The ViewPoint 9
March 5, 2004
Written by MadAlan

(Read archived articles here)

Baseball is made up of “Heroes.” The stars are beloved and if they play in your city they will receive adulation and thousands of local dollars more. Good reason to be a star? So, who will be the nearby stars and are any of these young players equipped with Hall capabilities. Most of these young players will have better numbers next year and from then on.

These players were all on baseball’s “Fast Track” by their respective team. All were watched constantly during each season they played in the minors as well as summer leagues, and later when they played in Latin America in the off off season too. A great deal of money and time was invested in each player. Today a “star” can be a player who exerts so much energy and enthusiasm on the field, the fans just love him. Remember the Phillies’ Lenny Dykstra? Currently the Brewers have Podsednik, created from a similar mold. Look for these players to brighten baseball each season.

AL East

Baltimore: Matt Riley was a first-round draft choice and was doing very good until he required Tommy John surgery (2001). Now he is healthy and is showing many signs of the stardom to come. Eric DuBose and Erik Bedard are two other star quality youngsters pitching in the Baltimore rotation or spot-starting for the moment.

Boston: Bronson Arroyo tossed a perfect game for Pawtucket on August 10, 2003 where he posted a 3.46 ERA with 155 strikeouts in 149 2 innings. On the first day in May 2004 he went 6 innings against the hard-hitting Texas Rangers allowing them only 3 hits, either showcasing him to teams wanting a starting pitcher or to remind themselves in Boston what they have in Bronson Arroyo.

NYY Bubba Crosby is a smallish baseball player at just 185 pounds and 5’10”, but the hustle and winner’s attitude is why he is here. He has not shown a whole lot of anything until the first of this season when he pinch-hit a home run. The first 4 hits brought 2 homers. Yankee outfielders are fragile and he will get to play until “The Boss” brings in a big-time outfielder.

Tampa Bay Doug Waechter is among many young players in Tampa Bay, all look bizarre around the manager, Lou Pineilla. A rookie did not have a prayer for playing time in the managers past. Doug is a young “Ace” pitcher 3 years away. Last season, his first, he finished 3-2, E.R.A. 3.31, 36 innings and just 29 hits. This year he could be a .500 pitcher. A “keeper” in keeper leagues.

Toronto Orlando Hudson upon arriving to the “big time” in 2002 found that a half-season of hitting .276 and then a full season at second base pushing 57 runners across home plate and scoring 54 himself all on 127 hits. He is near the top of the list of best with the glove in his position. He is above average in his understanding of baseball and will be a field general sometime. This year he should hit 15 home runs or more.

AL Central

CWS Miguel Olivo is one of those all-muscle steel framed catchers, but he can run and will run. Expect about 10 steals this year and maybe 20 next year. Soon he will be an All-Star and a future leader for the White Sox. This year could mean 12-17 homers and 70 R.B.I.s.

Cleveland Cliff Lee is a secret. Outside of Indian territory and each hitter who faces him – they know Cliff Lee. Check it out! Last year he quietly put together a 3-3 season, giving-up only 41 hits in 53 innings. That is so important to watch in Fantasy. A real good guide to use, less hits than innings pitched means allot to the other numbers we see as important. By the way, he struck out 44 batters and walked only 20. This year is a stepping-stone towards the 20 win seasons he will reach in the coming year or so.

Detroit Mike Maroth ended up with the dubious peculiarity of becoming the first major league pitcher since 1980 to lose 20 games in a single season. Maroth started off 2004 in fine fashion. He allowed just one run in 7 1/3 innings of work for win one. He later recorded seven strikeouts and walked just one improving his record to 2-0 and lowering his ERA to 3.37 still in Detroit. He believably may win 12-15 games with the Tigers and that is saying something.

KC Ken Harvey is still a growing young man, when he learns to take a few pitches – because it is coming near you does not mean try and hit it – he will hit .300. Don’t expect 25 homers this season and maybe not next season either. Both seasons he could provide plenty of R.B.I.s anyway, like 80 or so.

Minnesota Lew Ford is no surprise to the Twins at all. They knew he would hit and cover plenty of ground in the outfield. The problem is the team owns too many starting outfielders and the weakest-link in the field, Shannon Stewart, does not desire being the DH on a regular basis. Ford would be such a waste of glove-talent as a DH hence he plays everyday in the minors. It would not surprise me if Ford steals as many bases as Stewart does and hit 25 homers.

AL West

Anaheim Kevin Gregg was considered a “Can’t Miss” prospect before he arrived this year. He seems to quickly spot the ‘hole’ in the hitters swing or a leg shift on an inside curve ball. He is not the fastest gun around, hitting the radar-gun around 91-93 MPH, he does own some various-speed other pitches for confusions sake. The key is he can put the baseball where the catcher wants it every time .. or so it seems.

Seattle Raphael Soriano has a forearm injury since spring and those type injuries can last the entire season. I did not draft him. Too bad because this year was a golden opportunity for him – management wanted him to pitch more this year. He is the West Coast version of Johann Santana (Twins).

Oakland Rich Harden was the main reason Oakland got rid of young good pitchers like Lidle, Lilly and Harang expecting to reap some Harden rewards. That was last year. He is now a ‘veteran’ and therefore we could see a dozen wins, or maybe 15 wins, or… dare I say ……. He is the real deal, the pitcher the A’s wanted, but maybe he would be better elsewhere?

Texas Gerald Laird certainly looks like a catcher and has the catcher’s walk. Can his ‘talk’ give the pitchers confidence in him. The catcher is a very tough position to play. His bat is seemingly very good right now; well worthy of getting Einar Diaz gone. By the seasons end there will be two young catching studs everyone will be talking about. One is Victor Martinez in Cleveland and Gerald Laird is the other.

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MadAlan

MadAlan can be reached at madalan_3@hotmail.com