IMPACT Players: Major-league prospects

Even the day after Opening Day, it’s not too early to start thinking about that one special young player who can help catapult his club is into the a pennant chase. In two parts, we will examine young IMPACT players—those players who could impact their big-league clubs or amateur players who could impact their college teams or their own positions in the draft. All players of these players originate, play in or reside in MidwestBaseballMagazine’s coverage states.

The following list of Midwestern players is not a top prospects list. These are players who could IMPACT their respective big-league clubs significantly in 2007.

Alex Gordon - 3B - Kansas City Royals
HT: 6'1  WT: 220 DOB: 2/10/84

George Brett with more power...big shoes to fill for a player without a single major league at bat. That's the pressure Gordon faces as he is at the center of the rebuilding process for this once-proud franchise. Forgive Royals fans for getting ahead of themselves but there has been little to get excited about in Kansas City, and Gordon did nothing to curb that enthusiasm by destroying the Texas League in '06 by batting .325 with 29 HRs and 101 RBIs. He also joined the 20/20 club by swiping 22 bases in 25 attempts. A five-tool player with massive raw power, Gordon is an average runner and defender, has a plus arm, and projects as a .300 hitter. After a slow start this spring, Gordon wrapped up the Royals 3B job while hitting .317 and slugging .556. This name is a must-know for even the casual baseball fan, as he is a favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year and could be contending for an MVP before the decade is out.

Homer Bailey - RHP - Cincinnati Reds
HT: 6'3  WT: 190  DOB: 5/3/86

The seventh overall pick in the 2005 draft, Bailey has flown through the Reds system. After a mid-season promotion to Double-A Chattanooga, Bailey dominated, striking out 77 in 68 innings while holding hitters to a .208 average against. At just 20, he flashes the ability to add and subtract from his plus breaking ball depending on game situation and also demonstrates an aptitude for making adjustments, as the feel for his change-up improved throughout '06. Bailey does need to improve on his command, which might never be better than average, due to a long arm action. He should join the Reds’ rotation for good at some point during the 2007 campaign.

Ryan Braun – 3B – Milwaukee Brewers
HT: 6’2  WT: 200  DOB: 11/17/83 

The Brewers hoped Braun would come to camp and nail down the third base job vacated by the injured Corey Koskie (Post Concussion Syndrome). While he impressed with the bat (.353, 5 HR, 15 RBI in just 35 ABs), his fielding woes continued, as he committed 4 errors in 11 games (31 errors in 2006). Although some scouts feel Braun will have to move to a corner outfield position, the Brewers remain confident his footwork will be corrected, and he will become at least an average defender. Offensively, his power/speed combination makes him a rare commodity at the hot corner, and has scouts projecting 30/30 seasons from the former University of Miami star. Braun will report to Triple-A Nashville but should find his way into the Brewers lineup by the All-Star break.

Matt Garza - RHP - Minnesota Twins
HT: 6'4  WT: 185 DOB: 11/26/83

After a terrible start in '06 the Twins were able to inject some life in their rotation behind Johan Santana with the addition of lefty Francisco Liriano. After Liriano went down with an elbow injury, Boof Bonser filled in admirably and Brad Radke stepped forward and the Twins were able to overcome the Tigers on the final day of the season. With Liriano rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and Radke retiring, the Twins have turned to veterans Sidney Ponson and Ramon Ortiz thus  leaving a degree of uncertainty in the rotation. Top prospect Matt Garza will be the club’s first option should one of the veterans falter. After racing through four levels in '06 Garza struggled mightily in his big-league debut (3-6, 5.76 ERA). However, club officials were happy with the way Garza competed and feel he has become a better pitcher due to the experience. Garza brings to the table an average-to-plus four-pitch mix and should assume a role in the Twins rotation no later than the All-Star break.

Adam Miller - RHP - Cleveland Indians
HT: 6'4  WT: 200  DOB: 11/26/84

After making just 15 appearances in '05 due to soreness in his elbow, Miller came roaring back in '06. While pitching for Akron of the Eastern League, Miller posted a 15-6 record with a 2.75 ERA while striking out 157 batters in 153.2 innings. Building off that momentum, he came to Spring Training in 2007 battling for a spot in the rotation and was simply dominant. In 14 innings of work, he allowed no runs while just surrendering eight hits. Miller projects as a No. 1 or 2 starter and boasts a fastball that sits at 93-95 mph and will touch triple digits. He also has a filthy slider that at times grades out as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. While the Indians brass felt it was best for his development to start the season at Triple-A Buffalo, Miller should join the major-league rotation sooner than later and help the Indians contend for a playoff berth.

