Minor Additions, Major Impact

In the past two days, the Dodgers, Rangers, Mariners and Diamondbacks each brought up arguably their top current offensive prospects.

Dodgers: Delwyn Young was recalled from Triple-A. What the role of this former second baseman turned outfielder will be is still undecided. There is a chance that with Jeff Kent's tweaked hamstring, that Young may get a few starts at his old position. Regardless of where he plays, this kid is an offensive powerhouse and has proved that he can dominate Triple-A. His spits show that there is nothing to make you believe otherwise will occur in the majors. He is a tremendous prospect that should be starting in place of Luis Gonzalez (free agent) next season.

Rangers: Sammy Sosa got the bad news that he will be losing most all of his at bats to a mammoth of a man in Jason Botts. Botts doesn't just make other players scared with his size, but he makes the ball pretty damn scared too. In his second stint with the Rangers, the ballclub has notified him that he will be their full-time DH from here on out. This just might be Botts' last chance to prove that he is more than just a Quadruple-A player. He continuously dominates Triple-A while he seems to stall out upon reaching the majors. His 0-5 performance in his 2007 debut Wednesday night was nothing to write home about; however, he banged a long double during the Thursday afternoon game, which hopefully breaks the ice. Botts is an absolute must have in all leagues, as his upside is along the likes of Ryan Howard-like power.

Mariners: The Mariners have notified their Triple-A team that the big league club will be bringing up former shortstop turned outfielder Adam Jones. In what capacity he will be playing is still unknown, but it is a common belief that the Mariners would not be bringing their prized possession up without giving him a full-time gig. Look for Jose Vidro to lose some at bats from the DH position in the near future. Jones is a 5-tool monster who was among the Triple-A leaders in every offensive category. This addition is basically the Mariners "deadline move" and to be honest with you, they now have as good a player as anyone could have hoped to acquire. Jones is a must-have keeper, as he will be patrolling the outfield, hitting .300 and knocking out 30+ homers while knocking in 100+ RBI's for many years to come. He is one of those guys that you just might have to sell the farm to trade for -- but he is damn well worth it!

Diamondbacks: The DBacks are bringing up one of the most hyped outfielders to come along in quite some time, Justin Upton. There are very few analysts who believe that Upton won't live up to these enormous expectations. Upton, the 1st pick in the 2005 draft, has his organization abuzz with his abilities. Like Jones, Upton is an enormous 5-tool player, but has received far more accolades along the way. I view him as a more costly Adam Jones, so if you had to trade for one or the other, I'd opt for the guy who was going to cost me less to trade for yet offer similar, if not identical, production in Jones. Upton is one of those guys that owners hold on to with an iron hard grasp, thus it is often detrimental to your teams future in order to acquire a guy like this.