Minor League Free Agents and AAA/AA Prospects from the AL

American League East

Baltimore Orioles
Minor League Free Agents:
Steve Goodell, 26, B:R, T:R. Goodell has relatively good plate discipline but only a smidgen of doubles' power, a combination that won't frequently earn you that promotion to AAA. His OBP appears good enough to deserve a shot at the higher level, but he probably needs to start driving the ball before he has a shot at the majors. He'll be stuck in AA unless he finds an organization willing to appreciate him for the talents that he does possess.
Brian Rust, 26, B:R, T:R. Rust owns neither particularly good power skills nor plate discipline, and despite some competency at all the corner positions, he won't likely see the majors unless he drastically develops in some offensive areas. Perhaps if he started running again as he showed off double-digit steals in three previous minor league seasons, but I expect him to stay at AAA for a few more seasons before any real possibility of non-injury-related promotion.

Prospects:
Franky Figueroa, 24, B:R, T:R. Baltimore ignored their best offensive prospect in Cal Pickering due to excessive strikeout totals, but Figueroa shares many of the same attributes without the important skills. His power totals are inflated due to a large number of at-bats without corresponding gains in SLG, and although he strikes out once every few at-bats, he only walks once for every six strikeouts or so. Until he learns some control of the strike zone, he really shouldn't be promoted beyond AA despite a .300 BA.

Boston Red Sox
Minor League Free Agents:
Virgil Chevalier, 27, B:R, T:R. Chevalier's never shown enough at AA to merit more than 51 at-bats with AAA Pawtucket. His plate discipline is fairly good, but that's only because he makes enough contact while swinging at most everything to avoid a large number of strikeouts. While improving over the past few seasons, his career walk rate is below 10%, and his SLG also doesn't warrant advancement past AA.

Prospects:
Juan Diaz, 25, B:R, T:R. Despite a listed weight of 228 lbs., Diaz has been rumored to be close to if not over 300 lbs. at times over the past couple of seasons. His career SLG in AA and AAA is over .600 and he certainly could help Boston in the majors right now. Unfortunately, his plate discipline is quite bad, and his conditioning problems, while likely exaggerated by an over-critical Boston media, appear to be keeping him from reaching his potential. He's worth a buck or two if he makes the team next year because he does possess incredible power potential.
Luis Garcia, 22, B:R, T:R. Garcia was dealt to St. Louis in the Hermanson trade, and shows every indication of maturing into a quality major league starter. If they hadn't signed Tino Martinez, Garcia would deserve consideration for the starting job in 2002, but another year or two in the minors can only benefit his development. His walk rate is fairly good but his overall plate discipline could certainly be improved, and if he can maintain his AA .590 SLG at AAA, he'll be nicely set for reasonably long major league career. His BA has been very solid throughout the minors, so feel free to risk either a mid-level minor league pick or a buck if he makes the roster, since he both has good roto potential and shouldn't really hurt you.

New York Yankees
Minor League Free Agents:
Paul Ottavinia, 28, B:L, T:L. Ottavinia's developed fairly good plate discipline over the last two years in the upper levels of the Yankee system. His advancement opportunities are limited because he has little power and only average speed, so I wouldn't expect him to make the majors any time soon.

Prospects:
Nick Johnson was discussed with American League First Basemen.
Nick Leach, 23, B:L, T:R. Since the Yankees shouldn't have to worry about first base for the rest of the decade with Giambi and Johnson on the roster, they shouldn't worry that they have no other available replacements in the upper levels of the system. Leach has shown little ability to hit even AA pitching, and since he'll be a minor league free agent at the end of the year, he'll need to display some significant improvement quickly if he wants to catch some organization's eye. With little power, plate discipline, or speed, I have little faith in much more than a AAA cup-of-coffee, although he does have plenty of time to mature into some new skills.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Minor League Free Agents:
Ron Wright, 25, B:R, T:R. A former top hitting prospect for Atlanta and Pittsburgh, Wright never really showed much ability in anything but the best AAA hitters' parks. He's rebounded somewhat over the last year and a half, finally showing gains in plate discipline and OBP while displaying his most consistent power in years. I'd think that he needs another half year in AAA to prove his improvement, but he should be ready for at least a major league job by the 2002 All-Star beak. If he winds up on a team with either a weak or injury-prone 1B and no other probable replacements, gamble a low minor league pick and you could find yourself with some nice offensive upside in the second half.

