For all the State College Spikes fans who are getting excited about the individual performance of first baseman Mark Hamilton, right-hander Adam Ottavino, and left-hander Brad Furinish, I say calm down.
Sure, the three highest picks assigned to the Spikes from the St. Louis Cardinals' 2006 draft have lived up to expectations. But they are succeeding at what is technically still a rookie level.
So before we begin the coronation of Hamilton, Ottavino, and Furnish, we must remember that a lot of players have had great success in the minors but have fizzled once they reached the majors.
One example is late-80's Philadelphia Phillies phenom pitcher Pat Combs. Combs had a similar beginning to his career as Ottavino; he was promoted to every level of baseball during his first professional season.
Combs was drafted by the Phillies 11th overall in June of 1988, and by September of 1989 he was pitching in the major leagues.
The numbers he compiled that season were an eye-popping 1.79 ERA and accompanying 17-8 record. But Combs' career ended quicker than it began -- he was out of baseball by July of 1992.
So the masses should be wary when they look at Ottavino's 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA through four starts and assume he will be a sure-fire major leaguer. The same goes for Furnish, who is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA and had his long scoreless streak ended in his last start.
In the case of Hamilton, it's not so much a question of, "Will he make it to the majors, but will he have any impact?" He is a slugger who can also hit for a solid average, so as long as he stays injury free, Hamilton should find a home on a major league roster.
A major league comparison of what realistic expectations await the Spikes first baseman is fellow first baseman Travis Lee.
Lee was drafted second overall in 1996 and has bounced around the league since making his professional debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998.
Granted, Hamilton has had a solid start to his professional career, but one must remember that Lee was even more highly-touted than the Cardinals' supplemental second-round pick, Hamilton. Lee still has yet to make an all-star team.
So the next time you hear the words "can't-miss-prospect" about a player in single-A ball, just remember that for every Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, who were touted as "can't-misses" there are the Pat Combs and Reggie Taylors of professional baseball.
Around The NY-Penn League
Second Chance
Former No. 1 overall pick in the June 1999 draft, Josh Hamilton, made his season debut last Tuesday for the Hudson Valley Renegades. A very emotional Hamilton went 1-for-3 in the Renegades 7-2 loss to the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Hamilton had been suspended by major league baseball on two occasions for violating the substance abuse policy -- the first suspension came four years ago, as of yesterday.
Hamilton was allowed to attend extended spring training with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in early June after MLB officially reinstated him on November 2005, but didn't allow him to play in the minors until June 30.
Quotable
Spikes part-time closer Jason Motte on how the Cardinals told him about their decision to convert him from catcher to pitcher:
"They kinda made the decision for me...It was like, 'Hey we're gonna have you pitch. How do you feel about that?' I was like, 'Well it's basically that or go home so, I mean, I'd rather be in a uniform and get to play.' "
