rockin500
03-16-2003, 02:34 PM
MESA, Ariz.--Even before Hee Seop Choi, Bobby Hill and Corey Patterson possibly establish themselves in the major leagues this season, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry must concern himself with the next crop of potential big-leaguers and the near future. The assembly line is essential to turning a trickle of new blood from a just-awakening minor-league system into a steady flow of talent.
"Our next wave is Dave Kelton, Nic Jackson and Brendan Harris,'' Hendry said. "Harris could make a fast jump. His bat is pretty good. And Jackson Melian is putting himself in the picture.''
Kelton and Harris are both third basemen, while Nic Jackson is an outfielder who is being groomed at Class AAA Iowa this year for the time when left fielder Moises Alou is no longer a Cub or if Sammy Sosa declares free agency after the season and leaves Chicago. Alou has two years left on his contract.
Of the three primary prospects named by Hendry, Kelton has the best chance to be in Chicago before the season ends. He will try to be the Cubs' version of Chipper Jones.
Kelton will begin at Class AAA Iowa, while Harris starts at Class AA West Tenn. Hendry sees Kelton back on the fast track again, where he was once speeding along with a projected arrival in the majors at about the same time as Choi and Patterson before throwing problems as a third baseman delayed him.
"If he goes down to Iowa and proves he can play and swing the bat like we all know he can, absolutely he has a chance to come to the majors sometime this year,'' Hendry said. "If someone went down and we needed his bat, you're also capable of bringing him up and playing him somewhere else [first or left]. Sometimes you've just got to go with the best bat, and there is no timetable for him getting here if he can play defense.''
Mark Bellhorn will get a chance to start at third this season, barring a trade. Bellhorn, 28, is a former Oakland A's prospect whose 27 homers and 144 strikeouts last season made him a good-news, bad-news story.
No one knows what Bellhorn can do as the full-time starter at third, but Kelton's pure swing has the Cubs excited over his offensive future. Hendry remembers scouting Kelton as a Georgia prep player, giving him a wooden bat for heft to replace his lighter aluminum bat and seeing him respond.
"We worked him out in high school with a wood bat, and he swung it like he had been doing it for a couple years,'' Hendry said. "You listen for the sound a wood bat makes, and he made that sound.''
Once Kelton, who still resides in LaGrange, Ga., switched from shortstop to third base, he immediately began to concentrate on Atlanta Braves then-third baseman Chipper Jones, who has since moved to the outfield.
"I grew up a Braves fan,'' he said. "When I moved to third, he was the first guy I looked at. I liked him in his early days. Everybody did.''
Hitting has always come easily to Kelton, whose syrupy southern drawl is thicker than anyone else's in the Cubs clubhouse.
"Whatever team I have played on, I have always hit in the middle of the lineup and always wanted to go up with runners in scoring position,'' he said. "I have always wanted the RBIs. When I find myself there in a big at-bat, I like it. I definitely see myself as one of the big bats in the lineup.''
But when Kelton made 15 errors in 128 total chances for West Tenn in 2001, he was moved to first base for 2002 to take his mind off his throwing problems.
Kelton impressed Hendry this winter, however, by demanding to go back to third at winter ball in Mexico, where he found his arm slot and overcame his throwing woes. In addition, he worked out hard after winter ball and came to spring training under 6 percent body fat, a big drop from previous years.
"He must have worked his tail off,'' Hendry said. "But for his own good he has to go down to Iowa for a while and relax and make the plays. You wouldn't put him in the spot of being at third Opening Day at Shea Stadium [March 31 in New York].''
Kelton understands that caution, but he is self-confident.
"I feel like I can go out there and do it right now,'' he said. "I feel confident right now. I don't know timetable-wise, but I'm mentally prepared now. Hopefully it's as soon as possible. My shoulder feels fine.''
If not for a separated shoulder in high school, Kelton wouldn't be a Cub. The Cubs liked Patterson better that year and used their third overall first-round pick on him. But Kelton fell out of the first round because of his injury.
"He wouldn't have gotten to us with the third pick in the second round if he hadn't separated his shoulder,'' Hendry said. "We loved him and were hoping the whole draft he'd get to us in the second round.''