Prospects:
None.

Toronto Bluejays
Minor League Free Agents:
None.

Prospects:
Brian Hunter, 33, B:R, T:L. Hunter's certainly been around since his heyday on Atlanta's bench. He even wound up with Atlantic City this year for 153 at-bats before Syracuse picked him. He's never displayed acceptable plate discipline or speed, and he's hung around due to some timely hitting, acceptable fielding, and a bit of pop in his bat. I certainly wouldn't recommend him for roto purposes, although I suspect he might see the majors again before he leaves the game.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox
Minor League Free Agents:
Toby Rumfield, 28, B:R, T:R. Rumfield's established himself as a solid AAA first baseman without too much upside. His career is relatively interesting since he's never been either promoted or demoted in the middle of the season, instead producing eight consecutive years with OBPs between .318 and .451 and SLGs between .403 and .478. I'd expect him to find a cup-of-coffee at some point in the next few years if he suddenly increases his power output from 35-45 extra-base hits a year to 50-60. He doesn't have much to contribute to a roto team since his underlying skills don't support anything above an average BA and his power production shouldn't be anything special.

Prospects:
Eric Battersby, 25, B:R, T:L. Battersby showed solid improvement in his second year at AA Birmingham, increasing his plate discipline back to his A-ball levels and transferring his doubles' power into gains in home runs, all the while bumping up his BA. His numbers still don't warrant AAA exposure, but a mid-season promotion might be acceptable if he shows additional gains in the beginning of 2002. Battesby should be able to mature into a decent major league bench player, but he's probably at least three years away if he keeps progressing at his current rate.

Cleveland Indians
Minor League Free Agents:
Michael Edwards, 24, B:R, T:R. In seven years in the Cleveland system, they never gave him much of a chance beyond AA, due in large part to three straight years of Rookie ball at Burlington. He's showed solid potential in his almost 600 AA at-bats to both control the strike zone and hit for some power, so he certainly deserves a shot to compete for a AAA job. He's still relatively young and could develop quickly into a competent major leaguer with consistent playing time. While he's not someone to consider for 2002, I like his upside for 2004 and beyond.

Prospects:
Danny Peoples, 26, B:R, T:R. Peoples regressed significantly in his second straight year at AAA Buffalo, and while he still possesses some power with decent walk rates, he strikes out too much to deserve a major league job without more SLG development. He'll be a minor league free agent after 2002 unless the Indians call him up, although there really isn't a spot for him in the majors at the moment. His best bet is to tear the cover off the ball for a couple months so that Cleveland can send him to an organization that can better appreciate his given talents.
Simon Pond, 24, B:L, T:R. Pond's headed for another AA season since 2001 was his first year with any significant time at that level despite eight years in the minors. He displayed decent doubles' power without any other impressive tools. Unless he can increase his plate discipline, he'll be lucky to receive even a couple hundred at-bats at AAA.

Detroit Tigers
Minor League Free Agents:
Ryan Jackson was covered with American League First Basemen.
Dusty Allen, 28, B:R, T:R. Allen had his first cup-of-coffee in 2000 where he fizzled in 12 San Diego at-bats before Detroit grabbed him and enjoyed a nice 7-for-16 performance with 2 doubles and 2 homers. He's shown both power and plate discipline at AAA for years and could certainly be a worthy addition to the bench of several clubs. His current problem is that he only managed 87 at-bats this year, almost all at DH. He needs to stay healthy after finding some AL organization with an opening for an upper-level 1B/DH-type with a solid bat.
Alejandro Freire, 26, B:R, T:R. Freire's never shown great power in four years at AA, but Detroit hasn't exactly given him much opportunity for advancement. His walk rate is only acceptable and his plate discipline doesn't show hope for success at AAA. He still deserves a chance since he has some power potential, but he'll be lucky to ever make the majors without noticeable improvement in at least a few areas of his game.

Prospects:
Eric Munson was covered with American League First Basemen.

