Several rookies could be impact players in '11
By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com
The general rule of thumb used to be that rookies were to be brought along
slowly. Sure, there'd be an exception here and there, but even those who were
Rookie of the Year candidates tended not to be thrown into the fire too
quickly and certainly weren't expected to make major contributions to pennant
races.
Boy, times have changed.
Last year, the National League Rookie of the Year helped shepherd a pitching
staff to a World Series title. The closer on the other team in the Fall
Classic turned out to be the ROY in the American League. Nos. 2 and 3 in the
NL were in pennant races, with the runner-up playing in the postseason.
Buster Posey, Neftali Feliz, Jason Heyward and Jaime Garcia didn't just come
up and play well, they made a huge impact and helped their teams compete in
2010. What will the Class of '11 possibly do for an encore? Here are some
early candidates for impact rookies to watch as camps open in Florida and
Arizona (rank in MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects list appears in parentheses).
National League
Brandon Belt, 1B, Giants (26): Calling someone the next Posey certainly isn't
fair, but Belt has put himself in the position to be the next impact hitter
to come up from the Giants' system and contribute in San Francisco. After
hitting .352/.455/.620 across three levels last year, even if he starts the
year in Triple-A, he's going to get a chance at first or left field before
long.
Braves (1B Freddie Freeman