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

American League East

Baltimore Orioles
Minor League Free Agents:
Carlos Casimiro, 24, B:R, T:R. Casimiro possesses very little plate discipline, and hasn't really shown any speed above A-ball. He's demonstrated some power at AA, but hasn't advanced those stats to the higher levels in the last two years. I think he has the ability to wind up as a decent AAAA player if he can learn to control the strike zone, although I don't have a lot of faith in his adaptability.
Bolivar Recio, ??, B:R, ???. Recio only played in rookie ball this year, made an error every three games while playing everywhere but catcher, only showed a little bit of extra base power, and doesn't appear to have any noticeable tools. I have no record of his career statistics as he doesn't appear to have played in the last three years.

Prospects:
Jose Leon, 24, B:R, T:R. Leon needs another year at AAA but has the chance for some playing time in Camden, especially with the dearth of Oriole hitting prospects. Like the rest of his Baltimore brethren, he doesn't have much plate discipline, and he needs to spend 2002 working on pitch selection below the major league level.
Ivanon Coffie, 24, B:L, T:R. He has poor plate discipline, lacks power or speed, and hasn't really progressed over the last few seasons. While he could compete for a major league utility job because of his versatility, I don't see him contributing enough with the bat to warrant a roster spot any time soon.

Boston Red Sox
Minor League Free Agents:
None.

Prospects:
Wilton Veras, 23, B:R, T:R. Veras showed nice some power at AA, but, stop me if you've heard this before, doesn't have much plate discipline. He also didn't carry his numbers to AAA after Boston rushed him to the majors at the end of 1999. While he has enough time to reestablish himself and have a nice career, he needs to show progress quickly for an organization to take his former prospect status seriously.
Jerry Salzano, 26, B:R, T:R. He's older and has defensive problems in the infield, but he has better plate discipline than many tools' guys, and Salzano has both a little power and speed. His stats won't translate too well to the upper levels, so he's probably stuck just bouncing around AA ball for the next several seasons.

New York Yankees
Minor League Free Agents:
Carlos Garcia, 33, B:R, T:R. I'd like to say he has the skills to break back into the majors to his former starting role with the Pirates and Bluejays, but he didn't really deserve to start even then. He owns some speed, decent defense, and has some latent power in his bat. However, the combination of his tools shouldn't be enough to earn him more than another cup-of-coffee or two.
Donny Leon, 25, B:S, T:R. Leon posted some impressive power numbers at AA Norwich in 1999, but due to awful plate discipline, hasn't been able to carry his stats to AAA. He no longer has a place with Yankees, and will wind up a AAA lifer unless either his command of the strike zone or defense improves.

Prospects:
Drew Henson, 21, B:R, T:R. He has more raw power than almost anyone else in the minors and has the ability to be an All-Star for years if he can harness his amazing gifts. He's a prototypical power-hitting third baseman with a good arm and fairly solid defense. His play in the AFL was somewhat inconsistent, but his tools looked fantastic when we saw him. He needs a full year at AAA to work on his plate discipline and basically just needs more reps to improve his already significant skills.
Mike Cervenak, 24, B:R, T:R. Cervenak was even old for AA Norwich this year, but acquitted himself quite nicely in a jump from A-ball. He has significant power skills, acceptable plate discipline, and the defensive ability to fill-in anywhere in the infield. I'd probably send him back to AA for a couple months until his OPS improves another 50 points or so to .825ish. However, he should be able to take over as a Yankee reserve sometime in late 2003.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Minor League Free Agents:
None.

Prospects:
Dustin Carr, 26, B:R, T:R. Carr's very solid plate discipline slipped badly this year in a return trip to AAA, and even a BA rise of 23 points doesn't compensate for this loss of strike zone judgment. While his doubles' power from the lower levels of the minors could mature into some big league long-ball power, I suspect his tools are too limited to expect real improvement. He could catch on as a utility guy for a couple years, but I find it much more likely that he'll stay at AAA for the foreseeable future.
Andy Beinbrink, 24, B:R, T:R. An Italian native, Beinbrink has the potential to succeed at the upper levels. His defense appears quite consistent, and his batting eye continues to improve. He doesn't have much in the way of speed or extra-base power, but his skill set appears solid enough to warrant a chance at the majors in another couple years.