Kansas City Royals
Minor League Free Agents:
Shawn Gallagher, 24, B:R, T:R. None of Gallagher's statistics indicate that he's ready for AAA success, and he needs to find some team to give him 400 at-bats in a good hitters' AA park to make his history more attractive as a minor league free agent next year. If he finds some AAA time before 2003, he might be able to carry barely acceptable numbers to the next level, but I think he's a few years away from enough AAA success to finally make the majors.

Prospects:
Ken Harvey was covered with American League First Basemen.
Kit Pellow, 27, B:R, T:R. Pellow strikes out too much to ever play for one of Tony Muser's teams. On the other hand, despite severely lacking plate discipline, he's shown significant power for four straight years of AAA ball. Even a small improvement in his walk rate would make his bat quite attractive to several organizations, and if Kansas City isn't wise enough to start using him this year, I expect there'll be quite a rush to grab him as a minor league free agent after 2002.
Joe Dillon, 25, B:R, T:R. While he has some problems with plate discipline, his walk rate is solid, he's shown good power potential, and he can play acceptable defense at every infield position. He needs a full year at AAA at some position, and if he can maintain his AA skill level, he'll have a lot of upside as a major league utility infielder.

Minnesota Twins
Minor League Free Agents:
Larry Sutton was covered with National League First Basemen.

Prospects:
Todd Sears, 25, B:R, T:R. Sears was picked up from Colorado as the booty from the Todd Walker trade. He has solid plate discipline along with projectable slugging averages. He'd be a solid right-handed compliment to a few of Minnesota's major leaguers with troublesome platoon splits, although I'd probably leave him in the minors for one more season of development and instead let Matt LeCroy receive 400 major league at-bats. You should consider Sears for a low round Ultra pick, since he easily could have several years of success in the bigs.

American League West

Anaheim Angels
Minor League Free Agents:
Chris Pritchett, 31, B:L, T:R. Pritchett only has 149 major league at-bats despite eleven years in the minors, only two of them below AA. He deserved a promotion after three very solid seasons from 1994-1996, but he's stupidly remained with Anaheim in three of his four years as a minor league free agent. I suspect he really likes the Pacific Coast League, since he's moved from Vancouver to Edmonton to Salt Lake with Anaheim's AAA team. The upside is that they have given him three September cups-of-coffee, but by remaining with a club that has shown no willingness to give him any major league time, any potential career has been stalled beyond repair. He might still find a couple seasons as a pinch-hitter, but he's more likely to end his playing days as a AAA lifer. While he wouldn't have great success in the majors, he's shown enough at AAA, especially with a good walk rate and doubles' power, where he should be a worthy addition to almost any bench until he hits arbitration.

Prospects:
Robb Quinlan, 24, B:R, T:R. Quinlan kept up most of his numbers in his promotion to AA Arkansas, even increasing his SLG to .476 due to a sudden increase in home runs. Some of the jump might be due to playing in the Texas League, but I still think he deserves the challenge of AAA in 2002. He'll be pressed from behind by Casey Kotchman in the very near future, so he needs to show competency at AAA immediately if he's to see much major league time with Anaheim. Of course, they could just leave him at AAA forever like Pritchett, although Quinlan does appear to have more upside at the moment than many of their other upper level "prospects".

Oakland Athletics
Minor League Free Agents:
Andy Abad was covered with American League First Basemen

Prospects:
Jason Hart, 23, B:R, T:R. Jason Giambi's heir-apparent struggled mightily in his first year at AAA. Hart's walk rate and plate discipline remained at acceptable levels while his BA, OBP, and SLG tumbled a few dozen points each. His incredible 2000 now appears due in great part to the hitters' park at AA Midland, and he'll need to show solid improvement as soon as spring training if he wants to earn another promotion soon. There's a huge opening on Oakland at the moment, but that could be filled quickly if someone like Jeremy Giambi stays healthy and shows power development. Hart's batting eye is also fairly weak compared to some of his competition, so while he's still worth a high minor league pick if available, I wouldn't give away half your team in trade to acquire him or anything like that. If he breaks camp with Oakland, hold your bids under $5 unless you're plan on wasting the year by rebuilding from day one.
Todd Mensik, 26, B:L, T:L. Mensik shows about as much ability as Hart, even though he's older and playing at a lower level. His upside is relatively low, but he should still be up with Oakland by the end of the year if a return to AAA by Hart doesn't keep Mensik in AA instead of the promotion that he certainly deserves after two solid seasons at AA Midland. The normal caveat applies regarding Midland as a great hitters' park, but he shows enough plate discipline where he could probably help some team now in at least a part time role. If he's lucky, he'll find a career similar to Matt Stairs, with the obvious "downside" being several years bouncing around AAA.

