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H5 SPECIALSPT 03-28-07 EZ EE H5 CMYK

The Washington Post x R Wednesday, March 28, 2007 H5 1 2 3 4 5 BETTING THE FARM DAISUKE PHILIP HOMER ANDREW TIM MATSUZAKA HUGHES BAILEY MILLER LINCECUM America’s top pitching prospects for 2007 Red Sox, RHP Yankees, RHP Reds, RHP Tigers, LHP Giants, RHP

Orioles’ Top Prospects Nationals’ Top Prospects Nationals’ Minor

1. BILLY ROWELL, 3B, 18 League Teams

First-round pick in 2006 hit .328 last 0 250 Vermont Lake year after graduating from high MILES Monsters school. New York-Penn Columbus League (A) 2. BRANDON ERBE, RHP, 19 Clippers MAINE (AAA) VT. The Orioles persuaded this 2005 N.Y. N.H. third- round pick from to MASS. stay home instead of honoring his PA. Harrisburg oral commitment to the University OHIO W.VA. Senators of Miami. Eastern KY. VA. League (AA) 3. HAYDEN PENN, RHP, 22 TN. N.C. Should be ready to step into the South Atlantic rotation anytime now. S.C. League (A) GA. 4. , LHP, 23 Potomac Atlantic Nationals Ocean Carolina Finesse , below, has one of FLORIDA League (A) the best breaking balls in the system. Gulf Coast Nationals Gulf Coast League (R)

BY GENE THORP — THE WASHINGTON POST

BY TONI L. SANDYS — THE WASHINGTON POST BY JOE HERMITT — THE PATRIOT NEWS Right-hander Collin Balester is making his best pitch — the — to The time is now for Kory Casto, who will start the 2007 season in left Orioles’ Minor one day join the big league rotation. He’ll likely start the year in Harrisburg. field for the . He can also back up at third and first. League Teams 1. COLLIN BALESTER 2. CHRIS MARRERO 3. COLTON WILLEMS 4. KORY CASTO 5. ESMAILYN GONZALEZ (AAA) International League RHP, 20 OF-1B, 18 RHP, 18 LF-3B-1B, 25 SS, 17 Mechanical adjustments led One Nationals official watched He joined Marrero as a When will the organization’s He signed for $1.4 million from (AA) Eastern League him to a shaky start at him blast bomb after bomb in a first-round pick last year. two-time minor league player the Dominican Republic last Potomac last year, but by the batting practice session this Willems dropped his in of the year be ready? “Now,” summer. Soft hands, quick bat (A) BY JONATHAN NEWTON — THE WASHINGTON POST spring and likened him to Mike order to master a curveball. He Manager said. The and unusually patient approach time player development guru Bob Boone saw him in August, Piazza. A high school third can reach mid- to upper-90s Nationals have moved him from at the plate. His best tool? “His (A) 5. , RHP, 23 he was overpowering. Boone baseman, the Nationals are with his . At 6 feet 4, he position to position, but he head,” Nationals special sent him to Class AA tinkering with his position, but has an excellent frame. projects to a .280 major league assistant Jose Rijo said. ABERDEEN IRONBIRDS Hard thrower could be switched to Harrisburg, where he likely will are clear on one thing. “I want hitter with some gap power. — Barry Svrluga (Short Season) New York-Penn League reliever. start the season. Scouts love him to play ‘bat,’ ” Boone said. BLUEFIELD ORIOLES — Jorge Arangure Jr. his biting curveball. (Rookie)

