2011 Baseball Rookies and Prospects by Ryan Hallam

Domonic Brown, OF, Philadelphia Phillies.
The prized prospect of the Philadelphia farm system, Brown got a cup of coffee with the Phillies at the end of 2010 and I think that disappointing is a good way to categorize it. Brown barely broke the Mendoza Line and he struck out at an alarming rate (24 Ks in 62 ABs) and rarely took a walk. He did hit two homers, steal two bases, and drive in 13 runs in that short time which was slightly encouraging, but his plate discipline is going to have to improve. Jayson Werth took the big contract to go to Washington, which opens up the place for Brown to play but I don’t think it is a guarantee that he will start the season with the Big Club. In his minor league career he was nearly a .300 hitter and has the tools to be a 20/20 or perhaps 25/25 kind of guy in the future. He likely won’t reach those numbers in his rookie season, but in keeper leagues you should live with the growing pains for what should be a bright future for Brown.

Kyle Drabek, SP, Toronto Blue Jays.
The OTHER prized prospect of the Philadelphia farm system, the Phillies eventually parted with Drabek when they acquired Roy Halladay. He doesn’t have an overpowering fastball but does possess a great curveball which he uses as his out pitch. The Blue Jays did give him three starts last September, and while he wasn’t lights out, he didn’t get lit up either. He allowed three earned runs in each of those starts, and the good news is he only walked five guys in 17 innings, including one start against the Yankees. Drabek should be a lock for a rotation spot right from the get-go in 2011 and while I don’t think he will be a dominating starter in his rookie season, I do feel that he will be a guy worth having on the end of your roster, or at worst streaming against some of the low end teams in the Major Leagues.

Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Tampa Bay Rays.
“Hellboy” came to the majors in explosive fashion as he was dominating in each of his four starts when he came up, winning three of them. He allowed just six runs in his four starts, while striking out 25 and walking just four. Hellickson struggled in his transition to the bullpen, but he shouldn’t have to worry about that in 2011 as he should have to just beat out Jeff Niemann for that all important rotation spot. His fastball is just in the low to mid 90s, but it has nice movement on it and his curveball is top notch. Unlike Drabek, I think that Hellickson could help fantasy teams the entire season, he threw 153 innings in 2010, which means he should be good to throw 175-180 if the Rays ask him to do such a thing so the fear of him being shut down in the final month is not overly great.

Cory Luebke, SP, San Diego Padres.
The Padres won their share of games last season because of their pitching, and with Adrian Gonzalez now gone, they will have to rely on their pitching more than ever. At 6’4” and 215 pounds, Luebke is an impressive presence on the mound and had a fairly impressive minor league career. He started at Ohio State University where he was 9-1 in his senior year and than rifled through San Diego’s farm system. He isn’t a huge strikeout pitcher, and he was very inconsistent in his three starts for the Padres in September. He was masterful against the Dodgers when he allowed just two hits over six innings while striking out seven, and that gave me hope for his future. He should be a shoe in for a rotation spot with the Padres this coming season and I believe that he will be successful. He could have some struggles, but I look for Luebke to win 10-12 games in his first full season in the majors.

Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays.
A leadoff type hitter with some pop, Jennings hopes to be the catalyst for the Rays offense for a long time into the future. He had ten homers and 52 steals between AA and AAA in 2009, and was on pace to have similar numbers in 2010 but didn’t play the whole season. In just 21 at bats at the major league level he had a double and a triple and stole two bases as well. The Rays are hoping that he can provide some of the offense that they are losing with the departure of Carl Crawford. Perhaps his best trait as a possible lead off hitter is his plate discipline. In his minor league career he struck out 231 times, yet walked 180. He was a two-time participant in the Futures Game and was the number one prospect in the Rays’ system according to Baseball America in 2010. I believe that he will begin 2011 with the big league club and should be a late round sleeper as a possible injury replacement or perhaps as high as your utility player. Look for a very bright future for Desmond Jennings.

