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NL Rookies
to Watch: Now and Down the Road.
by Daniel Paulling
March 30, 2005
3B Garret Atkins, Colorado Rockies – Atkins, not to
be confused with the diet that not many people talk about anymore,
is a line drive hitter, not much power. He should have the everyday
job at Coors this year and should hit .280-.290 with fifteen bombs.
The only problem, however, is that his glove might cause him to
move to another position, or take another trip to Colorado Springs,
AKA the Rockies’ AAA club.
SS Clint Barmes, Colorado Rockies – Yet another Rockies
player, Barmes hit to the tune of .328 with sixteen bombs and 104
runs scored in AAA last year. Of course those numbers were slightly
inflated, expect Barmes to produce a .280 average and reach base
a fair amount. Enough to get him a few runs scored.
RP Yhency Brazoban, Los Angeles Dodgers – Brazoban filled
in quite admirably for Guillermo Mota last season and should produce
the same next year. What makes Brazoban’s success even more
impressive is the fact that he was an outfielder in the Yankees
system until joining the Dodgers in the Weaver deal. He will help
you in Ks and the two ratios, so make sure to grab him in Head to
Head leagues.
2B Chris Burke, Houston Astros – The Astros let Jeff
Kent walk after last year mainly because they thought they could
re-sign Beltran. Well, it turns out that they couldn’t and
Kent is gone, which means the door is wide open for Burke. The youngster
needs to show his abilities to lead off and in dire desperation
because Biggio could move back to the Keystone. If he gets the everyday
job, Burke could hit .280 with 10 bombs and 15 stolen bases.
SP Jose Capellan, Milwaukee Brewers – I know there have
been a lot of question as to whether Capellan fits into the rotation
or bullpen, but I think he can start. This kid throws serious heat
and could fill the role Ben Sheets has, but will vacate after being
traded from the Brewers at the Deadline. Capellan will strike out
a lot of hitters, but his ratios won’t be of much help. Oh,
and remember, these are the Brewers, so not many wins at all for
him. If Capellan fails, he’ll probably be groomed into a closer.
C JD Closser, Colorado Rockies – The Rockies were tired
of watching Charles Johnson play, and I would be too if I were them.
They are now turning to a new player, JD Closser. Closser has been
a quiet prospect, but he could hit fairly well this season, despite
being a catcher. Expect .280 with maybe 10 bombs.
SP Kyle Davies, Atlanta Braves – The Braves are so high
on this guy, they are making him the sixth pitcher in the rotation.
Injuries sidelined Horacio Ramirez quite a bit last year, so Davies
could see some innings there. He’ll probably start out in the
bullpen, however, and get a few Ks. If he joins the rotation, grab
him in NL only leagues, but wait and see in mixed leagues.
SP Gavin Floyd, Philadelphia Phillies – When I wrote
about him for my Prospect in the Spotlight, I wrote that Floyd will
be a very good pitcher. And that definitely is true. He will start
the season in Triple A, but the first chance that he gets, Floyd
will be in the rotation. I expect Floyd to be a dominating force
once he gets the job, so consider him like Davies above, maybe even
better.
SP Jeff Francis, Colorado Rockies – Francis is another
pitcher that I am truly high on due to his tremendous talents. That
and the fact that he’s left handed. While being a pitcher at
Coors Field severely limits his value, Francis does have a chance
to succeed. He is definitely not worth the risk to start at home,
but in deep mixed leagues and NL only leagues, start him when he’s
on the road.
OF Freddy Guzman, San Diego Padres – While Dave Roberts
is the starting center fielder, expect Guzman to be breathing down
his neck. Roberts has been injured a lot the past two years; Guzman
has averaged eighty stolen bases the past two years. The Padres
are going to use Guzman in the very near future, and so should you.
Add Guzman to your NL only leagues. It’s only a matter of time
before Roberts is down with injury and Guzman is called up.
OF Brad Hawpe, Colorado Rockies – Hawpe does not get
much attention at all, but because of me, you now know his name.
He is a career .303 hitter in the minor leagues, which should be
worth something in determining his ability to hit major league pitching.
He hits for power quite well, so expect him to produce along the
lines of .275 with 20 homers.
1B Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies – The epitome
of a home run hitter, Ryan Howard can flat out send them into the
stands. The Phillies happen to have a first baseman, though, one
by the name of Jim Thome. So until Howard is traded or Thome goes
down with injury, expect Howard to rot in the minor leagues. He
really deserves a chance because he could produce Adam Dunn numbers
in his prime.
SP Edwin Jackson, Los Angeles Dodgers – This right hander
has tremendous talent, but he did not show it last year due to injuries,
despite being a favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year. He is still
in the running for the award this year and is the number five starter
for the Dodgers. Expect him to be a good source of Ks, but his ratios
won’t excite anyone. He should win 12-14 games if he plays
the entire year.
OF Dave Krynzel, Milwaukee Brewers – With Brady Clark
the everyday center fielder, Krynzel’s playing time might be
limited. However, Krynzel has the ability to steal bases and should
get some playing time just because of that. He managed to steal
more than 40 bases per season except for last year, but everyone
has an off season. One major detriment to Krynzel is the fact that
he is seemingly becoming injury prone, which warrants some caution
when adding him.
OF Willy Tavares, Houston Astros – If Chris Burke does
not match expectations this spring or goes down with injury and
Tavares hits well, jump on the bandwagon. Tavares is a speed demon
in the mold of Freddie Guzman, but less people know about him. If
given the everyday job in CF for the Astros, Tavares could steal
30 bases, but don’t expect much help in other categories.
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