Yesterday we hit on the “All-Cooked Team†of current MLB starters who probably shouldn’t be holding down full-time jobs. Today we’re going to look at players you may not be familiar with that are getting the opportunity to play. Some have been around baseball too long to be considered “sleepersâ€, but these guys have certainly avoided the spotlight and now find themselves in key positions with their respective organizations. We’ll call them the “Under-the-Radar Teamâ€. Let’s get to our starting roster.
Catcher – Josh Bard, San Diego Padres – It’s about time perennial backup Bard is given a chance to play everyday after five years of part-time duty with the Indians, Red Sox and Padres. A .406 OBP in 231 ABs last year probably helped convince San Diego that Mike Piazza (and his big price tag) was expendable.
First Base – Ryan Shealy, Kansas City Royals – Shealy’s a guy working on his second organization and finally getting his first shot at a job. A cup of coffee with the Rockies in 2005 showed he possessed the talent to play in MLB, but there was little chance of him supplanting Todd Helton (and his albatross contract) in Colorado. A deadline trade in ’06 allowed Shealy an opportunity with the Royals and he rewarded their faith by batting .280 and hitting 7 HRs in just 51 games. He’s only twenty-seven and that’s the magic age for young players to have their breakout season.
Second Base – Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox – You have to like a guy with more walks than strikeouts in his professional (albeit, minor league) career. Pedroia is slotted to bat leadoff for the BoSox this season and he’s assured of seeing a slew of good pitches on account of the intimidating hitters following him in the order. Another factoid to remember; the Red Sox traded 2006 Rookie of the Year candidate Hanley Ramirez because they felt comfortable with Pedroia in the organization.
Shortstop – J.J. Hardy, Milwaukee Brewers – Known throughout this minor league career as a defense-first shortstop, Hardy is still young enough (only twenty-five years old) to develop into a successful hitter at the major league level. His time in AAA was brief (101 ABs), but Hardy did manage to hit for an OPS of .831 so there is evidence he can swing the stick. Manager Ned Yost seems comfortable enough with Hardy’s ability with the bat to stick him in the second spot in the Brewer order.
Third Base – Garrett Atkins, Colorado Rockies – Yes, Atkins was the full-time starter at 3B for the Rockies last year, but most folks couldn’t pick him out of a police lineup. That’s hard to imagine for a player with a .402 OBP away from the hitter-friendly confines Coors Field. Of his 29 HRs, fourteen were on the road so there’s no reason to believe Atkins’ numbers are artificially inflated by the thin Mile High air. If you haven’t noticed him already, then you should start paying closer attention because Atkins is only twenty-seven and just entering his prime hitting years.
Left Field – Kory Casto, Washington Nationals – An injury to CF Nook Logan has created an opportunity for Casto to land a job. If he produces numbers anywhere near his A- and AA-ball stints (.904 and .847 OPS), Casto could be a hidden gem and give Logan the Wally Pipp treatment.
Center Field – Bill Hall, Milwaukee Brewers – There’s no typo; Bill Hall will be found in center field in 2007 rather than shortstop as had been the year previous. Regardless of where they had to stick him, the Brewers are determined to get Hall’s potent bat (35 HRs in ’06) into the lineup everyday.
Right Field – Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers – The unexpected departure of J.D. Drew created a void Ethier intends to fill in right for the Dodgers. His rookie campaign amounted to a .308 batting average in nearly 400 ABs so there’s no doubt he can hit major league pitching. Now the question is whether he can do it over the course of a full season.
Designated Hitter – Conor Jackson, Arizona Diamondbacks – The American League is littered with aging DHs so there’s little opportunity for a young player to break in at this position. As such, we focus on a defensively-lacking NL 1B in Jackson. The word out of spring training on Conor is that he’s sharpening his fielding skills. That’s coach-speak for “if we were in the AL, he would never touch a glove.†Jackson hit .291 in 2005 so he can handle the bat. At only twenty-four years of age, there’s plenty of time for his power to increase over the .421 slugging percentage he’s managed over two MLB seasons.
Starting Pitcher – Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets – He was up for the cup of coffee last year and now it looks like Pelfrey is in the bigs to stay. 83 Ks in 74 minor league innings with a WHIP hovering around 1.25 illustrates Pelfey’s ability to dominate hitters. Now he’ll be displaying his wares in the five-spot in the Met rotation.
Relief Pitcher – Matt Lindstrom, Florida Marlins – Though he recently lost the closing job in Florida when the Marlins acquired Jorge Julio, Lindstrom is still expected to fill the roll of set-up man. His minor league resume boasts 291 Ks in 304 innings but the real intriguing aspect he brings is a fastball rumored to eclipse 100 mph. If Lindstrom can keep his walks down (something plaguing his pitching career) we could be looking at the 2007 version of Joel Zumaya.
And there’s your “Under-the-Radar Team†for 2007. Eleven more names for you to drop when catching a game with friends at the bar. Eleven guys being given the opportunity to shine and you can say you knew them before they were big.
Be sure to check back in tomorrow for Part III of our Baseball Preview.
Like what you’ve read so far? Pass Canon Fodder onto a friend. Have a question or comment? E-mail me at jeff@canon-fodder.com. I might even use your submission in an up-coming article.
swollen nipplesdirty porndicks largenude simpsonssucking penisgodiva ladyvideo tawneegirls hottie Map