Baseball Prospectus 1996
So how did they do it?
It was the quiet guys. Troy O'Leary, who apparently wasn't talented enough to make the vaunted Brewer outfield, hit .308 and slugged .491. Tim Naehring, healthy at last, got on base at a .415 clip, and that little shortstop hit approximately like Cal Ripken's hype. On the mound? Well, there were two projects that sort of worked out, I guess. Tim Wakefield, a castoff from the Pirate organization, rediscovered how to throw his knuckler for a strike, and positively blew through the American League for a half a season. Erik Hanson was healthy all year and effective before completely running out of gas late in the season. Luis Alicea pitched in with a .375 OBA, and great defense on the right side; in short, they did it with a fantastic offense, pitching from surprising sources, and a very good set of defenders out there.
To be fair, the not-so-quiet guys also did their share. Mo Vaughn hit like a typical MVP: .300 with a .388 OBA to augment his 39 homers. In the middle of the summer, Jose Canseco healed up from his nagging abdominal pulls and strains to post almost exactly the same numbers from the DH spot. Outside of Cleveland, this was probably the most feared offense in baseball. Did it happen by accident? Not at all. The pieces have been acquired over time, but the guy who really brought it together was sitting the Fenway GM chair Dan Duquette. Duquette snagged the last few pieces of the puzzle Canseco, O'Leary, and Alicea and put them in an environment where they could succeed.
What, you may ask, did the Sox give up to acquire these guys? They can obviously play, right? Well, that's a good question. The short answer is absolutely nothing. The long answer is a 36-year old Otis Nixon and table scraps, or less than nothing. Does the league have a rule about GMs doubling as hypnotists? If not, they should probably make one. Can you imagine the dialogue that must have gone on between Duquette and the Texas "brain"trust?
Dan Duquette: "So...I hear you might be interested in trading Canseco."
Melvin: "Only if the price is right. I mean, we're not stupid."
Oates: "You tell 'em, Mel!"
DD: "Well, I certainly wouldn't want to make an insulting offer or anything.What do you have in mind?"
Melvin: "I'm thinking quality!"
Oates: "Yeah!"
Melvin: "I'm thinking impact player!"
Oates: "Hallelujah!"
Melvin: "I'm thinking Otis Nixon and that's a dealbreaker."
Oates: "My leadoff hitter!"
[Gratuitous Coffee Discharge]
DD:"Uh...well, that's certainly a starting point. I'll fax you the deal.Can you sign it immediately?"
So what does all this mean for 1996? Boston's gone out and gotten Tom Gordon, who isn't a bad bet for 175 innings, but there are a couple of warning signs around him. His K rate has dropped for three consecutive years, and he's coming off the heaviest pitching load of his career. Still, he's a better pitcher than most. In addition to Gordon, after a courting period that lasted for weeks, Duquette went out and got Heathcliff Slocumb from the Phillies. Considering that Slocumb turned like bad brie in the late summer,and the Red Sox had to give up a couple of reasonable prospects and Ken Ryan, this might not have been a great move it's definitely geared towards the short-term rather than the long. If Sele can come back, and Clemens can take the mound 30 times, it'll be a great pitching staff. If not, it'll be like the rest in baseball, at least outside the state of Georgia.The loss of Rick Aguilera can't be underestimated.
The biggest gamble the Red Sox took this offseason was in acquiring Wil Cordero from Montreal. In the process, they gave up Ryan McGuire, a decent 1B prospect, but one who's certainly not going to be moving Mo Vaughn anytime soon. So how is it a gamble? Well, Cordero is the player in baseball I was highest on two years ago. Two years ago, Cordero was a 22-year-old shortstop who had just hit .248 in the majors, drawn 34 walks, and smacked 44 extra base hits. Now, Cordero's a 24-year-old left fielder with a bad wing, almost exactly the same power (3 more XBH in 39 more AB), and a batting average that hasn't jumped up nearly enough. He's more or less stood still in terms of career development. He'll likely be at second base for the Sox this spring, and he's still young enough that those doubles could turn into home runs, but since he can't play shortstop, he's not nearly as valuable as I once thought. He's also due for free agency at the end of 1997, Bud Selig willing. Will he help the team more than Alicea at 2B? The flippant answer is "Did you skip your lithium?", but I really don't think it's a cut and dried issue.Alicea had a solid range factor at second base, and turned 97 DPs. An inexperienced Cordero isn't likely to do better than that, and this team probably needs the defense of Alicea rather than the mildly increased offense of Cordero.
Duquette's built a team that's fully capable of winning the AL East handily, and has more depth than most. Assuming two of the rotation guys fail, it's still good enough to keep the team afloat.The Sox re-signed Canseco to a two-year deal, and it's unlikely that Kevin "Einstein" Kennedy will run him out there as a reliever any time soon. Add Mike Stanley, probably the best hitting catcher in the AL, and it's a team that can give Cleveland a run for it's money in the AL. Baltimore is still chasing this team.
ANDY ABAD 1973 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 SAR 353 84 8 1 4 34 3 6 .238 .305 .300 .211 74 28 1995 SAR 58 12 2 0 0 4 2 1 .207 .258 .241 .173 10 3 1995 TRN 295 69 10 2 4 28 5 5 .234 .300 .322 .218 64 26
LUIS ALICEA 1966 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LOU 112 42 4 2 4 11 5 3 .375 .431 .554 .335 37 24 1991 STL 69 15 3 0 0 8 0 1 .217 .299 .261 .191 13 4 1992 LOU 71 19 6 0 0 15 0 0 .268 .395 .352 .271 19 10 1992 STL 269 72 11 11 3 29 2 5 .268 .339 .424 .262 70 35 1993 STL 366 106 19 3 2 47 12 1 .290 .370 .374 .273 100 51 1994 STL 204 58 12 4 4 29 5 5 .284 .373 .441 .281 57 32 1995 BOS 413 114 17 3 4 58 17 12 .276 .365 .361 .259 107 53 1996 PRJ 496 136 17 6 7 74 8 5 .274 .368 .375 .266 132 67A switch-hitter who'll take a walk, the Red Sox tried to use him in the leadoff spot early in the season but he failed miserably there. Moved to the nine-hole, he returned to hitting in his usual manner. Pretty good in the field, his role is uncertain with the acquisition of Cordero.
JUAN BELL 1968 SS-2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAL 210 39 9 2 1 8 0 0 .186 .216 .262 .151 32 8 1992 OKL 81 19 2 1 1 4 2 0 .235 .271 .321 .213 17 6 1992 ROC 139 26 4 2 2 13 2 3 .187 .257 .288 .182 25 8 1992 PHI 149 34 4 1 1 19 5 0 .228 .315 .289 .223 33 14 1993 MIL 285 69 7 2 4 34 8 5 .242 .323 .323 .231 66 28 1993 PHI 65 13 6 1 0 5 0 1 .200 .257 .323 .194 13 4 1994 HAR 46 12 3 1 0 7 1 1 .261 .358 .370 .257 12 6 1994 MON 96 27 1 0 2 15 5 0 .281 .378 .354 .275 26 14 1995 PAW 261 62 10 1 5 18 4 3 .238 .287 .341 .220 57 23George's little brother is still hanging around the edges of the majors, living by his glove. Still can't hit.
RANDY BROWN 1970 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 WHV 139 20 2 0 1 12 5 2 .144 .212 .180 .106 15 2 1992 WHV 437 87 15 1 2 24 5 4 .199 .241 .252 .162 71 19 1993 LYN 486 94 14 4 1 19 7 4 .193 .224 .245 .150 73 17 1994 NBR 396 83 9 1 6 23 7 3 .210 .253 .283 .185 73 23 1995 PAW 210 47 4 1 1 10 4 1 .224 .259 .267 .184 39 12Light-hitting SS, hit just .180 in Arizona. He doesn't have a major league future, he's good but not spectacular with the leather, and he's always gotten promoted.
JOSE CANSECO 1965 DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OAK 580 168 30 2 48 77 34 7 .290 .373 .597 .324 188 125 1992 OAK 369 97 11 1 23 47 6 6 .263 .346 .485 .281 104 58 1992 TEX 74 19 5 0 4 15 1 0 .257 .382 .486 .300 22 14 1993 TEX 231 62 13 1 10 15 8 6 .268 .313 .463 .265 61 32 1994 TEX 425 123 17 2 27 64 18 9 .289 .382 .529 .308 131 82 1995 BOS 391 122 22 1 21 37 5 0 .312 .371 .535 .310 121 72 1996 PRJ 503 140 20 1 37 69 6 1 .278 .365 .543 .307 155 95Struggled through the first half of the season with a variety of ailments: ribs, elbow, back, legs: but came on big in the second half to help lead the Sox charge for the pennant. He hasn't had a healthy season since 1991, but he still still hits like a HoFer, which is what he would have been without injuries. Despite his somewhat maniacal reputation, he says many of the right things about the game, but he doesn't seem likely to get named as a hitting coach when he finally hangs 'em up. The Sox are talking about moving him back to the field next season.
RAMON CARABALLO 1969 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DUR 451 96 9 4 5 22 29 13 .213 .249 .284 .192 87 30 1992 GRN 95 28 3 3 1 13 8 4 .295 .380 .421 .284 27 15 1992 RIC 407 107 15 2 2 19 18 13 .263 .296 .324 .221 90 36 1993 RIC 471 119 20 5 2 27 20 11 .253 .293 .329 .223 105 43 1994 GRN 244 54 3 3 7 11 4 4 .221 .255 .344 .206 50 19 1994 RIC 76 9 1 0 0 6 3 3 .118 .183 .132 **** -7 -1 1995 LOU 242 71 5 1 6 18 16 4 .293 .342 .397 .269 65 33 1995 STL 99 20 3 1 2 6 3 2 .202 .248 .313 .194 19 7Longtime Brave up-and-comer who could never displace Lemke. Signed to a minor-league contract, he should stay in Pawtucket.
