Today's Fantasy Rx

Like last year, as I already have covered practically every minor leaguer ready for the majors during our team prospect reviews, instead of providing in-depth commentary on each player today, I'll provide a brief synopsis of what I expect in 2004 from every player at the AA and AAA levels. I won't cover anyone here that spent any time in the majors this season, but I'll give you a quick look at anyone who played above A-ball, listed at the position where he appeared the most.

Minor League Free Agent and AAA/AA Catchers in the National League

Arizona Diamondbacks
Minor League Free Agents:
Matt Ceriani, 26, B:R, T:R.
5/34 for .147/.147/.176 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, 4 R, 0/0 SB%,
and a 0:11 BB:K for AA El Paso(TL).
Appropriate 2004 Role: A-ball backup.
Long-term Upside & ETA: AAA backup by 2008.
2004 Fantasy Potential: None.
Long-term Fantasy Upside & ETA: None.

Prospects:
Brad Cresse, 25, B:R, T:R.
70/306 for .229/.282/.402 with 10 HR, 47 RBI, 40 R, 0/0 SB%,
and an 18:89 BB:K for AAA Tucson(PCL).
Appropriate 2004 Role: AAA starter.
Long-term Upside & ETA: Major League starter by 2007.
2004 Fantasy Potential: Roster filler.
Long-term Fantasy Upside & ETA: $15 by 2010.

Bryan Loeb, 25, B:R, T:R.
5/15 for .333/.412/.467 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 R, 0/0 SB%,
and a 2:5 BB:K for AAA Tucson(PCL).
52/182 for .286/.343/.429 with 4 HR, 27 RBI, 29 R, 3/4 SB%,
and a 6:34 BB:K for AA El Paso(TL).
Appropriate 2004 Role: AA starter.
Long-term Upside & ETA: Major League backup by 2007.
2004 Fantasy Potential: None.
Long-term Fantasy Upside & ETA: $5 by 2009.

Jeff Waldron, 26, B:L, T:R.
25/101 for .248/.369/.287 with 0 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, 0/1 SB%,
and a 14:27 BB:K for AAA Tucson(PCL).
17/75 for .227/.333/.333 with 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R, 0/0 SB%,
and a 12:17 BB:K for AA El Paso(TL).
Appropriate 2004 Role: AAA backup.
Long-term Upside & ETA: Major League backup by 2006.
2004 Fantasy Potential: None.
Long-term Fantasy Upside & ETA: $5 by 2008.

Craig Ansman, 25, B:R, T:R.
69/213 for .324/.421/.624 with 15 HR, 49 RBI, 46 R, 5/8 SB%,
and a 31:58 BB:K for AA El Paso(TL).
Appropriate 2004 Role: AAAA starter.
Long-term Upside & ETA: Major League starter by 2006.
2004 Fantasy Potential: Roster filler.
Long-term Fantasy Upside & ETA: $20 by 2009.

Chris Snyder, 22, B:R, T:R.
38/188 for .202/.286/.340 with 4 HR, 26 RBI, 21 R, 0/0 SB%,
and a 19:29 BB:K for AA El Paso(TL).
77/245 for .314/.414/.518 with 10 HR, 53 RBI, 53 R, 0/1 SB%,
and a 35:43 BB:K for A+ Lancaster(Cal).
Appropriate 2004 Role: AA starter.
Long-term Upside & ETA: Major League starter by 2007.
2004 Fantasy Potential: None.
Long-term Fantasy Upside & ETA: $25 by 2010.

Shortstop Week begins tomorrow.

Today's Fantasy Rx: The National League appears relatively devoid of catching prospects compared to the AL. Of course, with Jason Phillips, Robby Hammock, Dave Ross, Yorvit Torrealba, Vance Wilson, Miguel Ojeda, Johnny Estrada, and Corky Miller all relatively recent graduates to the majors, a slight drought in the upper levels doesn't particularly concern me. Arizona's Craig Ansman should rank atop the list of current rookie-eligible players, however the Diamondbacks' failure to protect him on their 40-man roster suggests they don't view him as a future starter. If we follow Arizona's lead and ignore Ansman, Colorado's J.D. Closser looks like the best fantasy prospect left in the upper minors, followed by Mike Jacobs of the Mets. While John Buck, J.R. House, Koyie Hill, Brad Cresse, Justin Huber, and Yadier Molina all could emerge as decent options by 2005, none of them posted an overly impressive performance this season.