Off in left Field by: Ryan Vachon

One of the things you get to learn if you follow the minor league prospects closely enough is that, invariably, some prospects seem to fly below the radar, putting up steady numbers without ever garnering the coveted "top prospect" status, while others are super- hyped without ever showing the type of performance that would warrant the attention (anyone remember Toe Nash?). So I thought I might take a brief spin around the minors looking at a few of these superstars of tomorrow to determine whether the hype is deserved or not. I think it's safe to say that no player this year has received more hype than the Yankees' Joba Chamberlain. I guess that's only natural when you play for a financial juggernaut with a fan base approximately the size of India. And I suppose saving that blind orphan who had fallen down the well with his puppy didn't hurt, either. But has he been over- hyped? If you had asked me this question just two months ago, I would have said absolutely, yes. But it's hard to argue with what Chamberlain has done at the Major League level. And of course he went through the minors like a buzz saw. Armed with a mid- to upper-90s (and even low 100s) fastball, a vicious slider, and an average to plus change, Chamberlain rapidly showed that the lower minors and even AA were no real challenge for him. He held FSL hitters to a .181 average while striking out 51 in 40 innings, then continued with the same in AA, racking up 66(!) strikeouts in 40.1 innings while allowing only a .218 BAA versus more advanced hitters. After stopping by Scranton for a quick hello, Chamberlain was called up to New York, where he has quickly become a favorite whipping boy of Joe Torre. In seven appearances spanning nine innings with the Yankees, Chamberlain has limited the big boys to three hits (a whopping . 103 BAA), two walks, and fanned 15 batters. So in this case, I'd say the hype is 110% accurate. There are only two things that stand between Chamberlain and a future label of "Ace" - injury and Joe Torre. And yes, I am aware that these two caveats are not mutually exclusive of one another. Chamberlain has had injury issues in the past at Nebraska, and Torre is not exactly known for his careful handling of bullpen arms (just ask Scott Proctor how his arm is feeling). But if Chamberlain can avoid injury and overuse, his future is bright indeed. Since I started this piece examining a player of Yankee fame, I am constitutionally obligated to look at a Red Sox farmhand. So Michael Bowden, c'mon down! Bowden began the year at High-A Lancaster, AKA the Pitcher's Nightmare, a place where an average hitter is transformed into Barry Bonds. Bowden did something nearly unheard of in Lancaster, however, by completely dominating in one of the highest run- scoring environments in the minors. In eight starts covering 46 innings, Bowden held opponents to a .212 batting average while striking out 46. The brass in Boston then saw fit to promote the soon-to-be 21 year-old right-hander to Portland of the Eastern League. Here, Bowden got off to a shaky start against more advanced competition, including a three-start stretch from June 26 through July 7 where he gave up 12 ER in 14.1 innings. However, since that time Bowden has turned it around, allowing 13 ER in 37 innings (to go along with 37 Ks and seven walks). Bowden attacks hitters with a low-90s fastball that touches 95 at times, a 12-6 curveball, a slider, and a changeup with the potential to become a plus pitch. Right now, Bowden relies primarily upon his fastball, leaving his secondary stuff trailing a bit. However, scouts love his work ethic, and he appears to have an advanced feel for pitching despite his youth. But is he over-hyped, or not? This is another case where if I had been asked a couple of months ago, my answer would be different than it is now. Despite Bowden's gaudy stats at High-A, I think he was probably pitching a bit over his head there, though in fairness I'd say the same about ANY pitcher putting up a 1.37 ERA in an environment that commonly has 20-25 mph winds blowing out. So I think the attention he was receiving at the time may have been a bit overboard given the small sample size. However, and I'm sure I'm in the minority here; I have been extremely impressed by his adjustment to AA hitters. I'd have to side with the scouts in that I believe his ability to adjust to the competition is a sign of his maturity, something not always found in pitchers of his age. Once he hit a couple of bumps at AA, a lot of chatter started up about how he was a product of the Red Sox hype machine, and that Sox fans had blinders on to his actual talent level. As such, I think less attention has been showered upon him since he turned things around. Overall, I think the jury is still out on Bowden. So I'm going to cop-out and say, at the moment that his hype level has probably just about evened itself out. But if he continues to develop as he has over the last couple of months, the Red Sox have a pitcher who should be a