PAUL CAREY 1968 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HAG 376 85 14 1 11 50 3 3 .226 .317 .356 .236 89 40 1992 FRD 142 39 2 0 6 22 0 1 .275 .372 .415 .275 39 21 1992 HAG 164 39 4 0 4 12 2 1 .238 .290 .335 .221 36 14 1992 ROC 88 19 3 1 1 5 0 0 .216 .258 .307 .194 17 6 1993 ROC 325 94 14 2 9 58 0 0 .289 .397 .428 .292 95 53 1993 BAL 47 11 0 0 0 4 0 0 .234 .294 .234 .183 9 3 1994 FRD 55 19 1 1 3 9 0 1 .345 .438 .564 .334 18 12 1994 ROC 172 40 2 0 6 24 1 0 .233 .327 .349 .240 41 19 1995 ROC 283 60 7 0 7 36 1 1 .212 .301 .311 .214 61 24A hometown player, acquired from Baltimore in a post-season trade. Hampered by injuries during his career. May take over the first-base spot at Pawtucket, replacing Wedge.
TODD CAREY 1972 UTIL YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 ELM 201 29 4 1 0 6 0 1 .144 .169 .174 **** -17 -2 1993 FTL 444 92 11 2 4 17 2 3 .207 .236 .268 .166 74 20 1994 LYN 365 70 9 1 6 37 1 2 .192 .266 .271 .182 66 21 1995 SAR 86 24 4 0 3 7 2 1 .279 .333 .430 .267 23 12 1995 TRN 234 63 7 1 7 22 3 3 .269 .332 .397 .255 60 29Never mentioned before this year, with good reason. A New Englander, bats left, throws right, plays all over the infield; keep an eye on him.
WIL CORDERO 1972 SS-OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IND 363 92 13 2 10 18 8 2 .253 .289 .383 .238 87 38 1992 IND 204 61 7 1 5 21 7 5 .299 .364 .417 .274 56 29 1992 MON 127 40 3 1 3 10 0 0 .315 .365 .425 .280 36 18 1993 MON 476 121 28 2 9 35 13 3 .254 .305 .378 .244 116 53 1994 MON 411 121 25 3 13 41 18 3 .294 .358 .465 .291 120 67 1995 MON 515 152 30 2 9 35 10 5 .295 .340 .414 .266 137 67 1996 PRJ 630 210 36 5 11 50 9 4 .333 .382 .459 .297 187 102Except for an horrendous August slump, his batting wasn't much worse than in 1994. His fielding, never good, was even worse than before, and ultimately forced the Expos to try to move him to left field. It didn't help, and since the move coincided with his slump, one could claim it hurt a lot. In Boston, he's going to be given a try at second base. In Puerto Rico this winter, he was playing third. He's got a shoulder problem that limits his throwing, and he's trying to put the surgery off until after this season.
KEVIN COUGHLIN 1971 OF-1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SBN 442 106 8 2 1 39 9 8 .240 .301 .274 .203 90 32 1992 SAR 296 68 5 1 2 19 8 2 .230 .276 .274 .197 58 20 1993 SAR 413 110 15 1 3 32 3 2 .266 .319 .329 .232 96 39 1994 BIR 374 83 6 1 0 35 4 4 .222 .289 .243 .184 69 21 1995 BIR 332 122 19 2 3 29 4 1 .367 .418 .464 .314 104 59Hadn't shown much before, and started the year on the DL. When he came off, he only led the Southern League in hitting with a blistering .385 average, led the league in OBA as well, and finished third in slugging. He'll go as far as his average takes him: no power or speed to speak of. While the season is certainly outstanding, I don't expect a repeat: an older than average player in his second year in a league is a prime fluke candidate.
MILT CUYLER 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DET 475 125 14 6 3 50 50 10 .263 .333 .337 .255 121 59 1992 DET 292 74 12 1 3 9 9 5 .253 .276 .332 .216 63 24 1993 DET 249 55 9 6 1 17 15 2 .221 .271 .317 .218 54 22 1994 TOL 63 19 2 1 0 3 4 3 .302 .333 .365 .248 16 7 1994 DET 115 28 3 1 0 11 6 3 .243 .310 .287 .218 25 10 1995 TOL 206 61 6 2 6 18 7 5 .296 .353 .432 .274 56 29 1995 DET 87 18 1 3 0 7 3 1 .207 .266 .287 .197 17 6He's been plagued by leg injuries over the last two years, a terrible thing for a player whose sole commodity is speed. Both the basestealing and defense have suffered, and he never hit much anyways.
ALEX DELGADO 1971 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LYN 182 31 3 0 1 10 1 1 .170 .214 .203 .110 20 3 1992 WHV 171 30 1 0 2 13 1 0 .175 .234 .216 .138 24 5 1993 FTL 225 48 4 0 3 6 1 1 .213 .234 .271 .167 38 10 1993 NBR 88 15 0 0 1 3 1 1 .170 .198 .205 .099 9 1 1994 NBR 141 33 3 0 1 3 1 1 .234 .250 .277 .179 25 7 1995 TRN 74 24 0 0 3 7 0 0 .324 .383 .446 .293 22 12 1995 PAW 106 24 1 0 4 6 0 0 .226 .268 .349 .214 23 9Showed signs of life in Trenton, but it looks like a false positive.
BO DODSON 1971 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STO 303 67 6 1 7 44 2 1 .221 .320 .317 .226 69 29 1992 ELP 340 74 15 2 4 63 3 4 .218 .340 .309 .230 78 34 1993 ELP 327 86 14 1 7 36 2 3 .263 .336 .376 .251 82 38 1994 NWO 257 65 5 0 3 39 2 2 .253 .351 .307 .237 61 27 1995 ELP 215 67 13 2 5 29 1 1 .312 .393 .460 .299 64 36 1995 NWO 204 55 3 1 7 33 0 0 .270 .371 .397 .273 56 29 1996 PRJ 430 115 17 3 9 70 1 1 .267 .370 .384 .269 116 59Notice a pattern to minor leaguers the Sox have acquired recently? They had a big year in 1995 after showing nothing previously. Duquette is more than willing to pick up such a player on the chance that the improvement might be genuine and permanent; other teams seem unable to change their thinking.
CHRIS DONNELS 1966 3B-1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TID 286 82 14 1 7 51 2 3 .287 .395 .416 .285 82 45 1991 NYM 90 22 2 0 0 14 1 1 .244 .346 .267 .222 20 8 1992 TID 285 84 11 2 5 52 11 0 .295 .404 .400 .295 84 47 1992 NYM 123 25 5 0 0 18 1 0 .203 .305 .244 .194 24 8 1993 HOU 180 48 12 2 2 19 2 0 .267 .337 .389 .259 47 22 1994 HOU 86 24 4 0 3 13 1 0 .279 .374 .430 .285 24 13 1995 HOU 30 10 0 0 0 3 0 0 .333 .394 .333 .268 8 4 1995 BOS 90 23 1 2 2 8 0 0 .256 .316 .378 .244 22 10 1996 PRJ 371 99 17 3 8 61 0 0 .267 .370 .394 .272 101 52Had his contract sold to Japan's Kintetsu Buffaloes.
AARON FULLER 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 UTI 179 31 0 0 1 12 9 2 .173 .225 .190 .135 24 5 1994 SAR 416 93 12 1 3 68 29 8 .224 .333 .279 .230 96 42 1995 VIS 184 35 3 1 1 13 5 5 .190 .244 .234 .155 29 7 1995 TRN 208 40 5 2 1 11 12 3 .192 .233 .250 .173 36 11
NOMAR GARCIAPARRA 1974 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 SAR 105 27 5 1 1 8 3 1 .257 .310 .352 .238 25 11 1995 TRN 525 138 14 5 8 39 30 10 .263 .314 .354 .243 128 58The club's favorite prospect. For his age and position, his hitting isn't bad at all; "normal" progression would give him an EQA in the .280s by the time he's 27. Everyone raves over his defense, and the limited statistics available in the minors suggest it is deserved, as he led Eastern League SS in two key categories: range factor and assists per game. In each, only Neifi Perez, in the Colorado system, was close to him. The Red Sox believe he'll force Valentin to second or third base in '97.
MIKE GREENWELL 1964 LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BOS 544 169 25 5 9 41 19 5 .311 .359 .425 .280 153 79 1992 BOS 180 44 2 0 2 17 2 3 .244 .310 .289 .210 38 14 1993 BOS 530 166 32 6 12 49 6 4 .313 .371 .464 .291 154 84 1994 BOS 322 86 20 1 9 33 2 2 .267 .335 .419 .263 85 42 1995 BOS 476 145 22 4 12 32 12 6 .305 .348 .443 .278 132 69 1996 PRJ 517 160 27 3 15 53 15 5 .309 .374 .460 .294 152 85A career in Fenway can be a wonderful thing for a hitter to have, and for Greenwell it's made him look like a better hitter than he's really been. What he is is a nearly-average hitting outfielder who is among the worst defensively in the majors. A lot of his problems in defensive statistics come from The Wall, as singles and doubles up on the wall get counted against him, but the consensus is that he'd still do poorly without a massive park effect. Gets a fair number of walks, despite being one of the most impatient hitters around.
MIKE HARDGE 1972 2B-3B-OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 ROK 461 86 8 1 9 29 23 8 .187 .235 .267 .177 81 25 1993 WPB 95 20 2 1 1 11 4 3 .211 .292 .284 .204 19 7 1993 HAR 389 88 11 6 5 30 18 6 .226 .282 .324 .219 85 34 1994 HAR 457 87 5 1 4 45 22 11 .190 .263 .232 .173 79 24 1995 TRN 130 30 3 1 0 8 3 3 .231 .275 .269 .188 24 8 1995 PAW 91 20 2 0 1 7 1 2 .220 .276 .275 .186 17 5
BILL HASELMAN 1966 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OKL 445 108 15 1 9 49 10 5 .243 .318 .342 .235 105 46 1992 CLG 293 65 8 1 15 43 2 1 .222 .321 .410 .254 74 37 1992 OKL 58 13 3 0 1 12 1 0 .224 .357 .328 .249 14 7 1993 SEA 137 36 7 0 5 11 2 1 .263 .318 .423 .259 35 17 1994 CLG 153 43 6 0 9 25 1 0 .281 .382 .497 .302 46 28 1994 SEA 83 16 5 1 1 2 1 0 .193 .212 .313 .178 15 5 1995 BOS 151 38 6 1 4 15 0 2 .252 .319 .384 .243 37 17 1996 PRJ 169 41 6 0 6 16 0 0 .243 .308 .385 .243 41 19The subject of "Haselmania", despite being very nearly average in every respect. His hitting is about average for a catcher, his catching is about average.... I guess that's what you'd expect from someone who has spent most of his career in the minors.