Toronto Bluejays
Minor League Free Agents:
Cole Liniak, 24, B:R, T:R. He's still young enough to manage a solid major league career, as his overall skill set has never really been in doubt. His plate discipline isn't good enough to keep his average too high, but its acceptable if he continues to produce good power numbers. I don't expect him to return to starting in the majors unless he makes significant improvements in most areas on offense, although I thoroughly expect he'll hang around as a utility guy for several seasons now that he'll start receiving NRIs every year.

Prospects:
Glenn Williams, 23, B:R, T:R. He has some problems on defense, major problems with plate discipline, and doesn't really have enough power to warrant serious consideration for advancement. I'd leave him at AA until he learns to control the plate. He won't help at higher levels until those skills improve.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox
Minor League Free Agents:
Aaron Miles, 24, B:S, T:R. He's played seven years in the minors, but he's really still just a prospect. Miles has some speed, relatively good plate discipline, and good defense at 2B and 3B. He's still two to three years away from challenging for a major league roster spot, and needs to find an organization that will allow him a couple years in the high minors while their good prospects develop at the lower levels, like perhaps Philadelphia.
Chris Saunders, 30, B:R, T:R. He's a very good hitter at AA and a fairly bad hitter at AAA. He definitely has a combination of power and plate discipline that should warrant at least a brief cup-of-coffee, but his upside is so limited that I don't expect anyone to give him much of a chance.

Prospects:
Joe Crede was discussed with yesterday's 3B.

Cleveland Indians
Minor League Free Agents:
None.

Prospects:
Corey Erickson, 24, B:R, T:R. Erickson has horrible plate discipline and doesn't quite have enough power to be advanced regardless of his BA problems. His best bet is to try to forge a career as a power bat off the bench, and he should be able to make the majors in a couple years as long as he can keep his SLG up.

Detroit Tigers
Minor League Free Agents:
Brian McClure, 27, B:L, T:R. He doesn't really have the tools to succeed above AA, as his BA has always been relatively low, and he owns neither power nor speed. His acceptable plate discipline and defense will earn him some time at AAA, but I have doubts as to whether he'll ever see the majors.

Prospects:
Tom Evans, 26, B:R, T:R. As most of you reading this already know, Evans has deserved a shot in the majors for years. He'd won a platoon job in Texas in 2000 before tearing his right rotator cuff in early May. He didn't rebound that strongly this season, but certainly deserves an NRI and a chance to compete for a team without a starting 3B considering his power, plate discipline, and defensive skills.
Brian Rios, 26, B:R, T:R. Rios had a very solid AAA year after only a mediocre minor league career. His plate discipline remained relatively low, but he hit for average and power, indicating that his bat deserves a shot at the majors. I'm not sure he'll have more than a cup-of-coffee or two, but some team should see if his hitting skills will translate to the major league level.

Kansas City Royals
Minor League Free Agents:
Alejandro Prieto, 25, B:R, T:R. Prieto acquitted himself nicely during significant time at 3B, 2B, and even shortstop. He has acceptable plate discipline along with enough speed to make himself quite useful at the major league levels. The Royals are fools for not taking advantage of his talents in lieu of some of the ciphers employed at the major league level.

Prospects:
Craig Wilson, 30, B:R, T:R. Wilson plays solid defense all around the infield, while posting consistently excellent plate disciplines at every level, including a few hundred major league at-bats with the White Sox. He definitely warrants consideration for a bench job at the major league level and would likely continue to acquit himself admirably if given the opportunity.

Minnesota Twins
Minor League Free Agents:
None.

Prospects:
Michael Cuddyer will be reviewed with American League 1B.

