Getting an All-Star Boost

by Chris Hansen

It's the end of June and that means All-Star game season in the minors. Sure, playing in places like Jackson, Salisbury and Lakeland may not seem as exotic as showing your skills in front of the Green Monster but these games can mean big things for the players who do well.

Players in the Spotlight Josh Hamilton, Princeton (Devil Rays) -- The No. 1 pick in the 1999 draft sat out the season opener after food poisoning put him in the hospital. He quickly made an impact the next night, homering in his pro debut. Eve though he's projected as a right fielder in the pros, Hamilton has been getting work in center. Just as promising as his stats as been the No. 1 pick's relations with the fans. Even though he didn't play, Hamilton spent ample time before and after the season opener signing autographs for kids. No Albert Belle syndrome waiting to happen here, folks. His overall stats as of June 25: AVG AB R H HR RBI .462 26 6 12 2 8 ********** Morgan Burkhart, Trenton (Red Sox) -- Who? He's probably not on most people's list of prospects but he's a great story regardless. The 5'11" first baseman was the Independent League Player of the Year after winning the Frontier League triple crown in 1998. Before his recent promotion to Trenton, Burkhart also won the first-half triple crown in the Florida State League. So you know he can hit. But he is 27 and will share time at first with David Gibralter so don't expect him to make an impact any time soon. His overall stats as of June 25: AVG AB R H HR RBI .358 257 57 92 23 68

Take last year's All-Star games, for example. Guys like the Braves' Marcus Giles (South Atlantic), the Tigers' Gabe Kapler (Southern), the Blue Jays' Tom Davey (Joint Double-A) and the Marlins' Mike Lowell (Joint Triple-A while with Yankees) walked away with MVP honors. Those last three names are now in the Majors and Giles is considered one of the Atlanta's top position prospects.

So who among the early MVP crop this year shows the most promise? Vernon Wells of the Dunedin Blue Jays is a good start. Wells, a 6'1" outfielder whose father played in the NFL, was Toronto's first pick in the 1997 draft. At a ripe 20 years of age (he doesn't turn legal until December), this kid's tearing up the Florida State League (.343, 11 HRs, 13 SBs) and is showing a good mix of speed and power and is striking out about once every eight AB's. Considering the Jays had him skip rookie ball in '97 (he went straight to the NY-Penn league), he may not be spending very long at Dunedin.

Another player worth keeping an eye on is Jesus Hernandez of Columbus (Indians) who was the MVP in the South Atlantic League's game. Hernandez is a well-built 6'2" outfielder (he just turned 22) who has actually spent five years simmering in the Indians chain. Well he's putting it together this year. He leads his league in slugging percentage and ranks in the top 10 in average, homers and RBI's. Considering the Indians don't have an overabundance of outfield prospects at the higher levels (Alex Ramirez, Scott Morgan are about it), Hernandez could move quickly if he proves his early success this year is for real.

One last MVP worth looking at is outfielder Doug Clark of Bakersfield (Giants). The 1998 draftee from Massachusetts has his average up over .360 but has shown little power in his two pro seasons. And then he goes and hits a 417-foot homer to center in the California-Carolina All-Star Game. Primarily a singles hitter, Clark has shown a sharp eye at the plate and has above-average speed. Unless he develops some pop, Clark could end up your classic "tweener" who's too good a hitter to be in the minors but doesn't have enough overall skills to be an everyday starter in the Majors, ala someone like John Mabry or Dave Magadan.

Perfecto-Mania

Guess perfect games come in bunches, too.

For the first time in nearly three years, a minor leaguer tossed a perfect game June 14. And then nine days later, it happened again.

Turning the trick first was San Bernardino (Dodgers) right-hander Marcos Castillo of the California League. The 20-year-old Venezuelan threw his gem against Lake Elsinore, striking out five. Castillo, a 1995 undrafted free agent, continues the Dodger tradition of scanning the globe for top talent. You can't help but marvel at the Dodgers' scouting department.

Kissimmee's (Astros) Eric Ireland showed a touch of luck when he turned the trick June 23rd against St. Petersburg in the Florida State League. The 22-year-old right-hander struck out eight. Success is nothing new for Ireland, who led all minor leaguers in innings last season (206) while compiling a 2.88 ERA at Quad City. This year the 1995 second-round pick leads the FSL in ERA (1.35), innings (100), shutouts (2), complete games (3) and he's second in strikeouts (86). He's a control pitcher with an excellent sinker who keeps the ball on the ground. In fact, in his perfect game, only three outs were made by the outfield.

By the way, do you know who threw the last perfect game before Castillo? I'll tell you after the notes.

Minor Notes

Former Yankees pitching prospect Brien Taylor probably saw his pro career end June 26. Taylor was attempting to resurrect his career with the Mariners but it died in extended spring training. ... Harrisburg (Expos) had to forfeit their June 21st win over Portland when it was discovered they used an illegal player. The player, left fielder David Post, was still on the disabled list at Ottawa at the time of the game and wasn't scheduled to be activated until the next day. Oops. ... Reading (Phillies) starter Adam Eaton made a noteworthy debut June 23. In his first start at Double-A, the righty no-hit Norwich and lost the game 1-0. The lone run scored in the first after Eaton walked the leadoff man, who later scored on a sac fly. ... Starting next year, the Fear Crocs (Expos) will be no more. The darlings of minor league merchandisers will soon be sold and moved to Lakewood, N.J. The Fayetteville, N.C. area has been home to the club for the last 12 years.

Minors Chat Join Fastball Minor League producer Chris Hansen for an online chat July 8th from 2-3 pm ET. This is a chance for fans to get together and talk about the minors. Simply head to the chat page and log into the Concourse.

Former Braves second baseman and current knuckleballer Mark Lemke made his professional pitching debut with the New Jersey Jackals June 18. He gave up a run on one hit, threw three wild pitches and struck out a pair. He hasn't pitched since. Lemke, who's also an infield coach, opened the season on the disabled list with a sore arm. ... Speaking of the Jackals, Lemke's teammate - and son of a legend - Pete Rose, Jr.'s off to a solid start. Now an outfielder, Rose is hitting .313 going into the weekend. Bet his agent's phone is ringing off the hook. ... Matt Anderson continues to have control problems since his demotion by the Tigers. The 1997 No. 1 pick has held opponents to a .162 average but has walked nine, thrown two wild pitches and hit a batter in 11 innings at Toledo. Granted, Anderson has never been a Greg Maddux-type but you have to wonder how much Todd Jones' contract extension has affected the youngster's confidence.

Trivia Answer: Current Rangers ace Rick Helling, then pitching for Oklahoma City in the defunct American Association (Triple-A), threw a perfect game against Nashville on August 13, 1996.