I apologize for the delayed posting of this column. The research took me longer than I had planned, but I expect the rest of the week's columns to be posted much earlier in the morning.

Minor League Free Agents and AAA/AA Prospects from the NL

National League East

Atlanta Braves
Minor league free agents:
Nate Tebbs, 28, B:S, T:R. Tebbs has never displayed speed or even doubles' power above AA. He has relatively no control of the strike zone, and derives most of his value from the ability to play both middle infield positions and the outfield.

Prospects:
Alfredo Castro, 21, B:S, T:R. Ramon has developed a little plate discipline to add to his dozen stolen bases and doubles' power. The Braves promoted him to AAA this season before he could even established himself at AA. Atlanta has so many solid shortstops throughout their system that Castro could get lost if he doesn't have the time to develop. He needs to return to AA and prove himself there before they can really think of sending him to AAA Richmond again.
Jesse Garcia, 27, B:R, T:R. Garcia has some interesting skills including a little speed and power, but he doesn't control the strike zone, can't hit home runs, and commits too many errors. I'm quite surprised that Atlanta spent a 40-man roster spot on him.
Keoni DeRenne, 22, B:R, T:R. DeRenne has much better plate discipline than most Braves' prospects, but he was also promoted too quickly to AA this season. He needs to return there again next season to learn to make better contact and drive the ball after he recognizes his pitch. Like Rafael Furcal, Wilson Betemit, and Castro, DeRenne is young enough where the Braves can afford to take their time developing his skills.

Florida Marlins
Minor league free agents:
David Lamb, 26, B:S, T:R. Lamb, a former Rule V pick by Tampa, hasn't had the chance to succeed at the major league level. He's shown acceptable doubles' power and very good plate discipline at every level even in limited at-bats. Considering that he's just entering his peak years, now would be a great time to sign Lamb and use him as a primary utility infielder for a few seasons. He'll provide decent defense, on-base potential, and more importantly, is available at a minimum salary.

Prospects:
Matt Erickson, 25, B:L, T:R. Erickson could give Florida a cheap utility infielder option immediately as he's decent at both middle infield positions, has a little speed, doubles' power, and a decent grasp of the strike zone. They should probably let him develop another year, but he could have some immediate success in the majors.
Derek Wathan, 24, B:S, T:R. He showed some talent at AA Portland this year but probably should return there again to improve his plate discipline and work on driving the ball. He doesn't have a particularly high upside, and he needs to move his AA numbers closer to his single-A stat line before the Marlins should promote him.

Montreal Expos
Minor league free agents:
None.

Prospects:
Brandon Phillips, 20, B:R, T:R. Despite a successful AFL campaign, Phillips is not ready for the majors. He needs to show his plate discipline from A-ball at the AA level, and then continue his improvement for a couple hundred AAA at-bats before the Expos should consider promoting him. He has significant power and speed potential and could play SS, 2B, or 3B; you should definitely target him in almost any minor league draft, as he should be close to starting in the majors by 2003.
Jamey Carroll, 26, B:R, T:R. Carroll had shown consistently solid plate discipline along with a little speed and power until this season where he turned into a useless AAA utility infielder. He still could help out a major league team for a couple years, but needs to advance his AA game to AAA before another promotion.
Albenis Machado, 22, B:S, T:R. Albenis possesses exceptional plate discipline along with a little speed. He should probably return to AA and show a little power before a promotion, but he might have some success in AAA now. He's still at least a year away from contributing in the majors, and I suspect that he won't mature into most of his skills for another two years.

New York Mets
Minor league free agents:
Jorge Velandia was reviewed with National League Shortstops.
Kevin Baez, 34, B:R, T:R. Baez never showed quite enough talent to qualify as a AAAA player even though he's performed at a consistent and acceptable level at AAA for over a decade. Maybe we need a new designation for players like this, perhaps something like AAAa? AAAa could designate a player that can help a team more than just a standard AAA lifer but doesn't deserve a starting job like AAAA players. Baez's power and strike zone judgement both deteriorated badly this year, and he's probably past the point of competing for a major league job. Former AAAa, now AAA player until retirement.
Ryan Miller, 28, B:R, T:R. He neither possesses command of the strike zone nor any significant power. I don't believe he can help a major league team, but he should remain useful around the AA level.

Prospects:
None.