Seattle Mariners
Minor League Free Agents:
Todd Betts, 28, B:L, T:R. Betts has shown definitive competency in the upper levels of the minors for a few years now. His plate discipline has been improving for several seasons, and with career averages of .392 OBP and .461 SLG, he deserves a major league job in 2002. Don't be afraid to bid a couple bucks if he breaks camp with a team, and if his new club has corner problems, even consider spending a low minor league pick to acquire him.
John Curl, 28, B:L, T:R. Nothing about Curl's minor league career appears overly impressive. He walks at an acceptable level but strikes out way too much. He's shown no power outside of great hitters' parks, and he hasn't always even managed that much production. I'd be surprised if he ever made it above a part-time role in AAA.
Joe Dusan, 23, B:L, T:L. Dusan's never played above A-ball, and even those numbers are quite unimpressive. He shows little power, speed, or on-base skills, and he'll be lucky to even make AA without rapid improvement in some facet of his game.
Emmanuel Santana, 19, B:L, T:R. The only thing Santana really has going for him is his age. His OPS was only .759 at Everett in low-A-ball, and his plate discipline doesn't even warrant advancement past his current level. He's years away from succeeding at the upper levels of the minors, but I have severe doubts as to his ability to even make AA at this point.
Juan Thomas, 29, B:R, T:R. In his first AAA exposure in 2001, Thomas produced in OPS of .874 and a .300 BA. These numbers appear unsupportable due to a 40:141 BB:K ratio in 503 AB, as well as the benefits that he received playing at AAA Tacoma. Thomas has enough power to deserve a shot in the majors, but unless he shows solid power from the start, his OBP will stay too low to keep him in the big leagues.

Prospects:
None.

Texas Rangers
Minor League Free Agents:
None.

Prospects:
Carlos Pena was covered with American League First Basemen.
Travis Hafner, 24, B:L, T:R. Hafner's shown solid potential for five years, but he's really picked it up over the last season or two, as he managed a 59:82 BB:K ratio in 323 AA at-bats. While not overly impressive, his plate discipline has improved significantly from his A-ball days while he's maintained a SLG around .550. He has played in mostly hitters' parks, and he'll continue to do so at the upper levels of the Texas system. He's certainly worth a mid-level minor league pick as he has a good chance to enter the Ranger 1B/DH/OF mix in another couple seasons.

Many of the AAAA players in the infield received some major league time in 2001. I was disappointed with the relative lack of 1B talent exclusively at the upper levels of the minors for both leagues. While several players listed should have solid major league careers, not many have the upside of players like Carlos Pena or Nick Johnson. Your best 2002 bets from today are probably Jason Hart, Todd Betts, and Ron Wright, although the upside of the latter two is conditional upon their 2002 organization.

As I mentioned yesterday, The Twelve Days of Outfielders will start tomorrow. We're going to begin with the top third of National Leaguers before spending Monday and Tuesday on some holiday-related fare. We'll resume NL outfielders on Wednesday.

I hope you won't forget about us over the Christmas holiday. We'll continue to post new columns every day as we head into Pitcher Month (which actually begins on January 8th, brought to you by the same folks who bring you hockey playoffs in June and an occasional Summer Olympics in late September).

Today's Fantasy Rx: Thirty-four players were non-tendered by their major league teams on Thursday. Players like Scott Hatteberg and John Wasdin are certainly as good or better than players like Mike DeFelice and T.J. Mathews. When considering your teams' moves as the 2002 annuals start appearing in stores, think about how much better most clubs would be if they displayed some patience in free agency, grabbing players intelligently instead of just looking at major league service time and scouting reports written by folks who don't know the difference between OBP and SLG.