~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SPORTSTICKER 1993 BASEBALL PREVIEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ROOKIES TO WATCH IN 1993 BY KEVEN LERNER STAFF WRITER With the expansion Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins entering the picture this season, there are loads of young players, not yet household names, who soon may be turning heads. At the top of that list is Colorado pitcher David Nied, the top overall pick in the expansion draft and the leading early candidate for Rookie of the Year in the National League. The highly touted 24-year-old Nied will be the Rockies' number one starter in their first season. Nied was outstanding in six appearances for the National League champion Atlanta Braves last season, going 3-0 with a 1.17 earned run average. Reliever Steve Reed also should make an immediate impact for the expansion Rockies. Reed was a combined 1-1 with a 2.10 E-R-A in Double-A and Triple-A, where he struck out 63 batters in just 60 innings and established a minor league record for saves in a season with 43. He converted all 23 save opportunities at Shreveport (AA), where he didn't walk a batter, and added 20 more saves at Phoenix (AAA). Not far behind is Montreal's Wil Cordero. Cordero is the 21-year-old phenom from Puerto Rico named by managers as the best defensive shortstop in the American Association. Cordero hit .302 in 126 at-bats for the Expos last year and will fill the void left by Spike Owen. The three-time defending National League Eastern Division champion Pittsburgh Pirates and manager Jim Leyland hope top prospects Carlos Garcia, Kevin Young, Steve Cooke and Al Martin can help the Bucs make a smooth transition from the loss of superstars Doug Drabek, Barry Bonds and Jose Lind. Pittsburgh General Manager Ted Simmons traded starting second baseman Jose Lind to Kansas City in order to give Garcia a chance to play every day. Garcia hit .303 with 13 home runs and 70 R-B-I while stealing 21 bases at Buffalo of the American Association a year ago. Young, the American Association Rookie of the Year, batted .314 with 65 R-B-I and 18 stolen bases at Buffalo. Martin hit .305 with 20 homers at Buffalo (AAA) last season. Right-handed pitcher Rene Arocha would have made his major league debut last year had it not been for the expansion draft. The Cardinals delayed the move so they wouldn't have to protect him. That won't be a problem in 1993. The Dodgers decided not to re-sign longtime catcher Mike Scioscia thanks to promising rookie Mike Piazza, Tommy Lasorda's godson. Piazza, who was drafted by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the June, 1988, draft, batted .341 at Albuquerque, good for fourth in the Pacific Coast League, with 16 homers and 69 R-B-I in 1992. Los Angeles also looks to Pedro Martinez, younger brother of Dodger ace Ramon, to bolster its pitching staff. Pedro had some arm problems but had 124 strikeouts in 125 1/3 innings at Albuquerque last season. The Marlins hope outfielder Chuck Carr and first baseman-outfielder Jeff Conine can live up to their star billing. Carr, who has tremendous speed, hit .308 with 11 triples and 53 stolen bases at Louisville last season. He stole 71 bases, including eight in Double-A and 10 with St. Louis, which may regret not protecting him in the expansion draft. Willie Greene, a deadly hitter, has never played an inning at the Triple-A level but the Cincinnati Reds are well aware of his tremendous potential. Greene, the Pirates' top pick in 1989, hit .279 with 27 homers and 106 R-B-I at Cedar Rapids (A) and Chattanooga (AA) last season. He was called up in September and started 24 games (all at third) for the Reds and batted .269 with 13 R-B-I. Ryan Thompson, acquired from Toronto in the David Cone deal last August, gives the New York Mets their best center fielder since Lenny Dykstra. In the American League, the California Angels landed two of the most promising rookies in J.T. Snow and Tim Salmon. Snow, the son of former N-F-L wide receiver Jack Snow, was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Jim Abbott trade. The 25-year-old first baseman was voted the International League's Most Valuable Player in 1992 after posting career highs at Columbus with a .313 average, 15 homers and 78 R-B-I. Salmon, the Minor League Player of the Year in 1992, was rated as the top hitting prospect in the Pacific Coast League. He batted .347 and scored 101 runs at Edmonton and led the P-C-L in just about every offensive category. Salmon, who fell .004 shy of the Triple Crown, also had 38 doubles, 29 homers, 105 R-B-I and a .682 slugging percentage. The Yankees have their own pair of rookie standouts in Sam Militello and Gerald Williams. Militello was 12-2 with a 2.29 E-R-A at Columbus, where he led the International League in E-R-A and struck out 152 batters in 141 1/3 innings. He has compiled an incredible 34-8 record with a 1.76 E-R-A in his three-year minor league career. He was 3-3 with a 3.45 E-R-A in nine starts at the major league level with New York. Williams was one of the reasons the Yankees were so willing to trade All-Star Roberto Kelly to Cincinnati. Williams hit .285 with 16 home runs and 86 R-B-I last season, while swiping 36 bases. He has 102 stolen bases over the last three years. Right-handed power pitcher Mike Trombley should give the Twins a big lift in their starting rotation behind 1-2 starters Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson. Over the years, the Texas Rangers have developed some high-profile pitchers, but Dan Smith is the first left-handed starter they've produced. A number one draft choice in June 1990, Smith had a 4-to-1 ratio of strikeouts to walks in the Texas League last year. John Jaha of the Milwaukee Brewers proved his 1991 season at Double-A El Paso (.344, 30, 134) was no fluke. At Triple-A Denver last season, he hit .321 with 18 homers and 69 R-B-I in just 274 at-bats. Bret Boone, the first third-generation major leaguer, had a disappointing stint with Seattle at the end of last season but the Mariners are confident that he can fill the void at second base left by veteran Harold Reynolds, who signed as a free agent with Baltimore. Boone had an impressive season at Calgary with a .314 average, 13 homers and 73 R-B-I. Boone is the son of former major league catcher Bob Boone and the grandson of former major league third baseman Ray Boone. The Oakland Athletics hope slugger Troy Neel picks up where he left off last season. The lefty-swinging outfielder had three home runs and nine R-B-I in just 24 games for the A's in 1992. He led the P-C-L in hitting with a .351 average, while hitting 17 homers and 74 R-B-I.