A New Landscape in Baseball BASEBALL, From H4 same trend likely has kept closer did not have to give up draft picks in Washington. As to sign them. model in 2007, as the Nationals un- recently as a couple of years ago, In the meantime, the Yankees’ dertake a difficult rebuilding — fea- the might have giv- payroll has actually decreased in turing a payroll that will fall from en the Nationals what they wanted each of the past two years, from a $60 million in 2006 to around $33 for Cordero — multiple top pros- high of around $204 million to million this year — that is predicat- pects — but this time the Red Sox about $175 million — still the high- ed upon their farm system. Seven of held firm. est in the game, but moving ever the top 10 prospects in the organi- And it isn’t just the Nationals closer to the rest of the pack. Stein- zation, as rated by Baseball Amer- who have witnessed the new para- brenner may appreciate that, but ica, have been acquired since new digm since last summer. It seems Cashman’s plan will never be seen ownership took over last summer, relatively clear now that the days of as a success by The Boss until it and the team spent a total of $5.3 the blockbuster superstar-for-pros- produces the Yankees’ first World million in draft bonuses to get its pects deal at the trade deadline — Series title since 2000. picks signed, the 10th-highest fig- think: from the Blue “Those are more examples of ure in the majors. Jays to the Yankees in 1995, or what I’ve been publicly saying for However, the Marlins of 2006 Johnson from the Mariners to the two years,” Cashman said. “We’re had a healthy advantage over the Astros in 1998 — are over. going to build from within. We’re per Nationals in 2007, in that their farm Of the 35 trades made last July, going to lower our payroll, get flex- Brand New month 2007 BMW $ system already was in good shape, only seven involved a player ranked ible. We haven’t been big-game 328i from:319 36 MO. and that they had premium major among an organization’s top 10 hunters on the free agent market. league stars available to trade. prospects, and only two of those But at the same time we’re going to per Brand New 3.0si month Their trade of Beckett to the Bos- prospects were ranked in the top continue trying to win champion- Passport BMW 2007 BMW $ X3 from:365 24 MO. ton Red Sox, for example, netted five. ships. People heard what I said, but 5050 Auth Way, Marlow Heights, Md them both Hanley Rami- This winter, a few more top pros- I don’t think they really believed it.” per rez, who wound up being named pects, including , changed But folks believe Cashman now, Brand New month 1-866-813-6848 2007 BMW $ the NL rookie of the year, and right- hands. Most prominently, the after a winter in which the Yankees 525i from:429 36 MO. hander Anibal Sanchez, who won sent No. 1 prospect moved into a bizarro world — 10 games in 2006. Jason Hirsh in a package of players where they kept their top pros- Plus tax, tags and security deposit due at inception. All leases with 10k miles per year and must qualify through BMWFS. 2007 models: 328i (36mo lease with $2859 down), x3 (24mo lease with $2865 down), Of course, the Nationals did have to Colorado for veteran pitcher Ja- pects, dumped high-salaried stars 525i (36mo lease with $2929 down). Financing available through BMWFS; Offer Ends 3/31/2007 one premium player to trade last son Jennings — but that deal was and telegraphed to the rest of base- summer — left fielder Alfonso Sor- widely criticized in Houston and ball that the Sugar Daddy Era offi- iano — but they failed to do so, elsewhere. cially was over. much to the chagrin of some fans And in another notable trade last and analysts, and instead allowed November, the him to walk away via free agency, shipped three pitching prospects, receiving two extra draft picks as a including two top 10s — Humberto compensation. Sanchez (rated No. 6) and Kevin In their inability to find a palat- Whelan (No. 10) — to acquire Shef- able offer for Soriano, the Nationals field from . . . found themselves face-to-face with The New York Yankees. the new paradigm in baseball: That trade, like the similar one Teams are no longer willing to give two months later that sent Johnson Watch the nationals up their top pitching prospects in to the for trades, particularly for what would three prospects, represented a com- have amounted to a two- to three- plete 180-degree turn for baseball’s month rental of a player on the onetime sugar daddies. The Yan- from your living room skybox verge of free agency. kees used to trade away their pros- “They had a view of the market pects for aging stars, not the other from the past,” Phillips said, “and way around. the game has evolved to the point According to Cashman, the Yan- where that’s not the market any- kees’ shift in philosophy began in more.” May 2005, when Cashman respond- When the ump yells Play Ball, you’ll be there! Because right now you can move into a luxurious, amenity- Here is how the market works ed to a public challenge from owner now: One of the teams the Nation- George Steinbrenner — irked by fi lled home, close to the new ballpark and steps from Capitol Hill. Enjoy everything from a workout in the als spoke with extensively last sum- the team’s slow start, he said the re- mer regarding Soriano was the sponsibility for fixing the team rest- fi tness center and a swim in the year-round pool to a ruthless poker game in the clubroom. Best of all, you’re , according to in- ed with Cashman — by insisting dustry sources. In return for Sor- upon total power over the team’s iano, the Nationals asked for a pack- baseball operations, which to that home in D.C.’s hottest neighborhood, and the City is a sparkling vista from your living room, including the age headed by one of the Twins’ top point had been split between New pitching prospects, either left-han- York and Steinbrenner’s Tampa National’s future stadium. der Glen Perkins or right-hander headquarters. Matt Garza — rated the Twins’ “I told him,” Cashman said, “ ‘If fourth- and seventh-best prospects it’s up to me to fix it, I’m going to do Studios priced from the mid $200’s in 2006 — but the Twins’ best offer it my way.’ ” was for right-hander Kevin Slowey, Soon, the team had called up two 1 BR’s priced from the low $300’s a control specialist who was not top prospects, second baseman IImmediatemmediate DeliveryDelivery 2 BR’s priced from the mid $400’s among the team’s top 10 prospects Robinson Cano and pitcher Chien- in 2006. Ming Wang. It promoted another The Nationals passed. Slowey, minor leaguer, pitcher Aaron Small, however, after an impressive 2006 and made a minor deal for pitcher season, has climbed to the Twins’ Shawn Chacon. “We didn’t do any- third-best prospect in the 2007 thing drastic,” Cashman said, “and rankings and re- we ended up winning the division.” ceived consideration in the Twins’ When the Yankees did make a big camp this spring for promotion to trade last year, for Bobby Abreu, the majors. they did so without sacrificing any “All these months later, and of their top prospects. And when knowing everything I know now,” they have signed free agents — Nationals President Stan Kasten such as lefty reliever Mike Myers said, with regard to the Soriano and starter Andy Pettitte — they 866.856.2729 capitolhilltower.com Sales by: McWilliams/Ballard non-trade, “I’d still do the same have carefully waited until their for- 1000 New Jersey Avenue, SE, thing.” mer teams failed to offer them ar- Washington, DC 20003

This spring, a version of the bitration, which means the Yankees

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