-inning single and a ninth-inning double to notch his second straight and second career shutout (18 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO). Orioles Rookie ball OF RICK ELDER, a first-round pick in 1998, went 15-for-25 with three doubles, two triples, a homer and 12 RBI in six games August 12-18. The native of Marietta, Georgia was batting .353 with 25 RBI in his first 28 pro games...Double-A 2B JERRY HAIRSTON hit safely in 12 straight games (19-45, 1 2B, 2 3B, 6 RBI) August 10-19, raising his average from .330 to .360. He had hit safely in 33 of his first 35 games with the Bay Sox and had made just four errors since moving over from shortstop. Red Sox Low Class-A 1997 first-round pick LHP JOHN CURTICE struck out a career-high 11 batters (7 IP, 6 H, 0 R) in a no-decision at Kane County August 16. His previous high was nine on May 9 against South Bend. The outing was just the second all season in which he had lasted seven innings...C SHEA HILLENBRAND's .348 average was tied for the second highest in the minor leagues through August 20. Indians Rookie ball LHP C.C. SABATHIA, the Tribe's first-round pick in 1998, struck out the side in the first three innings, including six straight, but allowed four runs in the second inning and left after four frames (5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO) in suffering his first pro defeat in three starts, 9-5 at the hands of Princeton on August 13. Royals Class-A RHP DAN REICHERT, the seventh overall pick in last year's draft, uncorked three wild pitches in the fifth inning and four in the game but still managed to beat Winston-Salem 4-3 August 16 (7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO) in his first start since coming up from Lansing. The 22-year-old improved to 3-5, 6.29 at three levels after starting the season at Wichita (1-4, 9.75 ERA). He was diagnosed with diabetes in May and dropped 20 pounds. Twins Class-A RHP MATT KINNEY, acquired in the deal that sent Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell to Boston, fired seven scoreless innings (4 H, 1 BB, 5 SO) to beat his old team Sarasota 9-2 on August 15. The 6-foot-4, 21-year-old possesses a low to mid-90s fastball with a good slider...Low Class-A LHP JOE THOMAS, the other pitcher acquired by the Twins in the deal, carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning before allowing a one-out single and departing in a 5-0 win against South Bend August 19. He fanned a career-high 13 batters along the way, picking up his league-leading 14th victory. Thomas evened his record at 2-2 with the Wizards after going 12-5 for Michigan. Yankees Rookie League RHP RICARDO ARAMBOLES, the 16-year-old Dominican signed by New York for $1.52 million, allowed two hits over 5.1 scoreless innings while fanning six, including the side in order in the second inning, in a no-decision against the Devil Rays August 14. Aramboles is 2-0, 2.57 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 35 innings....After just three starts, two wins and a 1.44 ERA, RHP RYAN BRADLEY was promoted from Double-A to Triple-A Columbus. He allowed two runs, four hits and six walks over seven innings in his first appearance. Blue Jays Low Class-A RHP JOHN SNEED struck out 12 batters (6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R) in a 5-4 win against Macon. The win was his 15th, tying him for the minor league lead while the 12 punchouts raised his total to 201, also tying him for the minor league lead. It was the sixth double-digit strikeout performance of the season for the second-year pro, who improved his career record to 21-3. The 1997 22nd-round draft pick from Texas A & M has allowed three runs or less in 36 of 41 career starts...Since joining the Triple-A club in Syracuse after the trade with the Red Sox for Mike Stanley, RHP PETER MUNRO and RHP JAY YENNACO both had ERA's over 6.00. Munro just lost to his old team, Pawtucket, August 20. NATIONAL LEAGUE NOTES Diamondbacks Class-A RHP RHP JOHN PATTERSON fanned 11 batters, including the side in the fourth and fifth innings and six in a row between the third and fifth, to beat Rancho Cucamonga 3-2 August 19 (6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB), giving the Mavericks their eighth straight win. It marked the third straight start in which he whiffed ten or more batters (2-1, 17.2 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 33 SO). Rockies Double-A LHP MIKE KUSIEWICZ tossed eight scoreless innings (3 H, 2 BB, 6 SO) in a 5-0 win at Reading August 18 to improve his record to 13-6 and lower his ERA to a minor league-best 2.17. The 13 wins were tied for the league lead while his 136 whiffs were third. The young 21-year-old had been with the Ravens for parts of the 1996-97 seasons. He was the Eastern League's youngest pitcher in 1996. Marlins Triple-A OF PRESTON WILSON homered 11 times in his first 19 August contests, including eight homers in 30 at-bats August 11-19...Low Class-A RHP A.J. BURNETT allowed two hits over seven scoreless innings and fanned ten batters in a 15-0 win against Wisconsin August 20. It was his third straight double-digit strikeout