Welcome to the debut edition of Beaton on Baseball, a weekly baseball column filled with notes and anecdotes, yarns and barns that pitchers can't hit the broad side of.
It's a notebook that we hope will provide a haven for fans who like lots of dots, and some trendspotting (not to be confused with the Ewan McGregor movie).
I'm Rod Beaton and I have covered baseball at USA TODAY since 1986, after a four-year run on hockey. Run with me here every week, especially if you follow prospects. I promise to work the phones like Mel Kiper on NFL draft day.
I read all messages and respond to some, even if they suggest I should have stayed exclusively with hockey. Position paradigm shifts
As more major league carpets are ripped out and thick lawns painstakingly laid in, power utilitymen are becoming more valuable. Back in the 60s and 70s, the classic utilityman meant a middle infielder type. Think Campy Campaneris, Cesar Tovar, Fred "Chicken" Stanley, Cookie Rojas. There were many more.
Now you get utilitymen who bash while on the lineup card as first baseman, left fielder, DH and catcher.
Ryan Garko is a candidate for that role, with some time as a backup catcher for Cleveland's hitting catcher Victor Martinez. Chris Shelton had that sort of role last season with Detroit. Get used to it. There will be more of these guys.
Comings, goings and comebacks
Get ready for showy flops. Eric Munson started his career with Detroit as a first-round pick, third overall, out of the University of Southern California in 1999. He was supposed to become a major power hitter as he bounced from one Tigers affiliate to another. He never earned a job he could keep. USC has yet another power hitter catcher looming now, but major league clubs should approach Jeff Clement with caution. ...
Perhaps John Van Benschoten now regrets his decision to turn pro as a power pitcher, not a power hitter. The 2001 All-America took the latter path. A torn labrum in January sets him back for a year.
The Pirates have had some starters suffer serious setbacks. Their No. 1 pitching propect was left-hander Sean Burnett, KO'd for the season. Another was/is, right-hander Bobby Bradley, back from a similar setback and lefty Paul Maholm. One starter, left-hander Zach Duke (5-1, 1.58 in AA), remains standing, and should eventually stand out. ...
Phillies left-handed prospect Cole Hamels broke a finger on his left hand last week. Hamels was considered one of two pitching stars of the future, for the Phillies if not for all the NL. But Hamels had elbow problems three times last season, now this.
The break took place in a scuffle at a night spot. It will set Hamels back three months.
"I put myself in a hole," Hamels said. ...
Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully gets all the raves all the time. He's justifiably in the Hall of Fame. But pause a moment and toast his frequent partner, Ross Porter. He always played straight man for Vinny when not calling the game in partial role as a first-class backup. He's retiring after 28 seasons and he will be missed. He remains noted for his class, even though the Dodgers barely had enough time to give him a send-off luncheon. ...
Arizona's Luis Gonzalez has really helped his arm strength and accuracy in workouts, "I feel like Tom Brady out there," he told The Los Angeles Times. And while we're into football lingo, Padres general manager Kevin Towers, 42, says ageless center fielder Steve Finley "is the Dick Clark of baseball. He never seems to age." Towers is too young to recall Clark's American Bandstand, but there is a re-creation of the hit on the Sunday soap, American Dreams.
Quick hits
• Look for Boston to sign Japanese superstar Roberto Petagine. He'll be a left-handed bat in left field and and come off the bench as an ideal successor to the departed Doug Mienkiewicz.
• The Seattle Mariners worked for more than a year to get shortstop/second baseman Yuniesky Betancourt out of Cuba and signed. That detemination, plus his age (22), suggest he is worth it all. The same goes for his good swing. That's another sign of the athleticism he has exploited as a position player at times.
• Just when it seems Japan's arms corps is not as strong as it has been, and the ones who arrive come over most often as middle relievers. An Ichiro or Hideki Matsui is rare indeed. The latest ordinary import is Denny Tomori, 37, who just left Japan and took his 8.50 ERA with him (stats from Jim Albright, the Japanese Insider, with BaseballGuru.com).
• Look for more impact from third baseman Norihiro Nakamura, who was signed by the Dodgers. He has the power to reach North American fences (Remember the doubts Hideki Matsui could do so?) Nakamura could win spot in the post-Beltre world.
• A Japanese free agent who is 32, and a good outfielder, is Atsunori Inaba. He might yet get signed for his defensive and running skills.
• Oakland rookie right-hander Keiichi Yabu, 36, his name resonates like the song Lady Marmalade. Sing along, sounds like it spells: Kichy, Kichy, Kichy Ya-boo.
• There is no song for White Sox fans of Japanese rookie second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, but there have been no exaggerated claims for Iguchi's abilities, either. Look for him to have the attributes (good speed, decent swing, good glove) that the Mets sought last year from Kazuo Matsui, a disappointment, who was moved from short to second. Jose Reyes is back at short for the Mets and has said this winter he feels great again.
• The Cubs are a club to examine if you're into fantasy baseball. With Mr. Sosa gone, Jason Dubois and Todd Hollandsworth are going to get increased face time in left field. By season's end, slugger, and I do mean slugger, Brian Dopirak might be ready for the majors. A team executive said Dopirak is the Cubs' Vladimir Guerrero, minus the arm.