American League West

Anaheim Angels
Minor League Free Agents:
Ryan Lehr, 22, B:R, T:R. Lehr has no experience above A-ball due to lacking plate discipline, as well as problems with both power and defense. He's still young enough where he could mature into a solid ballplayer, but he's at least a few years away from being ready to contribute at a high level.
Junior Zamora, 25, B:R, T:R. Zamora strikes me as minor league organization filler. He played at three different levels this season with little plate discipline at any of them, and his defense and power skills appear only average. He needs consistent playing time at AA if he's to show enough progress to warrant advancement, so he needs to find an organization willing to provide that opportunity.

Prospects:
None.

Oakland Athletics
Minor League Free Agents:
Christian Reyes, 23, B:S, T:R. None of Reyes' skills appear ready for the upper levels of the minors, and his lack of power or plate discipline indicates he likely won't return to Oakland next season. He showed some talent for the Athletics' Dominican Summer League team in 1998, but he's contributed very little since then and will be lucky to remain in the minors without severe improvement.

Prospects:
Eric Hinske, 23, B:L, T:R. The A's stole him from the Cubs, and the Bluejays stole him from Oakland. Hinske is thoroughly ready to contribute offensively at the major league level as his OBP and SLG were well above league average for AAA, the AFL, and his winter league team. He doesn't have great plate discipline but possesses enough command of the strike zone to walk enough to play in the bigs. Toronto will likely start him at 3rd for the next several years, and even if questions about his defense prove valid, he'll hit enough to start at DH. In the last AFL game we saw this year, Hinske hit two monster fouls in a row, both going around 380-400 feet, with the first going straight down the right field line, and the second hooking foul of the left field line. The opposing pitcher then plunked him with the next pitch, allowing him to show off respectable speed on the bases.

Seattle Mariners
Minor League Free Agents:
Luis Figueroa, 24, B:R, T:R. His defense is fairly solid, and his plate discipline also appears quite respectable. However, he shows little power above A-ball and can't really help with his speed. He has potential to make the majors with a few more seasons of experience, but his skills don't appear impressive enough for much quicker advancement.

Prospects:
Jason Grabowski, 25, B:L, T:R. Grabowski, who should be playing for the Chicago Bears, was picked up by Oakland in the Rule Five draft. He has very solid plate discipline, a little speed, and significant power potential with the right instruction. His defense is good enough to play some 1B, 3B, and OF, and he'll basically replace Hinske in the Oakland system, albeit at the major league level. He's worth a late $1 flyer when he stays with the team, as he should contribute enough across the board to stay at the major league level for quite a while.
Bo Robinson, 25, B:R, T:R. Robinson had a great year for AA San Antonio with solid defense and a little power overshadowed by a 81:56 BB:K ratio in 474 AB. He'll advance to AAA next season with the potential to succeed Jeff Cirillo after a few more years of minor league experience and major league pinch-walking.

Texas Rangers
Minor League Free Agents:
None.

Prospects:
Hank Blalock, 20, B:L, T:R. The American League answer to Sean Burroughs, John Sickels compared him George Brett two years ago. He's done nothing to negate that comparison while demolishing A-ball, AA, and the Arizona Fall League. He has exceptional plate discipline with great power, and his defense was very solid at every level this year. Texas will give him at least a couple months at AAA, but he'll be up by the end of the year and starting for the next decade at either 3B or the outfield.
Osmani Garcia, 26, B:R, T:R. Garcia appears quite raw due to only two years of professional baseball experience, but has significant unofficial experience as a Cuban defector. He acquitted himself nicely at the upper levels of the system this year, although he probably needs another year or two of minor league experience before he can reach his probable upside as a major league utility infielder. While his skills aren't quite there, I expect Texas will give him at least a few opportunities to succeed.

Today's Fantasy Rx: Consider your AL teams' third base options. You can shell out for emerging studs Chavez and Glaus or the older but just as solid Koskie and Jeff Cirillo, or you can take your chance with one of the young kids in Hinske or Crede. I have serious doubt as to Henson or Blalock earning more than a buck or two this year, so you might be better off expecting a rebound from a veteran like Randa, Fryman, or Ventura. Regardless of your decision, any planning you can do now will give you an advantage over everyone taking December off, so think about which strategy might give you the biggest advantage over your fellow owners.