http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/askba/262144.html


Two of the more prominent football players drafted in June will forsake the
diamond for the gridiron. UCLA defensive back Jarrad Page, a seventh-round
pick of both the Angels and the NFL's Chiefs, signed a three-year deal with
Kansas City. Page, who asked Los Angeles for a $1.7 million bonus, has
garnered notice in training camp for his hard hitting.

Louisiana high school outfielder Jared Mitchell was one of the best athletes
in the draft and drew some first-round consideration. Ultimately, his
football prowess (he earned a scholarship from Louisiana State after winning
state 5-A player of the year honors by passing and rushing for more than
1,500 yards each as a senior quarterback) and bonus demands (he wanted $1
million) dropped him to the Twins in the 10th round. Minnesota won't lose the
rights to Mitchell until he sets foot in a classroom, but he already has
reported to LSU's preseason camp and begun his conversion to wide receiver.



         The Devil Rays infield soon will be crowded with Wes Bankston, Reid
         Brignac, Jorge Cantu, Joel Guzman, Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and
         Ben Zobrist fighting for four positions. How will that play out,
         considering that none of them will move to the outfield because
         that's set with Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli and Delmon Young?

         Simon Boisvert
         Montreal


Back in April, I answered a similar question about Tampa Bay's outfield of
the future would shape up. The picture has become clearer as the Rays have
traded Joey Gathright and grown increasingly tired of Elijah Dukes' antics.
And they can keep that projected trio Simon mentioned together for a while,
as Tampa Bay controls Crawford through 2010, Baldelli through 2011 and Young
through at least 2012.

Now their infield is crowded. Since the beginning of the season, the Rays
have taken Longoria with the third overall pick in the draft and traded for
Guzman and Zobrist. Cantu, Upton and Zobrist currently are in Tampa, Bankston
and Guzman are close to ready at Triple-A Durham, and Brignac (at age 20) and
Longoria (in his first pro summer) already have reached Double-A Montgomery.

Many of these guys have played multiple positions, so the possibilities seem
endless. Let's start by finding a place for Upton to play. He was ready to
hit in the major leagues as a teenager in 2004, and he can't handle
shortstop. If he's not going to the outfield, then his best spot is third
base, where he can just let his reactions and athleticism get the job done.

If Upton is at third base, then Longoria will have to find a new position. I
think he's headed for second base, where he shows more promise offensively
and defensively than Cantu. Cantu is just 24 and had 28 homers and 117 in his
first full major league season in 2005, but he's not approaching those
numbers this year. I wonder if he's going to become the second-base version
of Aubrey Huff, unable to repeat his breakout season and destined for a
trade.

Brignac has spent most of this season in high Class A, where he batted
.326/.382/.557 with 21 homers, 83 RBIs and 12 steals in 100 games. He also
has taken a step forward defensively, and scouts now believe he can remain at
shortstop. Brignac is five years younger and has a lot more upside than
Zobrist, Tampa Bay's starter at shortstop who's more cut out to be a
utilityman.

That leaves first base, and until Bankston starts translating more of his raw
power into production, it's an easy call for Guzman. He's athletic enough to
play at third base or on an outfield corner, but those spots are taken.
Though he has been hyped as a prospect for a while, Guzman is still just 21
and holding his own in Triple-A. He could develop into a 30-35 homer hitter
or more, and that's more than enough bat at first base.





         With Cleveland's Jeremy Sowers on fire recently, including
         complete-game shutouts in consecutive starts, I have to ask.
         Which lefthander will have the better career, Sowers or
         Philadelphia's Cole Hamels?

         Josh Gaab
         Sacramento


That's an interesting question. Hamels clearly has better stuff. His changeup
is one of the best in the game and a lot better than Sowers'. Hamels also has
2-3 mph more velocity on his fastball and their breaking balls are
comparable. ERAs aside, big league hitters have had a tougher time figuring
out Hamels (.247 average, 11 homers, 87-32 K-BB ratio in 76 innings) than
Sowers (.256, nine homers, 22-9 K-BB ratio in 53 innings).

However, there's more to pitching than stuff. Sowers has uncanny command for
a young lefthander, and it's a grade or two better than Hamels'. Sowers has a
spotless medical record, while Hamels has missed time with injuries in each
of his four pro seasons. He had shoulder, triceps and back ailments in the
minors, and he spent two weeks on the big league disabled list this year with
a strained shoulder.

The safer pick would be Sowers. I don't think he'll be a star, but I do think
he'll be a reliable, durable No. 3 starter. The higher-risk, higher-reward
pick would be Hamels, who has a chance to be a frontline starter if he stays
healthy. I gave Hamels a slight edge before the season, and I'd still do the
same now. Call me a sucker for upside.





         If you had to pick the No. 1 prospect in the Giants system right
         now, who would it be? It seems as though Tim Lincecum would have
         a shot at that coveted slot in what seems to be an otherwise
         barren system overall.

         J.P. Schwartz
         Springfield, Ill.


It's Lincecum, by a landslide. We ranked him as the No. 2 prospect in the
draft and the Giants were able to get him with the No. 10 pick because of
concerns about his size and delivery. Despite those worries, Lincecum has
been resilient and durable, and he never has had any arm problems. It's
impossible to argue with his stuff, which includes a mid-90s fastball and a
knockout curveball, both plus-plus pitches.

After his heavy workload at Washington this spring, San Francisco is keeping
Lincecum on tight pitch counts. Though he has worked just 6 2/3 innings in
three starts, he has been his usual dominant self, fanning 15 of the 28
batters he has faced. Several scouts project Lincecum as a late-inning
reliever, but I still think he'll hold up as a starter. In any case, don't be
surprised if he's pitching in the majors at some point in 2007.

There's no real challenger to Lincecum for top-prospect honors in the thin
Giants system. Righthander Matt Cain, last season's No. 1, has graduated to
San Francisco. Infielder Marcus Sanders (No. 2) continues to be hampered by
shoulder problems that have contributed to a miserable season in high Class
A. Outfielder Eddy Martinez-Esteve (No. 3), whose bat will have to carry him,
is having just an ordinary year in Double-A. No pitcher is anywhere close to
Lincecum.