1998's Rookie and Near-Rookie Crop: Part 2
© Greg Spira
And now, part 2 of our look at young players who may get a chance to make an impact in the majors this year:
- Eli Marrero is well liked by scouts and the Cardinals, and will probably be given every chance to be the Cardinals' catcher this year if he recovers from his bout with cancer - which could be in a few weeks or not at all this season. He is a fine defensive catcher and has real pop in his bat, but his poor strike zone judgment is going to be a major problem once he makes his way back.
- David Ortiz is the Minnesota Twins' first baseman of the future, and will probably get a chance to show his stuff later this season . Formerly known as David Arias, the young Twin already knows how to hit for both average and power. However, his plate discipline is really bad - in his brief callup to the majors last years, he had 2 walks and 19 strikeouts - and he clearly needs some more minor league time to improve in that area so that he stops swinging at everything. He's also not much of a baserunner or a defensive first baseman, so it's his bat that will have to carry him. Right now, Orlando Merced is ahead of him at first base for the Twins, but since Minnesota will not contend this season, it is quite possible that the team will start playing for the future by August and give Ortiz a chance.
- Carl Pavano is the best pitching prospect in baseball, and the Expos certainly knew what they were doing when they took him as the centerpiece of their compensation for Pedro Martinez from the Red Sox during the offseason. Pavano has four pitches which range from good to excellent. He throws quite hard, but also possesses excellent control (he had higher than a 4:1 K/BB ration at Pawtucket in 1997). There is no such thing as a sure thing pitching prospect, but Pavano sure is close.
- Neifi Perez already got a chance to show off his skills last year when Walt Weiss was injured and Eric young was traded, and he'll be the Rockies starting shortstop for this year and years to come. He's not yet much of a hitter, but he has worked at improving his knowledge of the strike zone, and has enough pop in his bat to put up decent Coors inflated stats for his position. Defensively, he's an excellent shortstop with no real weaknesses.
The copyright of the article 1998's Rookie and Near-Rookie Crop: Part 2 in Baseball is owned by Greg Spira. Permission to republish 1998's Rookie and Near-Rookie Crop: Part 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