mid-rotation innings- eater for a contender, and possibly something more. Okay, let's get away from the Big Two for a bit. Elvis Andrus was part of the big trade where Atlanta acquired Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and their entire minor league system, mascots included. And yes, I managed to spell both Tex's and Salty's names without the aid of spell check (patting myself on the back for that...). At any rate, though Saltalamacchia was the centerpiece of the deal for the Rangers, Andrus has been touted as a player with enormous potential since he made his 2005 debut in the GCL at the ripe ol' age of 16. Andrus played well in 46 games at the level (hitting .295/.377/.398 with solid defense at SS), and also held his own in a brief trial at Danville in the Appy League. At the time, Baseball America noted that Andrus had advanced maturity and plus power potential to go along with exceptional tools. In 2006, Andrus moved up to Rome of the Sally League. Here he ran into a few speed bumps. While Andrus put up a respectable average for a player of his age (.265), his plate discipline was not as impressive as it was in 2005, managing only 36 walks for an OBP of .324. Not Shea Hillenbrand horrible, but nothing to be terribly impressed by, either. At this stage, the talk of Andrus being a future star was probably quite premature. In 2007, Andrus moved to Myrtle Beach of the Carolina League. Here, his average took a hit, dropping down to .244. However, Andrus' plate discipline seemed to have recovered somewhat, as he managed 44 walks to put up a serviceable .330 OBP. After being traded, Andrus reported to Bakersfield of the California League. His numbers here have been very good (.299/.358/.379), though it must be noted that the Cal League is hitter-friendly, so it would have been more of a red flag had his numbers not improved somewhat. But the OBP is encouraging, at the least. So what to make of Elvis? Well, it must be remembered that he just turned 19 on August 26, and he has always been young for his league, but for me, age relative to league only mitigates so much, and eventually I'd like to see Andrus put up numbers to justify the attention he has received. That said, a 19 year-old holding his own in High-A has earned more time to show his stuff. Check back on this one in another year. But eventually he needs to perform above league average. Finally, a personal favorite of mine (and Rob Neyer) - Charlie Haeger. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a sucker for the knuckleball. It blows my mind that a player such as Tim Wakefield can be a league-average or above-average pitcher year after year while throwing a pitch that may hit 65 mph with a strong tail-wind. I've always maintained that the two pitchers I'd most like to have an AB against are Pedro Martinez (vintage 1999), and Tim Wakefield. Charlie Haeger appears to be the heir-apparent for this pitch. Haeger was originally drafted in 2001 as pitcher featuring a high-80s fastball; not exactly earth- shattering stuff from a right-hander. After washing out as a "normal" pitcher in 2003, Haeger went to work practicing a knuckleball that he would feature as his primary offering when he returned to baseball in 2004. It would seem that this was a savvy choice. Haeger had a bit of a break-out in 2005, winning 14 games between High-A and AA while posting ERAs of 3.19 and 3.78, respectively. These ERA numbers are a bit of an illusion, however, as Haeger allowed up almost one hit per inning with high walk numbers (shocking, coming from a knuckleballer, I know...). Haeger was then sent to AAA Charlotte in 2006, where his numbers made substantial improvement. In 170 innings, Haeger allowed fewer hits per inning (143 hits total), and sported a 130/78 strikeout to walk ratio. Still more walks than you'd like to see, but with a knuckleball pitcher, sometimes you take what you can get. His performance at Charlotte earned him a promotion to the White Sox, where he pitched capably over 18.1 innings (allowing only 12 hits to go with 13 walks and 19 strikeouts). 2007 saw him back at Charlotte, where he put up similar numbers to 2006. However, once again called up to Chicago, Haeger had less success. In 8 games spanning 11.1 innings, Haeger has been hit at a .354 clip and allowed eight walks while striking out only one batter. Is this cause to give up on him? I certainly don't think so. However, it seems to me that the White Sox aren't the optimal team for Haeger to break into the league with. It would seem to me that Haeger, though he's hit some bumps in the road at the MLB level, has received less attention than he maybe deserves. At the very least, I think Haeger could become something akin to Tim Wakefield in the future, providing league-average innings year after year. He's certainly a player that I think could be had for little cost by a team willing to give him a chance. And when you consider that knuckleball pitchers often do not develop fully until an advanced age, Haeger's best days are very likely ahead.