The Prospects Are Good.

Here we are, only three weeks away from yet another season of Major League Baseball. What kind of season will 2008 be? Will it be one for the ages? Will it be one to be forgotten? Will it be drowned out by - or will it drown out - all of the steroids non-sense? Each week for the next several weeks, will be a part of a "What to Watch for in 2008" series. This week, we are going back to the origins of this blog, and will talk about prospects and rookies who will look to make an impact in 2008. The following youngsters have less than a full year of major league experience, and are expected to start the season in the majors, or at least be called up before the end of the season.

Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays - I am personally stoked to see this kid in the big leagues. I drafted him in all three fantasy drafts I have participated in so far, and I'm looking forward to reaping the benefits. The 22-year old third baseman is already a candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, and could eventually vie for the MVP honors of the league. This kid split 2007 between Double and Triple-A, hitting a combined .299 with 26 homers and 95 RBI. His 110 strikeouts were a little high, but his 73 walks makes that not seem so bad. There's a slight chance he won't start the season in the majors, but with the Rays having no sufficient backup at the hot corner, there really isn't a reason to wait for Longoria - the future is now for the Rays.

Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals - Juan Encarnacion's eye injury sustained last August is nothing to smile about. His season is over before it began, and his career may be pretty much over with as well. But this does leave an opening in the Cards' outfield for young Colby Rasmus. Rasmus, the Cardinals' first-round pick in the 2005 draft, has never played higher than Double A, yet there are talks in camp about him being the starting left fielder in 2008. After all, he did hit 29 home runs and steal 18 bases for Springfield last season. However, the Cardinals do not have a huge gap in the outfield - Rick Ankiel is slated to play center field, and the team is trying to rebuild Juan Gonzalez to play left field. It's likely that Rasmus will start the season in AAA, but there's no reason not to expect him up in St. Louis shortly, and have a season comparable to 2007's Hunter Pence and Ryan Braun.

Kevin Mulvey, Minnesota Twins - One of the hardest teams to analyze heading into 2008 is the Minnesota Twins. They traded their two-time Cy Young award winner, and let their seven-time Gold Glove winning center fielder sign with the Angels. But the team also has a lot of young talent, most of which is ready to play in the major leagues. One of these young guns is Kevin Mulvey, who came over from the New York Mets in the Johan Santana trade. Mulvey, 22, was the Mets' second-round pick in 2006. Last season, he saw most of his time in Double A, where he racked up 110 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.32. But he did give up a lot of hits (147 in just over 157 innings pitched). If the Twins farm staff can help develop this phenom into a legitimate big league pitcher, given the state of the Twins' rotation from the early stages, I wouldn't be surprised to see Mulvey up with the Twins by the All-Star break - if for nothing more than to get his feet wet.

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds - Dusty Baker has taken the helm of the ship known as the Reds, and that could bode well for Mr. Votto. Votto comes into spring training competing with 38-year old Scott Hatteberg for the everyday first base job, and it seems like the position is all but Votto's. The 24-year old was the Reds' 2nd round pick in the '02 draft, and made 84 appearances at the plate for the Reds in 2007. His debut was certainly impressive, and if Baker still has the same managerial style as he had with the Cubs, be prepared to see Votto manning first base for the majority of the season - starting on opening day.

Joba Chamberlain, New York Yankees - Bullpen or rotation? It doesn't really matter where this kid pitches, he is filthy. Chamberlain, the Yankees' 2006 first-round draft pick, played in all four levels in 2007, spending most of his time in the Bronx. While with the Yanks, Joba was solid in the bullpen. He gave up one earned run in 24 regular season innings, and struck out 34 hitters while walking only six! The only problem Chamberlain and the Yankees are facing is where to put this right hander. Every week, it seems, reports change as to whether he will be pitching in the Yanks' pen or rotation. But make no mistake - it's not a question of talent, as the 22-year old from Lincoln, Nebraska has plenty of talent to go around.


Other Prospects to watch:
Jay Bruce, OF, CIN
J.R. Towles, C, HOU
Justin Maxwell, OF, WAS
Homer Bailey, P, CIN
Cameron Maybin, OF, FLA
Daric Barton, 1B, OAK
Statistical and historical information courtesy of baseballreference.com and MLB.com.