Meet Tomorrow's Pittsburgh Crawfords

By KYLE KEOUGH
DOUBLE DAY DAILY

With a theft of star-in-the-making Chris Mathews in their rear-view mirror, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, with man-of-few-words manager mjmage at the helm, are well positioned with an influx of young talent waiting in the wings in the minor leagues.

In this edition, we look at the upstate Pittsburgh Crawfords by looking at some of the best players that Mathews will be joining in what is being touted as perhaps the ML's best farm system.

Meet tomorrow's Pittsburgh Crawfords:

J.P. Sanchez, 20. The lithe Sanchez, towering at 6'6" with a wingspan that goes on forever, was 13-5 with a miniscule 1.96 ERA last year in High A. He's now won 24 games as a starter in the Crawfords' farm system and remains a highly touted prospect. Says one GM: "This dude is a future stud who will eat innings like breath mints." Says another, in just a word: "Sick."

Mariano Polanco, 21. One manager annointed Polanco as the best future shortstop in Double Day; another said that "he could by quite possibly the best shortstop Double Day has, or will ever see." Hype aside, all Mariano has done since beginning his MiL career is to hit .340 with 300 runs batted in. The concensus is that he is a potential future Most Valuable Player candidate.

Carlos Castillo, 22. With a .388 average in 28 games in his debut year at Low A, the 22-year-old Castillo is among the best shortstop prospects in Double Day, and he plays on the same team as fellow stud Polanco. Seen by many as the "poor man's Polanco," others think he could end up having a career on par with his fellow standout. Said one GM: "I can't believe Fidel let him defect." The only knock on him is whether or not he can be an everyday player when he hits his prime.

William Rodgers, 22. With a .312 average, 28 homers, and 105 runs batted in, in his debut season, Will Rodgers was an outstanding run producer in just 76 Rookie League games. He has both the power and the defensive chops to make for a very good major league second baseman (though he may end up becoming a slight defensive liability). One knock is his speed, which one GM quoted as the one thing that'll keep him from becoming a legitimate five-tool player.

Charlie Bergman, 22. Rubber-armed reliever Bergman enjoyed a successful Rookie League campaign last season, and will now begin anew at Low A. At this point in the process, when presented with Bergman, one GM remarked, "Okay, how the [explitive deleted] did Pittsburgh get all these guys?"

Samuel Ramsey, 21. An acquisition from Albuquerque in season one, 21-year-old Ramsey hit .348 last season and is, along with Castillo and Polanco, among the best young shortstops in the minor leagues. One GM called him a great all-around player, but said he won't be able to play every day. With the glut of shortstops, Pittsburgh probably won't need him to.

Nolan Cain, 21. In a word: "This guy is [explitive deleted] awesome!" said one manager. The do-anything second baseman has career averages of .358 with 293 runs, 73 home runs, 335 runs batted in, and 53 stolen bases in about two full seasons' time. Another GM said, "to paraphrase T.O. (Terrell Owens), getcha pitching staffs ready, because there's gonna be a show!"

Tomas Galarraga, 25. Destined to be Chris Mathews' right hand man, on GM termed Galarraga to be a "rubber-armed setup man," while the other labeled him as a "damn good relief pitcher." Galarraga is both, and now in AAA, is poised to soon make his major league debut.

Steven Wood, 25. With two successful seasons in Louisville under his belt, 25-year-old Wood waits in the wings in AAA, and is thus a prospect in name only. Questions about his ability--a propensity to strike out--seem miniscule when compared to what Wood does well at the plate. One GM suggested that Wood could turn out to be a better player than some of his higher-regarded compatriots.

John Grimsley, 23. A season-one acquisition from Albuquerque, Grimsley has been touted as a high-level pitching prospect and a future front-of-the-rotation Major League starter. In his career in MiL, Grimsley is 35-19 with a 3.78 career ERA.

Izzy Harris, 25. Reception of 25-year-old Izzy Harris has been mixed, though he will likely end up as a very good future left fielder for the Crawfords. A lifetime .322 hitter, Harris has been stellar as a defensive first baseman as well.