sportznut
02-24-2005, 01:22 AM
SLEEPERS TO WATCH The biggest names aren't the only ones you should be watching during spring training. Here are five more players whose exhibition performances will tell a lot about their value for 2005:
Joey Gathright (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7348')): This speed demon has "Juan Pierre (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6550')) lite" written all over him, yet the Devil Rays continue to insist that he's a longshot to break camp with the team. I don't buy it. A .300 average and five-plus steals could be enough to get him on the roster, which would make him well worth late-round consideration, especially in AL-only leagues.
Dan Haren: You could probably lump Joe Blanton (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7461')), Juan Cruz (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6783')) and Dan Meyer (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7426')) in here as well, since the bottom three-fifths of the Oakland rotation will be under the microscope. Haren is a pitcher I'll particularly be watching -- guys who average 1.90 walks per nine innings, 8.15 strikeouts per nine and 0.91 homers per nine for their professional career usually make the smoothest adjustments to the majors. Haren has 118.2 innings of major-league experience already, and if those ratios stay there this spring, he could be a pretty reliable AL-only starter.
Runelvys Hernandez (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6963')): Most forget how good Hernandez was before Tommy John surgery cut short his 2003 season; he was 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 1.008 WHIP in his first six starts before his elbow started to bother him. Hernandez is apparently healthy, and it's not like the Royals are chock full of pitching talent. He could surprise if he's 100 percent this spring.
Wilfredo Ledezma (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7086')): His 5.24 career ERA will surely scare off many owners, but those numbers are misleading due to his being rushed as a Rule 5 selection entering the 2003 season. Ledezma did win 14 games with a 3.05 ERA between Double-A and the majors last year, however, and his career path thus far isn't unlike that of Johan Santana (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6441')). Don't necessarily think Santana's 2002-04 numbers, but Ledezma is a nice gamble pick if he has a strong spring.
Calvin Pickering (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6112')): He was the other guy I was considering as McPherson's "low-point" comparison (instead of Branyan), only that Pickering finally seems to have figured out how to work the count after many years in Triple-A ball. He'll go head-to-head with Ken Harvey (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6835')), who pales in comparison in the power category. This Royals team needs some offensive punch, and a big spring could put Pickering well into the team's plans.
MORE TO THINK ABOUT What an offseason Justin Morneau (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7063')) has had -- chicken pox, appendicitis and a lung infection that led to pneumonia. Of course, he has now had three straight tough winters. In 2002, he lost 20 pounds after battling a viral infection; in 2003, he suffered a broken toe just before camp. Monitor Morneau's health once the games start, since he's a legitimate 35-homer, 100-RBI candidate provided his ailments don't slow him. ... Wade Miller (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6270')) averaged 15 wins with a 3.61 ERA from 2001-03, and now he's with a team that should back him with plenty of run support. Assuming he shows no ill effects with his shoulder, he could be a serious bargain. ... Aaron Boone (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=5838')) was unable to return from knee surgery late last season, so the spring will be our first chance to see what he can do. He's probably no longer a 25-steal candidate, but in Jacobs Field, he could offer decent batting average, homer and RBI totals if he's looking healthy this spring.
Joey Gathright (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7348')): This speed demon has "Juan Pierre (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6550')) lite" written all over him, yet the Devil Rays continue to insist that he's a longshot to break camp with the team. I don't buy it. A .300 average and five-plus steals could be enough to get him on the roster, which would make him well worth late-round consideration, especially in AL-only leagues.
Dan Haren: You could probably lump Joe Blanton (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7461')), Juan Cruz (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6783')) and Dan Meyer (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7426')) in here as well, since the bottom three-fifths of the Oakland rotation will be under the microscope. Haren is a pitcher I'll particularly be watching -- guys who average 1.90 walks per nine innings, 8.15 strikeouts per nine and 0.91 homers per nine for their professional career usually make the smoothest adjustments to the majors. Haren has 118.2 innings of major-league experience already, and if those ratios stay there this spring, he could be a pretty reliable AL-only starter.
Runelvys Hernandez (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6963')): Most forget how good Hernandez was before Tommy John surgery cut short his 2003 season; he was 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 1.008 WHIP in his first six starts before his elbow started to bother him. Hernandez is apparently healthy, and it's not like the Royals are chock full of pitching talent. He could surprise if he's 100 percent this spring.
Wilfredo Ledezma (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7086')): His 5.24 career ERA will surely scare off many owners, but those numbers are misleading due to his being rushed as a Rule 5 selection entering the 2003 season. Ledezma did win 14 games with a 3.05 ERA between Double-A and the majors last year, however, and his career path thus far isn't unlike that of Johan Santana (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6441')). Don't necessarily think Santana's 2002-04 numbers, but Ledezma is a nice gamble pick if he has a strong spring.
Calvin Pickering (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6112')): He was the other guy I was considering as McPherson's "low-point" comparison (instead of Branyan), only that Pickering finally seems to have figured out how to work the count after many years in Triple-A ball. He'll go head-to-head with Ken Harvey (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6835')), who pales in comparison in the power category. This Royals team needs some offensive punch, and a big spring could put Pickering well into the team's plans.
MORE TO THINK ABOUT What an offseason Justin Morneau (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=7063')) has had -- chicken pox, appendicitis and a lung infection that led to pneumonia. Of course, he has now had three straight tough winters. In 2002, he lost 20 pounds after battling a viral infection; in 2003, he suffered a broken toe just before camp. Monitor Morneau's health once the games start, since he's a legitimate 35-homer, 100-RBI candidate provided his ailments don't slow him. ... Wade Miller (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=6270')) averaged 15 wins with a 3.61 ERA from 2001-03, and now he's with a team that should back him with plenty of run support. Assuming he shows no ill effects with his shoulder, he could be a serious bargain. ... Aaron Boone (http://javascript<b></b>:newWin('/cgi/flb/request.dll?PLAYERCARD&nPlayerID=5838')) was unable to return from knee surgery late last season, so the spring will be our first chance to see what he can do. He's probably no longer a 25-steal candidate, but in Jacobs Field, he could offer decent batting average, homer and RBI totals if he's looking healthy this spring.