performance and tenth in 17 starts. It was also the ninth start in which he had allowed two hits or fewer while pitching at least five innings. Dodgers Double-A RHP LUKE PROKOPEC allowed just a run on seven hits over six innings (3 BB, 3 SO) to beat Wichita 10-1 August 15, holding Wrangler bats relatively silent after their 23-run outburst the night before. The 20-year-old Prokopec, a converted outfielder, improved to 2-0, 1.00 ERA in three starts since his promotion from San Bernardino (8-5, 2.69 ERA, 148 SO, 110 IP). Not overpowering, Prokopec has command and a major league curveball. Brewers Class-A RHP J.M. GOLD, the 13th overall pick in this year's draft, pitched six scoreless innings (4 H, 1 BB, 5 SO) in a 6-2 win against Butte August 18. He lowered his ERA to 1.69 in three starts, picking up his first professional victory. Cardinals Class-A RHP CHAD HUTCHINSON, the first of two second-round picks for St. Louis in this year's draft, was promoted from New Jersey, where he was 0-1, 3.52 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. He fanned eight over five innings (5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB) in his first start against Danville August 15. The former Stanford multi-sport talent was not involved in the decision, an 11-inning 8-5 loss. STREAKING Bowie (AA-Eastern League) RHP JOSH TOWERS was promoted from Frederick (8-7, 3.34 ERA) and beat Portland 7-2 (G1) on August 19 (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO). Towers' streak of consecutive innings without a walk was snapped at 48.2 innings when he walked a batter in the fifth inning. He eclipsed his own '98 high of 42.2 innings, set earlier this season. Norwich (AA-Eastern League) SS RUDY GOMEZ hit safely in 25 straight games (38-106, 8 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 6 SB) July 24-August 18, raising his average from .125 to .342. The streak matched the longest in the league this decade (Jeff Ferguson, New Britain, 1996; Jay Payton, Binghamton, 1995). HIGHLIGHTS Asheville (A-South Atlantic League) scored 11 runs on eight hits, including a three-run homer and a two-run single by C ROGELIO ARIAS, in the third inning and went on to demolish Savannah 16-5 August 19. Arias tied a 1998 minor league-high with five RBI in the inning and 1B TODD SEARS collected a pair of singles and an RBI in the frame. Ogden (R-Pioneer League) C OSBITO BRITO hit for the cycle (4-7, 3 RBI) and SS CHRIS ROWAN went 4-for-4 with a double, two homers and five RBI as the Raptors set a new 1998 minor league-high for runs scored in a game by pasting Butte 27-15 on August 19. In fact, the 42 runs scored by the two clubs also accounted for the most in the minors this season. Rowan scored six runs to become the second minor league player this season to accomplish the feat. The Copperkings aided the Raptors by committing nine errors in the contest, the second highest total in the minor leagues this season. Scranton-WB (AAA-International League) C GARY BENNETT hit three home runs (4-8, 6 RBI) in a 15-10 win at Buffalo August 16. After OF DARREN BURTON drew a bases-loaded walk to snap a tie in the top of the 14th inning, Bennett launched a grand slam to put the finishing touches on the Bisons. 1B DAN HELD and Bennett had homered back-to-back to lead off the ninth inning and knot the score at 10-apiece, coming back from a one-time 10-3 deficit. Both clubs combined to homer 11 times, including seven bombs by the Red Barons to tie for the 1998 minor league-high. Fort Myers (A-Florida State League) DH STEVE HACKER blasted a pair of two-run homers to highlight a nine-run third inning as the Miracle clobbered Vero Beach 17-7 on August 18. Hacker became the third minor leaguer this season to homer twice in one inning. Danville (R-Appalachian League) 2B RAFAEL FURCAL stole five bases (3-5) in a 6-1 loss at Elizabethton August 19, tying the minors' 1998 single game high. He led the minors with 24 swipes during the month of July and now has 52 for the season, already a league record. The short season record for most steals in a season was set by Reginald Thomas, who swiped 72 bases for Portland in the Northwest League in 1974. LOWLIGHTS Brewers Double-A RHP KEVIN GALLAHER issued walks to all five Wichita batters he faced in the eighth inning August 14. Although all five runners he put on scored, Gallaher did not factor in the decision, a 23-3 pasting. South Bend (A-Midwest League) RHP MARC VAN WORMER lost his 12th straight game 8-2 on August 14 against Peoria (6 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO), the longest losing streak in the minor leagues in '98,. He's allowed 70 runs, 60 earned runs, 33 walks and 99 hits over 57.2 innings while fanning 44 batters. Wisconsin (A-Midwest League) C SCOTT MAYNARD went 0-for-43 with six walks, one run scored and 16 strikeouts in 19 games July 10-August 19. The slump dropped his average from .227 to .180. He has managed just one hit in his last 54 at-bats. San Bernardino (A-California League) 1B JEFF BRAMLETT went 0-for-24 with 20 strikeouts in ten games July 16-August 19, including strikeouts in eight straight at-bats.