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July 20, 2006
Ezequiel Astacio - meandering
along at AAA, appears to have been passed up in Houston. Might prove to be a
useful reliever/back of the rotation guy some day.
Matt Cain - has shown flashes of dominating stuff, but hasn't put
together a solid string of performances yet. Once he gets a little better
command, he should be one of the better starting pitchers in the NL.
Cesar Carillo - got off to a nice start, but got hurt and is out for the
year.
Prospect status takes a hit accordingly.
Jeremy Hermida - just about meeting expectations, although not hitting
for as much power as originally thought. Still time for that, though, and I
think
Hermida will develop into a Paul O'Neill type of player...which is pretty damned
good.
Russ Martin - leapfrogged Dioner Navarro to become LA's catcher of the
future. Solid OBP skills, and improving defensively. Should be one of the NL's
better starting catchers before long.
Kendry Morales - hitting in the .240's in Anaheim. Has shown glimpses of
power, although position remains a question. Might be better suited to DH.
Carlos Quentin - having a bit of a down year at AAA, but this typically
happens when a player is unfairly asked to repeat a league after already
dominating it. Quentin should be the RF of the future in Arizona, and will
be a very solid, if not spectacular, player.
Anthony Reyes - has beat out Ponson for the fifth starter's spot in St.
Louis,
and has pitched rather well. Beginning to dispel concerns about his health, and
could be a very good #2-3 starter in time.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia - hit under .200 in the first half of the season at
AA.
Although his defense behind the plate has improved, he needs to hit much better
to secure his "top prospect" label. Catchers are notoriously difficult to
project, and often follow a weird development curve, so there is still hope.
Ryan Zimmerman - hitting .290 with respectable power and great defense.
Pretty much living up to expectations, and should be one of the top two or three
third basemen in the NL during his playing days. Great franchise cornerstone.
- written by
Mike Sorochen
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