SCOTT HATTEBERG 1970 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LYN 26 4 1 0 0 5 0 0 .154 .290 .192 .159 4 1 1991 WHV 197 50 8 2 1 17 1 1 .254 .313 .330 .228 45 18 1992 NBR 306 68 12 2 1 35 1 2 .222 .302 .284 .205 63 23 1993 NBR 232 61 6 1 6 35 1 2 .263 .360 .375 .260 60 30 1993 PAW 53 9 1 0 0 5 0 0 .170 .241 .189 .121 6 1 1994 NBR 69 17 1 1 1 6 0 1 .246 .307 .333 .222 15 6 1994 PAW 237 50 6 0 6 27 2 1 .211 .292 .312 .212 50 19 1995 PAW 251 62 11 1 5 35 2 0 .247 .339 .359 .249 63 29A few years ago, he was regarded as the Sox catcher of the future. He's still waiting for his future. He's also the third best catcher in the organization, behind Stanley and Haselman, so he'll have a job.
DOUG HECKER 1971 1B-OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 WHV 213 45 4 0 6 16 0 0 .211 .266 .315 .200 43 15 1993 LYN 495 103 13 1 12 28 0 0 .208 .250 .311 .192 95 32 1994 SAR 429 104 14 1 12 22 2 1 .242 .279 .364 .225 97 39 1995 TRN 226 46 10 0 5 13 2 0 .204 .247 .314 .194 44 15As with several others, when they hit like this, there's little point in discussing them.
DWAYNE HOSEY 1967 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STO 359 85 5 3 11 15 12 5 .237 .267 .359 .222 80 32 1991 HUN 105 25 4 0 1 7 4 3 .238 .286 .305 .209 22 8 1992 WIC 436 105 17 2 9 36 14 7 .241 .299 .351 .231 101 43 1993 WIC 329 90 10 1 13 21 10 3 .274 .317 .429 .263 87 43 1993 LVG 106 22 2 2 2 8 5 3 .208 .263 .321 .207 22 8 1994 OMA 403 131 17 4 23 55 26 10 .325 .406 .558 .326 132 86 1995 OMA 267 72 15 2 9 27 18 6 .270 .337 .442 .275 73 40 1995 BOS 67 23 6 1 3 7 8 0 .343 .405 .597 .352 24 16Another good hitter picked up on the waiver list last year...was Duquette the only one paying attention? Despite a monstrous 1994 campaign, and a good, though not spectacular year at Omaha...with Kansas City's offense sputtering due to the flops of Felix Jose and Bob Hamelin...when they were using Phil Hiatt (!) and David Howard (!!!) in the outfield... he never gets a single at bat in KC. They simply turn him loose. Granted, he's kind of old, so he's no long-term solution for a team moving towards youth, but to just GIVE that kind of talent away? The Red Sox pick him up, and he pounds the ball for a month. He's been signed to a two-year deal and should start in center for the Sox this year. A former gang member, his career turned around when he turned his life around.
CHRIS JAMES 1963 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CLE 440 113 16 2 5 17 4 4 .257 .284 .336 .218 96 37 1992 SFG 252 67 9 4 7 15 2 3 .266 .307 .417 .250 63 29 1993 HOU 130 35 8 1 6 15 2 0 .269 .345 .485 .287 37 21 1993 TEX 31 11 1 0 3 3 0 0 .355 .412 .677 .356 11 8 1994 TEX 132 35 7 4 6 18 0 0 .265 .353 .515 .294 39 23 1995 KCR 58 19 2 0 2 5 1 0 .328 .381 .466 .300 17 10Acquired from the Royals late in the year, he spent most of his time with the Red Sox on the DL. He's been released by the Sox.
REGGIE JEFFERSON 1969 DH-1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CSP 131 34 4 0 3 12 0 0 .260 .322 .359 .241 32 14 1991 NAS 103 32 3 1 2 8 3 1 .311 .360 .417 .278 29 15 1991 CLE 102 22 4 0 2 2 0 0 .216 .231 .314 .185 19 6 1992 CSP 212 60 7 2 10 22 1 0 .283 .350 .476 .286 61 33 1992 CLE 89 31 6 2 1 0 0 0 .348 .348 .494 .294 26 14 1993 CLE 368 98 11 2 10 25 2 3 .266 .313 .389 .245 90 41 1994 SEA 158 51 8 1 6 15 0 0 .323 .382 .500 .305 48 27 1995 BOS 120 36 5 0 5 7 0 0 .300 .339 .467 .280 34 17 1996 PRJ 249 73 12 1 7 19 0 0 .293 .343 .434 .273 68 34Like O'Leary, he needs to avoid left-handed pitchers. Indeed, he's faced them only eighteen times in the last two seasons, which has everything to do with his improved hitting in those years. A natural DH, slow, with very limited fielding ability, he's restricted to filling a very narrow, but useful, role.
T.R. LEWIS 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 FRD 163 29 5 1 0 13 1 1 .178 .239 .221 .142 23 5 1992 KNE 137 33 4 0 2 8 3 2 .241 .283 .314 .211 29 11 1992 FRD 322 89 15 3 5 27 3 1 .276 .332 .388 .256 82 39 1993 BOW 484 137 20 1 4 28 15 5 .283 .322 .353 .245 118 52 1994 BOW 72 16 3 0 2 5 1 0 .222 .273 .347 .219 16 6 1994 ROC 173 49 5 0 5 13 5 1 .283 .333 .399 .263 45 22 1995 BOW 311 84 13 1 4 32 9 2 .270 .338 .357 .252 78 37 1995 ROC 77 21 4 0 3 7 1 1 .273 .333 .442 .267 21 11Was a better prospect as an infielder in the Oriole organization before 1994. Hurt his shoulder in an auto accident that year and can't throw like he used to.
RON MAHAY 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 WHV 64 14 1 1 0 1 0 0 .219 .231 .266 .163 10 3 1993 LYN 255 44 3 1 3 9 2 1 .173 .201 .227 .122 31 5 1994 SAR 366 86 8 1 5 32 3 3 .235 .296 .303 .211 77 29 1995 TRN 319 74 7 2 5 35 5 4 .232 .308 .313 .220 70 28 1995 PAW 44 13 2 0 0 3 1 0 .295 .340 .341 .251 11 5The first replacement player to be called up this year, he came up several times without doing much. Not that he's ever done much to earn a call up in the first place.
JOSE MALAVE 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 ELM 275 73 5 1 6 8 3 2 .265 .286 .356 .227 62 25 1993 LYN 317 82 13 1 5 28 2 2 .259 .319 .353 .238 75 33 1994 NBR 475 138 23 4 18 42 5 5 .291 .348 .469 .281 134 72 1995 PAW 316 80 8 1 17 27 0 1 .253 .312 .446 .260 82 41 1996 PRJ 546 152 19 1 37 49 0 0 .278 .338 .520 .291 159 90After a big year in '94, last year was a disappointment. He came to camp out of shape, and then had elbow trouble. He didn't really get untracked until the second half of the season, hitting 16 of his 23 HR in the last five weeks. He's slow and a lousy left-fielder, so his future will likely be as a DH.
JEFF MARTIN 1971 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 ELM 39 5 0 0 1 2 0 0 .128 .171 .205 .048 2 0 1993 LYN 196 31 5 1 3 18 0 0 .158 .229 .240 .145 28 7 1994 LYN 99 20 3 0 1 6 1 0 .202 .248 .263 .173 17 5 1994 SAR 164 35 4 1 5 13 0 2 .213 .271 .341 .208 34 13 1995 TRN 259 55 8 1 3 11 3 2 .212 .244 .286 .180 47 14The best the Sox have behind Hatteberg.
LOU MERLONI 1971 2B-3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 FTL 157 32 0 1 2 9 1 0 .204 .247 .255 .168 26 7 1994 SAR 417 102 13 1 2 29 3 1 .245 .294 .295 .209 87 31 1995 TRN 326 87 12 1 1 31 6 5 .267 .331 .319 .232 76 32The Sox are trying to make a utility infielder out of him.Hit just .217 in Arizona.
GLENN MURRAY 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 RCK 495 96 8 6 6 51 12 10 .194 .269 .271 .186 92 30 1992 WPB 437 98 8 2 13 64 17 7 .224 .323 .341 .238 104 48 1993 HAR 480 115 13 2 20 45 12 5 .240 .305 .400 .247 119 56 1994 PAW 464 96 11 1 17 46 8 2 .207 .278 .345 .219 102 42 1995 PAW 335 77 9 1 18 30 6 4 .230 .293 .424 .247 83 40A power hitter who can't make contact; the figures above don't show the 100+ Ks every year, at an average real rate of 148 per 500 ABs. Part of the Slocumb trade, he's off to the Phillies.
TIM NAEHRING 1967 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BOS 55 7 0 0 0 6 0 0 .127 .213 .127 **** -5 -1 1992 PAW 34 9 0 0 2 8 1 1 .265 .405 .441 .292 10 6 1992 BOS 186 45 5 0 4 17 0 0 .242 .305 .333 .225 42 17 1993 PAW 200 55 4 1 5 31 0 1 .275 .372 .380 .267 53 27 1993 BOS 125 41 6 0 2 8 1 0 .328 .368 .424 .283 35 18 1994 BOS 292 80 14 1 5 26 1 3 .274 .333 .380 .250 73 34 1995 BOS 425 133 22 2 8 71 0 2 .313 .411 .431 .298 127 71 1996 PRJ 584 172 27 1 19 88 0 1 .295 .387 .442 .292 170 95The perennially injured Naehring finally remained healthy in 1995, and he came out of the gate with a bang, batting for a high .300s average with walks and doubles power through the first couple of months, especially at home. Came back to earth, and towards his career means, as the season went on, and will probably hit closer to those numbers than his latest ones next year.
