Bullpen Banter is about to finish the NL and AL Central Previews. We started with the Pirates (6th), Royals (5th), Astros (5th), Cubs(4th) and Indians(4th). Yesterday we posted the Brewers(3rd) and Tigers(3rd) and today we've posted the Reds(2nd) and White Sox(2nd). Enjoy (and thanks for visiting the site).

Tigers:

Michael Herrick: Andy Oliver didn't have a good final season in college and dropped to the 2nd round, but he threw well in the AFL and could be a quicker riser.  I could have picked about five different relievers here too, but if I had to pick one it would be Melvin Mercedes.  Good sinker generates plenty of grounders and he has the stuff to put up good K numbers if he can harness his control.

Al Skorupa: I'm a sucker for prospects with plus power and speed tools, so I'm going to go with SS/3B Daniel Fields. Oliver is another good choice. SS Gustavo Nunez is very interesting to me, too.

Brewers:

JD Sussman: I really liked the Kyle Heckathorn pick (47th overall in last year's draft). They will start him until he proves to them he can't start anymore. In the end, the ability to miss bats and get bad swings is all that matters, and Heckathorn should be able to do that. However, it does concern me that he was so unsuccessful at Kenneshaw State, winning 12 games in 3 seasons.

Michael Herrick: Heckathorn is a solid choice but I'm going with a different pitcher, Jake Odorizzi.  Athletic build and smooth mechanics, his fast ball is in the high 80's-low 90's range but as he fills out a bit he should end up more in the low 90's consistently.  He has a full arsenal with a curve, slider and changeup.  Each could be an above average pitch once they've been refined a bit.  Cold weather arms take a little longer to develop don't forget, and high school pitchers don't normally have advanced secondary stuff no matter where they're from so none of this should come as a surprise.  There are actually quite a few good pitchers in the Brewers system with Wily Peralta, Cody Scarpetta, and Eric Arnett joining Odorizzi and Heckathorn.

Al Skorupa: I can't pass up the tools of OF Kentrail Davis here, even though he's a kind of boring choice. He already has a pretty good approach in some respects. I'm optimistic they can sort out his problems.

Although he's another obvious guy to watch, it wouldn't take much for RHP Eric Arnett to jump into the top 50-75 range for me. He came in at #107 on my personal list this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Rule 5 pick LHP Chuck Lofgren end up a nice piece out of the pen, either.

Reds:

Al Skorupa: Chapman is too obvious. Yonder Alonso is the same, though I'm quite high on him and was very surprised how far his stock has seemingly fallen.

17 year old OF Yorman Rodriguez has a ceiling that ranks with pretty much anybody's. He's my choice here. OF Juan Duran is a lesser version of Rodriguez that I'll also be keeping an eye on.

JD Sussman: At 6'6" Juan Duran isn't a lesser version of anyone! Volquez was pretty impressed with him,

"I saw him hit two two home runs in two at-bats," Volquez said. "I saw him throw from the outfield. Unbelievable. I’ve never seen someone like that. He’s a little skinny right now. But he’s going to be really good."

Back in 2007 the Reds drafted Kyle Lotzkar (so did I in fantasy baseball) who, at the time, was a pretty raw, high upside, high school hurler from Canada. Since then, he has been plagued by injuries but his potential is still very real and attainable. If the Reds are lucky, Lotzkar will have a healthy 2010 campaign and become a top 100 prospect.

Michael Herrick: I want to second the Lotzkar love, I really like this kid and hope he has a healthy year, both for him and for my dynasty league team.  The guy I'm watching closely this year though is another Reds pitcher, Juan Carlos "JC" Sulbaran.  Bought out of a commitment to Florida in 2008, Sulbaran pitched fairly well in the Midwest League in 2009.  He averaged over a K per inning and had some dominant starts.  He makes some mistakes, usually up in the zone as evidenced by his high HR/9 rate, and he needs to improve his control but the talent is there.  He could be a #2 starter if he makes the necessary improvements.

 

White Sox:

Michael Herrick: Brent Morel doesn't necessarily have the bat you typical think of for a third basemen.  What he does have is very good contact ability, gap power that should rack up high doubles totals and double digit HR totals, and above average defense.  I see a Joe Randa type player here, one that could be a 3-3.5 win player over his prime years.

JD Sussman: An arm I find intriguing is Santos Rodriguez. He doesn't have the control to be a starter, but he pumps enough gas. If he can harness his control he col be a valuable commodity as a shut down reliever.

Al Skorupa: OF Trayce Thompson is the son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson. He is super raw but but he practically oozes athletic ability.

I can't let a discussion of the White Sox go by without mentioning my huge man crush on Jared Mitchell. I think he'll be an impact centerfielder who will be lots of fun to watch.

JD Sussman: Second that for Mitchell.