Revisiting the Rookies
By Doug Crandall - Guest Writer
07/16/2006
I got the chance last spring to help write the Stratogist.com Top 100 Rookies for the 2006 season. The verdict is still out on many of these players midway through the 2006 season but I’d like to look back a bit and see how we are doing at this point and then announce some of the new kids that have arrived in the major leagues that I think may be something special in the future.
The list as we saw it earlier:
1. Felix Hernandez
2. Rickie Weeks
3. Jeff Francoeur
4. Andy Marte
5. Prince Fielder
6. Zach Duke
7. Jeremy Hermida
8. Ryan Zimmerman
9. Joe Blanton
10. Matt Cain
For the most part, these 10 players are putting up solid numbers for their teams. The only one not in the major leagues at the present time is Andy Marte and look for him to be called up soon. It may be very soon if Aaron Boone goes to a contender for a playoff push. Ryan Zimmerman has moved up toward the top with a great 1st half. Jeremy Hermida is starting to put up big numbers after an injury plagued first half. Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks are very solid contributors for the Brewers. Francoeur’s average is down, but he has some good power and RBI stats.
As for the pitchers in this group, Hernandez has had an up and down half but he has some terrific stuff and other than Liriano and Verlander, he still has the best rookie stats thus far. Duke, Cain, and Blanton have not been as good as most would have hoped for but they are still solid.
You may be wondering why we didn’t have Francisco Liriano or Justin Verlander on our lists earlier. When we made our rankings the game company only announced those players that were given cards. Those two, along with some others noted later in this article, were given computer cards soon after. Those guys would have been in the top 20 had they been given a card.
11. Tadahito Iguchi
12. Robinson Cano
13. Houston Street
14. Ervin Santana
15. J.J. Hardy
16. Gustavo Chacin
17. Brandon McCarthy
18. Jonathan Papelbon
19. Dan Johnson
20. Conner Jackson
Jonathan Papelbon and Robinson Cano are the two that jump out at you. These two players have had All-Star stats for the first half of the season. Dan Johnson has had a down season and McCarthy is having a difficult time getting many innings with the other talented starting pitchers on the White Sox roster. The remainder of these players are doing close to what was expected of them and they will all get better with a little more seasoning.
21. Brian McCann
22. Jonny Gomes
23. Willy Taveras
24. Edwin Encarnacion
25. Chien-Ming Wang
26. Derrick Turnbow
27. Bobby Jenks
28. Jesse Crain
29. Curtis Granderson
30. Dioner Navarro
Brian McCann, Curtis Granderson, Bobby Jenks, and Derrick Turnbow. WOW! Those four could arguably be in the top 10 picks in the draft. And the rest of the crew is solid, at the least. These were 10 very nice selections, especially if you selected them after pick 20.
Notables from 31 through 100
Brian Anderson at 34? He hasn’t hit his hat size!! But his defense has been keeping him in the White Sox lineup.
Chris Duffy at 37. He just got back from being AWOL! Can you say overrated?? (This is really bad! I wrote this part of the article and stated he’d hit .280 with 15 SB’s! Sorry!)
Anthony Reyes at 65. He has some terrific stuff and is back on the ML roster in St. Louis. Look for some nice numbers from him for the second half. He actually was given a computer card but he accidentally got put into the mix before anyone actually noticed.
Chris Ray at 92 is a steal. The Baltimore stopper has been terrific.
Computer-only carded players that are tearing it up.
Justin Verlander
Francisco Liriano
Hanley Ramirez
Nick Markakis
Melky Cabrera
Josh Johnson
Justin Verlander and Francisco Liriano are on top pf the baseball world at this point. The last four guys mentioned are top caliber players and are obviously on a strat roster in your league by now if you allow the computer cards in your league. Each one of them has performed better than expected and look to continue to get playing time for the remainder of the season due to their nice play. Melky Cabrera may see some AB’s slip away when (if) Sheffield and Matsui get back into the lineup.