TROY O'LEARY 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STO 424 91 11 1 5 47 2 4 .215 .293 .281 .199 84 30 1992 ELP 507 148 18 4 6 52 21 9 .292 .358 .379 .266 135 67 1993 NWO 389 105 21 1 6 40 8 3 .270 .338 .375 .255 99 47 1993 MIL 41 12 3 0 0 5 0 0 .293 .370 .366 .265 11 5 1994 NWO 225 74 14 3 7 29 10 2 .329 .406 .511 .320 72 44 1994 MIL 65 17 2 1 1 4 1 1 .262 .304 .369 .236 15 7 1995 BOS 395 125 28 5 8 24 7 4 .316 .356 .473 .288 114 61 1996 PRJ 524 152 32 7 11 47 5 3 .290 .349 .441 .277 145 75Touted as a 'surprise' by many, to me he was anything but. Put on the waiver wire by the Brewers last spring, he was one of many quality players snapped up by Duquette. The secret to using O'Leary is: platoon. In his apparently weak '93 season in New Orleans, he hit against lefties in almost a third of his ABs, hitting just .189. In '94 only 20% of his ABs were against LHP, and the Red Sox only allowed that to happen 13% of the time last year. Playing full-time against right-handers, he'll hit. Just give him the day off when the lefties show up.
CLYDE POUGH 1970 DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CGA 423 105 14 1 8 39 5 3 .248 .312 .343 .232 98 42 1991 KIN 31 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 .161 .161 .161 **** -2 0 1992 KIN 424 86 12 1 7 38 8 2 .203 .268 .285 .194 82 28 1993 KIN 429 101 8 1 8 46 5 2 .235 .309 .315 .222 95 38 1994 CAN 386 110 13 1 16 35 3 1 .285 .344 .448 .277 107 56 1994 CHR 42 8 3 0 0 5 0 0 .190 .277 .262 .184 8 2 1995 TRN 373 105 14 3 19 41 10 4 .282 .353 .488 .289 108 61 1995 PAW 99 22 4 1 4 6 0 0 .222 .267 .404 .231 23 10 1996 PRJ 590 161 22 0 29 74 11 4 .273 .354 .458 .283 167 92AKA Pokey, AKA Pork Chop, the best nickname in baseball. Cousin, virtually a brother, to the newly-acquired Tom Gordon. A popular personality, with a big smile highlighted by a gold tooth. A power hitter who's had problems with curve balls, he's got nothing left to prove at AA; he's going to have to demonstrate something at AAA to get the call.
KARL RHODES 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TUC 301 64 10 1 1 29 4 5 .213 .282 .262 .187 56 18 1991 HOU 139 33 3 1 1 14 2 2 .237 .307 .295 .213 30 11 1992 TUC 324 83 12 6 3 45 7 5 .256 .347 .358 .251 81 39 1993 IOW 124 38 9 1 5 18 7 3 .306 .394 .516 .312 39 24 1993 OMA 359 108 18 2 18 35 13 5 .301 .363 .513 .300 108 63 1993 CHC 54 15 1 1 3 11 2 0 .278 .400 .500 .314 17 11 1994 CHC 270 67 11 1 8 34 8 5 .248 .332 .385 .253 68 33 1995 PAW 245 63 8 2 8 31 8 4 .257 .341 .404 .262 64 33 1996 PRJ 326 82 15 2 12 44 7 4 .252 .341 .420 .266 87 45"Tuffy" is on his way to Japan: the Red Sox sold his contract, along with Chris Donnels and Luis Aquino, to the Kintetsu Buffaloes, giving that team its full complement of gaijin.
CARLOS RODRIGUEZ 1968 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 COH 212 50 5 2 1 34 2 3 .236 .341 .292 .226 48 20 1991 NYY 37 8 0 0 0 1 0 0 .216 .237 .216 .139 5 1 1992 ABY 392 100 17 2 2 24 3 3 .255 .298 .324 .220 86 33 1993 ABY 152 50 7 1 1 9 2 2 .329 .366 .408 .275 42 21 1993 COH 155 37 7 1 0 18 2 1 .239 .318 .297 .220 34 14 1994 PAW 164 41 2 1 2 14 3 2 .250 .309 .311 .221 36 14 1994 BOS 172 49 9 1 1 8 1 0 .285 .317 .366 .244 42 18 1995 PAW 133 35 5 0 0 17 1 0 .263 .347 .301 .236 31 13 1995 BOS 30 10 2 0 0 1 0 0 .333 .355 .400 .270 8 4Missed most of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery, he could contend for the UI job this spring.
TONY RODRIGUEZ 1971 3B-2B-SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ELM 279 56 5 1 1 17 12 3 .201 .247 .237 .170 47 13 1992 LYN 522 94 7 2 1 17 6 3 .180 .206 .207 .112 58 9 1993 NBR 358 75 10 2 1 12 5 4 .209 .235 .257 .163 58 15 1994 SAR 49 9 0 0 0 3 1 0 .184 .231 .184 .122 6 1 1994 PAW 168 38 1 1 3 3 3 2 .226 .240 .298 .185 31 10 1995 PAW 314 75 8 1 1 14 10 4 .239 .271 .280 .197 62 21Hit all of .205 in the Puerto Rican League.
VIC RODRIGUEZ 1962 3B-1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 POR 265 72 7 0 6 14 0 0 .272 .308 .366 .239 63 27 1992 SWB 154 39 7 2 0 2 0 0 .253 .263 .325 .205 32 11 1993 SWB 441 127 16 2 9 16 3 3 .288 .313 .395 .249 110 49 1994 EDM 263 61 6 0 4 9 1 2 .232 .257 .300 .191 50 16 1995 PAW 115 28 3 0 0 2 1 1 .243 .256 .270 .180 21 6Retired in June following a 19-year career that started in Bluefield, in the Oriole system, in 1977. He got two cups of coffee, in Baltimore in 1984 and Minnesota in 1989, and hit .429 in 28 ABs. He was the active hit leader for the entire minor leagues, with 1,905.
SCOTT ROMANO 1972 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 GRB 319 55 7 1 1 29 6 4 .172 .241 .210 .141 45 10 1992 FTL 366 77 11 1 4 24 7 3 .210 .259 .279 .187 68 22 1993 GRB 428 99 15 1 6 43 7 4 .231 .301 .313 .218 93 37 1994 TAM 426 124 18 1 20 49 4 2 .291 .364 .479 .291 124 70 1995 NRW 366 92 10 1 7 39 6 2 .251 .323 .342 .238 87 38Again, Duquette picks up a player who's shown some ability in the minors. In his case, it was two years ago, but its impressive enough to take a chance on.
BILL SELBY 1970 3B-2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 ELM 286 61 7 1 5 21 2 2 .213 .267 .297 .194 56 19 1993 LYN 397 83 11 1 4 19 1 1 .209 .245 .272 .173 69 20 1994 LYN 349 93 11 1 10 20 2 1 .266 .306 .390 .245 85 38 1994 NBR 110 27 2 0 1 12 0 1 .245 .320 .291 .215 24 9 1995 TRN 462 130 18 2 12 36 4 5 .281 .333 .407 .259 120 57I'd normally consider those last two years to be the signal of a hot prospect, but he is already 25 and still hasn't played in AAA. He's shown enough hitting to crack a major league roster as a backup, but he'll be hard-pressed to find a starting role.
BEN SHELTON 1970 DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SLM 205 45 4 1 9 32 2 1 .220 .325 .380 .247 51 24 1991 CAR 174 38 7 2 1 23 1 1 .218 .310 .299 .215 37 15 1992 CAR 378 85 8 1 9 60 4 2 .225 .331 .323 .233 88 39 1993 BUF 174 48 5 1 4 22 0 0 .276 .357 .385 .264 46 23 1995 NBR 180 42 4 0 10 34 3 0 .233 .355 .422 .274 49 27 1995 SLC 32 7 2 1 0 5 0 0 .219 .324 .344 .236 8 3 1995 TRN 122 23 2 0 3 23 1 1 .189 .317 .279 .210 26 10Recycling project.
TERRY SHUMPERT 1967 3B-2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 KCR 371 85 16 4 5 29 23 12 .229 .285 .334 .222 82 35 1992 OMA 210 40 5 0 2 11 4 3 .190 .231 .243 .153 32 8 1992 KCR 94 15 5 1 1 3 2 2 .160 .186 .266 .137 13 3 1993 OMA 407 113 16 1 11 38 41 8 .278 .339 .403 .274 112 59 1994 KCR 180 41 5 2 6 11 20 3 .228 .272 .378 .245 44 21 1995 PAW 132 31 3 0 2 13 9 3 .235 .303 .303 .225 30 12 1995 BOS 47 11 3 0 0 3 3 1 .234 .280 .298 .213 10 4There was a time when he had some value, but he's journeyman minor league infield material now.
MIKE STANLEY 1963 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TEX 182 49 13 1 3 34 0 0 .269 .384 .401 .279 51 27 1992 NYY 173 45 5 0 9 32 0 0 .260 .376 .445 .286 49 28 1993 NYY 424 138 16 1 26 55 1 1 .325 .403 .552 .324 137 86 1994 NYY 288 90 14 1 15 36 0 0 .312 .389 .524 .312 90 54 1995 NYY 393 107 23 1 17 52 1 1 .272 .357 .466 .284 112 62 1996 PRJ 457 129 28 1 20 48 0 0 .282 .350 .479 .286 131 72A late bloomer, Stanley looks to be on the way down from his '93-'94 peak, but that still makes him one of the top hitting catchers around. Devastating when he's ahead in the count (slugging over .800 each of the last two seasons in those situations). Hits the ball to the opposite field a lot, which is a good thing for a right-hand hitter to do in Yankee Stadium, but not so good in Fenway. Because of his extreme ahead/behind split, he could be one of the players most hurt if umpires call more strikes.
