Ones2Watch™ (11-25)

After being the 14th pick in the 2005 draft by the Cleveland Indians, Trevor Crowe struggled to a .251 average in his first professional season but has clearly adjusted this season.

Projected to be a leadoff hitter who currently plays center field but could end up at another position with Grady Sizemore (MLN FAB50 2004 No. 13)
settled in for years to come, Crowe is hitting .328 with 38 stolen bases in stops at Single-A Kinston and
Double-A Akron.

 Chicago Cubs prospect Jake Fox was a third rounder (73rd OA) in the 2003 in his third pro year finally ignited at Daytona where he returned this season after Spring Training. A .313 average and a .574 slugging percentage, 16 home runs and 61 RBI. He was advanced to the AA Southern League, where has cooled down a bit. We expect him to make the necessary adjustments, but probably not in time not to begin with Iowa. He should get a look at the major leagues in late 2007, with a better, more full-time shot in mid-to-late 2008 if he progresses on his curent tracking.

Sidelined by injury, Brett Harper packs a lot of power in a big bat (See: Mets Spring Report 2006) that could send balls out to the subway next to Shea. Had he been healthy, we would view him much as we do Hunter Pence. Age is a factor though, with mid-twenties mojo creeping up on him rapidly. If Harper can't get healthy he may not get much further than the Triple-A.

Justin Thomas, the latest in many M's promising young pitching prospects, is holding his own in the California League with the Inland Empire 66ers. While his ERA in the hitter happy CAL is a bit high at 4.78, he has drastically improved his strikeout-to-innings ratio, knocking out 76 in 69.2 innings of work, or 1.1 per inning. We expect his progress to be good, as he works on improving what he is showing batters, who have been reading him reasonably well in High-A ball. He will continue to move along in 2007, with the potential to be in Tacoma 2008, and, if he can continue to develop at the current pace, a good shot at a 2009 run for Seattle.

If Rome was burning, a Hawaiian fire god was the reason. Kala Kaaihue, pronounced KY-a-hoo-eee, a Hawaiian-born first baseman who turned down the Red Sox in the 2003 Draft after graduating Iolani High School in Honolulu (22nd round 2003 Draft 654th OA), was taken by the Atlanta Braves in 2005. With the Rome Braves earlier this season, he batted .329 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI. Finishing the year at Myrtle Beach, his career has perched a bit with the Pelicans, batting .223. Braves watchers like him on both sides of the game. We think he's a contender in 2009, but his pace could pick up with another breakout run like Rome.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound left-hander was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of Highland Park (Texas) High in June and has proven to be a nightmare for Gulf Coast League hitters. Kershaw was 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his first nine pro starts and had struck out 52 and walked only five in 36 innings. He's blessed with a fastball in the mid-90s, and a big curve. His changeup is a work in progress.

A 12th-round selection in the 2005 draft by the Oakland A's, Jeff Baisley could find himself on the fast track to the Majors if his surprising power numbers continue. Through 93 games, the third baseman was leading the Midwest League in home runs with 18 and RBI with 86 after hitting a combined 23 home runs
in 219 games over four seasons at the University of South Florida.

While the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have concentrated a lot of their prime picks on fielding talent, Andy Sonnanstine may show up all of them. The Montgomery Biscuits pitcher hurled his fourth shutout against the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx on July 20, 2006. To date he has had a sizzling 13-7 season and a 2.71 ERA on 159 innings pitched. He's only allowed 12 home runs of his 48 earned, walked a stingy 28, while striking out 128. He could leap ahead to the majors in just about any other organization. With the D-Rays, though, we'll probably see him in Durham for 2007, with a shot a the big leagues in 2008.

A former New York Mets prospect, Gaby Hernandez was dealt reluctantly to the Marlins in the Paul LoDuca trade. His GCL Mets debut was a smokin' 1.09 ERA. In a split the season between the Hagerstown Suns and St. Lucie in 2005, he recorded almost a strikeout per inning: 131 strikeouts (99/32) in 134.3 innings pitched. The Marlins returned him to the High-A FSL where he has a 115 strikeouts in 120 innings of work, allowing only 7 homeruns and 35 walks. He needs to work on what he shows batters, and improve a couple of pitches to get to the next level, but we think that he is Albuquerque-bound in late 2008.

Highly nimble shortstop prospect of the Dodgers, the native of Taiwan has a knack for turning the double play. Signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers after hitting .474 at the 2002 World Junior Championships and has drawn comparisons to Rey Ordonez. The 5-foot-9, 150 pound prototypical shortstop hit .299 in his first full season (2004) and .313 last year. He was batting .255 through July 26 for the Double-A Jacksonville Suns and has shown decent speed, with 54 steals in two-plus seasons.. Has good speed, and with a little more plate discipline, could become an offensive asset