New faces for the next card set-
Dan Uggla, Marlins – An older rookie, now 26, which is having a very nice season. He is gaining my respect as a ballplayer but let’s see if he can continue to keep it up for the last half before we put him in Cooperstown.
Casey Janssen, Blue Jays – He should be a nice 3rd man for the Toronto rotation.
Joel Zumaya, Tigers – Detroit manager Jim Leyland says this guy will not be traded. Period! I can understand why. A 100 mph fastball and 51 K’s in 41 IP with only 23 hits allowed. Looks very much like a young Rob Dibble. That’s not too shabby.
Cole Hamels, Phillies – His numbers don’t jump out at you but he has some great movement on his pitches. He’ll be drafted pretty high in my draft next season. I can guarantee that.
Zach Miner, Tigers – There are not too many innings under his belt yet but he looks as if he’s another Detroit Starter that will give you quality starts.
Jered Weaver, Angels – Weaver’s stats are just ridiculous. He looks every bit as good as Francisco Liriano. Arguably the best bet to be taken #1 overall in your league next season.
Brian Bannister, Mets – A 2.89 ERA in his first five starts makes me think he’ll be a quality arm in the Mets rotation.
Jon Lester, Red Sox – He looks like a solid 4th starter for the Sox. He has good numbers in his first 5 starts as well. Lester performed well when he was in the minors also.
Jeremy Sowers, Indians – Sowers only has 2 Major League starts but he looks to me like a guy Eric Wedge can give the ball to every 5th day.
Anibal Sanchez and Yusmeiro Petit, Marlins – Both of these guys have barely had a cup of coffee in the bigs but they both have a very high ceiling for the future and look to be a constant in the Florida rotation in the future.
Tom Gorzelanny, Piratet – He has just been called up and he looks like another Zach Duke.
Lastings Milledge, Mets – The rookie outfielder got a taste of the big apple but he was sent back down to AAA a few days ago. He will be back and next time it will be for good. He could develop into a 5-tool outfielder for the Mets.
Howie Kendrick, Angels – Howie batted just .130 in his 1st 10 games in the majors but he is about to be recalled again and he’ll do considerably better this time around. All he’s done since being sent down is hit .396-9-48 in only 51 games for AAA Salt Lake City.
Josh Barfield, Padres – Barfield has had a solid rookie campaign. He will only get better. Second base will have a strong draft next season.
Kenji Johjima, Mariners – He’s a 30 year old rookie catcher for the Mariners. But he’s a good one. He’s already seasoned and has hit the ball very well. He’ll be a nice addition to the Safeco hopeful for a few seasons yet.
Russell Martin, Dodgers – The rookie catcher has done well enough in LA to keep his starting spot even when Dioner Navarro returns from an injury.
Andre Eithier, Dodgers – He has hit lights out for the Dodgers so far this season. Check out his stats in the AFL and in the minors and you might also think the kid’s for real.
Kendry Morales, Angels – Morales is a young Cuban with an enormous amount of baseball talent. He is continuing to work on his defense but his offense as already big-league ready.
Ian Kinsler, Rangers – Another talented, young 2b. He hasn’t disappointed anyone in the Rangers organization. A thumb injury slowed him a bit early in the season but he is showing no signs the injury is bothering him. So far his stats read .315-6-24. I’ll take that from my 2b anytime.
Jason Kubel, Twins – Kubel has been in the bigs before. He made his debut a few years ago but an injury cost him the entire season last year. He was a little nervous early in the season but he’s a solid major league hitter. Since he was recalled in late May he has been one of the Twins most consistent hitters not named Joe Mauer.
Mike Napoli, Angels – Napoli is about to take over the regular catching duties in LA. With a .431 OBP it isn’t hard to figure out why. The catching position will also have a deep draft next season.
Matt Kemp, Dodgers – After calling him up from AA ball, Kemp showed the folks in LA he can play the game. Dodger manager Grady Little liked this kid so much he inserted him into the 3 hole in the batting order even though he had less than 100 AB’s under his belt. However, since that time, Kemp has seen his production fall off considerably. Let’s hope Grady didn’t put too much pressure on the youngster too early.