The regular season is coming to a close so I am going to shift gears. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll look at some of the names that will popping up on top of prospect lists all over the Internet this offseason but I’ll be focusing on those players that will make major league debuts next season or shortly thereafter. The names mentioned below will only be of players who did not make an appearance in the majors this season. This week I’ll look at some offensive prospects.
Daric Barton (1B), Oakland – The A’s have to be very happy with the Mark Mulder trade. Not only did it net them a couple of solid pitchers in Dan Haren and Kiko Calero but they also got one of the best offensive prospects in the minors in Barton. Barton, who turned 20 in August, began the season at high Single-A Stockton where he hit .318 with eight home runs, 16 doubles, 62 walks and 49 strikeouts in 292 at-bats. He moved up to Double-A Midland where he remained patient walking 35 times with 30 strikeouts in 212 at-bats while also hitting five home runs and 20 doubles. Barton has the patience that the A’s love and seems like he could develop the power teams covet in the middle of the lineup. Barton will likely get a cup of coffee in September if the A’s don’t need him before that next season.
Billy Butler (OF), Kansas City – Butler, 19, is the star of the Kansas City farm system. He started the year at A+ High Desert where he hit .348 with 25 home runs, 30 doubles and a 1055 OPS in 379 at-bats. The Royals promoted Butler to Double-A Wichita in early August where he posted a .313 average with five home runs, nine doubles and an 890 OPS in 112 at-bats. He should head back to Double-A to begin 2006 where a strong start could catapult him to Kansas City during the season.
Howie Kendrick (2B), Los Angeles Angels – The 22-year-old Kendrick spent the first half of 2005 at high Single-A Rancho Cucamonga where he hit .384 with 12 home runs, 23 doubles, 13 stolen bases and a 1059 OPS in 279 at-bats. The Angels promoted him to Double-A Arkansas at mid-season and he went on to hit .342 with seven home runs, 20 doubles, 12 stolen bases and a 961 OPS. Kendrick will likely spend most of next season in the minors but could get an opportunity to start at second base for the Angels in 2006 when Adam Kennedy’s contract expires.
Ian Kinsler (2B), Texas – Kinsler debuted at Triple-A Oklahoma this season after splitting 2004 between Single and Double-A. He displayed solid power this year, hitting .274 with 23 home runs and 28 doubles in 530 at-bats for Oklahoma. Kinsler hit for a higher average in the lower minors so the dip in average at Triple-A is a bit of a concern. He has a decent eye so it possible his average could rise with a little more experience. The Rangers could give Kinsler a shot at winning a job as the team’s starting second baseman this spring depending on what they do with Alfonso Soriano this offseason.
Kendry Morales (1B/OF), Los Angeles Angels – Morales signed a six-year deal with the Angels this past offseason after defecting from Cuba. After some talk of potentially starting him in the majors, the Angels decided a stint in the minors would be in Morales’ best interest. He began the year at high Single-A Rancho Cucamonga where he hit .344 with five home runs and a 944 OPS in 90 at-bats. The Angels bumped Morales up to Double-A Arkansas where he continued to rake, posting a .306 average with 17 home runs and an 879 OPS in 281 at-bats. He has the potential to be an impact bat in the majors possibly as soon as next season. The Angels are certain to invite him to spring training where a strong performance could earn him a starting job in left field forcing Garret Anderson to become a full-time DH.
B.J. Upton (SS), Tampa Bay – The 21-year-old Upton hit .303 with 18 home runs, 36 doubles and an 882 OPS in 545 at-bats at Triple-A Durham this season. Normally those numbers would get you promoted to the majors on a team that had been starting Alex Gonzalez (the bad one) on a regular basis. However, Upton’s 53 errors indicate just how much he struggled with his defense at shortstop this year. The Devil Rays' front office was committed to working with Upton to improve his defense before they would promote him this season. Unfortunately it never did improve and now he’s likely going to have to be moved to either third base or the outfield. If he moves to third base there is a good chance Upton will begin 2006 in the majors as a starter. If he goes to the outfield the Rays will have to make some decisions about their personnel as they are loaded with outfield prospects and young major league outfielders.
Brandon Wood (SS), Anaheim – Wood absolutely destroyed California League pitching this season popping 43 home runs in 536 at-bats. Of some concern is his stikeout total (128 in his 130 games at high Single-A Rancho Cucamonga). However, at only 20 years old there is still the possibility for improvement in this area. Wood received a late season promotion to Triple-A Salt Lake where he hit .316 with a couple of doubles in four games. He’ll likely head to Double-A Arkansas to start the 2006 season. The Angels have Orlando Cabrera signed through 2009 but chances are Wood, if he stays at shortstop, will force the team to trade or move Cabrera. Should Wood not be able to handle the position in the majors his power bat would play well at either a corner infield or corner outfield spot.
Delmon Young (OF), Tampa Bay – Young was recently voted Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. Dmitri’s younger brother hit .336 with 20 home runs, 13 doubles, 25 stolen bases and a 968 OPS at Double-A Montgomery before being promoted to Triple-A Durham. The 20-year-old slowed down a little at Triple-A, hitting .285 with six home runs, seven stolen bases and a 750 OPS. Young is one of the top fantasy prospects in all of baseball because of his power-speed combination. The potential is there for him to put together some 30-30 seasons early in his career which would make him a very valuable commodity. Young will likely begin 2006 back at Triple-A where he could use a little more seasoning. A mid-season promotion to Tampa Bay wouldn’t be surprising.
Last week I mentioned my 5x5 NL-Only league in the NYC area (draft is held in/near Elizabeth, NJ) is looking for owners. Well, one spot has been filled and we are talking with a couple of individuals that are interested in the last spot. If you’d like more information or want to throw your hat into the ring for the final spot shoot me an e-mail at Pelowski@CREATiVESPORTS.com.
AL or Nothing will be back again next Wednesday with a look at more players that have put themselves at the top of the prospect lists for 2006. In the meantime, if you have questions regarding add/drops, trades or anything else you can post in the columnists section of our message board. I'll do my best to answer all questions.
Brian Pelowski is the 2004 champion of the CREATiVESPORTS.com American League Challenge Expert League. He lives and works in New York City along with eight million other people.