Josh Hamilton - OF - Cincinnati Reds
HT: 6'4  WT: 205  DOB: 5/21/81

Hamilton's off-field problems have been well-documented since being taken by the Devil Rays with first overall pick in 1999 out of Athens Drive High in Raleigh, North Carolina. A superb five-tool athlete, he had been suspended since 2/18/04 before being reinstated last summer when he appeared in his first game action since 7/10/02. Hamilton's name became relevant again when he was selected by Cubs with the 3rd pick in December's Rule V Draft and was promptly traded to the Reds. The Hamilton story became more intriguing as the spring progressed, as he just kept hitting and hitting, while displaying the physical tools that made him a prep phenom. He finished the spring with a .403 AVG in 72 AB's securing his spot on the 25-man roster. Although there is no way to quantify how much the extended time off stunted his development, and possibly eroded some of his tremendous tools, he has an opportunity to become one the great stories of the Rule V Draft. 

Jeff Samardzija - RHP - Chicago Cubs
HT: 6'5  WT: 215  DOB: 1/23/85

Fans around the Midwest probably are more familiar with Samardzija from his exploits on the football field as an All-American wide receiver for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That changed when the Cubs selected Samardzija in the fifth round of the June Draft and then inked him to a five-year major-league contract worth a guaranteed $10 million dollars in January. Club officials have since proclaimed that Samardzija was rated as the top player on their board and they view him as a front-of-the-rotation starter. Reports from Spring Training were glowing with an official from another club proclaiming that he would love to have Samardzija in his bullpen right now. He will start the season with and will be an intriguing story as he finally gets to focus all of his attention on baseball.

John Danks - LHP - Chicago White Sox
HT: 6'1  WT: 200 DOB: 4/15/85

The young southpaw moves into a good White Sox rotation looking to bounce back from a sub-par '06. Acquired from the Rangers for RHP Brandon McCarthy, Danks was ranked as the Rangers top prospect by Baseball America following the '06 season. He works off of a strong average fastball and a plus change-up, which he throws at any time in the count. Just shy of his 22nd birthday, he already demonstrates a feel for pitching and a confidence that bellies his experience as well as the ability to make adjustments. A common thread repeated in this article is the need for pitching in the treacherous AL Central. A team will need 100 wins to take the division crown and going five-deep in the rotation will be critical. Although his long-term ceiling is as a No. 2 or 3 starter, the Sox simply need Danks to hold down the 5th spot in their rotation in '07.

Andrew Miller - Detroit Tigers
HT: 6'6  WT: 210 DOB: 5/21/85

Miller was considered the safe bet to be the top pick in the '06 draft but sign-ability concerns dropped him to the Tigers at 6 overall. A power lefty in the truest sense, Miller uses his 6-6 frame to generate a plus fastball that tops out in the upper 90s. Combine that with a power slider that already rates as a plus pitch, and he can be unhittable at times. With just five innings of minor- league experience under his belt, he will start the season with Double-A Erie. Miller could rejoin the defending AL Champs before the season is out, giving manager Jim Leyland, and the electric Tigers staff, another power arm in the rotation or at the back end of the bullpen.

Andy Marte - 3B - Cleveland Indians
HT: 6'1  WT:  190  DOB: 10/21/83

As the Indians enter 2007 expecting to contend in the AL Central, they need a breakout season from the one-time super prospect. Thus far Marte's bat has been a disappointment, as he's posted career numbers of .204-.270-.367 in 221 major-league at-bats. Furthermore, he has a long, uppercut swing which has resulted in a strikeout for every 4.3 ABs. Scouts who saw Marte throughout the spring were less than impressed by the progress he supposedly made over the winter leaving doubt he ever will hit enough to be a regular. Historically a solid defender with a plus arm, the Indians plan to keep the pressure off Marte and use him in the nine hole to start the season. This is a critical year for Marte, as the track from prospect to suspect is a slippery one.

read Part II

Brad Budzinski played junior college baseball at Waukesha (Wis.) County Technical College and has served as an associate scout and baseball operations/scouting intern for the Milwaukee Brewers. Brad is a 2006 graduate of the Major League Scouting Bureau's Scout Development Program.