JIM TATUM 1968 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ELP 479 127 13 3 14 43 4 4 .265 .326 .392 .252 121 57 1992 DEN 478 140 23 2 14 34 9 6 .293 .340 .437 .271 130 66 1993 CSP 44 8 2 0 1 1 0 1 .182 .200 .295 .152 7 2 1993 COL 96 17 4 0 1 5 0 0 .177 .218 .250 .145 14 3 1994 CSP 410 118 18 1 14 35 2 2 .288 .344 .439 .273 112 57 1995 CSP 88 24 2 0 5 5 0 1 .273 .312 .466 .264 23 12 1995 COL 33 7 0 1 0 1 0 0 .212 .235 .273 .168 6 2 1996 PRJ 272 73 14 1 11 22 1 1 .268 .323 .449 .267 73 37He's hit well in the minors, but hasn't played at a low-altitude home park since 1990. The heights have been kind to him, but even at altitude he hasn't found major league success. Will try to fill the role left vacant by Donnels.
LEE TINSLEY 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CAN 141 39 5 1 3 13 12 4 .277 .338 .390 .266 37 19 1991 HUN 316 70 6 4 3 42 27 10 .222 .313 .294 .226 72 31 1992 CAN 355 95 6 5 6 35 13 4 .268 .333 .363 .252 89 42 1992 CSP 79 16 1 1 0 14 3 2 .203 .323 .241 .203 16 6 1993 CLG 432 108 13 7 9 40 26 8 .250 .314 .375 .249 108 51 1994 BOS 142 30 1 0 2 17 15 0 .211 .296 .261 .223 32 13 1995 BOS 337 98 15 1 5 35 23 10 .291 .358 .386 .268 90 46 1996 PRJ 411 109 22 5 9 49 31 6 .265 .343 .409 .274 113 61Traded to Philadelphia for Heathcliff Slocumb. Recovered from a remarkably bad '94 season to take over the Red Sox leadoff spot for most of '95. Fast, hits from both sides, he tends to hit the ball on the ground or not at all, with 2.7 grounders and 1.5 Ks for every fly; major league averages are 1.3 grounders and 0.7 strikeouts to one.
JOHN VALENTIN 1967 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 NBR 83 15 3 0 0 6 1 0 .181 .236 .217 .143 12 3 1991 PAW 325 79 15 2 8 48 0 0 .243 .340 .375 .253 82 39 1992 PAW 334 83 11 1 8 42 1 2 .249 .332 .359 .244 81 37 1992 BOS 184 52 9 1 6 48 1 2 .283 .431 .440 .306 56 35 1993 BOS 460 127 35 3 10 46 4 4 .276 .342 .430 .269 124 63 1994 BOS 294 92 19 2 7 37 4 1 .313 .390 .463 .300 88 50 1995 BOS 512 156 32 2 24 74 26 6 .305 .392 .516 .315 161 100 1996 PRJ 578 173 32 6 26 93 18 9 .299 .396 .510 .311 180 112Possibly the most underrated player in the majors today. His offense last year was as good as Mo Vaughn's (with walks and steals making up for slightly less power). Defensively, though, he plays a far more important position and plays it much better: among the best in the league, statistically speaking. That's an MVP-caliber combination, yet he was virtually ignored in the voting. One of the handful of players that the DTs missed out on completely: he's hit much better than they suggested from the moment he came into the league.
MO VAUGHN 1968 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PAW 230 58 5 0 11 50 2 1 .252 .386 .417 .283 65 37 1991 BOS 219 59 10 1 4 25 3 1 .269 .344 .379 .258 57 27 1992 PAW 150 40 4 0 5 16 1 0 .267 .337 .393 .259 39 19 1992 BOS 355 86 15 2 14 45 3 3 .242 .327 .414 .257 91 46 1993 BOS 528 156 27 2 27 74 5 3 .295 .382 .508 .304 161 96 1994 BOS 385 118 21 1 21 51 5 4 .306 .388 .530 .311 120 73 1995 BOS 542 166 25 3 35 61 14 5 .306 .376 .557 .315 171 106 1996 PRJ 606 180 30 2 37 71 7 4 .297 .371 .536 .307 186 113The man who won the league MVP award, but one could make a good case that two of his teammates (Valentin and Wakefield) were even more valuable. He's been consistent, turning in nearly-identical seasons for the last three years with a slight upward trend. There's no reason to believe he won't do just as well next season, or indeed for several more.
ERIC WEDGE 1968 1B-C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PAW 162 34 10 1 4 20 1 1 .210 .297 .358 .227 37 16 1992 PAW 213 61 6 0 9 28 0 0 .286 .369 .441 .284 60 33 1992 BOS 68 18 2 0 5 13 0 0 .265 .383 .515 .305 21 13 1993 CSP 86 18 3 0 2 13 0 0 .209 .313 .314 .221 19 8 1994 PAW 253 67 9 1 13 44 0 1 .265 .374 .462 .288 73 42 1995 PAW 377 82 10 1 15 56 1 2 .218 .319 .369 .239 90 42 1996 PRJ 453 112 12 1 25 62 1 1 .247 .338 .444 .270 122 65Moving on as a six-year free agent, but I haven't heard of anyone signing him.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 37 Rank in MLB: 4th Rank in AL East: 1st
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Suppan, Jeff 7 6 7 0 3 7 4 3 0 37 A Orellano, R 6 3 9 0 6 4 5 3 0 36 A Pavano, Carl 0 5 7 0 5 5 7 3 +1 33 B Murray, Matt 7 1 7 0 5 5 2 4 0 31 B- Rose, Brian 0 5 6 0 3 7 3 3 +1 28 C Cederblad, B 4 1 6 0 2 7 4 2 0 26 D+ Tillmon, D 0 0 2 0 7 9 2 5 +1 26 D+ Hansen, Brent 7 0 8 0 3 5 0 2 0 25 D Barkley, Brian 3 6 7 0 2 4 0 3 -1 24 D Brooks, Wes 6 1 8 0 4 3 0 1 0 23 D- Farrell, Jim 0 1 2 0 4 6 7 2 +1 23 D- Looney, Brian 8 0 4 0 1 4 3 3 0 23 D- Best Prospect in 1994: Jeff Suppan (B+) vBest Rookie Starter in 1995: V. Eshelman (NR)
SCOTT BAKKUM 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 WHV 25.7 21 12 4 13 8 4.21 1 2 7.36 4.56 2.81 1993 LYN 152.3 226 101 28 39 66 5.97 5 12 13.35 2.30 3.90 1994 LYN 41.0 58 33 4 20 26 7.24 1 4 12.73 4.39 5.71 1994 SAR 63.0 94 51 15 29 36 7.29 2 5 13.43 4.14 5.14 1994 NBR 13.3 21 10 1 9 5 6.75 0 1 14.18 6.08 3.38 1995 TRN 45.0 39 16 7 8 21 3.20 3 2 7.80 1.60 4.20 1995 PAW 25.3 22 13 5 8 14 4.62 1 2 7.82 2.84 4.97Bakkum's a fairly interesting case. He has good control, having walked just 113 men unintentionally in 410 minor league innings. Of course, he's only struck out 242, and he's allowed 455 hits. Guys like this usually don't translate into good major league pitchers, but occasionally, if you grab one out of the muck, scrape the mucous off and let him go out there, he can be a valuable pitcher. I like him better than his numbers indicate.
BRIAN BARK 1969 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 DUR 75.0 88 34 1 23 55 4.08 4 4 10.56 2.76 6.60 1991 GRN 16.3 22 11 1 8 12 6.06 1 1 12.12 4.41 6.61 1992 GRN 51.3 50 18 2 16 42 3.16 4 2 8.77 2.81 7.36 1992 RIC 39.0 68 30 5 16 45 6.92 1 3 15.69 3.69 10.38 1993 RIC 153.3 158 75 15 80 97 4.40 8 9 9.27 4.70 5.69 1994 RIC 120.3 139 74 18 54 80 5.53 4 9 10.40 4.04 5.98 1995 PAW 30.3 22 9 2 16 19 2.67 2 1 6.53 4.75 5.64 1995 RIC 37.7 47 18 2 20 21 4.30 2 2 11.23 4.78 5.02Short, somewhat stubby lefthander rescued from the Braves' organization. Given 40 innings, he might have a good season as a spot lefty, and get his [MLB Approved] stamp, allowing him to bounce around like Vosberg, Fossas and the rest of the gang.
BRIAN BARNES 1967 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 IND 10.3 8 3 0 8 10 2.61 1 0 6.97 6.97 8.71 1991 MON 159.3 153 86 22 89 129 4.86 7 11 8.64 5.03 7.29 1992 IND 79.3 73 35 10 32 79 3.97 5 4 8.28 3.63 8.96 1992 MON 100.0 87 37 12 49 74 3.33 6 5 7.83 4.41 6.66 1993 MON 98.7 113 53 11 53 65 4.83 4 7 10.31 4.83 5.93 1994 ABQ 44.0 51 28 9 23 40 5.73 2 3 10.43 4.70 8.18 1994 CHR 17.7 20 11 3 8 21 5.60 1 1 10.19 4.08 10.70 1994 CLE 13.0 11 7 2 14 5 4.85 0 1 7.62 9.69 3.46 1995 PAW 101.3 112 59 17 34 83 5.24 4 7 9.95 3.02 7.37Probably deserves a shot to show he can't pitch in a major league rotation. Strikes out enough guys to make me believe he can help a team. The questions are what they are for most pitchers: can he stay healthy, and what role does he need to succeed? The answers for most pitchers are no and water boy, respectively. Barnes has certainly earned at least a shot at a rotation. If enough Sox go down to injuries or lack of skill, he could help out.