Hendry had a question-and-answer session with fans at HoHoKam Park last week. He was asked again about the organization trading Eric Hinske, who was once a Cubs third base prospect. He ended up becoming American League Rookie of the Year for the Toronto Blue Jays last season.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/cubs/cst-spt-cub16.html
Kelton can do Hendry a favor and stop all the Hinske questions. Even better, he can stop all the next Ron Santo questions, too
"Our next wave is Dave Kelton, Nic Jackson and Brendan Harris,'' Hendry said. "Harris could make a fast jump. His bat is pretty good. And Jackson Melian is putting himself in the picture.''
Kelton and Harris are both third basemen, while Nic Jackson is an outfielder who is being groomed at Class AAA Iowa this year for the time when left fielder Moises Alou is no longer a Cub or if Sammy Sosa declares free agency after the season and leaves Chicago. Alou has two years left on his contract.
Of the three primary prospects named by Hendry, Kelton has the best chance to be in Chicago before the season ends. He will try to be the Cubs' version of Chipper Jones.
Kelton will begin at Class AAA Iowa, while Harris starts at Class AA West Tenn. Hendry sees Kelton back on the fast track again, where he was once speeding along with a projected arrival in the majors at about the same time as Choi and Patterson before throwing problems as a third baseman delayed him.
"If he goes down to Iowa and proves he can play and swing the bat like we all know he can, absolutely he has a chance to come to the majors sometime this year,'' Hendry said. "If someone went down and we needed his bat, you're also capable of bringing him up and playing him somewhere else [first or left]. Sometimes you've just got to go with the best bat, and there is no timetable for him getting here if he can play defense.''
Mark Bellhorn will get a chance to start at third this season, barring a trade. Bellhorn, 28, is a former Oakland A's prospect whose 27 homers and 144 strikeouts last season made him a good-news, bad-news story.
No one knows what Bellhorn can do as the full-time starter at third, but Kelton's pure swing has the Cubs excited over his offensive future. Hendry remembers scouting Kelton as a Georgia prep player, giving him a wooden bat for heft to replace his lighter aluminum bat and seeing him respond.
"We worked him out in high school with a wood bat, and he swung it like he had been doing it for a couple years,'' Hendry said. "You listen for the sound a wood bat makes, and he made that sound.''
Once Kelton, who still resides in LaGrange, Ga., switched from shortstop to third base, he immediately began to concentrate on Atlanta Braves then-third baseman Chipper Jones, who has since moved to the outfield.
"I grew up a Braves fan,'' he said. "When I moved to third, he was the first guy I looked at. I liked him in his early days. Everybody did.''
Hitting has always come easily to Kelton, whose syrupy southern drawl is thicker than anyone else's in the Cubs clubhouse.
"Whatever team I have played on, I have always hit in the middle of the lineup and always wanted to go up with runners in scoring position,'' he said. "I have always wanted the RBIs. When I find myself there in a big at-bat, I like it. I definitely see myself as one of the big bats in the lineup.''
But when Kelton made 15 errors in 128 total chances for West Tenn in 2001, he was moved to first base for 2002 to take his mind off his throwing problems.
Kelton impressed Hendry this winter, however, by demanding to go back to third at winter ball in Mexico, where he found his arm slot and overcame his throwing woes. In addition, he worked out hard after winter ball and came to spring training under 6 percent body fat, a big drop from previous years.
"He must have worked his tail off,'' Hendry said. "But for his own good he has to go down to Iowa for a while and relax and make the plays. You wouldn't put him in the spot of being at third Opening Day at Shea Stadium [March 31 in New York].''
Kelton understands that caution, but he is self-confident.
"I feel like I can go out there and do it right now,'' he said. "I feel confident right now. I don't know timetable-wise, but I'm mentally prepared now. Hopefully it's as soon as possible. My shoulder feels fine.''
If not for a separated shoulder in high school, Kelton wouldn't be a Cub. The Cubs liked Patterson better that year and used their third overall first-round pick on him. But Kelton fell out of the first round because of his injury.
"He wouldn't have gotten to us with the third pick in the second round if he hadn't separated his shoulder,'' Hendry said. "We loved him and were hoping the whole draft he'd get to us in the second round.''
Hendry had a question-and-answer session with fans at HoHoKam Park last week. He was asked again about the organization trading Eric Hinske, who was once a Cubs third base prospect. He ended up becoming American League Rookie of the Year for the Toronto Blue Jays last season.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/cubs/cst-spt-cub16.html
Kelton can do Hendry a favor and stop all the Hinske questions. Even better, he can stop all the next Ron Santo questions, too