NL Rookie Roundup

Jason Michael Barker

Having covered the American League's top rookies last week -- and if you recall, there weren't as many as I'd hoped -- it's time for a look at the top youngsters in the National League. Before we get started, however, a quick note on a player I should have mentioned last week but didn't.

Baltimore RHP Rodrigo Lopez has a 2.01 ERA in 44.2 innings, and that's certainly worth mentioning. After five relief appearances and a 1.80 ERA the Orioles moved him to the starting rotation, where he has responded with a 4-0 mark and 2.12 ERA in five starts. His walk total (17) is a bit high and his strikeout total (26) isn't stellar, but if he keeps the homers down like has so far (2), there's no reason he can't be an effective back-of-the-rotation starter.

Thanks go out to reader Fernando M., who has watched Lopez pitch in Mexico and in winter ball, for pointing this one out. In addition, Fernando told me that his mother and Lopez hail from the same hometown (Tlalnepantla) in Mexico.

Moving on to the Senior Circuit, the biggest rookie news this week has to be the highly anticipated debut of one Mark Prior. Prior, the second pick in last year's June draft, will make his first major league start for the Cubs on Wednesday. His combined numbers over nine starts between AA and AAA: 2.29 ERA, 51 innings, 39 hits, 18 walks, 79 strikeouts and a .200 batting average against. If you're in any sort of league where you can grab him, do it. But you knew that already.

When Proir arrives in the Windy City, he'll join fellow rookies RHP Juan Cruz and 2B Bobby Hill, although Cruz might find himself in AAA to make room. I wasn't too concerned when he dropped his first couple of starts -- his ERA was still good, he had shoddy defense behind him and he wasn't walking too many -- but at this point he'd probably be better off in the minors. His 3.86 ERA isn't bad, of course, but the 29-26 walk to strikeout ratio in 39.2 innings is downright horrible. Nobody questions Cruz's stuff, but he needs some time to get his command back.

Hill has only been up since the tenth, and hasn't done much in his time with the Cubs. He missed half of last season with an injury and wasn't exactly tearing up AAA when he was called up (.269/.392/.346 and no, that slugging percentage isn't a typo), so maybe he just needs a bit more seasoning. Of course, with a few more losses the Cubs might be ready to pack it in for this season and hand the keys to their younger players.

Sticking in the Central, Cincinnati OF Austin Kearns is doing his best Adam Dunn impression since being recalled from AA Chattanooga. You might remember that Dunn killed the ball after being brought up late last year -- Kearns, a year younger, is off to a stellar .368/.500/.621 start in his first month in the majors, and has already drawn 19 walks in 87 at-bats. He was supposed to be sent down once Ken Griffey Jr. returns, but if he's hitting like this how can you justify sending him to the minors?

Houston 3B Morgan Ensberg got off to a slow start, prompting many to wonder if the 26-year old was a career minor leaguer after all. He has rebounded from that start to raise his numbers .264/.362/.436, however, and while I'm sure the Astros would love a bit more power, he has hit much better this month than he did in April. Kudos to them for being patient with him and not doing something silly, like giving the job to Geoff Blum or trying to reacquire Vinny Castilla.

Teammate Carlos Hernandez, meanwhile, has pitched well in seven starts: 2.47 ERA, 43.2 innings, 31 hits, 13 walks and 32 strikeouts. His 3.22 ERA for the season is a bit deceptive, as he allowed four earned runs in one disastrous inning spread over two relief appearances. How about the starting rotation the Astros can run out there when everyone's healthy? Wade Miller, Roy Oswalt, Tim Redding and Carlos Hernandez are 25, 24, 24 and 22 respectively. And it's not as if their farm system is bare, either.

Did anyone see this coming from Pittsburgh RHP Josh Fogg? He put up good numbers in the low minors while in the White Sox organization, was pretty good at AA but got knocked around at AAA -- certainly nothing to suggest he'd post a 2.35 ERA in his first eight major league starts. Fogg doesn't have great stuff, but what he does have is very good control of four pitches. He has only walked 10 batters in 49.2 innings this year, and his strikeout rate (6.3 per nine innings), while not stellar, isn't horrible either. In other words, who knows?

One guy who has walked a number of hitters -- but has gotten away with it -- is Los Angeles LHP Kazuhisa Ishii. Ishii wound up with the Dodgers in the same way Ichiro would up with the Mariners, and while Ishii hasn't set the world on fire so far, I think it's safe to say all parties involved are happy so far. He was even the NL's pitcher of the month for April, if you're in to that sort of thing. Ishii's stuff is excellent, as evidenced by his 53 strikeouts and just 37 hits allowed in 50 innings. He has walked 30, but you can get away with that when you strike guys out and don't allow homers (he's surrendered just two).

In San Diego, 3B Sean Burroughs was picked by many to win the NL's Rookie of the Year award. He still might, but Ishii looks like the favorite at this point. In any event, Burroughs has gotten off to a slow start in the majors. He's hitting just .245/.284/.318 right now, and while his lack of power is troubling, his plate discipline -- six walks in 110 at-bats -- might be even more troubling. Looking at his minor league numbers, he didn't walk that much at AAA last season, so maybe there's something to this. Given his .327 career average in the minors, his youth and the fact that he's not 100% healthy right now, there isn't too much reason for concern at this point.

Teammate Dennis Tankersley also dominated the minors, though his arrival in the majors earlier this month was perhaps a bit sooner than expected. Tankersley, 23, posted a 2.64 ERA in seven AA starts with 30 strikeouts in 30.2 innings before being called up to replace the injured Kevin Jarvis. He established himself as a top pitching prospect last season, pitching at three levels with a 1.98 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 136.1 innings. He, along with Jake Peavy, Ben Howard and Eric Cyr, made up what was perhaps the best starting staff in the minors at AA Mobile, and it's only a matter of time before they make up the Padres major league rotation.

The final two pitchers on this list faced off against one another on Sunday. San Francisco's Ryan Jensen pitched well, but took the loss as he allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings. For the season, he has a very nice 2.70 ERA and has allowed 16 walks and 38 hits in 50 innings, with 30 strikeouts. Yes, his strikeout rate leaves something to be desired, but his control has been pretty good and he has only give up four homers. Jensen struck out better than eight batters per nine innings in over 400 AAA innings, so there's reason to believe he'll start fanning more hitters as he gets used to the majors. At 26 he's too old to be a star, but he looks like a serviceable starter.

The rookie Jensen lost to, Florida right-hander Josh Beckett, does have the makings of a star. Beckett's line Sunday reads as follows: seven innings, one hit, one run and five strikeouts. The outing lowered his season ERA to 3.09, and he has now fanned 39 hitters in 43.2 innings, or just over eight per nine innings. The best part is that he's only 22 years old and has already dominated at every stop in the minors. Not just pitched well, dominated; his minor league career is a 1.72 ERA in 199.1 innings with 264 strikouts and just 127 hits and 49 walks allowed. You know the drill, then -- if he stays healthy, he'll be an ace for years to come.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker welcomes your email whether you hail from the US, Mexico, Japan or anywhere in between. Just don't mail yourself COD to jmb@strikethree.com, or there'll be trouble.

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