STAN BELINDA 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PIT 78.0 53 28 12 36 76 3.23 5 4 6.12 4.15 8.77 1992 PIT 71.3 64 27 10 31 65 3.41 5 3 8.07 3.91 8.20 1993 KCR 26.7 32 12 2 5 29 4.05 1 2 10.80 1.69 9.79 1993 PIT 42.0 35 16 5 12 32 3.43 3 2 7.50 2.57 6.86 1994 KCR 48.0 49 30 7 22 40 5.62 2 3 9.19 4.12 7.50 1995 BOS 69.0 50 19 4 24 62 2.48 6 2 6.52 3.13 8.09Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dominates one batter, pitches like John Denver on quaaludes the next. Has great years ahead of him, and could still turn into a dominating reliever. Fantastic in 1995, but those days of serving up foshballs could return.
MIKE BLAIS 1972 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 LYN 72.0 101 56 15 18 33 7.00 2 6 12.62 2.25 4.12 1995 MIC 42.3 45 17 1 11 25 3.61 3 2 9.57 2.34 5.31 1995 TRN 23.3 24 10 2 7 17 3.86 2 1 9.26 2.70 6.56Has dominated the minors as a reliever, and been effective at each stop save Lynchburg, where he probably snuffed the life out of any chance he ever had to be a starting pitcher. Good control. Most other organizations have a lot of pitchers who strike out a bunch of guys, but can't find the plate with a road map and a team of trackers. Big kid who looks like he should throw a lot harder than he does. Will be a good setup man in the majors a year or two down the road.
WES BROOKS 1972 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 FTL 116.3 133 68 19 46 72 5.26 5 8 10.29 3.56 5.57 1994 LYN 160.3 181 92 24 69 84 5.16 7 11 10.16 3.87 4.72 1995 TRN 153.3 180 102 27 42 73 5.99 5 12 10.57 2.47 4.28
TIM CAIN 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BND 52.3 70 52 9 24 32 8.94 1 5 12.04 4.13 5.50 1994 NBR 46.7 66 34 11 19 29 6.56 1 4 12.73 3.66 5.59 1995 TRN 48.0 56 31 1 17 38 5.81 2 3 10.50 3.19 7.12 1995 PAW 26.3 26 8 0 9 18 2.73 2 1 8.89 3.08 6.15
ROGER CLEMENS 1963 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BOS 267.7 232 83 16 62 276 2.79 20 10 7.80 2.08 9.28 1992 BOS 242.7 210 71 12 59 247 2.63 19 8 7.79 2.19 9.16 1993 BOS 188.7 187 89 17 63 184 4.25 10 11 8.92 3.01 8.78 1994 BOS 168.7 119 45 12 64 180 2.40 14 5 6.35 3.42 9.60 1995 BOS 138.3 137 51 11 52 144 3.32 9 6 8.91 3.38 9.37Still the best active pitcher, with all due respect to Maddux. Already would get my Hall of Fame vote, no matter how high you set the bar. Had the best eight-year run I can think of outside of Lefty Grove, from 1985-1992. Led the league in shutouts five times, ERA four times, and post-season profanity once. I don't like to go out on a limb with pitchers, but Clemens will win 300 games.
Has struggled by his own standards the last couple of years, but all the peripheral stats, like K rate, indicate that he's still got it. Lifetime ERA of 3.00, which is phenomenal when you consider the high offense era in which he has played. Probably the only competitor who was glad to see Dave Stewart retire.
RHEAL CORMIER 1967 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 LOU 121.3 146 58 8 26 69 4.30 6 7 10.83 1.93 5.12 1991 STL 67.3 81 36 6 9 41 4.81 3 4 10.83 1.20 5.48 1992 STL 185.3 215 91 22 38 133 4.42 9 12 10.44 1.85 6.46 1993 STL 143.3 163 70 20 30 79 4.40 7 9 10.23 1.88 4.96 1994 LOU 21.0 22 10 3 8 13 4.29 1 1 9.43 3.43 5.57 1994 STL 39.3 38 19 6 7 26 4.35 2 2 8.69 1.60 5.95 1995 BOS 114.0 128 44 9 24 75 3.47 7 6 10.11 1.89 5.92I really like Cormier, and think he could thrive as a San Francisco Giant. Anywhere there's a pitchers' park with a good defense behind him, this guy could break out big. Of course, that's true for all pitchers, but I think it's particularly true for Cormier. Not a Scientologist. Sent to Montreal for Cordero, where he's in the 5th starter mix.
JOE CRAWFORD 1970 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 SLU 41.0 34 24 7 20 25 5.27 2 3 7.46 4.39 5.49 1993 SLU 33.0 44 18 1 16 21 4.91 2 2 12.00 4.36 5.73 1994 SLU 41.0 28 13 4 9 26 2.85 3 2 6.15 1.98 5.71 1994 BIN 13.3 23 12 2 9 7 8.10 0 1 15.53 6.08 4.72 1995 BIN 57.0 63 23 6 17 36 3.63 3 3 9.95 2.68 5.68 1995 NOR 18.0 10 4 1 5 12 2.00 2 0 5.00 2.50 6.00
VAUGHN ESHELMAN 1969 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 KNE 69.3 75 33 9 38 59 4.28 4 4 9.74 4.93 7.66 1993 FRD 129.0 158 92 17 76 86 6.42 4 10 11.02 5.30 6.00 1994 BOW 152.0 202 87 18 66 107 5.15 6 11 11.96 3.91 6.34 1995 BOS 80.3 84 35 2 31 45 3.92 5 4 9.41 3.47 5.04Hot story for a small chunk of 1995, and part of the reason the Sox did as well as they did. That was his 15 minutes of fame. Of course, it's possible he could get a job setting up melons for Gallagher, so if you're an aspiring agent or publicist, you may want to drop Vaughn a line.
BRYAN EVERSGERD 1969 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SAV 86.0 92 64 21 38 61 6.70 3 7 9.63 3.98 6.38 1992 STP 66.0 83 36 3 34 45 4.91 3 4 11.32 4.64 6.14 1993 ARK 60.0 75 32 5 24 54 4.80 3 4 11.25 3.60 8.10 1994 LOU 11.3 11 6 0 9 8 4.76 0 1 8.74 7.15 6.35 1994 STL 67.7 70 28 8 20 47 3.72 4 4 9.31 2.66 6.25 1995 OTT 49.7 58 24 1 30 43 4.35 3 3 10.51 5.44 7.79 1995 MON 20.7 22 11 2 9 8 4.79 1 1 9.58 3.92 3.48Will be a replacement level or slightly better pitcher in any role except starter.
RICH GARCES 1971 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ORL 14.7 15 8 0 16 14 4.91 1 1 9.20 9.82 8.59 1991 POR 12.0 11 8 2 9 13 6.00 0 1 8.25 6.75 9.75 1992 ORL 68.0 79 44 10 44 59 5.82 3 5 10.46 5.82 7.81 1993 POR 48.0 71 52 6 69 43 9.75 1 4 13.31 12.94 8.06 1994 NAA 72.0 78 44 9 37 65 5.50 3 5 9.75 4.62 8.12 1995 IOW 27.3 28 11 4 9 35 3.62 2 1 9.22 2.96 11.52 1995 CHC 10.7 12 6 0 3 6 5.06 0 1 10.12 2.53 5.06 1995 FLA 13.0 14 7 1 8 16 4.85 0 1 9.69 5.54 11.08Will be effective if he can find the strike zone. If not, then he's just another hard thrower with no control.
TOM GORDON 1968 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 KCR 155.7 128 61 16 84 188 3.53 10 7 7.40 4.86 10.87 1992 KCR 115.0 124 62 10 53 117 4.85 5 8 9.70 4.15 9.16 1993 KCR 153.0 134 59 11 74 164 3.47 10 7 7.88 4.35 9.65 1994 KCR 152.7 142 65 12 81 137 3.83 9 8 8.37 4.78 8.08 1995 KCR 186.7 215 92 9 79 132 4.44 9 12 10.37 3.81 6.36Curveballing Lilliputian acquired by way of Kansas City. Probably the most predictable pitcher in baseball outside of David Cone, but that dip in his K rate last year is worrisome. Bob Boone didn't do Kevin Appier any favors last year, and he might have damaged Gordon. Fantastically entertaining pitcher to watch. When he gets hot, he's among the very best. Occasionally has An Outing of the Flies [tm], but usually very dependable. Good acquisition; if everything breaks right for the Sox, they could have the best rotation in baseball. I don't know if Gordon can shoulder enough load for that, though.
ERIC GUNDERSON 1966 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PHX 98.0 147 69 14 42 49 6.34 3 8 13.50 3.86 4.50 1992 JAX 22.3 20 12 5 8 19 4.84 1 1 8.06 3.22 7.66 1992 CLG 49.0 54 30 9 29 49 5.51 2 3 9.92 5.33 9.00 1993 BIN 20.7 21 14 2 16 22 6.10 1 1 9.15 6.97 9.58 1993 NOR 32.0 44 19 4 10 23 5.34 1 3 12.38 2.81 6.47 1994 NOR 35.0 29 17 1 19 29 4.37 2 2 7.46 4.89 7.46 1995 BOS 12.0 12 5 0 8 10 3.75 1 0 9.00 6.00 7.50 1995 NYM 23.7 26 9 2 8 19 3.42 2 1 9.89 3.04 7.23
BRENT HANSEN 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 ELM 51.3 74 42 10 28 37 7.36 1 5 12.97 4.91 6.49 1993 FTL 92.7 104 44 11 41 50 4.27 5 5 10.10 3.98 4.86 1993 NBR 87.0 110 57 14 32 47 5.90 3 7 11.38 3.31 4.86 1994 SAR 37.0 42 17 1 17 23 4.14 2 2 10.22 4.14 5.59 1995 TRN 72.7 87 39 9 16 45 4.83 3 5 10.78 1.98 5.57 1995 PAW 88.0 95 47 16 26 46 4.81 4 6 9.72 2.66 4.70
BUTCH HENRY 1969 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TUC 144.0 177 71 15 38 90 4.44 7 9 11.06 2.38 5.62 1992 HOU 165.3 195 80 22 46 108 4.35 8 10 10.61 2.50 5.88 1993 OTT 29.7 39 16 2 1 22 4.85 1 2 11.83 .30 6.67 1993 COL 83.7 102 47 15 26 40 5.06 3 6 10.97 2.80 4.30 1993 MON 18.0 20 10 1 4 9 5.00 1 1 10.00 2.00 4.50 1994 OTT 13.3 12 2 0 2 10 1.35 1 0 8.10 1.35 6.75 1994 MON 106.3 102 30 7 21 72 2.54 9 3 8.63 1.78 6.09 1995 MON 125.7 134 43 9 28 59 3.08 9 5 9.60 2.01 4.23Can definitely pitch. Only question: will he be healthy? K rate is not indicative of long-term success, but he could be very valuable for a couple of years, or until that first major injury. Very few people know this, but was Key Grip on the Brian Bosworth film "Stone Cold."