Philadelphia Phillies
Minor league free agents:
Mickey Lopez, 27, B:S, T:R. Lopez owns superb plate discipline, solid speed, and growing power. He could start at shortstop for around a quarter of the teams in the majors if someone would give him a chance at breaking camp with the team. At the very least, he'd be one of the most useful utility guys in either league with the possibility of earning several bucks more than the $1 bid to acquire him.

Prospects:
Brian Harris, 26, B:S, T:R. Despite some interesting counting numbers and apparently decent plate discipline, Harris's AA success only occurred at his second and third years at Reading. I would have promoted him to AAA to start this year to see if he could handle the challenge, but instead the Phillies wasted a year of development time by allowing him to regress at AA. He'd have to rebound strongly next season to have a shot a major league starting job within the next few years, and I suspect he'll plateau as a utility infielder with the Phillies. He might benefit from another organization, preferably with a AAA PCL team where Harris can gain some confidence in his power even while the park inflates his numbers.
Uriel Cassilas, 25, B:R, T:R. Casillas displayed great plate discipline until this season, where he apparently opened his swing up, adding doubles' power at the expense of most of his strike zone judgement. He appears to have neither speed nor defense, and I suspect he'll wind up as a AAAA player at best if he can put his skills together.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs
Minor league free agents:
Chris Snopek, 30, B:R, T:R. Snopek could still help a team for a couple years if someone would give him regular playing time, but his window his closing fast. He's shown solid plate discipline, speed, and growing power numbers for the past three years, but his walk rate fell with AAA Iowa this year, leaving him with an OBP and SLG below the league average despite impressive counting numbers. He needs to impress someone in spring training soon if he's going to add to his brief major league service time, although I'd probably avoid him for roto purposes unless he secures at least a platoon role.

Prospects:
None.

Cincinnati Reds
Minor league free agents:
Marty Malloy, 28, B:R, T:R. Malloy's plate discipline had improved for the last few years until dropping in half for AAA Louisville this season. He has enough doubles' power and speed to help a team as a utility middle infielder, but I'd be surprised if he earned a potential $1 bid.
Chris Sexton, 29, B:R, T:R. How can a major league team not find a place for a guy with a career walk rate of almost 17% and about 1.3 walks for every strikeout. His AA BA over the last two years was .329, and while he slipped a little at Louisville this season, he would be a definite asset to several major league lineups. If it appears that Sexton might receive some playing time, don't be hesitant to pick him up, as his overall numbers strongly suggest that he'll hit at least the league average; he has potential upside with very low risk.

Prospects:
Travis Dawkins, 22, B:R, T:R. Ignore Gookie's stats from the last two years. His numbers started falling within a week of when Larkin signed his contract extension, blocking Dawkins' role in the majors. While sulking isn't normally a positive characteristic, you may derive a significant benefit as many people believe Gookie's value has plummeted. We saw him in the AFL and every facet of his game looked above average and even somewhat refined. He controlled the strike zone, hit for average and a little power, ran really well, and displayed his admittedly excellent defense. Despite Dawkins' poor AA numbers over the last year and a half, I suspect the Reds will promote him to AAA where he will immediately succeed, making himself a candidate to at least platoon with Todd Walker at 2B by the All-Star break. He should be up for good no later then September, and he should certainly push Larkin to 3B in 2003. If he's available in your league, trade for him or otherwise make every effort to acquire him, as you could have a very solid shortstop for the next several years at a very low price.
Tom Nevers, 29, B:R, T:R. Nevers has never used his tools consistently to any positive effect. He can't keep his BA high enough to make his power useful at AAA because he lacks the plate discipline that would enable him to make better contact. I wouldn't be shocked to see him tear up some spring training in the next few years and luck into a roster spot, but there's no way that he would have any success in the majors.

Houston Astros
Minor league free agents:
Keith Luuloa, 26, B:R, T:R. Luuloa played at least 12 games at every infield position this year. He's never really played in anything worse than above average hitting parks, so we don't know if his occasional power displays are statistical flukes or a solid predictor of future success. He's shown fairly solid plate discipline over the last few years, and I suspect he could help a team in a role very similar to David Eckstein's in Anaheim this season. Another low-risk, high-upside player that you should consider picking up when he makes a roster.

Prospects:
Eric Bruntlett, 23, B:R, T:R. Houston promoted this Stanford product and 2000 draftee straight to AA Round Rock this season, where he performed respectably. He committed too many errors and showed little power in one of the best hitters' park in the minors but managed to post the acceptable 10% walk rate and a 50:76 BB:K ratio. Bruntlett has the skills to succeed at upper levels although he really should return to AA next year to work on driving the ball instead of an immediate promotion to AAA New Orleans.

