Written by Greg Fertel
|
19 June 2007
The
roster is posted on the Minor League Baseball website.There are some very intriguing names on this list. Most of the guys worth watching are among youngest players on the team.
17 year-old second baseman
Abraham Almonte is a great raw talent with power and blinding speed. He has supposedly beaten Trenton speedster Brett Gardner in a footrace, and his overall package has been compared to Jose Reyes. In 63 games in the DSL last season, Almonte put up an OPS of .859 with 8 homers, 36 steals, and a 45:55 SO:BB ratio, showing that he has good plate discipline in addition to his other tools. Almonte could make a big splash this season in the GCL, and put himself on the prospect radar screen.
Prilys Cuello is another teenage second baseman with power, and he is 7 months older than Almonte. He doesn't have Abe's speed and strikes out more frequently (69 times in 59 games), but he hit for a higher average with similar power (7 HR, .906 OPS). These 2 guys will probably split time between second and DH, as they are both talented enough to be in the starting lineup every day.
Manuel Barreda is a 2007 high school draftee, an 18 year-old righty pitcher who fell in the draft because he is only 5'11". Despite his small stature, Barreda reaches the mid-90's with his fastball, with a good slider and changeup. It will be interesting to see how he performs, because he clearly has great stuff, and I am curious how his control is.
Other guys worth watching are 17 year-old pitcher
Jairo Heredia, 19 year-old catcher/1B/DH Gerardo Rodriguez, 2nd round pick
Austin Romine (when he signs) and 18 year-old outfielder Zolio Almonte. I'll try to keep you updated on these guys and any others worthy of note.
