Around the MinorsJuly 03, 2008
Expansion Time: The Hitters
By Marc Hulet

Yesterday, beginning with the pitchers, I started compiling an expansion team consisting of the best, non top prospects at the Triple-A level. Finding hitters for a MLB expansion team is a lot easier than finding pitchers, given the lack of quality pitching depth at the Major League level. With that said, I present the offence and defence for my club:

The Catchers:

Brayan Pena, C
Omaha Royals (Kansas City)
Age: 26
MiLB Seasons: Eight
MLB Service: 71 games

Brayan Pena was never given a fair shot in Atlanta and he was productive in the minors. He does a nice job handling pitchers and he is a switch hitter.

Erik Kratz, C/1B
Syracuse Chiefs (Toronto)
Age:28
MiLB Seasons: Eight
MLB Service: None

Perhaps the least recognizable player on the team, Erik Kratz is one of few (if any) Mennonites playing professional baseball. He also has a lot of raw power and is an excellent defensive catcher, whom pitchers love throwing to. His upside is Doug Mirabelli.

The Infielders:

Brad Eldred, 1B
Charlotte Knights (Chicago AL)
Age: 27
MiLB Seasons: Seven
MLB Service: 74 games

Sure, he has more homers than walks, but Brad Eldred is leading the International League in that category. He may hit just .240 or .250 and strike out 130 times, but he brings much-needed power to this expansion team.

Tug Hulett, 2B/3B
Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle)
Age: 25
MiLB Seasons: Five
MLB Service: None

Yes we share the same last name (although the Canadian Hulets dropped a 'T' when they came over the border from Pennsylvania many moons ago). Tug Hulett can really hit and has been an on-base machine throughout his career. He had a terrible start to the season after being traded to the Mariners organization from Texas, but Hulett has turned things around. He has a career .394 OBP and just needs to curb the strikeouts.

Dallas McPherson, 3B/1B
Albuquerque Isotopes (Florida)
Age: 27
MiLB Seasons: Seven
MLB Service: 117 games

Dallas McPherson is a former top prospect from the Angels system, who is rebuilding his career with the Marlins. His power would combine nicely with Eldred's in the heart of the line-up, even though his 29 homers and .310 batting average are somewhat a product of his Triple-A hitting environment.

James D'Antona, 3B, 1B, LF, RF, C
Tucson Sidewinders (Arizona)
Age: 26
MiLB Seasons: Six
MLB Service: None

James D'Antona has shown over the past three years that he can really rake (2008: .383/.423/.596)... and he also has some intriguing raw power that has never really been tapped in to. Add in his versatility, including the ability to serve as a third-string catcher, and you have a valuable part-time player.

Cody Ransom, SS, 3B, 2B
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York AL)
Age: 32
MiLB Seasons: 11
MLB Service: 133 games

Finding a competent shortstop at the Triple-A level is challenging to say the least. Cody Ransom is not going to hit for average, but he has a little bit of power, versatility and he has a reputation of being a very good defensive shortstop.

Brian Barden, 3B, SS, 1B, 2B
Memphis RedBirds (St. Louis)
Age: 27
MiLB Seasons: Seven
MLB Service: 23 games

Brian Barden has always hit well for average, but the knock on him was a lack of power. I have more than enough power on this team with Eldred, McPherson, etc. so Barden fits in nicely as a part-time infielder. Typically a third baseman, Barden has been holding his own at shortstop this season.

The Outfielders:

Brad Nelson, LF, 1B
Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee)
Age: 25
MiLB Seasons: Eight
MLB Service: None

Still only 25, it seems like Brad Nelson has been around forever, and he was even considered to be among Milwaukee's top prospects at one point. After struggling the past few years, Nelson is back on track this year and provides power and a solid approach at the plate that has allowed him to rack up more walks than strikeouts. He is currently hitting .326/.436/.540.

Mitch Maier, CF, LF, RF, C, 1B, 3B
Omaha Royals (Kansas City)
Age: 26
MiLB Seasons: Six
MLB Service: Five games

I was a fan of Mitch Maier all the way back to his college career at the University of Toledo... when he has a full-time catcher. His relocation to the outfield has hurt his career and value, but his versatility could have a lot of value on my club. Maier also has just enough speed and just enough power to be interesting.

Buck Coats, CF, RF, LF
Syracuse Chiefs (Toronto)
Age: 26
MiLB Seasons: Nine
MLB Service: 46 games

Buck Coats has a left-handed swing, solid defence and some speed, which makes him a valuable platoon player on my club. He can also play the infield in a pinch. He has a gamer reputation.

Wayne Lydon, CF, RF, LF
Syracuse Chiefs (Toronto)
Age: 27
MiLB Seasons: 10
MLB Service: None

Wayne Lydon, a former prospect of the Mets, has always had a great set of wheels but he never embraced the 'small ball' approach and struck out too much, while not walking enough. A light bulb seems to have clicked on this season. His strikeout rate is down to 18.8 percent, compared to an average of about 22 percent over the previous three seasons. His walk rate is at 11.5 percent, compared to 9.2 percent last season. He is also second in the league with 34 stolen bases and has been caught just four times.