Milwaukee Brewers
Minor league free agents:
Wellington Sanchez, 24, B:R, T:R. He's still rather young but has never had more than 17 extra-base hits in any season. Wellington also doesn't have a good command of the strike zone, and unless he learns to hit in the next few years, he'll plateau as a AA utility infielder. That's a shame, as he owns one of the great names in professional baseball.

Prospects:
Dionys Cesar, 24, B:S, T:R. The Brewers probably promoted to Cesar to AAA too quickly this year as he only performed adequately at AA Huntsville, striking out twice for every walk. If they're determined to challenge him, they need to leave him at AAA for the entire year to see if he can show signs of being a potentially acceptable major league starter. I wouldn't expect him to develop power and plate discipline in the near future, but he'll remain a utility infielder at best unless he does improve his skills.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Minor league free agents:
Jason Wood, 31, B:R, T:R. Wood has very little plate discipline and doubles' power at best. I can't see him positively contributing to a major league team, and he certainly should be avoided in fantasy leagues if he manages to get more than another cup-of-coffee or two.

Prospects:
Shaun Skrehot, 25, B:R, T:R. Skrehot made solid progress this year, adding doubles' power to his barely acceptable 1:2 BB:K ratio. The Pirates probably should leave him at AA until he shows better plate discipline and home run power, especially considering that he has some defensive problems, but he might have more success in the hitter-friendly PCL. He stole 24 bases but was also caught 15 times. Everything about his stats this year suggest to me that he played very enthusiastically, and he might have some roto potential in a couple years.

St. Louis Cardinals
Minor league free agents:
Hanley Frias, 27, B:S, T:R. Hanley has no power or plate discipline, isn't on base enough to use his decent speed, and he commits a significant number of errors. Don't draft him unless you're purely desperate for steals.
Luis Garcia, 26, B:R, T:R. Zero plate discipline obscures a little bit of power. He can't help either a major league team or fantasy squad until he learns to take a walk.
Kevin Polcovich, 30, B:R, T:R. No power, no plate discipline, and little chance of helping any team. I think his name is spelled wrong, but that's just my opinion.

Prospects:
Jason Bowers, 23, B:R, T:R. Bowers has abominable plate discipline (25:111 BB:K ratio), made 42 errors in 130 games at shortstop, and didn't even post a .600 OPS at AA New Haven. However, he's stolen exactly 10 bases in each of the past four years, an interesting accomplishment that earns him a mention here. On the down side (where most of his stats live), he was also caught 10 times this year.

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks
Minor league free agents:
Ricardo Montas, 24, B:R, T:R. Montas is a quality minor league utility guy but currently lacks any power at all. His plate discipline is only good, not excellent, so he'll need to learn to drive pitches before he can even contribute at the AA level. He might be an interesting project for a team with a hitters' park in AA, but the Diamondbacks tried that approach this year without much success. I don't see him advancing any time soon, but check back in two or three years to see if he, you know, looks more manly.
Chris Petersen, 29, B:R, T:R. Petersen has no plate discipline, no power, and no speed. I suspect his managers might like his defensive abilities since he only made 2 errors in 63 games in the middle infield at AAA this season.

Prospects:
Tim Olson, 22, B:R, T:R. He has a little power and speed, but Olson lacks solid plate discipline and made an error every two games while splitting his time on the left side of the infield. Olson's promotion appears to indict the entire Arizona player development system, as the only reason that I can see for his move to AA was a solid BA, the only statistic that he managed to improve at AA. If Arizona is ignoring power, plate discipline, and defense while promoting prospects with high averages, their reign atop the National League should be quite brief.
Jack Santora, 24, B:S, T:R. I'm not sure why the Snakes jumped Santora to AA El Paso from the Midwest League, but he maintained good plate discipline and decent defense. Almost every other stat suffered horribly, as he could only manage a .604 OPS. Even his speed, one of Santora's best attributes, completely disappeared upon this promotion. He has the skills to weather this displacement, but Arizona needs to return him to AA until he can drive the ball in the Texas Leagues' hitters' parks. Only then can they think about promoting him further.

