They were hailed at the start of the season as baseball's Fab
Five, a quintet of talented young first basemen who were
expected to steal some of the limelight from veterans like Tino
Martinez, Mo Vaughn and Andres Galarraga. Call it a rookie
mistake. After six weeks the Fab Five had already lost one
member to the minor leagues; none of the others have achieved
fabulousness. Here's an update:
Brad Fullmer, Expos. Viewed as the latest gem from the Montreal
system, he hit a home run off Bret Saberhagen in his first major
league at bat last September. Fullmer began this season batting
cleanup in a punchless lineup and has sputtered, hitting .250
and driving in nine runs through Sunday. He has also quibbled
with manager Felipe Alou, who believes Fullmer stands too close
to the plate and gets jammed by inside fastballs.
The Expos' Fullmer and other rookie first basemen are swinging
and missing.
(Jonathan Kirn/Allsport)
|
With his barrel chest and strong arms, Fullmer bears a physical
resemblance to Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell, but he has
displayed only gap power this season with 11 doubles and just
one home run. Still, there are good signs, such as a mere 12
strikeouts in 120 at bats. "He reminds me a lot of Larry
Walker," Alou says. "He's a businessman at the plate, and, like
Larry, I think his home runs will increase as he advances in his
career."
The highlight of Fullmer's season has been a 4-for-4 day in the
major league debut of Cubs phenom righthander Kerry Wood. "I
think I've proven I can hit," Fullmer says. "If I struggle, I'm
not going to say it is because I'm a rookie. I know what I can
do. I just have to do it." Grade: B-
Todd Helton, Rockies. He has discovered that Galarraga is a
tough act to follow, but this is familiar territory for him:
Helton succeeded Heath Shuler as quarterback at Tennessee.
Galarraga hit 88 homers and drove in 290 runs in the last two
seasons, but Colorado chose not to re-sign the 36-year-old free
agent because the club believed Helton was ready to move up. The
Rockies' first-round draft pick in '95, Helton hit .352 in 120
Triple A games in '96 and '97 combined, and hit five homers in
93 major league at bats last season. At week's end he was
hitting .278 with four home runs and 20 RBIs, and he has looked
overmatched at times. "Pitching is the biggest difference up
here," Helton says. "Nothing's straight. Everything cuts, runs,
sinks, rises or something. It's a matter of learning to trust
the plan you take up to the plate and not changing it after you
get a strike."
Helton is a patient contact hitter who has more walks (13) than
strikeouts (10), but the Rockies feel he has been too passive.
"We have to be patient with Todd," Colorado general manager Bob
Gebhard says. "Is he going to hit 40 homers right out of the
chute? No. Is he as good defensively as Andres? Not now. But
he's going to strike out less and put the ball in play more. I
think he'll be fine." Grade: C+
Paul Konerko, Dodgers. He was anointed the latest in a series of
Los Angeles prospects who have earned five of the last six
National League Rookie of the Year awards. After taking '97
Minor League Player of the Year honors by hitting .323 with 37
homers and 127 RBIs for Triple A Albuquerque, Konerko was handed
the Dodgers' first base job in spring training after Eric Karros
underwent knee surgery. He cruised through the spring, hitting
.337 with five homers and 23 RBIs, but then began the season 5
for 30 and started pressing.
When Karros returned on April 24, Konerko, hitting .197 with no
extra-base hits and two RBIs, was optioned to Triple A. L.A.
hitting coach Reggie Smith said Konerko was being too selective
at the plate. "I knew that I was going to be facing tougher
competition, but I didn't swing the bat like I'm capable of
swinging it," Konerko says. "It was just ridiculous."
The Dodgers' rookie sensation of 1996, outfielder Todd
Hollandsworth, batted .234 with no homers and six RBIs in April
of that year but was able to hang in and battle back to win the
National League's top rookie award. "It's just so different in
L.A.," Hollandsworth says. "The pressure is enormous. Believe
me, it can get to you."
Konerko will play leftfield with Albuquerque, and when he finds
his stroke, he could return as an outfielder. Grade: D
Derrek Lee, Marlins. Lee was acquired by Florida from the Padres
in an offseason trade for Kevin Brown. His rookie year has
seemed like a bungee jump. He had a poor spring, which allowed
another rookie, Ryan Jackson, to get most of the early-season
playing time at first base. When Lee got his shot, he hit .321
with six homers, including two grand slams, and 17 RBIs in just
eight games from April 7 to 17. Since then he has taken another
plunge, hitting .200 with one homer and six RBIs in 19 games
through Sunday.
At 6'5", Lee, who once hit 34 homers in a minor league season,
possesses a long fluid swing with the kind of torque that
reminds scouts of a young Darryl Strawberry. Not surprisingly,
that swing has also led to 26 strikeouts in 83 at bats this
season. Marlins manager Jim Leyland has played him selectively.
"I like Lee a lot, but he's a rookie," Leyland says. "Everybody
talks about young guys like they're the second coming of Babe
Ruth, and it's not fair to these kids." Grade: C
Travis Lee, Diamondbacks. He was the most hyped of the Fab Five,
mostly because he had received a $10 million deal from expansion
Arizona before he had played a professional game. Last season he
hit .363 at Class A High Desert and then .300 at Triple A Tucson
with a combined 32 homers and 109 RBIs.
This year Lee has displayed a smooth, compact stroke to go with
excellent patience at the plate. He went 3 for 4 on Opening Day,
including the Diamondbacks' first home run. The most consistent
of the five rookies, with eight homers, 19 RBIs and 19 runs
scored, he has yet to make an error, while showing excellent
range on defense. "We took a lot of grief for that $10 million,"
Arizona manager Buck Showalter says, "and it may turn out to be
a bargain." Grade: B+
Issue date: May 18, 1998
|
|
|