STEVE HOEME 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CSC 53.3 72 40 3 46 31 6.75 2 4 12.15 7.76 5.23 1992 WLO 31.7 31 14 4 10 26 3.98 2 2 8.81 2.84 7.39 1992 WIC 32.0 54 29 2 23 19 8.16 1 3 15.19 6.47 5.34 1993 WIC 44.7 47 20 4 20 37 4.03 2 3 9.47 4.03 7.46 1994 HAR 54.3 54 26 3 27 42 4.31 3 3 8.94 4.47 6.96 1995 TRN 22.3 28 11 2 9 15 4.43 1 1 11.28 3.63 6.04 1995 PAW 36.7 42 20 3 17 19 4.91 2 2 10.31 4.17 4.66
JOE HUDSON 1971 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 ELM 61.7 94 55 8 44 21 8.03 1 6 13.72 6.42 3.06 1993 LYN 74.0 108 51 3 47 42 6.20 2 6 13.14 5.72 5.11 1994 SAR 43.7 48 22 1 30 27 4.53 2 3 9.89 6.18 5.56 1994 NBR 35.0 51 19 0 19 19 4.89 2 2 13.11 4.89 4.89 1995 TRN 30.0 25 10 0 19 21 3.00 2 1 7.50 5.70 6.30 1995 BOS 45.7 51 16 1 20 31 3.15 3 2 10.05 3.94 6.11
CALVIN JONES 1964 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CLG 21.0 18 10 2 19 23 4.29 1 1 7.71 8.14 9.86 1991 SEA 45.7 36 13 0 29 48 2.56 4 1 7.09 5.72 9.46 1992 CLG 30.7 22 13 4 22 32 3.82 2 1 6.46 6.46 9.39 1992 SEA 60.3 51 33 9 46 58 4.92 3 4 7.61 6.86 8.65 1993 CAN 60.0 44 27 5 29 61 4.05 3 4 6.60 4.35 9.15 1994 CHR 59.0 76 34 7 30 44 5.19 3 4 11.59 4.58 6.71 1995 PAW 36.0 39 22 7 16 33 5.50 1 3 9.75 4.00 8.25
BRENT KNACKERT 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 JAX 108.3 142 70 22 48 62 5.82 4 8 11.80 3.99 5.15 1993 BIN 40.0 65 29 3 13 22 6.53 1 3 14.62 2.92 4.95 1993 JAX 13.7 7 4 2 4 8 2.63 1 1 4.61 2.63 5.27 1995 BIN 78.3 69 31 7 26 60 3.56 5 4 7.93 2.99 6.89
BRIAN LOONEY 1969 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 JAM 54.3 58 21 1 31 39 3.48 3 3 9.61 5.13 6.46 1992 AGA 59.0 71 34 3 36 37 5.19 3 4 10.83 5.49 5.64 1992 ROK 26.3 36 17 1 28 21 5.81 1 2 12.30 9.57 7.18 1993 WPB 96.0 128 61 8 33 94 5.72 4 7 12.00 3.09 8.81 1993 HAR 54.0 43 19 4 18 64 3.17 4 2 7.17 3.00 10.67 1994 OTT 117.0 143 66 11 70 82 5.08 5 8 11.00 5.38 6.31 1995 PAW 94.3 114 45 9 37 72 4.29 5 5 10.88 3.53 6.87It's the WHITE thing, Brian! Throw it over the WHITE thing!
MIKE MADDUX 1962 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SDP 98.0 86 30 5 28 62 2.76 7 4 7.90 2.57 5.69 1992 SDP 79.7 71 23 4 26 66 2.60 6 3 8.02 2.94 7.46 1993 NYM 74.0 67 30 3 29 60 3.65 4 4 8.15 3.53 7.30 1994 NYM 44.0 45 22 7 13 33 4.50 2 3 9.20 2.66 6.75 1995 BOS 88.7 85 29 4 10 71 2.94 6 4 8.63 1.02 7.21A durable, solid, middle reliever, which is one of the most underrated things in baseball. The Gene Nelson of the '90s.
JOSE MARTINEZ 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CMB 172.3 237 83 14 18 98 4.33 9 10 12.38 .94 5.12 1992 SLU 114.3 131 63 19 17 88 4.96 5 8 10.31 1.34 6.93 1992 BIN 54.0 60 22 4 15 33 3.67 3 3 10.00 2.50 5.50 1993 EDM 74.3 92 44 13 25 26 5.33 3 5 11.14 3.03 3.15 1993 LVG 32.3 49 28 9 15 13 7.79 1 3 13.64 4.18 3.62 1994 WIC 123.0 152 69 18 53 52 5.05 5 9 11.12 3.88 3.80 1994 SDP 11.7 18 8 1 5 7 6.17 0 1 13.89 3.86 5.40 1995 LVG 144.3 155 75 14 46 65 4.68 7 9 9.67 2.87 4.05
NATE MINCHEY 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 DUR 81.0 93 44 8 30 55 4.89 4 5 10.33 3.33 6.11 1991 MIA 86.3 104 43 8 34 47 4.48 4 6 10.84 3.54 4.90 1992 GRN 160.0 188 80 13 49 100 4.50 8 10 10.57 2.76 5.62 1993 PAW 186.3 194 101 28 57 100 4.88 8 13 9.37 2.75 4.83 1993 BOS 32.3 38 15 5 7 9 4.18 2 2 10.58 1.95 2.51 1994 PAW 144.3 150 73 18 55 87 4.55 7 9 9.35 3.43 5.42 1994 BOS 22.3 41 18 1 12 16 7.25 0 2 16.52 4.84 6.45 1995 LOU 140.7 172 82 11 49 66 5.25 6 10 11.00 3.14 4.22
JAMIE MOYER 1963 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 LOU 119.7 129 58 21 39 64 4.36 6 7 9.70 2.93 4.81 1991 STL 31.3 42 21 6 17 22 6.03 1 2 12.06 4.88 6.32 1992 TOL 131.7 138 48 10 39 72 3.28 9 6 9.43 2.67 4.92 1993 ROC 51.3 47 14 3 15 37 2.45 4 2 8.24 2.63 6.49 1993 BAL 149.3 167 58 10 34 104 3.50 10 7 10.06 2.05 6.27 1994 BAL 146.7 172 72 19 32 96 4.42 7 9 10.55 1.96 5.89 1995 BAL 113.7 135 69 16 25 74 5.46 5 8 10.69 1.98 5.86Lefty junkballer, but not a horrible one. Commenting on Jamie Moyer is like commenting on Jody Reed or Terry Steinbach. Do you really need to know more about Jamie Moyer?
MATT MURRAY 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 MCN 73.3 99 39 6 30 50 4.79 3 5 12.15 3.68 6.14 1994 DUR 90.3 115 57 22 24 57 5.68 3 7 11.46 2.39 5.68 1994 GRN 60.3 105 51 9 37 42 7.61 2 5 15.66 5.52 6.27 1995 GRN 27.7 23 7 0 9 21 2.28 2 1 7.48 2.93 6.83 1995 RIC 116.0 122 45 8 39 73 3.49 7 6 9.47 3.03 5.66 1995 ATL 10.0 11 8 3 5 3 7.20 0 1 9.90 4.50 2.70
RAFAEL ORELLANO 1973 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 UTI 16.0 26 18 8 9 7 10.12 0 2 14.62 5.06 3.94 1994 SAR 92.3 76 33 12 27 86 3.22 6 4 7.41 2.63 8.38 1995 TRN 175.7 182 83 28 75 138 4.25 9 11 9.32 3.84 7.07We have a winner. Top flight prospect. Strikes out close to one an inning, already has passable control, hasn't been worked like a Henny Youngman joke. Will spend 1996 in the minors, but barring injury should arrive in the majors for good in late 1997. And, in case you weren't aware, he's a lefty. Pitching mechanics are good, but he has a very slight build, sort of like Ramon Martinez.
BRAD PENNINGTON 1969 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 KNE 20.7 17 18 4 29 28 7.84 0 2 7.40 12.63 12.19 1991 FRD 38.3 36 26 7 50 41 6.10 1 3 8.45 11.74 9.63 1992 HAG 26.3 23 11 1 19 28 3.76 2 1 7.86 6.49 9.57 1992 ROC 37.7 13 10 3 36 51 2.39 3 1 3.11 8.60 12.19 1993 ROC 14.7 13 10 0 15 17 6.14 1 1 7.98 9.20 10.43 1993 BAL 32.3 37 23 7 24 45 6.40 1 3 10.30 6.68 12.53 1994 ROC 81.7 67 52 14 78 80 5.73 3 6 7.38 8.60 8.82 1995 IND 13.0 21 21 4 23 11 14.54 0 1 14.54 15.92 7.62If baseball really needed a George Muresan, this is him. Throws hard, can't pitch.