Colorado Rockies
Minor league free agents:
Joe Espada, 25, B:R, T:R. A former second round draft pick, Josue possesses good speed, very good plate discipline, and he's even starting to show some power. His skills suggest the possibility of leadoff ability while playing 2B or SS, positions at which his below average power is more acceptable. Some team should sign him and treat him as a developing prospect, and they could easily be rewarded with a decent starter for a few seasons.
Jose Flores, 28, B:R, T:R. The Phillies traded him to the Mariners for Domingo Cedeno in 1999, and I don't understand why. He has exceptional plate discipline, above average speed, and appears capable at almost every position. Flores could be a solid 25th man for any team in baseball right now, and he might even be able to help a roto team with a little playing time.
Jeff Powers, 25, B:L, T:R. Colorado selected him in last year's Rule V minor league draft after two A-ball seasons with great command of the strike zone and a little power. Unfortunately, he never hit above .236 with any of four different minor league teams this season, and he didn't even crack the Mendoza line in the other three leagues. He might have a little potential as this year doesn't fit in his career context, so if your team needs a AA 2B while waiting for an A-ball prospect to mature, Powers would be a very low-risk gamble with some potential.

Prospects:
Kevin Nicholson, 25, B:S, T:R. Nicholson has displayed some doubles' power in the past, along with a little speed, and very inconsistent batting averages. His plate discipline historically is unimpressive but performed decently this year albeit in a small sample size. He has fantasy potential considering his organization, but he'll probably peak as a $2 middle infielder.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Minor league free agents:
Keith Johnson, 30, B:R, T:R. I'd be surprised to see him receive a second cup-of-coffee, since his high counting power numbers obscure a somewhat weak SLG and horrible plate discipline and OBP. He doesn't even really help a AAA team so hope he doesn't sign with your team.

Prospects:
Shawn Gilbert, 36, B:R, T:R. Gilbert is nearing the end of the line after only 47 major league at-bats with a .149 BA, compared to 5785 minor league AB with a .263 BA. He's played for AAA Albequerque for the past three seasons, posting averages over .300 in each one; he managed a .900+ OPS in 224 AB this year. Gilbert can't help a fantasy team but could continue to provide a little power and a little speed as one of the veteran AAAA players in baseball.
Jorge Nunez, 23, B:R, T:R. Nunez possesses tremendous speed for any position, averaging over 40 steals a season with a career SB% of 81%. Unfortunately, his upside is limited due to weak plate discipline and little projectable power for the upper levels. If he could maintain even a .350 OBP, he'd be a valuable asset to most teams, but without that ability, he'll just mature into a utility player who can steal a few bags. Consider him with your lowest of minor league picks, since his steal prospects deserve at least some notice.

San Diego Padres
Minor league free agents:
Cleatus Davidson, 24, B:S, T:R. Davidson has obnoxiously bad plate discipline without any power. His only asset is usually solid speed since he made 29 errors in 124 games this season, but even his speed seems to have disappeared the last two years. He has a little potential, but I doubt if he'll ever convert his tools into skills that a major league team can use.
Julius Matos, 26, B:R, T:R. Matos doesn't possess any noticeable offensive skills other than occasional acceptable doubles' power. A good AAA hitting coach could teach him the plate discipline necessary to maximize his limited abilities; although considering his lack of tools, he might not get enough time above AA to really learn much.

Prospects:
None.

San Francisco
Minor league free agents:
None.

Prospects:
Nelson Castro, 25, B:S, T:R. Castro has fairly poor plate discipline but has always shown excellent speed and added both 2B and HR power to his game at AA Shreveport this season. Castro should play every day at AAA in 2002 to determine whether he'll plateau as a utility infielder or better. He really needs someone to teach him pitch selection to help control the strike zone.

The National League doesn't have the superstar shortstops of the AL, but there are a wide variety of interesting players. Most of the solid and potentially great performers are quite young although Rich Aurilia's 2001 season was one of the ten best by a shortstop in history. While there's not as much minor league talent as with NL catchers, several of the above players have solid potential if their organizations don't rush them and allow them time to develop.

We'll review American Leaguers with Positive Draft Value tomorrow.

Today's Fantasy Rx: Make an effort to acquire Gookie Dawkins in your keeper league. If he's either not owned or his owner is unavailable, make a note to revisit this issue in the spring. He has the skills to succeed and I suspect he'll rebound very strongly next season. You want to own him when he does, since even if he can't help you, his trade value should double by June.