Aroldis Chapman, SP, Cincinnati Reds.
Chapman impressed all of the major leagues as radar guns all over the majors and minors reached 103 miles per hour at his incredible pitches. He was effectively wild and when he came out of the bullpen he struck out batters at an incredible rate. He was a middle reliever that actually carried fantasy value in the second half of the season. He will have a decent chance of getting a rotation spot out of Spring Training as he will need to beat out Homer Bailey or Travis Wood for that job. He doesn’t have much outside of that fastball, but it is so damn impressive that he should be able to get major league batters out. He likely will get hit from time to time when major leaguers are able to time that fastball, but it is so impressive that he should be a quality fantasy player whether he is starting or coming out of the bullpen.

Mike Moustakas, 3B, Kansas City Royals.
The second overall pick in the 2007 draft, long time fantasy players have been drooling over the thought of Moustakas coming to the major leagues ever since. It still could be a year or half a year away, but the chance is there for him to win a job out of Spring Training if he makes enough of an impression. He isn’t going to bring you very much speed, but what Moustakas does bring to the table is power, and lots of it. He has a sweet swing that generates a ton of bat speed and he is capable of homering to any field. If he doesn’t make the majors in April it will likely be because of his defense as he has changed positions a few times on the farm, but he is just 22 years old and a keeper league’s dream. He is a young, power hitting third baseman and we all know that doesn’t come around very often. Definitely keep your eye on the springtime box scores to see if this young man will be in Kansas City when they break camp because he could be an exciting player for a long, long time.

Chris Carter, 1B, Oakland A’s.
Are you looking for the next generation of Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, or perhaps even Miguel Cabrera? Well, he might not hit those lofty goals in his rookie season but that is what you are going to get in the future with Carter. In his last four years in the minors he topped 25 home runs and 90 RBI, with 100+ RBI in the last three. He struggled a little in his little bit of time in the majors last season, but don’t be fooled by it, this guy is a monster and is going to park a whole lot of baseballs in the people. He does strikeout at a pretty bad clip, but there are very few power hitters these days who don’t. He is a relentlessly hard worker though and has tried to improve his eye. He did hit .327 in two levels in 2009, but fell way back to .258 in 2010. It might be a rough year in 2011 as far as batting average is concerned as he transitions to the major leagues, but even in his rookie year I can see Carter bringing you a bunch of home runs.

Dustin Ackley, 2B, Seattle Mariners.
A tremendous hitter at the University of North Carolina, Ackley was the second overall pick in the 2009 draft. I won’t say that he struggled when he reached the minors last year because there was no way he could keep up the .410 average he hit in college, but the Mariners had to be a bit disappointed. He did hit 22 home runs in his junior year but I do question how his power will translate to the major leagues and wooden bats as he hit just seven in 134 games between two levels of the minors. However, he should hit for a good average and should be able to steal 20 bases at the pro level. I think there is a real good chance that he is going to be with Seattle right out of Spring Training unless he really looks overmatched in March. He would be a risky option to have as your starting second baseman, but if your league requires a middle infielder he could be a great guy to nab at the end of drafts.

Jarrod Parker, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks.
He is a bit of a wild card as he is returning from Tommy John Surgery, but this guy has been the number one rated prospect for the Diamondbacks for each of the last two seasons. Before the surgery he had an amazing curveball and probably a better slider, but we will have to see how it will be affected by the reconstructed elbow. Parker was 17-11 in his brief minor league career with 212 strikeouts in 215 innings, a statistic that I know gets fantasy player’s pulses rising just a little. Arizona is in full out rebuilding mode, so if this kid shows any kind of talent in Spring Training he could be looking at a rotation spot. You do have to be concerned by the fact that he didn’t pitch in 2010, and threw just 97 innings the previous year. They likely will be very cautious with their young gem and you should be as well with your expectations for him as far is 2011 is concerned. The sky is the limit for this kid if he can return to form following his surgery and if I was in a dynasty league I would certainly look Parker’s way.

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