Fernando Perez, CF, RF, LF
Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay)
Age: 25
MiLB Seasons: Five
MLB Service: None

Like Lydon, Fernando Perez brings a stolen base threat to the line-up of the expansion team. The Columbia University grad also has a great head on his shoulders. He hits for a solid average and is good for 30-40 stolen bases over the course of a full season. Perez strikes out too much (a running theme on this team) at about 25 percent, but he will also walk 12-15 percent of the time.

Others considered: Robby Hammock, Mark Johnson, Brooks Conrad, Vinny Rottino, Shane Costa, Cory Sullivan, Dan Johnson, and John-Ford Griffin.

Comments

D'Antona's not one of their top 20 prospects? He's bashing the PCL pitchers this year. Best prospect in Tuscon that hasn't tasted the majors yet. I'd be surprised if the Diamondbacks don't call him up sometime soon. He could be their version of Mike Aviles.

I think Perez is considered among the top 20 Rays prospects. I am not sure if Ruggiano is, but I would bet that were there an expansion draft and he were available he would be taken. Power, patience at the plate, stolen bases and the ability to play all 3 OF positions.

Chris Richard is a bit old (34) but his OPS the past 2 years at Durham has been .872 & .890. He hits for a decent average, walks a lot and has medium range power.

As for shortstop, a personal favorite is Andy Cannizaro who is reputedly a good defensive player all around the infield as well as SS and has had a pretty decent minor league career as well as some major league experience.

You could probably add much of this year's Pawtucket team to this list, certainly:

Jon Van Every (28) - 21 HR, 50 RBI, .936 OPS
Jeff Bailey (29) - 22 HR, 58 RBI, ,993 OPS
Joe Thurston (28) - 6HR, 42 RBI, .378 OBP, .837 OPS

Apparently at the start of the year Baseball America had Perez as the Rays' 25th best prospect and Ruggiano at #27. I think Ruggiano is closer to major league ready than Perez, and may have a higher ceiling. Like many of your choices he also strikes out a lot, but everything else is solid, and he did spend a few days in the majors last year and this.

Justin is 26 years old and this year, in 158 ABs (losing some when called up to TB for a while) he is hitting .329/.389/.551 with 8 doubles, 3 triples and 7 home runs as well as 13 SBs in 15 attempts. This is after last year when he hit .309/.386/.502 with 29 doubles and 20 home runs as well as 26 SBs in 37 attempts.

Actually, in his brief time in TB this year (31 ABs) he did nicely with a big home run to help win a game and 2 other doubles for a line of .290/.333/.452 and a stolen base in his only attempt. He also walked twice, striking out only 6 times. He played all 3 outfield positions creditably. Hardly a significant sample, but he has been a good player all during his minor league career causing many to wonder why he is not in the majors permanently yet. I cannot imagine an expansion team passing him up were he available.

The Pads have a pretty good Matt Stairs clone playing in Portland, OR. Brian Myrow is a little guy who came out of the independent leagues. He doesn't have much power, but he has a great batting eye and makes a ton of hard contact.

Last year, he led the PCL in hitting and OBP while posting the following slash line: 354/440/579. This year, in his age 31 season, his line is 329/459/512 with 10 HRs in 283 at bats. For what its worth, Portland is one of the more neutral parks in the PCL in plays tougher on left handers due to the deeper right field and a ton of foul territory on the 3rd base side (lefties tend to pop up to the 3rd base side).

He's old, but could probably hold his own ala Matt Stairs if given a shot and those of us who get to see him toil away in the minors on a daily basis would love to see him get a season in the bigs. Pity that he's essentially useless on defense.

Sorry, but I gotta disagree on Brayan Pena. This is a guy who was reportedly sent down to AAA a few years back (and McCann was called up all the way from AA, which worked out well) because Tim Hudson and John Smoltz both refused to throw to him anymore. His poor rep as a defensive player has plagued him all the way through the minors, as well.

He has two problems. First (and IMO, this is the more damaging to the team), he has a tendency to snatch at pitches rather than wait on them. This sometimes blocks the view of the umpires, and in the case of some of the less professional umps one sees down on the farm, has led to umps refusing to call any pitch not swung at a strike while he is catching. The second (and this is the one that infuriates pitchers) is that he is completely incapable of remembering the signs, other than a fastball being one finger. His notorious demotion came just a day or two after Tim Hudson was visibly upset when he and Pena had to have about a half-dozen discussions on the mound to go over the signs again and again, including three times in one inning.

Dan Johnson should be on your list. Tampa Bay wants to find a place for him on their roster and he is a huge asset to any team. Crabman Fan

Rottino could be a decent major league role player or utility guy.

Buck Coats got a cup o' coffee with the Cubs last year (or was it two... I think it was two years ago when Dusty was there.) Anyhow, he was unimpressive the few times I remember seeing him play. (And now that I check BBRef, this bears out.) Great name, though.