http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/askba/263050.html


I hope everyone has had a good holiday season, and Happy New Year to you all.
Ask BA went by the wayside as we scrambled to put the finishing touches on
the 2007 Prospect Handbook last week, but it's back in full force with the
regular three questions.

The good news is that the Handbook is done, earlier than ever before. We
should be getting the books back in January, and if you ordered from us,
there's a good chance you'll have your copy by the end of the month.

In the last two weeks, three more compensation free agents have changed
teams. Ryan Klesko (Type B) went from the Padres to Giants, Jeff Suppan (Type
A) from the Cardinals to Brewers and Barry Zito (Type A) from the Athletics
to the Giants. Zito got $126 million over seven years, and I'll reiterate
what I've said before: I'd rather have Daisuke Matsuzaka for six years and
$103 million.




         As a Rangers fan, I'm really intrigued by the Brandon McCarthy/
         John Danks trade. Though I'm very disappointed to see Danks
         depart, I think this is a good deal for the Rangers. That said,
         I thought at the time the trade was made that McCarthy was
         considered to have more upside than Danks, but I since have seen
         several commentators characterize Danks as the higher-ceiling guy
         and McCarthy characterized as more of an innings-eater than a
         frontline starter. In your view, who has the higher upside?

         Adam J. Morris
         Houston


         With the McCarthy/Danks trade, where will you Danks rank on the
         White Sox Top 30 list in the Prospect Handbook?

         J.P. Schwartz
         Springfield, Ill.


         With the new, young arms recently acquired through trades, how
         would the White Sox Top 10 list look if compiled today?

         Mike Bridges
         Marshall, Mich.


In actuality, McCarthy and Danks are very similar. They both throw two-seam
and four-seam fastballs and top out at 93-94 mph, they both have good
curveballs and they both have made a lot of progress with changeups. McCarthy
has a slightly better curve, while Danks has a slightly better changeup.
Their command and control are about the same.

There seems to be a perception that McCarthy is a can't-miss guy, perhaps
fueled by his spectacular minor league numbers (37-21, 3.38, 536-92 K-BB
ratio in 471 IP). But his stuff isn't overwhelming and he has been
inconsistent in the majors, as is the case with most young pitchers. I think
they're both No. 3 starters. If I had my pick, I'd take Danks because he's
two years younger (21 vs. 23) and he's lefthanded.

However, because McCarthy has spent parts of the last two seasons getting
acclimated to the majors, he's a better bet to make a contribution at that
level in 2007 and 2008 than Danks, who has yet to make his big league debut.
So the trade is more likely to help the Rangers in the short term. The White
Sox seem to be straddling the fence between trying to win now while also
building for the future, and that usually doesn't work out well on either
end.

Since we originally ran our White Sox Top 10, Chicago has acquired six young
pitchers: Gio Gonzalez and Gavin Floyd (in the Freddy Garcia deal with the
Phillies); Andy Sisco (for Ross Gload from the Royals); and Danks, Nick
Masset and Jacob Rasner in the McCarthy trade. Floyd and Sisco have too many
big league innings to qualify as prospects.

We inserted Gonzalez as the White Sox' No. 3 prospect in the Handbook, but
the McCarthy/Danks deal happened too late to be included. If it had occurred
in time, I would have lined up the Chicago Top 10 like this:

1. Ryan Sweeney, of
2. Josh Fields, 3b
3. John Danks, lhp
4. Gio Gonzalez, lhp
5. Lance Broadway, rhp
6. Kyle McCulloch, rhp
7. Charlie Haeger, rhp
8. Nick Masset, rhp
9. Aaron Cunningham, of
10. Adam Russell, rhp




         What's the scoop on Yoslan Herrera? Will he be in the Pirates
         rotation in 2007? Is he a potential impact guy? What has he done
         in international play?

         Walter Paley
         Templeton, Calif.


The Pirates haven't done much on the international market in recent years,
but they made a big investment this month by giving Herrera a three-year,
$1.92 million big league contract, including a $750,000 bonus. He's the first
Cuban they've signed since the 1950s, and he could make a splash in
Pittsburgh's rotation this year. However, he hasn't pitched competitively
since defecting in 2004 after he was left off Cuba's Olympic roster, so he
may need some time to round back into pitching shape.

I can't find any records of Herrera in major international competition. But
this much we do know: He'll be 26 next season, and he's a 6-foot-2, 200-pound
righthander whose best pitches are his curveball and his splitter. He sits at
88 mph and tops out at 92 with his fastball. He sounds like a No. 3 starter
at best, but also remember that the vast majority of Cuban defectors who have
signed with U.S. teams haven't lived up to expectations.




         In your ESPN.com chat two days ago, I asked for your thoughts on
         the Red Sox' other Japanese signee, lefty reliever Hideki Okajima.
         You said if I emailed you at Ask BA, you might be able to share
         his scouting report from the Handbook. Can we see it?

         Mike Sweeney
         Brighton, Mass.


I'm a man of my word, so here it is. I'll even tell you that he'll be No. 22
on our Red Sox Top 30 in the Handbook.


Hideki Okajima, lhp
Born: Dec. 25, 1975. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 195. Signed: Japan, 2006.
Signed by: Craig Shipley/Jon Deeble.

The Red Sox' quest for relievers took them to Japan, where they signed
Okajima with far less fanfare than surrounded Daisuke Matsuzaka. Because he
had nine years of service time, Okajima was a pure free agent who didn't have
to be posted. He signed a two-year contract with annual salaries of $1.25
million and a $1.75 million club option for 2009. Other clubs offered more
money, but he signed with the Sox in part because they were the first team to
show interest. Okajima is a versatile pitcher who served as a starter, middle
reliever, setup man and closer in Japan, where he was a key cog in Japan
Series championship teams in 2000, 2002 and 2006. His best pitch is an
overhand curveball that's tough on lefties. He doesn't throw hard, operating
in the mid- to high 80s and topping out at 91, but his fastball is effective
because he can locate it to both sides of the plate. He keeps righties honest
by throwing two versions of a splitter, one for strikes and another as a
chase pitch. His command has improved in the last two years as he has done a
better job of keeping his focus on the plate during his delivery. Boston
lacked reliable southpaw relievers for most of last season, and it believes
that Okajima can serve as more than a situational lefty. At the worst, he'll
help ease Matsuzaka's transition to the United States.