Bob Beaton USA Today
It's a notebook that we hope will provide a haven for fans who like lots of dots, and some trendspotting (not to be confused with the Ewan McGregor movie).
I'm Rod Beaton and I have covered baseball at USA TODAY since 1986, after a four-year run on hockey. Run with me here every week, especially if you follow prospects. I promise to work the phones like Mel Kiper on NFL draft day.
I read all messages and respond to some, even if they suggest I should have stayed exclusively with hockey. Position paradigm shifts
As more major league carpets are ripped out and thick lawns painstakingly laid in, power utilitymen are becoming more valuable. Back in the 60s and 70s, the classic utilityman meant a middle infielder type. Think Campy Campaneris, Cesar Tovar, Fred "Chicken" Stanley, Cookie Rojas. There were many more.
Now you get utilitymen who bash while on the lineup card as first baseman, left fielder, DH and catcher.
Ryan Garko is a candidate for that role, with some time as a backup catcher for Cleveland's hitting catcher Victor Martinez. Chris Shelton had that sort of role last season with Detroit. Get used to it. There will be more of these guys.
Comings, goings and comebacks
Get ready for showy flops. Eric Munson started his career with Detroit as a first-round pick, third overall, out of the University of Southern California in 1999. He was supposed to become a major power hitter as he bounced from one Tigers affiliate to another. He never earned a job he could keep. USC has yet another power hitter catcher looming now, but major league clubs should approach Jeff Clement with caution. ...
Perhaps John Van Benschoten now regrets his decision to turn pro as a power pitcher, not a power hitter. The 2001 All-America took the latter path. A torn labrum in January sets him back for a year.
The Pirates have had some starters suffer serious setbacks. Their No. 1 pitching propect was left-hander Sean Burnett, KO'd for the season. Another was/is, right-hander Bobby Bradley, back from a similar setback and lefty Paul Maholm. One starter, left-hander Zach Duke (5-1, 1.58 in AA), remains standing, and should eventually stand out. ...
Phillies left-handed prospect Cole Hamels broke a finger on his left hand last week. Hamels was considered one of two pitching stars of the future, for the Phillies if not for all the NL. But Hamels had elbow problems three times last season, now this.
The break took place in a scuffle at a night spot. It will set Hamels back three months.
"I put myself in a hole," Hamels said. ...
Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully gets all the raves all the time. He's justifiably in the Hall of Fame. But pause a moment and toast his frequent partner, Ross Porter. He always played straight man for Vinny when not calling the game in partial role as a first-class backup. He's retiring after 28 seasons and he will be missed. He remains noted for his class, even though the Dodgers barely had enough time to give him a send-off luncheon. ...
Arizona's Luis Gonzalez has really helped his arm strength and accuracy in workouts, "I feel like Tom Brady out there," he told The Los Angeles Times. And while we're into football lingo, Padres general manager Kevin Towers, 42, says ageless center fielder Steve Finley "is the Dick Clark of baseball. He never seems to age." Towers is too young to recall Clark's American Bandstand, but there is a re-creation of the hit on the Sunday soap, American Dreams.
Quick hits
• Look for Boston to sign Japanese superstar Roberto Petagine. He'll be a left-handed bat in left field and and come off the bench as an ideal successor to the departed Doug Mienkiewicz.
• The Seattle Mariners worked for more than a year to get shortstop/second baseman Yuniesky Betancourt out of Cuba and signed. That detemination, plus his age (22), suggest he is worth it all. The same goes for his good swing. That's another sign of the athleticism he has exploited as a position player at times.
• Just when it seems Japan's arms corps is not as strong as it has been, and the ones who arrive come over most often as middle relievers. An Ichiro or Hideki Matsui is rare indeed. The latest ordinary import is Denny Tomori, 37, who just left Japan and took his 8.50 ERA with him (stats from Jim Albright, the Japanese Insider, with BaseballGuru.com).
• Look for more impact from third baseman Norihiro Nakamura, who was signed by the Dodgers. He has the power to reach North American fences (Remember the doubts Hideki Matsui could do so?) Nakamura could win spot in the post-Beltre world.
• A Japanese free agent who is 32, and a good outfielder, is Atsunori Inaba. He might yet get signed for his defensive and running skills.
• Oakland rookie right-hander Keiichi Yabu, 36, his name resonates like the song Lady Marmalade. Sing along, sounds like it spells: Kichy, Kichy, Kichy Ya-boo.
• There is no song for White Sox fans of Japanese rookie second baseman Tadahito Iguchi, but there have been no exaggerated claims for Iguchi's abilities, either. Look for him to have the attributes (good speed, decent swing, good glove) that the Mets sought last year from Kazuo Matsui, a disappointment, who was moved from short to second. Jose Reyes is back at short for the Mets and has said this winter he feels great again.
• The Cubs are a club to examine if you're into fantasy baseball. With Mr. Sosa gone, Jason Dubois and Todd Hollandsworth are going to get increased face time in left field. By season's end, slugger, and I do mean slugger, Brian Dopirak might be ready for the majors. A team executive said Dopirak is the Cubs' Vladimir Guerrero, minus the arm.
Bob Beaton USA Today
