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Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects
Posted: Sunday January 19, 2003 9:16 PM
BOSTON (Ticker) -- When an organization is looking to rebuild for the future, a good place to start might be with left-handed arms. That was part of the Cleveland Indians' philosophy when they dealt away Roberto Alomar and Bartolo Colon.
In addition to landing a top middle infield prospect in Brandon Phillips, the Indians were able to procure two of the minors' top lefties in Billy Traber and Cliff Lee in separate deals.
Traber, who came over from the Mets along with Matt Lawton and a sampling of other prospects, shined in his first season in the Indians organization and was rewarded with a spot on SportsTicker's 2002 All-Prospect team.
The 23-year-old Traber, who went a combined 17-5 with a 2.94 ERA between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo in 2002, could make the Indians starting rotation out of spring training.
Lee could be in the mix with him. At the time of the deal, Lee was enjoying a breakout season (7-2, 3.23 ERA in 15 starts) in the Expos organization, and the trade to Cleveland accelerated his path to the majors. After just 11 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, the 24-year-old found himself wearing an Indians uniform in September. In two starts with the Tribe, he posted a 1.74 ERA with just six hits allowed in 10 1/3 innings.
The barrage of young lefties in Cleveland's system doesn't end there. Brian Tallet, standing at 6-7, impressed with a combined 12-4 record in the upper levels of the minors and made two starts for the big club. There's also hard-throwing Alex Herrera, who could become a valuable ingredient to Cleveland's bullpen.
With quality southpaws included in their wealth of young talent, the Indians rebuilding project could pay dividends sooner than later.
Top 10 left-handed pitchers
(Note: Players with less than 60 major league innings were considered)
1. Sean Burnett, Pirates
Burnett, the Pirates' first-round pick in the 2000 draft, has
been masterful. The 6-1, 175-pounder dominated the advanced
Class-A Carolina League last year, going 13-4 with a 1.80 ERA
and putting together a 31-inning scoreless streak. The
20-year-old is not a particularly hard thrower, cranking it up
in the low-90s range, but gets great movement on all of his
pitches, especially his sinking fastball and devastating
changeup. Even with the diverse movement on his pitches,
Burnett always maintains control, walking just 69 batters in 347
2/3 career innings pitched.
2. Dontrelle Willis, Marlins
Acquired in the deal that sent Antonio Alfonseca and Matt
Clement to the Cubs, Willis impressed his new organization to
the tune of a 12-2 record and 1.83 ERA over 24 starts at two
Class A levels. The 20-year-old is equipped with a sinking
fastball that can hit the mid-90s, a changeup with good movement
and a solid curve. The 6-4 Willis, who posted two separate
scoreless streaks of at least 24 innings, keeps both right-handed
and left-handed hitters in the dark with his three-quarters arm
angle delivery. Also impressive were the 24 walks he issued in
157 2/3 innings.
3. Billy Traber, Indians
The 16th player taken in the 2000 draft, Traber led all minor
league lefties with 17 wins, including seven straight at one
point last season. The 6-5, 200-pounder, who was a four-year
starter at Loyola Marymount, is a polished pitcher with great
composure on the mound. He works both sides of the plate
effectively and, with good command of a fastball that flirts
with 90 mph, curve, changeup and splitter, can take control of a
game.
4. Cliff Lee, Indians
A fourth-round pick in the 2000 draft, Lee is a strong hurler
with an intimidating fastball among his four quality offerings.
After falling 2 1/3 innings shy of qualifying for the ERA title
in the Class A Florida State League in 2001, Lee made the
seamless jump to Double-A last year by going 6-1 with a 2.39 ERA
and a .185 batting average against in his first 11 starts. Lee,
who has held the opposition to a .214 average since turning pro,
should mirror Traber's progress in the Indians organization.
5. Ben Kozlowski, Rangers
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Kozlowski, a 12th-round pick of the
Braves in 1999 who was dealt to the Rangers in April, has
emerged as Texas' top pitching prospect. After posting a 2.05
ERA and .219 average against in 79 innings at Class A, the
22-year-old dominated the hitter-friendly Double-A Texas League.
Helped by a scoreless streak that reached 23 2/3 innings, he
went 4-2 with a 1.90 ERA and a stingy .155 average against
before working 14 straight hitless innings in the league
championship. A late-moving, low-90's fastball teamed with a
solid curve and improving changeup, Kozlowski may turn his
September call up with the Rangers into a full-time job.
6. Jonathan Figueroa, Dodgers
Though playing at just 18 years old, Figueroa looked like a man
playing against boys in his eight starts in the Class A South
Atlantic League last year. The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder went 5-2
with a 1.42 ERA, .148 batting average against and 57 strikeouts
in 44 1/3 innings pitched. The native of Venezuela, armed with
a fastball that approaches the mid-90's, fanned 12 batters over
5 2/3 innings in his last start of the season. Figueroa, a
converted first baseman, is a long way from making a run at the
Dodgers' rotation, but he has definitely gotten off on the right
foot.
7. Mike Bynum, Padres
Rebounding from an injury-ruined 2001 campaign, Bynum re-emerged
as a force in the Padres' system last season. Though not being
able to start until June following knee surgery, the 24-year-old
Bynum showed no rust by going 4-0 with an ERA of 0.82 in six
outings at Double-A Mobile. Gaining momentum in the
hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast league (3-2, 3.51 ERA in
seven starts), he found himself with the big club by mid August.
Bynum, a first-round pick out of North Carolina in 1999, has
displayed one of the best sliders in the minors and could make a
push to join fellow young lefty Oliver Perez in the Padres'
rotation out of spring training.
8. Macay McBride, Braves
The Braves' first-round pick in the 2001 draft, McBride aced his
first full season as a pro last year. In the Class A South
Atlantic League, the 5-11, 180-pounder won five straight starts,
during which he posted 24 consecutive scoreless innings, on his
way to going 12-8 with a 2.12 ERA. The 20-year-old McBride, who
limited the opposition to just three hits over a 17-inning span in
midseason, afforded foes a .209 batting average overall. With
low-90's heat, a big looping curve and a nasty slider, McBride
has the weapons to fly through the Braves system.
9. Mike Gosling, Diamondbacks
A second-rounder in the 2001 draft, Gosling more than passed the
test of being tried in the Double-A Texas League as a first-year
pro. The 22-year-old posted 14 wins, including a pair of
three-hit shutouts, with a 3.13 ERA in 27 starts. Gosling, a
product of Stanford University, held foes to a .238 average and
was actually better against righties than lefties. Expect
Gosling, who hits his spots with a low-90's fastball, curve and
changeup, to come quickly.
10. Erik Bedard, Orioles
The 23-year-old Bedard would have ranked higher on this list if
he hadn't needed Tommy John surgery performed on his pitching
elbow last summer, likely costing him the entire 2003 season.
Before going under the knife, Bedard showed he is a complete
pitcher with a well-placed though not overpowering fastball, a
knuckle curveball and a changeup. Demonstrating excellent mound
presence, the 6-1, 180-pounder went 6-3 with a 1.97 ERA in the
Double-A Eastern League. Look for Bedard to resurface on the
prospect radar in 2004.
Others worth watching: John Rheinecker (A's), Jeriome Robertson
(Astros), Danny Borrell (Yankees), Neal Cotts (A's), Mark
Phillips (Padres), Craig Anderson (Mariners), Jon Switzer (Devil
Rays) and Alex Graman (Yankees).
© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
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