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Top 10 first base prospects
Posted: Sunday January 19, 2003 9:17 PM
BOSTON (Ticker) -- Spring training is the place where many of this year's prospects will be fighting for a chance to grab a starting job.
With many moves taking place over the winter, four of the top 10 first base prospects will have an excellent chance to win Opening Day jobs.
After the departure of Fred McGriff in Chicago, Hee Seop Choi is primed to get the starting job, but will be challenged by veteran first baseman Eric Karros.
A backlog at first in the Texas Rangers' system resulted in top prospect Travis Hafner heading to Cleveland. Hafner will likely fill the hole left by Jim Thome.
In Kansas City, Ken Harvey will get an opportunity to win the DH spot and give Mike Sweeney an occasional day off at first. And in Arizona, 25-year-old Lyle Overbay should get the nod with Erubiel Durazo now in Oakland.
Down on the farm, both Milwaukee and Florida have a wealth of talent.
Phenom Adrian Gonzalez and newcomer Jason Stokes are two of the Marlins' top prospects. Gonzalez is a step ahead, but Stokes is rising quickly after a breakout year.
And the Brewers, already with Richie Sexson and Wes Helms, have a pair of young infielders in 18-year-old Prince Fielder and 19-year-old Brad Nelson, the organization's minor league player of the year.
Top 10 first basemen
(Note: Players with less than 200 major league at-bats were considered)
1. Travis Hafner, Indians
Before he was traded to Cleveland this winter by the Texas
Rangers, the 25-year-old Hafner saw success at each level in
which he played. Last year with Triple-A Oklahoma he hit .342
and led all minor leaguers with a .463 on-base percentage. In
the last four years, the left-handed Hafner has hit a combined
.347 against fellow southpaws. Hafner, who also has 20-plus home
runs each of the last four seasons, showed plate discipline last
season, walking more times (79) than he struck out (76).
2. Hee Seop Choi, Cubs
After injuring his wrist in 2001, Choi rebounded last year by
hitting .287 with 26 homers for Triple-A Iowa before earning a
September callup, becoming the first positional player from
Korea in the majors. His success continued in the Arizona Fall
League where he batted .345 and belted eight homers in 25 games.
The 6-5 left-handed hitter set career-highs last season in games
(135), home runs and RBI (97) and led the Pacific Coast League
with 95 walks.
3. Jason Stokes, Marlins
Stokes' transition from short to full-season Class A last year
exceeded expectations as he hit .341 and led all minor leaguers
with an astounding .645 slugging percentage. The 20-year-old
right-handed hitter, a second-round pick in the 2000 draft, hit
a league-high 27 home runs and had 75 RBI in 97 games in the
pitcher-friendly low Class A Midwest League. Stokes, a member
of SportsTicker's 2002 All-Teen Team, finished his season with a
.421 on-base percentage, good for second best in the league. He
should be ready for spring training after having minor offseason
surgery to remove a cyst on his left wrist.
4. Justin Morneau, Twins
In his first full season of Double-A ball, Morneau hit .298 in
the Eastern League and set career highs in home runs (16) and
RBI (80). Hampered by injuries at the start of the season,
Morneau, a third-round pick in the 1999 draft, came on strong in
the second half and finished the year with 31 doubles and a .474
slugging percentage. Originally a catcher, the 6-4 left-handed
hitter's move to first gives his teammates a large target at the
corner. His defense is average, but his pure hitting will
compensate. Morneau, 21, makes solid contact with a strong
stroke with potential to hit 30-plus homers a year.
5. Casey Kotchman, Angels
Kotchman is a rare breed because not only does he see the ball
well for a 19-year-old, but his defense is above average.
Kotchman, the 13th overall pick in the 2001 draft, has a solid
glove and good footwork at the corner, scooping balls out of the
dirt and saving errors. The transition from aluminum to wood in
his rookie season proved tough, but he rebounded nicely last
year in the low Class A Midwest League by hitting .281, with 45
percent of his hits going for extra bases. His power is not
overwhelming with only five homers last season, but the 6-2
left-handed hitter is a complete player for his age. Kotchman
had a .411 on-base percentage and drew more walks than he struck
out, a sign that he does not get himself out.
6. Adrian Gonzalez, Marlins
After excelling in low Class A ball in 2001, the 19-year-old
left-handed hitting Gonzalez skipped a level and became the
youngest player in the Eastern League last year. Gonzalez, the
first overall pick of the 2000 draft, batted .312 with 55
extra-base hits and 103 RBI in 2001, earning him SportsTicker's
Teenager-of-the-Year award. Last season his average dropped to
.266, but Gonzalez still produced 34 doubles, drove in 96 runs
and hit .303 with runners in scoring position. Gonzalez belted
17 homers last year, but only three of those were on the road --
away from home run friendly Hadlock Field. Unable to play in
the Arizona Fall League due to tendinitis in his right wrist, he
will likely start in Double-A again next year.
7. Brad Nelson, Brewers
Splitting time between low Class A and high Class A last year,
the left-handed Nelson led the minors with 116 RBI and 49
doubles. The 19-year-old is a power hitter, as he slugged .507
and hit 20 homers for the season. Listed at 6-2, 220 pounds,
Nelson, a fourth-round pick in the 2001 draft, batted .289 and
hit .321 with runners in scoring position last year. A
converted third baseman, Nelson is still adjusting to the move
and is an average defender. With less stuff thrown to him in
the strike zone, Nelson's willingness to draw walks will be
tested at a higher level.
8. Lyle Overbay, Diamondbacks
Overbay is a strong contact hitter who sprays the ball to all
fields. Overbay has hit over .300 each of his four minor league
seasons, combining for a .345 average. Last year, he drove in
over 100 runs for the second straight season and hit .343 at
Triple-A Tucson. The 25-year-old led the loop with 40 doubles
and hit a career-high 19 homers, but his on-base percentage
slipped a bit to .396.
9. Ken Harvey, Royals
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Harvey dominated the Arizona
Fall League this year. A fifth-round pick in 1999, Harvey broke
league records in batting (.479), slugging (.752) and on-base
percentage (.537) in 35 games. The 24-year-old, who took home
league MVP honors, switched his stance at the start of the 2002
season and batted a career-low .277 in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League. But the righthanded-hitting Nebraska product showed some power with Omaha last season, doubling his
home run total from 2001 to 20 homers and hitting a career-high
30 doubles.
10. John Gall, Cardinals
Gall has a tremendous ability to make contact, witnessed by a
.316 average in his first Double-A season. The 24-year-old
Gall, who set multiple Pac-10 batting records while at Stanford,
was an 11th-round pick in the 2000 draft. Unlike many
prospects, Gall has adjusted quickly at each level. The
right-handed batter tied for third in the minors with 68
extra-base hits last year with New Haven and set career highs in
homers (20) and RBI (81) in 135 games. Gall, who has played
both at third and in the outfield, is not known for his defense.
He needs to draw more walks to help his on-base percentage,
which was a lowly .265 in the Arizona Fall League.
Others to watch: Tagg Bozied (Padres), Chin-Feng Chen (Dodgers),
Chris Duncan (Cardinals), David Kelton (Cubs), James Loney
(Dodgers), Eric Munson (Tigers), Corey Myers (Diamondbacks),
Michael Snyder (Blue Jays), Scott Thorman (Braves).
© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
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