Large crop of rookies shows plenty of promise

By Rod Beaton, USA TODAY

Carlos Pena, obtained from Texas in the offseason, has filled in nicely for outgoing A's slugger Jason Giambi.

The rookie crop in baseball last season was remarkable, led by record-setting Seattle right fielder Ichiro Suzuki and St. Louis third baseman Albert Pujols.

This season, the depth and level of talent might be comparable.

The Oakland A's aren't going to gloat, but they're not too upset about having to replace slugger Jason Giambi, lost to free agency, with a first-year player.

Rookie Carlos Pena has displayed no jitters as the A's newest power-hitting first baseman while Giambi is still looking for his comfort zone with the Yankees. Pena has homered four times in his first seven games. The first two were ninth-inning, game-winning home runs against Texas, the team that drafted him out of Northeastern in the first round in 1998 and traded him to the A's in a six-player swap in January.

Pena has pleasantly surprised the A's faithful, especially after he hit .145 in spring training.

Other rookies are off to fast starts this season, including third basemen Eric Hinske of Toronto and Sean Burroughs of San Diego, first baseman/DH Nick Johnson of the Yankees and right-handers Josh Beckett of Florida, Josh Fogg of Pittsburgh and Kazuhisa Ishii of Los Angeles.

"More teams recognize scouting, signing and developing your own talent is the right way to go," says Milwaukee general manager Dean Taylor, whose rookie prize is right-hander Nick Neugebauer.

"From what I've seen and what I've heard, there are a lot of good ones," says San Diego manager Bruce Bochy, and he has one in third baseman Burroughs.

Last season Seattle unveiled Suzuki. The Japanese import became the second player named Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Fred Lynn of the 1975 Boston Red Sox was first.

St. Louis' Pujols, who had played three games above Class A, proved his readiness for the majors by becoming the fourth rookie (and first in the National League) to hit .300 or higher, with at least 30 home runs, 100 RBI and 100 runs scored.

Some of this year's rookies are filling holes created for them:

• Toronto traded closer Billy Koch to Oakland for Eric Hinske, then sent shortstop Cesar Izturis to Los Angeles and moved Felipe Lopez to short to assure Hinske his position at third. He hit .389 and walked four times in five games.
• Oakland sent a package of prospects to Texas to land Pena, who has been asked to replace beloved-but-departed A's slugger Jason Giambi, the 2000 American League MVP.
• Two other fast-start rookies: Burroughs is hitting .300, and first baseman-DH Johnson has hit two home runs for the New York Yankees.

Several rookie starters have had an impressive first turn this season. Florida right-hander Josh Beckett had six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings, as might be expected from the 2001 Minor League Player of the Year. Pittsburgh right-hander Fogg, who was a throw-in in the Chicago White Sox's winter meetings trade for Todd Ritchie, won his first start Saturday, shutting out the Chicago Cubs for seven innings.

Some are starting to deal with disappointment. Texas third baseman Hank Blalock was the talk of the Grapefruit League with his power, but he has started the season at .222 with one RBI.