[mlb.com]Climbing the ladder, Part I
07/26/2004 12:52 PM ET
Climbing the ladder, Part I
A look at prospects moving from Double-A to Triple-A
By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com
When a prospect gets promoted to the big leagues, most fans take notice.
Everyone knew when Zack Greinke, for example, made his highly anticipated jump
-- a very successful one to boot -- to Kansas City.
That kind of player movement may be relatively rare over the course of the
season. But that doesn't mean things are all quiet on the personnel-change
front down on the farm.
Countless minor leaguers have moved up (or down) levels within their respective
organizations. While the impact of these leaps isn't felt at the big-league
level, there is a certain level of achievement farm systems feel when prospects
they've developed are deemed ready for a new challenge at a higher level.
Sometimes, these future stars rise to the challenge and make it look easy.
Sometimes, the jump doesn't agree with them and the advanced level appears to
be too much too soon.
Of course, there's the down side of all of this: Players who were placed at a
certain level to start the year, but ended up with a demotion because they
couldn't perform there.
With all that in mind, let's take a look at the top promotions -- and some of
the demotions -- that have taken place in the minors in 2004. Part I looks at
those just one step away from the bigs: players who have made the jump from
Double-A to Triple-A this season.
(Did I forget a meaningful promotion or demotion? Email me with any additions
and I'll print the best suggestions.)
From Double-A to Triple-A
These are the promotions seen as the final test before declaring a prospect big
-league ready:
Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees
Pre-promotion stats: .301 AVG/ .313 OBP/ .345 SLG
Promotion date: June 28
Cano and Dioner Navarro, the only Yankees' upper-level hitting prospects, got
moved up together. Cano, who could fill the hole at second in New York next
year if he's not dealt first, has hit .238 with a pair of homers and 13 RBIs in
23 games with Columbus after the promotion.
Jeff Francis, LHP, Rockies
Pre-promotion stats: 13-1, 1.98 ERA, 113.2 IPI, 73 H, 22 BB, 147 K
Promotion date: July 15
All Francis did in the first half was lead the Texas League in the three
pitching Triple Crown categories and then went on to dominate in his inning of
Futures Game work. Colorado Springs? No problem: Francis won his first two
starts by walking just one and striking out 18 in 13 innings of work.
Franklin Gutierrez, OF, Indians
Pre-promotion stats: .309 AVG/ .377 OBP/ .478 SLG
Promotion date: June 22
Despite a drop in power from 2003 when with the Dodgers, Gutierrez's other
numbers were good enough to warrant a promotion in the Indians' eyes. The first
week in Triple-A was a tough one for the 21-year-old, as he went just 4-for-27
(.148) over his first seven games.
Freddy Guzman, OF, Padres
Pre-promotion stats: .283 AVG/ .359 OBP/ .370 SLG
Promotion date: May 28
After missing a month with a shoulder injury, Guzman stole 17 bases in 35 games
in the Southern League. Since his promotion, he's hit .299 and gone 32-for-35
in stolen-base attempts with Portland to lead the Pacific Coast League.
No wonder he's considered the fastest prospect in baseball.
Casey Kotchman, 1B, Angels
Pre-promotion stats: .368 AVG/ .438 OBP/ .544 SLG
Promotion date: May 9
Kotchman took a circuitous route to Triple-A, with a 28-game stop in the big
leagues. Going back down, to the PCL for the first time, hasn't bothered him.
Kotchman hit .293/.349/.453 over his first 19 games.
Jason Kubel, OF, Twins
Pre-promotion stats: .377 AVG/ .453 OBP/ .667 SLG
Promotion date: May 21
Kubel moved up to Rochester when Justin Morneau moved up to the big leagues,
but got to stay even when Morneau returned. He's responded by hitting
.354/.394/.537 with 11 steals over his first 47 games in the International
League.
Dallas McPherson, 3B, Angels
Pre-promotion stats: .321 AVG/ .404 OBP/ .660 SLG
Promotion date: June 22
McPherson was so dominant in Double-A, he's still second in the Texas League
with 69 RBIs. He also was in the top five in average, homers, slugging and OBP.
He hasn't stopped raking and might not stay in Salt Lake long if he keeps
slugging .777 and hitting .320.
Dustin Moseley, RHP, Reds
Pre-promotion stats: 3-2, 2.66 ERA, 47.1 IP, 33 H, 10 BB, 40 K
Promotion date: July 3
Once upon a time a first-round pick (2000), Moseley is attempting to break the
jinx of Red first-round pitching selections. Of course, he made this leap last
year, so this is a repeat performance. But considering he missed more than a
month this year with a back strain, it's still good news for Cincy. He had two
good and two bad starts in his return to Louisville.
Dioner Navarro, C, Yankees
Pre-promotion stats: .271 AVG/ .354 OBP/ .369 SLG
Promotion date: June 28
The heir apparent to Posada in New York -- if he doesn't get traded this
deadline season -- Navarro hasn't enjoyed his first taste of Triple-A, hitting
.192 over his first 15 games.
Brad Thompson, RHP, Cardinals
Pre-promotion stats: 7-1, 1.76 ERA, 66.1 IP, 49 H, 11 BB, 50 K
Promotion date: June 14
Thompson, he of super-long scoreless-inninng streak fame, would be leading the
Southern League in ERA if he still qualified for the title. Up a level, he had
two solid starts then got rocked before hitting the DL due to shoulder
stiffness.
BJ Upton, SS, Devil Rays
Pre-promotion stats: .327 AVG/ .407 OBP/ .471 SLG
Promotion date: May 13
Offensively, Upton appears ready for the call to Tampa. He's hit
.307/ .412/ .523 (and gone 17-for-19 in steals) in 63 games for Triple-A
Durham. The only question is his defense, as he's committed a combined 35
errors in 83 games at shortstop.
Coming up in Part II: A look at prospects making the jump from High-A to Double
-A ball.
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the appr
oval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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