DEAN PETERSON 1973 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 UTI 38.3 53 35 15 9 15 8.22 1 3 12.44 2.11 3.52 1994 SAR 131.7 159 71 20 27 79 4.85 6 9 10.87 1.85 5.40 1995 SAR 15.3 27 17 4 11 11 9.98 0 2 15.85 6.46 6.46 1995 TRN 83.3 116 65 12 27 41 7.02 2 7 12.53 2.92 4.43
JEFF PIERCE 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 SBN 65.0 60 35 5 19 56 4.85 3 4 8.31 2.63 7.75 1993 BIR 46.7 39 20 6 7 37 3.86 3 2 7.52 1.35 7.14 1993 CHT 19.0 21 8 1 10 18 3.79 1 1 9.95 4.74 8.53 1994 NBR 37.3 32 13 5 13 43 3.13 2 2 7.71 3.13 10.37 1994 PAW 57.7 62 30 5 22 53 4.68 3 3 9.68 3.43 8.27 1995 PAW 39.3 35 20 7 18 40 4.58 2 2 8.01 4.12 9.15 1995 BOS 15.0 15 9 0 13 13 5.40 1 1 9.00 7.80 7.80
DALE PLUMMER 1965 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TID 91.3 106 50 12 29 32 4.93 4 6 10.45 2.86 3.15 1992 TID 54.7 66 29 8 20 26 4.77 2 4 10.87 3.29 4.28 1993 NOR 70.3 99 44 7 29 41 5.63 3 5 12.67 3.71 5.25 1995 PAW 94.0 149 68 17 21 43 6.51 3 7 14.27 2.01 4.12
CHUCK RICCI 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 FRD 159.7 166 106 28 90 101 5.97 6 12 9.36 5.07 5.69 1992 HAG 52.7 64 42 8 53 49 7.18 1 5 10.94 9.06 8.37 1993 BOW 77.0 83 39 11 21 70 4.56 4 5 9.70 2.45 8.18 1994 REA 18.3 11 2 0 5 19 .98 2 0 5.40 2.45 9.33 1994 SWB 62.0 63 28 8 22 65 4.06 3 4 9.15 3.19 9.44 1995 SWB 61.7 54 24 8 27 62 3.50 4 3 7.88 3.94 9.05 1995 PHI 10.0 10 3 0 3 9 2.70 1 0 9.00 2.70 8.10
KEN RYAN 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WHV 48.7 47 19 5 20 40 3.51 3 2 8.69 3.70 7.40 1991 NBR 23.7 27 12 3 12 22 4.56 1 2 10.27 4.56 8.37 1991 PAW 17.3 16 11 4 11 14 5.71 1 1 8.31 5.71 7.27 1992 NBR 46.7 52 20 1 27 43 3.86 3 2 10.03 5.21 8.29 1993 PAW 24.0 19 9 2 19 20 3.38 2 1 7.12 7.12 7.50 1993 BOS 49.0 46 21 2 28 56 3.86 3 2 8.45 5.14 10.29 1994 BOS 47.3 45 11 0 14 34 2.09 4 1 8.56 2.66 6.46 1995 TRN 15.7 28 14 2 5 14 8.04 0 2 16.09 2.87 8.04 1995 PAW 9.3 13 6 2 4 5 5.79 0 1 12.54 3.86 4.82 1995 BOS 29.3 32 15 3 21 35 4.60 1 2 9.82 6.44 10.74I like him. His career path is extremely encouraging. Can strike a lot of people out, and has learned how to control his pitches. I think he'll pull it all together and start doing everything at once. I have always thought that he'd be better off as a starter than a reliever, but that probably won't happen now.
AARON SELE 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WHV 63.3 70 45 9 36 39 6.39 2 5 9.95 5.12 5.54 1992 LYN 115.3 135 69 10 56 83 5.38 5 8 10.53 4.37 6.48 1992 NBR 30.3 47 30 5 17 25 8.90 1 2 13.95 5.04 7.42 1993 PAW 90.3 81 31 10 26 77 3.09 6 4 8.07 2.59 7.67 1993 BOS 109.7 108 38 4 45 107 3.12 7 5 8.86 3.69 8.78 1994 BOS 141.0 134 49 9 53 112 3.13 10 6 8.55 3.38 7.15 1995 BOS 32.0 31 10 2 12 23 2.81 3 1 8.72 3.38 6.47If Sele gets healthy and stays that way, the Red Sox rotation could be even better than Atlanta's. It's not likely, but it could happen. And how many teams can run five better starters out there than Clemens, Sele, Gordon, Wakefield, and Henry, and still have Jamie Moyer and Jeff Suppan in reserve? This is a good hitting and pitching team. Health could be their only weakness. Sele will finish 5th or higher in at least five Cy Young races.
SHAWN SENIOR 1972 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 UTI 63.0 106 50 6 46 43 7.14 2 5 15.14 6.57 6.14 1994 LYN 71.0 74 40 8 37 44 5.07 3 5 9.38 4.69 5.58 1994 SAR 75.3 92 44 9 53 48 5.26 3 5 10.99 6.33 5.73 1995 TRN 140.7 189 104 24 72 78 6.65 4 12 12.09 4.61 4.99
ZANE SMITH 1961 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PIT 226.7 247 90 20 31 129 3.57 14 11 9.81 1.23 5.12 1992 PIT 140.7 150 59 12 22 63 3.77 8 8 9.60 1.41 4.03 1993 CAR 19.3 23 11 2 5 11 5.12 1 1 10.71 2.33 5.12 1993 PIT 81.7 97 38 6 25 34 4.19 4 5 10.69 2.76 3.75 1994 PIT 156.0 153 53 16 35 58 3.06 11 6 8.83 2.02 3.35 1995 BOS 109.0 140 57 6 17 51 4.71 5 7 11.56 1.40 4.21As long as he's got a job, he'll find ways to get people out.
MIKE STANTON 1967 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ATL 77.3 70 29 8 22 59 3.38 5 4 8.15 2.56 6.87 1992 ATL 63.3 66 35 9 22 50 4.97 3 4 9.38 3.13 7.11 1993 ATL 51.7 57 38 6 32 47 6.62 2 4 9.93 5.57 8.19 1994 ATL 45.3 43 17 2 27 36 3.38 3 2 8.54 5.36 7.15 1995 ATL 19.0 33 14 2 6 13 6.63 1 1 15.63 2.84 6.16 1995 BOS 20.7 17 7 2 7 11 3.05 1 1 7.40 3.05 4.79If you looked at his fastball in the minors and compared it to his fastball now, you'd never believe it was the same pitcher. Will probably struggle for another year, and betting on a guy who constantly fights an injury to suddenly get healthy is a bad bet at least for a pitcher.
ROD STEPH 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CDR 51.3 64 30 12 14 31 5.26 2 4 11.22 2.45 5.44 1992 CDR 136.3 205 117 43 61 86 7.72 3 12 13.53 4.03 5.68 1993 WNS 153.0 185 113 34 71 89 6.65 5 12 10.88 4.18 5.24 1994 CAN 18.0 32 14 3 4 5 7.00 0 2 16.00 2.00 2.50 1995 TRN 127.3 185 85 10 31 71 6.01 4 10 13.08 2.19 5.02
JEFF SUPPAN 1975 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 SAR 163.0 171 82 23 55 145 4.53 8 10 9.44 3.04 8.01 1995 TRN 92.7 108 43 8 26 76 4.18 5 5 10.49 2.53 7.38 1995 PAW 43.3 53 28 12 10 29 5.82 2 3 11.01 2.08 6.02 1995 BOS 22.0 28 11 3 4 21 4.50 1 1 11.45 1.64 8.59The Red Sox have the luxury of not needing him this year. They should send him to Pawtucket, with strict orders not to have him throw more than 100 or less than 40 pitches in an outing. Going to be excellent, not just very good. If this kid were with the Mets, my advice would be to stay clear of him, as he'd be throwing 130-140 pitches per outing.
TIM VANEGMOND 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WHV 62.0 78 35 8 25 36 5.08 3 4 11.32 3.63 5.23 1992 LYN 156.7 210 97 21 63 104 5.57 6 11 12.06 3.62 5.97 1993 NBR 180.3 203 105 29 45 136 5.24 7 13 10.13 2.25 6.79 1994 PAW 113.3 129 64 11 45 81 5.08 5 8 10.24 3.57 6.43 1994 BOS 37.7 36 19 6 19 23 4.54 2 2 8.60 4.54 5.50 1995 PAW 63.0 70 31 10 24 43 4.43 3 4 10.00 3.43 6.14
TIM WAKEFIELD 1967 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CAR 170.7 201 93 28 51 97 4.90 8 11 10.60 2.69 5.12 1992 BUF 128.0 145 60 12 54 74 4.22 7 7 10.20 3.80 5.20 1992 PIT 92.0 84 28 5 38 58 2.74 7 3 8.22 3.72 5.67 1993 CAR 52.7 73 50 8 25 29 8.54 1 5 12.47 4.27 4.96 1993 PIT 126.3 144 73 16 80 62 5.20 5 9 10.26 5.70 4.42 1994 BUF 167.0 207 115 30 103 82 6.20 6 13 11.16 5.55 4.42 1995 PAW 23.7 25 10 2 10 13 3.80 2 1 9.51 3.80 4.94 1995 BOS 193.7 160 56 18 57 130 2.60 15 7 7.44 2.65 6.04Collapsed late in the season. Not likely to ever maintain his success for a long period, but stranger things have happened. Has the virtue of health, and as long as you're not expecting him to pitch like he did last year, he can help a ballclub. He could pitch as well as he did in 1995 in 2005.
Might be a perfect "platoon" pitcher. That is, since he has the ability to pitch with varying amounts of rest, spot him only against teams full of free swingers. Let the Kirby Pucketts take their hacks at him, but don't let the Warren Newsons draw their walks. Just an idea.
BILL WERTZ 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CGA 81.7 98 50 16 34 58 5.51 3 6 10.80 3.75 6.39 1992 CAN 90.3 96 31 3 35 60 3.09 6 4 9.56 3.49 5.98 1993 CHR 48.3 49 21 5 16 43 3.91 3 2 9.12 2.98 8.01 1993 CLE 58.7 51 21 5 30 59 3.22 4 3 7.82 4.60 9.05 1994 CHR 62.7 63 34 6 37 56 4.88 3 4 9.05 5.31 8.04 1995 PAW 59.7 76 44 14 34 50 6.64 2 5 11.46 5.13 7.54