News & Notes

Many teams will wait until the minor league seasons end, so you won't see many of the call-ups until after Sept. 6. Also be aware that teams are not likely to summon prospects that are not on the 40-man roster.

Teams generally don't like to add players to the 40-man until they have to protect them from the Rule V draft. Players 19 and older on June 5 preceding the signing of their first pro contract must be protected after three pro seasons, those 18 or younger after four. For example, one of the top hitting prospects in baseball, Conor Jackson will likely not get a call-up because he would need to be added to the 40-man roster.

* Greg Aquino 's grip on the Diamondbacks closer job for 2005 has tightened. Besides the obvious fact that he has not blown a save since taking over the role (10-for-10), the other challengers (assuming the Diamondbacks spend their dollars in free agency elsewhere, which is likely), are having problems. Jose Valverde had yet another setback with his shoulder and is now going to get another opinion. This is pretty much par for the course for Valverde for his career, who never has been able to stay healthy. Brian Bruney is a guy that the organization really likes in the long run, but he had elbow problems earlier this year and there is speculation they are popping up again. Notwithstanding his control meltdown this past Tuesday night, his velocity is down 2-3 mph. Bruney can't be effective with a fastball in the low 90s.

As a converted shortstop, Aquino's big question knock had been the lack of a quality secondary pitch. But he's made big progress with his slider, which he has been able to use as an out pitch on occasion. He does a good job of keeping his arm action the same so he doesn't tip the pitch off.

* Speaking of the Diamondbacks , I have come to the conclusion that Alex Cintron , despite hitting the ball hard most every time he puts it into play, is not going to take the next step until he changes his hitting style. Cintron fancies himself a home run hitter but has nothing more than warning-track power.

* The Giants are accelerating their efforts to get Jerome Williams back on the field by season's end. They think he can make two-to-three starts down the stretch if needed. He has thrown off the mound a couple of times since his early August arthroscopic surgery on his elbow.

* Jesus Colome has quietly had a breakout year, posting a 2.85 ERA and a 1.073 ratio. Perhaps the most impressive number is 101 -- what's he's hit on the gun on several occasions. Add in some much-improved command, and it is possible he could supplant Danys Baez as the closer next year in Tampa Bay .

* There is some talk that D'Angelo Jimenez may stop switch-hitting next year or ride the bench more against lefties. This can only be good for his numbers, as his splits against lefties are horrible: a .218 average as opposed to his .272 against right-handed pitching. He has hit for a decent average in the past against lefties, but scouts don't think he can ever hit with good authority from that side, as his slugging percentages were still poor.

* The Mets will have Matt Ginter replace Kris Benson in the rotation this turn while Benson deals with shoulder soreness. Ginter might be a good short-term pickup in deep NL-only leagues. He performed very well at Class AAA this year but has struggled with command in his 13 major league starts.

* The Pirates have activated Dave Williams , who drew some attention back in 2001 by putting up a 3.71 ERA and 1.272 ratio as a starter before having shoulder surgery. But a poor BB/K ratio and a tendency to be homer-prone mean he isn't worth a pickup at this point.